Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Harper is ONE!

In so many ways, it seems like we have known Harper our whole lives and can't remember life without her. In lots of other ways, it seems like she was born yesterday. But the calendar tells us a year has passed and there we were last weekend celebrating our baby girl's first birthday!

Trying on her birthday hat a few days before the party


Some of you know that before we learned Harper was a girl, I was an "all-boy" type of mama. I really thought I would have a house full of boys and be perfectly happy with it. I was even nervous when we found out we were having a girl and when I remember that now, I just smile and shake my head...I had no idea how hard we were about to fall for this precious girl!

Bracing for the paparazzi with Daddy


Harper is sweet and precious and laughter and JOY! The child is pure joyfulness! With all this joy, she adds just a touch of spice, to make sure you know she's having fun. Her mischievous grin gets me every time! She's into everything and literally on top of everything! She steals your heart the moment you meet her.


She is a tiny little thing (zero percentile for weight and 50th for height!) and that's so fitting...a spitfire who seldom slows down, though I praise Jesus daily that she has finally started sleeping. After 10 months of crying at night (me and her!), I don't let a night go by without a nod to The Man Upstairs.


She's quite expressive...her favorite word is "More" which often has 2 syllables and gives me hope she'll have a southern accent :) She calls all dogs "Good Girl" since we constantly repeat that at our house as Lady tolerates unrelenting and unsolicited attention from both kiddos, especially Miss Harps. She is happy to tell you "Night Night" when its time to be rocked, blows kisses, waves bye bye and calls for "Mama" and "Dada" quite often. She loves her time with Miss Court, misses Miss Kat everyday and adores a man in uniform...she is totally smitten with Rob in his flight suit!

Her birthday felt like a magical time for us. Not only was it near Easter, a most joyous time of year, but we had family in to celebrate with us, too. Grandpa Chris and Grandma Cindi were in from Minnesota and my Granny and Papa came up from Georgia for the day, which made it extra special. We just love having them around! Harper is named after my Granny, Susie Mae, so they have a special connection.


In looking back through the photos from the day, I see that Granny managed to avoid being in very many shots. While I'm disappointed not to have her in more, that's who she is and its one of 1,001 reasons we love her.

Papa, on the other hand...


At first, Harper was far more interested in the phone than the cake.


And was devastated when the phone was taken away...


But was soon consoled by the cake...


We had an Easter egg hunt for our neighborhood buddies and I can't think of a better thing to do at a party! It was so fun and kept the kids occupied (read: outside) for a long time. All the big kids took off for the eggs while all the adults doted on Harper.




I found a little poem that fits Harper perfectly and says so nicely just how we feel about this little girl.

You are the sweetest gift, my little pearl. You are a bright young thing and the whole world is in front of you. Take things as they come and you will weather well. Go everywhere. Be brave and strong and free. Keep your eyes and ears and heart wide open. Look for goodness all around you. And when you feel small in the great big world, be still. Think of your beautiful roots. They are deep and true and will allow you to stretch far. So go into the world and let your little light shine. And always remember you are loved and blessed and the littlest one that ever stole my heart. - Rebecca Puig



5 comments:

  1. Love that poem ,fits Mae Mae perfectly she stole my heart a year ago too :)

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  2. Harper is SO beautiful! I can't believe she's one already. Looks like you all are loving SC. Glad you all are doing well!

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  3. Happy Birthday, Harper. It's amazing how fast a year goes once you have a precious little one to spend it with. I had to smile at your comment about thinking you'd be a mom of all boys and feeling nervous when you found out you were having a girl! :) Chris and I just found out that I'm pregnant with a girl and I feel the same way. I feel like oh, no that's not what I thought I signed up for, I thought only boys...I don't know what to do with a girl and I don't want a girl to hate me when she's a teenager :) Thanks for the honesty and the encouragement. My blog will probably say something along the same lines in a little over a year. Hope you're all well and enjoying your new home. We think of you often! Amazing how different our "families" are now, huh. :)

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  4. Happy Birthday, Harper. It's amazing how fast a year goes once you have a precious little one to spend it with. I had to smile at your comment about thinking you'd be a mom of all boys and feeling nervous when you found out you were having a girl! :) Chris and I just found out that I'm pregnant with a girl and I feel the same way. I feel like oh, no that's not what I thought I signed up for, I thought only boys...I don't know what to do with a girl and I don't want a girl to hate me when she's a teenager :) Thanks for the honesty and the encouragement. My blog will probably say something along the same lines in a little over a year. Hope you're all well and enjoying your new home. We think of you often! Amazing how different our "families" are now, huh. :)

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  5. Happy Birthday, Harper. Amazing how fast a year goes by now that we have little ones to spend our days with. I had to smile at your comment about thinking you'd be a Mom of all boys and feeling nervous when you found out you were having a girl. Chris and I just found out that I'm pregnant with a girl and I feel the same way. I feel a little worried and nervous like I don't know what to do with a girl and I was just sure this one was a boy too. Our blog will probably read something similar in a little over a year. Thanks for the honesty and encouragement your thoughts provide. Hope you're all well and enjoying your new home.

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