13 weeks - 3 months old!

Three months old! And my seven weeks at home with my favorite girl are up. Next week I will head back to work. I'm excited to get back to a job I like but it will be hard not spending so much time with Natalie. Luckily, her Mimi Kathy and her dad will be home with her next week while I get used to a new work schedule and before we work her in to daycare. It is all going to be great...be we appreciate happy thoughts and special prayers while we all get used to the transition.

Her newborn pictures are beautiful! Special thanks to my good friend Jennifer who took them. You can take a peak here:
http://www.jennywhitephoto.photoreflect.com/
click on Leah Harper
password: natalie10

If you are interested in ordering any, please email me at leahmharper@gmail.com and I will give you the info on how to order. Hope you like them as much as we do!

12 weeks!

our little lady is so close to three months old...whew! she seems to change over night some days. mike will come home from work and say "she's getting bigger sweetie" as if she has changed just since he's been away at work.



she is getting stronger and lifts her head up and down, side to side when she lays on her belly or your shoulder. if you hold her she will stick out her legs and pretend she can hold herself up. not just yet, but soon! she can also see objects farther away and will react to or follow objects up to three feet away.


oh....and she started SMILING!!!!! these aren't gas bubble smiles. they are ear to ear "i like what you are saying to me" "good morning, mommy" "mommy, you are the most hilarious and beautiful lady alive" smiles... :)


here are a few for you to enjoy!

11 weeks!

our little girl is growing and changing every day! this week's check up showed she weighed 6 pounds 14 oz. doctor is happy but she is on orders to eat eat eat. wish i had the same orders!

she is awake more between her meals and has started focusing in on object a bit further from her. her dad likes to make her "track" his face back and forth and she has discovered the little plastic bugs (cute bugs!) that hang from her swing and watches them intently while she swings.

we picked out a day care for her. it's been really tough on me and has felt like house hunting or job hunting trying to make just the right decision. i think we've made a good choice and she will start in june when i head back to work. sniff!

my long time friend jennifer came over to our house recently and shot newborn pictures of natalie. they are beautiful! of course i am partial to the subject, but the fact that she shot these in my house is incredible! jenny is so talented and has always had a wonderful eye for kiddos and family photography. if you are in tulsa, check her out for your kid pics, senior class pics or baby pics. info HERE and HERE

she sent me a few preview pics. i can't wait to see the whole batch!

10 weeks!

Natalie, the social butterfly, has been here there and everywhere in the last week.

Her latest doctors appointment showed she was 19 inches long and about 6 pounds 2 ounces. We'll take her back for another weigh in soon. She also got her first shots. Other than one big cry and a fat lip stuck out she handled them very well. Brave girl.

She had a visit from her GG Memo and Great Aunt Betty. Her Grandma Ene and PaPa Jack came with Grammie and Great Aunt Ginny. Great Aunt Mary stopped by and Uncle Jacob, too!




She also had her shower at my office where of course she was very admired.



The weather has been SO BEAUTIFUL so her dad thought we should take a walk around Utica Square shopping center. Of course we couldn't leave without a few new outfits (her dad started it!).

Her dad had a birthday and we surprised him with a sushi dinner at home and tickets to see Conan O'Brian when he comes through Tulsa. We are sneaky girls.

I'm very uplifted to get to spend so much time with Natalie but also very aware of the days slipping by so quickly. We're making a decision on daycares making it even more real that one day soon I'm going to have to drop her off with new friends for the day. AH! Until then I'm going to try to enjoy every little minute and get as many snuggles as I can.

9 weeks!

i'm spending my third week home with natalie. i can't imagine there will come a day when she is too big to lay asleep on my lap while i talk on the phone, write some emails or just let me stare at her sleeping soundly. we've had some long wide-awake nights and some fun giggles (first spray down in the sink worthy dirty diaper!). we've had very special guests. each week is even more special.

i have been sent this email a few times and it is very, very true. thank you to all the mommys who have taught me so much. and thank you to mimi and pops for these beautiful pictures!

Before I was a Mom,
I never tripped over toys
or forgot words to a lullaby.
I didn't worry whether or not
my plants were poisonous.
I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom,
I had never been puked on.
Pooped on.
Chewed on.
Peed on.
I had complete control of my mind
and my thoughts.
I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom,
I never held down a screaming child
so doctors could do tests.
Or give shots.
I never looked into teary eyes and cried.
I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.
I never sat up late hours at night
watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom,
I never held a sleeping baby just because
I didn't want to put her down.
I never felt my heart break into a million pieces
when I couldn't stop the hurt.
I never knew that something so small
could affect my life so much.
I never knew that I could love someone so much.
I never knew I would love being a Mom.


Before I was a Mom,
I didn't know the feeling of
having my heart outside my body..
I didn't know how special it could feel
to feed a hungry baby.
I didn't know that bond
between a mother and her child.
I didn't know that something so small
could make me feel so important and happy.

Before I was a Mom,
I had never gotten up in the middle of the night
every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay.
I had never known the warmth,
the joy,
the love,
the heartache,
the wonderment
or the satisfaction of being a Mom.
I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much,
before I was a Mom.

8 weeks!

Natalie keeps growing into a wonderful little lady! It's hard to believe her due date was just a week back on April 17. She is starting to outgrow her preemie footie pjs and some of her preemie onesies--but still too tiny for some newborn clothes. I told her to just ignore the size on the tag and wear what looks good ;)

She is very funny stretching and grunting through her naps. I call her "little lamby" because of her "meehehehe" and "beehee" squeaky sounds. She is getting better at sleeping between her feedings and would probably prefer I let her sleep longer. And when she is awake her big blue eyes look all around.

After a visit from Grammie Teresa she also got a visit from PawPaw Doug. And soon Mimi Kathy and her Pops will be here to see her. She's a lucky girl!

Here are a few pics from this week. As you can see, she isn't so good at folding laundry but she is good at making it!

7 weeks old and first full week home

natalie had her first doctor appointment this week. the doctor said she looks perfect---we already knew that! :) she goes back again in about two weeks to make sure she is gaining weight and to get a few newborn shots. ouchie!

grammie teresa has stayed with us this week while we get in the groove of our new schedule. natalie is sleeping a bit longer each night between her feedings and is overall a VERY happy baby. she really likes being held and talked to and is happiest of all as long as her pacifier is nearby. sucksucksmacksmack!

here are a few photos grammie teresa took during her first week at home.