Rodeo - FIve Months

This was Harlowe's first rodeo and I thought it would be a great idea to take her so she could see all the different animals. Of course it would be an educational experience to get out and see new things. Although, she didn't seem interested and as you can see in some of the pictures Dustin wasn't really interested either. All in all we had a good time, I know I had a great time because I tried a fried cheesecake with a chocolate drizzle and it was delicious. Of course, I really went for the food, not really food but all the goodies.

Harlowe got to see some unusual animals, which I mostly felt sorry for because you can see the poor caged kangaroo and the poor little goats had their horns sawed off. I am such a sucker for the animals. Dustin actually felt sorry for the animals too. I was disappointed we couldn't go on any rides, not even the carousel but hopefully next year she will be tall enough to join in on the festivities. I have never been in the children's area before and they have a lot of activities to participate in. It was so cute they had little kids ride the sheep and I think they even had roping. Dustin looked at me and he knew what I was thinking, the poor sheep, I couldn't stand it. He always makes fun of me but what can I say, I am a softy when it comes to animals. Although, I do eat the heck out of some fish so what does that tell you? Dustin thinks I am completely crazy.

We also went to see the Ag part, where the high school's present their animals for sale. The cows were so beautiful, I have never seen such good looking cows before. Even the pigs were sparkling and clean, the baby pigs were so cute. They also had different vendors selling good old country stuff, but they had great boots. They were really expensive but gorgeous, Dustin really wanted a pair but he has the most expensive taste so the eel skin boots were out, ha. I really can't remember which ones he wanted but it was some type of exotic skin.

Six Months

Once again I am so far behind on the blogging, I thought I could catch up by combining the fourth and fifth month but no such luck. I have pictures from the rodeo and zoo I still haven't posted. Anyway, I accidentally posted the pictures backwards again, we feed Harlowe her first meal of bananas, took a bath and then put her to bed.


I did not have any rhyme or reason on how I started Harlowe on baby food, Dustin was itching to feed her, so of course bananas were all we had on hand that day. And yes, poor Dustin couldn't wait until her six month b-day, so we started her on food a week early, ouch (ha!). She loves bananas, I think they are her fave but as you can see her tongue reflex kept on shooting the food back out.


It took her awhile to warm up to eating food, probably two weeks where she would just arch her back and cry when she got into her Bumbo chair for meal time. What can I say, my precious baby loves the boob, ha. Let me tell you Dustin and I was a little worried about the eating thing because it seemed like a battle at meal time and I didn't want to force her. But who said patience is a virtue is absolutely right with this little girl, and boy does Dustin have to have great patience (she is still fussy in the evenings when I am at work, although I am digressing). After working with her every day, finally she sat in her Bumbo without fussing and chowed down, relief.


She is a great eater now that we are in the seventh month, can you believe it, our little girl is growing so fast. She has eaten a variety of foods and likes most foods we have given her, here is a run down:

1. bananas - loves

2. avocado - not at all unless it is mixed with something else

3. butternut squash - didn't love at first but likes now

4. oatmeal - likes when mixed with fruit but not so much by itself

5. apples - loves and now I add cinnamon which she really likes

6. sweet potato - likes, sometimes I add cinnamon and nutmeg which she likes, I think I add cinnamon to just about everything.

7. pears - loves

8. carrots - likes, I tried adding ginger but I don't think she liked it so much but will try again.

9. blueberries - not so much, they were a little tart that day. When I say not so much, she eats it but I think she likes other fruit better.

10. peas - loves


11. mango's - likes


12. green beans - loves


13. peaches - likes even when they are a little tart


14. salmon - hated it the first time but tried again the second time and now likes


I have been doing pretty good on making homemade, organic baby food. I am obsessed about organic now for our baby and most times I will choose the organic for Dustin and I over the regular produce. Although I am not as diligent when it comes to Dustin and I, anyway I read an article about organic food for babies and I thought I was doing so well but since I don't eat all organic myself, my breast milk is falling short. Hey what will you do, I am trying so doesn't that count, ha.


I have been roasting and steaming most of her baby food and it is pretty easy. I have even experimented with some spices. Everyone knows how obsessed I am with the Food Network and I just happened to find these great little meals, organic of course, by Tyler Florence (he is one of the chef's on the Food Network). You can buy them at HEB, I guess they are a little pricey but well worth it, she seems to really like the baby food.

Sorry about the whole organic obsession, proof reading the blog, I am kinda getting sick of myself. Bear with my craziness, we love you Harlowe and you are such a joy to be around. We love you to pieces, you are our little angel.

Four Months and Five Months

These pictures were taken at our neighborhood park













I haven't blogged in awhile, it has been a hard couple of weeks for my family and I, my father passed away at the end of March. I don't think I am up to blogging about what I am going thru right now but I know there will come a time where I can let it all out. I really miss you dad!


I am going to blog about Harlowe's fourth and fifth month since I am so far behind, knowing me, I will forget. Before pregnancy my mind was like a steel trap, I could remember anything and everything but now Dustin is better at remembering things, and that is sad since he has ADHD (just kidding).


Harlowe is full of smiles and she is finding her voice, her cooing has become louder and louder over the months. She has the sweetest voice and the most precious smiles that just melt my heart. She loves our dog, Harley, she will just follow him around the room and just smile and smile at him. I was worried how Harley would be around her, because he was always the number one baby for nine years, but he has been really good with her. He will just lick her little hands and mouth, which is gross but hey they say dogs mouth's are really clean. She has found her pincher grasp because lately she has been pinching the heck out of me. The bad part is she pinches me while I am breastfeeding her and it is not pleasant. She has finally rolled over from her back to her belly but not from her belly to back yet.

We just bought her a stand up bouncy thing, the name of it has slipped my mind, but I think she gets overwhelmed in it and can only last a few minutes in it. She stands up on her little legs very well and we are working on the walking thing. She doesn't really like tummy time so I am not sure about the crawling thing because when she is tired of being on her tummy she starts sucking her thumb. She will raise herself up on her arms for about a minute and then wants to take a break. She loves her little thumb, it really comforts her, I guess we will have to start saving up for braces, ha.

We are waiting on feeding her solids until six months and surprisingly our pediatrician agrees. I know some doctors say its okay to start at four months, but the crazy mom that I am has to be up to date on all the latest research. So needless to say she is almost seven months and we have started her on solids but that is another story for the next blog.

Oh, at her four month visit she was 25 inches in height (75% on the growth chart), 13 pounds 8 ounces (50%), and head circumference was 41cm (50%). Her little shots are getting worse and worse as she gets older but she is easily consoled so that is a good thing. Poor Dustin stood in the corner again and had nothing to do with the shot thing. He is a pretty strong person but at the six months visit he said he really felt for her and got a little emotional. My poor babies, I love them so.

More Three Months Photo's

Fake tummy time after bath time. She does pretty good with tummy time, she kicks her legs but wants to suck her thumb, so who knows when she will get to crawling.


A video Dustin made of her talking up a storm, just click on the arrow.



I have been back to work for about two and a half months now and Dustin says she knows when I leave to go to work. She cries right when I hit the door, I thought things would get better by now but still the same. I feel really bad for Dustin and my poor Harlowe but Dustin has been a trooper and he is so good with her, I don't know what I would do without him. I thought she would get used to me going to work by now but no such luck. Hopefully she will grow out of this, but we will see.

Today was a fun filled day at the mall to get my haircut and Dustin and Harlowe went with me. We had a great lunch at the Cheesecake Factory, but it is an adventure eating out with Harlowe. I always hold her in my lap when I eat because it seems like she wants to be involved in the action. She will not stay in her car seat or the stroller while we are eating, but I cannot blame her. Anyways, she became fussy and we were out of milk in the bottle so I had to try to maneuver the hooter hider, breastfeed her and eat at the same time. It is a challenge because lately she wants to kick her legs and move her arms all about, exposing all my goods to everyone in the restaurant. It was so funny, poor Dustin had to cut my food for me while I draped a napkin over Harlowe's head. Let me tell you if the napkin wasn't there, Harlowe would have had a head full of food. I remember the days when life was so simple, although I would not change a thing, I am loving these days. Each day is a new adventure and I always learn something new about Harlowe. Dustin is so cute, he always looks at Harlowe and then looks at me and says, she is so beautiful and I love her so much.

Three Months Continued

Dustin and his grandfather


Dustin looked at this picture with a microscope and said, I had salad in my teeth and glasses marks on my face, so sorry I am a mess
Really cute pic of Harlowe and her great grandfather, Roy


Dustin's mom didn't want to do picture time but we got her anyway


I don't know what happened to my previous post but my long winded thoughts about three months were vanished, so here it goes again. You are a sweet angel, and you have discovered your hands and you love just staring at them. You are a big drool monster and we go through bibs like no tomorrow. You are such a joy in the mornings and you flash the biggest smiles and coo the sweetest sounds. You are starting to grasp things and the rolling over thing, we are working on. The previous pics were the first time in the Bumbo chair and you can only sit in it for a short time and then you get annoyed. You are getting so independent, ha, you can actually sit by yourself for a couple of minutes while we eat dinner.

I think you are going to be a daddy's girl once the booby thing is over. Dustin can elicit the biggest smiles and the sweetest cooing from you. He is already preparing you for roller coasters because he loves playing superman with you and you love it too. I get so sick on roller coasters so that will be a daddy, daughter thing. Dustin loves you so much and will never admit to this but one day he said you will have him wrapped around your finger, yet when those words left his lips, he took them back in the same breath.

I am behind on the blogging so I have been at work for two months now, but it was so hard to leave you. I cried for two weeks before going to work, I knew you were in good hands but I just didn't want to be away from you. Hopefully I won't smother you when you get older, I will have to learn to let go. Dustin was so sweet to me, he would just give me a big hug and told me everything was going to be okay. He would even come up to the hospital and just let me peek at you sleeping in your car seat.

We are still working on the bottle thing, there are times she is okay with it and there are other times she is not having it. Usually those times are when I have to go to work and poor Dustin is left with an inconsolable baby. My mother and Dustin's mother said she misses me, and that feels really good to be missed but I feel really bad for Dustin. I have now seen it first hand, the crying spells, and they are not pretty. Dustin and I had some disagreements about the crying thing and I am sorry I was so hard on you. He would try to console her but nothing worked, I don't know if she just wanted me or the boob? Probably the boob, ha. It was so funny, a month into working, I thought she was getting better and not having the crying spells, but he would just not tell me about them. It has taken a couple of months but some nights are good and some nights are bad, according to Dustin. But tonight we had a break through and I am at work and he is at home and she did well, yeah!!

I know in the past I loved work and I still like it but I think I like being a mom better. I wish I could stay at home and be the Leave it to Beaver mom, baking the cookies and making home cooked meals. Although, I am blessed and only have to work three nights a week so I cannot really complain. I am grateful that Dustin and I can work around our schedules and not put Harlowe in day care, God is great, what can I say!

Three Months