It's been over 3 Months!

I can't believe it has been over 3 months since I posted to this blog,  I guess I'm not much of a blogger.  We have been very busy these past few months!  Harper is now 7 months and 1 week old.  She turned 6 months old the day we closed on our new home.  We've been very busy making lots of improvements and I'm happy to say it finally feels like home.  We are in love with our new neighborhood and Jamie has already become "besties" with our next door neighbor.  We have a beautiful deck and back yard, plenty of space for Harper to play and a park across the street.  Harper's favorite parts of the new home are the carpeted area downstairs, the stairs and the fireplace.

Harper playing in her new bedroom

 

Harper crawls all over the place now.  She started crawling the weekend after we moved in.  I swear only days after she learned to crawl, she started standing up on furniture.  She's a quick learner and her daycare provider is pretty sure she'll be walking soon!  I can't believe how big she's getting so fast!  She now has 3 teeth with a 4th on the way.  She's constantly babbling and singing.  Her favorite word is "dadadadada".  I say "mama" and she responds "dada" with a smirk!  She gives hugs and kisses.  She still loves looking at herself in the mirror and can now stand up and give it kisses!  She's getting more impossible to change and get dressed because she rolls everywhere and is always trying to escape.  I'm guessing the changing table will soon turn into a book shelf because we have to change her on the floor now.  She loves crawling around on the couch and throwing herself into the pillows.  We just started having her sit up on her own in the bathtub.  She likes splashing in the water but immediately tries to recline back because she's so used to taking her baths like that. 

Harper showing off her teeth at Delilah's 3rd Birthday Party

Harper started going to daycare October 15th.  It wasn't easy and was a big adjustment, but it's going really well.  She's happy when we drop her off and happy when we pick her up.  It makes it so much easier that she gets a big smile on her face when she sees the ladies there in the mornings.  She often comes home with art projects too, which generally consist of stamps of her hands and feet :)

We moved just in time for Halloween at our new house.  We were excited to see all of the trick or treaters since we only got 5-10 at our old home.  This neighborhood didn't dissapoint :)  We had a steady flow of trick or treaters and even got visited by some friends!  We dressed Harper up as an elephant, although she had no idea what was going on.

Cutest elephant ever!

A couple of weeks after we moved in, we celebrated my 31st birthday with family and friends.  It is so nice to have the space to have people over to hang out!  That Sunday Lisa, Mike and Reagan arrived!  It was so fun introducing Harper and Reagan (cousins who are just 5 weeks apart).  It was so fun to watch them interact and see their very different personalities.  Of course it was also wonderful getting to spend time with Mike and Lisa!  Grandma Bev and Grandma Ann watched the babies one night so we could go out to dinner at Waterfront.  We also had some professional pictures of the kiddos taken by my great friend and wonderful photographer, Nicole!

My birthday celebration.

Harper & Reagan holding hands

Adorable!

We celebrated Thanksgiving at my mom's house this year.  It was so great having both my family and Jamie's all together for a holiday!  The food was amazing and it was very relaxing.  Jamie deep fried the turkey for the first time and it was so delicious!  Joella captured a few cute pictures of Delilah and Harper.  They sure do love each other!

Delilah and Harper playing on Thanksgiving

Last weekend we put up our first real tree.  We have a beautiful front window and vaulted ceilings so Jamie didn't mess around and got the tallest tree he could find.  We had fun decorating it and listening to Christmas music.  Harper got to see it the next morning and, of course, immediately reached out to grab it and, I'm sure, put it in her mouth!



Our beautiful Christmas tree!

Sunday I worked at our Santa event at work and Jamie and Harper came to get a picture on Santa's lap.  She did a great job, although she wouldn't look at the camera :)

We've had lots of fun taking walks in our new neighborhood.  We have sidewalks now!! 

I could go on and on about all of the things that happend the past 3 months.  We celebrated Delilah's 3rd birthday, Rudy Joe turned 16, Jamie and I did some oktoberfesting and celebrated Spah's 40th birthday, Harper went to her first "friend" birthday party when Ethan turned 1  and on and on.  Obviously I need to blog more often!

We have a very fun holiday weekend planned this year, so I'll try to take pictures and blog shortly after :)

My sister's blog about Harper's birth

http://www.fineandfairblog.com/2012/04/first-time-doula-becomes-first-time.html

Harper's monthly pictures

1 month old

2 months old

3 months old

4 months old

5 months old

6 months old

7 months old

8 months old

9 months old
 

Nursing struggles

This was saved as a draft.. I apparently never posted it!

As anyone who knew me during my pregnancy knows, I wanted a natural childbirth.  One of the many reasons I chose a natural birth was because I wanted to breastfeed my daughter and read too many stories about complications with epidurals,inductions leading to cesarians, etc.  My pregnancy was a breeze and I was lucky enough to have a natural childbirth with no complications.  In my perfect world I assumed my milk would come in immediately and we'd be on our way!  Harper latched on while I was still in the birthing tub.  Once we were out, my sister helped make sure she latched properly.  I had no problems feeding Harper while in the hospital and met with the lactation consultant before we went home to be sure we were doing everything right.  I felt confident and ready.  Nursing seemed like a breeze! 
When we went back for her check-up at 2 days old, we were told that she had lost a lot of weight and they wanted us to supplement with formula.  I was not ok with this and was lucky enough to have a good friend who I trusted who had a freezer full of breast milk.  I was so relieved that I wouldn't have to feed Harper formula!  A couple of days later, we went back and found out that Harper was still losing weight.  We ended up having to give in and supplement with formula.  I would nurse Harper and then Jamie would cup feed or feed her formula through a syringe.  At our next appointment her weight was up but still not enough that we didn't have to come back.  We met with the pediatrician and lactation consultant almost daily for Harper's first two weeks.  For anyone wondering why we weren't accepting company, this was the reason.  I was very frustrated, as were Jamie and Harper.  At day 5, my milk still hadn't come in.  I fed Harper while meeting with lactation and found that she was barely getting anything from me.  At this appointment she had gone from 7 lbs 3 oz to 6 lbs 4 oz.  The pediatrician decided that we needed to start feeding her formula through a bottle to get her weight up.  The entire time we did this, I was pumping as much as I could but it wasn't much since I still didn't have my milk.
After a couple of days of bottle feeding, Harper's weight was back up and we were so relieved!  I started trying to nurse Harper again, even though I still wasn't making much milk, but she wouldn't have it.  The pediatrician didn't believe in "nipple confusion",  I now do.  Harper was so frustrated and would shake her head from side to side and cry then I would become frustrated and cry.  I cried every day her first two weeks for no other reason than feeling like a failure for not being able to feed my daughter.  Everyone says not to have high expectations and not to feel like a failure.  Almost all of those people had no troubles breastfeeding or eventually got it figured out.  It was really hard for everyone to give me advice "drink beer, eat oatmeal, take fenugreek, nurse more, pump more, etc. etc." when nothing was working for me. 
After a very frustrating appointment with a lactation consultant that, as far as I'm concerned, should find a new profession, Jamie and I decided that I would continue to pump during every feeding and we would bottle feed her.  We would supplement with formula if she ate more than I produced.  This worked very well for us until he had to go back to work.  It was nearly impossible for me to pump all day while trying to take care of a baby who loves to be held and cuddled by her mother constantly.  With the help of my mom and sister, I pumped as much as I could but never got engorged or a big supply of milk.  The day before Harper turned 6 weeks old, I couldn't even pump 1/2 of an ounce.  That is when I decided it just wasn't meant to be. 
If I could go back and do things differently I definitely would.  I wouldn't have stopped nursing like lactation told me when she had poor latches and I was blistered and bloody, I wouldn't have used the shield that they said wouldn't affect my supply, I wouldn't have let them talk me into bottle feeding and I probably would still be nursing my daughter today and for the next year.
I've talked to several people who had the same struggles that I had.  To say we did everything would be an understatement.
Thanks to my sister, I do have some very special pictures of me feeding Harper.  I was very afraid that we wouldn't have that mother daughter "bond" since I only nursed her briefly.  The way her face lights up when I pick her up tells me that we'll always have that bond.
Jamie was so supportive during this entire frustrating process and I couldn't have done it without him. Harper is now formula fed, just like her daddy was, and she's a happy healthy girl!

A note to family and friends on 8/30

Hello Everyone!

I haven't been great about keep up on the blog that we started, so I thought I'd just email a couple of updates.

Harper turned 4 months old on Sunday. We can't believe how fast the time is going! Jamie and I agree that we could not have asked for a better baby! Harper is a very happy little girl and is a great sleeper! She "talks" and giggles a lot these days! She's cutting teeth, so everything she can get her hands on goes directly into her mouth! Her favorite teething toy is Sophie the giraffe from her great aunt Melissa!

She enjoys her days at "daycare" with auntie Lala, cousin Delilah, uncle "Don" and 2 afternoons a week with grandma Bev! Coming back to work full-time was not easy, but it's been so assuring to know that she's with family :)

Her favorite activity is still bath time. She could sit in there for hours splashing her feet! Her tub came with a little squirt bottle and her latest is reaching out to the water that sprays out of it. She seems mesmerized by that little bottle of water!

Jamie and I took a lot of time making Harper's nursery exactly how we wanted it. We will now have the opportunity to do this again in our new home!! That's right, we finally sold our duplex on Indian Hill and purchased a home off of Sand Lake Road in Onalaska. We looked at several homes in a short amount of time and this one is PERFECT! It is across the street from a park and has a huge front window that we can look out and see the park! I think this will come in handy when Harper and her someday brother or sister get older!

We will be closing on October 26th so these next couple of months will be busy, busy! We are hopeful that we will be able to get settled and have a little housewarming party before the snow falls. I will keep you all posted!

As always, Jamie and I are feeling very blessed these days! We are enjoying every moment of parenthood and just don't know how life could get any better!! :-)

Our first family vacation at the lake house

Mom and Dad purchased a lake home in Park Falls, WI on Butternut Lake for our entire family to enjoy.  We all spent Memorial Day weekend there and Jamie and I decided that we would go up there for 10 days this summer.


The lake house

We arrived on Friday, June 29th and stayed through Sunday, July 7th.

Our first weekend we were joined by Ben, Karen, Hannah and Jack.  They are such a fun family!  I've never seen such a happy baby and sweet little girl!  We had lots of fun watching Hannah play in the boat and learn how to fish!  She also taught me a thing or two about little kid games on the Ipad.  Wow how times have changed since I was a child! The guys took some fishing trips and took turns making meals for all of us.  We also ordered pizza from the local lodge.

Jamie and Karen fishing off the dock

Ben, Karen, Hannah and Jack

Their family returned home on Monday, July 2nd.  Jamie and I relaxed with Harper that evening and on Tuesday, the 3rd.  Jamie did some fishing, I did some kayaking and Harper did some sleeping!

Daddy and Harper

Nap Time!

Happy Girl :)

Mommy, Harper and JJ laying out

Mom arrived on Tuesday evening and we sat in the sunroom with a view of the lake catching up.  We decided to rent a pontoon on the 4th.  Mom and dad have a fishing boat up there and we have a jet boat, but we decided a pontoon would be more ideal for Harper.  She LOVED being on the boat!  The lake is about 1000 acres so we'd cruise around for a while and then stop back for a bite to eat and then go back out again.  We stayed out until sunset.  It was SO MUCH FUN!

Happy 4th of July!

Family picture on the pontoon

Mom driving the boat!

Me & my baby girl

A drink at the bar while mom watches Harper

Mom left on the 5th and Jamie and I did more resting and relaxing.

Beautiful sunsets

The boys did a lot of relaxing too!

Friday, July 6th, Ty, Joella and Delilah arrived.  It is so fun watching Delilah interact with Harper.  She loves her little cousin SO much!  After the girls went to bed, we played the newlywed game and then had our first official campfire with roasted marshmallows!  Saturday we decided to rent another pontoon and spent the day on it!  Harper didn't mind her "boat coat" one bit and Delilah found one she doesn't mind wearing as well!  We did a lot of floating around while the boys fished off of the boat.
 

Cousins :)

Pondering

Seesters

Delilah was sure to keep both hands on the wheel!

Harper relaxing in her boat coat

We did a lot in that 10 days.. fishing, boating, floating, sitting in the sunshine, campfires, kayaking, roasting marshmallows, drives to town, walks, watching sunsets, and so much more!  It was definitely a vacation we will never forget, and we can't wait to do it again next year!

This view will NEVER get old!

Happy Father's Day to an Amazing Man!

Jamie's New Year's resolution this year was to write a thank-you note to someone daily.  I joked that I'd better get mine within the first couple of weeks!  I didn't.  To be honest, I forgot all about his resolution and I think he did too for a while.  Last week I was confused when I got our mail and found a card addressed to me in Jamie's hand-writing.  I didn't realize until I opened it that it was my turn to be thanked.

My card read:
"Janelle - Thank you for giving me the greatest gift in the world and doing it with grace, style and humor.  I love you more than words can say.  p.s. pretty exciting to make the list of "thank yous" huh?"

I both cried and laughed at the same time.  Well I sure couldn't have done it without you, Jamie!

Jamie seeing his daughter for the first time

Everyone told me that I would have a new found love of my husband after he became a father and everyone was right!  From the moment we found out I was pregnant our lives changed so much.    Jamie started looking for projects that would make our lives easier once Harper arrived.  The day after we found out we were having a girl, Jamie got to work painting the nursery and putting together furniture.  When I almost had an anxiety attack when my etsy tree wall decal arrived, Jamie told me to step back and he'd take care of it.  When I told Jamie I wanted a natural water birth, he supported my decision,.  The same goes for cloth diapers, although we both decided they weren't for us after a week of using them!  When I was sitting up in bed reading books on child-birth and breastfeeding, Jamie was right next to me reading books on what the father should do and expect.  He watched the Lamaze video three times at my request so he could help me breathe in labor.  Jamie attended every appointment I had during my pregnancy because he didn't want to miss the opportunity to hear his daughter's heartbeat.

Jamie was so supportive during my pregnancy.  Of course that support only became stronger while I was in labor and even stronger when we brought our new baby girl home. As anyone who has a child knows, the first few weeks are very rough.  Jamie was so understanding and supportive and never got frustrated with my frustrations.

Last weeks, someone joked to Jamie "I bet you change a lot of poopy diapers", as if he doesn't.  Jamie said "Yes, as a matter of fact I do." He feeds her, changes her, plays with her and loves her.  His face lights up every time he gets home from work and sees her, as does hers when she sees him.  I joke it's because she thinks she's looking in the mirror. :) Jamie is a VERY hands on father.

Jamie is the most amazing husband and father I could ever ask for and I'm so excited for Harper to grow up with such a loving, caring father. 

Jamie's new favorite thing to do!

Proud papa

So this Father's day Harper and I would like to steal a quote from Big Nutbrown Hare..

We love you to the moon and back Daddy!