Harper's August Adventures

Time with Harper is flying by! She is growing right before our eyes and we are enjoying every minute of it!

Harper loves to smile and will react with a smile when we ask her to smile. She's also learned to stick out her bottom lip when she's not happy with something. We're just happy she can't talk yet, because if she asked for something along with sticking out the bottom lip, we'd be broke!

She loves for us to read to her and really loves when Daddy reads to her while they lay on the floor. She is going to be a Daddy's girl for sure.

We attended the first annual Childbirth Education Class reunion and Harper got to meet Addison. Her parents, Alicen and Brandon were in class with us and Cindee, our childbirth educator, got to meet Harper for the first time.



We had the two month doctor's appointment with four vaccinations. She's now 10.5 pounds and 22.5 inches! She did very well with the shots - much better than Mommy. She screamed for an instant and once I picked her up, she was fine. I, on the other hand, was not. Our next appointment will be in October.

Harper loves to get in her carseat and go for rides in the car. We've gone to brunch every Sunday coupled with a trip to Whole Foods for groceries. We've recently started going to lunch and our first lunch trip was for a sandwhich and a beer at the Flying Saucer which just opened in Garland. Another was outside at Gloria's on a cool summer day. We also took a trip to get a much needed haircut, so Harper got to meet Sylvia! She had a big smile for her too!

Harper has another new friend named Hannah (Heather and Jeff's little girl - they are also parents to Ethan - Hannah's older brother). Hannah is 14 months old and lives just two houses away. When we went over for a visit she smiled so big at Hannah! I think they will be great friends.

We are now sleeping for 6-7 hours at a time and learning the routine of establishing a bedtime which is between 7 or 8. She will wake up around 3 or 4 for another feeding, but quickly goes back to sleep until 6:30 or 7:30. It's nice to be able to sleep for longer stretches of time. She's not too big into naps and is afraid she'll miss something. Trying to figure out times to work are a bit challenging, but we're managing well and can't complain since we get to be home with her so much! We've also gotten better at bathtime. No more surprises in the water and we're all a lot calmer.

She loves her morning walks around the neighborhood and everyone wants to see "Miss Harper." She's a hit!

Harper also went to her first college campus with Mommy & Daddy. I had to hood a doctoral student while Daddy sat with her in his office armed with bottled breast milk. They did great and many of the Educational Leadership faculty got to finally meet her. And she also attended her first Educational Leadership Faculty meeting. We were able to video call in and attend virtually. Daddy loved it because he could just watch Harper on the screen during the meeting.

Finally, Harper's Papa and Grandmommie came up for my birthday weekend. We went to brunch at Breadwinner's to celebrate my and my stepbrother, Mark's birthdays. She is the best birthday gift I could ever have.

Harper is happy and healthy and we are so looking forward to what's next!

July

It's unrealistic of me to think I can post something weekly. We'll go for monthly updates!! July was a good month. Harper turned one month old on July 18th and she had special visitors from her God Family (the Dooley's), to Granny and Papaw (my stepmother and father), Grandmommie (my mom), Little Max (Sharon's baby born one week after Harper), Aunt Michelle, and her Uncle Choo Choo.

She's still feeding every two to three hours, so we're not getting too much sleep, but we get shut eye when we can. Her favorite sleeping position is now on top of my chest with her head against my heart. We snuggle like that on the couch for hours at a time.

She's made a few trips to Whole Foods Market and she does great! Wade pushes her in the stroller while I shop for groceries.

We also all go on daily walks as I've been given the go ahead to start working out (yeah!). We walk about two miles around the neighborhood first thing in the morning and she loves it.

One thing we haven't mastered yet is the bath. We learned very quickly that a baby must poop before placing one in the bath water. Mom and Wade and I laughed and laughed! We've gone back to sponge bathes, but will try again today (7/29). Keep your fingers crossed!

We are now all sleeping upstairs in the front guest room. We have a day bed up there with a trundle and we place Harper in her bouncy seat in between us on the floor. When she wakes up, I take her into her room to nurse in the rocking chair. It's very peaceful.

Harper is also starting to smile and it just melts our hearts! She's becoming more alert as each day passes and that first laugh is right around the corner.

Harper, Leah & Wade

Two week appointment results

Harper had her two week follow up appointment today. Her weight gain is now back to her original birth weight, the jaundice level is on its way down and she's grown 3/4 of an inch!! They also conducted another PKU test involving pricking her heal to obtain blood. I cried as much as she did. I definitely know the difference between her hungry cries and painful ones as I never heard the "I'm in pain" cry before. Our next appointment is in August for her two month follow up - I'm sure there will be more tears as this is the first round of vaccinations.

Additional good news is we can allow her to sleep for longer periods during the night time. We're all still camped in the living room for now. She wants to sleep in her bouncy seat and the doctor thinks for about two months she'll want that feeling of "coziness" - the crib and her playpen are too big for her and make her feel insecure.

Some personality traits are coming out - when she gets mad, she turns bright red and the only time she's mad is when she's hungry and wants us to hurry up and change her diaper. Other than that, she's a very happy and content baby and not fussy at all.

Tomorrow is another big day for Harper - Amy Columbus, a fantastic photographer is coming to our house to take the first of a year long series of pictures: newborn, 3 mos, 6 mos and 1 year. I'll post a link to the pictures as soon as they're available.

Harper Elizabeth Fish is here!

Harper Elizabeth Fish was born on June 18 at 5:19 pm via c-section. She weighed 6.10 pounds and was 19 inches long. She's a happy, healthy, beautiful baby girl and we could not be happier!!

We went into my appointment on Wednesday, June 17th for my weekly checkup and when I was hooked to the monitor, Dr. Behnia noticed Harper seemed to be a bit distressed. We were asked to go across the street to the hospital for further monitoring. We first came home, got our bags and drove the short drive to the hospital in excited disbelief!

Once hooked up to the monitor, Dr. Behnia decided I needed to stay and be induced. They started me on the inducement IV over night on a low dose. Wade and I had a restless night of sleep, but made it through. Dr. Behnia broke my water around 7 am on the 18th. I did not progress the way she wanted me to and in fact, she was concerned that I could stay in labor for an additional 10-20 hours. A decision was made around 3:00 pm for a c-section and I was wheeled into the operating room across the hall from the labor and delivery room to finished being prepped for surgery.

They brought Wade in to sit with me all the while reminding each other that Wade was to announce the sex. While listening to the Eagles and feeling a lot of tugging and pulling, we joked with Dr. Chan - the anesthesiologist behind the curtain. About 10 minutes later, we heard our baby's first cry. Wade stood up, looked over, took a long pause and announced that we had a baby girl.

The wonderful nurses took her over to the table to clean her and check her vitals. Everything was perfect! They brought Harper over and placed her in Wade's arms while they stitched me up.

Harper had several visitors during her stay in the hospital. Her Grandmommie and Papa were there for the delivery. Wade's mom - Harper's Grandance along with Uncle Bravo and Auntie Cheryl came over to meet her. Aunt Sharon also came by the house for a visit.


The three of us were excited, but nervous to return home on Saturday. Upon our return, Harper was greeted by her kitties - they were very excited to meet her and have acted like they've known about her all along.

Over the next few days, we've been working on finding a routine, getting to know one another better and learning something new everyday. Our first visit to her new pediatrician was on Monday. Harper was such a good girl and her Mommy was a nervous wreck. Daddy did well in keeping all of us calm. We had an additional follow up on Wednesday and Harper's gained back 3 of the 8 ounces she's lost (normal in newborns) so she's back on track with her normal two week follow up on July 1.

For now, Harper does not like to sleep in a big space (crib or playpen) so we take turns holding her in between feedings. Her pediatrician says this is normal and because she's so small, she just wants the feeling of being "cozy." She's learning to sleep in her rocker which gives us a rest in holding her 24/7 - although she's such a pleasure to hold and cuddle.

It's going to be a wonderful adventure with Harper and we look forward to all that is in store for us!

Harper's first week in action! Hold the mouse over the images to see the titles. Enjoy!

The Nursery

We had a great time getting the nursery ready for Cubbie. It all started with painting the room a pale yellow and Mom and Dad putting in new flooring upstairs as a Christmas gift - after which they filled it with furniture for Cubbie! The rocking chair was my great-grandmother's chair and one that my mom rocked me in as a baby. We did have the padding recovered, but otherwise it's in great shape and holds great sentimental value!

As Cubbie grows!

We've tried to keep track of Cubbie's growth - both via the sonogram pictures and shots of me and my ever-expanding tummy.

Baby Showers

Some of my dearest friends threw me baby showers in anticipation of Cubbie's arrival!

The first shower was given by my colleagues and friends from Texas A&M University-Commerce and we had a great time! Thank you Sharon, Mary, Donna and Casey and all in attendance!

The second shower was given by Kim Dooley (Godmother to be) and her daughters Britni and Brooke in Salado, Texas. My Dad had a ball seeing my vision through for a Giraffe made out of cupcakes! Thank you Kim, Britni and Brooke - it was wonderful!!! Very "Non-T!" (non-traditional)