Dear Harper,

Mommy was driving down Highway 280 today when she had a brilliant idea! These are few and far between lately. (Google Mommy Brain. – assuming that google still exists when you are able to read this.) All of your loved ones are going to write letters to you to let you know how incredibly awesome and perfect you are! Huge ego boost huh?! I figure for your first year of life we will write to you each month…then, after a year we will do it for each birthday! These will be so much fun to read when you are older!

Since I am THE MOMMY, I get to start!!!

I must let you know that I watch you in amazement for hours a day! I keep waiting for the next new thing you’ll do! Let’s be real, I want to be the first to see! Then I get to show Daddy!

Here are MY FAVORITE things you do so far:

• The sweet little face you make when we burp you…you look so content and sweet.
• Your hair. Let’s face it…IT’S AWESOME!
• Your eyelashes…I can tell they grow every single day! They’re going to be pretty like your Daddy’s.
• The coos you have just started to make. I can’t figure out why they make me so happy…they are absolutely adorable.
• When you toot. Because it makes everyone laugh!!! You’re already funny!

Things I am excited about:

• For you to see clearly.
• For your hair to turn blonde!
• When you can hold your head up.
• When you like bath time.

Things you love:

• Lady Gaga. I thought it would be rap…but it’s definitely gaga.
• The fan. You love to stare at it in amazement.
• Bright lights…ESPECIALLY the Christmas tree!
• TV
• Cuddling in the bed with Mommy and Daddy.
• Milk.
• Bouncing. LOTS OF BOUNCING!
• Daddy.
• Your car seat.
• Pooping.

You make Daddy and I so happy. Thank you.

Love,
Mommy
Mommy

Dear Harper,

First off you are the most beautiful baby ever. Secondly you make the sweetest little sounds when you are not screaming at me, so keep that up. I cant really express how much I love you. Since your first cry my heart dropped. I’ll never forget that moment when I knew you were finally here.

So now that it has been a month lets recap your time here in the world.

Week 1 was spent in the hospital, mostly keeping mommy and daddy awake during the late night hours and sleeping during the day (So I was told because I had to work during the day). This week was all about getting used to how to take care of you and how little sleep we were going to get. After a few days it was a breeze, well like a tropical storm breeze.

Week 2 we finally made it home! Your mother and I were greatly relieved to finally make it home. Though the last night in the brand new Brookwood Women’s facility was pretty nice. Anyhow, as soon as we walked through the door the training wheels were off, it was just the three of us now (plus Jackson, the grey giant, Tom, and Dega) ready to take on the world with this beautiful little girl.

Week 3 is back to work for me but you’re super lucky because your mommy gets to stay home with you all day. So to torment me, she sends me pictures of you making cute faces and wearing different outfits so that my day will seem 100 times longer. But in the end of course we win (as we will always do, it’s a trait I know I have passed to you) because you look just like your daddy, which means means awesome! And this drives mommy crazy. But don’t worry if you end up looking like mommy later you will be stunning. This is kind of a hope of mine because your mother is beautiful. But for now, as long as your hair is still brown and you keep that cute face you will look like daddy. By the way I have the good hair be thankful.

Week 4, Christmas! It is your first and I know you won’t remember it but it is special for us, your parents. Plus there is a ton of family on there way to meet you. Your Aunt Ashley is on her way back and she is bringing Uncle Simon and your cousins Payton and Aubrey (she is super excited to see you). Then on your moms side there is your Nana and Grand pa, and your Uncle David and aunt Linda, plus your aunt McKenzie is on her way in from New York. Not to mention the family that is here, you Nina, Paw Paw, Aunt Ann, Crystal, cousin Ethan, Auntie Kay, Uncle Roger, Colton and Dana, etc (sorry if I left anyone out). I have to be honest thats too many people because they take you from me and then I don’t get you back and I really don’t like that at all. But I am really happy that you have so much family that will be there for you.

My favorite moment from this week is when you got to meet your Great Grand Father aka Boom Paw(95 but 96 in March). He is my grandfather and I got to grow up with him living right next door. He has a rough exterior but that is just to hide a huge heart that some never get to see. He was so excited to meet you and while I know his time is getting short I hope he is around a few more years so you can see him and have memories of him.

Things I love:

That you always seem to calm down when I hold you. It makes me feel like you feel the safest when you are with me, which I love.

The face and sound you make when you are hungry. To be clear it is the face before your mother takes too long to give me a bottle and you get mad and scream at me.

The way you and your mother look when she is holding you. She is a great mother!

Things I am looking forward to:

You saying Da Da before you say Momma. I know this will happen.

You being able to crawl. Though I am torn on this one because to be honest I like knowing that is I have to set you down you will be right there when I get back.

The next day with you!

Love,
Dad

Dear Harper,

It’s hard to believe you are already 1 month old! You have brightened my life so much in the short time you’ve been here!

I didn’t know anything could be better than being a mom, but being a grandmother is so wonderful!!!!

The time that I was able to spend with you during the first weeks of your life was so awesome that I can’t put it into words. Every time I looked at you, you were more beautiful than the time before. I couldn’t get enough of you. I tried not to spoil you too much, but it was so hard because I love you so much!

I look forward to seeing you grow into a beautiful woman like your mommy did. You’re a very lucky little girl to have such great parents. Your mommy and daddy adore you and I’m so proud of them!!!!

Love you forever,
Nana

Harper:
I will never forget the first time I met you. You were a tiny beautiful baby girl. Your Mom and Dad were so proud of you. It was 12/14/2011 in Birmingham. It was the thrill of a lifetime! I was with you through Christmas and loved every minute of time! Harper, you are my first Great Gran and you light up my life. You have such a wonderful Mom and Dad.
Love you forever,

Great Gran
(Nanny)

________________2 Months__________________

Dear Harper,

I can’t believe how much has changed in such a short month! You make me happier than ever and every day I look forward to seeing something new that you can do! I think my happiness level goes up every week because I can see you interact with me more and more…and I see you recognize me more and more and I just LOVE IT!

Here are MY FAVORITE things you do so far:

• When I come and wake you up from your last sleeping stint in the mornings, you smile at me first thing, then do the cutest stretches while I pick you up. You’re so happy in the mornings- maybe because you got your beauty rest!
• When you make sounds that, to me, sound like “heyyyy”
• Your sweet smile. You just started this a couple weeks ago and it makes me so happy!
• When you lay on my stomach, hold your head up, and look at my lamp so inquisitively.
• When you look at me, and I am certain you recognize me. I know you recognize Daddy too – It’s AWESOME!
• YOU FINALLY LIKE BATHS! Yay!! Now we can have bathies with my big Hats and sunglasses like going to the beach!

Things I am excited about:

• FOR YOU TO LAUGH!!!!! I have been watching you like a hawk watches a pristine white bunny rabbit in a field. No really. It’s obsessive – how bad I want to hear you verbalize your happiness!
• For your hair to turn blonde! (still)
• When you can hold your head up fully – you are getting better and better!
• When you like bath time.

Things you love:

• YOU ARE A BOUNCING MANIAC. Seriously. I better get some muscle gain from all this bouncing madness!
• Car rides…it’s the time I use to gain my sanity back.
• Bright lights…Will this ever change?
• Cuddling in the bed with Mommy and Daddy.
• That liquid gold that comes out of Mommy!
• Daddy.
• Pooping.

TIL NEXT MONTH!

Love,

Mommy

Three months

Dear Harper

It has been 3 months now and you have grown so much. It is like it happened over night. One day all your clothes fit and the next your little toes were all scrunched up in your onesies. You have also started to recognize your mother and me. It is so sweet in the morning when I check on you. You are laying there about to get upset and then I start to change you and you realize I am there. You start to smile and get all happy. Mornings are really your best time of the day. Sadly unless it is on a Saturday or a Sunday I don’t get to spend much time with you in the morning, but your mother makes sure to let me know how great it is and she will take pictures for me and send them to my phone so I can see what I am missing. By the way there may 100,000 photos taken of you before you are 1 and I am going to be totally honest with you, you may not love them all, but I do!
You are advancing right in front of our eyes. This past week you started to discover how to control your arms. Notice I said “started”. They are still all over the place but now you are learning how to grab things. Soon you will be pulling yourself up. You have also started to learn how to roll over and you are getting the crawling motion down. You really need to work on the timing of the rolling over because there are a few times when you try to roll off the bed or couch. You’re lucky your daddy is still pretty quick (mommy is working on that LOL). It is just so amazing to see you learn. You have the most inquisitive stare, you are scaring your mother she just knows you are going to be smarter than us. And she is probably right, because if you are as much me as you are her we are in for an exciting trip. I cant wait!
Things I love:
You, your almost laugh, the way you smile at me in the morning, the way you always calm down when I walk around with you in my “hip pocket” (I am gonna be sad when you are too big to sit there)

Things I want to happen:
Your first word (DaDa of course), for you to crawl even though I know you will be everywhere once you figure it out, for you to meet Lily Clair Shelton

Love,
Dad

;

;

——4 months—–

Dear Harper,
I can’t believe I’ve been fortunate enough to have been with you 4 months already! Tonight I sat with you in my arms for an hour as you slept, knowing you were all set to go in your crib, but I just couldn’t put you down. I want to hold you forever sometimes. I’m so afraid of the day that you will no longer want to be held or cuddled with by mommy! I’m trying to soak all of you in that I possibly can. You make mommy and daddy so happy. You are a love we never could’ve imagined. Everyday you show us something new, and everyday we notice you are growing up. I wish I could keep you this small and cuddle with you forever and ever!!
Early on, we taught you to sleep in your crib. Only on two occasions have you slept in our bedroom: once for severe weather and last week when daddy went out of town you got to sleep in his spot with me. I LOVED it.

I understand how parents get attached to children sleeping in their beds!!! I know you are safe because I can reach over and touch you and there are no walls in between us.

In the past months you have:
* started smiling bigger.
* You have started taking real baby food mixed with mommas milk now! Exciting!!!
* DISCOVERED BOTH OF YOUR FEET!

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* Learned to make more noises and you make them for a long time now!
* you learned that with our help you can stand up like a big girl and that gets you super stoked!
* You made your Auntie McKenzie a custom birthday card!s
* You had your very first celebration of The Daddy’s birthday!

* You celebrated your first St. patty’s day!
* You also got to celebrate Boompas birthday too!

* Still-your ultimate favorite times are had in the bathies! You have now figured out how to stick your tongue out and taste the water! It’s so cute!!!!

You’re just growing too fast!!!!

One thing I always notice when you’re put in crowded situations with lots of faces or new people, after a while, I see you scanning the room for The Mommy and The Daddy, and when you find us we see a smile or a sense of comfort come upon your face. Even when we are all three together you will keep looking back and forth at us both to make sure we are both there for you, it’s good to know we are. Sometimes all it takes to calm you down is to hear daddy’s voice while mommy holds you or vice versa. Even being so little you show us the importance of teamwork and relationships. I love you more than anything in the entire world and that will never change. I’ll see you around 8am and you can come sleep with mommy for another hour until we r up for the day!!:)

-The Mommy
_____________FIVE MONTHS_________________
Dear Harper,

This past week, you turned 5 months old!

You consistently make us say “WOW she is advanced!!!”.

I know…every parent says this…but you REALLY are advanced!!! You’ve been tripodding a whole month sooner than most babies! AND you want to stand so bad! Most babies don’t want to do that until they are 6 months! See? A D V A N C E D.

Last month the pediatrician told me that I needed to start teaching you how to eat baby food. She said it wasn’t about nutrition at this point, just getting you to learn how to do it. I sort of slacked off on this because you’ve been getting a lot of breast milk recently and well…we’ve got a good thing goin’! But this week I have only let you eat big girl food 3 times…and you’re a pro. At first, I was skeptical. Every time I’d shove it in…you’d SHOVE IT BACK OUT!

I figured you were just too new at it to know how it works. But I think you just didn’t care too much for the food. I bought you some delicious “turkey dinner” and “broccoli mix” baby food today and you barely spit ANY out!!! You just have sophisticated tastes! You ate 1/4 of one of the jars!

You also like eating “Baby Mum Mums”. They’re a little rice husk treat that dissolve in your mouth. Yea it looks pretty gross. But you like it, and that’s all that matters!! You like to eat your snack and watch TV! The Mommy and The Daddy like to do that too!

You like your Uncle Colten a lot…but he only comes around during the “witching hour” So he thinks you don’t like him. Or that you only want to poop on him and yell at him. But we know that’s not true! You were happy when he let you walk around on the table last week! He actually looks like he’s having all the fun!

You’ve also started to like the teething toys you have! We don’t think you are teething yet, but you do like these doo-dads!

One of your favorite things is of course reading with The Mommy or The Daddy. You really like to watch the pages as we read to you!

You even help The Mommy put new clean white sheets on her bed!

Here are some other things that you seem to be into this month:

You reach for your bottle because you know you’re about to be fed!
You LOVE deer park waters. LOVE THEM. Even more than the toys that The Mommy picks out for you.

You have reached out when being picked up a FEW times. I can’t figure out if it’s a fluke or if you mean to do it!

You can consistently roll over both ways.
You are always looking for Me or The Daddy when only one of us is holding you. You just like to have us both at the same time!
(You’ve also made sounds that sound like “mama” twice) I wish I could believe you meant to!!!

Every single day I look at you and can’t imagine how I ever lived without you. How I could ever think of things without thinking about you first. Now you’re all I can ever think about sometimes! Sometimes I’ll forget what I’m doing when I start to think about you! You are so lucky…EVERYONE loves you! Even strangers love to talk to you and make you smile! You make The Daddy and I so happy! There is nothing in the world you could ever do to make our love go away. We will always LOVE you!

Kisses,

The Mommy

____________SIX MONTHS_________________

Dear Harper,

It’s happening.  That newborn amnesia.  I can’t even remember what you were like at 6lbs 5 ounces!!!  I would’ve never imagined you’d be this mobile, THIS SOON, when I first brought you home.  When you first came home you was like a little pile of mashed potatoes.  MUSHY.  I loved it.  You were my smooshy little bunny.  NOW you’re my kicking, rolling, sitting, and pseudo-crawling monkey!!

NEW THINGS FROM THIS MONTH:

• If I hand you the binky a certain way, you will put it in your mouth and leave it there!  wahoo!
• You are  SO close to legit crawling.  You can get up on all fours and rock back n forth as if you’re gearing up to go full speed!  Your arms are just not cooperating…AS USUAL!
• You can sit up without support for longer periods, but still needs help after a while!
• You can hold your new bottle to feed yourself much longer than you ever have!  You held it and ate throughout a WHOLE diaper change yesterday!  TEAMWORK!
• You makes a lot of sounds that sound like DADA.  I keep telling myself it’s an accident.  No LEGIT words yet.  We are practicing all day though!!!
• You eat stage 2 baby foods like a pro!  Your favorites are the chicken kind in any brand!  You still don’t like bananas or prunes!  Even when they’re mixed with the food you like!
• You are still fascinated by her toes!
• You have started to display an emotion I’m not too fond of.  FEAR.  I absolutely HATE it.  HATE!!!!!  It hurts my heart when I hear the cry you makes when you feel afraid.  You’ve done it a handful of times and the cry is so distinct and full of fright!  UGH  I just want to take it away from you!  You will do it if you are put down too fast and think you’ve fallen, or if a stranger approaches you too fast, or if you think something is going to fall on you,….oh and the occasional dog bark will scare you too.  Usually with the dog barking I can go ahead and make sure you are looking at my face to know you’re  safe and nip it in the bud.
• You are  entertained by the TV.  This is glorious.  If I find an extra interesting show, you will be entertained long enough for me to make lunch or do a load of laundry!  You don’t stay glued to it for much longer than that- but it’s enough!
• You’ve  taken a special liking to MY BLANKIE.  I am working on breaking that…because….well I NEED IT!!!  LOL

I was just thinking the other day back to my pregnancy and how I never got to touch you, smell you,  or kiss you back then…and how sweet it is to have you here in the flesh!  I never imagined how great I would feel here with you!  We are so LUCKY!!!  We have such a perfect and HAPPY baby!

Love,

The Mommy

_________SEVEN MONTHS__________

I can’t believe we have made it to month 7 already!! Everyone in the world will tell you that time flies regarding children, and they’re right. That’s the most RIGHT comment I’ve heard over 100 times! Dead on.

She used to be so smooshy…now even when she sleeps, she’s everywhere!

Actually, anywhere she is she is INTO EVERYTHING.

I can turn my head, and look back to realize she’s got a dog toy in her mouth.

Go to use the restoom and she is an inch away from plummeting off the bed.

Go to change clothes and come back to realize she can climb OUT OF the pack n play! WHAT!?

It’s all happening, all at once. All of a sudden she is getting the hang of everything!

New developments at 7 months:

• She can crawl. It’s an army crawl, but when people say “she’s almost crawling” they’re off. She can get from A to B ASAP!!!
• I’m not sure if it developed at 6 months or this month- but her “fear” reaction is on point. It kills me.
• She recognizes animals and will scream out with excitement when they come up to her.
• She has started to say : DADA, MAMA, BABA, AND NANA in the past few weeks. They aren’t intentionally focused towards people but it’s a step in the right direction!
• She LOVES cords.
• She’d rather play with a box than with a toy.
• She accidentally sat up on her own from the laying down position the first 2 times this week.
• She can pull up to a standing position. On purpose.
• She cries when I walk away. In fact, last night when I walked away she started crying and throwing “mamamamamamama” into the cry mix! So…I didn’t get a lunch because I felt guilty walking away.
• If I sit down in the floor she will crawl into my lap.
• She fights sleep less.
• She MAINLY eats baby food (and a little milk) during the day. TODAY she’s already had 15 ounces of food. I can only assume this means she’s growing.
• She SLEEPS a good stint of SEVEN hours. This is greatness. One day she is going to give me 8 hours. I can just feel it.

Gotta go! I hear someone waking up from their nap WAY too early!!!

Love,

The Mommy

___________10 MONTHS______________

Dear Harper,

If someone told me that you would be the happiest baby in the world on the day that you came into the world…I may not have believed them.  I mean, I knew you’d be MY baby angel….but I didn’t know you’d act like one.  This week you’ve had your momentsFITS.  But I know it’s a combination between being sick and teething, nobody feels like being nice when they’re sick.  Even being sick, you were smiling and sweet.  I’m sure anyone who missed seeing your outrageously disgusting vomit spells would never suspect that you were sick.  I hope you’re this way when you are older!  My mom tells me that you are a lot like me, except much more social.  You make friends EVERYWHERE you go.  Everywhere.

—

–

These are some things you are doing at 10 months old:

• You can climb halfway out of your pack n play.  I can only assume this means you will be all the way out in a few months time.
• You have switched “Mama” to your favorite word again FINALLY.  I had begun to wonder if you were ever going to say it again!
• You have a favorite movie.  Dispicable Me.  AND MOMMY EVEN BOUGHT YOU THE BIG FLUFFY UNICORN FROM THE MOVIE!  
• You also have a favorite youtube video.  Twinkle twinkle little star from super simple learning.

You have sprouted your first tooth, and in only a week, I can see it’s making some real progress!!

Last week

This week

Maybe I’m obsessed with it, but I notice the difference from last week and this week!

You can clap your hands! (I would upload a picture of it, if my computer wasn’t being so fussy right now!
You’ve grown so much, I can barely grasp that you will be one year old in just 2 months!!

love,
The Mommy

_____________ONE YEAR!!!!_________________

Dear Harper,

Last week you turned one year old.  I was REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY sad about it.  Where did that whole year go?!  I know I’ve been with you 95% of your time awake, but it just doesn’t seem like it, it seems as if it slipped away from me.  I need more time with my newborn Harper!  It’s crazy what you are starting to pick up and learn from us…you really are like a sponge now.  You’re a little version of US!  You look just like daddy STILL but you are learning a lot of things from THE MOMMY!  (Like how to say kitty kitty kitty)  I told your dad that you were going to like cats no matter what, it’s in your blood.

Here are some things you can do at 1 year old:

• Hold up one finger when we ask “How old are you?”.
• Clap your hands when we say “YAYYYY!!!!”.
• Say “BAH!” when you want a bite of our food.  Usually ice cream.
• Dance when you hear music.
• Dance when we put shoes on you.
• Stand briefly for a few seconds.
• Eat food from our plates (with your 2 teeth).
• Press the middle button, and slide the “unlock” key over on all of our apple products.

Things I am excited about:

• For you to walk!  (Well, at least I think I’m excited about it now….)
• For you to drink from a straw.</li> <li>For you to give out hugs.
• When you can blow your own nose, so that I don’t have to use the booger sucker for colds!  EW
• To see what you do when your little brother comes into the world.

You may read this and think that one year couldn’t have meant that much, but it really has.  We have learned so much from you, and you continue to teach us new things constantly!  You bring us more happy than anyone in the world ever has, there’s never a day where you don’t make us smile.

love, The Mommy

_____________________15 MONTHS____________________

Dear Harper,

You are now 15 months old!!!  In 3 more months, you’ll be a year and a half old!  That’s crazy.

I felt like I needed to post on what you’re up to now, because you have changed SO much since your first birthday, there’s no way I could remember it all if you keep it at this rate!

This year you were old enough to have some real Valentine’s day fun with us!  Last year, you were too tiny to do anything but cuddle with us, which was great.  This year, you set up your very own kissing booth and wore your great grandmother’s necklace to bring in the big bucks!

 

You also made this sweet card for The Daddy:

This is also the month you started TO WALK!!!  You look like a drunk guy when you walk around, but you’re so cute nobody cares if you look like a drunk.

You’ve also really stepped up your boogie moves the last 3 months.  When you hear the music start to play, you high tail it to your stage AKA our ottoman, climb on top, and shake it!!  You’ve even started to stand on it and dance this week.  While I find it a little scary and have tiny strokes every single day, you LOVE it.  You even think it’s funny to fall off the ottoman, so funny, that you do it on purpose now.  Maybe we will get you a helmet for your 1.5 year birthday.

You are an active participant in peek a boo.

 

 

And we got you (and daddy) a new puppy this month.  You were really excited about him the first couple of days, but I think you’re a little hesitant that he is taking away your attention now, so you just ignore him if you can.  Sometimes you can’t because he’s all up in your biz.

 

You are also getting acquainted with your very own potty!  You tinkle in it about 8-10 times a day, and after I tell you “YAY YOU PEE PEE AGAIN!” you will clap and say YYYAAAAAYYYY!!!!!  I hope you keep the good work up because it’s really saving a lot of diapers and wipes!

Potty training is also where you learned how to HUG ME!  When I stand you up to put your pants back on, you throw your arms around me and lean in as hard as you can, it’s probably the sweetest thing ever.  It’s even sweeter if you’re not getting off the potty!  :)

Here are some NEW things that you say to us now:

• Good girl!!!
• Yay!!!!!
• Bah bah bah bah baaaahhhhhh (this means bite.  it means feed me lady, stop eating all the food in front of my face ya pregnant bison!!)
• Thank you.  (This JUST happened!)
• Noooooooooooooooooohhhhh!!!  We really encourage this one.  Which is strange because usually parents aren’t excited to hear their kids say NO, but your noooohhh is so cute, we just have to repeat it every time you say it!
• Ay yay yay! (as you slam your palms to your forehead to show your frustration)
• AND YOU STARTED SAYING MAMA AGAIN!!!!   You forgot MAMA for several months!  I was starting to wonder if you’d ever start saying it again, but no worries, I’M BACK IN THE GAME!!

I can’t say it enough, no matter how bad my day was or what went wrong, you will always make me smile every day!  You’re such a sweet personality and you even know if I’m feeling sad, you will come and sit in my lap to make me feel better.  You really are such a good girl!!

XOXO

The Mommy