Maternity Leave

Well, I just cannot believe that maternity leave has come to an end. It has been the best 12 weeks of our lives so far, and I know that while this chapter is over, each and every day only gets better with our little man. I have so many emotions about going back to work, it didn't really hit me until today when we dropped off Connor for a few hours at daycare.

We are so excited about the center that he will be at, and we know that he will be in good hands. I love my job, and I am so excited to work on City Target and our new format, Target Express, a project that I have been on since it's initial concept stage, which has been great. Work is a big part of who I am, but being a mom has definitely redefined who that person is. I hope to find a great balance between the two, to be a great working mom, it will be a journey for all of us!

I wanted to capture the highlights of these last 12 weeks at home with our little man. I have been keeping a journal every day capturing how we spend each day and key milestones, but I figured I'd only share a highight from each week for the blog, it's still kind of long, sorry! Enjoy! :)

Week 1: Most of our first week was spent in the hospital. Because of the eventful delivery (see earlier blog post) and recovery for both me and Connor, we got some quality time with daddy and doctors and nurses! We had lots of great visitors to come meet Connor. Our little dude spent most of the first week as a "glow worm" due to his jaundice after all of the bruising from delivery!

Week 2: Because I ended up having a c-section, Mike was able to take an additional week off of work to be home with us and help out. This was so great given I wasn't able to do much, like drive, or carry anything more than Connor, so it was great to have him around! We also celebrated some special birthdays during week 2, starting with Uncle Joe's 23rd birthday on Nov. 19th and cousin Kensley's 5th birthday on Nov 23rd. We enjoyed taking him out that week including his first trip to Target, and his first Friendsgiving with the ISU crew.

Connor's first restaurant experience for uncle Joe's birthday!

He was not a fan of bath time in the beginning, he loves it now!

Our little dude has been pretty chill right from the start!

Connor loves his Cousins Kensley, Mason and Emma!

Week 3: The third week of Connor's life was Thanksgiving! We were able to spend thanksgiving with both the McQuillan and Harper sides of the family. He was a huge hit at both outings, and he got lots of snuggles! Another great thing about week 3, was even though daddy had to go back to work, Grandma Mac came and hung out with me and Connor every day. It was so great to have my mom there to visit with!

Afternoons with Grandma Mac

McQuillan Thanksgiving

Harper Thanksgiving

Week 4: During week 4 we had a lot of mommy and Connor time, including our first New Momma class at Amma parenting. Little did we know at the time that this would become one of our favorite parts of maternity leave and that we would both meet friends we would have for a lifetime. Speaking of friends for a lifetime, we also had some time spent with Mike's friends from Farmington and all of their babies. It's so fun that they are all with in one year of each other!

Week 5: This week was pretty incredible, when Connor showed us just how strong he is. He rolled over one day before he turned one month. I couldn't believe it! At first I thought it was just a fluke, but he has continued to do it since then, minus a small break while gaining some chunkiness :) ...but now he's back at it and can roll over both ways from his tummy to his back, he hates tummy time!

Week 6: This was a great week because we started to get "real" smiles. Non-gas induced smiles. We also took trips into both my work and mike's work!

Week 7: Christmas took on a whole new meaning for us this year! It was so great sharing Christmas with our little man. We enjoyed get togethers with lots of family members and started our own family tradition of reading "The Night Before Christmas" on Christmas Eve, setting out milk and cookies for Santa, and opening presents under our tree on Christmas morning!

Great Grandma Glo Harper flew in from Montana to surprise us!

Harper Christmas

Santa paid Connor a special visit since we missed the McQuillan extended family Christmas!

Christmas Eve with the cousins!

Christmas morning at home with his gifts!

McQuillan Family Christmas

Week 8: For NYE we went over to the Davis's house for fondue and playtime with Connor's friends Ali and Easton. Connor decided to party and stayed up until 11:59, at which point he passed out!

Approximately 11:59

Week 9: January proved to be one of the coldest months I can remember. The first deep freeze due to the Polar Vortex happened during week 9. We stayed in and didn't go anywhere for 3 long days! Connor didn't mind, he was as smiley as ever, and we discovered his love for music! We also moved Connor to the crib this week, the first two nights were rough, but every since then he has been a champ! He loves his Halo swaddles and he only wakes up 1 or 2 times a night!

Week 10: This was a busy week! It was our last new mom class at Amma, which was extremely sad! We also had Connor's 2 month check up, and he measured up to be a BIG healthy boy, 14lbs. 2oz!! We also took Connor to his first Wild game, which was SO much fun! I'm hoping his love for hockey is firmly established! :)

Week 11: We discovered mom and baby yoga at Blooma about week 9, and it became part of our regular routine, once we could get out of the house and escape the cold. Connor LOVES it, especially some of the massage and stretches that help him get out some of his gas!

Week 12: On this last week of maternity leave, I have been soaking up every single snuggle and cuddle that I can. We have gotten together with lots of friends this last week, enjoyed mom and baby yoga, and done a trial run at daycare. I can't believe how fast time has gone, how quickly he has grown and changed and how I am overwhelmed by love every time I look at him. We are just so blessed, and I have been so blessed to have a husband who has allowed me to have this time with our son, and a job that allows me to take this time, and is welcoming me back with open arms. I know the best parts of my day will continue to be every minute spent with this little man, and I look forward to coming home to him every night!

Wish us luck!

Top 13 of 2013

Well, it's that time of year again, it's so hard to believe that another year has gone by, but it is safe to say that this has been the best year yet! Mike and I feel so blessed to have shared another year together happily married and have truly enjoyed spending time with friends and family...and most importantly expanding our own family! Looking back on this year, here are some of our favorite moments:

1.  This February was a crazy month for our family, first we traveled to Mexico with our good friends the Hitsmans. We had an amazing time soaking up the sun, soaking up the pool time, and soaking up the drinks! We love travelling with them, and we look forward to knocking off more trips and locations on our list in the years to come!

2. I started a new role at Target in February. I am now buying Health and Beauty products for our City Target stores. I have loved this new role and opportunity to be part of such an innovative part of a great company. Plus it has allowed me to travel a little bit more, which I have also enjoyed!


3. The night before I started my new job, we found out that our lives would be changing in a HUGE way...when we discovered our little man Connor was on the way. I know that this is one of the most incredible moments for all parents, and we felt just amazing, especially considering we had been undergoing infertility treatments for almost a year. We couldn't believe that they actually worked, and that we would be parents by the end of the year!


4. March continues to be one of our favorite months and this year was no exception. One of these reasons is my favorite holiday is Saint Patrick's Day. Being the good Irish girl that I am, I love celebrating this holiday every year...it was a little tricky pretending to drink this year and hiding it from family and friends, but it still was a great day! I also love sharing this holiday with one of my best friends Amy, as we celebrate her birthday on St Patty's, and this being the year we turned the big 30, all birthdays were kind of a big deal!

5. March is also the month of our Godson Mason's birthday. We just love Mas-man so much. He is just a light in this world, and his smile can charm anyone! We love this little dude so much!

6. Telling our family that we were expecting was one of the most fun mornings. We hosted Easter this year so that we would be able to tell our families all at the same time that we were pregnant. In our first ultrasound, Connor just looked like a little Jelly bean, so we thought what better way to tell our families than to introduce our little Jelly bean to them. We stuffed these little pictures in plastic Easter eggs, and had them open them prior to praying and eating Easter brunch!

7. In April, me and three of my closest friends from college celebrated our 30th birthdays! We took a trip to Lake Okaboji, IA, and it was a great weekend! We enjoyed the lake with walks, a nice dinner, and drinks (O'douhls for me :)) It was the first 80 degree weekend of the year, and it was just perfect! We all met over 10 years ago, and it was such a great way to celebrate this milestone with each other!

8. May was an amazing month this year, as the newest addition the McQuillan family arrived 4 days before my birthday and her due date! Emma Mary McQuillan arrived on May 7th and we are so in love with this little girl! She is SO laid back and smiley. She just loves watching her older brother and sister, and she is a GREAT cuddler. We can't wait to watch her and Connor grow up together!

9. I turned the big 30 on May 11th and Mike threw me a great party! It was definitely not how I imagined my 30th birthday if you had asked me years ago what it would be like , as I was not drinking and pregnant, there were 11 kids and 9 pregnant ladies at my party, but I wouldn't have had it any other way! :) In September, I surprised Mike with an early 30th birthday party in Ames, IA. We tailgated for the ISU/Iowa game followed by a limo around Des Moines...which broke down so it turned into a party on the side of the road followed by a party bus around town, but we made some good memories nevertheless!

10. This summer marked a big point for the McQuillan family as well, as my little bug, aka my little brother graduated from College and all three McQuillan kids officially entered the real world! I am so proud of my little brother Joe, and I cannot believe that he is done with school! It feels like just yesterday he was born, and now he is a full blown adult! It is so crazy, and Mike and I just love hearing all of his stories about starting a job, going to happy hour, and going out all the time with friends on the weekends...oh to be 23 again! :)

11. Mike and I again enjoyed trips to northern Minnesota with the family and friends. We did two trips up north with the McQuillan family, one to Alexandria and one to Brainerd. Then we again went to the Johnson cabin in Perham MN for the 4th of July, it was another great year with great weather! We are so lucky!

12. Mike and I continue to love to travel. And so we took advantage of this last summer with out kids, and some work trips to get a few good vacations in before baby. We had a great time in Chicago, Portland and Seattle!

13. Finally, and probably most obviously, the absolute highlight of 2013 was the birth of our son Connor Mac Harper on 11.12.13. It was an amazing experience being pregnant with this little man all year, and then bringing him into the world this November. It has been a crazy 7 weeks so far, and we are loving every moment of being parents. We are so blessed with this little man, and we are just amazed watching him grow every day!

We hope that you all had a blessed 2013 and we wish you nothing but the best in 2014! Cheers and happy new year!
Mike, Katie and Connor