Harper Belle!

So it seems as if Fall is in the air...UGH. I'm not ready for it. I love Summer! Time spent on the water and outside with my family. That is my favorite time of the year. I know it will warm back up though, at least for a little while longer and we will make the most of it. Once Summer does say good bye though we'll move on to Bon Fires and Marshmellows, then before we know it Stockings and Candy Canes. Life goes by so fast! This wonderful crazy life!

Dear Harper,

You are 13 months old as of yesterday and today while you were taking your nap Daddy wanted me to go get you out of bed so you could listen to this song with him. Baby Girl you are the apple of his eye and he loves you so much. You will look back on all of this one day and when you do I want you to know how important you are to him. Just this week you woke up in the middle of the night crying and he went in your room just to make sure you had you paci, he was supposed to give it to you and lay you back down. Well he comes back into our room holding you and puts you in bed with us and you curled up in his arm, which is your favorite spot at night. It always makes him smile when push me away at night to snuggle with him. I love you Sweet Baby Girl.

Mommy

Just Fishin' Trace Adkins

I’m lost in her there holdin’ that pink rod and reel
She’s doin’ almost everything but sittin’ still
Talkin’ ‘bout her ballet shoes and training wheels
And her kittens
And she thinks we’re just fishin’

I say, “Daddy loves you, baby” one more time
She says, “I know. I think I got a bite.”
And all this laughin’, cryin, smilin’ dyin’ here inside’s
What I call, livin’

And she thinks we’re just fishin’ on the riverside
Throwin’ back what we could fry
Drownin’ worms and killin’ time
Nothin’ too ambitious
She ain’t even thinkin’ ‘bout
What’s really goin’ on right now
But I guarantee this memory’s a big’in

And she thinks we’re just fishin’

She’s already pretty, like her mama is

Gonna drive the boys all crazy

Give her daddy fits

And I better do this every chance I get

‘Cause time is tickin’

(Yeah it is)

And she thinks we’re just fishin’ on the riverside

Throwin’ back what we could fry

Drownin’ worms and killin’ time

Nothin’ too ambitious
She ain’t even thinkin’ ‘bout
What’s really goin’ on right now
But I guarantee this memory’s a big’in
And she thinks we’re just fishin’

She ain’t even thinkin’ ‘bout
What’s really goin’ on right now
But I guarantee this memory’s a big’in
And she thinks we’re just fishin’
Yeah, aww, she thinks we’re just fishin’
We ain’t only fishin’
(This ain’t about fishin’)

Just a Sunday Afternoon at the River!

Here's some pictures of our Sweet Baby Girl and her Brothers hanging out at the River! She LOVES the sand and water and of course the Boys are always out for the adventure riding the tube and swimming.

Exploring...

I LOVE her hands behind her back!



:o)



I'm not scared! And he wasn't!

Brothers!

Loving it!



I love his tongue sticking out!



LOVE this song!

"God Gave Me You"

I’ve been a walking heartache
I’ve made a mess of me
The person that I’ve been lately
Ain’t who I wanna be

But you stay here right beside me
And watch as the storm blows through
And I need you

Cause God gave me you for the ups and downs
God gave me you for the days of doubt
And for when I think I lost my way
There are no words here left to say, it’s true
God gave me you
Gave me you

There’s more here than what we’re seeing
A divine conspiracy
That you, an angel lovely
Could somehow fall for me
You’ll always be love’s great martyr
And I’ll be the flattered fool
And I need you

God gave me you for the ups and downs
God gave me you for the days of doubt
And for when I think I lost my way
There are no words here left to say, it’s true
God gave me you

On my own I’m only
Half of what I could be
I can’t do without you
We are stitched together
And what love has tethered
I pray we never undo

Cause God gave me you for the ups and downs
God gave me you for the days of doubt
God gave me you for the ups and downs
God gave me you for the days of doubt
And for when I think I lost my way
There are no words here left to say, it’s true
God gave me you, gave me you.
He gave me you.

My Lovely Husband...

On the River...Mud Island. October of 2009.


So August 6th will be my husband's 30th birthday. He thinks he's getting old, I just thing he's getting better. I've dedicated a blog to Logan, Cameron and Harper, so now its Wesley's turn. Hmm...Where do I start? I guess I'll start with the fact that I've known for years that every morning when my feet have hit the ground and I would pick up my phone I knew there would be a text from him telling me that he loves me and that he hopes I have a good day. Its the perfect way to start any morning. :o) Now that he's started a new job that is close to home and we get up at the same time I get the text when he's pulling out of the drive way. I also know that I am guaranteed to get at least one call in the morning and one in the afternoon for no reason at all. No questions asked or things he needs me to do. Just a Hey, How is your day going? That's the best part of my day. When he hits the back door after work I know I'm going to get a hug, kiss and an I've missed you today, I also know that he means that. We've definitely had our fair shares of hard times over the last few years but not once has he ever stopped fighting for his family. They're aren't many men who can say they have done what he has. There is no one I'd rather fight for, beside or with :o). He would die for me and I know that. I may not know much but I know true love. I love you Wesley and Happy Birthday Old Man!

We were headed for a weekend away in Little Rock. :o)

Headed to the Lake 4th of July!



  

The first time we held our daughter.

In the Smokies!

Waiting on Baby Harper!

Arkansas!



In LABOR! Yes I let people take pictures. ;o)



I Just Can't Believe It...

The Cake!

Tomorrow our Sweet Baby Girl will be 1! Wow! Time has flown by. This has been the most amazing and rewarding year of my life and I am so blessed to not only have Harper but Logan and Cameron as well and be married to their WONDERFUL Daddy.

The Birthday Girl!

I look back over the last year and we have watched Harper grow so much. From the not so tiny newborn that would cry and throw fits if you tried to rock her to sleep, she wanted for you to lay her down and leave her alone when she was tired (which is still the case) to the growing toddler who just in the last few days has learned how to climb furniture and her new favorite place is standing in the middle of the coffee table. In between we've watched her first steps, heard her first words and even sat by her hospital bed for 9 days and 8 nights at LeBonheur when she was one very sick little Baby when she had RSV. None of this I would change for anything in the world.

Harper after 7 days at LeBonheur. She was starting to get better at this point.

First off, Harper is the SWEETEST child. She loves everyone. If you are holding her you can bet she will either be rubbing your arm or patting your back and this holds true for her Baby Dolls too. She is such a little Momma to them, holding them and patting their backs as she carries them around. The only ones who don't get pure sweetness from Harper are her brothers, or Ubba and that's Logan or Ubby and that's Cameron. She is as rough and tumble with them as they are with her. Cameron will roll around on the floor with Harper wrestling and Harper gives it back just as much as she gets it. She will slap and pull hair and I'll start to break it up but stop almost every time because they both will have the biggest smiles on their faces. One of Harper's favorite past times since she was able to crawl has been sneaking up behind the Boys and pulling their hair. If they were laying in the floor playing or watching TV you could bet that Harper was not far behind and she had a plan to get to them and get a hold of their hair. Now that she can walk anytime they are watching TV she goes straight to, turns it off, gives them the biggest grin then takes off running. She will do this half a dozen times in a row and just laugh. She thinks it is so funny. I can already tell she will be picking on these two big boys for years!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this picture.
Logan and Harper fell asleep on the way home, holding hands. :o)



Harper has a few other loves too. Like the water! She LOVES to swim or take a bath! Her first trip to Pickwick surprised all of us. I thought she'd like to splash around a little but I had no idea she'd love it as much as she did. Not only did she want to stay in the water, but she would fight to try to get away from you. Of course we couldn't let her but she'd push and twist to try to get loose from you in the water. She would even take her whole face and dunk it in the water and not even bat an eye. The first time she did it, she scared me to death because I was holding her and she leaned forward out of nowhere and did it, now we've come to expect it. When we'd get her out of the lake and put her back in the boat she would cry and throw a fit to get back in the water. Something else that we discovered that she loved that trip was watermelon! I can say it was love at first bite for Harper. :o) Harper also loves music and loves to dance. Her favorites seem to be Lady Gaga and Kenny Chesney, what a wide range. :o)

From John and Jennifer's Wedding in November.
Even then Harper had a great time dancing with her Daddy! :o)

What does Harper not like? Her nose being wiped! That is definitely number 1. She also doesn't like regular milk. I just started trying to wean her from formula to milk and she isn't having any of that, even with the milk in a bottle and not a cup. She just saw the gallon of milk today and started to scream. We're going to have to work on that though, milk is very important for toddlers, maybe if we add a little chocolate.



Harper is about 24 hours old in the picture.
We would fight over who would get to hold her in the beginning.




Easter. One of Daddy's Favorite Pictures from the last year. :o)

Oh and Harper and her Daddy. Hmm...he is something else when it comes to her. He has a very hard time telling her no and when he actually does he's so sweet about it that she can't even tell she's doing something she's not supposed to be doing. She loves him too. I'm normally her first pick as who she wants but for some reason when she is sick she wants her Daddy. No one else will do it has to be him to hold her at night while she sleeps when she's not feeling well. She wants me close by too, but not actually touching her. She also likes to tease him. Nothing seems to make her happier than Daddy asking for a kiss and her running to him and getting so close and then turning and running away from him at the very last second. Daddy says they already have a song too, Trace Adkin's Just Fishing.

Harper and Mommy!
Every mom should be blessed enough to have a daughter!

Harper also of course has her family in Arkansas too! Grandaddy and Grandmama just kept her for the weekend while we took Logan to Pickwick. It was just too hot to have her out there for 3 days. She had a great time and Grandmama said she wanted her to hold her all of the time which made Aunt Lesli jealous. Harper also loves her Mmmm (Makinley). She knows Makinley is always there to hold her! I can't wait to see them in a few years when Makinley is driving and Harper wants to tag along and go everywhere Makinley does. Then there is Abbey. Only 363 days apart Harper and Abbey will be probably be very close when they get older. For now they love each other but they also seem to always want the same toy and since Harper is growing up with 2 big brothers and Abbey isn't Harper always seems to win the fights. :o)

Now Papa and Granny are also some of Harper's favorite people. Harper knows Granny takes her shopping and lets her dance. And Harper knows Papa always has the best treats and anytime Papa sits down Harper checks to see if he is eating. :o) Harper also has her Uncle Tyler looking after her. He was ready to throw down with an 19 month old little boy when he thought he was flirting with Harper at her birthday party. Oh, poor Harper. When she is 16 she will have a 20 and 22 year old brother, plus her Uncle Tyler and Daddy. I will have to work hard too get them to even let her date. I'm sure Logan and Cameron will be going with her each time. :o)

I don't really know what else to say except that having Harper and being her Mommy (or Mammy as she calls me) has been a true blessing and I think God everyday for all 3 of my babies but Harper has truly completed our family. When Wesley and I decided to have a Baby he told me he wanted a sweet blond headed baby girl, I told him you don't get to pick, but apparently I was wrong.

Happy Family!
And if you've never tried to take a picture of a 1 year old with a
birthday party going on in the background, you have no idea
how hard it was to try to get a decent shot! :o)

We LOVE you Sweet Baby Girl!

Where did Lo's post go?

So I just logged in to post about Harper's 1st Birthday and Logan's post about his birthday and party are missing. I will have to sit down and rewrite it I guess unless I can find a copy somewhere in my blogger account I will look!

The 4th!

So the weekend of the 4th Wesley and I loaded the Kids up and headed to Pickwick. We were ready for a weekend of water and fireworks and we got both! As usual the Boys loved swimming and tubing. Harper is also a little fish. She LOVES the water and as soon as the boat stops she wants you to let her get in the lake. Tyler and Madison came up too Saturday and met us. The Boys rode in Uncle Tyler's new boat and they loved that too. Saturday night Grand Harbor had their annual fireworks display and Harper missed it! She fell asleep about 15 minutes before they started. I was not surprised though since her bedtime is 7:00 and she is rarely up past 8.

All in all it was a wonderful weekend.

Kindergarten!

So I did something today that I try to avoid with everything I have and up until this point I've only had to do it twice. Today I took all 3 Kids to the pediatrician. ALONE. Now I love the Kids doctor, he's awesome the nurses are great and the office staff knows us by name (and I'm not sure if that is good or bad)! Cameron was scheduled for his Kindergarten check-up today, yes Kindergarten! Wow! He had his eyesight and hearing checked, his blood sugar, height/weight (50th percentile for both) and received 3 shots. :o(. He is officially a Kindergartener now, or at least he will be as soon as I take his shot record to the school. I do have to say though all 3 Kids were great and I really didn't have any problem at all with them at the doctor's office. Poor Cameron when it was time for his shots it took a female nurse a male nurse and myself to hold him down. It just broke my heart watch him get that upset, this is the first time he's ever really been upset about getting a shot, I guess because he had so many.

We spent a few hours outside this afternoon playing and washing the truck and the boat to get ready for the weekend. Its one of the first time we've spent outside since Harper really started walking. She would walk all the way down the driveway until one of us would go pick her up and bring her back. It was funny because as I was watching her walk up and down the driveway I couldn't help remember that last year at this exact time I was walking up and down the same driveway trying to go into labor. I would even wash my truck everyday hoping it would help. Needless to say it didn't. I guess Harper just wanted to make sure she was born on her Uncle Hershel's Birthday.

Well we are headed to Pickwick in just a few hours to start the holiday weekend. Its after midnight so it is July 2nd which is my Gram's birthday and if she were still alive she would be 79! Wow! She wouldn't have liked that. My sister and I constantly teased her about being old, even though she never acted like she was, but what we wouldn't give to have her here with us and actually be old. She passed away 10 years ago this year in April and it is unimaginable to me that she has been gone that long. Tonight though we will be on the lake when the fireworks start and it will be the first time Harper will see them and everyone else may be celebrating Independence day but not Harper and I. We will know the real reason for the fireworks, because its Gram's birthday.

July 26th 2010

So Harper's 1st Birthday is fast approaching and after talking to my Mother In Law tonight I decided I better sit down and write out the beginning of Her Story so that when she gets older and maybe has a child of her own she can know exactly what happened the day she was born...This will be very long, I'm just warning you! :o)

So we were kind of expecting Harper to be born that day. I'd had an ultrasound the Thursday before showing Harper to be 9lbs 3oz and my OB told me that day that he would not let me go past my due date which was Thursday the 28th (Abbey's 1st Birthday) so he told me to come back on Monday. It was also Wesley's Uncle Hershel's birthday and he had told me months prior that our Sweet Baby Girl would be born on his birthday and of course he ended up being right!

Well that morning we were supposed to meet Dr. Greenwell at his office and then he was going to send me to the hospital. When we arrived he wasn't there! His mother had passed away over the weekend and he had of course taken some time off. Dr. Estepp was there in his place. I had never seen her and was instantly disappointed because I just knew she wouldn't induce me. Wesley of course told me to calm down that it would be fine. The nurse took my blood pressure and for the first time in my whole pregnancy it was high, from being nervous about the Dr change I'm sure. So we go into see Dr. Estepp and she walked into the room and instantly I liked her! She was very nice and looked a lot like one of my best friends Brandye so it instantly calmed me. Dr. Estepp asked me how I was feeling and I told her other than being nervous about my Dr being gone and the heartburn I had had for the last day I was fine. Dr. Estepp asked me what Dr. Greenwell's plan for that day was and I told her I was going to be induced. She checked to see if I was dilated and I was! Apparently the heartburn I had been feeling the day and night before were actually contractions! She told Wesley and I that we were to leave and head to the hospital and she would meet us there in about an hour to check on us. I was so excited and told Wesley that it looked like Harper would be born on Uncle Hershel's birthday and Dr. Estepp told me not to get my hopes up that for a first time mother labor can easily last over 24 hours. I told her Harper HAD to be born that day and she would be!

So Wesley and I got into the truck and made a few important phone calls to our parents! Then we headed towards the hospital, with one small pit stop! I made him take me to McDonald's for a bacon egg and cheese biscuit so we stopped at the McDonald's next to the hospital and shared breakfast for the last time while Harper was still tucked away in my belly. 

We then left and drove across the street to the hospital and checked in at about 9:30. We walked into our room and I went into the bathroom to put on a gown. When I came out Wesley was standing over the warming bed holding the hat. He kept saying that he couldn't believe his baby girl was going to be wearing that hat. So the nurses came in and started my IV and hooked me up to all the monitors and started my Pitocin. Of course my phone kept ringing and one by one everyone started to show up. My sister was the first one there then shortly after my Mom, Daddy, Makinley and Teresa.

Dr. Estepp came by to check on me and said I was dilated enough to have my epidural around 12  The worst part of having Harper was the epidural if I had known it was going to be that bad I wouldn't have gotten it. The anesthesiologist came into the room and told everyone they had to leave except Wesley and that it would take less than 15 minutes so they didn't have to go far so everyone left to make phone calls to update everyone. An hour and half later they were finally let back in the room. The anesthesiologist had A LOT of trouble getting the epidural line started. Wesley and I eventually stopped counting but she stuck me at least 11 times. The whole time they were trying to start the epidural I had to sit on the edge of the bed and lean over onto Wesley while he helped to hold me up. Not only was it painful to sit that way but every time she stuck me she would hit a nerve and my leg would either kick Wesley or my Sweet Nurse! Finally the epidural was in and shortly after that my water broke and we were really on our way.

One thing that I really enjoyed during labor was Facebook! I could pretty much update EVERYONE instantly and let them know what was going on. It was also so nice to get so many sweet and encouraging messages all day from my wonderful friends! Back to Harper!

About this time she decided she would start to give her Mama some problems. Every time anyone would come into to check and see how dilated I was or do anything that required me to lie on my back I would pass out. In between the nurses coming into check on me and me begging everyone to sneak me a root beer (which no one did) we spent a lot of time talking with our families.

That evening Dr. Estepp once again stopped by to see us and sat down on the bed beside me so she could have a chat with Harper. She rubbed my belly and told Harper that she was going to go home and have dinner with her husband and son and stay to tuck her son into bed and that Harper should just hang out and wait until then! :o) Dr. Estepp said she'd be back around 9 but that she felt it would probably be a long night with Harper being born in the morning.

Everyone else left in shifts to have dinner and relax and get ready for a long night. Around 9:00 Dr. Estepp got back to the hospital and checked to see how far along I was and I was dilated to a 10! I don't know who was more shocked because at 8:30 I was only a 7. Dr. Estepp said it was time to PUSH! About that time Tyler arrived with the cigars! So we ran everyone out of the room except for Wesley, Lesli and Teresa.

So I had Wesley on one side and my sister on the other and Teresa at the foot of the bed watching the monitor telling me when I had a contraction. Then Dr. Estepp told me to start pushing, I literally remembering deciding very suddenly that I wasn't ready. I didn't feel ready and I had no idea what to do when she said push. After about a minute of panicking and Wesley having to calm me down we started, I say we because I couldn't have done it without my support system. This was at 9:30.

So I pushed and I pushed and I pushed and Harper must have thought that she was just better off where she was because she sure didn't want to come out and meet her Mommy and Daddy. Dr. Estepp was wonderful! She's the only OBGYN that I have ever heard of that stayed with me throughout the whole delivery. Even our nurses said that most OB's don't come in till the Baby is crowning. She only left once and that was around 10:30 to get a cup of coffee, she also told me later that she had a chocolate chip cookie too! She tried to get me to take a 15 minute break while she was gone but I didn't want to stop so the nurse stayed with me and we kept pushing. I had Wesley at one side telling me I was doing such a good job and rubbing my head and then my sister on the other feeding my ice (I don't know why they wouldn't just let me have a cup of water!) and Teresa counting out each contraction for me and telling me when they were starting and when they were over. When Dr. Estepp said she could see her head I asked the question I had been waiting 9 months to know the answer to. What color is her hair? Dr. Estepp said, "She is Blonde!" They were all also counting out loud with me while I pushed through each contraction. The closer it got to 12:00 the more determined I was to have this baby before midnight. I didn't know it at the time but Dr. Estepp had talked to Wesley and told him she would not let me go past midnight and that if Harper wasn't here by 12:00 I would be having a C-section. She had mentioned a few times that she doesn't like to let moms push more than 2 hours and I had already been at it 2 and a half. I was bound and determined though that I didn't want a C-section and that I knew I could do this on my own. So with a little more encouragement from my Hubby I gave it all I had and our Sweet Baby Girl was born at 11:49 PM (on Uncle Hershel's birthday!).

Dr. Estepp laid Harper on my stomach and Wesley cut the umbilical cord. I couldn't even begin to tell you how I felt. It was like seeing love for the first time if that makes since. Then they took Harper to the warmer to weigh her and clean her up. Weslyn Harper Yarbrough weighed 9lbs 8ozs and was 20.5 inches long. The hat that they had for was not big enough so they had to go upstairs and get her a bigger hat. :o) While they were getting her warmed and cleaned up Granny and Aunt Lesli were taking plenty of pictures and Daddy was just staring at her and crying. He told me shortly after we found out we were having a girl that I was the prettiest woman in the world and that after Harper was born she would be the prettiest women in the world and I would be the second prettiest women in the world. And he looked at her like she was. He will quickly tell you that he loves me and the Boys but there is just something about that Baby Girl that has his heart. He says he is wrapped around her finger and tied in a bow. I can tell you he is and that it has been that way since the instant he laid eyes on her for the first time.

    

The nurse handed Harper to her Daddy and he held her. Then Aunt Lesli held her for a minute and by then I was able to hold my daughter for the first time in my arms. After that everyone else was allowed back in the room to meet Harper! She was absolutely lovely and went to everyone. She was wide awake and soaking everything in. She would look at whoever was talking to her and seemed to be studying everyone’s faces to figure out who was who. After all she had been listening to us for 9 months. When my Dad came back in he brought me a Snickers which I started eating until the nurse caught me and threw it away. :o( Apparently you cannot eat or drink anything until they move you to the nursery floor. After everyone spent a little time with Harper they headed home for the night and Harper was taken to the nursery for her checkup and we were moved upstairs to our new home for the next 2 days.

A day at the pool!

So last Sunday at Church Wesley's Aunt Jodi and I decided we'd get together and take the Kids to the pool today to swim. It was a nice HOT and sunny day. The perfect day to spend beside the pool. We had a really good time. We were at Shelby Forrest Pool 5 minutes before they opened with our floats, toys and a cooler full of juice and lunch! We stayed until about 1:00 when it started to thunder and they made everyone get out of the pool.

The Kids had a great time though, all of them. Corban and Cameron spent most of their time in the shallow end of the pool while Emily got in and out with Harper and painted Harper's pretty toes! Logan though did something new, he tried out the diving board! He wanted to do it but was a little scared so I walked out to the side of the pool closest to him and talked to him about it. After about a minute of encouragement he was ready! He put a very brave face on and dove into 15 feet of water! I'm not sure his head ever even went under but I do know the smile never left his face! Such a brave boy! After that it was over, he spent the rest of the day diving! It was almost hard to look at him though he seems to have grown so much. He was standing in his room today while I gathered their swimming trunks and I couldn't keep from staring at him. He has grown so much and seems half grown. He is such a handsome boy and I dread the days when the girls start calling.

The Brave Boy!

Handsome!

The Baby Boy!

The Pretty Girl!

Harper's Em painting her toe nails!

Harper and her Favorite Baby Sitter!

Somehow I didn't manage to get any pictures of Corb so I will have to take some Friday at Movie Night!



Harper!

So I guess its time for a Harper update! So Sweet Baby Girl is 10 months old! Wow! Time flies when you are having a BLAST!

Harper continues to be the sweetest, happiest and relaxed Baby that she has been since birth. Now she does have a temper! About 2 weeks ago I looked down and she had something in her mouth. Cameron was sitting in my lap so I told him to get down so I could check and see what Sister was chewing on. He said its ok, its just gum. I asked him, How do you know? And he said I gave it to her. So I take the gum away for her, which her brother had lovingly pre-chewed for her, and she was MAD. She stood up, screamed shook her hands at me and pretty much just threw a fit. So, maybe she's not so relaxed and we just usually do everything she wants! :o)

She is a champion crawler! She started crawling at around 6 months and hasn't slowed down since. Right now she is standing on her own and cruising around all of the furniture she can get a hold of. She also loves to sneak up on her brothers and pull their hair.

She also thinks that Logan is her own personal entertainer. Anything he does or says to Harper becomes the funniest thing ever to her! She LOVES for him to jump around in front of her and dance. And of course he eats it up! He loves to make Sister laugh.

Ahh...Harper is so blessed to have such awesome big brothers to watch over her.

How lucky we are!

I am thankful EVERY day to be able to be a Mommy to such a wonderful Baby.