Some things that are going on here

So, here are some things that are going on at the Phillips.
Margot is crawling! She started last week, about three days before her 7 month birthday. So, that changes things. She's taken to it so aggressively that she's rubbed her little knees raw. I guess she was really ready. Who would have guessed that she would be crawling before she was sleeping through the night. She's also waves to herself, which is really cute.

Here's a conversation from this morning that I think is worth noting.

H: "MOM! Daddy took my rabbit away!"
Me: "Well, why did Daddy do that?"
H: "I don't know! All I did was give Margot a high five on her face."

So, there you go. I know it's not much but that's a small glimpse into our lives.
We are also really excited to get our Christmas tree up this weekend.

Ariel and the Bee

Happy Halloween!

Margot and "Fea Bea"

Here's a picture of Margot and her new ugly doll, Fea Bea. They're big buddies. It's hard to tell in this picture, but they both have two teeth. Yes, Margot already has two teeth! In summary: Hair - zero. Teeth - two.

Walking for a Cure

This past week Harper and I (Dad here) went downtown to take part in the Light the Night Walk, a fundraiser for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. It's more than a little moving to see so many people come together to support those whose lives have been touched by blood cancers. Supporters walked with red balloons, survivors walked with white ones and those walking in someone's memory carried a balloon of gold. It was a sad and inspirational sea of balloons bouncing along downtown Nashville and in the mix of all those gold and white, to have little Harper Mae with me anchoring one of the red ones was a touching experience and one that made me grateful beyond words.

(She also carried a bag of Lays and a dirty piece of toy jewelry she found on the ground, but hey, she's three and it was nearly 8 pm...you've gotta keep em interested somehow.)

Anyway, I loved that she came out and took part even if she wasn't altogether sure what it was for. Here's to Harper and a long life of being there for others.

In other news, we accidentally washed Margot last week and didn't realize until we dumped out the laundry basket.

and the cute just keeps on coming

I took Harper to see my buddy Thad play in Nashville on Thursday. (If you like music, you should buy his new record.) Around 6:30, as Thad was starting, Harper got sleepy and asked to hop up on my shoulders. Midway through the second song she started tapping my shoulder excitedly. "Daddy! The music is waking me up!"

Life as we know it.

Wednesday's are water play day at Harper's school. So, naturally, today we sent her to school wearing a Dora swimsuit, Crocs and a towel in hand. I drove to school feeling quite proud of myself because I had actually remembered that today was Wednesday and therefore water play day without having to turn around half way to school. I like to give myself really big credit for really small feats.

Anyway, as the Phillies and I traipse into Harper's classroom looking like we could really use a shopping cart for all our loot (I am hauling Margot's car seat [ complete with Margot], Margot's bag of bottles, Harper's bag of extra clothes and Sleeping Beauty) I abruptly realize that Harper is the only child wearing a swimsuit. She turns to me and give me the classic, "MOM!" look as her teacher gently tells me that water play ended two weeks ago.

In other news, Margot is a complete insomniac. Honestly, I can't even begin to explain how frequently she wakes up through the night because no one would believe me. So, I won't. Thankfully she's precious so it's at least nice to visit with her all night long.

She also enjoys a little oatmeal cereal with carrots for dinner now.

A sister is a wonderful thing

Hey Look: Fresh Fruit.

Look at me!

Margot says, "Look at me! I'm four months old and as precious as I can be!"

Family shot from Cheekwood Gardens.

Watering the Plants

Harper posing in front of Laura Fern.

quick pics

Hey everyone. Here's us and all the girls (and the lone boy, George) and what we looked like when we were all in Rhode Island recently. All's well, I just wish my face were a little rounder and puffier. Happy waning days of summer wherever you are.

Today...

Today, I gave Margot her first manicure (trimmed nails, not painted), labeled her little clothes and cried about 1000 tears on her tiny, little, bald head.

Tomorrow, I go back to work and Margot starts school.

Send love, please.

Margot and Mom

Summertime - Phillies style.

From marching in 4th of July parades, to first-time boat trips on the lake to a blissful 10 days at the beach, the Phillies are having one heck of a summer.

Notice how sweetly Harper is holding on to Margot's arm in this picture. It was the first moment I realized what a wonderfully protective and caring big sister she is going to be.
That's Harper in the red shirt and massive hat. They made about 50 laps around the playground and I noticed half way through that she was crying as she marched. As she passed me (not breaking formation) she sobbed "my hat won't stay on top of my head." Bless her heart. I promptly removed it and she finished the parade with a smile.

Testing, one two.

They call me Monkey and Snort and Booger...

And I don't know why.

Father's Day Fact sheet as filled out by Harper at school

Favorite Food: Salads
Favorite TV Show: The Weather
Favorite Drink: Wine
Age: 24
Weight: I can't tell
Height: Giant
What does he do around the house? Cook with his grill and eat with my mommy.

Ballet, sweet feet etc.

Margot's sweet feet at 7 weeks old...

Summer time fun?

Put your hands in the air like you just don't care

Harper is the one on the left. I promise to get a picture from the front next class. I was feeding Margot while snapping photos and didn't get the best shots, but I would like to point out that Harper is the only one in the ballet "ready position" here. Nice work, babe.

Happy first six weeks of life to Margot!

Update from the Phillies...

1) Margot is now 6 wonderful weeks old. Her new tricks include the following: kicking her feet wildly, smiling and cooing, stealing hearts, hiccups and holding her head up with the skill and grace of an 8 week old. Yes, she too is advanced well beyond her weeks.

2) Harper is a great big sister. She has only asked me once if I thought Margot would like to be stuffed into the toilet. (Of course I told her no and she seemed fine with that.)

Much to Harper's great delight, she started ballet lessons. Harper "dancing" in her leotard and leather ballet slippers is hands down one of the cutest things I have ever seen in my life. Pictures forthcoming.

3) Sleep factor...low but improving.

4) Happiness and gratefulness factor...very high.

We are settling into our family of four very nicely. And now for what you're really wanting...

Sweet little Margot

Best attempt at capturing a smile

Harper's new cowboy boots and hat - thanks Nonnie!

Harper and her ubiquitous pasta

'cause it all goes by so fast...

and it won't be too long until it will be impossible to remember that her hands were ever this small. Isn't it incredible that even with only a few weeks of life under her belt, she knows how to reach out and hold my hand?

Photos. That's all.

Hello from the Gang of Four. Too tired to talk. Here's pictures of the little and littler. Hope your Memorial Day is glorious.








OK, so I have to comment on this one. It looks like Harper just auditioned to be the leader of a gang of street dancers. If you know of such a gang, please let us know.

Little Miss M.

We are emerging from the fog. I got three straight hours of sleep last night and things are really looking up. (The three hours of sleep are because of an amazing product called the Miracle Blanket. It looks like a pink straight jacket but no new parents should be without one. I could not possibly be more serious about this.)

Little Margot is an amazingly sweet baby. She really only cries when she's hungry...did I mention she's a VERY hungry baby? The great news is that the minute I begin to feed her she's back to being her dreamboat self. I think we're going to keep her.

Welcome to the family, Margot. We're finally complete.

Playing Catch-Up

Hi there. We have hundreds of pictures of Margot doing exactly the same thing and we thought it was time to share some with you.

Margot is now about 10 days old and is growing accustomed to her home. During the day she's a real snooze-hound. At night, she isn't really sleeping that much which means we aren't really sleeping that much which means we're in about the shape you might expect for parents of a 10-day-old.

Luckily for us, we've been surrounded by generous mothers who are making it possible for us to focus on Margot for a bit before we take off the training wheels and square off as an official family of four.

Arriving home.



Mood swing.


Why am I on the floor?


Who cares. I'm going to sleep.

The day we brought Margot home was also her big Sister's birthday. Everyone tells you that the second child arrives way in advance of the due date so, for a foolish second, we actually thought of throwing Harper a birthday party on May 2 thinking that would have allowed plenty of time for an early arrival and getting home and settled, etc.

We decided to bump it a week because we remembered we're not stupid which is good considering the original plan would have had a mess of kids and their handlers in the backyard the day we got home from the hospital. So we planned Harper's birthday party for May 9, in the middle of what is apparently Nashville's rainy season. For a party scheduled to take place in the backyard and with no real plan B for a move inside, the scattered T-Storms that were predicted were worrisome.

Miraculously, the clouds parted, the crowd partied, and we all enjoyed the first sunny afternoon since before Harper's real birthday. It was right on time. Much love and Happy Mother's Day to everyone.