Toddlers & Tiaras with Tom Hanks

I saw this on another blog and it cracks me up. Gotta love Tom Hanks!

Sister ESP

While growing up my sister and I fought like, well, sisters... We've become closer as the years have gone by and I'm so happy about that. She is a wonderful aunt and just a fun person to spend time with.

Throughout the years (even when we weren't getting along) I've always thought that we had a special sister connection... like ESP. We'd always be thinking the exact same thing or have these weird coincidences. Well yesterday confirmed it! We have some spooky sister connection.

It all started this past weekend when I had an intense urge to make these yummy treats:


(Image and recipe from Bakerella)

They turned out very tasty, but not as pretty as on the website. They are a a little too easy to eat (*picture me holding a baby with one hand and eating a cake pop with the other...) Also, with a normal cake you have the whole fifteen seconds while you cut a piece to rethink your decision and think of those calories. Not with a cake pop! I have found them to be delicious but very dangerous to keep in the house. So, I decided to call someone I knew would appreciate my warning against making these: my sister. I called her and guess what she was doing at that exact moment... getting chocolate to cover her very own batch of cake pops! We either have extreme Sister ESP or we're both just fatties who love a good dessert. Hmm... leave your opinions to yourselves.

Side note: I really didn't have intense cravings while pregnant, but have had a crazy sweet tooth since Parker was born. That happen to any other moms?

Rainy Days

We're stuck inside lately with horrible, rainy weather. Boo!

Those Eyelashes!

He didn't get them from me!

Parker's Favorite Things

Move over Oprah. At eleven weeks old, Parker James already has a few favorite things.

#1. the blinds on our windows - he will stare at them for hours... no pictures because, well, it's window blinds...

#2. his interactive bouncer/vibrating seat - wow! this is also one of my favorite thing because it has allowed me to put him down and actually get stuff done around the house. It's portable so I can move it into any room and Parker freakin' loves it! There is a waterfall that lights up, monkeys, birds, and frogs that move up and down, and music that plays. You can turn it on... or you can make it so Parker has to hit the bird or monkey and that turns on the music, lights, and waterfall.


He is so excited when he makes it go.

Here's his excited face when he makes all the lights and music come on.

#3. his dad - Parker's face lights up when Jake walks in the door. It is the cutest thing to see him smile and "talk" to Jake each night. He watches Jake walk across the room and won't take his eyes off him. It melts me heart.

I can't seem to ever capture the huge smile, but here he is telling dad all about his day.

For My Sister

Aren't they cute together? You're a natural, Allie!

I'm so happy my sister could meet me at our grandma's house for a little road trip last week. I drove the three hours with P and Roxy without any trouble. It did take a little longer than normal with a baby and dog, but they both did great! While there Parker got to spend time with his great-grandma and finally meet my cousin, Jake, and my aunt and uncle.

let's compare

3 weeks vs 8 weeks


2 weeks vs 7 weeks

Notice how his head almost doesn't fit on our legs anymore. Up until now I've been able to change him while sitting in the back seat of my car. He's getting way too long to lay on my legs. (He's in the 95th percentile for height!)

Here's my little guy enjoying his car seat and mirror.

We were on the way to visit my c0-workers and students. Parker did great being passed around to all the teachers in the lunchroom. After lunch I surprised my old students. They were excited to see Parker. One special student tried to color his foot with a red crayon and hug him (a little too aggressively), but other than that the visit was a huge success.

the men in my life

2 Month Appointment

Parker turned 8 weeks yesterday! I can't believe how time flies. On Friday he had his 2 month check-up (he'll be two months on March 1st!) which meant getting his official weight, height, and shots! Of course our lil' bugger was already grumpy when we entered the office. The nurse said, "At least I'm not ruining a good mood," as she brought out the first syringe. Parker's cry turned into the saddest scream and that made me cry. I'm such a softy. I cuddled with him all afternoon.

Now for the good stuff:

2 Month Statistics
Weight: 11 pounds 15.5 ounces (can we just round to 12??)
Height: 24 inches


Newborn Statistics (in case you were wondering)
Weight: 6 pounds 6 ounces
Height: 19.5 inches


Parker can...
track things moved in front of his face or watch mom or dad walk around
coo and makes other funny noises
smile at mom or dad
lift his head about 45 degrees when on his belly
cry so loud that mom needs tylenol and search for earplugs (didn't help)
fall asleep VERY easily in the car
help you lose weight by wanting to be walked up and down the stairs repeatedly (mom has been back to pre-baby weight for weeks now!)

President's Day Weekend

Hooray for the President's Day Weekend! Not only did Jake get Monday AND Tuesday off from work, but two of my dear college friends (and one boyfriend) stopped by for a visit!

The weekend started with Jake and I actually going out to dinner on Friday night (!) with P-man asleep in his car seat. We were kind of scared of the thought of going to a restaurant, but last week he fell into a pattern of eating around 7 or 8 o'clock and then sleeping for four hours. A big deal for us because he had been eating every 2 hours around the clock. He did wake up slightly when we put him in the car seat, but once we start driving the kid will be out. So nice to get out of the house and eat a meal with my husband.Parker loves his car seat!

My friends from college (Jessica, Devon, and Devon's boyfriend, Brent) stopped by on Sunday afternoon. They got to see Parker and the new house. Hopefully Brent didn't want to kill himself due to the endless discussion about babies, breastfeeding, and childbirth. It was so great to see my old friends. Thank you J, D, and B for making us dinner, playing with Parker, and just the company :)

Parker has been sleeping for longer chunks of time during the night, but nothing consistent. By longer I mean eating every 3 hours with one 4 hour block. During the day he varies between 2-3 hours between feedings and he only sleeps for short little bits of time.

Parker's two month appointment is Friday, so updates to come!

One Month and Moving Day

Oh my goodness! What a busy few weeks it has been. We officially moved to our first home! It wasn't the best timing - having a four week old baby and needing to pack our entire apartment was a bit stressful. Luckily, Jake and I have amazing families that all came to help with the move! They were all amazing and made the day so much easier. Thank you to everyone who helped!

This is before the serious packing started. This tower of boxes kept growing and growing.

Now we are in the new house and things are coming together (slowly). Actually, my mom, dad, and grandma stayed a few extra days to help with the baby and unpacking. By the time they left our downstairs (kitchen, dining, living room) all felt like home. Parker's rooom and our guest room are all put together, too. The master bedroom (and closet!!) is what needs the most help. I'm starting to accept the fact that I can't get as much done as I used to. It's frustrating because I'm usually running around like the Energizer Bunny... now with a baby (who wants to eat every two hours!) I don't seem to have time to do anything. Seriously, one day the goals I set for myself were to shower and eat. Other days I'm slightly more ambitious and 'walk the dog' or 'unpack one box of clothes' make it on the list. It all depends on the kind of day Parker is having. I bought a sling to carry him around in and that seems to help a lot. At least my hands are free to get a few things done.

This kid likes the car seat & stroller. He'll fall asleep in the car seat and then I can run an errand or two while he's asleep. I drove around aimlessly the other day because he wouldn't calm down in the house. It worked.

Speaking of Parker: he made it to one month old. His favorite activities include eating, sleeping, making messes in his diaper, and sometimes looking at his mobile. His eyes are still the most beautiful blue color and he will now track things. He also has the strongest neck muscles. He lifts his head up and looks around while I'm trying to burp him. He's also quite the mover and shaker. Last night I put him in his crib in one direction and when I went back to get him his head was pointing in the opposite direction. What a little wiggle-worm! He's starting to make more noises (ooo's and aaa's) and we think we caught a smile or two. Also, he's just getting bigger! It's amazing to see this lil' guy grow out of clothes! At a few days old we were running out to see if premie outfits would fit him better. Now, I'm starting to think about where I'm going to store clothes he grows out of.

Staring at dad


Smiling at dad... camera not focused on Parker (shoot)


Photo shoot over!

Parker is so cute. I think we'll keep him.

Happy Boy

Parker was awake and happy, so I jumped on the chance to have a photo shoot. He loves the mobile over his Pack-N-Play!

2 Weeks Old

Lounging around with dad and Roxy

Our little man is two weeks old today! It is hard to believe it has been two weeks already. Sometimes it feels like it has been way longer than two weeks and other times it feels like we just brought him home from the hospital.

Staring at his mobile

Parker is doing great! We love him so much! He started out as such a tiny little guy at 6 pounds, 6 ounces. Typically babies lose weight after birth, which he did. He dropped to just 6 pounds a few days after birth. All of his newborn clothes we hanging on him and practically falling off. My mom ran to the store to buy a premie outfit to see if that fit better. It almost did, but Parker already has Jake's long limbs, so his legs didn't fit. Anyways, he's been eating like a champ and yesterday at our 2 week appointment we found out he gained a whole pound! He's at 7 pounds! Oh, I was such a proud mother.

I don't have anything to compare him to, but I'd say we're pretty lucky: He's a pretty easy baby. He gets a little fussy at night, but nothing that is unbearable. Usually the kid just wants to eat. Currently he is eating almost every two hours, but sometimes we get lucky with a stretch of three to four hours.

Stretching

My brain is mush lately, so here are some random thoughts and feelings I have about being a mom and the past two weeks:

- I think I had the easiest labor and delivery in the world thanks to the epidural
- I was NOT prepared for when the epidural wore off... oh my goodness... I am just feeling better two weeks later
- I'm still not good at taking naps. I know I should sleep any chance I get, but when it's daylight I feel like I need to be up and doing stuff (even though I can't get much done)
- Roxy has been a great dog. She is still curious about Parker, but no longer growls or gets upset at every little noise he makes.
- Jake is a wonderful father! I love him more and more each day I see him with Parker.... and he has changed way more diapers than me!! Can you believe it?

And lastly, all of our housing stuff is being finalized. We signed our lives away on Wednesday and should get the keys to our first house next Thursday!!! So excited!

Parker James Hilton - 1/1/11

First off, this is Jake posting. With Kelly laid up after the most eventful New Years Eve/Day to date I decided to post. Parker James Hilton was born on 1/1/11 @ 12:17PM. Who would have thought that after 9 and a half months the little guy would help us ring in the new year. Now the back story:

With a very uncomfortable wife carrying our first born through 39 weeks we went to dinner, picked up ice cream, and settled in for New Years Eve. The events all started while Kelly and I were relaxing at home while watching the yearly celebrations on TV. I believe that Kelly can be quoted as saying, "Man I wish he would just come already." With that said her water broke and all hell broke loose. I started running around the house not able to think clearly, trying to gather all of our belongings to head to he hospital. Once out of the house everything fell into place.

We arrived at the hospital at 12:15AM and settled in for what we knew was going to be a long night. Kelly was given some Pitocin to get her contractions going and then we tried to get some sleep. Kelly didn't get too much sleep as the contractions got more intense. We both finally started stirring around 6:00AM and Kelly was only about 3 cm. With a small effort to test the waters Kelly was persuaded to get an epidural which turned out to be the best decision ever. Next thing we knew she went from 3cm to 10cm in just three hours and was ready to push. When all was said and done she ended up pushing for maybe 40minutes and the little guy was born. I still can't believe how smooth it all went and how relatively comfortable Kelly was through this whole experience.

Sorry I am kinda rambling, so I will get to what everyone really wants to see.

Here are some pictures of the new addition to the Hilton Family: