Friday, July 10, 2015

- 150 years of family fun... -

Throwback to a few weekends ago whennnn we celebrated Brian's annual family reunion AND his hometown's 150th [sesquicentennial!] homecoming par-tayyy!  Say that five times fast......betcha can't.

The only pics I have from the weekend are from the parade:

Oh, and then there's this one: 
...which I had to sit in for, because Brian was off gallivanting somewhere around the carnival. [Notice I am the only non-Croatian on the couch...............HOLY GHOST...yipes!  But not meant in the Trinitarian sense, obvi.]  

2015 = the year of the bay-bay! This family is growing by leaps and bounds!!!

Happy 150th, Mt. Olive! 




Thursday, July 9, 2015

- THREE months... -

We're still in the third month...

...but barely...

...so I better sneak this post in while it's still legit!

Check out our big 3-monther!!! 


Dear Harper:

You are extremelyyyy smiley this month! I mean...everything is just damn hilarious and you smile 23.5/7... <---The only 30 minutes a week you're missing in that equation is when your crazy mom has the camera out and is actually trying to make you smile.  Funny how that works, isn't it?!  Oh, there we go...

You earned the nickname of "Bear" somewhere during your second month, but it has really started to stick this month! [Daddy and I call you Baby Bear because, well, sometimes you're just a little bear!!! It's ok though. LOVE YOU.] ...I hope you grow up knowing what your real name is, because your dad hasn't uttered the name "Harper" for weeks now. Oops!  Bath time is a real hit at this house; you splish and splash and constantly coo + babble while in the tub.  You LOVE [like head over heels loveee] getting your hair washed in the sink. It's really freakin' cute the way your eyes go into a soothed daze and your tongue repetitively licks your lips [I think you kind of even salivate a little???].  I don't blame you though; who doesn't go wild over a little head massage under warm water?!


And alsoooo this month, you started attending Daddy Daycare because yo' mama finally had to go back to work...
...saw your first parade...

...and helped your dad celebrate his very first Father's Day in style!!!

No growth measurements to report, because you didn't have to see the pediatrician this month!  Next well-child visit scheduled at 4 mos.........

You are so fun! We love you more and more every day! Happy 3 months, big girl! :) 



Monday, July 6, 2015

- I can't even make a comprehensive title because the rambling is so random... -

Today is the kind of day that sends the average person's mood swirling down the drain into a miniature state of depress-seeeon.  But I thrive on days like today.  Dark storm clouds + the soothing sound of heavy rainfall = my bliss.  The house stayed mega dark this morning, and Harper and I slept in until an embarrassingly late hour.  No one was out and about the subdivision knocking on our door a) trying to sell expired Avon junk or b) collecting $$$ for orphanages in Antarctica or c) telling us our grass needs TruGreen [for real? It was the best looking grass in the neighborhood last time I checked...] or d) teaching us how to accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.  [Side note:  I maybe sometimes exaggerate a little bit, but no, not right now. Our subdivision really is AWFUL about these things.  I have been waiting for two full years now to install some signage on the front door that says: 
ABSOLUTELY NO SOLICITING. BABY SLEEPING. RING OUR DOORBELL AND I WILL SLIT YOUR WRISTS AND ALSO VIOLENTLY AMPUTATE THE FINGER YOU USED TO PUSH THAT BUTTON. ALSO, BEWARE OF DOG [[THAT WE DON'T ACTUALLY HAVE]]. LEAVE PACKAGE AND RUN; I DONT WANT TO DETACH BABY FROM BOOB TO SIGN YOUR DAMN DELIVERY SLIP. VIOLATORS OF THIS DOORSTEP WILL BE PROSECUTED AND CASTRATED. OH, AND FINALLY: KEEP THE CHANGE, YOU FILTHY ANIMAL.
^^ Or something to that effect, at least, because I literally cannot STAND the AT&T woman trying to convince me at 8:47am why her TV package is better than the one I already have OR the roofing replacement man reporting during my nap time that, after his un-requested assessment of our roof, one of the shingles miiiight be a candidate for free replacement.  Go away right now and eat your boogers as you go.  End rant.]

Omg, where was I going with that side note?! Oh yeah. I was sayingggg that I legitimately have the "sleeping baby" excuse now, so I think it's a good time to post summa 'dat signage.  Because on rainy days like today [and with no solicitors!!!], the PJs are cozy and the snuggles are so sweet and I we really really enjoy the peace.  No episodes of weather depression at this house; we be lazy little ladies and there ain't no shame in the game.  

Besidessss the session of morning bliss: the flowers got a free watering, the car got a free washing, and........Baby Bear got her first experience of being caught in the rain!

Why 'da bay-bee in 'da rain? 

Because.

I work again the next two nights, and I normally try to cook several meals the day before I work [or at LEAST have the fridge fully stocked with groceries] so the three of us have enough food for dinners + leftovers for lunches.  

Why does that matter?  

Well, because.

Despite enjoying our peaceful, dark, solicitor-free home, we had to go grocery shopping today...  And by the time we filled the cart and checked out, another round of Hurricane Bill was on the horizon.  Hey-ooo, torrential downpour! Along with 20 other customers and their kids, we waited in the little cart room at Schnucks for 10 minutes.  Then finally, we decided to make a dash for the car.  Harper was all for making the dash, but then she heard a little thunder boom and: 
"This sopping wet situation just rained on my pretty parade, momma!"  But 3.5 secs after pulling out of the parking lot, she was snoozin' in the back seat, SOOO... Enn-bee-dee, I guess.

So now we're home and clothed in fresh, dry garments. Little Bear quickly retreated back to nap land [girl loves her sleep!], which I supposeeee gives me some time to continue the random rambling and recap our weekend! 

Thursday night, I put the finishing touches on Harper's nursery!  Most of it has been done for months now, but I finally made the last couple canvases and nailed them up to polish off the collage.  I love this room and these colors!!! And if you thought you'd get off the hook easily with one measly 'ole picture...............muahahah nope. Never. Many many more pics PLUS a "before and after"post coming soon eventually! 

Brian had the day off work Friday [reason being: "official holiday," even though the OFFICIAL holiday was on Saturday bahah].  We celebrated being Americans at his parents' annual 4th of July party..........
Harper was not allowed to enjoy the [amazing!!! Good job, Fleming brothers!] firework show, because her Mom would like her ears/hearing to be intact and functioning beyond age 4 months...  #protectthoseears #godonlygaveyoutwo #!!!   Luckily, she was one tired little fiya-cracker and napped in the house during the show!  [Pic on the right: we watched some more fireworks on Saturday night, and again Harper wasn't allowed outside... We viewed through the car window to escape mosquitos +  noise.  Oh, and she's nakey because holyyyyy blowout. After witnessing the event, my bro said we should probably just throw that outfit away because no way it's ever coming clean...........] 
Annnnd some family play time!
Harper hearts both of her grandpas!!!

Sunday morning was Murphy's baptism! [...Conveniently, he was scheduled to be dunked at the same time of Harper's ritualistic morning nap, SO! Fun fun for all involved, as I'm so sure you can onlyyyy imagine.]
Such a good boy! Welcome to God's family, Murphy Udell!  
^^ Found these two in the church's cry room after the baptism.  Zonked, dude!

Welp..............

The storm blew over and the husband's home and the coffee cup is drained and the baby's waking up and the pizza delivery man just rang the doorbell, soooo basically all my hopes and dreams of extending the morning's bliss/quiet/peace into this evening are now shattered.   
*sigh*

Until the next rainy day..........................exxes and ohhs.




Monday, June 29, 2015

- B's a FAJA! -

Super late post, again...................

...but I love these pics, so better late than never! 

Happy first Father's Day to my awesome hubby!!!  
I have never loved you more than in the moment when you first held Harper! You were so overjoyed and proud to share your new little girl with the world, and I will never forget our first day as a family of three. 

I love watching you and Bear interact every day! She is one lucky little gal to have such a sweet, dedicated, involved daddy who tells stories...gives airplane rides through the house...reads books...feeds bottles...partakes in bath time...and even changes diaper bombs!  <---Father of the Year right thur! I know you are just chomping at the bit for her to be old enough to take part in all your hobbies [mmmmmhm, I see you salivating over that bike buggy every time you walk through the basement!], but I love how you meet her where she is now and don't miss a second of her baby milestones!  Hope your first Father's Day was the best day yet; you are so loved! 

...See? :)

Harper and I are soooo lucky to have you as a perfect patriarch for our little fam, and we love you so much!!!  

Can you believe you're really a faja?!?!  Yep, it's fo rizzle.

Happy first Father's Day! Hugs and kisses from da Harpster... She'll always be your little girl! :) <3




- Candid Camera -

Another edition of a whole bunch of random snapshots and no good stories to explain them...  2 months turned into 3 months like zip zap zoo, and all the sudden I have a BIG GIRL on my hands!  

*****

- #candidcamera:  VOLUME II -

[April 13 -- May 13] 



a) Hey there, TWO MONTHS! 

b) Either someone has a needle stuck in my voodoo doll or maybeee it's just a short little phase that will hopefully pass VERY soon, but the only way to settle down a raging bear these days is to take her outside. It somehow immediately nixes a tear-filled scream fest.  On this glorious/particularly fussy day, I relocated a kitchen chair to the deck and paid my mom $20 to sit out there with Baby Bear for an hour! Just an hour! Just kidding. Or am I...

c) Snoozin' through the weekly grocery shopping trip. Baby ain't picky; she knows that eating from Momma's kitchen is the best! 

d) Kicks and punches for being promoted to the BIG BED after 6am breakfast.

e) My new trick! ...Or maybe just a fluke. 

f) A very favorite place to nap...

g) I love my big cousin, Melody! 

h) All amped up for Cinco Cinco Cinco! 

i) Grandma Resa and her two grandbabies! Dawwwww.

j) Just me in my little bed! Harper sleeps in pack-n-play in our bedroom every night.  We used to try to swaddle her all the time, but every night would end in a brawling of limbs... Baby advice-givers and know-it-alls: you were sooo so wrong about OUR baby! This girl hates her arms swaddled in and will ONLY sleep soundly/comfortably in this adorable position! <3

k) I'm 2.5 months old and already sooo embarrassed to be pictured with my dorky mom. Someone help!

l) Crazy hair fresh out of the sink! 

m) I tried reallll hard how to teach the nugget how to win a man's heart over with homemade Italian dinners, but nope... I suppose cooking class shalt commence at a later date! #housewifeintraining ...but... #snoozingonthejob

n) Back to bed for post-breakfast snuggle-sleep time! Harper likes to get niiiice and close...

o) Happy baptism and welcome to God's family, Harper Cecilia! 


*****



- TWO months... -

How awful of a mom am I that H-Bug is 3.5 months old this week and I am juuuust now penning her 2 month posts? 

Pretty awful.

But it's ok.

No time for excuses! [But if you really want to read them [[which you probably don't]] thennnnn they're right hurr.]

Hello, 2 months! 

I can barely remember this far back [early-onset Alzheimer's? Please no.], but it appears that you began smiling and watching your animal mobiles? ...Great work!!!  These must've been your biggest milestones since the chalkboard made a special mention of them! ;)  At your well-child checkup, the pediatrician told us that you've been 50th percentile for weight and 50th percentile for height at every appointment since birth; but this month, you jumped to 90th for weight [and stayed at 50th for height].  Get it, girl!  We love your chubby little cheeks and roll-tastic [not-so-]little thighs!  Also if I recall correctly, we switched you to size 2 diapers riiiight at the 2-month mark [because blowouts are only fun for like.....never].  You still love your swing, but you also REALLY love your changing table!  Daddy always takes you in for a diaper change and tells you how much you "LOVE being attended to on that thing." ...He is extremely whipped and smitten now, too.  I think you have him right where you want him, which is perfect because you're definitely a daddy's girl!  Every morning, you wake up around 6am to eat breakfast.  And then after you eat and poop and get a dry diaper, you get promoted to the BIG bed and snuggle-sleep with momma until 9am-ish.  [Thank you for not making me be up for good at 6am! I love you so much for that!!!]  Annnnd the last thing that my shriveled up old momma brain recollects is that being stripped down to a diapey and having nakey time to kick allllll around is your new favorite thing!  Your shirt says it all: you sure are bee-utiful!!! :) 

You are so much fun, Harper Bug, and we love watching you learn and grow and discover new things every day! 

xoxox :-* :-*




- A weekend for showers [in every sense of the term...] -

Our life as of late has been a fast-paced blur of jumping from one event to the next.  This momma's been back to 12-hour night shift slavery nursing for a couple weeks now [that was a suuuuper fast 12 weeks, no?!], and the few free minutes I have to myself every day are very groggily/wisely spent washing the bare minimum of laundry and dishes that we need to survive.  Excuses excuses excuses, but here's what it very simply comes down to:  why waste time on the blog when I don't even waste time to shower? 

Welp...

...That mentality shalt be no mo'!  [Why?  Because showers can always wait......doyyy. ;) ]  But actually: the blog is our little family's diary, and I always love love LOVE to read back!  Some day long and far away, I'll come back to see what happened in June 2015...and..........there will be nothing archived when actually LOTS of things happened.  And so, back-tracking/catch-up blogging is for another day; today, I'm starting in the here and now.  

[Harper be like: MOM, no one currrrs, get on with the show...]


Ho-kayyy, baby.

Today, we are "recovering" from a very long, fun-packed weekend at the Raymond 4th of July celebration!  My grandma has the "open-door policy" house on the corner of town that has hosted the entire family on this weekend for as long as I can remember. In between walking back to Grandma's house for food and non-porta-potty bathroom breaks and maybe even an occasional nap, we normally spend the weekend entertaining ourselves uptown at the carnival + stage events.  This year was EXTRA special, as my cousin and her husband road-tripped their brannnnnd new [1 month old today!] baby home from Minnesota to meet our crazy fam!  Saturday night after the parade, we took the babes on a stroller cruise down Main Street to experience their first gamble at Bossy Bingo.  <---What is that, you ask?! Oh, just a little small-town farm-town game where you a) buy a numbered ticket and b) stand around a gated in area where you c) watch a cow get out of a trailer and d) hope it takes a sh*t on your square so that e) you are the lucky winner of $500!!! ...Yes, this is a for real thing.  [Do you metropolitan-ites know what a cow is?  Ooooo, ok, just checking.] As crazy as it sounds, our grandma is a very frequent winner of Bossy Bingo!  Maybe it's the luck of the Irish?  Or maybeeee it's just because this weekend "the 4th be with her!"

[Harper still thinks I'm boring.  Have your toothpicks poked through your eyelids yet?  Let's talk about that new baby... Everybody loves to see pics of a baby...]

Logan, meet Harper!  I hate it that these two will grow up living so far away from each other! :(  [...And the remnants of Bossy Bingo pictured on da right!]
Besides playing Bossy Bingo, Harper also met Kylie + snuck in lotsss of snuggle time with Grandma and Great Grandma! 
Sunday was a reallyyyy rainy day; and while the men stupidly golfed through the downpour, the women more appropriately responded to the forecast by throwing Theresa and Logan a SHOWER [pun intended, hahhhh, so not even funny].  Love these little buddies in their carseats! 
Shower hostesses with their niece and great nephew! 
THESE COOKIES... Oh man.  Good thing I allot myself about 4,000 extra calories per day and brush it off like, "I'm breastfeeding, bro..." because:  hello new favorite snack. 
Shower fun all around! 
And cousins, cousins, everywhere!!  Big family events are so much fun now that we are starting to have little families of our own!  [Lotsssss of great cousins missing, but we needed a pic of the ones who made it to the shower.]
^^Note Harper's bottle that I used for smiling bait...  It's all fun and games 'til the baby cries; and man, oh MAN, did she cry!!! Not sure what the dealio was, but Harper Bear was NOT a happy camper at the shower and definitely made her presence known!  Minus a little nap on the bed and another catnap on her Great Aunt Margy's shoulder, the Bear was either eating...or crying...or crying...or crying even louder... :(  Awfulness.  I hope her cousins still want to hang out with her next time we come around!!!
Thanks to our wonderful family for a great weekend!!! We loved catching up with all of you and are especiallyyyy sad to see little Logan go! :(   

Safe travels, everyone!  Can't wait to see you again soon! :)




Friday, June 12, 2015

- Big Momma's FIRST M-Day -

Wellllllp, now that it's damn near Father's Day, I guess I should go ahead and rewind to:

May 10, 2015:  my first Mother's Day! 

I'm a mother, what what?!?!?

My thoughts on being a momma are still so humble jumbled.  Mother's Day came and went like any other normal day, but as I reminisce back on last month's memories and photos it's STILL so surreal to think that I'm a mother.  Delicate and forgiving and beautiful and joyful and trusting and tender and loving and feminine and embracing and steadfast and cultivating and and and and annnnnnd... <--- ALL qualities that I bunch up together and stuff into one fluffy little person that we traditionally call "MOM."  I don't think the fact that I'm a mother has sunk in yet, and maybe it never will; I doubt I'll ever be able to fully wrap my head around how unworthy I am of the big important fun special GIANT job God gave me to raise a beautifulllll little baby girl.  

Holy profoundness! 

Today, I decided to see if Google could help me put some words to the awesomeness of a "mother":


But nope.  Big fat fail.  [#1, yes.  #2, I'd like to always hope that's not the type of "mother" I am.............]

Whatever.

Enjoying a very special cup today while I go through pics + reminisce on my very FIRST Mother's Day!  [Yes, I made my own gift... Go ahead and judge me real good!]
M-Day 2015 started off with 10:15am Mass with my family + brunch at our house.  Pic credited to the dear [onlooking] husbands, because even on Mother's Day there is plenty of dish-washing and cooking to be done by the mommas... 
Resa's first "Grandmother's Day!"
Time to feast...
...and then open gifts! Harper made some special surprises for her grandmas.  [Ditto on the gifts for her Grandma Ann, but she was celebrating M-Day in New Orleans!]
Thennnn we enjoyed a lovely afternoon at Copper Dock Winery!  [All of us were there, but again, onlooking fathers...]  Harper loves to be outside! 
Heading home.....but not before cleaning up a suuuuper stinky explosion of the poopy sort.  Yes, it definitely takes three people to change a diaper of that caliber after an afternoon of wine chugging. :/

Happy Mother's Day to my momma and all the other beautiful mothers out there!!! You are so loved and appreciated!!!