Welcome Harper Katherine!

We are now officially a family of 4! Harper Katherine Meador arrived on January 17 at 9:13 am, weighing 7 lbs 4oz and measuring 20" long. Harper wanted to come a little early, as I started contracting Monday night. She got her wish and forced her arrival a whole 3 hours early.

Harper getting her first bath

We sent Hayden to school on Tuesday b/c we wanted his day to be as normal as possible and also because I don't think he would have enjoyed waiting around at the hospital.

Grammy, Pop and Nan were all on hand to meet Harper right away.

I think Harper looks exactly like Hayden. Of course, everyone in my family thinks Harper looks like Clark. Everyone in Clark's family thinks Harper looks like me. Honestly, I don't know how you can tell when she's this little, but I stand by the fact that she looks just like Hayden.

I think Hayden wants a new sister every year, because the kid got TONS of toys. In all honesty, Hayden seemed happy, if not a little overwhelmed with meeting Harper. We truly appreciate everyone who thought about Hayden during this week and helped him feel special during this big transition in his little life. When Hayden met Harper, he pointed out how small she was ("Look at her little chin" "Look at her little fingers" ...this game went on for a while) and that Harper is "out" now.

"Harper, this my Kachow, alright?"

Finally warming up enough for a hug

Holding Harper on Day 2

We were discharged from the hospital on Thursday afternoon. It is so great to be home. Harper is a sweet baby. While it can be difficult dealing with a toddler and a newborn, having been through the newborn phase before helps alleviate some of the anxiety I experienced when Hayden was brand new. Sure, I still cry at a drop of a hat (stupid hormones) and I'm definitely not loving being completely sleep deprived, but I also know that this phase will end. I'll regain some form of sanity and Harper will eventually sleep for longer that 2 hour stretches. Right now, I'm just glad I have a healthy, sweet baby and a healthy sweet toddler.

Of course, all that being said, I had forgotten a lot about the newborn phase. How often they eat, how little they are actually awake, even the funny coo sounds they make. I also forgot how difficult the c-section recovery can be. However, I think I'm doing okay with that aspect too. I haven't been so great with the picture taking, but I promise to get better! More pics of Hayden and Harper to come!

Christmas and 2012 ...

So, I've been a pretty terrible blogger. I admit it. Things have been so busy around here and I have been a terrible picture taker. Hopefully the new year will bring more pics and more blogging.

This is the first year Hayden has "gotten" Christmas. We talked a lot about the "nice list" and the "naughty list." He definitely knew which one he didn't want to end up on. He also had a very specific list for Santa: an easel, a cowboy hat, Handy Manny tools, Yo Gabba Gabba jammies and Chuggington books. Of course, Grammy, Pop, Auntie Katy and Nan all went above and beyond and Hayden had a GREAT Christmas.

With each toy he opened Hayden yelled, "Oh no...Handy Manny tools!"

Maybe the camera flash is a little bright...

Thanks to Pop for pulling out the eBay stops to locate a pair of 3T jammies that H had to have.

Ready to go to Grammy's to see if Santa left his easel there (spoiler alert: He did). The other big gift Hayden received was a trampoline from Nan. He loves it, and demands to jump on it every day, regardless of the weather or the time of day.

On a developmental front, we are just amazed at how much Hayden talks and his level of comprehension. Hayden talks in (mostly) complete sentences. He carries on conversations with us and tells us if he's hurt, hungry, mad or sad. He loves to draw and "read" books. I will find him in his room, intently looking over a book and telling himself a story. He counts to 14 with consistency, but kind of derails after that ("13, 14, 17, 19 ... yay!"). His imagination is taking off. He plays pretend with toys. He'll push his fire truck around and yell, "Firemans, to the rescue!" We're still struggling with potty training (as in, Hayden has little to no interest in it). Any tips would be appreciated.

The most exciting part of 2012 will be the addition of Harper Katherine, scheduled to make her debut on January 17 (via scheduled c-section) at 12:30. We're SO excited to meet her. Hayden is too. He loves to point out that he is the big boy and Harper is the baby. He also says he wants to share his toys with her (so long as she isn't interested in anything that is red that belongs to him. He can't part with anything red). He told me last night that Harper will cry a lot, but that she would like a pink fire truck. The first two weeks of this month will be full of last minute preparations as we prepare to become a family of 4.

2011 was a pretty great year for us. We are one step closer to finishing residency (yay!), the Rangers were in the World Series (again), Baylor won 10 football games, RG3 won the Heisman trophy and our men's basketball team is ranked in the top 10, and the women's basketball team is ranked #1. We're so excited to see what 2012 brings us!