Sand, sunshine, and FAMILY!

Our trip to Florida was a success! Parker did very good traveling ... slept most of the way. We had lots of fun on the farm with aunt Alison! Parker LOVED Alison's horse, Lionus. After the weekend on the farm, we headed to the BEACH!! Ahhhh ... a MUCH needed vacation! A little R&R for mommy and daddy, while Parker got to bond with his grandparents and aunt Alison. Parker LOVED the pool. He never wanted to get out! The weather was absolutely beautiful and we were sad to leave the sand. It's back to reality until next month .... Playa here we come!!!!

FLORIDA BOUND!

Our FIRST road trip as 3 .... ahhhhh! Who would have thought it would be so stressful to pack for a little baby? Ya, I'm still stressing about it! We are going Florida to visit my sister in-law Alison. She has not yet met Parker so we are excited to introduce him to her. She is competing in a horse competition Saturday so we will be cheering her on. Then we will be celebrating Halloween on the farm with everyone! So excited! Sunday we are heading Destin to stay on the beach for the week! So excited! OCEAN and SAND .... HERE WE COME!! Don't worry, I will be taking LOTS of pictures of "Parker the caterpillar" and "Parker the BEACH bum"! Depending if John brings his computer, I will try to blog from the beach. Until then ... BON VOYAGE!!
Hope we're not forgetting anything ...
Bottles ... check
Formula ... check
Diapers ... check
Bibs ... check
First aid kit ... check
Bathtub, shampoo ... check
Lots of blankets ... check
Stroller ... check
Play toys ... check
Pack and Play ... check
Halloween costume ... check
LOTS of clothes ... check
(daddy took these pics of us laying in bed this morning when we told buggy he was going to the beach)

First swim cap ... then SPEEDOS????

Today Parker and I were so lucky to get to spend the day with his cousins (my cute little nephews). My sister in-law Gina had conferences at school today and Billy is out of town for business, so she had asked me to pick the boys up from school and get them to their swim practices on time. So I was surrounded by OTTER boys all day!!! When Spencer got back from his practice, he let Parker try on his new swim cap. I snapped these pics on my cell phone of the boys! Love them! We have a future swimmer on our hands!

Lovin' his FEET

It's OFFICIAL .... Parker has found his feet and once he gets a hold of them, there's NO letting go!!!

HUBER'S 10-24-09

Mom and I took Parker to Huber's Farm yesterday to get some pictures of him in the pumpkin patch. John and I had taken him a couple weeks ago but didn't get any pictures. So, I was really looking forward to going back for some cute pics. He slept the whole time while we ate and even on the tractor ride to the pumpkin patch. It was cold and windy and boy was he in shock when I woke him up. We got some great pictures, all though he looks like a sleepy head in most! I was so glad we made it back and so glad mom got to go with us! She's the BEST!!!

Parker's 4 month check-up

We had Parker's 4 month check-up last Friday. He officially weighs 15.5lbs! I thought for sure he would be at least 18lbs. He's getting so BIG and so are my arm muscles from holding him! Everything looked great. I came in with a list of questions for the doctor, she probably thought I was crazy, but i'm just a first time mommy with LOTS of questions! Parker has had some problems with his eyes ever since he was born. They said his tear ducts are not fully developed therefore we constantly have to wipe them. All his measurments were in the 55-75% range, which is perfect. I had no idea that Parker was getting shots again at this appointment. I had to take him by myself this time becasue John was in a meeting. Ya, not so fun dealing with one very ANGRY baby by yourself! BUT, after a few minutes, he didn't even remember and he was passed out! Since Parker is doing great with his formula, the doctor said we could start trying cereal at night. This might help him sleep even more at night. We will keep our fingers crossed he does well with the cereal!

First set of wheels

Parker got to try out his new Jeep walker today. We thought we would try it since he's anxious to start walking already. His feet barely touch but he seemed to love it once he got used to it! Pretty soon he will be cruzin' around the house.

Parker's FIRST day of school!

Here is Parker before he left for school this morning. We dropped him off at the church at 9:30am and YES, I was nervous, and YES I had tears in my eyes when I left him. He started crying as soon as we got there. His teacher told me it was best to leave without him seeing me. Poor bubby. BUT, I did enjoy my day off. I actually got a whole grocery list of stuff. The first since Parker was born. It's hard going grocery shopping with a baby. After that I headed to the gym, then cleaned the house! 2:00 came too fast! I DID miss him though and was so excited to pick him up. His teacher said she could tell he was VERY spoiled from being held all the time. But who wouldn't want to hold him, he's WAY too cute to put down! I think Mother's Day Out was a great success and good for both Parker and I. Next school day is Wednesday!

- Your's truly,
Proud Momma

LAZY Sunday

This is what you call MAN to MAN "bonding" time :)

Mommy or Daddy?

I finally got a hold of mine and John's baby pictures. WOW, I guess the nurses thought I looked like a boy so they decided to give me a mohawk! I was a much cuter child when I got my blonde hair. After seeing both pictures together, I think Parker looks more and more like John now. What do you think?!?

Mommy's Day Out

So, we all know that being a "stay-at-home" mommy can be tough. Not only are you getting up at night but you are constantly 24/7 baby. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE LOVE LOVE being at home with my son, but sometimes we need a break! Parker has all the sudden started getting up AGAIN in the night. Geeeezzz, just when I get excited about him sleeping 9 hours. We call this our little "set-backs". Hmmmmmm ..... hopefully this is just a phase. We have started seeing signs of teething so this may be the problem! I feel like a walking zombie ONCE AGAIN! He only naps a couple times a day and only for a few minutes. So I am constantly holding, feeding, and entertaining him. Sooooo, my prayers were answered and I found a "Mommy's day out" program at the church behind our house. It is called Second Presbyterian Church and it is perfect. I can literally walk there. I stopped in to check it out. I was very happy with it. It's not so much a daycare, much smaller and less kids. The teachers were wonderful, very experienced and sweet. The program will be 2 days a week starting at 9am-2pm. I think this will work great for me. We decided to take him Mondays and Wednesdays. This way it gives me time to go to the grocery, clean the house, cook, shop, or even just REST! Since it is just behind the house, I can stop by and pick him up anytime. John and I are both meeting the director and teachers in the morning for an interview. I think John will like it and I think he agrees that this will be a good thing. This morning there was only one little baby girl in his class. So I'm sure he will get lots of attention. I don't want to start Parker in a daycare just yet. I know it's important to socialize him with other kids, but with the flu going around so bad this winter, it's just TOO RISKY! I think this "mothers day out" will help me take some time out for myself. I'll keep you posted on Parker's first day!

Speechless Saturday

What does the Wooly Worm predict for Winter?

Weather folklorists believe the more black hairs a woolly worm has, the worse the winter will be. If the caterpillar has more orange, then the winter will be mild. When they're brown, or have stripes, you can forecast a wet January, warm with rain. What do you think?

After a long search for the PERFECT Halloween costume for Parker we decided on the CATERPILLAR! I can't wait to put him in it on Halloween!

-Yours truly,
Caterpillar mamma

Parker's first BOAT cruise 10-7-09

Lucky us, daddy came home and said he was taking us on a boat cruise tonight! I was so excited! We haven't gotten to take Parker out yet on the boat and I wanted to get some pictures of him before we take the boat out for the winter. Tonight was a beautiful night for a boat cruise. He did great, loved watching the water and LOVED watching the flag on the back of the boat. He fell asleep on the way back though. Boating must have worn him out! I was in heaven .... my baby boy on my lap, my husband, dog, and the water! Perfect ending to a wonderful night :)

- Yours Truly,
Boating Beautys

Addicted to his THUMBS

Here is Parker at 14 weeks. Never have I known a baby that does not like pacifiers until I met Parker. What baby doesn't enjoy a good ol' pacifier to suck on?!? MINE, and we can't get him away from his hands!!! Ahhhhhh .... help!

- Yours truly,
mommy of a thumb sucker

Mall walkers

Parker and I decided to venture out to the mall for a quick mall walking session this morning. I try to take him walking at the mall a couple times a week. For someone that is addicted to shopping like myself, this can be hard, and I mean VERY hard! I must say that I do give in at times, I mean who wouldn't?!? So today was dark and rainy out and I didn't feel like sitting in the house all day. I can finally breathe today and i'm starting to feel like myself again .... so look out mall, here we come! We headed inside and as soon as I opened the mall doors, Parker starts screaming crying! Just my luck. I realized he was leaving a little treat in his diaper for me. AWESOME! So we stroll up to the bathroom at Von Maur and I did a quick diaper change and then it was time to feed. As we were sitting in the bathroom eating, another mommy came in with her daughter that maybe looked 2 or 3. She sat next to me, little girl on her lap and up the shirt went. She just pulled out her boob like it was nothing! YUCK ... I felt so uncomfortable. I know it's a "natural" thing but I am SOOOOOO glad I don't have to do that. I would seriously never go anywhere! After experiencing that we were ready to take on the mall! With only 2 diaper changes and 1 quick bottle, we survived both malls, bringing home a Halloween costume for Parker and some boots for me! All in all, a GREAT day!

- Yours truly,
mall walkin' mamma