Christmas 2013

I just realized we never posted pictures from Christmas! We visited Santa a few times and by the end of the season Harper started to warm up to him.This year we stayed home for Christmas morning and then flew to Indianapolis on Christmas afternoon. A little recap of the holiday season:
Santa Visits:




















Preschool Christmas concert (pictures don't do this justice- Harper was certainly a star with her front row dancing).












"All mommy wants is a silent night":








Christmas Eve:
















Christmas morning:




















Sleeping on the plane:








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Watch me grow

I am a little behind, but I did write this at 5 months (but the pictures didn't happen till 5.5 months). I had hoped to get our Disney post up already, but I am waiting on some pictures (hint, hint, Adam!).







Finley turned 5 months on February 11. It is really hard to believe (both because it has gone so fast and because she is so small). Here is a quick update:

• At 5 months 6 days she weighed 12lbs 3.5oz (4th percentile) and was 24 inches long (12th percentile).
• She is eating about 50% breastmilk and 50% formula (to try and bulk her up)
• She still hates tummy time and now puts and end to it quickly by rolling to her back
• She can roll from back to tummy but does it infrequently
• She got her first tooth (lower right) at about 4.5 months and is working on her lower left
• She has an infectious laugh and smile
• She loves to look at "the baby" in the mirror
• She is cooing and "talking" up a storm
• She is still a good sleeper at night (going down around 6:45) but wakes too early (sometime between 4:30 and 5:30)... We are working on that by going down earlier.
• She (just like her sister at this age) doesn't nap (other than cat naps in the carseat, swing or arms.
• She started physical therapy to strengthen the left side of her neck because she favors looking to the right (a condition called torticollis) and therefore has an asymmetrical head shape (a condition called plageocephaly). We are meeting with a doctor to see if the PT (and more time upright) might fix it or if she will need a helmet. (This is pretty common, especially now that babies are supposed to sleep on their backs).
• She loves her sister. She is always looking around for her and giggling at her.



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Big Girl!!

January 31 marked a big night in our house! We had a "big girl party" that afternoon and that night Harper slept without her binkies for the first time.
The first week was a bit rocky, on and off, but she made it! She still doesn't fall asleep as easily (often reading for an hour before falling asleep or not sleeping at all while in bed for nap), but she is doing great.
It was time, but we will miss this cute binky face!








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Watch Me Grow!

Finley had some company for her Winnie the Pooh pictures:






Then big sister decided to try try and entertain her instead.






Finley was 4 months old on 1/11/14 (also the day of the Disney half marathon, but more on that later). She spent the day fighting off her first real illness (a respiratory bug that caused us to travel to Florida with a nebulizer) and visiting Disney's Magic Kingdom.

Just a quick update:
• She continues to look a lot like her sister
• Looks aren't their only connection. They are both enamored with each other (and Finley is always watching and smiling at her big sister).
• She is showing more personality each day and loves to be sung to
• She is a mama's girl- often only calming for me and crying when I leave her sight.
•She had only rolled over once (back to tummy, around 3 months) when I originally wrote this post- but at about 4.5 months she has started to go from tummy to back more often.
•She still pretty much hates tummy time (although she is going to be forced to do more to correct some asymmetry in her head shape).
• She is quiet no longer- always jabbering away
• We have tried letting her sleep unswaddled (twice actually) but she doesn't seem to be ready yet (or mommy isn't). She wakes herself too quickly flailing her arms (or coughing, during our recent attempt).
• Although we love many of her similarities to her sister, her disinterest in real crib naps is a similarity I'd love to get rid of (Harper was 11 months old before she really figured naps out).
• She continues to be our little pint size princess (a name she giggles when she hears). At her 4 month appointment she was 11lbs 2oz (4th percentile),
Her rate of gain slowed while she was under the weather, but the doctor seemed pleased that she managed to gain anything while she was that sick. She was also 23.5 inches (17%) and her head was 11%.



Tummy time


Bundling for a cold MN day


Not sure what to do with her arms when they aren't swaddled


Trying out the bouncer



Giggles



Sister time



Venturing out again



Waking sister for nap time

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Two and a Half and Full of Spunk!

Harper turned two and a half on December 19 and celebrated her "half birthday" with a cupcake date with mom and Finley.









(This was the one she described as her "silly one")

With so much focus on little sister's milestones, I didn't want to pass up an opportunity to document what our spunky first born is like right now.

• She continues to have a crazy vocabulary (her preschool teacher said she easily speaks/thinks at the level of a 4 year old).
• Sometimes those crazy verbal skills make it hard for mommy to remember she is only 2 and doesn't necessarily understand the best way to express feelings, etc.
• She is a snuggler, but isn't afraid to tell you (or her Grandma) to "keep your hands to yourself" if she doesn't feel like touching.
• She is an amazing big sister. Despite the occasional slip up, she is very nurturing and is always interested in what "Fincess" is doing.
• When Finley cries she offers to "feel her better" and says "don't worry, big sister is here"
•She LOVES to perform. She is almost always dancing, singing, twirling, etc.
• We plan to take her night time binky (she is only allowed to use it while sleeping) in the next month... It could be a rough transition. (I told her maybe we could get a stuffed animal to help her through it and she told me "but I can sleep with my purple binky. I have enough stuffed animals. Maybe we can get Fincess one when she gets bigger").

















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Chicago Weekend!

Harper, Finley and I flew to Chicago and met my mom for our annual girls weekend. It has certainly changed over the years. (We used to go to packed restaurants for late dinners and have drinks while waiting for seats... Now we go to dinner by 5:30 and have Harper asleep by 7:30!) Although it may be different, it is still a lot of fun!



Someone crashed in the stroller the day we arrived.


We lucked into no line for Macy's Santa land, so we took advantage. Harper was still not willing to sit on his lap though.

Out annual first night dinner at Weber Grill:











(We asked the waiter to take our picture, apparently he didn't realize we wanted Finley in it!)

We added She'd Aquarium to the trip this year:














Finley bundled for the cold temps!


Swimming!!! (Whether bams likes it or not Harper loved swimming multiple times!)


Bundled big girl headed back to the room.


Piggy tail girl who didn't want her picture taken.


Brunch!


Fincess and mommy at brunch

Chicago Children's Museum:


"Ice skating" in her socks











Sign her up for next season of "Chicago Fire"


Digging for bones



Annual picture at Giordanos. (This year we went at 4pm and didn't have to wait, but we needed the picture anyway!)



What a difference a few years makes! Three years of visits to Giordanos!

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