alfie.

I just wanted to post a few recent pictures of Alfie - our adorable 5-year-old shih-tzu.

new profile picture.

I have updated my profile picture from this...to this...(Try to ignore the difference in picture size.)

What do you think?

The first picture was taken two years ago. This new picture was taken this past weekend.

Prior to having updated my last profile picture, this had been my profile picture:It was taken in 2007 (two years before the previous one - which means about 4 years ago).

Apparently, I update my profule picture every two years.

Any thoughts regarding "my aging face" or other aspects of the photos? Just curious.

hayden - some recent pictures.

I just wanted to post some recent pictures of my main little man - Hayden.

Sometimes he won't let me take his picture, but yesterday he was willing and eager to be my camera subject.

Here are the results:

hayden and his activities.

• Hayden said he wanted to try Karate. He did. It was awful. He was not interested. There were too many people. He could not focus. It is VERY expensive. We will not be doing Karate again.
• Hayden said he wanted to try soccer. He is doing it. He is not enjoying it. He is not competitive. He just wants to "play." We will continue out this "session" but I don't think we will do it again.
• Hayden thinks he would like to try gymnastics (again). He did it about 1.5-years-ago for a few months. We ended up stopping because Hayden didn't do well waiting his turn and wasn't enjoying it. I am thinking about trying a different gymnastics place and seeing if he is ready and interested in it. We can do a free trial class, so that's appealing.
• Hayden thinks he wants to do t-ball. He can try that out in the Spring and I think we will sign him up for it. I'm not sure if he will actually like it or not, but it's worth a try.

Suffice it to say, Hayden thinks he wants to do different things but the reality of those things aren't quite what he envisions. As parents, Randy and I would like for him to be involved in one after-school activity (but only one - I do not want to have an over-scheduled kid). So we try different things and we see.

Eventually maybe Hayden will find his "thing" - something he likes to do. Or maybe he won't. He does like watching tv (particularly the 'Cartoon Network'). And he is pretty dramatic. Maybe he would like acting? But then again he doesn't like being on stage and having people look at him (he doesn't like that sort of attention).

Whatever. He is only 4-years-old. He has many years ahead of him to potentially find his "thing."

first school - hayden in the 4-year-old class.

This post is embarrassingly overdue. And I say embarrassingly overdue because Hayden started school back in August (August 26th to be exact). It is now late-September. I guess I have been busy and this "milestone post" skipped my mind. But I do want to document it, so here I go. Better late than never!

Hayden started back at school August 26th. He goes to First School and attends their Preschool Program - going three mornings a week. It has been a wonderful experience for him.

This year he is in the 4-year-old class. I love his teachers and his fellow classmates seem pretty spiffy too. Hayden is particularly fond of a little girl named Avery and a little boy named Jack.

Here are some pictures I took on that first day of school (at least I didn't forget to do that!).
Since starting school, I have noted that his "leadership skills" within the classroom setting have greatly improved. He used to refuse to be the "class leader" but now he is eager to assume that role. That makes me very happy. He can now write his name pretty good. He is eager to go to school everyday, and that is reassuring. Last year, he would oftentimes be disappointed to see me at pick-up time (because he didn't want to leave). This year, he is happy to come home with me - only because I have Harper. He is happy to see her. He still wants to stay, but Harper makes home seem more appealing (I find that quite sweet and adorable).

Suffice it to say, this year is off to a good start.

four month check-up.

Earlier today Harper had her 4-month check-up. It went well and Harper passed inspection.

She is currently weighing 17 pounds, 9 ounces. Her length is 25.5 inches.

What really interested me were her "percentiles." She is in the 97th Percentile for weight and the 80th Percentile for height. She is definitely a big girl!

I might not have my "little petite baby girl," but rather I have been blessed with a "well-sized beautiful daughter." Maybe it would have been nice to have had a tiny little baby, but the reality of Harper's chubbiness and rolls are infectiously delightful and her smile is priceless.I asked the doctor what this meant long-term in terms of her weight/height. His response, "nothing." He said that really it didn't mean anything. In time, her weight and height will "even out" to what they are meant to be genetically. So within a year or two, her height and weight should be more in line with what we can expect long term for her.

The other thing that was interesting to look at are Harper's measurements compared to Hayden's.

I thought that Harper was bigger than Hayden was at this age, but now I have the proof. I had the doctor's office print-out his 'Vital Signs History' and at this same age, Hayden weighed 15 pounds 6 ounces (2 pounds less than Harper does). He was also about an inch shorter. So yes indeed - Harper is a bigger baby. Hayden wasn't as big as Harper is now until he was 6-months-old.

But it's all good. They are just different - perfect in their own way.

sweet mommy/baby and daddy/baby pictures.

Sometimes it is hard to get good pictures of yourself with your little one. Generally, they just don't cooperate (or at least that is my experience).

This morning Randy and I got lucky as we were able to get some stellar pictures with Harper. The only thing that would have made them better is if Hayden had been present.

Oh well. I will take what I can get.

Here are the photos:

harper's first tooth.

Little Miss Harper Grace has not been herself lately. She has been extra crabby and fussy. It has not been fun. And this is why.
Can you see it? I can. It is a tooth. It finally broke through today and Harper is much happier. The whole process of teething is not something Harper (or I) have enjoyed.

But now she is much happier!
And so am I.

four months.

Harper Grace is 4-months-old today. I weighed her this morning and she is now up to 17 pounds (last month she weighed in at 15 pounds). We will go in for her 4-month check-up later this month and will know then what percentile she is in in terms of both her weight and height. That will be interesting to see.

Currently she is smiling a lot, laughing some, and talking quite a bit (especially when people talk to her). She has also started to do a squeal thing. I'm not sure what that's all about. She has been doing it though when she is unhappy or wants attention - and it works. It definitely gets my attention.

She has started to show interest in her 'Sophie the Giraffe' toy.She has been chewing a lot on her hands, my hands, Randy's hands (as seen above). It's good times.

She also likes her skip hop play matand bathtime.She also likes to stand up (assisted)and sit up (assisted).She rolled over for the first time this morning. I’m not sure if it was a fluke or not, but I was super proud!

Generally though, she rolls onto her side (from her back).And she is doing better at tummy time.She is sleeping pretty good. In general, she takes two (sometimes three) naps during the day. They are usually two hours long. If she takes a third nap, it's about an hour in length. She goes to sleep between 8 and 8:30pm and wakes up between 7:30 and 8am - waking up once during the night around 3:30am (at that point, she eats a 4oz bottle).

Of course it would be nice if she didn't wake up at all during the night, but I can handle one night feed. She is still able to put herself to sleep though which is a great thing. We put her down (in her crib) when she is drowsy and then she is able soothe herself to sleep by sucking on her hand, playing with her hair, or fussing a little (we also have white noise going and she is swaddled).

During her "wake time" in which she eats, she usually eats 6oz. of formula at a time.

She cries and fusses when she is tired, over-stimulated, or hungry.

Overall she is a very good, happy baby. And we all adore her.