Wednesday

I love Wednesdays.  Not just because it's one of my days off.  I love it because it's my day with Harper.  Just me and my girl.  Sometimes those days are too busy trying to catch up on laundry, house cleaning, etc., but I try to just do that stuff when she's napping.  This past Wednesday after her nap we decided to hang out on our bed for awhile.  I wanted to cuddle.  She wanted to roll from one end of the bed to the other.  I decided to turn it into a little photo shoot.  Here are some of the best ones.

a giggle in the making...

there it is...a full-blown giggle.  one of my favorite things.

look at that smirk.

our 6 month old.
gosh, she looks just like her dad.

*side note--i love Sundays too.  Sundays are family day.  It's the only day that Derek and I have off together.  Those days are always good days.

Fall Funzies

Harper had a great first Halloween! We met up with Tim, Susan, Ethan and Nia at a pumpkin festival the week prior to Halloween and took our family portrait. 



There we are!  Harper looks like she's saying "how did I get
mixed up with these people."



Just chillin' with the pumpkins.

We went over to Tim & Susan's on Sunday before Halloween to carve pumpkins.  We had to stop and get a pumpkin that afternoon and decided to try and take one of the classic "baby with pumpkin" photos.  As you can tell from the pictures below, it didn't really go as planned.

first came the pout...

  

then the tears...

 

then the reach for mommy.

 We moved locations and tried again...
 

she was not having it.  there's always next year.


We went over to Tim and Susan's on Halloween to go trick or treating with Ethan and Nia.  Harper wore a costume that was passed down from Nia.  She was beginning to get a little cold and wasn't feeling well, but she was a trooper.  We walked the neighborhood with Ethan and Nia and had a great time.

our little pumpkin.



not feeling great, but hanging in there.

This was the first year that Ethan and Nia went trick or treating.  It was so fun to see them catch on to what it entailed.  Ethan was a little hesitant about going up to people's doors, but Nia was all about it.  She has no fear.  It'll be fun to see how Harper does when she's older.  Here's a shot of the 3 of them after a long night of collecting candy: 


The only costume Susan could get Ethan to wear was
an M&M bag.  The kid loves candy!  Nia was a
beautiful princess. 

Can't wait for next year!



we're alive!

Just in case you were wondering because of the lack of posts on our blog whether or not we're alive...we are indeed!  I can't believe I haven't written anything since June!  Please accept my apologies.  This whole working mom thing has been quite the adjustment and I think that I am just now beginning to come up for air.  That's not to say that I'm completely comfortable with it and still have some days were there are tears because I'm at work and not with Harper, but I think we have begun to figure out how to balance it all in a way that will work for us for now. 

A lot has happened since June.  Harper learned to roll over from her back to her tummy and then from her tummy to her back.  Now she rolls EVERYWHERE!!  If she's not rolling her way around, she will lie on her back and scoot her way to what she wants.  It's pretty amazing to watch her see something and then figure out a way to get to it.  She can pretty much sit up on her own without any support.  She still hasn't figured out how to get to a sitting up position from lying down, but I'm sure that will happen soon.  She is eating baby food for breakfast and dinner.  And she has two teeth!  Her hair is growing in.  I can't wait to see what she looks like with a head full of red hair.  She is such a happy baby and smiles so easily.  She also is very contemplative.  Some people say that she's so serious, but I think she just observes the world around her.  She loves Baby Einstein DVD's and laughs at the puppets.  I think she's going to have a great since of humor.  She LOVES it when her daddy makes her laugh!  She is a daddy's girl for sure!

Derek is busy at the tattoo shop and loves what he does.  He will be going to Richmond, VA this month for a tattoo convention and a roast of Doc Dog, an old-timer in the tattoo industry.  He owns a shop in Ybor City (Tampa) and Derek has gotten to know him well this past year.  It will be the first time that either of us has been away from Harper for more than just overnight.  We'll see who has the harder time while he's gone. 

I have been very busy with work at Crowder's.  I went to Chicago overnight several weeks ago for a buying trip.  It was very hard to not put Harper to bed or see her when she woke up.  I will be going to Atlanta in January for our bi-yearly buying trip and will be away for about 5 days.  I am not sure how well I'm going to do with that.  We'll see.  I had my gallbladder out last week.  I guess if you have to get rid of an organ, that's a good choice.

We are very grateful to be here with our family.  Harper gets to spend one day a week with each of her grandmothers and gets lots of time with Ethan and Nia and her aunt SuSu and uncle Tim during the week.  I don't know what we would do without them and we are very thankful.  I love that Ethan, Nia and Harper will have such a close relationship.  I can't wait to see how much fun they have together when they are a little older.

Here are lots of pictures to document the past couple of months:

Nia holding Harper.  We have a picture like this of
Susan holding me.  I hope that they'll be as close as sisters.

4 generations celebrating Maw-Maw's birthday in June.

Such a great smile!

Harper's first road trip.  We went to visit our sweet friend
Katie at Southwind (a Young Life camp) in July.  We love Katie
and wish she lived closer.

Harper's first dip in the pool.

 

Trying to get a good picture of the three cousins.
Weren't quite successful.



Harper at 4 months.

Trying this whole eating thing.

Getting better at the eating process.
I still say that there is no bigger test of patience
than trying to feed a baby.

Ethan playing with Harper.  She smiles as soon as she sees him.

Harper's new favorite thing...the exersaucer.

A girl and her dad.  She looks just like him.

Harper at 5 months.

Jammie time! 
(ignore the painting in the background.  that's what happens
when you're married to an artist.)

Happy girl after a good nap.

We're going to Tim and Susan's tonight for pumpkin carving and will be trick-or-treating with them tomorrow night.  I promise to have pictures up of all of those festivities soon. 

The unexpected

This past week has certainly been a week of the unexpected.  Derek & I have felt from the moment that we brought Harper home that we were some of the lucky ones that were blessed with a really easy baby.  Harper only cried if she was hungry or had a dirty diaper and only got to the crying point if you ignored her grunts and groans a little too long.  She slept well, smiled almost from day one and has such a sweet disposition.  So when she began to have 15 to 20 minute spells of painful crying we began to wonder if something was wrong.  She would cry and then crash out asleep.  These little spells were so random that we couldn't tell if there was something wrong or if she was just going through some changes. 

Then on Wednesday she had two instances where she projectile vomited right after eating.  We took her to the Pediatrician and he sent us to our hospital for a sonogram of her abdomen.  He thought she might have a problem called pyloric stenosis (Pyloric stenosis is a narrowing of the pylorus, the lower part of the stomach through which food and other stomach contents pass to enter the small intestine).  The only way to repair it is to do surgery.  Thankfully, the sonogram ruled it out.  He suggested that we watch her and if it happens again to come back.  All was well until this Saturday.

Saturday morning she woke up very cranky and when she ate she threw up.  I called our doctor and they told us to take her to the ER at All Children's Hospital in St. Pete.  When knew then that the issue was a more serious than we thought. 



In the ER.  She was such a good sport
through all the poking and prodding.

Harper went in for another sonogram in the ER at ACH.  The Radiologist saw that she was having an issue called intussusception.  (Intussusception occurs when one portion of the bowel slides into the next, much like the pieces of a telescope. When this occurs, it can create a blockage in the bowel, with the walls of the intestines pressing against one another. This, in turn leads to swelling, inflammation, and decreased blood flow to the part of the intestines involved.)  He said that it was a fairly easy fix, but because it's an issue that is not usually found in babies her age he wanted to find out what was causing it.  We were admitted to the hospital overnight for further testing.  They did another ultrasound and took xrays and found a mass that they thought was a cyst on her intestine.  They wanted Harper to get an MRI on Sunday so that they could get a clearer picture of the mass.  Little did we know that Sunday was going to be the day from hell.

Harper would have to be sedated for the MRI which meant that she would not be able to eat before she got the anesthesia.  She was unable to have anything by mouth after midnight on Saturday but we wouldn't know what time they would take her for the MRI the next day.  18 very long, hard, painful hours later she went in for her MRI.  She was so miserable during those 18 hours.  It was so painful for Derek and I to see her so upset and not be able to fix it.  I never want to do that again.

She didn't get in to the MRI until after hours, so her results weren't read until first thing Monday morning.  The MRI did indeed show that she had a cyst on her small intestine.  She was scheduled for surgery at 12:45 that day.  It was so heartbreaking to give up our 36 day-old little girl to the nurse at the door of the OR.  We knew that we had to trust that all our prayers were heard and that God would take care of her.  I've been in experiences where I have had to trust that God was in control.  None were as difficult as this.  It was definitely helpful to know that there were so many other people praying with us.  It is overwhelming to know that many of those praying have never even met Harper before.  We are so thankful for our community of friends and family.

Harper came out of surgery well.  Our prayers were answered!  They removed the cyst and a small portion of her small intestine.  We are now in recovery mode.  It will be at least 3 to 5 days for Harper's intestines to heal before she can start eating.  Once she can eat we will have to make sure that everything is working like it's supposed to work.  We are anticipating being here at ACH for at least the next 7 days.  If we have to be at any hospital for that long, I am grateful that we are here.  It really is an amazing hospital and is very family-focused.  Derek says that it's the Ritz Carlton of hospitals. 

Please continue to pray for Harper's recovery.  Derek will be going back to work on Thursday.  I would appreciate any prayers for my sanity once he goes back to work.  My prayer is that those hours will go quickly and I will not feel lonely at the hospital by myself. 

I will do my best to keep the blog updated as Harper heals and we move closer to going home.

Harper pre-op

our sweet girl post-op

I ain't too proud to brag

Excuse me while I brag for a minute.  I have the most amazing husband.  This isn't a new realization for me.  I've known this to be true since he married me 2 years ago.  However, it has become even more real to me since Harper came along. 

One of the greatest words of advice that we received before we got married came from Steve & Renee' Moldrup...when you have kids be sure to make each other the first priority and your kids second.  We totally agreed with them and even talked about it again during my pregnancy.  I will admit that in the two and half weeks Harper has been with us, it has been hard for me to put that advice in action.  I'm not sure if it's because my days are consumed with her needs, but by the time Derek gets home he is not always first on my list.  Derek, however, has been amazing at it.  He has cared for me so well, whether it be taking care of tasks around the house, taking the last shift with Harper so that I can get a little bit of sleep, or just telling me how proud he is of me.  Sickening, isn't it?  Don't get me wrong, there are still those things he does that drive me crazy, but it makes it really hard to focus on those when he tells me he's thankful that I'm the mother of his daughter. 

If I were to be honest, I would admit that there are times when I think that I don't deserve a man like him.  I think that is why it melts my heart so much when I see the way that he looks at Harper or when he tells her how beautiful she is.  I am so thankful that she will grow up knowing that she is beautiful and deserves only the best that God has for her.  Who knew that a man with a mohawk and tattoos would be the best thing that ever happened to my life?

Thank you God for this man.

Who'da thunk it?

 In our conversations about Harper and what she would look like, Derek and I wondered if she would be a toe-head (white/blond hair) like he was or have light brown hair like I had.  Never in any of our conversations did we say anything about the possibility that she would be a red-head. 

There is a history of red hair on both sides of our family.  My dad and paternal grandmother had auburn hair (they're both grey now).  Derek has some distant family members that had red hair.  Even Derek's beard is red when he grows it out.  But both of us have naturally pretty dark hair.  Certainly our kids would too.  What a surprise it was to us when our sweet little girl came out with red hair!  See.....

Who'da thunk it?  Isn't she gorgeous?  Our sweet little red-head.  I wonder if it will stay red or if it will darken as she gets older.  Can't wait to see!

She's finally here!

This is Harper, as my friend Robin said, praising the Lord that she's out!

Harper Bleu Raulerson

8 lbs. 7 oz. 21" long

May 9, 2011 5:27 pm

Where on Earth do you begin after experiencing one of the most beautiful, surreal, awe-inspiring moments of your life?  We have prayed and prayed for Harper and now having her here next to me is unbelievable!  The past several days have blown by in a bit of a fog, but after getting some much needed sleep, I feel like I am finally coming out of it. 

The labor process was rather easy (thank you Epidural) and I only pushed about 30 minutes before she joined us.  I have had so many visions of what that exact moment would be like (maybe I've watched too many Baby Stories on TLC) and I will say it was nothing like I expected it would be.  I'm not sure if I was just so focused on pushing or caught up in what in what people were saying around me, but it was almost like an out-of-body experience when I saw her for the first time.  I couldn't believe that she was mine!  Derek and I kept looking at each other, reassuring one another that it was all real.  Other than Derek, my mom, Derek's mom and my older sister, Susan, were in the room with us.  There was a lot of celebrating going on for sure! 

As much as I love sitting and staring at her, I love watching Derek sit and stare at her even more.  He has certainly fallen in love with her and my heart swells watching him with her.  He is going to be an amazing dad.  I thank the Lord daily for blessing me with such a kind, loving, self-less husband.  My new prayer is that one day the Lord will bestow the same blessing on Harper.  I can't wait to see how she changes over the next few weeks while trying to appreciate every moment as they come.  I'll do my best to share as many of those moments as I can capture.

Harper didn't come on Mother's Day, but she did arrive on another special day...my mother-in-law's birthday!  I think I have officially won the "Best Gift by a Daughter-in-Law" award. 

More pictures to come soon.  These will have to do for now...



Love this. 
(It looks really red here, but her hair is actually strawberry blond. )



Donna, my mother-in-law, and my mom, Linda.

My sister, Susan.

Harper's first bath.

 

Happy Due Date Day!

Harper Bleu Raulerson

When we were told last September that our due date was May 7th, it seemed sooooo far away!  How could I possibly wait that long to meet our little girl?  And now, here we are, May 7th and I'm still having to wait to meet her.  Thankfully, it's only for a couple more days.

The past 8 months since we found out we were pregnant have gone by so quickly.  It's hard to believe that the time has arrived.  As much as I can't wait to meet her, I will miss being pregnant.  At least most of what it means to be pregnant!  I won't miss the constipation or Siatic back pain.  I apparently won't have to miss the stretchmarks or exhaustion because those will stick with me.  I will miss the way that Derek talks to her through my tummy as if she's right there.  I'll miss seeing the way my body changes because of the way she is changing.  I'll really miss the closeness between the two of us; being able to feel her move inside me, having that experience that noone else does.  But enough of that sappy stuff, could she get here already?

We go into the hospital tomorrow afternoon (Happy Mother's Day!) to begin the process of inducing labor.  If the first plan of action doesn't work, I'll start Pitoscin bright & early Monday morning.  Sometime within the next 48 hours, I will officially become a mama!  I seriously can't wait.

We'll post pictures on here for all to see as soon as we can.  Stay posted...