For posterity...

The following are some "1st" events that I did not capture in the blog but none the less need to be recored for history's sake.

1. 1st Halloween





















2. 1st Christmas

















3. Asking Mckenzie Lewis to be her Godfather

















4. 1st Thanksgiving






















5. 1st New Years

6. 1st BBQ

7. 1st Accent of Everest

9 Months Old

Harper is 9 months old today and I have sadly been quite delinquent in keeping up with blog posts. My last post was way back in September and there have been so many changes since then.

First and foremost she is no longer a little alien. She is definitely a little lady and it seems clear personality traits are beginning to show thru. For instance she is a very observant child. While there are certainly moments of craziness and unbridled energy, there are just as many moments of quiet focus when she is clearly studying the world and figuring it out. What I love most about this age is that if you watch carefully you can actually see the neurons firing in her brain as connections are made and new discoveries realized. One of Harpers more recent discoveries' is the use of her pointer finger. It's like she wants to show us just what she is looking at and have us help her make sense of it all. It seems that she is aware that there is a big world to discover and I hope I'm correctly interpreting that as a strong thirst for knowledge.

She has not begun to crawl yet but the last few months there has been lots of rolling and she is very good at it. And fast. It's almost like children move in their own time warp as turning around for just a second can result in the child being clear across the floor and in to something she shouldn't be. At Christmas time Harper learned to sit up on her own and that has provided lots of new excitement. I do enjoy coming in to her room to wake her up from a nap only to have her sitting up in her crib staring at me with a big grin. A few months ago all I wanted was for her to start crawling and then walking and talking but I have learned to savor these moments. Changes come on a daily basis and I don't want to miss any of them. There is plenty of time for crawling and walking and talking, as there will be plenty of time for boys and driving and other milestones that I am certain will be here in the blink of an eye.

I've been very fortunate the past 3 weeks to be on break from school and we have spent every day together in it's entirety. While I have spent plenty of alone time with her up until now, like I said earlier there was an "alien" aspect to her whole being. There wasn't a lot of  purposeful reaction to my conversations with her. When I tried to teach her something I would get lucky with a one time repeat. But now she is clapping with Amanda and I or playing patty cake with her Grandaddy. She knows where my hair, nose and eyes are and occasionally I can get a wet kiss out of her if I ask, but like her mother she can be stingy with the kisses (just kidding).

With all these new things she is learning we have had a bit more crying as Harper is discovering the subtle art of manipulation. I must admit I think Amanda and I have it pretty good. Harper by all accounts appears to be a very good child. She is not bored too easily and can entertain herself for long periods of time. We took a tour of the Biltmore Estate yesterday and didn't fuss the entire time or the rest of the day. Just like her parents, as long as she has food and a nap she is as happy as a pig in mud.

This is a bit of a short post but I hope I will be more consistent in the new year with my updates. I have many topics I want to cover such as the ups and downs of bottle cleaning. Exciting stuff huh?

Till next time...