All over the place...

Our little Parker has been all over the place. Well, as much as he can without crawling (he'll be crawling any day now). He is able to turn on his belly and roll around until he gets to the object he wants. Changing him on his changing table has become more difficult (see pictures below) and he always seems to be in the nooks and crannies of his crib. After one nap I came in and found his leg wrapped up in the bumper of the crib. What a wiggle-worm! One night I awoke to him kicking the side of his crib repeatedly and turning on and off a musical nightlight with his foot. He is always kicking his legs and he constantly opens and closes his hands (like rapidly making a fist). Lately, he enjoys standing up (with our support) while he plays with a little piano and activity center. He is definitely an active little boy - I can only imagine what he'll be like when he starts crawling and (gasp) walking!!



He's also been eating like a champ. He's been eating solids now for a few weeks. He's had pears, peaches, peas, green beans, squash, carrots, and mango. His favorite so far has been pears. As you can see below he doesn't want to waste a drop!

San Diego

We've been in San Diego now for a few weeks and it has been great! I got here two weeks ago with Parker and saw two of my friends from college, Devon and Jessica. Devon is moving to Minneapolis for a new job and Jessica is teaching English in China for a month so I'm so glad I got to see them before they left! I also made a trip up to LA for a farewell dinner for Devon while Parker stayed with Aunt Allie for a couple of hours.

Me and friends in LA. It felt so weird going out for a few hours without Parker. I had to leave by 7:45 to get home to my baby.... oh, how life has changed.

I also got to see an old roommate from college, Shane, and introduce her to Parker. I loved walking around Balboa Island and I was reminded of how much I loved living by the water.

Shane, Parker, and I on Balboa Island

Last week my friend Kelly flew into town with her son Beau. Parker and Beau are only four weeks apart and we couldn't wait to introduce these future best friends! (I realized now I didn't take any pictures with Kelly and our babies... so sad!) Our friend Rachel and her daughter Lucy joined us for a couple "play dates" as well as Karyn and her two year old, Julian. We shopped and ate... pretty much what we did in high school only we had babies with us.

Beau and Parker tuckered out from a long day of shopping

Parker, Lucy, and Beau lounging

Beau and Parker rolling around --- I didn't realize what a giant head Parker has!

By the time Kelly was ready to fly home it was time to pick Jake up at the airport. I was counting down the hours until pick up time when suddenly he called to say Southwest was cancelling his flight. Such chaos! He would hang up suddenly and call me back with updates. On one call he blurted out, "Can you pick me up in Orange County?... OK... I'm boarding. Bye." It was intense. I jumped in the car with P-man and arrived at the OC airport the moment Jake was walking out onto the sidewalk. Perfect timing.

Now Jake has been here in San Diego with us and we've been enjoying some rest and relaxation. Parker has been in the pool a few times and slept (and woken up) at some of my favorite local eateries. Just today we went to La Jolla to walk around and take pictures where we had our wedding reception almost two years ago.

Out in La Jolla

We also celebrated my dad's birthday while here. Here is Grandpa with Parker in their matching 4th of July shirts:

Parker has been 6 months for a few days now, but we haven't been to our doctor yet. Weight and height updates will be coming soon. As for milestones, he's been rolling all over the place and he is definitely getting frustrated that he can't get to things he wants. On his belly, he is starting to pull his knees up and scoot forward a little, so I guess he's on his way to crawling soon. We shall see. No teeth yet. And napping/sleeping is inconsistent still. But he LOVES to smile and we smile back so much our cheeks hurt.

Eating Pears in San Diego

Not too much time to write, but I think the title of the blog says it all. Please ignore the obnoxious "eating" noise I was making, but he would smile each time I did it so... whatever works! You may notice the little guy is in a walker which was a present from my mom. He doesn't really walk around in it yet but he is very close. Actually, when he gets excited he kicks his legs and pushes himself backwards a step.

5 Months

I've been getting some heat for not posting anything in a while. Well, it's been a lot to juggle work, guests, and a baby. I must say it has not been as hard as I thought it would be. First, I'm insanely busy at work, so I don't have time to miss little P. Second, I have the most wonderful family members who have come to stay with Parker while I finish the school year. Parker has been able to bond with so many of his relatives and I'm thankful for that. Now, I have just five more days of school to finish (3 full days and 2 half days... but who's counting....) then I am free!!!

Look who turned 5 months today!

Parker James (6/1/11)

I can't believe my little guy is five months old today! He's getting so much bigger and it seems like he's doing new things each week. He has discovered the joys of the "exer-saucer." He loves grabbing at all the animals and is getting so good at standing up in it. He has become so much more active and can't get enough of new things to look at. We get tons of smiles out of him, but most of the day he looks very inquisitive and acts like a little sponge, soaking everything up.

Parker playing in his "exer-saucer"

He also tries to put everything in his mouth. He has also discovered his feet and will suck on his toes. Yum. Changing his diaper has become more difficult because he'll grab his feet and not let go. I have to wrestle his foot away just to take the diaper off.

Putting various things in his mouth.

We feel so blessed to have such wonderful baby! We love him so much!

This is what Jake came home to after spending a week in Oregon for work.

I can't believe how big this kid is getting. He loves to wear his hats when he goes out for walks with his grandma. It has been great getting out of the house with the little guy now that the weather is warmer.

I've been so happy to have my mom and dad here this week to help with Parker (especially because Jake was out of town!). Thank you mom and dad!


I'm also very happy to have Jake back from his trip. Now we're all back together... one happy, little family.

Who the heck is this??

Who the heck is this baby?

We thought he was going to be bigger than his 15 lb 8 oz after seeing this picture...

Four Months!

How busy we've been! Not only did I survive the first week back at work, but Parker turned four months old! I can't believe how he has grown up. He has really developed into a more easy-going baby (oh gosh, knock on wood) and his sweet little personality is coming out more and more.

At four months Parker can:

- go four hours between feedings
- sleep for six hours at night (but has gone longer on some occasions)
- smile a ton (but he's mostly very serious... our little thinker)
- laugh
- eat rice cereal like a pro
- hold his head up
- roll from his belly to his back (but not regularly)

weight: 15 pounds 8 ounces (51st percentile)
length: 26 inches (63rd percentile)

Working Mom

I went back to work on Monday. After all the stress and tears in the weeks leading up to Monday, I'm actually very surprised at how well I handled it. There were no tears.... until Tuesday. Ha. I RUSHED home on Tuesday to see him and he barely looked at me. Then he gave my mom (the one watching him all day) a huge smile and giggle. Jake gets home a few hours later and Parker does the same smile and giggles for him. Oh, I did not handle that well. All the emotions/hormones/stress/lack of sleep got to me and I just started bawling and thinking I won't be able to bond with him. (My mom reassures me that I've already bonded with him and I know she is right, but at the time I was very upset.) It has been hard to adjust to not seeing my little guy all day long, but I keep reminding myself that it is not permanent. Summer will be here is six weeks and I'll be back to seeing him all the time!!!

Here is Parker eating some rice cereal for the first time. We tried and he loved it!!

Parker is Rolling

So, Parker has rolled over only a few times (three to be exact), but I was able to capture one on video! We just happened to be in my classroom getting ready for my return to work next week (yes, gasp, I go back on Monday to finish the school year - 6.5 weeks - and I'm extremely sad to leave the little guy) when he did this. I put a blanket down and put him on his belly for a little exercise. I looked at some graded student work and then looked down at Parker and he was on his back! I ran and got my iPhone and put him on his belly to see if he'd be able to do it again. Success!

I'm so proud of my little guy. It is so neat to see him reach these mini milestones!

We came home and he was rolling some more!

Parker Laughing

I was able to capture a little giggling from Parker. It might make you nauseous to watch... that's because I'm whipping my ponytail back and forth and trying to hold the camera. Parker seems to love to it... I had to sit down after. hahaha whatever works!

Lazy Weekend

Just channel surfing with dad...

Projects Around the House

We've been busy the past few months... not just with a newborn, but with moving into a new house. Jake (with help from his step-dad and my mom) built a cabinet/bookcase in our living room. There was a small alcove that we had no idea what to do with. The built-in turned out great and I'm so proud of Jake's hard work!

Here are before, during, and after photos:

Now I get to go shopping and look for a few more things to fill it with!

Three Months Old!

Our little boy is growing up so fast! It has been such an amazing week for little Parker. He finally giggled on Thursday (at his mom whipping her ponytail around and singing Willow Smith's "Whip My Hair"), but he hasn't giggled since... at least we know he can do it! He has been smiling a ton and that provides us with hours of entertainment. Here's the little guy while I'm trying to burp him:

Oh, that lil' Popeye...

Saturday morning we went to an Easter activity for the "mommy group" I'm part of. Jake, Parker, and I got to meet after other families and see what we'll get to look forward to as Parker gets older. The Easter activity was definitely geared towards older toddlers/kids, but we met families with babies that were Parker's age. There was an Easter egg hunt, small petting zoo, and the Easter Bunny!

Dad and Parker

Me, Parker, and local teenager dressed in Easter Bunny costume...

We also were able to get out and enjoy the beautiful weather! We tried putting Parker in his "big boy" stroller (versus using the car seat attachment we have) and went on a walk along the creek. There is a really nice path for strollers/bikers/runners.



So, at 3 Months here is what Parker is like:

- weight (as estimated using the Wii Fit): 14 lbs 6 oz
- babbles a lot
- is starting to smile more
- makes a serious/quizzical face more than anything (we think he ponders the problems of the world)
- still needs to be rocked to sleep (oh, my aching back)
- only takes 20/30 minute cat naps during the day (all the hard work rocking him for nothing, ha)
- a good night sleeper (usually a 5 or 6 hour stretch combined with another 2 or 3 hours)
- starting to hold his head up better, but not quite there yet
- has taken a bottle twice (very hit or miss... need to get better at that before I go back to work!)
- loves rattles
- has discovered his hands and loves to chew/suck on them
- we think his eyes are staying blue!

- he already has us wrapped around his little finger... oh, we're in trouble