And she has a name!!!

Dave and I have agreed on a name for the newest Harbaugh! Her name will be....

Allison Kristine

I've already shortened it to Allie but I'm sure she'll be called both. I'm so glad we now have a name by which to call her!

What a big boy!

This past week it has really dawned on me that my boy is no longer a baby. He's so big now! Here are a few examples (with pictures, of course) of what I mean!

The week's project has been the construction of a "fort" for JD. Our neighbor across the street moved to NY a while ago and gave us the play set that was in his back yard. Dave disassembled it in the heat of the summer and it's been sitting in pieces in our back yard for a couple of months now. Now that the weather has finally gotten cooler in the evenings, Dave and JD have been very busy in the back yard putting it back together! Of course JD had to be right in the middle of things doing everything he saw his Daddy doing. The funniest and, of course I couldn't catch a picture of it, was the tape measure. As Dave measured stuff JD decided that he needed a tape measure too so Dave gave him one. He would pull out the tape and hold it up to the wood just like Dave... so cute! He also had to help Dave tighten the bolts, etc:
Along the same lines, it didn't take our little monkey long at all to learn how to climb up the slide. I can't believe how fast he goes up that thing! He also knows how to climb up the "rock wall" on the other side! Every evening we go out there and he goes up and down, up and down. Finally something for him to climb on so he can burn off some of that toddler energy!
Another big boy thing he's become quite good at is eating with a fork! How did my child grow up so fast? He still eats with his fingers a good bit but if he's getting bored with his meal I can give him his fork and he'll keep right on eating. It amazes me to watch him. He concentrates so hard and is so proud of himself when a bite makes it to his mouth!
Another example: He's no longer content to play with tupperware on the kitchen floor as I cook dinner.... well, he was rarely content to do that anyway... he would either be clinging to my leg or outside with Dave... but I digress. Now he has to help me with dinner! Here we are cutting potatoes for french fries. He stands on the chair like a big boy and puts the cut potatoes in the bowl that's in the sink! (note: excuse the lack of makeup and hair styling on my part... I did good to get a shower that day! Also, this was taken just the other day so that is my 26 week pregnant belly... it's already HUGE!)
Lastly, his big boy room is coming right along. It's painted (thanks to Dave and Sarah) and Dave has installed and painted the moldings. I need to get the carpet cleaned and then we can put the new crib together and move him in! I hope the transition goes smoothly..... Next project: painting the nursery!

Last Trip....

I was wanting to post this several days ago but we got hit with sickness this week. I think JD and I must have picked something up last Friday at the pediatrician's office when we went in for his 15 month visit... those are such germy places! Anyway, I've been down with congestion, sore throat and ears and a cough since Monday and am finally feeling better after getting some much needed rest at night (between my own congestion and JD waking almost every hour for a few nights I was beginning to think we would stay sick forever!)

Anywho... back to the point of this post. Dave and I took JD down to Pawleys for his last trip to the beach for the summer. We couldn't have picked a better day! Being after Labor Day I was expecting the beach to be fairly empty. But it had also rained that morning (we went around 3:00 in the afternoon) so the beach was literally deserted. Seriously. We were the only people there! It was so awesome to just let JD run and not have to chase after him to keep him from stealing other kids' toys or knocking down their sand castles. And run he did! He had a ball! I think this is the first time we've been to the beach that he cared more about running around than swimming. I love watching him have fun.....

15 Months!!

While we were up in PA, JD turned 15 months old (on September 12). We had his 15 month appointment with his pediatrician this morning. He got 2 shots and handled them pretty well. This time the shots were in his arm, not his leg. here are his current stats:

Height: 31" (47th percentile)
Weight: 23 pounds, 1 ounce (30th percentile)
Head Circumference: 19.7 inches (98th percentile)

So basically JD is of average height, kind of skinny and has a big ole' head! Last visit his head was 90th percentile but this time he was squirming so much that might not have been a very accurate measurement. I'll ask about it in December at his 18 month visit (or maybe when we go next month for flu shots).

PA Trip - Part 5: The Final Day

Sunday we got up bright and early and headed to the course so Dave could hit some range balls before taking on his family in his final round of golf at Woody's. Again, JD had a ball climbing into and out of the golf carts and running around on the greens. He made it through about half of the course before I had to take him home for a nap. While we were home napping we missed the family lunch and photos so I didn't really have a chance to say goodbye to everybody. To all of Dave's family - if you're reading this.... I'm sorry I missed you and it was great getting to see everybody again!

After the round of golf and lunch we decided we would drive home on Sunday night. So, Dave headed upstairs to get some sleep while I cleaned out the car and worked on getting packed. JD didn't make it easy on us. By Sunday he was completely worn out and I think experiencing a little bit of separation anxiety. We hit the road at 7:30 PM and arrived home at 5:30 AM Monday morning. Thank goodness I was able to transfer JD from his car seat to his crib because I don't think Dave and I could keep our eyes one more minute! Since we've returned home JD has done a lot of sleeping. Monday night, our first night home he slept almost 14 hours straight! He should be caught up on his rest and back to his normal self soon!

PA Trip - Part 4: Customer Appreciation Day and the Party

Saturday marked the beginning of why we made the trip to PA when we did. 52 years ago Dave's grandfather opened Woody's and it has been run by the family every since. This winter it is supposed to be closed and sold and a party was planned to celebrate it's 50+ years.

Saturday morning/afternoon was deemed Customer Appreciation Day. The whole family was in town and turned out to help with whatever needed to be done. Dave and his cousins spent most of the day pumping water off of the driving range as that is where the tent for the party was set up and it needed to not be a lake that evening while people were walking out to the tent! All of Dave's cousins and siblings were there and even all the children of Dave's cousins came out to play. All of the adults wore matching Wood's Golf Center shirts and even the kids had their own shirts, complete with their names! JD's was way too big for him and, after tucking it back in about 50 times, I decided to just let it hang! That's OK though because he will be able to wear it for quite a while!

Despite the rain, or should I say torrential downpour, the party Saturday night was big hit. Everything was beautiful, the food was delicious and the guy singing was fantastic! Everyone had a ton of fun and it was a very nice tribute to Woody's. I left earlier than everybody else. Mostly because I'm pregnant and chasing a 15 month old exhausts me... but also because JD was at home with his first every babysitter - Dave's grandmother, Rose, and her 14 year old granddaughter, Rosie!

JD did okay with his babysitters. I put him to bed before we left for the party because he was exhausted from the day's activities. I was told, though, that he did wake up when Rosie went upstairs to check on him and he cried for a while before he finally fell back asleep. The next day he was very clingy, not letting me out of his sight.

PA Trip - Part 3: Chip & Putt and Zoo!

Thursday was spent on the course at Woody's and at the local zoo!

After breakfast Nana, Dave, Deb, JD and I headed out to Woody's for a round of chip & putt. JD and I didn't play, of course, but we had a ball driving around in the golf cart. Actually, JD had fun the entire week climbing up and down, into and out of various golf carts. While out on the course we found Poppy again who was working with a front end loader. JD got to sit on that too!
After chip & putt it was time for lunch and JD's nap. After nap time we headed out for a quick trip to the Elmwood Park Zoo. JD loves animals and we've been working on animal sounds (he knows cow, cat, dog, sheep and duck) so I knew he'd enjoy the zoo. After seeing all of the animals we had fun on the playground too! It was a very busy and fun day!