The impossible...or so I thought.

Tonight I did what I couldn't fathom. I sewed through my finger. I'd heard plenty stories of people sewing through fingers, but I honestly didn't think it would ever happen to me. I was working on putting the third layer on my crinoline (petticoat, pouffy slip, whatever you want to call it), my middle finger got too close to the needle, and SNAP!, the needle broke and I had blood beading out of two puncture holes opposite each other. OUCH!!! Thankfully it was a fairly new needle so it was still sharp and my finger didn't bleed very long. But wow. I joined the, "I've sewed through my finger" club.

The good news is the third layer is on the slip, and it's now time for bed. I still have some finishing touches to make to the slip, so I will post some pics once those are done. Goodnight!

Cozy Cabin

We spent this past weekend with our friends Brian and Erin at a one room cabin at Wild River State Park. It was super cozy once we fired up the gas fireplace. It was so nice to be removed from daily life and spend quality time together, make yummy comfort foods, play Killer Bunnies, take a walk outdoors (it was super nice on Saturday!), and simply be. 

Brian sharing his banana with Harper.

Harper did pretty well being away from home. It was difficult to get him down for naps and bedtime, especially since we were all in the same room. Traveling isn't as easy as it used to be, but I think it went very well overall. He's a pretty flexible and happy baby.

Me making french toast and bacon for breakfast.

Brian and Erin brought all the fixings for a super delicious pot roast for Saturday dinner. We certainly didn't go hungry. Since camping and vacationing is half about the food you eat, we also ate grilled cheese and tomato soup, brownies, chocolate cake, delicious coffee, french toast, oatmeal, and some healthy stuff like fresh fruit and veggies.

Now that I'm writing this, I wish I took a group shot of us all together. Oh well, next time! Spring is right around the corner, and with that hopefully some more camping trips.

11 Months

Our little boy...yes, you heard that right. Little boy. He doesn't seem so much like a baby anymore! Harper is one month away from being a year old. Last year this time there was so much anticipation to meet little Babu, and now we're anticipating his first birthday. And yes, I'm going to say it...time flies.

Harper's 11 month stats:

• Weight: 22 lbs.
• Height: 30 inches (didn't seem to change from last month, but he was being super squirmy)
• Teeth: He recently got his fourth tooth, so he now has his two bottom and two top front teeth.
• Language: In the past week or so, he has said "dada," "mama," "mm-buh" (for moo when he sees a cow), and has signed "more" at meal times.
• Gross Motor: Crawls like a champ on all fours, pulls up on EVERYTHING, climbs on his chair and the slide at his nanny's, picks up toys and puts them on top of things, transfers support objects while standing, and waves bye-bye.
• Fine Motor: Loves turning pages of books and picks up most anything off his high chair tray to eat (or throw on the floor).
• Play-time: Loves chasing his ball around and passing it back and forth with us, playing with the xylophone mallet, pulling anything he can reach off his bookshelves, closing the pop-up toys, toppling towers, and playing with his wipe bucket as it rolls around on the floor.
• Favorite books: "WHAT?" and "Peek-a-who?"
• Something fun: Rolling his tongue and making underwater noises

Harper still isn't consistently sleeping through the nights, or even most nights. He's usually up a couple times, but if we catch him early we can reinsert the pacifier and avoid having to rock him back to sleep. At least can go all night without needing to nurse.

Harper is a super active and smiley kid, and we love him to pieces! We are so blessed to be his parents. With that, I'd best get going on planning his first birthday. With only one month to go, I have a lot to do! If anyone wants to get their craft on, give me a call!

Weekend Recap

Sleeping babies are so peaceful and precious. I love his little bum in the air pose.

Harper LOVES his fraggle from Uncle Trevor. It's almost like they're having a conversation.

Fraggles are pretty funny.

Grandma and Grandpa Kontak came to visit on Saturday. May the silly smiles begin! (You can slightly see his new top tooth.)

Josh and I finally got out cross-country skiing on Sunday. Harper had fun with a babysitter while we took advantage of the beautiful winter day and well-groomed trails.

The Harper Herald

For those of you keeping tabs on our little guy, his left top tooth finally poked through yesterday! This morning after breakfast we had a laughing match as Harper showed us he could roll his tongue. I couldn't quite get the perfect shot, but here are a few adorably silly pictures:

Harper has also mastered making messes and pulls every single book off his shelf. I think I'll have to put the paperbacks up higher so we're not reading a story one day and find a page ripped out and missing.