Harper,
Where has my little newborn bundle gone?  You have grown and grown this month.  You don't look like a newborn anymore.  You are now really looking like a baby.  You love to smile all the time.  You pretend to be shy sometimes and bury your face into my chest when people try to get you to smile, but usually you return their smile with a big grin that lights up your face.
We put a mobile in your crib this month and you instantly fell in love.  You coo and babble to your mobile friends whenever you are in your crib.  They are on a timer and the first time I let them play until the timer went off, the moment they stopped you began to cry.  We are often woken up in the morning from the sound of you squeaking and cooing to your friends.
You haven't started to really laugh yet, but you squeak in delight constantly.  You really have found your voice this month and you absolutely love the sound of it.  We were in church one Sunday and a little boy yelled loudly and you immediately screeched happily back to him.  You have also become a little feisty at times and you let us know if you are mad.  It doesn't happen often, but when it does there is no mistaking that you are mad.
You are definitely a Daddy's girl now.  You still love your Mommy and greet me with a smile everyday when I get home from work, but you could stare at Daddy all day long.  You often give him your biggest smiles.  I love how much you love him.
You have figured out what your hands are for and how to control them enough to grab things and hit the monkey and leaves on your bouncer.  We were all at home on a Monday getting ready to take you to your doctor's appointment when you first figured out the effect of using your hands to make the leaves and monkeys sway when you swatted them. Your daddy and I were amazed at how smart you are.  We are easily amazed by you.  You could be blowing spit bubbles and we would think it was the neatest thing we have ever seen.
You still love your hands and seem to always have them in your mouth.  You will usually pick sucking on your hands instead of a pacifier.  When we try to give you your pacifier at night, you usually act like you are choking on it until we take it away or you wait until we let go of it and promptly spit it out.  You have found your thumb a couple of times, but never consistently.  We always wonder if you will be a thumb sucker.
You love to sit in the Bumbo seat now and help Mommy cook dinner.  You love to be part of the action and look all around the kitchen before dinner.  You are fine being on your own too, but you usually love to be the center of attention.  If someone has been talking to you and then walks away, you quickly make it known that you need more attention.  This makes you sound super needy, but you really are the easiest baby.  You can entertain yourself when I need you to, but if you have a choice you will always take the company.  You are just like your Mom.
You always sleep through the night.  You are consistently sleeping between 7 and 9 hours every night without waking up.  You are definitely our baby because Dad and Mom love their sleep too.
We did not have a check up for you this month, so I don't know your weight, height, and head circumference.  You are still growing too fast and turning into such a big girl.

Harper,
I cannot believe it has already been two months since you joined our family, and yet I can't imagine not having you in our life.  We have seen your little personality begin to show this month.  On December 29th you gave me your first smile.  I put you on your changing table to change your diaper in the morning and you gave me the biggest grin.  Not long after that, you gave Daddy a smile too.  Gigi was staying with us for your blessing and got to see lots of your smiles too.  Your changing table is still where I get your best smiles.  You love to stretch out on it in the morning and smile and talk to me.  This is something I really miss when I have to go to work so I make sure to soak it all in on Saturday mornings, even if sometimes I still want to be asleep.  Besides giving smiles to Mom and Dad, you became very stingy with your smiles.  I'm pretty sure people thought I was crazy when I kept telling them you were smiling like crazy.  Every time we were around other people and I tried to get you to smile, you just gave me a blank stare.  You are stubborn just like your Mom.  I got you on video one morning and showed it to Nana, but you were still too stubborn to show her in real life.
Your Aunt Jessica started watching you a few days a week this month while Daddy has class.  She was bound and determined to get a smile out of you, as were your cousins, Bentley and Parker.  You finally gave in and gave them lots of big grins.  Now your cousins love to get lots of baby toys out when you come over to play to try to get you to make as many smiles as they can.
You have become such a good sleeper.  You have always been pretty good, but now you are getting Mommy completely spoiled.  You usually sleep five or six hours before you wake up to eat and then I put you in the swing and you lay in it quietly until you fall asleep.  You have even slept seven or eight hours straight at night a handful of times.  We have been putting you in your crib at the beginning of the night lately.  You slept in your crib a lot right when you were born, but then we got lazy and put you in the swing in our room because it was easier.  We were afraid we were spoiling you and you would have a hard time sleeping in your crib again.  The first night we put you back in your crib, you slept there for five hours straight.  We are so lucky you are so easy and laid back.  You love your crib and are so happy to sleep in there.  We still put you in the swing the second half of the night, but only because we have spoiled ourselves.
You have started to get a little chub in your thighs and chubby, kissable cheeks, but you are still a skinny little baby.  You have grown a lot this month, even though we tell you not to.  We want you to be little and snuggly forever.
You are starting to enjoy bath time more and more.  You did not like it at all when you were little, but now you are starting to understand that it can be fun.  You even give me smiles once in awhile when you are in the tub.
You had to get 4 shots at the doctor this month and one liquid vaccination in your mouth.  When you got the liquid in your mouth, you were not so sure you liked it.  You kept trying to spit it back out.  When you got your first 2 shots in your leg, you did not make a peep.  You were so brave!  We weren't sure if you were still distracted by the funny taste in your mouth, or if you really were that brave.  Either way, it made Mommy happy that she didn't have to see you cry.  The second 2 shots were not as easy.  You screamed and screamed from these 2, but you were quickly calmed down when I got to hold you again.  You were worn out the rest of the day from all of those shots.  You slept more than you have in a long time.  Your stats at the doctor were:
Weight: 10 lb. 7 oz. (24th percentile)
Height:  23 in. (71st percentile)
Head Circumference:  38.7 cm (62nd percentile)

You are still the happiest baby and you bring so much joy into our home everyday.

On December 30th, we were able to bless our beautiful baby girl.  We had lots of family who were able to join us, and we missed those who couldn't make it.  Justin gave a wonderful blessing to Harper.  She was wide awake during the entire blessing, but did not make a peep.  We have the best baby!  My mom made the most beautiful blessing dress for Harper and she looked like a little angel.
After the blessing, everyone came over for brunch.  It was a perfect day to celebrate a perfect little girl!  I'm so grateful that Justin can hold the priesthood and give Harper such a special blessing.  I am lucky to be able to call both Justin and Harper mine.

I am a little behind on my updates of Harper, but I want to make sure I get things written down.  Not only do I want to look back and read this (and I know people in my family want to read it), but I want Harper to be able to look back at this years from now (especially since I am completely pathetic with any kind of baby book, journal, or scrapbook).

Harper,
You have brought so much joy into our home.  I never knew we had anything missing until you came into our lives.  I never knew I could love someone so quickly and fully in such a small amount of time.  I used to hear people say these types of things all the time, but it is something you don't ever fully understand until you have a child of your own.
You have your Daddy completely wrapped around your tiny finger.  He cannot get enough of you.  He loves to watch you no matter what you are doing.  He is so gentle and patient with you and always wants to keep you happy.  He is infatuated with every tiny bit of you.  I had to go back to work for a few days when you were just four weeks old.  I only had three and a half days before winter break and I knew you would be happy with Daddy.  One of the first days I was back at work, I called in the afternoon to see how everything was going.  Daddy had taken you out for the first time by himself.  You were going shopping with Daddy and Nana.  He told me he had put your little red Christmas dress on and made sure to put the matching red bow in your hair.  I never imagined Dad would care or even remember to put a bow in your hair, but he wanted to take extra special care of his little girl.
You are very attached to your Mommy, and I must say I truly love this about you.  You knew my voice the second the doctor put you in my arms at the hospital.  You get a little fussy at night sometimes when you are tired and I am often the only one you want to hold you.  The second you are in my arms you are instantly calmed.  I love to look into your big blue eyes and hold onto your long skinny fingers.
You have the cutest little feet Daddy and I have ever seen.  They are long and skinny, followed by the longest toes.  We are pretty sure you will be able to play the piano with those long toes.  You are such a long and lean little baby.  You have little chicken legs that haven't gained an ounce of chub since you were born.  You love to pucker your lips and keep them that way for several minutes.  Dad and I laugh hysterically at this face you make.  You are such a mover.  You are constantly moving your arms and legs.  When you were in my tummy, you were constantly kicking and punching.  The doctor would always comment on how active you were.  Now we know why... You are never holding still.  Even when you are sleeping you are often found with your hands up in the air or your arm over your face.  You sleep just like Dad.  When your hands aren't moving around, they are always tucked up by your face.  You love your hands and often have them in your mouth or folded neatly on your cheek.  You pose perfectly with your hands all day long until I get the camera out... Then I get nothing but flailing arms.
We often wonder if you will be an inquisitive little girl.  You often have a furrowed brow and look deep in thought.  You love to stare at things for long periods of time to take everything in, especially the dresses on your bumper pads that Gigi made you.  You stare at the bright colors of dresses for a long time before you drift off to sleep.
You look like both Mom and Dad, and it changes everyday.  We always wonder who you will look more like when you get older, what color your eyes will be, and what color your hair will be.  Your left ear is a crinkle ear (a trait from the Munson side of the family) and we always wonder whether or not it will uncrinkle.  We call you our little peanut and wonder everyday if it is possible to kiss your cheeks right off.
When we took you to the doctor for your one month appointment, your stats were:
Weight: 8 lbs 3 oz (17th percentile)
Height: 21.5 in (64th percentile)
Head Circumference: 37.5 cm (76th percentile)

The doctor did not like how little weight you have gained.  At your two week checkup, you weighed 7 lbs 8 oz.  In the first month, they like babies to gain an ounce a day, but you had only gained half an ounce a day.  The doctor was worried you weren't getting enough milk, but I knew you were much too happy for that to be the case.  You are just our skinny little baby who will grow and get some chub when she is ready.
You are the happiest little baby and we are so grateful you came to our family.  We love you little miss Harper!

Harper Joanna Hill joined our family on November 19, 2012 at 3:27 am.  She was 7 lbs 8 oz and 21 and 1/4 inches long.  She is absolutely perfect and we could not be more in love.

On Sunday the 18th, I woke up having contractions around 4:00 am.  They were completely in my back so I wondered if they were real or not.  I tried to go back to sleep, but the contractions kept coming so I began timing them.  They were about 7 minutes apart and not super painful, but they were just annoying enough to keep me from sleeping.  I got out of bed and read for awhile, then I took a bath and painted my nails.  I didn't want to go to the hospital too early so I wasted time around the house while my contractions became more frequent.  At about 7, I woke up Justin and told him I thought we should go have a baby.  He was so tired and so confused... It took him a minute to put everything together, but when he did he jumped out of bed and asked if he had time to take a shower.  I assured him I was in no rush because I would not be the person who went to the hospital too early just to be sent home.  So he took a shower while I curled my hair and we slowly got ready for the hospital.  My mom had come into town a couple days before, so we told her we were in labor and would call her after we were admitted then we headed off to the hospital.

I timed my contractions the whole way to the hospital, which was about 30 minutes away, and they were coming every 3-4 minutes.  Justin kept trying to distract me through them by making me laugh.  When we got to the hospital, the nurse hooked me up to the monitor to track my contractions and the baby's heart rate.  I was dilated to a 3 and 90% effaced.  She then asked me about my pain scale.  I have never been in the hospital and I really don't like to complain, so I always downplay how I am feeling.  I found out after that you always tell the nurse your pain is much worse than it actually is.  When she asked me for a number, I told her I was at a 2.  Big mistake... She told me my pain was clearly not bad enough and I needed to be in more pain to be in labor.  After looking at the pain scale chart on the wall, I agreed that the number I gave was not as high as it should have been, but it was too late.  I was worried that if I changed my number now she would just accuse me of lying and wanting to stay.  So despite all of my efforts to not go to the hospital too early, I was sent home.  The nurse told me how far apart my contractions were really didn't matter, but it was really how bad my pain was that would tell me if I needed to come back.  I was so confused.  Why then did my doctor tell me to go to the hospital when my contractions were 5 minutes apart?  I left the hospital extremely disappointed.  I had no idea what I was feeling or what I should be waiting to feel.

Justin and I went to his parents' house since they live so close to the hospital.  We didn't want to go all the way home if we were just going to turn around and come back.  I tried to fall asleep, but my contractions kept coming and were starting to get more painful.  They were still bearable though, so I didn't think I was in enough pain to go back.  I definitely was not going to be the person who was sent home from the hospital twice.  We eventually went back home to wait.

When we got home, my mom and I went on a walk.  I was getting really tired from being up so early, so I tried to take a nap again.  Every time I started to get comfortable I would get a really painful contraction.  I didn't know what to do.  I felt like I was in enough pain, but the nurse made me doubt everything I had previously thought.  Justin and my mom kept telling me they thought I should go back to the hospital.  Justin's mom kept calling to check on me as well and told me the same thing, but I still didn't know what to do.  I finally called the on call nurse at my doctor's office and asked her what she thought.  She told me the nurse at the hospital should have never sent me home when I was dilated to a 3 and having so many contractions.  She told me to get back to the hospital right away.

At 5:30, we were finally back at the hospital.  With my luck, the same nurse came out to the waiting room to get me.  The first thing she said to me was, "I don't know... You're still smiling."  Was I supposed to come into the hospital crying?  Shouldn't it be a happy day?  I am about to meet my beautiful little girl!  After monitoring my contractions for another hour and convincing the nurse that my pain was now at a 7 or 8, she finally admitted me.  I was bummed when she told me I was only dilated to a 4 after being in labor all day long, but at least I would have my baby in just a little while.

She took me back to my delivery room and introduced me to my new nurses who would be with me through the rest of the delivery.  Before she left she told me not to smile so much or they wouldn't believe I was in enough pain to get an epidural.  She also told the new nurses, "This girl is a tough cookie and won't show you how much pain she is in."  Finally I felt understood!

About an hour after I got into the delivery room, I got my epidural.  After my epidural, I felt pure bliss.  Justin, my mom, and his mom kept looking at the monitor and saying how big my contractions were, but I was feeling nothing.  I visited with my mom, Justin's parents, and Aunt Jo, watched a movie, and finally got my much needed nap.  They put me on pitocin for about 45 minutes to get me from a 5 to a 9.  When I got to a 9 so quickly, they took me off of pitocin so they could get the baby turned from her sunny side up position and also so we could wait for my doctor to be able to deliver.  My doctor was not the on call doctor that night and she had a house full of family for Thanksgiving.  She wanted to come deliver my baby and thought it would be perfect to sneak away from her guests in the middle of the night.  But when I went from a 5 to a 9 so quickly, they had to slow me down so I was not ready to deliver too early for my doctor.  When my doctor got there, she looked so tired.  I felt so bad for waking her up at 3 in the morning.  When she sat down though, it was like she flipped a switch.  She had so much energy and was so motivating for me.  She is seriously the best doctor!  I am so glad she was able to be there and deliver my beautiful baby girl.

Justin and I are so in love with our beautiful little Harper.  We had lots of family and friends come to visit us in the hospital.  We are so grateful for all the love and support.  Harper is a very loved little girl. My family was able to come to town for Thanksgiving to see Harper and my mom was able to stay with us for 2 weeks.  It was so nice to have her help and to get to spend time with her.  We are very lucky to have so much support from our wonderful family.

Justin and I are excited to share our wonderful news!  We are expecting a baby girl on November 15th.  We are 19 weeks today and could not be more excited!