JUST for Nana

Okay, so THIS is apparently the picture that Nana wanted to see...
I think she belongs on Little House on the Prairie myself. One day three month clothes will fit her better, right???

For Nana

Santa comes and does WHAT????

We definitely hold her tight!

Every little girl needs ruffle-rump tights.  Piper has had some, but hasn't been able fit into them just yet.  We tried this morning with her new dress for church-- and they worked!  Sure, the waist goes up to her armpits, and they're still a little baggy, but they worked!

(Luke said that this looks like the back side of the Marilyn Monroe photo... 

We'll pretend we didn't hear that...)

New dress and new tights???  She's not spoiled.  Really.

Piper is oh so ap-"peal"-ing

I love letting Piper help out in the kitchen.  If she's awake, and I'm cooking, she's helping.  Sometimes it's just playing with measuring spoons and cups or spatulas and whisks, but she always seems to like being a part of it all.  Her bumbo chair and the tray make it a lot easier (and yes, I admit to putting my child on a "raised surface", exactly like the warnings tell you NOT to do...), and puts her toys (I mean tools, of course, because she's cooking, too) at her level so they're easy to play with. 

We were in charge of the turkey for my side's Thanksgiving this past weekend.  Since "raw turkey" and "infant" shouldn't be said in the same sentence, she didn't get to help with that.  But, for Luke's side on Thursday, we were in charge of twice baked potatoes.  This she could help with.

First, she got to read the recipe book.  She studied it very hard.

 

Next, we had to carry the potatoes up from down stairs.  She had heard of "being carried like a sack of potatoes", but she was not amused...

 

 

Then she got to help wash and dry the potatoes.  She wasn't entirely sure about sharing her seat with a potato.  She was, however, intrigued by its funny texture.

She worked so hard making her potatoes. 

So what did she do when it was time to eat her creations???

Sometimes it's so hard to be a Piper.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Oh my goodness, do we have lots to be thankful this year.  I can't believe that a year has gone by since we found out that we were pregnant.  Last Thanksgiving, we told Luke's family.  It seems like forever ago.  And little did we know what the next year was going to have in store for us.

Sure, we're thankful for the things we're always thankful for-- our house, the ability to put food on our table, for jobs and security and our health.  In my old line of work, I was always stared in the face with how much we can take these things for granted.  After working with some of our society's most needy, I never will again.  I'm thankful for that, too.

Then there's the things that we never forget we are thankful for-- our family and our friends.  I'm not sure that we would have been able to get through the last year without all of your support and love and encouragement.  For our parents especially-- words cannot express.  'nuff said.


This year, we have something new to be thankful.  Something so big.  And so little.  Our little Piper-- we couldn't be happier.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving, Round 2

Piper had a very busy day today.  First, we stopped by to see my aunts, uncles, and cousins that were in from out of town.  She had to show off her standing skills, humongous smiles, and, most of all, extreme cuteness. 

Then we traveled out to Luke's parents house, where she met Luke's grandparents and aunts and uncles, too.  She enjoyed talking to everyone and having some very one-sided conversations.

Uncle Jake, the family drummer, gave Piper her first drum lesson.  I'm not sure I approve.

The most fun part about Thanksgiving dinner, though, is getting to play with her food.  Since she slept through dinner, she got to partake in dessert (there is NO denying she's my child, apparently).  Oh my goodness did she love her whipped cream!

Delicious!

 

 Mmmm...  Delightful!

I will use a spoon, Mom, if you make me, but I won't be happy about it!

 

Fingers are so much better!

 

Yummy!

I think Piper's really starting to get the hang of this holiday stuff.  And she's excited to wear her Santa Claus clothes starting tomorrow.  She is completely exhausted tonight...  I'm hoping she sleeps really well, because I'm exhausted, too.  Happy Thanksgiving!

When I grow up, I wanna be...

A fashion designer!  ...or a crafter!  ...or a quilter! 

Piper's Nana has lots of sewing machines.

Lots.

See, when Nana found out that she was going to have a granddaughter, she knew that she needed to have a granddaughter-sized sewing machine to add to her collection.  And just one wouldn't do- no, she needed one that matched, of course, so that they could sew together. 

Piper had her first sewing lesson this week.  No needles, not yet (I hope?  I assume, lol).    I think sitting independently may be a prerequisite for working on the sewing machine.  Nana, apparently, knew better (where there's a will, there's a way, right???). 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You can see the excitement in Piper's eyes.  She thought it was SO pretty!  I don't think she can wait until she's big enough to see what it actually does!  She has so many things to look forward to!

Heck-- why wait until she grows up?  I think she could model for the featherweight industry...  Too bad they've been out of production for decades...  I don't think they could find a cuter spokeswoman!

We'll file this under "therapeutic exercises"

Mom and I took Piper to the mall the other day.  I kind of figure that we may not get out a whole lot until after the holidays; not only do I not want to deal with all the people this year (I'm so not in the mood), but I'm starting to get nervous about taking Piper out with all the germs. 

Piper had a BLAST.  She was so interested in everything.  There was a kitchen renovation kiosk-- Piper sat in the sink (and decided that if we were good parents, we would put in a sink that sits above the counter, because it's just her size).  There were fuzzy things, and furry things, and silky things-- Piper told us (quite loudly, actually) how she really felt about each of them.  There were lights on the ceilings to look at, Christmas trees to touch, and poinsettia plants to sit with. 

The best part of the whole day, though, was this.  It's this silly laughing, rolling dog.  The game store had it out by their front door on a pedestal.  And lucky for us, that pedestal was just big enough for Piper to sit in.  She wasn't too sure of it at first, but started screaming with laughter after a minute, which she's never done before.  The act is so new that she's still not too sure of herself and looks like she's about to start crying in the pictures, but I assure you, no baby was hurt or mistreated (although I will admit to her being laughed at... ahem...  I mean with) during the photo shoot. 

 

I keep trying to convince Luke that shopping trips can be educational.  And now we'll add "therapeutic".  I'm doing it to expand Piper's horizons.  To let her explore her world.  Allowing her to experience things she wouldn't otherwise be able to do from our home.  And those are all good things, right??? 

Poor Luke.

Doggone Cute!

Betchya didn't know that Piper has her very own ponies.  Two, in fact.  One black, the other blond.  They may not be as big as other ponies, and are probably cheaper to keep.  After all, all princesses need a pony, right???

The rest of us know her ponies as the D-O-G's.  That's right-- we voluntarily (and purposefully) encourage the delusion that she has ponies, just for the shear pleasure of seeing how long we can convince her that she already has a pony, and therefore doesn't need one when she asks.  We'll see. 

Piper has really started to enjoy the dogs.  She talks to them, pets them, lets them kiss her...  She even feeds them their cookies, which is pretty funny to watch.  Good thing that the dogs are so gentle!

In fact, she loves them so much that she's made "doggy" her next sign!  (For those who are keeping count, she's up to THREE! words!)  We sat on the couch today, and she did "mommy", "daddy", and "doggy" over and over and over again.

I'm not, however, convinced that I approve of all the wonderful actions the dogs are teaching our precious little girl.  Open mouth kisses? 

Oh. No.  

 

Thanksgiving, Round 1

Today, Piper celebrated round one of her first Thanksgiving!  And oh the happiness that was had!

First, we ate dinner.  Piper was the entertainment.

After everyone was done eating, Piper hung out with her Grandpa at the dinner table.  She was quite content until Nana came-- oh the silliness that ensued!  Giggles and laughs and smiles all around!

While we were stuffed from all the food, and waiting for that moment when you can't stand waiting for dessert any longer to coincide with actually having ample room to put it, Piper got some good ol' quality time with everyone.

What a busy day she had!  But, boy oh boy, was it fun!  Stay tuned for round two on Thursday!

Happy Birthday Month!

Happy Birthday to you!

Happy Birthday to you!

Happy Birthday to 

Aunt Rachel, Papa Guildner, Miss Brie, Uncle Justin, and Aunt Courtney

Happy  Birthday to you!!!

Princess Practice with Piper

P is for Pristinely Clean

No one likes a dirty princess!  That's why bath time is about one of Piper's favorite activities.  We hadn't tried her Bumbo in the bath yet, so we decided it was time.  The only problem we had was that the upward bouyancy of the Bumbo was greater than the downward force exerted by Piper's non-existent tushy. (I guess all mommies of princesses have to work hard to keep their little ones "grounded", right?)

 ...and for the record, I did not put the bubbles on her mouth.  She did that for herself, although I don't think she was amused.

A Sign of the Times

So guess what Piper did this weekend???  SHE SIGNED MOMMY!!!  We were sooo proud!  We've been working with her a little, and just showing her a few useful signs for a few months now.  And Sunday, she decided to do it for herself!  Wahoo!  She was still a little sad from her shots on Friday, and was being a grump for Luke.  He said that she did the sign, so he turned her around to see me.  Then she stopped crying!  Now she's doing it quite a bit, and is really close to doing daddy, too, but it's a little harder for her because she has to reach her forehead.  We're so proud!

AND, on top of that, she's started to transfer things from one hand to the other, which is one of those benchmark-type skills her therapist talks about.  She even did it for Becky this morning during her therapy session-- I think she was really surprised! 

Since Piper is starting to act like such a big girl, she really needed big girl shoes.  Check these out!  They're big, and look huge, but they stay on!!!  Thank you KSwiss for making size 0 leather shoes!  And pink, to boot!  (no pun intended)...

...can't you just sense her enthusiasm???

She has such a bubbly personality!

I got to talk to Piper's surgeon today about her gallstones.  Dr. Kay talked to her GI doctor who said that the stones may still dissolve on their own.  SO, we have an appointment to have an ultrasound at Children's in December to have a peek.  I'm fairly convinced that they're still there, but I'm really hoping that they're not.  So, I guess we'll see. 

On another note, thanks to Great Aunt Kelly, Piper has discovered bubbles!  Oh how fun they were!

She thought they were soooo pretty!

...and sooo interesting.

When the popped, they were particularly captivating.

She was not, however, amused when they popped on her tongue. 

It's so fun getting to see Piper experience things for the first time!  

...even if it is tasting nasty things...

Princess Practice with Piper

P is for Properness

Piper takes being a princess very seriously.  And learns her lessons from only the best.  And with so few real princesses around these days, the barrel of choices is, well, slim. 

Queen Elizabeth told Piper that in order to be proper, a princess needs to have the proper head attire.  Unfortunately, they don't make fancy hats like hers for babies.  Nana made Piper this one, though, and I think it's pretty darn close, don't you???

Piper thinks that maybe her hat could have other uses, too...  High fashion?  Ballerina tutu hat??  Auditioning to be a Roman soldier???  The possibilities are endless... 
(picture thanks to Corbis)

Family Heirlooms

I've always loved my parent's house because it's full of all kinds of old family stuff.  Cool things, like pie safes and safe safes and tables and a butcher block, all things that have come from generations past, and all of which have some pretty great stories (like the table that used to stand next to the bullet hole in the floor at Great Grandma's house in Kansas, or the trunk that Great Grandpa Hill took with him when he was working on the Alaskan railroad).  I was so fortunate to get to know many of my great grandparents.  I hope that having some of their relics around will allow our kids to know them a little, too!

This bowl sits on the counter at Mom and Dad's-- it was Piper's Great-Great Grandma Hill's.  I always loved Great Grandma and Great Grandpa-- they lived in Cody, WY, just outside of Yellowstone.  We'd go up every summer to see them.  Some of my favorite memories are from up there!  Great Grandma was tiny, too-- whenever I'd get upset at being so much smaller than my classmates, I was reminded that I looked like her.  It always made me feel better, because I loved her so much!  Now Piper can be inducted into the smaller-than-most club, too!  I think Grandma would be proud!

 

 

We'll file this under "therapeutic exercises"

When it's snowy outside, and you're stuck inside, you've got to find somehow to entertain yourself.  Fortunately for me, I have a daughter.  Unfortunately for her, she has me for a mother...

And only because I committed to being completely truthful for this whole blogging thing, I feel like I need to admit something.  You see, I'm a big fan of Skittles.  Yes, Skittles.  It takes a lot for me to admit it, but I love them.  And I know it makes me sound like I'm in third grade, but I'm okay with that...  I won't admit, however, that our dogs know the word "Skittle" and are just as addicted as I am.

Piper was watching me eat some the other day and was enthralled with how pretty they were.  All shiny and bright, symmetrical and Piper-sized...  They're so pretty!  I thought she'd like to play with them (under direct supervision, I assure you-- no Skittles made it to her mouth, promise!). 

...I was wrong...

 

 

But if you look closely, she had a whole handful hidden.  When her dad finally came to her rescue and picked her up off the floor, I couldn't find all that I had put down.  I thought maybe they got stuck to her jammies or something.  I pried open her hand after a few minutes and found about 4.  I think she was waiting to eat them later... 

We won't call this bad parenting, just working on fine motor skills.

Back to the Doctor's

Piper had her 6-month checkup yesterday.  I'm glad it's over!  She was due for her shots (four at 6 months), plus she needs four flu shots, two of each one.  SO, she got half of her boosters and the first of both flu shots yesterday.  Yuck.  Poor little thing.  And she was so happy until then; it broke my heart to interrupt what can only be described as her joyousness with pokes.  She FINALLY made it to 8 1/2 pounds, which is good, because I think we would have gotten in "trouble" again if she hadn't quite gotten there.  She's 21 1/2 inches long (although I'm inclined to think that's a little short-- Piper kept picking up her knees, and it was a different nurse than we're used to).  And her little head is really the only thing that's on a typical growth chart, so there's no worries with that part.  She's been pretty grumpy, with random bouts of extreme happiness, which is just plain funny.  She definitely is starting to feel better today!

...her battle scars...  The nurse in the clinic, Marsha, always has to find pink bandaids for her.

And today, the happiness returns!