Jungle baby onesie

I made this for Harper over a month ago.  I saw the ribbon idea in a small children's boutique in Texas and knew I had to make one.  This was what I came up with!  I definitely want to make more, I just wish I would have made them when Harper was a little younger...she is obsessed with grabbing the bow!  Not so practical right now...but oh so cute.

Father's Day

Harper has the best Dad that anyone could ask for.  Seriously, have a look for yourself...

Brian is not only an amazing father, but he is the best husband ever.  He does ridiculously sweet things for me like getting up with Harper every morning and letting me sleep in for a few more hours.  He makes me yummy breakfast every morning and sometimes even brings it to me in bed with coffee.  He also is quite the chef and makes amazing dinners.  He even picks up the slack when I forget to do the dishes.  He encourages me to challenge myself and do things I probably would otherwise not do.  For example: purchasing a road bike and going on 50+ mile rides, training for a 5k (hmmm...maybe he's just trying to tell me something ;)), going back to school to become a teacher, spending hours on end on my crafting passion (okay maybe he doesn't encourage me to do this, but at least he puts up with it), and moving to Colorado to start a new and exciting life here.  I would not want to be on this world of parenting adventure with anyone else!  I really mean that.  Since Brian is finishing up his Masters, he has been able to be home more and watch Harper grow and change every day.  When he's not at school or doing homework, he spends all of his time with Harper.  He is such a hands-on Dad and loves to get outside and go on new adventures with her.  He would do anything for Harper.  Exactly one year ago from today, we went in for our 20 week ultrasound and found out that the little thing growing inside of me was a GIRL!  We could not have been more excited.  I'm so happy that Brian got his little girl.  She has completely stolen his heart from the moment he layed eyes on her.  He is always so protective of her and I'm sure it will only get worse as she gets older.  Watch out boys!  Though, I'm pretty sure, Brian will always be the number one guy for Harper, she loves her Daddy so much.  

I also have to give a shout out to our own special Dad's.  They are amazing GRANDfather's to Harper.  They would pretty much do anything for her.  When Harper turns 16 and starts asking for a car, we will know who to send her to!


Meet my DAD:

and Brian's DAD:

*Wishing all of you amazing men a Happy Father's Day!  Thank you for all that you do!*

7 months

When people ask me how old Harper is, I find it so hard to say the words, "She's 7 months."  Maybe I'm in denial and I just don't want to believe it myself.

This is her transformation from 2 to 7 months in her Bumbo chair...

Along with her apearance, her personality has continued to change and develop in so many ways.  Her new favorite things to do include: rolling around everywhere, sitting herself up on her own, trying to stand, standing up next to the couch, saying "dadadadada" and many other babbles, playing with all of her toys (but her favorite always seem to be laptops, remotes, and cords),  exploring all different kinds of new foods, going "blhhhhh" at people and covering them in spit, demanding everyones attention in the room, going swimming, and so much more.

I can't believe she went from... 

...in what seems like just overnight.  I can't wait to see what the next 7 months bring!!!  Actually I can.  I can wait.

Handmade Crinkle Toy

Harper LOVES things that crinkle. When I bought a bag of Sun Chips in the new compostable bag, all I could think about was how much Harper would love to get her hands on it. I first had to do the difficult task of eating all of the chips out of the bag, then washed it off and saved it for what I knew would be the perfect toy for H. Have you guys heard these bags? They are so loud, and CRINKLY!

I added the grosgrain ribbon around the edges so she can loop her fingers in them and also use it as a teething toy. I even personalized it with an embroidered 'h', for Harper of course! I loved this eco-friendly project, and that I now have an excuse to buy even more bags of Sun Chips (not that I needed one!).

*She loves it*

Baby "Fresh food feeder"

Something that has been very useful in the world of baby feeding has been this thing: 

We usually put a huge chunk of banana or watermelon in it and let her "go to town."  This keeps her occupied long enough for us to enjoy our morning coffee or a nice quiet dinner.  The frozen cubes of food are great, especially if she is teething.  She loves to gnaw on the cold food and I think it helps with the discomfort.  I love that she can feed herself for a bit, and I don't have to worry about her choking.  

WARNING: This is extremely messy!  I just leave Harper in her diaper, and always give her a bath immediately after.

Making baby food

Before Harper was even born, Brian and I decided that we wanted to make her baby food when she got to the solid stage.  We both love to eat fresh and organic foods whenever possible so this just made sense to us.  We love cooking homemade meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and eating them together as a family.  Making baby food is even easier than I ever thought it would be, and it tastes soooo much better than the jarred stuff (I know cause I've tried).  It also has been very cost effective for us, so that is a major plus. We are lucky that Harper is such a good eater.  The only thing she doesn't like is rice cereal, but who can blame her?

These are some of Harper's favorite foods that we've made for her:

Peas (Harper loves her peas)

Carrots (Steam, Puree, and freeze)

Sweet Potatoes (Peel and boil first)

Bananas (I usually sneak the rice cereal into this)

Watermelon (Her favorite!)

Strawberries (Brian loves to steal some of these cubes for his protein shakes)

Apples (can splash some cinnamon on these, mmmm)

and so much more ...peaches, pears, avocado....

It really is so easy!  These are the basic steps:

These containers are the best for on-the-go..

The last step is my favorite: find a ridiculously cute baby to help you clean the dirty dishes :)

Life