Heritage Park

Brodey, Hazel, and I, had lots of fun at Heritage Park today. It was a wonderful opportunity to learn about the pioneers and all they have done for us. I am grateful for their faith and self-sacrifice which has brought me, and my little family, so much happiness.

Summer Fun!

Brodey has 4 stapels in his head...

One of my best friends just moved to Chicago, yesterday! As we hugged each other goodbye, I promised that I would update our family's blog often and consistently :) That's going to be a large commitment for an "only-post-once-every-four-months-person", like myself. But, however, the commitment has been made....so I'm going to give every effort to keep it! And, luckily, as of recent, I have a pretty good story to kick off my new commitment!

Sundays have become Brodey's favorite day of the week because on Sunday, his dad isn't at work or doing homework, and therefore spends oodles of one-on-one time with Brodey; Brodey soaks up every minute! Yet, on this particular Sunday, as my husband and son were wrestling (with their usual intensity), Brodey jumped onto Jared's stomach and fell backwards, leading with his head, right into the corner of the return vent adjacent to the baseboard. OUCH! Brodey began to whimper, and Jared quickly picked him up, giving him a few "toughen-it-up-pats" to help Brodey brush it off like a man, but suddenly the blood came gushing, and Brodey's orange shirt had now turned red. Jared yelled for a gauze...and that's when I came running to the scene (with great distress in my voice and half of my chest exposed having leaped to the first aid kit right in the middle of nursing Hazel). About 3 hours later, after a quick trip to the instacare, the wide gash, atop a plump goose-egg on the back of Brodey's head was numb with litocane, and fastened back together with 4 staples. Brodey did a great job at the doctor's office, though. I was very proud of him for being so strong and brave! He even said thank you to the staff, on our way out the door...ha ha! I've posted the evidence below...

Brodey's Special Birthday Present...a sister!

There was only one day during the entire month of February that I did not want to have a baby on, and that was Brodey's Birthday....February 18th. Fittingly, at about 3:00am, the morning of February 18th, my water broke! Yes, you guessed right, Brodey recieved quite the birthday present that afternoon...a baby sister! And boy, was he excited about it :) Whew! No tounge can tell the joy that a family feels upon the arrival of a new addition. There are no words to express the amount of love and gratitude that have filled our hearts these past several weeks. Our deepest apologies for not posting updates sooner; we have been completely and utterly consumed in enjoying our new baby girl, Hazel. Here's some highlights from the last 6 weeks...

Here we are waiting patiently...




Introducing Hazel Maryln Harper....born Thursday, Febrary 18th, 2010 at 12:57pm. Weight: 7 lbs 5 ounces. Length: 19 inches.




This is a picture of our "little glow worm". Hazel was on the billy reuben lights for two weeks after she was born in order to help cure her jondice.




Here is a picture dipicting the Harper Family's effort in adjusting to a new sleep schedule...





Hazel loves bathtime!



And lastly, here's a picture of Brodey finally getting to celebrate turing 3 years old with the whole family...just about 2 weeks postponed!

Oh, Baby Girl, why haven't you come yet?

This picture pretty much sums up all of my feelings at the moment. I haven't slept at all during the last several nights, my hips, pelvis, and back are screaming, and too many random sessions of false labor contractions have lead me down an emotional roller coaster of excitement, frustration, anticipation, and disappointment. Our baby girl is being incredibly indecisive...oh, my poor, poor husband.

Pink Packages...

My good friends, Mother, and Grandmother offered to throw me (and soon-arriving-baby-girl-Hazel) a shower last weekend. It was wonderful! Except, of course, that opening up all the darling pink gifts made me even more impatient for her to get here! It was so fun to open each item. I am so grateful for supportive friends and family...it is truly a blessing. I wish I could adequately express my gratitude, not only for everything we received, but also for the excitement, friendship, and joy that was shared. Thank you, everybody!

To be 2...

Yes, I had made the bed that morning. Yes, I had dressed him that morning, as well. And yes, he is holding two butter knives and somehow managed to get that enormous umbrella through my bedroom door. Why? Because he's two! I am so happy I was able to catch a few of these "Brodey Boy" moments. Though, we are unbelievably excited about the arrival of Baby Sister Hazel, I have recently noticed a strange sad feeling in my heart when I think about the fact that in the weeks to come, it will no longer just be Brodey and I hanging out together during the day. Things are about to really change! It is very weird to be feeling sad, on occasion, about how grown up my little baby boy is becoming. I'm so proud of him, and love watching him grow and learn...but as he grows, I am finding there are many things I am beginning to miss. I know, without a doubt, that there will be a day when I genuinely miss the messes he makes, the faces he pulls, the hugs and "snuggles" he gives me, the way he talks, the songs he sings, the way his eyes look into mine, etc, etc, etc. It makes me cry. I can't wait for Brodey to assume the responsibilities associated with being a big brother, but at the very same time, I will terribly miss and cherish every memory of Brodey as my first little baby boy. I have never felt such fascination, love, tenderness, fatigue, frustration, and joy until I became a mother. I can only imagine what kind of joy Baby Sister Hazel is going to bring into our family. It is overwhelming to look into the future with such great gratitude, excitement, and anticipation. It's a good thing that it never ends...I love knowing that families are forever!