An apple a day keeps the octopuses away.

One of the joys in spending so much time with Harper is discovering her likes and dislikes. This past week, for instance, I learned that octopuses apparently offend Harper. She throws a fit for the length of time it takes a particular octopus to wiggle across the screen in one of her Baby Einstein videos. Fortunately, Harper quickly returns to her happy self as soon as Octo-monster exits stage left. I finally had to remove that DVD from my car, because she kept startling me with her random octopus-induced screams!

What is so scary about this guy?

Some random octopus humor for your Monday afternoon. Enjoy!

I feel like this octopus on most days!

And something Harper apparently L-O-V-E-S....apples! I've always known she has a special spot in her tummy for applesauce, but I've never given her an apple in its solid state. Well, she finally took care of that little problem this past weekend when she straight up stole an apple right out of my very own hands! It was a "jazz" apple--my second favorite type of apple behind honeycrisp. (I am an admitted apple snob. Life is too short to bother with inferior apples!) I had a couple measly bites before my snack was so rudely interrupted, but I got over it when I saw how much she loved it herself! What's not to love? Tastes great and it must feel good on the gums, too!

Oh, and did I mention that she kicked me in the leg when I "borrowed" the apple back to take another bite? She likes to share, but only when it is her idea!

Silly nonsense

Really no point here--just a goofy little video of Harper and her latest tongue trick. She gives a super cute "bye-bye" at the end if you have two minutes to spare!

A friend like you...

Harper is blessed with a number of really great friends. Aside from her parents, she has one of man's very best friends, er, pigs. She has a wonderful bunch of friends from play group. She even had friends betrothed to her from the womb as so many of my friends seemed to have been pregnant at the same time. (You know what they say about great minds...) I feel very fortunate that Harper already has such sweet friends, and I'm sure she would second that notion if only we could understand her babble! ;)

Anyhoo, Harper wanted to show everyone pics from her wonderful Wednesday! First, she woke up to Wrigley decked out in her pig costume, which caused quite the riot in Harper's world. She laughed and laughed at such a silly sight! Then Harper got to play with friends pretty much all day long!

Piggy patiently waiting for Harper to wake up yesterday morning.

Jeff impatiently roused Harper from her bed because he was uber excited to see her reaction to Wrig the Pig.

The sleepyhead thought Piggy's get up was hilarious!

We played at Blair's house for play group yesterday. It was so nice to have everyone there now that summer vacations are coming to a close! Do you think the kiddos like Deanna or what? :)

Later that afternoon, Harper and I headed to Deanna's house for a meeting. It was there that we discovered her love of purses!

Glamour girl! ;)

This was also when I noticed her first interest in pushing a stroller. Too cute!

We know that girl loves dogs! Piper was kind enough to introduce Cambell and Harper to her Labradoodles!

I'll leave out the part about Harper and I meeting Jeff at the bar again for dinner after we left Deanna's house. All in a day's work! ;)

Make it a Mayborn day!

Harper and I were lucky enough to visit the Mayborn Museum with friends not once, but twice, this week! On Monday, Kim and the twins (Kiersten and Christopher) came in town to play. The three kiddos climbed on firetrucks and school buses, shopped at the "grocery store," drove around "town" in their cars, mowed the lawn, vacuumed the floor (my personal fav!), played the tambourine, met a turtle and a guinea pig, blew life-sized bubbles, and made music (or noise depending on how nice we want to be!) on the Thor-sized piano. F-U-N, I tell ya!

We met some more of Harper's friends there the next day, but this girl was completely camera-less. Maybe sweet Storey has pics to share on her blog! ;) Oh, and the pics below come courtesy of my iPhone camera, so bear with me on the blurs and such. That camera is no match for any quick-moving toddler!

Harper and Kiersten watch the model trains go by.

Harper is ready to mow the lawn. Or linoleum, whichever!

Christopher, are those men's pointy slippers you're wearing?

Kiersten takes HP for a spin on the fire truck!

HP hunts for ladybugs. She found the upper ladybug, but not the low-lying one.

Thank goodness for having just one Harper! :)

Sitting idle on the Little Tyke tricycle. She only wanted to sit on it. Oh well!

These two were tapping out some tunes with their toes.

Post-Day 2 of the Mayborn: sleepy time! Hello, Baby Shiloh lips!

There ain't no doubt I love this Land of Nod.

Have you met Crate & Barrel's overachieving son, aka the Land of Nod? I love, love, love that web site! It's kinda like Pottery Barn Kids with a sense of humor and a splash of attitude. For example, they post a wooden shelf for sale. Instead of labeling it "medium wooden shelf," they call it "Shelf Silverstein." Get it? Get it? A canvas bin is listed as "I think I Can-vas Bin." Looking for an easel? Consider the "Easel Does It" for your art center. In the mood for a rubber ducky ten-times the size of an average ducky? Well, you're in luck, because I just spied the "Monster Duck Show!" One of my favorites is the Bin There, Done That Book Bin in white. Are you getting the idea? If only they weren't based out of Chicago, because I totally want to work for their corporate office! Basically, this site boasts loads of appeal for all of my fellow nerds out there!

Assuming I had the spare time, I could window shop (screen shop? browser shop?) there every day! I should be embarrassed, really...I even made a wish list of what I would buy in a world with unlimited funds! (Ha!) I think we may get a mini armchair for HP's upcoming birthday. Shhhh, don't tell! ;)

Happy shopping! Oh, and fifty cents and a pat on the back goes to the first person that identifies the inspiration for this post title. (Residents of 809 Falcon are ineligible for this contest. Sorry!)

If the shoe fits, eat it.

Wait, wait, wait. That isn't how the saying goes? There was a stretch of time when we constantly had to remind Harper that flip-flops are not edible, or at least they shouldn't be! Nowadays, we don't have to worry as much about keeping shoes out of her mouth as we do with keeping shoes on her feet. As many of you commented over the months, it's no secret that I let Harps go barefoot for a long, long time. Then our little tornado started walking at ten months, and I figured it was due time to slap some leather on the soles of those feet!

I bought a pair of Stride Rites from Dillard's, but those quickly proved inferior. I'm sure they are good shoes, but the thick soles were no match for a new walker. We were desperate for the right kicks. I really wanted to buy Pedipeds, but I'm weird about ordering baby stuff online without having seen the sizing in person. Sizing can vary from brand to brand almost as bad as women's clothing! Anyhoo, we scoured the town to find Pedipeds, but the best we could manage was a pair of Robeez mocs. I think they are hideous, and I did not want to buy pink shoes, but that is all we could find in Waco that day. Ugly, but I admit they work great. And we tried on a friend's pair of Pedipeds yesterday, so now we know what size of a more attractive shoe to order online!

Oh, and we couldn't get away without a pair of flips for HP, too. They are the official footwear of the FalconPeel household, after all! They don't quite stay on her feet, but they worked long enough to get my camera out. :)

Flip-floppin' through the house...

...headed to the laundry room because there resides the lone step in our house.

I am now buying size 12-18 mo in clothes and size 4 shoes. Seriously?

She interrupted her book to play a quick game of "Where's Harper?" It's just like peek-a-boo, but she does all the work. :)

Bose over bows

I'm just not that into bows, although I think they look precious on every little girl adorned with them. Cute on someone else, but not for me. Poor Harper is guilty by association. I have tried on occasion to decorate her cotton head with a ribbon or two, but it doesn't last long. She doesn't even get the chance to pull them out before I do. Like I said, it's just not my thing.

Now, one thing I do like is electronics. Like mother, like daughter!

Yesterday, I gave HP my old laptop (not an HP) to mash on. I'm hoping that move does not end up working against me in the end.

She must enjoy seeing her reflection in the screen. Lord knows nothing else is gonna show up on that screen!

At this rate, she'll be asking for a cell phone for her first birthday.

This photo is evidence of my crappy point-and-shoot. Did I mention my iPhone is broken now, too? Thank goodness it's the one thing with a protection plan!

I want to take a picture, but she wants to figure out how sound is emitted from the speaker.

Bow is gone, but she has made her way back to the laptop. Should I be worried that she climbs onto the couch by herself? Nah.... 60% of the time, her dismount works every time. ;)

One shy of a dozen

Miss HP hit the eleven-month mark on Saturday, which also happened to be her friend Carter's first birthday! I really cannot believe we are a mere month away from that mile marker ourselves. You know what they say, time flies when you're having fun! Time also flies when you are:

- refilling sippy cups with milk,

- reminding HP that there are more important things in life to protest than a quick bath,

- convincing her that there is no need to scream bloody murder during a diaper change,

- reading and rereading Haiku Baby for the 1,897th time,

- turning back to the page with the fox an extra time or two because apparently foxes are super funny (hip-hippo-hippopotamuses are hilarious, too!),

- making the tiniest, elf-sized sandwiches for lunch and hoping that she doesn't give it to the dog instead of eating it herself,

- wiping off the highchair, tray, table, ottoman, couch, floor, toys, scale, dog (Piggy takes the risk of waiting underneath the highchair!)...really, any inanimate object or slow moving pet in our house,

- doing the umpteenth load of laundry for the week,

- snuggling, especially when it isn't forced, and smelling that sweet head of hair, or

- watching how much progress has been made in the last month of walking.

I could go on and on, but you get the idea. Some of this is fun, and a lot of it is hard. Even so, I think we would agree at the end of the day that this has been worth all of our effort! And so we keep on, keepin' on! :)

Happy 11 months, Harper!

Nana Peel founds lots of Daddy's old friends to watch over Harper while she napped.

Popsicle time with Poppa Peel!

You don't need a license to drive a golf cart, do ya?

She likes to point at all the picture frames around the house, especially if she is the subject!

She loves her Baby Bevo!

Me thinks that gas station attendant is cross-eyed.

Harper engages in her first cat fight with her friend, Cambell. I threw a second ball into the ring, so they both came out victorious!

Harper and her bud, Carter. Just chillin'!

She is a baby of many faces. We're gonna need a pass to the Mayborn, ASAP! :)

Running barefoot through the Waco Chamber building. Thankfully, it was a slow afternoon for them that day!

Running to play golf in the house with Daddy.

She carries a big stick, er, club!

I wish we could get away with a ball pit at our house, but Wrigley would wreck shop in no time flat!

We're still working on that whole "sharing" bit. HP & her buddy, Kennedy.

Harper's Grammy brought new books for their weekend together!

You can never have too many books!

Always fun to be had playing beneath the breakfast table.

I was amazed she left the shades on for more than 1.5 seconds!