Harper's Tricks - 1st Quarter of 2012 Updating a blog daily or weekly is impossible; monthly is lofty; and quarterly more realistic for me. I thought I'd send a quick update of what we're up to these days (or rather, what Harper is up to; we're really just along for ride) At the ripe old age of 8 months, Harper is changing every single day. Some days when I pick her up from daycare she just looks different. Is it possible to grow so much in one day? Apparently it is, and we continually discover together new tricks and have new experiences. Some of her recent adventures in the last three months include:

• Sitting (old news - she mastered that back in January)
• Eating solids. We started with butternut squash and have progressed to almost every vegetable imaginable in a mashed, pureed form. Everything we've tried has been promptly gobbled up. She especially loves applesauce and avocado. Meal times are much less quiet now, as Harper likes to entertain us during dinner by dropping things on the floor, squishing her food in her fingers, and using her cup. We love watching her try to eat finger foods. So far this is only mildly successful. Disolvable puffs are really the only thing she's been able to get from finger to mouth and keep in there.
• Swimming lessons. In February we signed up for the "Guppy" swim class. Harper wore a very fashionable navy blue two piece because her torso is so long. She entertained us by splashing and shrieking the entire class. Her report card said "she brought a lot of energy to class". To say the least...
• Actually playing with toys. She likes banging, shaking, crinkling toys, cuddling with softies, and of course, tasting everything.
• Dance parties with Mom and Dad. One of our favorite evening games is having a dance party to bad 90s music. Harper particularly enjoys hip-hop songs by MC Hammer, Salt-n-Peppa, and others. Maybe she likes them because Eric and I have so much fun revisiting our middle and high school dance years. Some call me "MC Haley"....
• Our first snowshoe hike and Yurt trip. Thanks to the encouragement of some very gracious and patient friends, we decided to take Harper on a Yurt trip a few weeks ago. The snow was terrible, but it was warm and sunny. We had grand adventures pulling sleds with all of our gear to the yurt, which was 1/2 mile off the road. We spent two days and nights snowshoeing, playing games, and entertaining Miss Harper in the 1-room yurt. It was a lot of fun, and we were proud of doing it with Harper.
• Clapping, sometimes waving, peek-a-boo, and other fun games. It's so funny to see what you will do as a parent to encourage your child to clap, wave, or laugh.
• Harper's voice. she's full of "ga-gas" "he, he, he" grunts, and other fun sounds. It's so interesting to hear her voice develop and to hear her tell us stories about her day.

We are so truly blessed, and we hope you feel you are blessed too.
Love,
Haley, Eric and Harper