Merry Christmas!

This year was Harper's second Christmas, and we traveled down to Florida to spend the holiday week with her Grandma Annette, Uncle PJ, Aunt Kelly, Uncle Brandon, and cousins Brynn (8), Tyler (6), Dylan (4) and Kate (2).  It was a fun, festive time, and while we missed the first big snowfall in Boston while we were away, we were still able to celebrate a white Christmas--white sand, that is!

Getting excited about the airplane!

I was nervous about the plane ride, as it was Harper's first time flying.  Instead of sugarplums, I had visions of a screaming baby and lots of angry passengers dancing through my head as we counted down to our departure date of Christmas Eve.  As it turned out, I shouldn't have worried!  Harper was a total champ.  We flew to Atlanta, where we had a brief layover, before our second flight to Panama City.  Harper slept on both flights, and during the time that she was awake, she was a pleasant and smiley little jet-setter.  That was a gift in itself.

A little airplane snooze

This Christmas was definitely a different experience for Harper, as compared to last year, since of course Harper is older and more present now than she was for her first Christmas.  Our busy 13-month girl is skilled in the art of unwrapping gifts/ripping paper.  She had a great time opening her own presents and was more than willing to help others with theirs too (whether or not they wanted help).  She also really enjoyed the excitement of a Christmas morning spent with other kids.  Outside of Church on Sundays, Harper doesn't have the chance to interact with other little children very often so it was a new experience for her to be in the mix of a big family.  She had a great time!  Her older cousin, Brynn, took great care of her, reading and playing.  She also learned to share with her cousin, Kate, who is close in age to Harper.  Kate is used to being the littlest in her family, but she was very gracious in sharing all her toys with little Harper.

Harper and Brynn

Grandma reading to
Harper and Kate

Since Dallin and I were married, our annual Christmas tradition has been to exchange Christmas tree ornaments.  Last year, Harper became a part of this tradition, when she received a beautiful glass teddy-bear ornament, her very first Tiffany's.  This year, we decided that we would both choose a special ornament for Harper.  From me, Harper received a little ceramic "H," and from her Daddy, Harper received a sweet, soft little snowman.  By the time she is grown, Harper will have quite the collection!

Not surprisingly, Harper was completely and utterly spoiled this Christmas.  She received SO many fun gifts from our amazing family and friends!  One of her favorite gifts actually came pre-Christmas: Harper's very own cellphone, a gift from our friends, Tania and Sandrine.  This cellphone flips open, has buttons that dial, rings like a real phone, and you can even record messages on it!  While the iPhone still occupies the number one spot in her heart, Harper's cellphone is a close second because of all its real functions.  We took it with us down to Florida in hopes that it would amuse her on the plane, and it was also a big hit with her Florida cousins, who took turns playing and recording messages.  

Harper and Momma, checking out the waves (and the sand snowman!)

Not so sure about the sand...

During our trip, we were happy to enjoy some time at the beach.  This wasn't Harper's first time at the beach; rather, her very first beach experience was last summer, when we were in Maine for our friends' wedding.  However, I was getting ready with the rest of the bridal party when Harper hit the beach with her Daddy, Grammy Sue, and Auntie Annie, and NO ONE TOOK A PICTURE (!).  So in my mind, with no photo documentation to show for it, that beach trip never happened, and this was Harper's first time.  Unfortunately, it wasn't super warm while we were there, with temperatures ranging from the high 50s to mid 60s; nonetheless it was still MUCH warmer than Boston, and we enjoyed walking on the beach and a nighttime bonfire with s'mores and hot-dogs.  Harper wasn't entirely keen on the sand, but she seemed to enjoy herself nonetheless.  It was good practice for some beach trips this summer.

Checking out the bonfire with Daddy

Yummy fried pickles!

We also got to experience some of the local Floridian delicacies.  Harper's Daddy had been hoping to try alligator, and while we weren't able to find that for him, we did get to enjoy some absolutely amazing fried pickles.  Harper's Daddy tried fried pickles for the first time last summer in Western MA and has been craving them ever since.  The fried pickles we ate at Toucan's, a beachfront restaurant in Mexico Beach, did not disappoint!  Harper loved them too and just kept shoveling them into her mouth.  Our friend Gil gave Harper her first pickle (not fried) last spring, and since then, that sweet little girl hasn't met a pickle she doesn't like.

Lunch on the beach

Playing on the stairs with
Kate, Uncle Brandon,
and Ashton

We were hoping that Harper would learn how to walk during our Florida trip, but she's not quite there yet.  She will only take one or two steps before she gets overexcited and basically falls into whoever is receiving her.  What she did learn, however, was how to climb the stairs.  At home, she hasn't had the opportunity to encounter the stairs since we live on the first floor, and our apartment is all one level.  At her Aunt Kelly and Uncle PJ's house, they have two flights of stairs to get upstairs, which are covered in nice, soft carpet, and whenever Harper disappeared from view for a moment or two, sure enough she would be climbing the stairs.  Hopefully she will be walking soon, and then the next order of business will be for her to learn how to get back DOWN the stairs!  

Headed down to the beach with
Uncle PJ and Tyler

All tuckered out at the beach!

The only downside of our amazing trip was that Harper's poor cousins were mostly ALL sick upon our arrival!  Sure enough, on our last night there, Harper had an upset, wakeful night and seemed to be coming down with something on the way home.  We flew home on New Year's Eve, and our amazing friend Denise left her New Year's party to come pick us up at the airport on a cold, snowy night!  We took Harper to the doctor on New Year's Day; usually Harper is a trooper at the doctor, but it was apparent that she wasn't feeling well because she wanted NOTHING to do with the examination.  Harper was diagnosed with her first ear infection--a pretty bad one too, as our sweet girl had a large blister on her eardrum; the doctor explained Harper had likely been in a lot of pain, especially on the plane flight home.  Knowing that, Harper did exceptionally well on the plane, mostly sleeping and only shedding a few tears.  She was put on antibiotics and seemed to feel better after just a day or two.  From what we have heard, the ear infection is a rite of passage for a little one, now Little H included.

Handprinted Christmas tree
Merry Christmas!

All in all, it was a very merry Christmas, filled with fun, family time, gifts, laughs, and a little sickness for good measure.  We are so grateful for all of the many blessings we have received, and feel particularly thankful all the love shown towards our little family this Christmas season--and all year long.  We wish our family and friends a New Year that is merry and bright and look forward to reporting on the many adventures of Harper in 2013!