Look at Me...I'm 4 months old!

Sometimes it takes me a full day to figure out what to say in a blog post. I will write a sentence or two and then walk away and think of something else and write more. Today is one day that I'm happy I'm a slow thinker, while daddy and I were playing Scrabble you rolled over for us. I'm so happy daddy was there to see you roll for the first time. He is so very proud of you!



Your smile makes my day so much better. You laugh and it brings a joyful tear to my eye. My little Prince you are growing fast.

Showing off his long legs and pouty face.



Milestones:

You laughed out loud for the first time on 12/26/2010
Your first tooth came through on 12/25/2010
You rolled tummy to back for the first time on 12/31/2010
You experienced your first Christmas and New Year's(well that will be tonight)
You flew on your first flight on 12/24/2010


I will update the blog with his height & weight after his Dr's appointment next Monday. Last time we weighed him on the Wii fit he weighed over 15lbs and when we
measured him he was around 25"

**UPDATE**

Parker had his 4 month checkup today and is weighing in at 16lbs 1oz and is 24.5" long.

Videos

Just saying Hi!

Christmas Morning (Week 16) POTW

I'm late posting this week..eeek! It's funny, I have actually been having blogger withdrawals. I'm so used to having some time to myself where I can sit and not only blog myself but read through other blogs. It has been so busy with the holidays, traveling and family that I have had no time to just sit and relax.

We flew to Boise, ID to spend the Christmas and New Year's holiday with my in-laws. While we didn't opening presents till Christmas afternoon, I still had to take my traditional Christmas morning picture with Vanessa and now joining the tradition, Parker Dean.

I chose this picture for the picture of the week because I thought it was absolutely beautiful. I can't believe that one, I'm 30 and two, I have two kids!?! Two gorgeous kids mind you but, I still remember waking up to my parents and sitting by our Christmas tree when I was little. It's still amazes me how fast time has gone.

Jolly Old St. Nick

We decided that we would take Parker to see Santa today. It was last minute decision so disregard Parker in his PJ's. Aside from having to wait over an hour to see him, we had fun. Oh, and does anyone else thinks $24.99 to pay for a crappy photo is worth it? I sure don't. Luckily, we carry our cameras with us at all times. My mom and I secretly took a few photos and they turned out adorable. I even was able to get my daughter and her friend to sit with Santa too!

Vanessa and her friend while we were waiting in line.



The long line...ugghhh



and finally Jolly Old St. Nick.....







Even though they are too old for Santa, she was being a good big sister....





I love my brother's sense of humor and I was happy to see him before we left town

Wordless{ish} Wednesday

Sophie has arrived!!

I ordered this last minute from amazon in hopes that we would receive it before we went out of town!

This is definitely on the top of my list for new momma must have: Vulli Sophie the Giraffe Teether.

Random Giraffe facts!

You would have to run in order to keep up with a giraffe walking because every step a giraffe takes is 15 feet long .


Newborn giraffe calves begin their lives by falling 6 feet to the ground...



The mighty giraffe can drink 12 gallons in one setting....



The gestational period of a giraffe is 14 to 14.5 months....



A giraffe's tongue is 18 inches long....



Each time a giraffe picks up its neck it picks up 550 pounds....



A lion can die if kicked by a giraffe.

An Arizona Winter (Week 15) POTW

Date: December 19th, 2010
Location: Downtown Chandler, Arizona
Temperature: 74 degrees...perfect!

We were spending an early Christmas with my parents since we will be spending Christmas day with the in-laws. As we were headed to dinner we drove by this massive white Christmas tree. At least it was made to look like a Christmas tree. In actuality it was a giant pile of tumbleweed, painted white and shaped like a Christmas tree. I just had to get out and take pictures.

The picture of the week for this week is something you will only see for winter in the "Valley of the Sun."

Christmas Ornament

I got this idea from another blog and now I can't find that blog to link back to them. So if you read my post and know the blog I'm talking about please leave a message so I can give them credit.

Anyhow, I LOVED the idea! Although in the other blog they used their little one's hands that is not possible with Parker. He still keeps his hands in a pretty tight fist and when something does get into his hand it goes to his mouth.....so the feet it is.




I went to the dollar store and picked up a giant ornament. We tried smaller but Parker's feet are rather huge and his foot wouldn't fit. I had some non-toxic craft paint, brushed it on his foot and after two tries was able to get a good...non-smeared...foot print. I quickly sprinkled some glitter and heat sealed it with my hot-fix tool.


We I had a lot of fun doing with this project. Parker? Well....he wanted to figure out a way to get his foot out of my hand and into his mouth.

Re-kindling Magic (Week 14) POTW

We took Parker out to see Christmas lights the other night. His little eyes got about as big as I have ever seen them and he looked at us and just smiled. He was mesmerized. All the music and the moving characters. It was magic in his eyes and I realized that he was re-kindling something in me that I had long forgotten.

I couldn't think of a better picture to conclude this week

Baby leggings Tutorial

What baby needs pants when you have baby leggings!!!!!

Baby leggings are huge for babies right now and if you're anything like me and don't want to spend $12.00 for them. Here is a simple tutorial to make them. It's quick and is easy in terms of sewing skill level.

I have searched and tried a lot of different tutorials but I have to say my favorite tutorial is from Little Birdie Secrets.

I like that you don't have any seam lines when you are finished.





I did make a few changes to that tutorial but it's only because I don't hand sew...ever! I'm really am horrible at it plus a machine is so much faster.

Baby Leggings

I bought these pair of knee high socks at the dollar store.



I cut about 12" of length or you can use a regular babyleg as your measuring tool (You will pretty much just be cutting off the foot of the sock at the ankle.)

Make sure you leave a little extra length for the seam.

*** For a No Sew version, you can let the cut edge roll and you would be finished at this point. ***



Next, turn the legging inside out and make a 1/4" seam and and sew. You can use a straight stitch or zig-zag stitch. I used a zig-zag stitch.



Make sure you don't accidentally catch the other side since you are sewing a small opening. I keep my finger in between. Also, don't stretch/pull while sewing or you will make too big of an opening.



Repeat the process on the other legging, turn right side out and.....that's it!!

New Discoveries (Week 13) POTW

This week Parker discovered his tongue, now he wants to lick everything he can get near his mouth. I ran across this gorgeous large scale rick-rack and I decided to make him a teething/sensory blanket using the rick-rack. It took a few shots but I finally captured the picture I wanted.

Holiday Photo Challenge

3 months old and counting.....

I'm taking part of a photo challenge being hosted by The Paper Mama








This month was another exciting month, life is so good. I'm so happy and so proud to be mommy to this little guy. I'm excited about what is ahead but also sad because I know how fast it goes by. He grows so much every day. Right now he is going through the 3 month growth spurt but it hasn't been as bad as what some of my friends went through with their little ones. He is just sleeping and eating a lot more. He holds his head up very well, and when on his tummy he can scoot himself around. He is trying to roll but hasn't quite figured that one out. He hits around the toys on his floor mat and grabs for them. He knows his feet exist and is trying to grab them.




We have started to get a good idea of some of the things he loves and those he doesn't like so much.

What Parker loves:

His baths or showers
To cuddle with his mama
His kick piano....was suppose to be a Christmas present but we couldn't wait
His changing table..I think he likes being naked
His hands
Victoria Secret Supermodels....yes one of the only times he watched the TV for more than a few seconds is during the recent fashion show they had on TV
His exersaucer
Getting daddy ready for work
Seeing his sister after school



What Parker dislikes:

His car seat
Tummy time
Socks/shoes
Hats
His reflux medicine

So many firsts this month, the biggest is how much he talks now. If you will listen he will chat your ear off and he is so smiley all the time. He does the silent laughing but only belly laughs out loud in his sleep.

1st movie-Tangled 11/25/2010
1st play-The Nutcracker 11/26/2010
1st Thanksgiving 11/25/2010
1st fancy restaurant- Olive Garden 11/26/2010
1st hike 11/20/2010

And the award goes to.......

Me!!




I'm very proud of myself. It's not easy to put yourself out there in front of strangers and breastfeed a baby whose loudly smacking or dribbling milk all over the place. Especially at your daughters orthodontist office where the only people in the waiting room are the fathers of other kids and your baby decides that breastfeeding is now also fun not only nutritional....eek!

I breastfeed for my baby and set aside all my discomforts to give him the best nutrition I can.

Thanksgiving & My 30th (Week 12) POTW

I chose my two favorite pictures this week since we had both Thanksgiving and my birthday back to back. It was an amazing week. Lots of first for Parker but, I will wait to mention the "firsts" till his 3 month post later this week.

Thanksgiving 2010


My kiddos on my 30th Birthday

Letters to Parker

Dear Parker,

Today is my 30th birthday and last year I made a birthday wish for you. Now I sit here in the early hours of my birthday just holding you. I love you so very much.


Love forever and a day,

Mom

Christmas Pictures (Week 11) POTW

Well, we attempted our Christmas pictures this past Sunday. I didn't want to waste money at a professional photographer for two reasons. The first reason is my mom does photography. Although she doesn't have a fancy studio, she has the talent. The second reason, with a newborn it's really hard to know exactly what pictures you will get. Awake? Asleep? Crying? With my luck we would waste money at a studio and be disappointed because we didn't get what we wanted.

Parker decided that he would show off his attempts to roll and push with his feet during the whole session but my mom still managed to get some amazing photos. Here was my absolute favorite photo from the session and the reason it is the picture of the week.

Tummy Time (Week 10) POTW

Another week has gone by. My Lil' Parker is getting so big. Every day he seems to amaze me with another skill he has mastered. This week he has made huge improvements in holding up his head. I had to choose this picture because I feel this is a milestone he truly mastered this week. The greatest thing about watching your child reach a milestone is the look in their face.....a look of accomplishment. When I look at his photo I see that exact look in his face.

To vax, delay or not to vax (Week 9) POTW

So why this photo?

This past week Parker had his 2 month well child check-up and the first round of vaccinations began at this check-up. Since I will be getting on a immunization soap box for this post, I found it fitting to take a picture of Parker's leg where he received his immunization.

I had been debating for awhile throughout the pregnancy whether or not we were going to immunize Parker. Okay...I knew we would immunize him but, I wasn't sure if we would put him on a delayed schedule or follow the normal standards. Even if you follow the normal CDC recommended immunization schedule, you should educate yourself about the things that are being injected into your baby.

Here are a few books I recommend reading:
"The Vaccine Guide" by Randall Neustaedter
"The Vaccine Book" by Dr. Sears
"What your Dr. may not tell you about Children's vaccines" by Stephanie Cave

I also recommend that if you are even debating the possibility of delaying your baby's shots, choose a pediatrician that is "vaccine-friendly." Basically, they won't threaten to call CPS or tell you that you are a horrible parent for delaying or not immunizing your little one. Some pediatricians will even make you leave their practice for simply suggesting a delayed schedule.

Here is a link to the list on the Dr. Sears site for vaccine-friendly doctors, we LOVE our pediatrician.

Vaccine-friendly doctors

After all the research I did here is the schedule we decided to go with(at least for the first 7 months.)

2 months: DTaP (this is already 3 vaccines in 1 shot, so if you went with the CDC standards that is 7 vaccines in one visit, just scary in my opinion.)
3 months*: Pc, HIB
4 months: DTaP
5 months*: Pc, HIB
6 months: DTaP
7 months: Pc, HIB


This is the CDC& AAP recommended schedule:

2 months: DTaP,Pc, HIB,IPV, Rota virus
4 months: DTaP,Pc, HIB,IPV, Rota virus
6 months: DTaP,Pc, HIB, Rota virus

While we may have a few extra visits, I feel more comfortable spreading out the immunizations rather than bombarding my little one with so much at once.

I'm 2 months old!!

Our little guy is growing so fast. I don't just mean the time is going by fast, he is growing out of everything in his closest. He is grew out of newborn at 3/4 weeks, and out of 0-3 months by 5/6 weeks and now he's nearly out of 3-6 months. I started digging into his 6-9 months this week. I thought maybe it was the cloth diapers since they are a little more on the bulky side. I put on an emergency sposie and nope, he is just that big. He has his 2 month checkup on Wednesday and I'm going to guess he is close to 15 lbs(I weighed myself and then weighed myself holding him and the scale was showing around 15 lbs heavier.) I measured him and he is over 24"!!

I made him his 2 month onesie a couple weeks ago. At that time it was too big for him so I thought, "No problem should be perfect by 2 months." Boy was I wrong! Nolan said he looks like he's wearing a muscle shirt, lol. I just love his poses in these pictures.




Parker is doing amazing. He is a very intense little guy. When you see him watching things it looks like he is taking it apart and putting it back together in his head. He will stare at different things for long periods of time till he has satisfied whatever mental processes he is going through.

We picked up some sign language videos for him to watch, though the TV is not in the least bit interesting to him. Instead I have been watching them when he naps so I can learn some signs and I use them when I talk to him.


Milestones this month:

1st time at church
1st time sick :(
1st Halloween
1st big open mouth smile 10/27/10

What is he doing?:

He can follow objects very well.
He follows my voice.
He tries to grabs things like toys, my hair, my face.
He can hold his head up very well, only a little wobble.
His big thing is kicking, he loves to feel things with his feet. If you put something he likes near his feet, he will kick it repeatedly and get really excited.
He coos a little bit says goo and ooo though he mostly yells at us, it's quite cute.
He sleeps pretty good at night. He goes to sleep around 8 or 830 and wakes up around 7. He will usually wake up two times in the night to nurse but with my insomnia it doesn't bother me at all.

Dreams Come True POTW (Week 8)

I was working on the Mei Tei carrier I made this week and Parker was fast asleep on the bed. I had the window open and the way the light hit him was amazing. He is so wonderful and 8 weeks have gone by and it's still surreal to me. His little hands and feet, his cheeks, his eyes, and his nose all so angelic. I took a bunch of pictures while he was sleeping and this one came out the best. Parker is a dream come true.