Christmas 2009

Here is a collage of Harper's first Christmas!!!! (click on collage to make it bigger)

Directing His Marching Band

This is how Harper spends most of his time. We call it "directing his marching band." Flapping his wings, marching around, and "singing."

Too cute!!!!

Cathy and Nate's Wedding

Harper's Aunt Cathy and Uncle Nate got married on December 13th, 2009. We haven't gotten all the pictures yet, but here a few that I snapped with my camera phone after we got him in his adorable wedding outfit.

Passed out (bottle in hand) at the reception.

The wedding colors were red, black and gold, so he matched my bridesmaid dress.
So cute! He had a great time at the reception because he got to dance with everyone :)

Our Little Bruiser

Well....the inevitable happened....and we made it 3 months before it did.....

...but...Harper got is first black eye. The end table had its way with his poor little eye. As Grandpa Jim said, he needs to learn to hit it back!

He bumps his head on tables all the time, but rarely cries from it. Well, Tuli had just left 5 minutes earlier for a basketball game, when I hear a "BONK" and then poor Doodle Bug started crying. I looked over, and there was blood on his face, and on the pillow that was next to the end table. I swooped him up, grabbed a cloth diaper and started applying pressure. There was a little gash right above his eyelid.

Now, you have to remember that this was the first time I've seen blood coming out of my child. And Tuli had just left with the car....

So, as I'm holding poor Buddy Boy, I call Tuli with my free hand, and I'm sure whatever I was saying to him really didn't make sense...but in a nutshell, he got the point that he "needed to turn around and come home!!!!!"

(God bless Tuli for understanding my panic-stricken, freaking-out, crazy-crisis language...)

By the time Tuli got home, the bleeding had stopped, and Harper had calmed down for the most part. Of course, we googled what we should do. I didn't know if he needed stitches, or if I should let him go to sleep, etc. After consulting Dr. Google, Tuli and I decided that Harper would be fine.

(Being the paranoid mother I am, after he went to sleep that night, I checked on him like 243098320 times...)

The cut healed in like 3 days (Holy Moly babies heal quickly!!), but he was left with a black eye. If any child can look cute with a black eye, it's Harper James.

(By the way...can you tell how much his lips are starting to look like his Daddy's in this pic??)

Because he's been walking since he was 8 1/2 months old, I'm actually surprised it took this long for some sort of injury to occur. I'm so thankful he's a tough, determined baby! Tuli and I can already tell what a bruiser he'll be in sports! We love him so much!

Storybook Land

This week, Tuli and I took Harper to Storybook Land. It's a big building at the fairgrounds in Albany that they decorate each year for kids and their families to walk through. As you walk through, there are displays for just about every fairy tale/disney movie/nursery rhyme you could ever think of. And all of the displays are at kid-level. I'm pretty sure Harper's favorite parts were all of the lights, all of the other kids to follow around, being held by Grammie and Quampa, and being able to walk around freely (without those mean baby gates like Mommy and Daddy have at home!!!).

Here are some pictures from our evening:

At the end of all of the displays, you get to sit on Santa's lap. Of course, Harper was calm, cool and collected like he always is! He didn't seem to impressed with Santa tho....

Naughty List

Harper is on the Naughty List this year! His favorite thing to do is climb onto the coffee table...bad boy! It would be one thing if he knew how to get down. If he sneaks up there while I'm not looking, I scoop his little butt right off of there. I have all these terrible visions of him breaking his arm....or something even worse! :( He's a fearless little man!

We put up our little 3ft fake Christmas tree. We decided we're not getting a "real" tree until Harper is old enough to actually "want" one AND know the rules of a real tree :)

(Yes...I put him on the dining room table for this picture. I know how hypocritical I am being with the first part of this blog. I am a terrible mother who is confusing her son...but I HAD to get a picture of him with the tree, dontcha think????)

...I tried to get him to hold a "Merry Christmas" sign....but he didn't feel like cooperating with me. Good thing he's cute, so I didn't care :)

11 Months Old!!!!!

We can't believe he's 11 months old!

His current loves:


Climbing on anything/everything

Avocados
Drinking his bottle one-handed


Chuck

Sibyl
Oatmeal
Playing with your lips and nose


Going to the library


He just cut his 8th tooth too. (his bottom right)

Happy Thanksgiving!

He mingled, he ate, he napped, he puked...and then partied some more!

This is what was waiting for Aunt Missy as she walked off the airplane on Wednesday night:

(...if you can't quite read that, it says "I Love My Aunt Missy, Love Harper").

He held it PERFECTLY, and it was just about the cutest darn thing on the planet. Don't you agree?

It was nice to have Missy home for the holiday! She hasn't been home for Thanksgiving since she's lived in Arizona, so it was a treat :)

Here are some more pictures from the holiday :)

Um, could he get any cuter?
Milk-drunk Doodle with Daddy
Checkin' out Great Grandpa
t Cutest thing on the PLANET
Quampa and Grammie snuggles

Better Late Than Never...

With the craziness that we've been experiencing, I've neglected to show you the cutest Super Hero on the Planet.

Introducing...

SUPER DOODLE!!!!

My Mom made Harper his first Halloween costume. Even though he doesn't look too thrilled in the photos, I'm sure he was very appreciative of Grammie's hard work :)


Tuli and I dressed up as Jon and Kate + 8. I went to the Dollar Store and got 8 baby dolls, and my tumor hair made the perfect "Kate hair."


Our friends Ted and Stacy had a great party (baby friendly!), and their house was decorated to the max! Harper was in awe of all the decorations :)

The Owner of This Blog....

DOESN'T HAVE CANCER!!!!!!!!!

That's right! Yesterday, we heard from the doctor that there were NO malignancies in my brain!!! Hooraaaaayyyy!!!!

I'm still a bit in shock. These past 6 weeks have been a whirlwind of ups and downs, and I just can't believe it's all over. I'm so grateful.

What I had was something called Cortical Dysplasia. It's an abnormal growth of cells that actually formed in utero. If I hadn't had it removed, it would have caused seizures later on in life, so it's a good thing I had surgery.

I am so thankful that no further treatment is necessary, and that I will be able to see Harper grow up!!!!




Now, if only my hair would grow back faster....

P.S. - I apologize for the poor quality of the photos. They were taken with my cell phone. Our camera is broken :( If anyone is looking for Christmas gift ideas, we need a camera that also takes videos!!!! (hint, hint...)

Grateful

I survived brain surgery! So amazing. Surgery only took 2 hours on Monday, and I got to come home to Tuli, Harper, Sibby, Chuck and my Mom on Wednesday. My Mom had made brownies, cleaned our house, did our laundry and was so helpful. I can't say enough about how much help Tuli has provided for my recovery. I haven't had to get up with Harper once during the night, and I've only had to change one dirty diaper. He's such an amazing daddy and partner to me.



I am so grateful for my family. Grateful for everyone who came down to visit, watch TV with me, sent me flowers, made me laugh, endured my steroid-fueled temper tantrums and loved me even with 9 staples in my head.



SO grateful.

I am grateful for Dr. Kokkino. What an amazingly talented man he is!

I am grateful I get to wash my hair tomorrow! Yayyyyyy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am grateful for Harper. He can always cheer me up.

I've had some amazing friends do some great things for me too. Between driving me around, knitting me hats and telling me I'm beautiful, I am one lucky lady.

Not feeling a whole lot like writing, just wanted to let everyone know that I didn't let a little brain tumor take me down or damper my spirits too much :)

Big Day Tomorrow

Well, tomorrow is the big day. Brain surgery. Not feeling much like writing right now, but please keep me in your thoughts and prayers tomorrow.

Here's hoping this is the first and LAST brain surgery I'll ever have :)

I love you all!

Staying Strong for Harper

I'm having an emotional morning.

I had a bad dream last night. I dreamed I was watching my funeral from Heaven.

I know that I'm not going to die anytime soon. But I have a brain tumor, and I'm scared shitless.

I feel the need to write about it...to get it out, and set those fears free.

I'm scared that I will die and Harper won't remember me.
I'm scared that I will die and Tuli will find someone else to be Harper's mother. Someone he will know better than me.
I'm scared that my family wouldn't be able to go on without me.
I'm scared that my trip to Arizona last weekend was the last one I'll make there.
I'm scared of getting my head shaved.
I'm scared of sleeping in the hospital alone...away from the family bed that Tuli, Harper, Sibyl and I have shared for 9 months.
I'm scared that God planned for me to have Harper so my family will have a little part of me here on Earth if I die.
I'm scared I will never skydive again.
I'm scared I won't get to hear Harper say "Mommy" or "I love you" before I die.
I'm scared that something will go wrong during surgery.
I'm scared of being weak and tired for a month or more after surgery.
I'm scared that I won't get to celebrate my 2 year AA birthday on Jan. 27th.
I'm scared I won't get to be there for Harper for his surgery in January.
I'm scared I will die an unmarried woman.
I'm scared Tuli will find someone that he loves more than me after I die.
I'm scared my parents won't die before I do.
I'm scared that I won't get to travel all of the places I want to before I die.

I'm just scared.

Yes, my sense of humor helps me. I thank my Dad for blessing me with with the humor gene.

I want to live to see my 30s. For years I have said that my 30s were going to be the best years of my life. My 20s have been a tad rough, but they have made me the strong woman I am today. I credit my 20s for helping me maintain perspective and a positive attitude with my diagnosis.

Mornings are always the hardest for me. I told Alice this morning that every morning I wake up, and I think that all of this has been a bad dream. But it's not. It is what it is.

I know Kathryn would have me do a gratitude list about now, so here it goes:

I am grateful for the most perfect baby boy, the love of my life, and my purpose for being here.
I am grateful for my diverse family. There is always the perfect person to call when I am feeling sad, glum, sarcastic or optimistic.
I am grateful for Tuli, the man who has been there for me through so much, and loved me just the same.
I am grateful for Tuli's family. Although they don't live nearby, I can feel the love from them...all the way from Wisconsin, to Alaska, to California.
I am grateful for a nice house to live in, with heat, a full fridge, a kitty, a teddy bear and lots of pictures on my walls.
I am grateful for my mama's milk...that it has grown Harper into the healthy boy he is.
I am grateful for having health insurance, auto insurance, and the feeling of security.
I am grateful for my sobriety. SO grateful.
I am grateful for amazing friends who would walk to the ends of the earth for me or Harper.
I am grateful for Tuli's job, and the things it provides for our family.
I am grateful for my education, and the critical thinking it has taught me.
I am grateful I helped Barack Obama get elected!
I am grateful I am otherwise a healthy young woman.
I am grateful for parents who love me unconditionally.
I am grateful for step-parents who love me as if I was their own.
I am grateful for my sister. The best sister in the world. The only one who truly "gets" me.
I am grateful for my Higher Power. Without him right now, I wouldn't exist.
I am grateful for my doctor. I am trusting him with my life, and I feel confident in that.

I am grateful for this blog. It lets me write the things I can't say out loud. It lets me show off my baby to the world. It keeps family and friends in touch. It gives me a creative outlet. It's an online baby book for Harper....one he will have forever.

Surgery is October 19th at 2:30pm. Send prayers, good vibes and whatever else you have my way. And my family's way.

We'll end this post with some pictures from the park the other day.