TwoSpy

Our little Valentine Baby is one year old today!  We can’t believe how fast time has flown.  It seems just yesterday we were bringing her home as a tiny newborn.

Newborn Harper

And now she can do all of this:

V – verify her food preferences (yogurt melts are always a winner)

A – allow us to kiss her (but she only dispenses kisses to her stuffed dog, her blankie, and sometimes a random toy)

L – lead us around by a finger (can she walk? probably. will she walk? not if you remove your finger from her grasp.)

E – echo lots of words (with her own twist. latest word = “buckle.” how it sounds when she says it = “ca-ca.”)

N – negotiate her nap time (okay, let’s get real. she really dictates, but there is no “D” in Valentine.)

T – teach us more about our Heavenly Father’s love for us (she really does)

I – initiate smiles, laughs, and giggles (she has a great sense of humor. example, she thinks it is just hilarious when I say “no”)

N – notice everything around her (she is very observant. she will notice the smallest crumb I neglect to find on the floor)

E – exude joy and curiosity for life

Happy Birthday little honey!

*Addendum: If there had been additional letters available, we would also make mention of her love of climbing – the stairs, the railing of the stairs, ledges, chairs, toys, humans, and anything else she can crawl up, on, and over.

These are a few of Harper’s (current) favorite things – and why I need more coffee than ever in the mornings:

• Climbing the stairs solo (I think she pretends I’m not right behind her every step of the way).
• Climbing in general, on anything and everything.
• Going on 30 minute walks around her play room with her walker toys (it makes me tired just watching her – are 9 month old infants supposed to have this kind of attention span? Or endurance?)
• Swimming – she loves the pool! She is up to holding her breath for 3 seconds as she swims under water towards me.
• Flirting with boys. (especially older boys – she really likes those 3 year olds).

She is a bundle of energy, joy, and absolute fun.

*Bonus content: Video excerpt from HarperTV – click on link below

Anything can be a walker

Harper has had an exciting week of firsts!  On Monday she pulled herself up to standing in her crib for the first time ever.  That is how I found her when I went to get her up from her nap. She was very proud of herself!  Monday was also the first day she started clapping her hands together repeatedly. Now we say “yea Harper!” and “clap, clap, clap” and she claps her hands together with a big smile on her face.

On Tuesday she had her first legitimate crawling session.  We put her on the floor of our closet with toys while we were getting ready in the morning, and as I was brushing my teeth I looked over to see her crawling out of the closet and into the bathroom! Later that day, at Crossfit, she practiced crawling with her friends, Lincoln and Campbell, who I heard were cheering her on as she crossed the floor.  The first opportunity I had to capture a video of this new skill was this morning, which was a pretty short session since she encountered some distractions and obstacles, but you get the idea from the video below. (Note who she calls for when she needs help. Nice.)

On Wednesday she ate through three strawberries. But she was still hungry. Oh wait, no, that was the very hungry caterpillar. Wrong character.

Way to go Harper! We are excited for all your new skills!

Harper had her first ex-utero airplane ride this past weekend as we visited Laredo and Trent’s extended family there to celebrate Trent’s grandparents 65th wedding anniversary.  65 years! So impressive.  It was Harper’s first opportunity to meet her great-grandfather (Big Pop) and great-grandmother (Grandma Fina) on the Talamas side of the family, as well as Aunt Gloria, Uncle George, Uncle Tony, Uncle Patrick, and cousins George, Miriam, Cristina, and Mia.  She also got to see her Aunt Adriana for the second time, and her Auntie Sus-Sus, Uncle Chris, and cousins Cooper, Molly, and Anna. It was quite the gathering with a lot of kiddos! And served as some free birth control for cousin Cristina.

Unfortunately, Harper was a bit under the weather, which put her tolerance for new people and places at a low.  She took one look at Big Pop and started crying – I really think it was the glasses though! We got home to Dallas to find a few days later that she has her first ear infection, poor baby.

Here are a few pics from the weekend:

I  am finally back to CrossFitting after a 7 month lull since Harper’s birth. I should have started back much sooner, but let scheduling woes keep me from the gym for far too long. Never mind, I’m so excited to be back at it! And Harper is getting a jump start on her skills too. Okay, actually she’s far surpassing me in strength at this point. Look at the core stability! Amazing!

Determination

To think she can do that, but isn’t crawling yet. No pressure, little sweetie, I’m just saying . . . .  She has, however, started cruising, around furniture and on window sills. She will take several steps along the ottoman, then study the distance between it and the couch, and go for it! No fear! She hasn’t been successful yet at transitioning from ottoman to couch, but she keeps trying.  I don’t mean to brag, but, basically . . . 7 month old wunderkind.

Kettlebear