8 weeks old

Harper is growing like a weed! I think she's about 10.5 lbs now (our super scientific way of finding out her weight is for me to get on the scale first then add her and subtract...that works right? :)) She's starting to be awake more and just started smiling this week...though I still haven't caught it on camera yet. Oh, and she's starting to coo at us now too. It's the sweetest little sound!

Parks

One of Sydney's favorite things to do, is to go to the park. We have an elementary school right down the street from us (about half a mile) that has 3 playgrounds on it so we spend a lot of time there. However, every once in a while, I'll venture out to new parks as a special treat. Lately, we have really enjoyed going to Arbor Hills. It's perfect for Sydney because there's a lot to do and perfect for Harper and I because there is a covered gazebo area where I can sit and still see the whole playground. We've gone there a few times to have a picnic lunch and then play and Sydney just loves it. I think she's gone down every slide on this playground a hundred times now.

Pool time fun!

We discovered through some other friends, that there is a great pool just minutes from our house this summer. Sydney LOVES going there and I love taking her there because the kiddie area is fenced in and there are 3 lifeguards on duty in that area. Makes me feel so much better in case I'm tending to Harper and Sydney gets out of my sight. Here are some pics we took a couple of times that we were there. Harper is only 8 days old in the one where she is wearing the blue striped dress...hey, you get out quicker the second time around! :)

Rainy day fun!

Sydney got this really cute tent for her birthday (Thanks Jenn!) and I thought today would be the perfect day to set it up. She is LOVING it!

One Month (and one day) old!

Yesterday marked Harper's one month birthday! I can't believe how quickly this month has flown by. I think it's going by even faster this time than it did with Sydney. Harper celebrated her one month birthday by letting mommy get 6 straight hours of sleep...though she hasn't done that again since. Boo! Most of the time she sleeps for about 4.5 hours a stretch at night. I guess that's not too bad! I took her to a Mother's Gift (the lactation group at our hospital) on Friday for a weight check. It's really nice that they just let you drop in at any time to have your baby weighed. She was a whopping 9.02 lbs!! So that puts her up about 2.5 lbs since she was born. I love that she is finally out of preemie clothes and can fit into most of her NB sized stuff. Other than that, she's doing what most newborns do...eat & sleep (though she's starting to be awake more). Can't wait to see what the next month brings!

I never thought...

...that poop in the potty could make me SO HAPPY!!! Yay, yay, yay!! After 6 (that's right, 6!) poopy accidents this morning, a screaming baby and a burnt grilled cheese sandwich, Sydney FINALLY went poop in the potty. I read a ton of tips and advice before I finally figured out something that worked for her. Normally she would go try to hide somewhere to poop and we'd catch her in the 'act' and move her to the potty only for her to completely freeze up and not finish going. Well, the 7th time today that I caught her trying to go, I ran her into the bathroom, put her on the potty and let her hide behind the shower curtain (our tub is right next to the toilet). TA-DA! She went! It did take her about 5 minutes and she kept peeking out to make sure I was still there because she doesn't like to be in the bathroom alone, but hey, whatever works!!!

Potty training Day 1!!!

We are officially on potty training lock down. Sydney told me earlier this week that she was ready to potty train, and honestly she's probably been ready for a while now. I've just been putting it off knowing that Harper would be here soon and I'd heard from other people that they tend to revert back if you train right before a new baby arrives. We're following a guide that was recommended to me called 3-Day Potty Training. I figure if she's not potty trained in 3 days that's okay but if she is then that is a total score! Here's our journal so far today...I'll try to keep updating throughout the day so you can see how she's doing.

8:30am - threw away all her diapers and put on big girls panties! She was so excited and kept screaming "NO more diapers!!"

8:30-9am - Sat on the potty 4 times but didn't go

9:10am - little bit of tee-tee in potty!! She got a sticker for her potty chart (8 stickers = special prize) and 2 M&Ms

9:30am - little bit of tee-tee in potty again!! Same rewards as before.

9:37am - little dribble in panties, no teetee on potty. Put on second pair of panties.

9:53am - LOTS of tee-tee in potty!!! I think she finally emptied her bladder. Another sticker but I gave her 3 M&Ms this time since she went so much.

10:55am - LOTS of tee-tee in the potty!

11:10 - LOTS of tee-tee in the potty!

11:30 - Tee-tee'd in panties but finished on the potty. On to pair #3.

12:10 - tee-tee'd in potty again!

12:45 - Tee-tee'd in potty. Got a special prize for going 8 times in the potty.

1:05pm - Tee-tee'd in potty.

1:25 - Tee-tee'd in potty and put her in a pull-up (which we're referring to as her "naptime panties")

1:30 - down for her nap.

1 Week Old

Today marks Harper's one week birthday! I have to say, she is a very good baby! She has already pretty much put herself on a 3 hour schedule which is very nice for mommy. Last night though, she did decide that she wanted to be awake from 1:15am to 3am! Other than that though, she pretty much eats every 3 hours and sleeps the rest of the time. Sydney is great with Harper and always wants to be where she is and check on her if she is sleeping. It's very cute to watch them interact. On Monday we went back to the hospital for a bilirubin check and everything was great. I was very happy about this since Sydney did have jaundice pretty bad (had to sleep on a bili bed for about 5 days). While we were there, they also did a weight check for us. When Harper was born, she weighed in at a staggering :) 6lbs 5oz and when we left on Saturday she was 5lbs 14oz. So...I was very happen to learn that in the 2 days we were home, she had increased her weight to 6lbs 1oz!! We go for her 2 week checkup next Thursday at the pediatrician's and I'm hoping for birth weigh or higher at that appointment. This girl needs some fat on those bones! Here are some pics we took today to mark the one week milestone.

Holding her first toy. Sydney is very anxious for Harper to be able to play with her!