Harper is 7 months old! The time is really flying by and I find myself wishing it (and we) would slow down. I feel like I am rushing all the time. I rush to get ready in the morning, I rush to get Harper to school and get to work, I rush to pick her up at the end of the day, I rush home. Last week I was rushing to get to my car because I was running late to pick up Harper. The tip of my heel had broken off that day and all of a sudden, the broken heel caught in my pant leg and I went down. Hard. I was on the phone at the time and the phone went flying out of my hand. Also flying from my hands: my purse (which was open and the contents all spilled out), a cooler containing the breast milk I had pumped at work that day, my keys, and my breast pump. All of this: pump, cooler, keys, phone, purse went soaring through the air while I tried my best to fall gracefully and carefully.
Thankfully, I have a background in theatre and one of the courses we took was called Voice and Movement. In this class we focused heavily on using our voice and bodies as instruments. More importantly, we learned how to fall. So as my hands became suddenly free, I used them to break my fall, tucked my left leg (scraping my knee in the process) and managed to prevent my face from smashing on the brick sidewalk. It was less than perfect orchestration of movement, but it worked.
Miraculously, a few scrapes and a major blow to my pride were the only injuries. Also par for the course with me, I had an audience. Some construction workers across the street started to run towards me and yelled to see if I was okay. I put up my hands in the universal sign of "I beg you, please leave me my pride by staying where you are," and proceeded to collect my things. Purse, check. Phone, check. Keys, check. Breast pump and breast milk, check check. I shook off the dizziness and got into my car, vowing that I was going to slow down from now on.
That was two weeks ago and since that time I have yet to sit down and take a deep breath. When I get home, however, the world just stops for me. With the exception of a few late work days, we really try to stop and enjoy Harper every evening. Last night, I worked a little late and Brad picked up Harper for us. I got home and we played the whole evening. She was so cute. She is up on all fours now, kinda reving up her engines. She pumps back and forth like she is about to take off in the Indy 500, but ends up scooting backwards! A few mornings ago we had her on a play blanket on the floor of our bedroom while we got ready for work. We turned around to find her scooted all the way under the bed! Just her cute face and chubby little hands poking out from under it. It was so funny.
She has also been babbling for a long time now. She babbles in complete sentences and I just know she is trying to say, "Mum, isn't this just the most lovely morning? I had the most wonderful dream last night about the book you read me before bed time. May I please wear my pink headband with the matching pink flower on it today? I think I look just smashing in it. Mom, you look fabulous in that suit, by the way, I know you'll knock em dead at the meeting this morning." And so on...
We took her to the pumpkin patch last weekend and I will post those photos over the weekend. We love having her in our lives and just can't imagine what life was like before she arrived. We must have been so bored!
