Honey Hijacking - Harper's Vacation

While we were in Cabo, Harper got to spend her vacation with Honey and Grandy.  Hence, another edition of Honey Hijacking: 

Observations of keeping a 14 month old…

Brooke & Jared were able to get away for a much needed vacation.  Grandy and I were fortunate enough to be the ones to keep Harper during their get away.  While it was oh so much fun, I now am ready for a much needed vacation!  Where is my ticket to Cabo, pleeeaaase?!?!?

Having raised two children 20 months apart, I thought I was an old pro at babying.  But having grown older and wiser with age, I now find that I have some new profound observations for all of you PIOW readers.

Harper has often been described  as rather timid, sweet and, at times, the word “tame” has been said of her.   Observation #1: There is no such a thing as a “tame toddler”.   I believe this term is an oxymoron!

Harper is a tiny thing, I’m not sure she is yet in the 10^th percentile in weight.   Why?  I DO NOT KNOW!  I do know now.  While this child eats like a Velociraptor, she’s a little human disposal, I was never sure why she wasn’t putting on weight?   What I now know is that the darling angel poops like a baby elephant.  

Observation #2:  Once a gagger, always a gagger!  It still does me in to change those poopy diapers - always has, always will.

Observation #3:  Going to the grocery store is so much more fun with a little person sitting in your shopping cart!  Not only do countless unexpected strangers stop and want to chat and play (which made me feel like a puffed up Blow Fish) but have you ever realized what fun music HEB plays?  Harper and I (okay so it was just me) were strolling through the frozen food section where I was singing, dancing/swerving our cart back and forth to Cher’s “I’ve Got You Babe” like it was karaoke night at some brightly lit bar.  Then Lionel Richie’s “Dancing on the Ceiling” came on right in the detergent isle and even Harper was dancing in her seat!  HEB may never be the same.  

Observation #4:  Realizing that you have a shopping cart full of groceries as well as Harper sitting right along in that shopping cart.   You walk up to your car, the sudden realization hits you, “How in the world am I going to make this transfer happen?”  So here I am in 99° heat, with one foot under the shopping cart wheel so it wouldn’t roll away from me, one hand on Harper, so she would stay put and my free hand madly stuffing groceries into the trunk of my car!  On top of that, I then had to haul that dumb cart all the way back to a cart station, unload Harper, load her up, buckle her in...it makes me sweat just thinking about it!  What happened to those old “old pro” babying days that I so prided myself in?  I solemnly promise from here after to never again pass by a young mother without waiting to take her shopping cart back for her.

Observation #5:  Taking that adorable little 14 month old on daily adventures. We decided getting Harper out of the house to work off some energy would be a good idea.  So one day we rode the zoo train--twice.  The next day it was off to Kiddie Park, riding all the rides multiple times...planes, boats, cars, carousels (I do believe we had more fun than Harper).  Sunday was spent at the park, climbing over everything in site with billions of other children towering over Harper.  Her favorite activity was swinging and swinging and swinging!  Here’s my profound observation, all the aforementioned activity doesn't ensure that that precious little worn out baby doll will sleep any longer than one short hour once she’s finally home.  What it does ensure is that you will be absolutely wiped out and certain to be in bed by 8:00 p.m.

Observation #6:  When you're lying in bed first thing in the morning with Miss Priss and she flings that sweet soft little body into yours and puts her little head on your chest, wraps her arms around your neck and (in Harper’s case) opens her mouth as wide as possible to give you the biggest kisses she can--well then you know your heart has just melted right down to the tips of your toes.  You know that you would do absolutely anything in the world to make that little girl’s life as happy and safe as possible.  You know right then that when people say being a grandparent is the best thing in the world, that it’s a fact.

Finally, Observation #7:  The morning comes when you wake up and the house is quite.  Your time is all yours to do whatever, whenever, however you want and instead of breathing a sigh of relief...all you want to do is scoop up that precious bundle of joy and watch her make you laugh and love like every moment is better than the next.

Tired yes, ready to do it all again absolutely...Harper, where are you?!?!?

Love you to pieces,

Honey