Eagles and Moose and Whales...OH MY!!!

On June 26th, Matt and I packed up our 9 month old boy and braced ourselves for the longest 14 hours of our lives (labor comes in a close 2nd).  That is right, we went to Alaska!!!  At the airport, we were told several times that we were crazy to fly that far with a baby and there were moments I had to agree with them.  Harrison was a trooper though.  I am going to brag on my sweet pea for a moment because this is much deserved....Harrison never cried on the plane!!  Don't get me wrong, it was a lot of work.  He got restless and required a lot of entertaining, but he did it!  The plane ride home went just as smooth and I could  not be more proud of my little frequent flyer (I will soon post on the rest of our summer vacations, hence the lack of blog posts). 

Our visit with Courtney and Ryan was wonderful.  It was so much fun to see where my sister has been living for the last 2 years.  I will admit, after a week in that beautiful state, I was a little jealous of the time she has there.  So much to see, so much to do.  Matt and I plan to go back someday because there is only so much you can do in one week, especially with a baby (that you are trying to keep on what is left of a schedule after a four hour time change). 

Courtney and Ryan have a beautiful home on the Elmendorf Airforce Base in Anchorage.  They treated us to wonderful dinners and beautiful sight seeing.  Other than spending time with my sister, the thing I was most looking forward to was the wildlife in Alaska.  My prayers were answered (ask and you shall receive) and I saw some amazing animals!  I am still jealous that Matt and Ryan came across (within 20 feet!!!) 2 black bears on the 16th hole of their golf game.  Harrison and I made out pretty well on our wildlife finds, we saw 7 moose, 4 bald eagles, 2 mountain goats, 30+ sea lions, hundred of puffins,......AND 4 WHALES!!!!  Matt and I also enjoyed some hiking (2.8 miles above sea level!) sans HD, thanks to Courtney who wanted to soak in every minute with Harrison. 

The weather was a nice break from the heat and humidity of home.  We enjoyed temperatures in the 60s and even though we had several days of rain, we did not let that slow up down!  The hardest part of the trip was adjusting to the 24 hours of daylight.  Boy does that mess with your mind.  Thank goodness for blinds and blackout curtains!

It really was a fabulous week!  Here are some pictures of our trip!

Family!

Auntie Coco, Uncle Ryan and cousin Spencer

Courtney's neighborhood at MIDNIGHT!!!  

 

Harrison and Spencer quickly became buddies!

Hiking

No one was at the top to take our picture so I took one of our shadows :)

Animals!!

Clockwise: At the Alaska Zoo, Sea Lions on a rock, a moose outside our car, and a whale right beside our boat!!

This is a picture of one of the bears Matt and Ryan came across on the golf course but the picture isn't too great since all they had on them were phones to take pictures.

Put-In Bay, OH

Matt and I enjoyed a few low key days in Put-In Bay, OH with his parents last week.  It was a short vacation (5 days for me, 3 for Matt) but it was wonderful nonetheless.  In my relaxing time there, I enjoyed a hammock, 3 books, a pool, some wonderful little boutiques, a date night with my honey, a small town parade, and I even snuck in a tequila sunrise :) Also, I officially became an old fart.  Because I had a six hour drive with Harrison, I decided to try a book on tape (well it was actually a cd).  For six hours I listened to Paula Deen's biography narrated by Paula Deen of course.  I must say, I was highly entertained, but it must have bored Harrison.  My little angel slept the entire trip!!

Here are some pictures from our trip....

9 months old

Harrison is now nine months old.  I have officially started planning his first birthday party and I absolutely can not believe how fast this time has gone by.  My little baby boy is now starting to look like a little boy.  He is so much fun right now, if I could I would freeze this moment and keep him at this age for a very, very long time!!  He is such a little ham and has a personality that commands the attention of every one in the room.  Aside from being adorable and funny, my boy is smart.  He is smart in ways that amaze me and also in ways that test my patience.  He is quickly figuring out how to push the boundaries and smiles at me when I say no.  I have a feeling I am going to have me hands full! 

Here are some things he loves right now:

Watermelon
Crawling
Waiving Bye Bye
Being tossed/twirled/flipped/spun or being held upside down
Daddy
Talking (He now says dada, momma, and bye bye)
Clapping
Dancing (more like bouncing up and down)
Water (baths, swimming, washing hands)
Being Held
The Dogs Water Bowl
Opening cabinets and emptying them onto the floor
People Food
Books
Hair (Harrison loves to twirl hair as he has his bottle.  My hair is long enough that I don't think twice about it although sometimes it means no ponytails during feedings.  I love watching Matt feed Harrison because Matt has to tuck his head all the way down past his shoulder so that Harrison can reach his hair as he eats. I must take a picture of it because it is a precious sight.  Harrison has started twirling his own hair but not consistently.)

Watermelon

Enjoying a lemon

Here are some things he hates right now:

Getting his diaper changed (he does not like being held down)
Carrots
Baby Food
Sunscreen
Naps
Being left in a room alone

With his pediatrician Dr. Dedman.  Oh how we love her!!!

At Harrison's 9 month Dr. visit he weighed 20 lbs and 5 ozs.  He was 28 1/2 inches long and was in the 50% for his height, weight, and head.  He has had three ear infections but has a very high pain tolerance.  He is allergic to penicillin and takes medicine like a champ. 

Harrison is into anything and everything right now.   He crawls constantly and is gaining speed with each day.  He now follows me around the house all day long and talks to me as he moves along (more like bah bah dadadada bbbrrrrrrr mamama).  Yesterday we played our first game of hide and seek.  I would hide and he would crawl down the hallway and into the rooms to find me.  He would squeal with delight when he saw me, but I think I was having even more fun :)  He is very independent, but still loves to cuddle.

Happy Father's Day

Since I am just getting back into town, I thought I would blog about Father's day even though it is two days late. 

First, I would like to thank my husband for being an amazing father to our son.  It is so much fun to watch the excitement in your eyes as you talk to him, play with him, and day dream about outings you can do together as he gets older.  Harrison absolutely lights up when he sees you and I know his love for you is just beginning.  I can not wait to witness so many great father/son memories.  And I can not imagine a more perfect partner to be parenting with!! 

And to my precious daddy...You set the bar pretty high.  Not many little girls are lucky enough to have a father like you.  I would like to say that I always showed you how much I love and appreciate you, but I might have tried your patience a time or two.  Thank you for shaping me into the woman that I am today and for teaching me the importance of my faith, and my family, and always showing kindness to others (even perfect strangers).  I love your smile, your bald head, your blue eyes and your huge heart.  We are a lucky group of girls, us Lovejoys!!  Thank you for...everything!

The many faces of Harrison Davis....

Southern Summertime

Summer in the south consists of sweet tea, flip flops, sweat, sunshine, neighbors, sweat, family, swimming, country music, sweat, lightning bugs, seersucker, cookouts, and did  mention sweat?!?!  I absolutely love summertime and all of the little joys that accompany the unbearable heat.  Here are some pictures of my little man enjoying his first summer.