August 31, 2011

Mommy's Little Helper - or not.

Parker is into just about everything now.  Even more exciting, he knows how to open cabinets.  Baby-proofing is in our future.  He thinks its just great to open up cabinets and pull out everything he can get his little tiny hands on.  He spends his afternoons taking out every single pot and pan and piece of tupperware that we own as we attempt to cook and not step on him.

Once he gets them out, it's great fun to make lots of noise with his make-shift drum set.  

He also really enjoys the same activity while I am getting ready in the morning, which makes for a very interesting dance in a very tiny space.  Everything in the cabinets must come out. 

I really hope he is as methodical about pulling everything out as he is about putting everything right back in!  That will be our next task to learn!



August 30, 2011

9 months in and 9 months out.

Parker turns nine months old today.  What a wild ride it has been for us! I wouldn't trade any minute of it for the world. Well, maybe a few of the long, sleepless nights but that would be all!

Raspberries for lunch = raspberry body lotion


Just this weekend, I drove the same route that we took the night we went to the hospital to get induced.  It was almost as if he was just born.  I am trying my best to document every awesome thing he does.  I've got a baby book, a blog and a journal.  I really hope he appreciates all the time I have put into each of these things. 

The last nine months have really breezed by us.  We now have a crawling, creeping, babbling chunky bundle of joy.  He drools and bites, slobbers and smiles.  Every day is just so great.  He never ceases to surprise me.  He's a smart one, manipulative at times but just so wonderful.  (Can you tell I am just head over heels?)

I just love this kid and look forward to every day that I have with him.



August 17, 2011

Boston Bound

We leave for Boston on today to celebrate the marriage of Aunt Alyssa and Uncle Andy.

August 20, 2011 - welcome to the family, Andy!

We are really excited to get out of NOLa for a bit and even more excited to be going to this wedding.  I can't wait to introduce Parker to his extended family.  He has a world of Aunts and Uncles that he has yet to meet.  I hope they are all ready for the Parker experience.  He has grown into a super-demanding, very impatient squirm worm with one tooth as of late.

I am a little more nervous for this trip than all of our last flights.  Now that Parker is mobile, I really hope he is just as easy to travel with as in times past.  Who am I kidding?  I really hope our fellow travelers are kind, patient and forgiving.  We are about to unleash the Tasmanian devil on this flight, one that is teething at that.  I am fearful for my sanity to say the least.

Mac and Cheese is delicious!

The good news - it's not too late to stock up on tylenol.  The bad news - it never seems to work on him.  I plan to make a trip to Target tonight to buy finger foods to prevent shrieks from escaping his mouth and a variety of new toys.  His attention span is about 15 minutes per today, I figure if I arm myself with five or six, I should be able to survive the flight from New Orleans to DC...right? 

August 10, 2011

Prayer for My Sweet Baby Boy.

cookie monster.
Every night, before we go to bed, Kevin and I make sure that we check on Parker one last time and we say a prayer for our sweet baby boy.  Our prayer is always the same,

Lord please watch over our little one, please keep him healthy and safe. Please help him have a good night's sleep and for us to be great parents to him.

It has occurred to me really recently that this prayer just isn't enough. Now that I am a mom, I am so much more aware of all the scary things out there that could have gone wrong during my pregnancy or even now.  We have a healthy child, despite his ear infection issues, which are something that can be fixed with a small procedure or that he might even grow out of within a few years.  How dare me for getting frustrated when my child is not feeling well or having a rough day.  I'm so ashamed of the times when I was upset about having to get up to tend to a crying baby in the middle of the night.  Embarrassed that I can't always find the patience to understand Parker's needs.

I was in desperate need of reality check, thank goodness it came before I let another day pass.  I think my new prayer is going to go something like this:

Lord please allow me to be the best mother that I can possibly be.  Please give me guidance and strength.  Please forgive me for not always realizing what a wonderful treasure Parker is and thank you so very much for bringing this perfect little gift into my life.

August 6, 2011

Time to Create

I really love painting and crafting.  There's nothing better to me than to take something simple and make it into a piece of art.  While on vacation in California, I made my first every trip to Ikea.  I was definitely in Heaven!  So much great stuff at such low prices.  I ran across the Malma mirrors and couldn't resist such a great buy.  I was determined to take these simple mirrors and make them awesome.  I started with this, 4 plan mirrors:

I wanted to make something to send to Uncle Keith and Aunt Nicole in LA.  They just moved into a new place and every thing in there is white - the walls, the furniture.  All white.  Nicole mentioned she liked greens and yellows.  So after four weeks of procrastination, one failed idea and two weeks of on-and-off painting, I ended up with this:



I am really proud of how they turned out.  I wouldn't mind doing a set for myself.  They remind of the water and sun.  I shipped them off to LA - can't wait to see how they look against the white walls!

August 5, 2011

Just Mom and P

Kevin is headed off to a softball tournament in Alexandria, LA with the heat index nearing 110 this weekend, I was more than happy to stay at home.  I love watching Kevin play, but the thought of Parker and me sitting in that heat was too much to handle.

I am really looking forward to our weekend together, or rather the next 36 hours.  It's already off to a great start.  He slept through the night again last night!  My alarm woke me up at 6am and I had to wake him up.  I am refreshed and ready to tackle the next 36 hours as a single parent.

We plan to go to the pool, run some errands, maybe make some baby food.  He is eating a ton now and I need to get a little more creative about what I make.  We have moved on to big kid stuff - meat and potatoes and even pasta.  I hope he still likes my easy to prepare vegetables and pureed fruits.
 
Upset because he is messy or because his cookie is gone?

On that note, he has also started to insist on feeding himself - about 50% of the food finds its way to his mouth, 30% goes to the dogs and the rest ends up on his face.  At least he's a cute kid!