San Diego

 We had such a fun time in San Diego.  Below are just a few of the pictures from our trip.

The Del Mar Fair

 We saw some farm animals, Parker was too scared to ride on the ponies, we ate fair food, and came home.  Parker's favorite part was riding the school bus to and from our car. 

Poway's Old-Fashion Train

 Parker loved holding our boarding tickets.

 After the train ride, Parker got to the eat "the word's smallest sundae" while watching the train.

 Parker loved being in the backyard and playing in the grass.  He was fascinated with the dogs jumping up the retaining wall to play on the slope.  Well, he eventually got his leg up and climbed up the wall!  We were all in shock he could do it.  He became very frustrated when the slope was too steep and he couldn't climb, but Dad came to the rescue and played with him.

 La Jolla to play in the water and see some seals... instead he spotted an airplane.

 Sea World!  My favorite day!  First stop was checking out the cool bridge in the kiddie area.

 We stopped to watch the dolphins before the Shamu show.  Parker almost touched the dolphin as it swam by, but he got scared and the last minute and pulled his hand away.  He still waved at them and loved watching them jump.

 Waiting for the Shamu show... fun, but hot.  He liked seeing them jump and he danced in his seat to the music.

 He loved seeing the big turtles laying in the sun.

 We changed him into swim stuff so he could get wet in the kiddie area.

 Then it was back to the dolphins!

 More Shamu

 Quick family picture before we leave the park... but Parker heard music coming from speakers in the flowers so he stopped for some dancing...and then we left.  (Belly shot: 16 or 17 weeks pregnant - I can't remember)

 Pizza Port (our favorite!) for some pizza and arcade games.

 Coronado for some beach fun.

 Playing in the fountain at the Highlands

 We went to meet our friends, Rachel and Lucy, at the park in Solana Beach so we stopped by the water.

 

There were so many other things we did, but it was hard to remember the camera.  We celebrated my dad's birthday at Stone Brewery, went to Seaport Village, saw a free concert at the Del Mar Fair, met friends in Orange County (Cassie and her son, Jackson), trips to Coronado for family visits and splashing in the bay, lots of trip to my favorite local eateries and time in the pool.  It ended all with a birthday celebration for my grandma.  Such a fun trip.

Baby Hilton 2.0

Baby Hilton #2 is a... GIRL!

It's been a week since Jake and I found that we are having a baby girl and we are still in shock.  Yes, we both had a feeling it was a girl, but for some reason it's still hard to believe.  We are so used to having little Parker that a girl seems foreign to us.  We were shopping together after we found out and went to look at little girl stuff.  Suddenly a whole new section of the store is available to us.  I felt a little out of place looking at all the miniature pink outfits... but that lasted only a few minutes - now I'm loving all the window shopping.  No purchases yet.  I was very disciplined while pregnant with Parker and only bough one (yes, one!) outfit for him.  We'll see if I have as much self control this pregnancy...

For now it's "snips and snails and puppy dog tails" and all things BOY:

Always has a ball nearby.  Always searching for bugs, snails (he calls bugs), and lizards!  His squeamish mom says, "look, don't touch" and so far it's working...

 At the airport watching the planes!  Parker is pointing to where the airplanes go... "Up!"

 Love, love, love my little boy.   

Don't love the pinching or biting. 

Father's Day Weekend

 The first trimester of this pregnancy was pretty uncomfortable.  Jake had to leave work early or go in late on a few occasions to just to help with Parker until I could crawl out of bed.  I know better than to cry wolf and have Jake stay home from work unless it was an emergency... and these days were that bad.  During these first twelve weeks we even had two fun weddings to attend.  I had been looking forward to these weddings for months.  Finally some nights out with dinner, drinks, dancing, and friends - I love weddings!  Well, I knew I wouldn't enjoy the drinks, but I was sick for both of the weddings.  I was able to enjoy both ceremonies and receptions, but my beat-up pregnant body had to call it an early night for both.  They were both amazing weddings and I decided my friends have very good taste.  Unfortunately, I have no pictures from those events.  The good news is I'm feeling a million times better.  The only complaint is I am still in the tired phase and fall asleep on the couch very early.  Poor Jake gets about twenty minutes of my time after putting Parker to bed and then I can't keep my eyes open. 

Last weekend was Father's Day and we had a great weekend!  Saturday we went berry picking at a local ranch.  They have a picnic area, gift shop, and pie stand where you can purchase their delicious pies.  We weren't sure if they had lunch to buy (which they did) so we brought our own subway.  Parker loved running around and stopping in for a quick bite of sandwich before running off again. 

 Lately he wants any adult drink or cup... especially if there's a straw.  Here he's trying his hardest to get my drink.  (Please ignore the awkward, early pregnancy phase I'm in... no real baby bump but wearing the last of my normal clothes.  This is a loose fitting top I never wear because Jake says its unflattering.  Well, nothing is flattering at this stage...)

 I gave in and let him have the last watery sip.  He also loves to chew on ice. 

 After lunch we went to the berry picking area to pick olallieberries.  They give you a bucket and tell you which row to go down and then you pick until you're tired.  We started by showing Parker how to only pick the black berries, not the red ones.  He figured it out right away and loved finding the ripe olallieberries.

 Of course he wanted to carry the bucket all by himself.  Such a determined little boy.

 Our loot! 

 Sunday we took advantage of the beautiful weather in Monterey Bay and escaped the near 100 degree weather where we live.  We went to the aquarium, had lunch, and walked along the water.  It was such a perfect day.  Parker was even a good restaurant patron (which is something we're really trying to work on) and stayed in his highchair for a decent amount of time and ate his food.  Normally I avoid restaurants with Parker because this kid won't sit still long enough for a waiter to take your order, get the food, pay the bill, etc.  Also, he's a horrible eater and even more so when there's a new and exciting restaurant to look around at.  He gets very distracted and eating is the last thing he wants to do.  But, I can't avoid restaurants forever so we're working on it. 

 Loves buttons

 Going into the tunnel... I cross my fingers he won't pinch another kid (he's in a pinching phase... yes, I have that kid)

 He likes to flop himself over to go down the slide.

 Sitting still for a split second... quick take a picture...

 Beautiful day in Monterey Bay.

 Wants to be a big kid and push the stroller.  He actually does a great job at sitting in the stroller for a certain amount of time.  This past week my car was in the shop so we walked everywhere and used the stroller a lot.  For such an active kid, I was surprised at how easy he was to put in the stroller... it may or may not involve cookies, but at least I get him in there.  Here we were letting him walk because we were going to put him in the car to go home.

Next, we're off to San Diego for a mini vacation.  Jake has been working so hard lately and needs some fun and relaxation!  I can't wait!

Also, we're going to pay the money and go to a private 3d ultrasound place to find out if this nugget is a baby boy or a baby girl.  I can't wait to find out!!!  I'll be excited for either one, but Jake and I both have a feeling it's a girl.  That could explain the different pregnancy symptoms, right?  We'll find out soon...

 

Leave it to Parker to find the only mud puddle in the park!  This park is huge, so I let him run and run as far as he wanted to go.  I was chatting with a friend when I noticed him plop down and play with something.  We started to walk towards him just to check on what he was up to... and I found him covered in mud.  This kid has never found a pile of dirt he didn't like. 

 He also loves looking for lizards, bugs, birds, and rocks.  The picture below is Parker and Jake taking rocks to the stream so they could throw them in.  Parker loved the thud the bigger rocks would make when he threw them in.

He is still obsessed with the vacuum and has been know to throw some tantrums when we're all done. 

 He has become my little kitchen helper and I love our days together.

 Other tidbits:

- He's been leaving the room and saying "bye" to us in what sounds like a southern accent.  I love it.  He'll go into his bedroom and before he closes the door he looks out, waves, and says 'bye' like Paula Deen.

- He made up his own sign language for the word "please" - he puts both hands under his chin and attempts to say it.

- He loves airplanes

And for the big news:

We're expecting baby #2 in December!!  I've been feeling pretty gross this time around.  The first pregnancy was easy, but this has been a very different experience.  I can't wait to find out if Parker will be having a little brother or a little sister!  He is going to be a great big brother.