Catch Up

Hopefully this is the last time I feel the need to play catch up on here. And with a new baby coming, I'm totally sure I'll constantly be all over this blog. I'm certain there will never be anything else more important than writing on here. Ha! So I'll make no promises, but I think I'm going to try harder to stay caught up.

The problem right now is that I've allowed so much time to go by, I'm all out of practice, and there is SO much to catch up on, and so few photos to show for the last few months. Blogs aren't much fun without photos. I've been about 12 shades of burned out on taking photos of everyday life. But that's going to change my friends! Someday anyway. :)

I have been super busy working on spring photo shoots. Check out some of what has kept me away from this blog for awhile: . So many cute children and families, so little time. And now that it's spring, it's so fun to go out and shoot photos all afternoon. Just gotta get big Harv out there soon.


We've hit the 16 week mark. We'll find out 3 weeks from tomorrow if Harvey's getting a little sister or a brother. He doesn't want either. He wants a big sister to boss him, drag him around, sing silly songs. Bad news buddy. You're the big brother. He's always super jealous of little babies, but endlessly entertained by big kids, especially girls who want to mother him. Again, tough break.


Here are some fun updates in a list, because I'm lazy. And I'm currently creating lungs and unfused eyelids, so cut me some slack.

*Harvey's current favorite toys: his Buppy (bunny/puppy I guess) and his Buhbuck (his blanket). I love the names kids give things.

*He's super into dinosaurs, trains and airplanes. He's officially a boy. And I love "Dinosaur Train" on PBS. Perfect combo. I taught him to walk around the house and scream "All aboarddd!". Love him.

*He's a big time mimic-er these days. He'll repeat just about anything. So be careful. The latest---"yuv you". So sweet.

*He randomly knows some letters. We didn't teach him this. I'm thinking all those hours of Sesame Street when mama was feeling super sick/had a migraine are really paying off. We went to a bagel place before church on Sunday, and he was standing in the window where there was a decal. The word was "breakfast" and it was backwards to us on the inside. He pointed and said "E. K. Stars.". Uhhhhh, yup, that's an 'E' and a 'K' (and there were some stars on there as well. John and I will take the credit for shape recognition :)). How the heck did he know that?! I've since tested him and he clearly knows the e and the k. Thanks Elmo! Didn't know puppets could do my job for me. So glad I'm off the hook!


*We set up his basketball goal on our screened in patio, so he's constantly begging to go "ow-side". He ate dinner outside on Sunday night when it was in the upper 40s at best. He doesn't care. He loooooves to sit out there and stare. Then hurl himself out of his chair to go play ball. He's definitely a boy.

An Explanation

It's been almost a month. A whole month with no Harvey blog updates. My apologies.

But I have reasons. Excuses. Really good ones. But because I know you didn't come check the blog to just hear from me, here's Harvey with a special blog post.




I has a wittle secret to share wif you............





Oh man, is a good one!







Oh man, I'm so cited I almost can't control myself!!




Ok, deep breaf. Gets it togever.





I'm gonna be a big brudder.


Baby Clore number two is coming at the end of August. :)

See, I told you I had a good reason for being away.

The Force

We've all heard of it before. We've heard the horror stories of what The Force can do. How silly it can make moms and dads look. How stupid and irrational it can make us feel. And, we've heard the unfortunate stories of when The Force is no longer with you.

Yesterday I experienced the power of The Force myself, and I hope it never happens again.

It started sometime Monday. Harvey was acting funny, whiney, low-grade fever. Then he didn't eat dinner and was in bed by 7:00. That's an hour early for our wild man. Something was brewing for sure. Not being one to jump the gun during cold and flu season, we waited.

Tuesday, same deal. Runny nose, not eating, low-grade to sometimes real fever (101), extra clingy, just overall not really himself. There were a few glimmers of hope right after a good dose of Tylenol or Motrin, but overall he seemed sick. Tuesday night---no dinner and bed by 7 again. And, he let me rock him to sleep. Extra weird.

Oh, and I failed to mention John was up in the middle of the night with him on Monday and Tuesday nights. He was sweaty and his bedding was soaked. So let's add night sweats to the list. Check!

Wednesday morning he's moaning, his right eye is pink, he's running right around 101 (100.2 in one ear, 101.1 in the other. Why do those thermometers do that?!), he's all congested and coughing. So John and I decide it's time to go to the doctor. After three days we no longer feel like we're being "those parents" who run to the doctor all the time. He doesn't eat breakfast, he cried after he coughed, and he was just pitiful. I make an appointment for 3:00 (right in the middle of nap time, no less), feed him an early lunch (which he didn't eat) and put him to bed early.


I packed up some uneaten items from his lunch, grabbed some toys and loaded the car. When I went to get Harvey up from nap, he's soaked with sweat. With each symptom, I'm feeling more and more affirmed in our decision to go on to the doctor. He's a zombie in the back seat throughout our entire 30 minute ride.

Enter: The Force.

We get out of the car and walk into the doctor's office, and I'm confused as to where my child has gone. The child I had been with for the last three days was pale, clingy, pink eye-ish, sad, and overall lethargic. The child that I was now following all around the waiting room was energetic, giggling, laughing, dancing, playing with toys----giddy. What in the world?

He played out there for a good 15-20 minutes (busy day full of pretend sick children I suppose)before we go back into the exam room. In the exam room, Harvey keeps asking to "eat eat eat!". So I pulled out what I had from his lunch and he ate it. All of it. And kept asking for more. They take his temperature----obviously, 98.6. The doctor comes in and Harvey yells "Hi!", with a big grin. Yup, pretty darn sick. I told his doctor about his miraculous recovery in the waiting room, and he told me it was The Force. The one we've all heard about, that makes sick children suddenly better right before they see a doctor. I was still kinda hoping we would find something to justify our visit and copay (note: I obviously would never want there to be something wrong with my child. My pride was just taking a serious hit).

Ears: perfect. Throat: totally good. Chest: sounds great! Pink-ish red eye: looking clear. He was in, out and done in 2 minutes or less. Off to check on someone who actually brought in a sick child or something. He was nice enough to acknowledge that it's a catch 22. You bring your child in: he's totally fine. You don't bring him in: he suffers through an ear infection for several days before you finally take him in. After his ear drum ruptures. It's true, that's really how it works.


We went to see John at work, I ran a couple of errands with him, and then we met up with John and had a family dinner date. And Harvey.was.amazing. So well behaved, he drank out of a big boy kids cup and didn't act like a monkey in the zoo. Amazing.

Today: back at it again. Fever was 101.4 in one ear and 102 in the other (again, driving me crazy), runny eyes and nose. But he ate 5 Bagel Bites like a champ at lunch. At least his appetite for carbs and cheese is on the up and up.

So we carry on. It's probably just a weirdo virus that will work itself out in a few days. I'm thinking we just need to go play in the pediatrician's office more often. Miracles happen there.

Snow and Stories

I never thought I would be a once-a-week blogger, but here I am. And, what's worse, I don't have many recent photos of Harvey to post on here. What's the world coming to?! Don't worry, I did find some from the first snow back in December that I'm just now getting around to posting.



Pretty excited little guy. He hadn't really been out in the snow before, so this was a pretty big deal.





He looks so small in this photo. I love it.







He was running everywhere screaming "It nowed! It nowed!!". And, apparently snow makes everything one even, flat plane. Curbs, hills and ditches no longer existed to him. Needless to say, I was working over time trying to keep up with him and keep him alive. And take zillion photos without hurting my other baby, my camera.








Sometimes you just need a little help getting back home.




On an unrelated note, Harvey is obsessed with animals. Especially the ones that run away from him. The more frantic they are to get away, the better. He thinks its a big game, and I know cats and dogs will always be faster than a (clumsy) toddler, so I just let it go. So the other day he was "playing" with Mary Helen and Sam's cat. The cat jumped off the bed and started running, and Harvey was hot on her trail. As he was running he was saying "Meeeooow---sharry (sorry)! Tat! Meoooow sharry!" Love him!


And, I'm fairly certain he ate a bookmark the other day. He's a paper eater, I left him alone for about 5 minutes with a bookmark, and when I came back---gone. Paper in his teeth.

Maybe that's why he pooped in the bathtub tonight...........

A List

Yup, I'm guilty. I have been a serious blog neglector. I'm quite certain I have a good excuse. Just need to come up with it.............


Here's a list of some funny stories I woulda, coulda, shoulda posted over the last week and a half.


*You know you're a parent when: you find a whisk (among other things) stuffed in between your couch cushions. Harvey LOVES to hide random items behind the couch cushions. Like a squirrel. I'm sure that will come in handy one day. Maybe.


*When Havey gets in trouble he likes to change the subject by gasping and pointing while exclaiming "Us dat?!!" (what's that). Typically he's pointing to the wall or the ceiling. So hard to keep a straight face and stay mad at him. Smart guy.


*He's also learning how to stall at bed time. "Mo' book. Mo' book!". He will sit and read for 30 minutes some nights. I would much rather hear him beg for "Mo book" then "Shoooooow!".


*He loves a good haircut. We took him to get his haircut last month and we kept joking that he totally could have just driven himself over there and done it all by himself. When they called his name he walked on back to the chair, she put him up there and he sat still while she cut his hair. No big deal. No wiggling, no crying, simply enjoying a good haircut. And when she took the cape off we saw he had his hands folded in his lap the whole time. Such a good boy.


*He now uses a pillow at night. One night it just dawned on John and I that perhaps he would like a pillow to sleep with, like the rest of the human race. He used to flip flop all over his bed, and now he sleeps with his head on the pillow. Like a big boy.


*He thinks your a rockstar if you can sing along with anything on TV. The Wiggles, Elmo, Choo Choo Soul. I desperately want to be a rockstar even if it is just for a toddler. He will clap and cheer after anything.I like that kid. Makes me feel like I have some real talent.

I just came across this photo of him playing in the snow for the first time this year. I have so many photos to edit and get on here. This one makes me laugh. He looks like a little toy soldier marching through the snow. Love him.

20 Months

Yup, sounds crazy to me too. Harvey turned 20 months old yesterday. We're on the downward slope toward his second birthday. I guess he's not going to listen to me----I keep forbidding him to grow up, but he just keeps going.


He is becoming more and more cuddly the older he gets. That's a little different for a crazy toddler boy. Recently I have had to tell him more than once a day to get up and go play----stop sitting on mommy's lap (although secretly on the inside I'm doing a little dance because I love thats he's a bit of a mama's boy). Last night he sat on the couch between John and I and watched TV. Not little kid shows, sitcoms. He just wants to be around us and be a part of things. And to cuddle. And not just cuddle with John and I. This boy is a lovie lover. Any kind of lovie, blankie, stuffed animal, anything with a tag on it--he loves it.

In honor of Harvey being a big twenty month old, I wanted to pay tribute to two of Harvey's dearest friends----Dog Dog and his football blanket.


Dog Dog has been around since his first birthday. My mom took him to Build A Bear before his birthday party and let him "pick out" whatever he wanted. It was love at first sight.





Then after his obsession with tags began, he got a Taggie Football blanket. And the three of them have been inseparable ever since.











Occasionally he will throw in another stuffed animal, another blanket or two into the mix (every time we leave the house Harvey has Dog Dog and his football, and 2-3 other items stuffed in his arms. When we try to make him walk to the car he stands in the doorway crying because he can't see over all of his "friends" in his arms). But no matter what toys come and go, these two are his forever (until he discovers girls) friends.



Even when Dog Dog says something shocking and crazy, we still love him so.




When Harvey fell down yesterday (right before these photos), I went and scooped him up and the first thing he asked for was "Dawg Dawg". So sweet.








Thank you Dog Dog for being such a good friend. I knew when I saw your flat little body in Build A Bear you were special. A dog living among bears. Truly remarkable. And Taggie---thanks for having so many tags. You've saved us from having to carry multiple blankets around to get the same effect. You guys are awesome.

Christmas Part Two

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then prepare yourself for a gazillion words in this post. Here are some photos from Christmas Eve. Maybe next year John and I will actually make the cut and be able to be in a few of these. Just maybe.


Oh, but first here are a few photos from a few days before Christmas when Harvey was "helping" me make some Christmas cookies.





I gave him a small pile of chocolate chips to eat so I could finish up without all of his "help". What a big helper!




He pulled this out of the drawer. Not sure what he thought he was going to do with it exactly. (Don't worry, he was totally being supervised. And those butter knives are totally smooth. Disaster averted).




Ok, now back to Christmas Eve.


Yup, that's my boy. Two things he loves in life: a good chair/bench/tray/shelf in Wal Mart/box to sit on, and a fun hat---or two. He's got all the bases covered here.



And he pulls his whole look together with a blank, far away stare. It's a nice touch really.




Cookies anyone?




Yes please.



When Harv wasn't chilling in his rocker waiting for Santa, he was busy practicing going up, and down, and up, and down the stairs into the family room. Home boy loves a good set of stairs.









I suppose his tongue is what helps him keep his balance. That's why it's out in almost everyone of these photos.




Beep! Beep! Beep! Backin' it up folks!!






Note:we have now added a hat to the stair climbing. This is quickly becoming the best night of his whole life.


And back into the rocker.



And let's now add another hat. I'm telling you, this kid is a real party animal!



Then we ended the night with a litte "Frosty the Snowman" with the cousins. Doesn't get much better than that.





Up next.....Christmas Part III...........or, It's Actually Finally Christmas. You decide.


Zat you, Sainta Claus?????

I'm Baaaaack!

With a bagillion stories and photos to share (yup, I can count that high). Since I'm so very far behind and I have tons of photos to edit AND lots of real life to live outside of the interwebs, I'm not really going to edit my photos to put on here. I think it's just best to get it done. So without further ado, here's a bunch of stuff. Excellent description. Someone should pay me to write concise descriptions-----with lots of typos so I can stop hitting the darn backspace button.


Let's start with our first round of Christmas. Since we traveled for Christmas, Santa so kindly came to visit Harvey a whole week early. So very accommodating! So Saturday the 18th we woke to this:


This is the sweet little face of a guy that has no idea what's going on---he's just happy to be awake! And he's oh so happy to see his mother------or the camera. It's hard to say.



This is what was waiting for him from Santa:

Stop the world! Something that's actually appropriate to climb on in the house!



And then there were some other "lame" gifts (his big boy bedding for instance). He'll be pretty excited about that someday. If we ever let him out of his crib.




And he finally understands why momerazzi was following him all over the house. He's finally seeing his precious.




And this is pretty much how the rest of the day went:







Heh heh heh. Bet you guys are pret-ty jealous of me right now, huh mom and dad? Heh, maybe next yeawr. Maybe.



We had a relaxing day at home followed by a fun holiday dinner. Then we went out to a local toy store and then to look at some lights and chat with Santa. I guess it was to say thanks for everything he already brought. Thank goodness he's still too young to understand what really happened. Why did Santa keep asking me what I wanted? Why couldn't Santa remember he was just at my house today?! Oh the questions we would have had to answer if he was any older.


There is a subdivision here that goes crazy with Christmas lights. Tons of people come out to check them out, coming in limos and buses, and then you can get out and walk around if you want. And naturally Harvey needed a much closer look.


This is just one house. It was Harvey's dream come true.


Love this photo. The holidays are so magical with a child.


The plan was to go somewhere else to see Santa, but fortunately he was all set up at the end of the culdesac. Tricky Santa!

This was the best shot I could get without my flash. Still, sweet little memories. And a new Christmas tradition is born.

I meant for this to be one huge catch up post, but it looks like it's just Christmas Post Part 1. Oooh, catchy title.