A birthday letter

Harris,

You are one!  This last year has flown by and it's hard to imagine life before you joined the world.  You have made our little clan a true family.  With you in our lives, our little world feels more complete.  

You are busy, busy, busy!  You are always on the go and love to get out and explore.  But on the same note, you play hard until you just crash.  You are affectionate, giving hugs and kisses out all of the time.  And you love to be around people.  It's not often that a new face causes you to cry.  It typically delights you to meet new people and be able to interact with them.  When we're out to dinner, you spend most of the time turned around in your chair trying to get the attention of the people around you.

You are a little ham!  You crack yourself up and will do things just to try to get a laugh out of someone.  If you're successful, you'll do it over and over again just to see someone laughing.  

And you are happy - all smiles and giggles.  You know what you want and if you don't get your way, you have perfected throwing your body down on the ground.  But it doesn't last long before something else has caught your attention and you're off again.

You love a toilet.  I think you could drop things in the potty all day long just to see what happens.  And Rooney bears the brunt of your poking and prodding most days.  You're still after that cat but, alas, no success as of yet.  

You are my little snuggle bug and I love you with all of my heart.  Thank you for your joy, your smiles and brightening my day when life gets blue.

I love you sweet boy!

Mommy

Harris - 12 months

Sneaking this one in before the end of March so I can check it off my ever-growing blog to-do list.  But, we need some stats here people.  Cito-meeto is ONE!

Weight:  21 lbs, no change since the 9 month appointment and in the 25th percentile

Length:  75th percentile - long and lean like his sissy

Food: all table food.  Loves fruit, steamed veggies, sausage, pasta and carbs galore
Officially off the bottle and on whole milk.  The sippy cup skills are slowly improving.
Teeth:  Top front four, bottom front three and two right molars coming in now.

Walking and now starting to run....well, walk REALLY fast after Harper and usually bite it face first in the process.  The climbing has started. Harris can now climb on top of Harper's bed and on some of the furniture.  Yes, being a boy mom is very different!

Loves:  His pacifiers (I feel like breaking that habit will be a blog post in and of itself), food, laughing, people, Honey & Grandy, banging and making noise, animals (especially Rooney and Pretty Kitty), dancing in the car (which is awesome!)

Sleep:  BETTER!  I fully attribute this to the tubes and the time change.  Going down at 7pm - or I should say crashing hard at 7pm.  He'll either wake up at 5am and want to be held for just a few minutes and then goes back down or sleeps all the way through until 6:30pm or 7pm.  Harris is a great napper, down to one nap a day but goes down about 12:30pm and sleeps until about 3pm.

Communication:  Babbling up a storm.  We're working on baby signing but pointing and grunting is his main form of communication.  Says dadada, mamama, lalala and babbles quite a bit.

Harper and Harris - I am in love with this relationship.  Harris adores his big sister and follows her around where ever she goes.  Harper is sweet with Harris most of the time.  She has gotten a little protective with toys and I, personally, think it's hilarious to see her devise plans of how not to let her little brother touch her toys.  She can be pretty creative!  In the car, they will just stare at each other and laugh.  When Harper dances, Harris dances.  When Harper runs, Harris tries to keep up.  When Harper wants to do a puzzle, guess where Harris is????  

Medical Blah, Blah, Blahs

It's been awhile since I've had to give medical updates on my family but this last week has been filled with them.  Sooooo, here goes:

Last weekend, my dad (Grampa Jack to you all) was on the golf course and collapsed.  He was doing great and playing a good round one minute and the next he was out cold.  His regular golf group was with him and performed CPR and called 911.  Dad spent the night in the hospital and this last week has gone through a number of tests to which they have found nada.  A little frustrating to not know what this was caused from but thankful to know that there wasn't anything life threatening that's come from the tests.  

Then on Tuesday we were hit with a second blow.  Steve (Grandy) went in for his regular three month brain scan and the tumor that we've known all along would return has finally done just that.  Steve has been in remission for the last 4 1/2 years from glioblastoma multiforme, an aggressive brain tumor.  Google it all you want but know that Steve's case is one that defies all medical odds and is proof of God's amazing faithfulness.  I would love to write to tell you all about it but why do that when I have a mother (Honey for those of you that know her best through this lil ol' blog) who writes so beautifully?  Mom has had a Caring Bridge page for Steve that hasn't had to be used in the last two years but thanks to GBM's grand reappearance on the main stage, she's warming up her typing fingers again.  I will keep you all updated briefly on any news but please feel free to follow Steve through my mom and the Caring Bridge page.  She amazes me with her outlook and her depth.  And Steve....well, there are simply no words to describe how much I love my stepdad. 

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/steveboswell/journal

And excuse me but I need to get deep for a second.  While this week has been one for the record books in terms of heartache for me, I have a sense of peace that I can only attribute to my God.  Given ALL of the medical hoopla that we've endured over the past 5 years with Steve, my brother, Harper, my mom and my dad, my faith and trust in the Lord has been strengthened beyond imagine.  I don't believe that God tests us or wants us to struggle but He lets life happen and our sin has given us the fear, the challenge and the reality of death.  We are human and we will face death whether it comes in two hours, in two weeks or in two decades.  I am thankful that I know Jesus Christ and I know His death saves me from my humanity.  And yes, I am sad at all of this news and yes, I have cried BIG tears this past week but I know that the Lord's will steers my ship and I am comfortable with that.  Regardless of the outcome of all of this medical blah, blah, blah that we will start to hear again, I am at peace with His will in regards to my family.  

Okay, you may return to your regularly scheduled programming.  Thank you for your prayers, thoughts and concerns.  They are felt and appreciated.  

Harris Turns One!

 

Harris turned one on Saturday and to celebrate, we had a small group of friends and family over for a monster birthday party.  Harris is cursed with a Spring Break birthday so our group was intimate but perfect for the night.  We celebrated with pizza and cake and the rain cleared off just in time for everyone to hang out on the patio and for the kids to play outside.

Harris LOVED his birthday cake.  The kid really does have a sweet tooth!  

And while I did have fun with the decorations, getting sick the week before his party definitely limited what I did - but it was a good thing.  Overboard is not always better!  But stupidly, I managed to walk away from the night without taking any pictures of the decorations.  Honey was smart enough to snap a picture of the cake just as I started cutting into it.  Oh well!

Thank you to our friends and family (especially Uncle James and Kerry who came in from Pittsburgh!) who came to celebrate our sweet boy's first year!