Saturday, December 28, 2013

Dear Harper

My precious Harper Elle,

You are my most beautiful babiest girl. I am awed by your beauty each time that I see you! I don't think I will ever be able to get enough of your giggles, grins, and sweet cheeks! I am so thankful the Lord blessed me with some lagniappe that we lovingly refer to as ellemeno (as in the alphabet…).

You have become the absolute easiest child. Your first few weeks were rough, I have to admit. You started off your journey in this world as a bit of a sick and loud (well, you're still loud) little girl! I was certain you'd give me a run for my money. For the longest time I called you my roller coaster baby. You were either super happy or incredibly mad! This is still mostly true, but, thankfully, you spend more time being super happy!

I am not sure if I can even narrow down my favorite things about you. I love how you wave at anyone and everyone. You even wave to people and say "bye" when they leave! I love how I just have to smile at you to get the biggest grin in return. I love kissing your chubby cheeks. I love tickling you to hear that sweet, sweet giggle. I love when you blow kisses. I love how you walk so giddily when we hold your hands. You have such a sweet, happy spirit!

You are my awesome sleeper. You sleep well at night, are happy in your bed, and almost always go down easy for naps and wake up happy. You will grudgingly fall asleep in your carseat, but you mostly love sleeping in your bed. You're not a huge snuggler and usually just want to be left alone to sleep!

You are sometimes my more picky eater. You will usually allow me to feed you anything, but you will start spitting foods out when you've had enough. You mostly love meat and often spit out your vegetables. You are a fruit girl for sure. You seem to be a bit more picky about what you eat when your incoming molars are bothering you :( You are OK with milk and water, but don't seem to drink as much as your buddy. You seem to be a bit more of a picky eater than Major, but you continue to outweigh him!!

You measure around the 75th percentile in height and weight and your precious head is still off of the charts! Your hair is growing in super light and the back seems to have some interesting texture to it! I'm so excited to see what your hair will look like in a few years!

You love waving and giggling. You love laughing at your siblings and playing with them. Your smile melts me daily, and I look forward to seeing it daily! You are nowhere near walking, but get around just fine crawling. You blow the sweetest kisses and make everyone smile. You are such an easy baby! I pray that you continue to be a sweet spirited girl who loves others and the Lord unconditionally. I believe your smile has the power to infect people with joy and cheer!

birthday angel












some of her first smiles - all smiles from here on out!

one of my favorite pictures - shows her joy!




a rare snuggle



LOVE this picture too!!!


I love you,
Mommy

Dear Major

My precious buddy boy,

I felt SO excited the moment I saw on that ultrasound screen that we were having a BOY! I knew your daddy wanted a boy, but I was also thrilled! You began your journey into this world immediately as a sweet, serious boy. You were (and still are) such an easy baby. Numerous times during your early days you would lay with your eyes open then suddenly just go to sleep. It was dreamy :)

As a baby you made some funny face and noises. This behavior predicted the clown you would become by age one! Despite your usual serious nature, you love to play peek-a-boo and act silly. A giggle from you is such a sweet sound. A smile is easy to get, but a giggle takes a bit more work. You give all kinds of sweet kisses….open mouth kisses, puckered ones, and sometimes even blow a kiss (even though I'm not sure you know what you are doing). You are also beyond sweet. You love to snuggle and melt my heart each time you put your head on my shoulder. You have the cutest stance when you want to be held - you prop yourself up on one foot/one knee, hold your hands up, and grab at me. How can I resist that?

You are definitely a mama's boy. You love your daddy, but you are for sure all mine. My favorite moments with you are before putting you down for bed and getting you out of your crib. Every time, without fail, you put your head down on my shoulder and snuggle before I put you down and when I get you up. Sometimes you even give me a sweet kiss. Speaking of bed time, you are not my best sleeper! You are usually the hardest to get down for naps/bed and don't take the longest naps. Everyone once in a while you still wake up at night. I'm thankful you have such a sweet nature and don't seem to be too affected by getting less sleep!

You are our advanced mover. You've been crawling for months and you do it so quickly! You have become an awesome walker over the last month! We love watching your small self toddle around every day! Before I know it, you'll be running all over the place. You say "dada," "mama," "boo!", and "uh oh." You wave, blow kisses, give kisses, and sweet eyes. I think giving kisses is my favorite trick because you do it over and over again :)

You are my easy eater. You seem to prefer eating fruit & veggies to meat, but I am not sure I have found anything that you don't like! You especially LOVE bananas!! You've just started getting your molars and they don't see to affect what you eat. When you're done eating, you make it a habit to throw your food on the floor. You love to drink milk and water, especially that warm bottle you get at night! I guess someday we'll have to break that habit, but I sure love the snuggle time a little too much to break it anytime soon.

You measure right around average in height and weight and still carry the typical large Crain head. You love playing on the couch, playing with balls, snuggling mommy, and playing peek a boo. I am so thankful to have a precious boy in my life. You constantly melt my heart with your love for me, and I'm so in love with you. I pray you grow into a man with a heart to serve others and love the Lord (but don't grow too fast!)

the most handsome boy I know





Stud from day one








clownin'








One of our favorites pics of my buddy

I love you,
Mommy