Like Father, Like Son

Several people have told me recently that Parker is starting to look like me more and more. I don't see it but I also don't think that Parker looks like Bryan. Now in baby pictures, Parker looks just like Bryan. I think my husband is a cutie so I would love for Parker to look JUST like Bryan! So here is a picture from today of Bryan and Parker, both in hooded sweatshirts (it's cold here!).

And I went a little further because the TRUE test of "Like Father, Like Son" is if Parker likes watching TV. He does! The TV is not on much while Parker is awake so I wanted to see what he would do if we put some cartoons (Garfield) on.....well, you can see for yourself (again, NO hate mail!).

An End to a Busy Week

Today we went to Willow Bend mall for a play date. Because the weather was so yucky, there was not a large turnout but we met some new friends and played with some old ones.

Parker and his new friend Will

Will, Avery and Parker

And of course, our old friend Luke (love those BIG blue eyes)

We are very tired from a busy week. We had so much fun though and met a lot of new friends! Lots to do this weekend to get ready for a play date on Monday here at our house. Also, Bryan is going to Oakland next week on business so it will just be me and Parker.....I am thankful to have some friends here that are use to doing it alone during the week! We would appreciate your prayers for safe travel for Bryan and for some extra added energy for me!

Baby Bounce @ North Park

We went to North Park today and met Cheryl and Luke (from our HMM group), along with some new friends. There was Cruz, Noah and Nicholas (I know, ALL boys!). We ate lunch and then went to Baby Bounce at Bookmarks. Bookmarks is part of the Dallas Library System and is basically a small library inside the mall. Baby Bounce is storytime for 0-24 month old babies. We had a great time. We sang and listened to some stories. Parker is not wild about the noise makers (egg shakers, jingle bells...) so we passed on that part. We had to leave early for a doctor's appointment (mine) but the rest of the Moms walk the mall after Baby Bounce. They do this most Thursdays. Here are a couple pictures I got (notice ALL the strollers).

The Little Gym

We tried out The Little Gym today and Parker did not like it. It was very loud and some of the babies were crying. Parker joined right in with them. I am not sure if he is too young still or if it was just sensory overload. Personally, it wasn't my thing either.

Some of the activities we did: sing, exercise, play with different objects and play with bubbles.

The teacher, Miss Stephanie, was impressed that Parker can already sit. She said he is very strong in the trunk area (that's something to brag about...). Another Mom there said she was going to take her 5 month old home and have him practice sitting up so he can talk to Parker "face to face" (sorry lady, we won't be back!).

We'll give Gymboree and Kindermusik a try and see if those classes are any different.

Rub-A-Dub-Dub, One Little Boy in the Tub

Parker's new thing is to take a bath sideways. He starts off the right way but turns himself around like in the picture below. He still LOVES his baths!

Since he is getting so big, the infant hooded towels are way too small. Kim and her family gave us a hooded towel that is made from a regular sized grown up towel. We love it so much that I found my Mom a pattern so that she could make Paker some more. Here is one that she made with monkeys. It's perfect because he can use these towels for a long time.

"Under the Sea" Play Date

We went to an "Under the Sea" play date this morning at Ashlie and Lauren's house. We had a great time and we met some new friends. Parker wore his whale shirt and took his favorite "under the sea" toy - his Glow Seahorse. I can see, compared to our first play date, that Parker is becoming more social (or as social as a 4.5 month old can be). Here are a few of the pictures I took.

( Lauren @ 6 months)

(sweet Caroline giving Parker his toy back)

(new friends Melanie & Aiden...he is 4 months old)

(Malachi @ 3 months)

We are doing The Little Gym tomorrow, Baby Bounce Storytime on Thursday at North Park and a Meet & Greet at Willow Bend on Friday. It was my intention to do 2 or 3 activities per week to allow us some time at home to do chores and errands but since we stayed in last week, we had to make it up!

And just an update on Parker: no coughing but still doing treatments, last night was the THIRD night of sleeping the entire night and we are moving onto pears.

Starting Fruits

We started fruits yesterday. Bryan decided we would start with apples. After some advice from my BIL and SIL, we dove right in. Parker LOVES apples. He couldn't get enough. I think we gave him more than we should have but he kept eating. Good news is that we are on night two of sleeping the ENTIRE night. I am not sure why this is but I am not going to question it...

In two more weeks, if fruits go well, we will start veggies.

A High Chair & A Chip

Here is Parker sitting in a high chair (with no cover...) for the first time and checking out a tortilla chip. We were at a Mexician food restaurant while in San Antonio. He did really well sitting in the high chair. He wasn't sure about that chip.

Birthday Weekend in San Antonio

We went to San Antonio this past weekend to celebrate Meagan and Rachael's birthdays. We had a good time staying with Meagan and Hector and it was good to see Mom and Rachael. Here are a couple pictures from the weekend (I wasn't to good with pictures this time).

We did LOTS of shopping and our boys (all 3 of them) were great! We, of course, ate well and had some yummy cake that Hector made. The travel was a little hard on Parker but he's been really uncomfortable with teething.

I hope both of my sisters had a wonderful birthday!

Parker Meets Hector

They actually met during Christmas but I failed to get a picture. So while in San Antonio this past weekend, I got one. Parker is not sure of that facial hair but one day they'll be best buds!

Only Because I'm Nice.....

....and trying to be a good example for my child.

We had to go to Ikea last Friday and while we were there, a lady comes over and says to me...."I saw those fat legs sticking out of your stroller and I had to come over and see them for myself..." And then she goes on to say "oh gosh, he's got some fat cheeks to match..."

OK, really? How do you respond to something like that? We laughed! She wanted to squeeze his cheeks but I told her NO!

Just a reminder that our boy is healthy and GROWING!

Slowly Recovering

This is my child at the doctor's office when he wasn't feeling well (poor baby....as you can see, I'm trying to hold it together). Parker is feeling a lot better and MUCH better since this picture was taken! He still has a cough but no congestion. We will continue doing the breathing treatments for a while. We are back to feeding him cereal on a more normal schedule and we are going to start fruits Sunday. We (Parker) were suppose to get a haircut today before going out of town but Bryan had a meeting that came up so we had to reschedule. So, that about sums it up for the past few days.......OTHER THAN......Parker has a tooth coming in!!! We found it a couple nights ago. We'll keep you posted...

The Best Baby Products (1-4 months)

I know a lot of ladies that are pregnant or just had a baby and it got me to thinking about things that I could not live without. So here is my favs list for months 1 - 4:

1. Itzbeen (this is by far the best baby product ever invented!)
2. Pampers (if you have a boy, go up one size)
3. Soothie Pacifiers
4. Angelcare Monitors
5. PARENTS Magazine (books take too long these days)
6. Burp Cloths (We have 20 and I want to make more!)
7. Gagou Tagou Socks (only socks that stay on)
8. California Baby Soap & Lotion (for my eczema boy)
9. Hooded Towels
10. Eddie Bauer Products
11. Exersaucer

Quick Update

We did a little bit of playing today...
and some sleeping....

Parker is still coughing but otherwise feeling ok today. I've had some allergy problems and tried to call in sick this morning but it didn't really work out. Bryan was able to come home a little early and help out...YEA! I would like to go for a walk around the neighborhood because the weather is so nice but I am not sure if that will make us worse. We'll see tomorrow...

MLK Day Update

We started the day off early by going to Dr. Eastman's office. Being first time parents and all, we just wanted to make sure Parker was doing ok. Since Bryan was off today, he was able to go with us. Dr. Eastman said Parker is not getting any worse and his chest sounds about the same. Ears are ok. He did give us a steriod (in liquid form) to give to Parker for 3 days to see if that would help with the inflammation in the bronchial tube. This is a result of Parker having a lot of coughing fits. For now, we'll continue what we are doing and pray that he continues to heal. (Picture below is of his "I don't feel very good" face)


And then we came home and did some canning for some special Valentine's presents. Maybe Cupid will deliver a Valentine from our house to yours this year.

Breathing Treatments

Here we are doing the first breathing treatment at home and before Parker started crying. This is not the same as the one we did at the doctor's office this morning. This one is much easier and it doesn't take as long. We have to do this every 6 hours for at least 2 weeks. The inhaler on the end pushes the medicine into the tube and then Parker can inhale it (for 30 seconds). For now, we do 2 puffs of medicine each time.

Parker is a lot more congested tonight and more fussy. Dr. Eastman said it will likely get worse tonight and into tomorrow, before it gets better. Bryan is giving Parker a vapor/steam bath right now so maybe this will calm him down a little.

I pray that my little boy rests well tonight and feels better tomorrow! I am thankful for a husband that came home with dinner and ready to help!!!

I Got a Sick Little Boy

Parker started with a mild cough and congestion on Tuesday. By last night, the cough was a lot worse. We've continued to run the humidifier, put saline drops in his nose and give him steam baths but his cough was worrying us.

I took him into see the doctor this morning and he has Bronchiolitis. See this for more information: http://www.drgreene.com/21_1040.html They did a breathing treament on him while we were in the office (what a pain) and then sent us home with one! Ugh! However, the treatment that we are doing at home is not the same. When we do our first one, I'll have Bryan take a picture to post and detail that more. If his breathing gets more labored, we'll call the doctor. The doctor's office gave us several pages of instructions and information---I love that!

Parker is now snoring on my shoulder. Last night he slept from 8:30pm to 5:00am! It was wonderful! Bryan and I kept waking up to make sure he was ok. I am glad he can rest well. He does cough a lot while he's sleeping but has been going back to sleep right away.

Well, I will have to cancel our plans for tomorrow and reschedule our Tuesday play date....I got to get this boy well and not get any other kids sick in the process!

More info to come...

Play Date

Here are some pictures from the Play Date we went to yesterday at Niki & Ryan's house in Allen.

Ryan (7 months) in the bucket, with Luke (8 months) and Caroline (7 months) in the background.

Ryan (7 months) playing with a very cool toy.

Elena (4.5 months) about to fall asleep.

Caroline (7 months) & Ryan (7 months)

Parker, Avery (4 months) & Ryan (7 months)

Parker and I are hosting a Play Date here next Tuesday and we are going Stroller Skating next Thursday. I am not sure which one I am more anxious about...

Thanks Aunt LaLa

We found some pajamas without feet, thanks to Laura! She found some yesterday at Target so we went out last night to our Target and bought some. I was happy to spend $6 on them rather than $12! They must have just stocked our store with them because I look there weekly for new stuff.

Oh and I don't normally put clothes on Parker without washing them first but Parker's load of clothes were in the dryer. Bryan said we're living on the "Wild Side" now! HA!

Sometimes I Can (Kinda) Hold My Bottle

Starting Solids

Parenting has really made Bryan and me feel dumb. Bryan is very intelligent and I'm a problem solver. One would think that we could manage this whole parenting thing....not so much!

Dr. Eastman gave us instructions yesterday to start solids. His approach is very much based on what baby wants. So we took what we learned and our printed instructions home and tried to figure out a plan. We are to start 1-2 TBSP of cereal twice a day for two weeks, then add fruits for 2 weeks, then add veggies for two weeks and finally add meats. We can increase cereal as needed and decrease formula if Parker is getting full on cereal.

We started bright and early this morning (yes, in Christmas pajamas). From what we read, we should try feeding cereal after a bottle. Really? Is Parker still going to be hungry? Well, it went slow and I'm not sure how much he actually ate, but we did try it.

Not impressed yet....

After the major clean-up...

So I guess we are not sure if we're doing it right, if there is a better way, when we should increase or if we should wait another month and give it another try then. I am sure it will get better and will just be slow at first but how long do you give it. I guess we need to do some more reading. Some good news is that we will be able to try taking Parker off the Prevacid and Simply Thick in a few weeks. We'll hope for good results there! And if any of our readers have any suggestions, we'd love to hear from you!

Meeting Milestones

Dr. Eastman always asks what things Parker is doing. I am sure he has some sort of task checklist based on Parker's age that he runs through. I thought I would share some of the things that we have accomplished and are currently working on.

-Parker is smiling.
-Parker just started laughing today.
-Parker does roll over.
-Parker can sit up for a short time without support.
-Parker can grasp toys in front of him.
-Parker is still working on sitting up for longer periods of time.
-Parker will hopefully start moving toys from one hand to another.
-Parker still doesn't enjoy tummy time but we still do it.
-Parker drinks 5 - 8oz bottles per day (soy formula).
-Parker still sleeps well at night.
-Parker started solids today (see the next post)
-Parker does well in social situations (restaurants, play-dates, etc.)

Dr. Eastman asked if I stay home with Parker during the day and of course I responded with yes. I am not sure if he thinks it's a good or bad thing but we have no regrets. I am sure there are pros and cons but for us, it is working right now.

We are enjoying all the little "firsts", some small and some big. I am looking forward to another eventful month!

I will leave you with this.....it's a picture of Parker and me in front of our FIRST wood fire. The gas fire wasn't really doing it for us so we decided today that we would change from gas to wood. With it being 14 outside this morning, the $40 in firewood will not last long!

By the way, YES my child is still in his Christmas pajamas...only because he is growing so fast that the 6-month footed pajamas are too small now! UGH! How can this be? Bryan and I had a family meeting this morning about this very thing (silly, I know) because we have another 2 months of cold weather. Here are our options: buy hard-to-find-at-this-age pajamas without the "footed" part, take the current footed pajamas and cut the foot part off, put him in gowns and/or hope that a grandparent or two will buy us some cute Valentine's pajamas (this is after the tons of clothes they bought Parker for Christmas). The jury is still out on the decision.....

4 Months Old

Yesterday we went to the doctor for Parker's 4 month appointment. He, of course, had to have shots but only two this time with one oral. Bryan had to hold him and let me tell you, he screamed his sweet little head off. In the pictures below, you will notice that his cheeks are so red. I am not sure if that is because he is hot, upset or just has rosy cheeks like his Daddy.

Weight: 16.13
Height: 25.5"
75th percentile for both height and weight

This is after all the shots were done and before we put his clothes back on. With it being 27 outside, Bryan and I were half tempted to leave his clothes off since he was so hot. We were good parents and put his clothes back on.

And this is what happens when Parker doesn't want his Band-Aid on anymore. No hate mail telling me how horrible it is to let my child chew on a Band-Aid....I let him hold it just for this picture! Parker's next appointment is 3/8/10, which he will be 6 months old. He will have shots again. I will be glad when the shot part is over! See my next couple posts detailing Parker's milestones and starting solids.

I Can Kiss...

...a spotted dog...
...a roaring lion...

...and a purple monkey.

Comparison Picture #2

You'll have to look back at my 12/8/09 posting and compare it with this picture. He's getting so big so fast!

The Weather Outside is Frightful....

There is no snow but there is ice in a lot of areas. The temp outside is 24 and the windchill is 10 (according to the weather guy who also said we weren't going to have any ice). Parker's first music class was canceled for this morning (boo), Bryan had to go into work (boo) but Parker and I are going to stay in our warm jammies (yea)! Oh and the dogs are sleeping on their heating pads.

Everyone, stay warm!

Random Pictures From Today

Yes, today is Parker's 4 month mark but I'm going to wait until Friday after the doctor's appointment to do a blog posting. But I thought I would share a few pictures from today.

The picture below is for my wonderful husband. He is so square sometimes that I have to do things that drive him insane....just to make myself laugh! So it goes something like this: since we switched from Dr. Brown's bottles to the drop-ins, I will try to do bottle every once in a while for Bryan. Those Dr. Brown's bottles have way too many pieces for my tired brain to handle! Anyway, as you can see in this picture, if you look close, all the bottles, rings and caps are different colors. This sends Bryan over the edge. He doesn't understand why I would do this! I tried to explain, with a straight face, that our son will benefit from all the colors. Well, it backfired the other night as Bryan went behind me and changed them. Today though I will have to admit that I was a little embarrassed going to the doctor's (mine) office with a bottle that was all different colors. Tonight when I did the bottles, I made sure they all matched (only because I am going out to lunch tomorrow with friends and I don't want to be embarrassed again!).

Tonight, "Big Boy Parker" took a bath without the hammock/sling in his bathtub. He's growing so fast!

And then there are our poor dogs. Some days I feel so guilty because at one time, they got all of our attention. But then I see this....while Parker is taking a bath, we take the little heater into the bathroom to keep him warm. Millie thinks the heater belongs to her so she makes herself at home right in front of it. They aren't spoiled or anything! (FYI - don't look too close at all the dust on the heater....I know, it's a fire hazard!)

Sitting Up

Today Parker sat up by himself for about two minutes (yes, I timed it!). Bryan predicted on Friday that it would be by the end of the week . Now we can start working on getting rid of that bald spot!

Oh and I know all the toys are overkill but we don't have many so we dump out the entire basket. Courtney made the nice SOFT blanket we are using there on the floor....we love it!