Christmas: Part II

Adam and I hosted our first Christmas..ever..this year. We had the Nerlien family over for soups, breads, and goodies. Despite me not feeling the best, we all had a great time and no one else has gotten sick. It was convenient having it at our house this year, but it just wasn't the same. I like to go 'home' for the holidays- home for me is at Adam and I's parents' houses. Hopefully Adam will have next Christmas off. Enjoy the pictures!

Look at all the goodies!

Getting ready to open gifts

Cody pulling Harper around in her new sled

Rusty - Mr Fix-It ~ he put all of Harper's toys together :)

Harper got SPOILED!

Busy day! Grandma June rocker her to sleep

We have the Bachtle Christmas on January 2nd - I see more spoiling in the future!

Top Celebrity Baby Name!

I saw this story on yahoo today and thought I'd share.


It comes as no surprise to me that 'Harper' came in at #2! I have no regrets for naming my daughter 'Harper.' I am completely in love with the name!

PS - Happy Birthday to me!!!! Adam and I are going out on a date tonight - dinner and a movie. I have a friend from work coming over to watch Harper :)

Check back tomorrow for 'Christmas: Part II'

Ho Ho Ho

Here is Harper doing her best impression of Santa.

And saying 'Bump-a' ~ we call one of my grandpa's 'Bump'. Weird - I know! When I was younger I couldn't say Grandpa so instead I called him Bumpa - the name has stuck now for almost 27 years! Now Harper can say it too!

Christmas: Part I

I'll break up our Christmas blog into 3 separate posts - too many pictures! The first post is about our little family of 3 celebrating Christmas.

Well - for starters, I had the flu and was sick ALL day. I layed in bed or on the couch pretty much all day. I felt bad, but Harper does not understand Christmas at her age anyways. Since I was not feeling well, I didn't get around to making our traditional breakfast of french toast and sausage. Sorry Adam :( I just had to make it a day late.

Anyways - here is a picture of Harper in front of our Christmas tree - finally decorated. Surprisingly, Harper never did mess around with the ornaments, so we were able to keep the bottom half decorated this year!

On Christmas Eve, Harper was messing around with the presents and she accidentally poked through the wrapping paper of one of her gifts. There was NO keeping the paper on at the point- she wanted that toy! So she got to open one present before Christmas :)


This Christmas was so much more fun that last Christmas. And I know it's going to get more fun each and every year. Harper was speechless when we came downstairs and she saw that Santa had left a slide for her in front of the Christmas tree. Do you think she likes it?!


Harper loved her stocking too! She wasn't too sure what to think of it at first. She didn't know whether or not she should take everything out of the stocking. Her stocking contained a Dr. Seuss board book, fruit snacks, and two sippy cups. Can you see her smile???

"Are all of these for me?!?"

Daddy helping Harper open her gifts

Mommy helping Harper open gifts (yes, I look like death warmed over - I felt like crap!)

"Weeeeeeeeeeeeeee"

Check back tomorrow for a cute video AND the Nerlien Christmas!

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas Everyone!!!!!!!!

I promise I will blog soon!

I'm not feeling well today. Throwing up and the whole shebang.

Supposed to host Christmas tomorrow.

Come back on Monday to see pictures!

Our Week

We've had a busy week. I can't believe Christmas is in FOUR days! I finally got some presents wrapped and under the tree yesterday. It just doesn't feel like Christmas yet. I think a lot of it has to do with not actually going home for Christmas this year. It feels so weird not spending Christmas Eve/Day with our families. I guess this is part of growing up and having a family of your own.

However, we are hosting the Nerlien Christmas this year because of Adam's work schedule. The Nerlien/Wahl clan will be traveling to our house on Sunday. We are having a variety of soups, breads, and Christmas goodies. I can't wait! We will be celebrating with my family on January 2nd - the day before we leave for MEXICO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We also can't wait for that!

I started my training as a CNA at the hospital yesterday. Day 1 went fine - the patients were very nice. I also got to see how to set up a 'delivery table' - a baby was born while I was there- so exciting! I didn't go in the room - but was outside the room, listening. Creepy and weird - I know!

The renovation of our basement has FINALLY begun! The rest of the drywall is up, the taping and mudding has begun, and texturizing soon to follow! We've already bought the paint - it's a pretty light yellow. Hopefully we'll paint this weekend, and get the flooring installed next week! Yippe! Also, our carpet is getting cleaned on Wednesday and our new furniture is getting delivered on Thursday!

Sometimes I feel like there are not enough hours in the day. I still need to go get groceries, tan (horrible - I know, but I gotta try to get a little color before vacay), work out, AND take Harper to see Santa at the library. We'd also like to watch our new Netflix movie and cook supper. I have to work tomorrow at 7AM so I don't want to be up late. Sorry for the rambling - I just wish I had more time.

PS - Harper has been sleeping for 2 hrs and 53 min! I think it's time to wake her up! Check back later this week to see progress on the basement, our new furniture and pictures from Christmas!

I Passed!

I am so happy (and proud) to announce that I passed my first semester of nursing school! Not that I was entirely worried, but I knew that school was going to be somewhat of a challenge. To put it in perspective for you, we started the semester with 35 students and there were only 17 at the final. Out of the remaining 17, there are probably a few who did not pass the final. I'm sure each semester gets harder, so the class size will continue to decrease. I am determined to graduate in May 2012! I know it will take a lot of hard work, but I am up for the challenge.

It feels sooooo good to have a break from school! I am looking forward to spending my days with my baby girl again! Over break, I am going to (finally) start my training at the hospital as a CNA. Other that working and hanging out with Harper, we don't have much going on. Oh yeah, unless you count our TRIP TO MEXICO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (And Christmas, my birthday and NYE of course!)

I'll post more on these later. Have a great week everyone!

15 Months

Weight: 23.4 lbs ( +.6 from last month)

Diaper Size: 3

Clothing Size: 18 months - although they seem to be getting bigger on her. 12 months are snug and most 18 months are still a little too big

Teeth: Once again, I'm not positive on this because it's hard to tell. I think 15?? (7 on bottom and 8 on top)

Eating Habits: Eats anything and everything! She loves running to the pantry and pulling out a snack to eat - usually graham crackers. Harper's latest obsession is cottage cheese! No more formula - just 2 %! And she only gets a bottle IF she wakes up in the early morning hours.

Sleeping Habits: A morning and afternoon nap, each consisting of 1.5-2 hours. Bedtime is 8:00. Harper sometimes still wakes up b/w 5 and 6 for a bottle of milk. However, I think I'm going to end this soon. It's my goal over Christmas break. As of last week, if she woke up in the early morning, she SCREAMED her little head off if we took her out of her crib to change her diaper or give her a bottle, so we just gave her the bottle in her crib. I know, I know - that's terrible. I think maybe it's her way of telling us that she doesn't want that morning bottle, but yet she's still in the habit of waking up. I don't know???? The past 3 out of 4 nights she didn't wake up, so it's getting better. Last Saturday I got to sleep until 10:30 and today I got to sleep until 8:45!!!!! I am so thankful for my good sleeper!

Speech: Still lots and lots of gibberish! The name of our daycare is Kids Korner - Harper's version of it is 'Ka-Ka.' (which is also how she says cracker) She tries so hard to imitate our words - so I'm hoping she picks up more words soon. No new signs this month.

Favorite Toy: Still her baby Elmo and accessories.

Favorite Activity: HIDING! Harper loves playing Hide-and-Seek! She'll hide anywhere - in closets, behind furniture, behinds doors and curtains, etc. I'm pretty positive that she thinks we can't see her if she's not making eye contact with us. It is the funniest thing ever!

New Things:

• covers her eyes and plays peek a boo with us
• has time-outs (she sits at the bottom of our staircase until she is done crying - it works so far!)
• I bought her a new CD, called Sing-Along Favorites by Fisher-Price/Little People - she loves it! Anyways, her two favorite songs are 'If You're Happy and You Know It' and "Itsy Bitsy Spider.' She knows majority of the actions for both songs. I will have to get this on video to show you - it's so cute!
• Brushes her own teeth
• Takes baths in the big tub
• knows where her tongue is

It's not too late!

To order Christmas Cards, that is.

Another good deal -

SeeHere is offering 60 photo cards with overnight shipping for a total of only $4.99!

I haven't tried this so I'm not 100% sure if it's still valid. {I just got my photo cards in the mail today that my aunt created - they're amazing! Check your mailboxes early next week!}

Here's how to get snap this last minute deal:

Go to http://www.seehere.com/

Create a photo card - add 60 of them to your cart

At check out - select OVERNIGHT SHIPPING and use promo code 50cards

{still not sure why the code is 50cards, even though you'd be ordering 60 cards????}

Good luck!

PS - I love checking the mail this time of the year - it seems like we're always getting at least one new Christmas card each day. I don't know about you - but I prefer getting the photo cards.

Too Good To Be True!

I found an awesome deal on the Internet for more free photos. 50 FREE photos and FREE shipping! I thought it was too good to be true so I tried it out - and sure enough my total came to $0.00! Here's how to get this great deal ~

Go to www.snapfish.com

Add 50 photos to your cart

During check out, select standard shipping.

Use HPINK50 for your promotional code.

This offer is good for new and existing members. I'm not sure how long this deal lasts so hurry over to snapfish before this offer expires!

Bedtime Routine

We've added a few new items to our bedtime routine: brushing our teeth and refilling the humidifier. That's about how exciting it gets in our household! Harper LOVES to brush her teeth before bed. When she signs to us that she wants to go ni-night, she also points to her teeth, letting us know that she wants to brush her teeth. We've been doing this for a few weeks now, so her skills have improved from when we took the video. I think she mostly likes sucking the water off the toothbrush and messing around with all of our 'stuff' on the counter. While we have her sitting still, we also have a solution that we put on her head because she has and EXTREMELY dry scalp at times.

She also has dry skin, hence why we have to refill the humidifier. As soon as she's done brushing her teeth, Harper runs to the humidifier and pounds on it. She is so stinkin' smart! Then she plays in the water that pools at the bottom of it while I'm refilling the tank. Even though I tell her 'NO!' She usually peeks to see if I'm watching her before she sticks her little hands in the water. Or she points at the water and says 'Nah!' (her version of 'no')

Another change in our bedtime routine is that she takes a bath in the big bathtub now. She loves it! Her favorite thing is to sit in the tub with the water running. She USED to be TERRIFIED of the running water. Funny how things change. Because she now loves the vacuum, which she used to cry every time we turned it on, or even had it sitting out. My little girl is growing up!

Christmas Movies

I love this time of the year because there are always heart-warming, Christmas movies on TV! Here are a few of my favorites.

1. How the Grinch Stole Christmas
I have ALWAYS loved this show. I'm not a fan of the movie that Jim Carey stars in. I like the classic. It was just on TV the other night so Harper and I plopped our butts in front of the TV and watched it. I remember as a kid I would study the TV guide each week and write down when it was on.

"And what happened then? Well in Whoville they say that the Grinch's heart grew three sizes that day. And then - the true meaning of Christmas came through, and the Grinch found the strength of ten Grinches - plus two!"


2. Christmas Vacation.
No explanation needed! If you don't like this movie you are un-American!

Eddie: "You surprised to see us, Clark?"
Clark: "Oh Eddie...If I woke up tomorrow with my head sewn to the carpet, I wouldn't be more surprised than I am now."

3. Home Alone

I love 1 and 2 equally the same. How many of you tried to booby-trap your house when you were kids after seeing these movies?!

"Do you guys give up? Or are you thirsty for more?"

4. The Santa Clause

"Does this look like I've put on a little bit of weight to you?!"

5. The Polar Express

I was so excited when this became a movie because it was my favorite childhood book. Although the movie is good, the book is better. (always is!) I love the soundtrack for this movie also.

"At one time most of my friends could hear the bell, but as years passed it fell silent for all of them. Even Sarah found one Christmas that she could no longer hear its sweet sound. Though I've grown old the bell still rings for me, as it does for all who truly believe."

Hope you all are enjoying the holiday movies. I've been flipping back and forth between Lifetime and ABC Family's 25 Days of Christmas. I'm a kid at heart!

Thanksgiving Weekend

We survived another weekend FULL of delicious food and quality time with family. I love the holidays because I enjoy getting together with our families. I believe that family is what makes the holidays. Adam, Harper and I spent Thanksgiving day alone this year because Adam had to work. It seriously felt like any other day of the week - didn't even seem like Thanksgiving. Family is truly what makes the holidays special :) We had a great time with everyone. Thanks for everything!

On our way to Northwood (hoarding as much as she could)

Harper very 1st homemade noodle - a Bachtle holiday tradition


mmmmm - these deviled eggs are GOOD!

Harper with her 2nd cousins - Kaylyn and Jenna

In between our Thanksgivings, we managed to squeeze in a little visit to visit the Christianson's! The kids had fun playing together. (so did the adults later on that night!) This is the best shot of Harper, Kennedy and Brady sitting together. It's challenging trying to get a 14 month old, 2 1/2 yr old, and 5 yr old to sit together for a picture!

Harper with her 'Nerlien' cousins - Abby, Nicole, and Cody

Harper and Abby rocking in the chair - Harper has always loved her cousin Abby!

Harper rocking with Grandpa Gary

Check back later this week for a blog about our Christmas tree!

Photo Cards

SeeHere is offering 25 photo cards for only $4.99 shipped!

I took advantage of a deal similar to this last year and ordered our cards from this website. They don't have as big or as cute of a selection as other websites, but you can't beat the price. Last year, I found the most basic template and changed the colors, saying, and font to personalize it to my style. Here's how to snag this great deal:

go to www.seehere.com

create a 4 x 8 single flat photo card

select 25 cards to add to your cart

use coupon code: 25cards when checking out

It should only charge you the shipping, which is $4.99!

Happy Black Friday to you!

{thankful}

Enough said!

We have been blessed again this year; we have so much to be thankful for!

• great friends
• supportive family
• our home
• our jobs that we both love
• finding time to go back to school
• our health
• the most AMAZING little girl that we could ask for!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! May you all count your blessings today, and every day!

**Adam has to work the Thanksgiving holiday, so we will be traveling to Northwood on Saturday to eat LOTS and LOTS of comfort food! I will be cooking our little family a Jeanie-O Turkey loaf, mashed potatoes, and stove top stuffing. Fabulous, huh?!?!

**Also, tomorrow we are going to go pick out our first REAL Christmas tree as a family!! So excited!!!!

Harper the Hoarder

Harper has turned into a full blown hoarder! She hoards everything ~ food, toys, clothes, toothbrushes, etc. She thinks she needs to have her hands as absolutely full as they can get, with whatever it may be. It's pretty comical - not sure what started this phase, but it makes us laugh.

Hoarding her pieces of PB sandwich

....and her snacks

The rest of the pictures are just for fun. Here is Harper attempting to eat a big girl sandwich. Let's just say it was cut up in no time b/c she tried shoveling it ALL into her mouth!

Finally starting to smile again for the camera!

Being SILLY ~

Congrats Abby & Aaron!

This past weekend I headed down to Des Moines to celebrate with a very special friend. One of my best friends from high school is getting married next October and there was an 'informal engagement' party for Abby and Aaron in West Des Moines. But before the party, Abby asked me if I'd like to go wedding dress shopping with her and her mom. Well DUH - who doesn't like to look at wedding dresses?!?! So I met up with Abby and her mom, along with a few other of Abby's' friends. While trying on dresses, Abby asked us all to be part of her big day! It was very special. I am very honored to be a bridesmaid in Abby and Aaron's wedding. They both are wonderful people.

With the Bride-to-Be

OH YEAH ~ Abby also asked me if Harper could be one of her FLOWERGIRLS?!!!!! Of course I said, "YES!" Harper will look sooooooooooooo cute! We can't wait for October 8th to get here!

Harper with Abby and Aaron :)

CONGRATS ABBY AND AARON!!!!!!!!!!

Crazy Week

This week has been CRAZY! Adam has worked every night since Sunday. [tonight is his last night until Monday :)] I have had a test EVERY day this week. I have one more tomorrow. It has been hard to find time study because I'm in class or work during the day and then I'm home alone at night while Adam is at work. Luckily Harper goes to bed around 8, so that is when I study. This Friday is my last day of clinical for the semester, YIPPEE!!!!!! I hate waking up at 5:45 am.
Things won't slow down much this weekend either because I have yet another big test next Monday that I need to study for. I also have a reflective paper due on Monday that sums up my clinical experiences.
I'm also squeezing in a little trip to Des Moines on Friday night to see Abby. There is an 'informal engagement' party on Friday night in West Des Moines. Can't wait to see her! Is it Thanksgiving break yet?!?!?!?!?!

new post

I finished up a post that I started a few days ago regarding Harper turning 14 months.

Because I started it on the 10th, it posted BEFORE my Veterans Day post. So please scroll down to read the 'newest' post.

Thanks.

Happy Veterans Day

Happy Veterans Day!!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you to all who have served our country! A BIG THANK to Adam, who dedicated 4 years of his life to serve the USA. It was a LONG 4 years, but I am so thankful for them! We both created a lot of great memories in those 4 years and gained new friends and a different prospective on life. We are BOTH stronger people because of the military!

Remember to thank a Veteran today, young and old. I'd also like to thank my father-in-law (Vietnam) and my brother-in-law (Operation Induring Freedom/Iraq War). Both of my grandfathers served in the Army, and my uncle in the Marines. Thank you!

Unfortunately, Veterans only get thanked one day a year. I think it should be EVERY day!

14 Months

Weight: 22.8 lbs

Diaper Size: 3

Clothing Size: 18 months

Teeth: Hard telling b/c she always bites when we stick our fingers in her mouth! Do you blame her though?! Harper has had a rough month in the teething department. I'm pretty sure she cut 4 molars all in a two week time span, making her total 12-14???? Only 6-8 to go! She's cutting a few on the bottom right now....poor thing!

Speech: Her first 'real' word is "hi!" She says "Hi" to strangers at the grocery store, doctors office, Target, etc. Anyone that walks by is fair game - she gives them a big grin and then says "Hi." I'll have to teach her about 'Stranger Danger' when she gets older :) She is also making lots of other sounds and speaks her own little language to us. She learned to sign milk and please this month too!

Eating Habits: Harper's new favorite are the Jeanie-O Turkey Franks. She eats all table food. We are still working on using silverware. It is such a mess that I dislike the idea of practicing, so we only practice with the less messy foods. Harper still drinks a bottle before bed and if she wakes up in the morning. She only has 1/2 can of formula left and then she'll have a sippy cup of milk before bed.

Sleeping Habits: Harper had a few nearly sleepless nights a few weeks ago because of her teeth. She was seriously up every hour - it was pure hell! Now she is back to her regular sleeping pattern of waking up usually b/w 5 and 6 for a bottle, and then back to bed until 8. Bedtime is still around 8 pm. She still takes a morning and afternoon nap, about 1.5-2 hrs each. Luckily, she adjusted to Daylight Savings time with a day or two.

Favorite Toy: Baby Elmo and accessories (blanket, bib, bottles, pacifier)

Favorite Activity: Harper LOVES music and dancing! I think her favorite song is the ABC's. Her newest dance move is twirling in circles.

New Things:

• doesn't cry at daycare anymore!!!!!
• when I tell her that I have to go potty, she runs to the bathroom and lifts up the toilet seat for me :)

I'm sure there is so much more that I am forgetting, it seems like she can do something new every day!

Playing in the leaves

We took advantage of the gorgeous fall weather today and played in the leaves! A new first for Harper. She loved it! Enjoy the pictures.

"Can I really jump into all of these leaves?!"

This is fun!

Mommy played in the leaves too

Time to bury mommy!

Daddy's turn to play with me!

School Update

It's hard to believe that I only have 5 weeks left of this semester! I guess it's a good thing that I think it's going fast, better too fast than too slow. I have learned a ton of stuff already in just my first semester of the nursing program. The most exciting skill I've learned recently is how to give injections. I was able to give my first shot on Friday! Scary but so much fun at the same time. I am enjoying every minute of school so far. And I am pleased with my grades at this point:
Fundamentals of Nursing - 90%
Medication Administration - 100%
Anatomy and Physiology II - 95%

I hope I am able to maintain my grades for the remainder of the semester. I hear that each semester gets more and more difficult and requires more studying. I hope my success will follow me along my journey.

..JUMP!....

Harper is turning into a silly and VERY active girl these days! Walking is a thing of the past - she usually RUNS everywhere. I often wonder why she feels the need to run from room to room or toy to toy. Good exercise I guess. She also knows how to climb on furniture, go up AND down the stairs, and get down from the chair/couch/bed. Her newest skill is JUMPING! Or so she thinks that she is jumping. I'm not really sure how she learned the concept of jumping. I think I was acting like a bunny one night to entertain her and the rest is history. Yes, I was hopping around like a bunny. If only you could be a fly on our wall!!!!! Enjoy the video :)

PS - It took 24 hour for the video to load - I promise I was trying to keep on on my blog.

Trick-or-Treat

Sorry the Halloween blog is a little late, I am very busy with school these days. I took Harper trick-or-treating for her first time on Sunday and it went well. We only went to 4 houses though ;) She didn't mind her costume one bit! Isn't she the cutest little puppy you've ever seen?!

She loved playing in the candy bowl!

All of Harper's treats that she accumulated at only 4 houses!

I'm cutting this blog short - I'm tired and have homework and housework to do while Harper is napping. Happy Wednesday!

PS - Is it really already NOVEMBER?!