{5 Months} of Harper Love

Where does the time go?! Our little one is such an explorer these days. This has by far been the best month of Harper's life for Brian and I both!

Luckily, this is a Leap Year, so Harper actually gets a 5 month birthday!!

Sept. 29, 2012

Weight/Height: {our guess, no doc appt. this month} 14 lbs
Diapers: size 1, sometimes 2 at night
Clothes: 3-6 months, 6 months
Eye Color: some days blue, brown, or green! we don't know what will stick yet!
Hair: it's growing back in and growing back blonde! Too funny!
Nicknames: H, Harpie, Harpsie, Baby Love, Pretty Girl

New Loves: Harper loves to eat her toes and constantly take off her socks! She finds it so amusing! She also gets very intrigued with pretty much anything! She's begun playing more with the toys that are hooked onto her car seat.  Speaking of the car seat, she's back to loving it! {yay!} She holds on to 'Elephante' while we ride. This girl is so smart! I will ask her from the front, "Harper, where is Elephante?" and she will look for him and pick him up!! What a genius! HAHA  She also loves rocking on LuLu ladybug and playing in her Exersaucer. Watching her explore that thing completely amazes me! Harper has begun sitting still longer when books are read. She really enjoys the touchy-feely books! She loves playing with bath toys and splashing in the water - I'm thinking pool time will be fun!

Giggles & Squeals: She giggles and squeals and it is SO cute! The best is right before bath time, when she's nakey and we tickle her belly. She loves it!

Sickness: Poor little thing has really had her bout with colds.  Of course, major Mother Guilt has come this month with this as we are sure she's getting it at the sitter's house. She had a cold, fever, and a major cough that sent us to the doc this month. We are also wondering if she's beginning to teeth, but no teeth yet!

Eating: H eats about 30 oz. a day.  She usually eats 5 oz. every 3-3 1/2 hours throughout the day. We are not starting cereal until 6 months. What are your thoughts on this? I read several different things about this, and we've decided to focus on trying to get Harper off her Alimentum and on to some regular formula to see if she actually has the milk protein allergy or if it was her colic causing her crying.

Sleeping: Girl isn't sleeping through the night again yet. BOO! On good nights, she wakes up once to eat. We put her to bed around 8-8:15 and I wake her up at 6:30am to feed her and change her and get her ready for the day. SO hard to leave her still.  We haven't begun sleep training or CIO yet, but I am thinking we are going to have to start...Tips?!?!? She is still being swaddled at night with her Swaddle Me and she sleeps in her Rock n Play sleeper.

Her Favorite Pastimes: shoving her feet or fist into her mouth, taking off her socks, touching the faces of the people holding her
Favorite Moments: Harper plays back and forth but the best is when she takes her paci in and out of her mouth or finds her paci in her vibrating chair or carseat and picks it up and puts it in her mouth! I just think that's sooo amazing!! I also LOVE when I pick her up from the sitter. She smiles instantly and SO BIG and starts kicking her legs everywhere! Even though I hate that she's not with me during the day, at least she gets so excited to see me!!

Family Time: Family time has become so much more important to me now. My weekends are so precious to me. I really feel like I am still 'missing out' on so much working during the week and when I know I get to be with Brian and Harper on the weekends it just puts a sense of calmness on me. I was hoping by now working would be easier, but it's not. It's not that I dread going to work, it's just everything else that goes in it. But that's a whole different post. ;)  I also appreciate more and more when my family wants to come and see Harper and when they take the time to come play with her for a few hours through the week or on the weekends. The same goes for my friends. It means so much more than I ever thought to have a friend call me up and ask me if they can come over and see Harper or ask my family to do something, meaning it's OK for Harper to come. It just makes me feel proud that people want to be in her life and care about her, too!

{showing her long hair on top!}

{she's definitely a baby...not an infant anymore...}

{she's not afraid of the camera!}

{H and Dottie}

{chunky thighs!!}

{reading a little about baby Jesus}

Happy 5 Months Baby Girl! We love you SO very much! You bring a joy to us we've never felt before!! We are so blessed to have such a happy and healthy girl.

It Snowed!

Ok, I lied. It was actually high 60's this week and we walked a few times outside.
But, nevertheless, it DID snow a few weekends ago and I just had to snap a few pics of H in her adorable snowsuit.  We usually get tons of snow, but this winter has been unusually warm, so these few flakes have been it so far! Although a few snow days with Harper would have been nice....we will be getting out of school in May!! Yay!

Love, Chelsea Kay Bow Give-Away WINNER!

Ladies, this was SO much fun!! Thank you all for playing in the Love, Chelsea Kay Etsy Shop Give-Away! Your comments on the bows were so sweet, I'm sure Chelsea was thrilled! And, your comments on my little sweetie were so kind as well! Thank you!

With the give-away, I had 22 comments.  Then Leisha {23,24}, cdc {25,26}, and Abby {27,28} shared it to Facebook/Pinterest, so they received 2 more entries each on the back end. {just wanted you all to know I did this fairly- that's how I got 28 in all!!}

Using Random.org...the WINNER is...

Leisha    Feb 18, 2012 08:43 AM

I shared it on FB

This comment got her the 24th spot! Woo Hoo!!

**Leisha, email me at megek4@yahoo.com and I'll get you in contact with Chelsea!

Thanks again everyone for playing!! These bows are SO adorable!! :)

Our Weekend/Week/Weekend!

Gahh! This post has been hard to write!! So, I'm going to be super random and get everything out there in one {long} post so I will remember! :) Feel free to not read it all! haha

First off, Check out Jen's Pearly Wisdom where some of my comments were featured with some baby must-haves!! Check it out here.

Ok, so this past weekend was awesome! Hubby and I had 3 days off with our little baby and it was so nice! Sundays are so much more enjoyable when you know you have Monday off! What did we do with our weekend?! Well, we shopped more for furniture{we are re-doing the family room! wahoo!}, ate out a ton with friends and family, and had my Mom's birthday! It was great. I just love this time with Harper. She's so easy going and loves to get out and 'explore'.  I get a little giddy each time someone compliments her ;).

Go UK!

LOVES books! Anyone received any books yet from the exchange?!?

bundled up at the restaurant!

about to go furniture shopping!

Saul Good for GG's Birthday

I also cleaned out and organized Harper's closet. It was SO sad. I told B he had to do it next. I'm usually the worst at remembering things, but each little outfit I pulled out of H's closet; I could remember what point in my pregnancy I bought it or who gave it to her and when she wore each outfit and pj! It was hard on this little Momma to pack up the NB and 0-3months outfits.  They are so sweet and tiny. I laid a few next to H as she was watching me {mind you, it was 6am on Saturday morning while we were doing this!} and she looked like a giant compared to those clothes! We also shopped a little more and bought H some more clothes for her newly spaced-out closet! HAHA

i can put this little organizer away :(

We've also been putting H in her high-chair while we eat dinner! It's working perfectly!! We stuff blankets on the sides so she sits up better, but I think she appreciates it being able to be eye-level with us!

**Don't forget to PLAY in the adorable bow give-away!!!! Click HERE to find the post and enter! I'll be choosing the winner on Friday afternoon!!! :)

{ps- I'm looking for a 200th Follower give-away...if you'd like to have your product featured for this, email me @ megek4@yahoo.com!}

Adorable Bow Give-Away! {love, Chelsea Kay Etsy Shop} {Now Closed}

My sweet bloggy friend, Chelsea over at Feels Like Home started making bows and they are adorable! She is so thoughtful, she sent Harper a bow as a gift and it is just ADORABLE! You all know I love how big it is!
{i made the shirt, haha}

obvi, this is the truth. HAHA just kidding :)

Well, I'm also getting to host a Give-Away for her Etsy Shop, love, Chelsea Kay!!!!!


The best part is...she's letting you pick which ever bow you want!! How awesome?!?
Here's just a few of my favs....

     

So here's what you need to do:
1. Be a follower of my blog, Blissfully Burton
2. Visit Chelsea's blog, Feels Like Home, and follow her
3. Visit love, Chelsea Kay Etsy Shop and leave a comment on THIS POST telling me which bow you'd like to have!!!
You may enter as many times as you'd like, and as always, I'll use Random.org to choose the winner!
*** If you post about this Give-Away on your blog or Facebook page, leave me a comment telling me so and you'll get 2 MORE additional entries!!! :)

Think Easter Basket gifts for nieces, friends, or your own child! :) Or a matching bow for a St. Patrick's Day outfit, Easter outfit, etc.!

Good Luck!!
{give-away begins today and ends on Friday Feb. 24th}

This Week!

Oh friends! This week has been a doozy for us! I'm SO glad I have 3 days off this weekend!

Monday night we took H to the doctor. She's had an on-off fever and a horrible cough. I was convinced she either had croup or RSV. Well, luckily she tested negative for RSV. But, that meant she just STILL has her cold she's had for about 4 weeks {yup, the exact amount of time I've sent her to the sitter} and there's nothing we can do new for her. So, we've continued to put BabyRub on her feet, use Saline drops, and her humidifier.  Luckily, by Friday she seemed to be getting better.

Tuesday was V-day. We decided to make a big dinner and stay in. However, H felt so badly she just wanted to be held. So we were trading off eating until....my parents came to the rescue! They showed up after their dinner and offered to hold H so we could eat and talk. It was SO nice and we were so surprised!! :)  We gave H her Sophie and she loves it! She's also sitting in her highchair ~ pics to come!

For the work week, I decided that to get through this weird year, I need to shut my door and focus on only the things inside my room...if you can guess what I mean. ;) There's something to be said for working in a prominently all-woman job, and sometimes, you just need a little breathing room.  Between chairs being thrown, some ugly comments, etc., let's just say, I'm so thankful for Monday off!

So, because it was such a crazy work week and H felt horrible all week, I had a few meltdowns followed by major Mommy Guilt. Working Outside the Home Moms: how in the world do you keep it together? How do you come home, fix dinner, play with your baby, show your Hubs enough love, get laundry done, and keep the house picked up?? Honestly?!?! I need some help with this! I've learned to live in a bit more chaos than I have, but I mean, I'm drowning here!!! Help! :)

{and yes, I'm still trying to figure out my pics! thanks for all the helpful comments!}

Photo Quota?

I mean, I know I like photos on here...but...Blogger continues to tell me I have reached my photo quota. Has this happened to anyone else? What do I do?!?!!?

Happy Valentine's Day!

Today I will be partying hard with my 4th graders...Oh me oh my! :)  H is with my Mom Tuesday, so if it's not too cold, she's going to bring her to the party! Yay! My students will be super excited!!

Can't help but laugh...this time last year, we were giving out these little goodies telling our close friends and family that we were expecting!

This year, Harper sent out her own little card to some of her little buddies! {thanks for the free cards, Shutterfly!}

Hugs All Over Valentine's Card

Click here to browse our modern collection of invitations.

View the entire collection of cards.

I think we're just going to celebrate at home ~ all 3 of us! I'm excited. :) We are giving Harper Sophie the Giraffe as her little Vday gift.

Hope you have a silly-fun day!

Text Photo

Well...my LOVE is going away...Picnik :( Anyone else so upset over this?! I cannot believe it! But, I made this little gem on that site a bit ago and it was so easy and fun!

You could do so many things with this and then print on canvas or just a large photo and frame! Holidays? Birthdays? You name it! But do it quick before April when Picnik goes away!

Once you are on the site, go to the collage button.  Then choose 1 photo and get your background color. Next, go to the fonts and you can type different words in different fonts and rotate as you see fit! So easy! :)

I'm Linking up with: Find Your Craft Friday!

Book Exchange!

I'm participating with Emily in this great Book Exchange!

It sounds like so much fun! You send only ONE book, and your child will receive 36 books!! How fun is that?!

I just need 6 people to participate with me! If you'd like to, just email me at megek4@yahoo.com and I will send you the details.

If you don't have children, that's ok! Get this as a baby shower gift for someone or for your classroom library!

Won't it be fun for you {or your child} to receive some favorite books in the mail?!

I just sent Harper's current favorite book out {my person had a daughter the same age} through Amazon. It was cheap and it will be sent quickly!

You should receive your books in about 2 weeks if your letter goes out right away.

Anyways, I'd love it if you'd participate with me!

Cool New Blog

I randomly ran across a really neat blog and had to share with you all!

I've been looking for a while for a few core verses that I want to pray on a daily basis for Harper. I'd love to say that I just opened my Bible and they came to me...but they disn't. So, instead, I went to Google like I do for everything.  I typed in several things I want Harper to learn from an early age on.  These obviously will change many times in her life, but I'm just looking for those core things to pray over her daily like: peace, joy, fullfillment, and beauty through Christ. Oh my, the beauty. It is such a scary time in our world for children, but I just have this worry for girls. Maybe because of the grade I teach and I see the girls are aware of way too many things already and it's just scary.
{you can see the one I made for Harper here. email me if you'd like a copy}

Anyways, while Googling, I came across this blog - When You Rise.

The first post that was on the page was about infertility.  Although this is not something I have dealt with personally, this is something that holds an incredibly large place in my heart. It's something that has weighed on me for several years and something that I'm very sensitive to. I just loved this open and honest post.

Then, I started looking around at older posts and her different pages. It's like I couldn't get enough! This Mom is so honest! She's not one of those horrific make-you-feel-bad-because-you-aren't-perfect Moms, she tells it like it is, all the bad and good, with some pretty good insight to go along with it.

Some awesome ideas about parenting can be found here. She has free printables to help little ones learn the Bible {I love the book she uses, thanks Maegan for getting it for Harper!}, a theme page for Gospels that you could really just run wild with a toddler for learning! I am totally obsessed with her Creation Day unit and will be bookmarking that for when Harper is a toddler to do in the summers. I also love her Teaching Your Child to Pray printables.  A recent post of hers fell right in my lap of what I was feeling that day - the Comparison game.

Anyways, I thought some of my readers may be interested in reading her blog, so go check it out and tell her I sent you! :)

Our Weekend!

We had a super fun weekend! No sickness! Yay!

Friday night and Saturday morning we ventured to the mall. Of course not meaning to... we bought Harper a couple of cute new clothes and a pair of sunglasses to put in her Easter basket! We also have been looking for new family room furniture...but nothing suits what I'm looking for in my price range! Boo!

blurry photo from Mall night!

We enjoyed a family brunch at Joseph-Beth Cafe and then ran a few more errands. We ended the night out eating appetizers and watching the UK game. Harper was fabulous!

Sunday we went to church and hung out with my family before going over to a friend's house for the Super Bowl.  It was so much fun! The guys all went to college and were in the same fraternity together and I knew the girls from college, too. They all had little girls, so it was so cute seeing these once crazy guys love on their little babies! :) It was also awesome to be around those women on Sunday night who are all working Mommas and doing wonderful things with their families. Sometimes {ok, a lot of the time} I get down on myself that I'm not staying at home, but the convos with these ladies was just what I needed! Thank you! :)
I made Cheddar Bacon Ranch Pulls from this site - it was a hit and super easy! Will be making again soon!

sweet Kari holding Harper with her beautiful daughter, Elyn

Luckily, Sunday Night Blues didn't have to hit me! I took off Monday to take H for her 4 month check-up and shots! Daddy got to come, too! Harper was wonderful at the appointment but she felt miserable after her shots for pretty much the rest of the day. So sad!
I'm updating her 4 Month Post, but here are her stats:
Weight: 13lbs. (28%), Height: 24 1/2in. (50%) ~ my girl is long and lean! haha!! I got nervous I wasn't feeding her enough, but the doc said it was completely fine and she might just be on the smaller side.  We are going to try and start fazing off the Alimentum so that the doctor can see if it was just her colic or if she truly has a milk allergy! I'm a little scared!! But, so, so thankful she is healthy and progressing wonderfully!

Hope you had a fabulous weekend as well! I'm looking forward to a short week and having my student teacher's first Solo Day this week! :) I also get a date night with my hubby tonight!! We haven't had one since we had to come home early and get H after she wouldn't stop crying!! Fingers crossed she'll let Mommy & Daddy have a much needed dinner out together!!

Harper's Verses

So,  I've been looking for a while for a few core verses that I want to pray on a daily basis for Harper.

These will obviously change as she gets older, but for now I felt like I needed something to keep me accountable.  I was looking for key scriptures from the Bible that I want Harper to know throughout her life.

 So, I decided for now to focus on these:
*find peace in Christ
*find hope and comfort in Christ
*find her beauty through Christ
*find joy and happiness through Christ

I compiled my list of about 20 down to just a few that I could honestly say I will be able to read on a daily basis and make a conscious effort to pray each day. I think I'm going to print one off and put on my mirror in the bathroom and place one on my desk or on my plan book at work.  I was telling Brian about it and he loved the idea, so I'm hoping he'll join me in this effort; again, making it a little easier for two slightly crazy parents to focus on something small, yet so big. ;)

Some of these verses almost seemed too mainstream for me, but they were definitely the ones that I kept coming back to when I was focusing on the list of things I wanted to pray for. Maybe that will make it easier to memorize and pray throughout the day??!


If you'd like a copy of this, I'd be happy to email it to you.  I made the photo on Picnik and just printed it on paper at home. You could always print it as a picture or on a canvas - something I'll do in Harper's future when she's old enough to start learning and memorizing her own "life" verses. I pretty much kind of love this idea {hehe}, so if you want a different version or a boy version, send me your scriptures and I'd be glad to make you one. :)

Valentine's Day Craft

MOM, don't read. :)

I had this idea and suggested to my sister that it would be fun to make a version of my Valentine's Day gift from Harper to Brian for the grands! She thought it would be fun and agreed.
{Brian already received his, the Grands have not!}

Oh was this fun. A little too comical, but very fun!  Picture a 3 year old, a 15 month old, and a 3 month old, red paint, feet, and markers! Yikes! But, I'm happy to say everyone participated perfectly and the end result was awesome!

For Colby and Cameron's Daddy

For GG and GDaddy

For Brian's, I wrote a little note to him around the feet in the shape of a heart. He LOVED it. It brought him to tears {sorry honey}.
On GG and GDaddy's we just drew hearts around their feet. Umm, I didn't realize how big their feet were or I would have gotten a larger canvas!

Directions:
We poured Crayola washable paint onto a paper plate. We placed one foot at a time in the paint, and then one of us held the feet while the other pressed them into the canvas! Then, we carried the babies to the sink to wash! So easy and such a sweet and memorable craft!
*I found out that canvas is washable, too! Harper curled her toes the first time, so I washed off the canvas and started over!

Aunt KiKi and H. H looks thrilled, haha

Let me know if you make this!
I'm linking up with: Find Your Craft , Six Sisters Stuff , Adventures of a DIY Mom
and posting to my Pinterest page!

{if you put this idea on your blog, please link back to me as it was an original idea}