Harrison Update and Pictures

So, it's been awhile... McCord finished his summer classes, and I'm finally feeling normal. Harrison is getting so big!

And he's Strong! He's already tying to pull himself to a sitting position while holding him, or whenever seated and he needs very little or no head support. Most recently, he has started to fight the car seat straps while he's buckled in. Every once and a while, while he's on his stomach, he'll kick so hard that it flips him onto his back! and I usually find him on his side after a nap (he sleeps on his tummy. I know, I know. they say he should sleep on his back, but he just does better on his tummy). His two month checkup was a couple of weeks ago, stats are as follows:

Head Circumference: 15 1/2" - 50th percentile
Length: 23 1/4" - 75th percentile
Weight: 13 lbs. 4 oz. - 90th percentile

Yup. He's a big boy! And I'm sure he's put on at least another 6 oz. since then, if not a pound. He also had his shots :( but he did very well; little fevering and he hardly bruised, which was great because most of the recovery time was spent in the car.

We left for Burley right after his appointment. By the time we got to Missoula, all three of us we're exhausted. We set up camp in Dillon around 1 am. In the morning all the bikers (they were Canadian!) just loved to hold Harrison. One guy was holding a Mike's Hard Lemonade and the rest of them looked like they needed one. They were nice people and quite chatty. It was so fun to listen to their accents! So then we were on our way to St. Anthony, ID to visit the Garrett's. Mac went on a crazy ride with Tyson and AJ in demolition derby car through a gravel pit. They thought they were going to die! And I watched Twilight for the first time. It was pretty good, I think I'll have to read the books. We really miss them, Mac and Ty have been friends since they were in diapers. Mac's mom and Tyson's dad were born on the same day, in the same hospital, so they have known each other forever. It was so good to see them again!

Back to Harrison... He smiles and coos all the time, we even have little "conversations". I just love it! Motherhood is finally starting to feel like more than just being a milk cow. Harrison recently decided that he doesn't care much for naps, so now he takes a solid 1-2 hour nap in the morning, and the occasional 1 hour in the afternoon. Yay for me.

I think traveling has something to do with it. Last weekend my sister-in-law's husband competed in the Spudman Triathalon. He is a Physician's Assistant in the Air Force, and will be deploying for Afghanistan in December after a month of weapons training in November. Now, everybody in the military has weapons training, but he has to learn a few new ones because he will be with a Special Forces unit, which means he will be traveling and working through combat zones instead of in a hospital. Scary. So this was one last thing to do before leaving. They live in Clovis, New Mexico, so it became a family event. Mac's brothers family's came down from the Boise area, and let me tell ya, it was one mad house. There were 10 children, 10 adults, and one infant in a 4 bedroom house. Utter chaos. But it was so great to have them around.

Harrison was blessed on Saturday the 25th of July, and it was such a beautiful blessing. I am so grateful to have a husband who honors and is worthy to hold the priesthood. It was so nice to have family here!

So to finish this unorganized and choppy post, here are some of Harrison's likes/dislikes:

- he loves to be snuggled, which I love

- he likes taking showers, and baths are growing on him

- he still doesn't care much for a pacifier :(

- he doesn't like the drive from Missoula, MT to Dillon, MT, or any other travel for that matter

- he may or may not like his car seat

- he loves to coo and smile, especially when mom is around

- he likes whipped cream and jello (in very, very small amounts)

- he doesn't like to be on his back for very long

- he likes rodeo's and fireworks

- he loves to be rocked to sleep by his daddy

I cannot believe how big he is getting! My love for him grows everyday, and I am so elated that I have been blessed by such a beautiful boy! He really is a good baby.

AND NOW A WORD FROM McCord:

Ditto to what Olivia says about our beautiful son. I love that little buckaroo. It really is great to have him as part of our family. It is great to know that I have such a wonderful wife and fantastic son.

I really do not want to return to Moscow. It has nothing to do with school or the stresses that are coming in the next year, but it is more that I will be leaving the land that I really love. I will miss roping and watching Forest progress (I might take him to a ropin' before we head back to Moscow). If I didn't know that this was what the Lord had in the cards for my little family, and without the support of my wife and the rest of our family and friends, I don't think I could do it. Thanks to all ya'll. Pictures of Forest and some of the other events are forthcoming...

His cute, chubby legs during a nap.

Our first family photo :)