Catch up time. 3 & 4 months

Catch up time!! Here we go...

Here is Harper at 3 months! (She's almost 5 months now)

Sienna put this crown on her

sisterly love

In May, it got hot!! Sienna and daddy went in the pool for the first time.

matching outfits :)

Sienna had her 1st dentist apt. She did awesome!

She actually liked it! I was so proud of her.

In May, Garth and I went to Arizona for a wedding. Sienna stayed with her grandma and grandpa, but Harper joined us. She was amazing on the flights and was a happy and easy baby the whole weekend. Nana (Garth's mom) was there to help, and we appreciated the extra hands. We had fun spending time together at the pool and dancing at the wedding!

We missed our sweet Sienna, but we had a wonderful time at Scott and Kate's wedding!

Harper at 4 months:

In June, Nana came to visit and brought our nephews up with her. It was a BLAST! We swam all weekend and the kids even slept in a tent with Garth. 

Garth, probably thinking, "Why did I do this?" haha

Sienna loves her cousins SO much.

My sweet Harper. She is amazing. At 4 months, she's finally sleeping through the night, hallelujah! She is an incredibly happy girl and she will give you smiles all day long (although it's hard to capture them...she is very interested in the camera). She loves looking at everything going on around her and she loves watching Sienna. She has really found her voice lately and we love to hear her talk. She is holding her hands and lately can't stop sucking on her fist. Sienna always wants to be near her and still loves holding her hand. She is obsessed with Harper, just like mommy and daddy! 

On June 4th, we celebrated 8 years of marriage! 8 years!! That is crazy. After 8 years with this man, I feel so happy and fulfilled with my life. I feel so lucky and am blessed to be his wife. 

I am also SO incredibly blessed to be a mama to these amazing little loves.

 Harper's first time in the pool

...and she fell asleep

 Here is a picture of our family, today, on Father's Day. We had a wonderful day celebrating Garth and my dad. Two men that I love so very much.

Happy Father's Day Garth

Potty training

Last Tuesday, Sienna told me that she didn't want to wear diapers anymore. She wanted to wear panties like her friend. Then she went on to list all her friends and cousins who wear big girl or big boy underwear. Garth and I have been trying to get her interested in the potty for some time now and sometimes she seemed excited about it, but for the most part, she wasn't interested at all. So I figured I'd really work on it this summer, when she could run around naked in the house. But Tuesday, she took me by surprise! I wanted to believe her, but deep inside I thought it wouldn't last. Much to my surprise, she totally stuck with it and hasn't gone back to diapers (except for nap and bedtime)!!!!! And she hasn't had an accident since last Wednesday!! Amazing! She loves her panties and she loves to pick out a pair each morning.

Several people told me to wait until she was ready, and even though we never pushed her, we really tried to encourage her. But, like my friends and family said, she had to be ready and want to do it on her own. It made it WAY easier when it was her decision. She now tells me when she needs to go and can do it all by herself!! Woo-hoo!! It is soooo much nicer changing only one set of diapers.

I am SO proud of my big girl! Love her so much!

2 months and Easter

Harper is 2 months old and has captivated our hearts even more. She recently started smiling and I am obsessed with her little gummy grin.

We just moved Harper into her crib last week and just like her big sister did, she started sleeping even longer! Woo-hoo! She sleeps anywhere from 5-6 hours at night (7 hrs a few times) and then after a feeding, goes back down for about 3 hrs. We followed the book Baby Wise with Sienna and she slept through the night at 8 weeks and we're doing it again with Harper, so hopefully this little love will sleep through the night soon. She is much smaller than Sienna was, but I am SO proud of her and will gladly take 5-6 hours right now :). She is amazing.

Our blue eyed girl

One day Sienna was calling me to come look at Harper. She had put these glasses on her (upside down of course) :)

Sienna continues to be obsessed with "her baby," as she calls her. She constantly wants to hug and kiss her. Often when Harper is sleeping, we tell her not to touch Harper. She looks at me and says, "Mommy, I NEED to touch her. I NEED to touch my Harper. Pleeeassse??" How can I resist that? So, I let her gently touch her feet or her back. When Harper is awake, I often find Sienna laying next to her on the ground, or sitting next to her, holding her hand or kissing her head. It is precious! 

 I had to add this picture because I think it's just so sweet. She is such a beautiful girl and this picture reminds me how she's growing up. Sad.

She is sitting on a chair having her cereal with milk, her favorite breakfast item.

EASTER

This year we hosted Easter at our home. It was great! Garth's family made the drive up here from southern California and we had a wonderful time (although we really missed Kimu and Klaire). My parents also joined us.

Sienna opening her Easter basket

Harper and some of her goodies--modeling Sienna's glow-in-the-dark glasses. 

I don't have any pictures of the Easter egg hunt because I video taped it. But it was a lot of fun watching these three trying to find the eggs. Sienna LOVED it!

after the Easter egg hunt

checking out her loot

Sweetie Pie looking way too cute in her  Easter dress

our family

love her!!

Harper wasn't into taking a picture with sister.

1 month old

On January 28th, our lives changed and our hearts grew bigger than we thought possible, once again. Our second daughter, Harper was born. I remember crying the night before. I was nervous for the c-section, worried about how Sienna would be (now that she didn't get our undivided attention), and I wondered how I could possibly love another child like I loved Sienna. But, like every mom told me over and over, your heart grows and love happens instantly, with each and every child. I can't describe it, but it happened. The moment I heard and then saw Harper, I cried and my heart was overwhelmed with love for that tiny little baby. It was an amazing moment.

Here is Harper's birth story:

We knew I was going to have a c-section a few weeks before Harper was born. She was in a breech position and even though I hoped and prayed she would turn around, she didn't. So we set a date and anxiously waited for it to roll around. On the morning of the 28th, we woke up bright and early because we had to be at the hospital at 6:00am.  It was dark and cold outside and I was very nervous about the c-section I would be having in a couple hours. We got to the hospital and were admitted right away. The nurses started all the prep work and like my friend Heidi told me, the IV was probably the worst part. We had a nursing student putting in my IV and after a horrible first attempt, she got it in the second time around. Nurses, our doctor, and the anesthesiologist all came in to check up on us and get things ready. 

Around 7:30ish, they loaded me on a gurney, and with Garth following, they started the path down the hallway to the operating room. Garth had to wait outside while they gave me the spinal anesthesia and got everything ready. I remember laying in the tiny room that was filled with medical equipment and music was playing in the background. It put my nerves to rest a little bit. It was so different that Sienna's birth. There were so many people in that tiny room. There were 8-9 people in there prepping me and getting ready for the birth of our daughter. There was a NICU team (which is always there for c-sections), nurses, nursing students, the doctor, and the anesthesiologist. They were calming and comforting and it was a very odd feeling being completely numb from the chest down, but being completely awake and aware of my surroundings. 

I couldn't see what was happening because of the drape, but I could feel them tugging at my belly and I was wondering where Garth was. I was shaking like crazy (anesthesiologist said from the spinal...plus nerves, I'm sure!), and Garth finally came in, which eased my mind a bit. It was so weird feeling them tug at my belly and feeling pressure, without any pain. I layed there listening to the crew of people talk about everyday life. The nurse was asking about our doctor's chickens and she was telling them about the different animals they have on their property. It was pretty surreal. Then, 3 minutes after she cut into me, as Journey played in the background (awesome), Harper Celeste Gipson was born. I was overwhelmed with emotion as I heard her cry and the doctor lifted her up over the drape so we could see our little love bug. I cried and instantly wanted to hold and kiss her. The nurses quickly checked her, then wrapped her up and brought her over so I could see her. They held her next to my face (my arms were strapped down), and I was dying to hold her. We took a few pictures and then they whisked her away so quickly. I watched as Garth walked away to be with her in the recovery room while they took all her measurements and took her footprint. I desperately wanted to be with them, but obviously, I couldn't. The doctor and nurses were so kind and reassuring during the whole process and with the music and their talking, it wasn't nearly as bad as I had worked it up in my head.

Once the doctor was done finishing the surgery, I was wheeled into the recovery room, where I got to hold our precious girl for the first time. It was amazing. She was so tiny- 6 lbs. 2 oz., 19 inches long. The three of us, Garth, Harper, and myself, enjoyed this time together as a family. We kissed her and talked about her features, and just fell deeper and deeper in love. After about an hour, we were wheeled over to our room and soon family and friends came to visit.

 After spending 2 days in the hospital, we were more than ready to go home! Sienna couldn't visit at the hospital (kids are not allowed at the hospital during flu season), so we couldn't wait for them to meet. It was absolutely precious. Sienna brought Harper a balloon and was so excited to see her baby sister. She wanted to hold her immediately and it seemed as though she fell in love as quickly as we did.

Sienna is obsessed with her sister and constantly wants to hold her and kiss her. She loves sitting next to her and holding her hand, and she always wants to know where Harper is and what she is doing. It is so sweet. When Harper starts crying, Sienna always tells me, "I get sister for you mom. I get her" (thankfully she has not picked her up, even though she desperately wants to!). She also has tried to feed Harper. I was in the kitchen and Harper was laying on the couch. I looked over and Sienna had her shirt lifted up and was saying, "Drink milk please. Please have milk." So precious. Sorry Sienna, you can't help her out in that area. But Sienna has been my helper in many ways. Bringing me a burp cloth, a diaper, or her blanket. She tries to shush Harper gently when she's crying. She will hold Harper's hand and say, "It's ok sister. It's ok. No crying." Several times, Sienna will be sitting next to Harper and will look at me and say, "She so cute, mom." It truly melts my heart watching their relationship start. I can't wait to watch them grow up together.

Now, Harper is one month old. My, how time flies by!

This month:

*We've been tired- (nothing prepares you for sleepless nights-thank goodness for my mom and mother-in-law. Because of those two amazing women, I got to take a nap almost every day for the first few weeks)

*We've learned it takes a little more time and preparation to get out the door 

*Feeding was difficult for the first few weeks (but now she's doing great!)

*We've been blessed with delicious meals from family and friends

*We've watched Sienna fall in love with her baby sister

*We've realized how much better life is right now than it was a month ago