Christmas, Part 2 (sort of....)

So, Harrison's first Christmas did not turn out as we had hoped or expected. On Christmas Eve, we took the little guy to the doctor, who confirmed our suspicion that he had pink eye. On top of that, he had an ear infection, and later that day we discovered tooth #2! Given all of his obvious pain, he was such a trooper and still found time to flash us his beautiful smile. We managed to spend some time that evening at Gigi's to celebrate Tom's birthday and Christmas Eve, but turned in early as Harrison's cough worsened and he needed his sleep.

Christmas morning, Harrison and Amy awoke to high fevers and it was clear that the trip to Topeka was not in the cards for us this year. We were so sad to miss Christmas with Amy's family and with Owen! We were especially sad because last year we were snowed in on Christmas day, so this is year #2 of missing out on spending the holiday with her family. We will reschedule and hopefully celebrate together very soon!

While this Christmas may not have been quite what we had wished for, we feel so blessed and will always remember it as our first Christmas as a family. We spent a lot of time cuddled up together watching movies and snoozing, and Harrison was able to open his gifts. Most importantly, we were all together, which is what really matters!

P.S. Harrison and Amy are feeling much better today and hope to be back to our normal routine tomorrow!

Christmas, Part 1

This weekend, we celebrated Christmas in Wichita. For the first time in a long time, we were able to get together with all of Tom's cousins, aunts, and uncles on his Dad's side of the family. And of course, we were able to spend some great quality-time with Dodie and Pops. It was a very special weekend, especially since we had two new additions to the family this year. Harrison and John had a wonderful time and seemed to really love their first Christmas festivities.

As you can see, we have been very busy documenting Harrison's first Christmas! There are new pictures posted on flickr of Harrison admiring our Christmas tree (he loves it when we get home in the evening and turn on the lights for the first time!) and pictures from our weekend in Wichita

Part 2 includes Tom's birthday on Christmas Eve and Amy's family on Christmas Day. Stay tuned!

Broccoli!

Here’s a video from last week. Believe it or not he loves the broccoli! And if you don’t believe that, check out the squeal at 00:27. This video also demonstrates one of Harrison’s favorite pastimes – banging on the counter.

Thanksgiving Tooth

We were very thankful this year to have Harrison in our life. And Harrison is VERY thankful to cut his first tooth...on Thanksgiving Despite the one little bottom tooth, Harrison wasn't allowed to eat turkey but he did enjoy some delicious potatoes.

Baptism

Two weekends ago, Harrison and his cousin John were baptized at St. Lawrence Catholic Campus Center. Harrison seemed to genuinely enjoy the entire process. He sat through Mass like a little angel - very curious about everything going on around him. And he actually loved the baptism- he smiled continually at Father Steve. We were so proud of him and our godson, John.

Later that evening, family and friends gathered at our house for a meal and celebration. The boys were fantastic as usual and a good time was had by all. Some great pictures are posted on Flickr!

Bouncing!

Here is a video of Harrison bouncing around on Sunday. He loves to bounce around in this thing, and only takes breaks to watch the dog and look for his binky. (Note - that noise in the background is Mom making some homemade baby food for Mr. Harrison. On the menu tonight - squash!)

Buds

Harrison and John got to spend some quality time together yesterday. Aunt Brooke and Uncle Ryan came to Lawrence for the day, and Harrison was VERY happy to show cousin John some of his new tricks.

Sitting-Up

Although Harrison has been spitting-up for some time, he has recently started to sit-up! This isn't the greatest quality picture, but it definitely captures the moment. He seems to really enjoy himself, and we could not be more proud of the little man. And sitting-up is much more enjoyable for everyone than spitting-up.

Happy Halloween!

Today at daycare, all the kids are dressing-up for Halloween. As you can see, little Harrison is a jack-o'-lantern (aka, pumpkin :0). Not a scary jack-o'-lantern...a very happy and smiley jack-o'-lantern.

REAL FOOD! Sort of…

After 5 months of formula, Harrison had his first experience with rice cereal today. He has been sucking down 6 and 8 ounce bottles like it was his job for some time now, and it was really fun to watch him try to figure out how to eat something more substantive. Amy did a wonderful job of getting Harrison to suck the food off the spoon, and in a matter of minutes he was swallowing like a natural and even opening big and wide in anticipation.

It seems like every day he is doing something new. Whether it’s eating food, grabbing tufts of the dog’s hair, or trying to sit-up in the stroller to look around on our walks, it is all truly amazing and everyday feels like a blessing.

It’s been a really hectic month with family commitments and illness. We feel terrible that it’s taken us this long to post, but as you can see in the most recent Flickr postings, Harrison has had lots of happenings with his very special grandparents.

Wow, the last two weeks have been busy! Harrison is STILL growing and is getting really heavy! Major developments include: rolling over, grabbing, and making even more noises. He is starting to really enjoy hearing his own voice and spends a lot of time "singing."

Harrison's social calendar has been booked too. He had his first KU football tailgate over Labor Day weekend. He seemed to really enjoy hanging out with his fellow Jayhawks, including his cousin, John! Harrison also enjoyed a nice visit that weekend with his great-grandparents in Wichita.

Last weekend, our old friends Max and Julie were visiting from Chicago with their daughter Betsey. We got together with them and with Amy and Damien and their kids and a good time was had by all. Lots of action with 5 kids! Emerson was especially helpful with Harrison, always on hand to "re-bink" when necessary!

Next on the agenda: figuring out what to be for Halloween! While I think we all know the answer to that question, if Tom has any say, we are open to suggestions!

Lake Trip

We spent last weekend at our friends' house at the Lake of the Ozarks. It was Harrison's first trip to the lake and a welcome getaway for the whole family. Big thanks to Todd, Ali, Ryan, Jane, and Steve for your hospitality. We loved spending time with you all!

Pictures from the weekend are now on Flickr:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/51095697@N05/

Sleeping Through the Night

The month of August has been a very busy month for our family and we can hardly believe that it is almost September already! Amy went back to work and had to leave Harrison for the first time in order to go to Washington D.C. for meetings for a few days. Fortunately, Tom had things well under control on the home front and he and Harrison were able to do some serious male-bonding while Amy was away! Amy apparently had to leave in order for Harrison to decide it was time to sleep through the night!!!

We are so thrilled and amazed at how well he is adjusting to our new schedule and what a great sleeper he is. The little man really thrives on his routine, which we have worked on for weeks, so that he goes to bed at about the same time every night with the same bedtime routine. He has grown to love bath time, which we do before bed, and then we cuddle up for a nighttime story and lullaby before "lights out." He is now to the point where he begins to fade about halfway through Peter Rabbit and is regularly sleeping for 11 to 12 hours at night! He still has some nights when he wakes up for a bottle, but those are becoming fewer and farther between.

We still have not completely phased Harrison out of the swaddle, but most nights he wiggles his arms free at some point in the middle of the night. One of the cutest things he now does when this happens is to lock his hands underneath his head while he sleeps. It has become his "thing" and we just melt every time we see him in this position!

Sunday Dinner

Tonight, we had dinner in Kansas City with family. Harrison was a superstar as usual, and really enjoyed seeing his cousin, aunts and uncles, grandmother, and great-grandfather Bobby! Harrison and Johnny especially enjoyed catching up and got to be doted on by everyone. Harrison was thrilled to be loved on by Aunt Katie and Uncle Brian because it had been awhile! We made it back to Lawrence for Peter Rabbit and 8:30 bedtime, and can't wait to do it again soon!

We Want to Walk Now!

Harrison has recently taken to pushing forcefully on our legs and trying to scale up and over our shoulders when we are holding him. He gets really into it and actually seems extremely frustrated that this is not yet working out for him! He gets similarly frustrated these days during tummy time---mad that his body is not allowing him to do yet what he wants to do! We're starting to wonder if he will skip over crawling and go straight to running here in a few months!

Pictures from this week

Here is a link to some great new pictures of Harrison. His neck is getting really strong!http://www.flickr.com/photos/51095697@N05/sets/72157624490097606

ANOTHER Cousin!

On July 7, 2010, Harrison's cousin Owen Matthew was born! Harrison got to meet Owen for the first time last night and they are becoming fast friends. Amy's family is thrilled to welcome Owen into the world and that Kelly and Owen are home safe and sound!

Growing and Changing

People always talk about how fast babies grow and change, and we are certainly learning to appreciate that fact! Lately, it feels like we can almost watch Harrison grow before our very eyes. The most notable change has been his voice! He now utilizes a whole range of noises and we are having so much fun hearing and imitating these sounds. He is definitely "cooing," but he also has a slight giggle and sometimes even squeals. He especially enjoys it when Tom makes funny faces! He also likes to yell now, which is interesting. He is doing this now at times instead of crying, usually when he just wants to be held.

Harrison is really gaining strength, especially in his legs! He likes to push off of our laps when we hold him vertically and is able to hold his head up for more prolonged periods of time. But we are having the most fun watching Harrison start to take notice of the world around him. Whether it's his mobile (a big hit!) or just our goofy faces, he is so curious and wants to observe! He loves to look at ceiling fans and really enjoys his play mat that has various toys hanging down from above. We also have been reading books every night before bed. While he obviously does not understand the words, he seems to enjoy the pictures and just cuddling up with us before bed. He is very cuddly, by the way! He loves to nuzzle us and bury his head in our shoulder and chest.

Harrison is still eating and sleeping very well! He is going for longer periods of time at night in between feedings---last night he slept for 7 hours straight!!! We're still not on a very consistent nap routine during the day, but he definitely does not have his days and nights confused, which we feel great about!

Every day is an adventure with Harrison, and we can't wait to see what changes tomorrow will bring!

Cousins

Last night, the family packed up and headed to Kansas City to see Brooke, Ryan, Brian, Katie, and Harrison's new cousin - Johnny! It was really fun to see them together for the first time and was the first of many play dates. Something tells us that once crawling and walking are involved things may get a little crazy, and we can't wait!

Pants

In other big news, Harrison has taken to wearing pants. Three days and counting…he seems to like them even if they are a little big.

Welcome John!

Well, as of Sunday, Harrison has a cousin. Weighing in at 6 lbs 12 ounces, Johnny is a very cute little man. Tom’s sister Brooke and her Husband Ryan are very proud of their first child and can’t wait to watch him and Harrison grow up together!

Great Grandfather

Tom's family gathered from around the country last week to celebrate the life and passing of Tom's grandmother. Harrison's presence brought great comfort to Tom's grandfather, who held him for over an hour with no crying or fussing!

Baby Showers!

Last weekend, we attended two fabulous showers in Harrison's honor. On Saturday evening, our dear friends Amy and Damien hosted a couples shower for us and our friends. Amy, an incredible chef, whipped up some amazing finger food and cupcakes and we were able to introduce Harrison to many of our friends.

On Sunday morning, Katie and Annie hosted a brunch for all the ladies in our family. It was a joy to introduce Harrison to those in the family who had not yet had an opportunity to meet him.

We received some amazing gifts for Harrison at both showers! He will enjoy all of these toys and books for the months to come, and we are now set with everything we need for the nursery. The most touching gifts included some storybooks from Dodie (Tom's grandmother) that belonged to Tom's dad, Paul, when he was a child. She gave us two Beatrix Potter books and a book of Mother Goose tales. We will always treasure these!

Harrison was, of course, the star of the show at both events! Everyone commented on what a happy and beautiful baby he is. We put together a photo album of our time in Colorado, and our first week at home so that people could get a sense of our experience there. Everyone really seemed to enjoy seeing these and send their best wishes and love to Bri and Kevin.

Here is a link to pictures on Flickr:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/51095697@N05/sets/72157624152198797

Ready to role

Ready to role
Originally uploaded by Tom & Amy 2010

He loves riding in the car!

Tummy Time

Here are some pictures from this morning's tummy time excersises. He seems to really like moving his head from side to side. His neck is VERY strong!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/51095697@N05/sets/72157624150250653/

Sydney Loves Harrison

Sydney, our 10 year old Lab/Border Collie mix didn't quite know what to make of Harrison when they first met. He made funny noises and seemed to get quite a great deal of attention. But soon, she welcomed into our pack, and gave him a few kisses on the head.