Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Fussing for Food

"Mom, I don't want to eat any more of this table food....I want PUFFS! Puffs, puffs, PPPUUUFFFFSSSSSS!"
"Yes!!! Puffs for me? Thanks SO much, Momma."
"I'm out of puffs again, Mom!!! What is wrong with you, woman? Get it together!"

I'm trying, buddy!

Translated from the Parker to English dictionary--2011 version.

Monday, March 28, 2011

Brother from Another Mother (and Father)

We wondered if they would get along. Would Reese like the new member of our family? Would Parker be excited about or scared of his "big brother"?
From the first day we brought Parker home, they seemed to like each other well enough. I thought maybe it was because Parker just sat there and Reese could sniff him, and Reese was fun for Parker to watch.
Now that they are able to actually interact with each other, I know that it's because they are both happy to have a "brother" to play with.
They have a somewhat symbiotic relationship--Parker gives Reese a little bit of everything he eats, and Reese gives Parker......lots of kisses? a good push down onto the floor? nibbles on the finger? They both seem to love each other very much and enjoy each other's company.

Whatever works! I guess Reese will be his BFF until Parker has a real brother or sister to play with. Until then, I'll just keep the Handi-Wipes handy (haha!).

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Happy Birthday to Me!


This weekend was my "birfday" weekend! I am now realizing that since I was not in charge of taking any pictures, not many pictures were taken. Oh well! I'll recap with words.

First of all, I would consider my birthday weekend kicking off on Wednesday when the BFF and I went to the mall to have dinner (Chick-fil-A..we are so classy), get pedicures, and shop together at Forever 21! Contrary to what you might be thinking, this was not my 16th birthday--it was actually my 27th. hahaha! We had a great time, as always, and were able to catch up and relax (kind of) together. The nail salon was an "experience" to say the least, and I doubt we'll go
back to that one anytime soon. Amy got a couple of cute things at Forever 21, and all I bought was jewelry. I am just not that into clothes right now--I need to use my birthday present from my Mom and Omi (an elliptical--YAY!) and then maybe I'll be more in the mood to go through the pain of clothes shopping! The main thing is that we were able to spend time together and talk without any (ahem) interruptions at all.

Renee came over super-early Friday morning to travel with Parker and I to Target and Trader Joes. We ate a yummy lunch at home and she hung around for a while to spend time with Parker while I did some cleaning. She is so super helpful and I hope she knows how much I always appreciate her spending time with us and being my "Friday Nanny". Haha! :) Parker really does love his Auntie Nay and I am so glad that he has brought the two of us closer together.

Friday night, we had dinner with Ryan's family at Sumo. We all had hibachi--one of our favorites and sooooooooo so good. The chef we had was pretty entertaining but also slightly evil--he really enjoyed scaring Parker. Every time the fire flared up, Parker would yell and try to climb out of his highchair seat. The chef noticed this and decided to do a little more fire in his "presentation" than I've ever noticed before. It was pretty hilarious to me.

Saturday was my actual birthday but was a pretty normal day! Parker let us sleep in just a little, which was a great present from him. My mom came over and watched him for a couple of hours so we could run a few errands that involved loading large heavy objects into the car. We had lunch with my mom and then she left. We did housework type things all afternoon--they needed to be done! That evening, we had breakfast for dinner with our friends Nate and Kim, and their sweet baby, Kaley. Unfortunately, no pictures were taken. I was really slacking with the camera this weekend!

Today was a pretty normal Sunday. Breakfast with my parents, church, lunch with Ryan's family, home to chill (work for me, naps for Ry and Parker), and then to Omi's for dinner! This afternoon, Parker helped me put up some Easter window decals.
My little helper. Don't you love the flowers? Thanks! I bought them for myself on Friday at Trader Joes. haha!

My mom made a yummy dinner for me since Omi is still not able to do that. Omi did make an amazingly wonderful Apple Cake (my FAVE) for me, though. I know it feels so good for her to be up and moving after her surgery!
This wasn't even the Apple Cake--she also decided to make cheesecake, too. You can tell the woman was really ready to bake! I think Parker thought everyone was singing, "Happy Birthday" to him again. He really enjoyed trying both cakes. He probably would have eaten a whole piece of each if we had let him. Alas, we have to teach him a little self-control.

My gift from Ryan was Jimmy Buffett tickets! He is coming here in May and we have wanted to see him for a while. I am super excited to go and was very surprised when I found out....after looking through a text conversation on Ryan's phone.. haha! I asked permission and he forgot about that being on there. Oh well! I was still surprised. (PS the looking through the phone was not in a creeper sort of way...just normal behavior for me!)

Like I told Ryan on Saturday, this is truly my best birthday ever because I was able to share it with him and my sweet PBJ as well as the rest of our family and our friends. I am excited for the things this year will hold and to see the way my life will change.

I'm also super-excited that I am still under 30! Woohoo! :)

Friday, March 25, 2011

Snack Trap

Sorry for the lack of blogging lately...it's so busy with work that it's just hard to sit down and focus on writing words that makes sense!

Anyway...

One of Parker's favorite things right now is his Snack Trap. It's basically the perfect-sized little cup to put puffs, Goldfish, cheerios, or whatever else in for him to snack on! The lid allows him to stick his hand in, but when he pulls his hand out with the snack, the rest of them don't fall out because the lid closes back up.
Here they are...wonderful for taking in the store or to carry around the house without getting puffs EVERYWHERE.
Sometimes a few extras fall out of the opening. When he tries to take a handful out at once, there's bound to be a few that don't make it all the way to the mouth.
I love to watch him concentrate on pulling his little num nums out. He kind of sticks his lips out and gets all serious. His little fingers make the cutest sound when they're stuck inside the cup searching for the perfect piece to pull out.

He takes after his Momma--good food, especially snack food, is serious business. No joke.
See these fingers? I have a weakness for them and the sweet little (big) hands and dimples associated with them. They have a weakness for puffs.

PS--isn't that the best shirt ever? So true.

Friday, March 18, 2011

Silhouette

I am so in love with this child.

Laundry Helper

Nowadays, when I do laundry, I bring Parker into the laundry room with me to be my "helper."
He pulls the laundry out of the dryer...
...checks to make sure there's nothing stuck on top...
...and then starts to fold!

Now if only I could get him washing dishes...

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Busteddddddd


In case you didn't know...


...Parker is now a climber!


He likes to climb up onto everything he can get his leg up on...

...and then stand on it.

I guess it's time to remove large objects from the Joovy and playpen. Sorry, buddy!

We Were Sick

ugh. Last week was rough. We were sick--all of us. First Parker, then me, then Ry. It was not pretty.

Last Monday morning, Parker woke up super-early and was super-fussy. He nursed and then proceeded to throw up all over me. It's funny how it didn't really gross me out at all--I just felt so bad for him! I did have a good amount in my hair, so I had to take a shower because, let's face it, that is just gross. Obviously, I kept him home with me all day, and he threw up only three more times. We just lounged around and relaxed together.

Outfits were changed, long naps were taken (by Parker, not me), sheets were washed, and large doses of love were administered :)
All cozy and snuggly while watching Juno in his plastic adirondack chair.
Feeling better later in the day.

The next day, Parker seemed like he was all better, so I took him to his Honey's house. He had diarrhea all day and did not want to drink much. We came thisclose to taking him to the ER due to lack of pee-diapers, but we ended up holding off and we're so glad we did. He drank a good amount that evening and had plenty of pee-diapers later on. On Wednesday, he had diarrhea just a couple more times, and that was it for the sickness.

That night, I went to bed feeling super-nauseous, hoping that I was not getting it. Unfortunately, this was not the case. In a matter of minutes, I was in the bathroom and remained there on and off until about three in the morning. It was horrible, and I would not wish that on my worst enemy. When Parker woke us up on Thursday morning, Ryan went to get him (as usual), brought him to me very quickly, and said, "I think I'm going to throw up." He then proceeded to do so in the bathroom. I could not believe that we both had "the sickness"! Fortunately for him, this was the only time that occurred, but he still felt sick all day long. We both stayed home while Honey took care of Parker again so we could get some rest. By Friday, we were up and running again like almost-normal. Ryan's stomach was still a little off, but we ate dinner at Tijuana Flats, so he wasn't too bad-off.
Not sure where this behavior is coming from--maybe the sickness, but not a regular occurrence at this point!

Parker's appetite finally returned on Saturday, and at that point I felt that I could say that we were all well.

Whew. First baby's first major sickness? Check that one off the list!

Sunday, March 6, 2011

the Turkey Baster





At the recommendation of my wonderful BFF Amy, I bought Parker a turkey baster to use as a bath toy. She said that Wyatt just loves it and it is his favorite toy for bathtime. I have to say....
She was right! He absolutely loves it. He just swings it around and drops it out of the tub--he hasn't figured out the spraying yet.

That's okay for now.

...and here are a couple others--just because.
Eyelashes, much?
Bathtime buddies. My two men. Love.

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Happy First Birthday, Parker!

Yep, that pretty much sums it up!

Well, Parker, last Friday, at 9:18pm, you turned one year old. In the months after you were born, I thought I'd be so sad and weepy when you turned one. I truly wasn't! Whether it was excitement, maturity, or the new appreciation I have for each and every day of life, I was not sad. I was happy! It's exciting to see the little boy that you are becoming, toddling around carelessly without any fear. I look forward to seeing what new things you'll learn each day, what new "words" will come out of your mouth. I love being able to teach you new things and show you how things work. I love being your Momma, and I think that's why I wasn't sad.

It's amazing to think about the progress you've made over the last year and the way your personality has developed. Here are the things happening with you right now:
  • You are still in 18-24 months shirts and 12-18 months pants. The pants are starting to get a little short, but you just don't fill out the waist of 18-24 months pants!
  • At your doctor's appointment on Friday, you were 32 and 1/4 inches long and 26 pounds, five ounces. These stats along with your head size put you in the 97-98th percentile for all measurements. You truly are my "big boy"!
  • You are now a walker. You've been doing this for about the last three weeks. You started off slow, but you really seem to have the hang of it now and will walk across entire rooms. If every room in our house had nice, padded, cushy floors and walls, you'd probably be running by now! It's just hard for us to let you go full force because we don't want you to hit your head on the hard floor or the corner of a cabinet.
  • You are still waking up at night pretty often. I read somewhere recently that this is normal around the time that children start to walk, which just so happens to be the stage of life you're in. I guess we'll just have to deal with it. It's hard though--there's usually intense screeching involved.
  • On Sunday, we gave you your first taste of whole milk. You seemed to like it, although you were letting most of it run out of your mouth. This is a new thing you do every now and then. You'll drink about half of your sippy cup and then start taking sips and letting it all come back out of your mouth all over your shirt. I guess maybe it just means you need to have the drink taken away. It's cute, though, because you get a little smile on your face when you do it. Yeah, I guess that means we should take it away. Darn.
  • You are still nursing twice per day. You nurse right when you wake up in the morning and right before you go to bed. We are slowly working toward total weaning. So far, I've just dropped all pumping. It's a step in the right direction!
  • You've learned a few words now, and will say, "hello," "bye-bye," "Momma", "Dadda", "nonono", and "all done," in your own Parker-ized version. I love being able to communicate with you just a little. You seem to understand some of the things I tell you or ask you.
  • You are doing SO MUCH better at Ms. Donna's. You really went through a rough patch for about a month or so, but she often tells me now that she would give you a gold star if she could because you're having such good days. This is what I like to hear! We still haven't made any progress in the church nursery, though. We tried a new strategy this past week of Daddy dropping you off--it made no difference. There were tears and screaming. All we can do is keep trying!
  • You LOVE to dance and shake your booty. It is so funny to watch you. You will swing your hips around, beat on your chest, bend your knees, clap, and even move your head from side to side. I think you got your rhythm from me. You most often do this when you're watching Juno Baby or if music is playing on one of your toys.
  • Speaking of Juno Baby...you're kind of in love with it. We don't turn it on all the time. Just a few times a week when we both need to get stuff done. When it comes on, you are glued to the TV. You may take your eyes off of it for just a second and then you're sucked right back in. Daddy and I are learning all the songs and stories. It's actually pretty entertaining and I don't mind the music at all--score for both of us!
Since your actual birthday was on a Friday, it was a pretty normal day. We cleaned and ran errands in the morning with Auntie Nay. Daddy took the second half of the day off so he could come to your doctor's appointment. When we got home, Auntie Nay came back over so you could open your presents from her. We went to mexican that night with Grammie and Granddaddy to celebrate!

Opening my very first birthday present--from Auntie Nay!
Tough work.
I've already figured out how it works!
I drive backwards--it's the newest thing.

We had your birthday party on Saturday at our house. We kept the "guest list" to close friends and family. We both contemplated inviting people from work, but it just seemed like that would be too much. It seemed like we had just the right number of people here. Here's a list of attendees::
-Us
-Grammie, Granddaddy, and Auntie Nay
-Opa (for a very short time). Omi couldn't come because of her recent back surgery :(
-Honey and Granddad
-Aunt Lisa, Haley and Ian
-Uncle Bryan and Aunt Lulu
-Uncle Eric
-Aunt Jean and Uncle Don
-Amy, Jimmy and Wyatt
-Mrs. Storrs
-Nate, Kim and Kaley
-Jamane and Jamisyn
-Kota

We had great party food, you opened lots of presents, and you ate your very own birthday cake. Daddy and I gave you Mega Blocks, some books, and a big bouncy horse that we're thinking about taking back because it's pretty high up off the floor. You received lots of electronic developmental toys, some ride-on toys, some books, clothes, beach accessories, and KOTA the dinosaur. Kota is a gift worth noting because you are so so so scared of her. Terrified would be an acceptable word to use. The Loughrans bought her for you because they thought you'd love her. She is the sweetest and nicest dinosaur you'd ever meet, but you want nothing to do with her! We are working on getting the two of you to know each other better. I hope that one day soon, you'll grow to be friends!
You seemed to be up almost all night long after your party. We're not sure if it was all the cake, the overall excitement from the day's events, or an overwhelming fear that Kota might creep up the stairs into your room, but we think it was one of those three options. Probably the one related to Kota.
Awww.....loving family!
.....aaaaaand there's the "real" familly photo. haha!

I think you were high on cake. And attention.
We were sooooo tired!

To sum it all up........your first birthday was a success! I am already wondering what your next birthday will be like. I am looking forward to venturing into toddlerhood with you and helping you learn and grow both physically and mentally. I cherish every single moment we spend together and love that you are still at an age where I can kiss you all over and you won't get mad or tell me to leave you alone. I think I've said this before but you are our WORLD. Your Daddy and I would do anything for you, and that is one thing that will never change. The love we have for you is a different kind of love than we're used to. I think it was kind of scary to me at first, but now I'm handling it just fine. It's an all-encompassing, life-altering, totally consuming love that I think can only be experienced by a parent. It's unconditional love.

Thanks for showing us what true love is.

We love you, buddy!