Dear Parker

Dear Parker,

Ever since we brought you home from the hospital you have worked your way up to a pretty good sleep schedule all on your own. It started with 3 hours stretches, to 5, then 8 and now you're up to almost 11 hours a night. The only down fall (for me)  ...  you not going to sleep until after 11pm every night and sleeping in way late in the mornings. My goal is to get you on a more normal sleep schedule. Say.... 9pm-8am. Well, this morning you decided you were ready to get up earlier than normal, around 7am. So this got Mommy thinking. If you wake up earlier and have your first bottle earlier, than that must mean that you will take your last bottle of the night earlier and go to sleep earlier. Right? It was worth a shot. You did take a bottle earlier and you did go to sleep in your bed earlier... but you only stayed asleep for 30 minutes. Then you were wide awake again. So, we had another bottle... and you fought going back to sleep for close to 45 minutes.... and finally you were asleep again at 10:50 which is before 11:00. Baby steps. It's a work in progress, but we'll get there. :)

Love,
Mommy

4 Month Stats

Parker was 4 months old on December 5th (he just can't be that old already)! He had his 4 month check-up that day, so he and I bundled up and headed to see the doctor. The appointment went well - he was able to sit up on my lap (shows how big he's getting!) during all of the doctor's checks so I think that helped a bunch. He ended the appointment with 2 shots... poor baby. Around 2pm that afternoon he started to get fussy, which sometimes happens, so I didn't think it was due to the shots. However, by 7 that night, he was a screaming mess. Way different than his 2 month shots! He didn't want to eat, didn't want us to hold him, didn't want in his swing. We gave him some Tylenol and finally just laid him on the floor where he seemed the most content - for 20 minutes or so until the whole cycle started over! We then gave him a warm bath which really calmed him down and then he took his bottle and fell sound asleep in my arms. He slept until 10am the next morning! Poor guy! :(

4 Month Stats

 

Height: 25 3/4 inches - 75th percentile

 

Weight: 15 pounds 7 ounces - 50th percentile

 

Head: 16 5/8 inches - 75th percentile

 

Still tall and skinny like his Daddy! :-)

 

 

 

Parker is doing SO many new things I don't even know where to start!

 

 

*Wearing mostly 6 month clothes

 

*Sleeping close to 10-11 hours/night

 

*Taking 6-7 ounce bottles 5-6/day

 



*Rolling over both ways EVERY time he lays on his back... on the floor, playmat, and in his bed.

*Has the rosiest little cheeks from rolling over onto them everyday

*No more swaddling throughout the night - I start him on his back but find him on his belly every morning.

*Loves his toys!

*Will grab on to anything you put in front of him

*Still "talks" to anyone who will listen

*Sucks his thumb and/or fists - hard habit we are trying to break!

*Has the strongest little grip and will hold on to your fingers forever and not let go!

*Can sit up in his bumbo and seems to really like it!

*Really holds his head well

*Helps to sit himself up from a lying position when you pull him upwards

*Does "baby crunches" all the time

*Will watch you as you walk past him, or out of the room

*Enjoys watching the colors and movement on the TV

*Still has lots of hair, which I think is getting a bit lighter, but is finally growing into it since his head is getting bigger

*Has the darkest brown eyes

*SMILES all the time! LOVE!

Happy 4 Months, Parker! We LOVE You!

 

Thanksgiving #2

On Saturday, we went to Brad's brother's house to celebrate with his side of the family. We enjoyed Thanksgiving with Brian & Jen, Drew & Jack, Darold & Bev, and Kevin & Sara. Jen cooked a wonderful meal of Turkey, mashed potatoes & gravy, noodles, stuffing, corn, veggies, rolls, and pie. After lunch we just hung out and played inside with the kiddos because it was pretty chilly outside that afternoon. Thanks for hosting Jen & Brian! The meal was great and it was lots of fun to see everyone! 

 The caramel apple turkey that I made.

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 Parker hanging with Grandma Bev

 We had Astronaut Buzz Lightyear join us for Thanksgiving. Oh wait, it's Jack!

Thanksgiving Dinner #1

We were lucky enough to get to celebrate Thanksgiving with both of our families this year. For the first celebration, we loaded up in the car bright and early on Thanksgiving morning and headed to Wichita to my sister's house. Since she was recently married, she thought it would be fun to host her first holiday. She made a delicious meal of ham, mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing, creamed corn, green bean casserole, sweet potatoes, jello, rolls, pumpkin pie and brownies. Yum-O! After dinner, we just hung out, playing with Parker and watching football.

Mom, Meg, Bret, and I all headed out to Target around 9pm that evening for some early Black Friday shopping. The crowds were beyond crazy and we decided nothing we needed was that important so we were home by 10pm. We did go back out  for awhile on Saturday morning, but nothing too crazy!

Thanks for a great Thanksgiving meal, Megan! 

 Playing Angry Birds with Grandpa.

Now it's time for a bottle with Grandpa.

 Mom & Meg in the kitchen.

Playing with Aunt Meg. It was warm that afternoon so Parker was hanging out in his muscle shirt!

 Hanging with Uncle Bret when he got home from work.

 Playing with Grandpa and Grandma!

Seriously Mom, enough with the pictures already! :-)

3 Months Old!

Parker was 3 months old on November 5th! (Also Uncle Kevin's Birthday!) My, how our little man is growing up right before my eyes. He woke up one morning, a few of weeks ago, and was no longer the little baby that we brought home from the hospital. He is growing and changing more and more each day. It's bittersweet really... of course I want him to grow and get big because that means he is a healthy little guy. But, I also want to keep him as my little baby boy forever. This little baby stage has been so much fun but I also can't wait for the excitement that the next stage will bring.

We did not have a check up with the doctor this month (doctor's choice), so I don't have the official stats to share. I do know he continues to gain weight though because this little dude is getting HEAVY when holding him for longer periods of time. Some of the pants he has been wearing for awhile now are too short on him, so he continues to take after his Dad in the height department!

Here are some of the milestones this month....

Wearing all 3-6 month clothes. There are maybe one or two 0-3 month things that were bigger to begin with that he can still wear, but I packed away most of the smaller things... sad day!

Wearing Size 2 Diapers

Still taking 6 bottles/day. They range from 4-6 ounces at a time but he usually eats right around 32 ounces a day.

He has started reaching for things and grasping on to certain items for longer periods of time. This started with his pacifer - he would pop it out of his mouth and then hang on to it for awhile. He now grasps onto his bib or burp cloth when he eats, he will pick up small toys and shake them around, and he also got a good grasp of my hair the other day. I solved that problem and went and got it cut short. :) Nah, he wasn't the reason, I was wanting to cut it for awhile now.

Still the best sleeper, EVER! He usually wakes up one time during the night, somewhere between 3 & 5 am. He is never crying... just moving and kicking around (getting his swaddle un-done) and making a little noise so I just pop the pacifer back in his mouth and he is out once again.

ALWAYS wakes up HAPPY! He has the biggest, best smiles when he wakes up - doesn't matter if it's in the morning or from an afternoon nap.

He is babbling all the time! He loves to just lay on his play mat and "talk" to anyone. He will babble in his crib, in his swing, to you after he eats, or just laying on the floor. He sure has a lot to say for such a little guy. I love it and want to bottle up that sound and hang on to it forever!

He has taken a break from the rolling over thing. We tried again with him last night and he wasn't having it. He doesn't mind being on his belly like he did before. Now he'd rather just kick his feet around rather than try to get to his back. I also think it's because he has gained weight and it's harder for him to get flipped over.

And now for the big news of the month.... he is now sleeping in his crib in his room by himself every night! So proud of him! He probably would have started this a lot sooner had I put him there. I just didn't want to be so far away from him at night. He loves it and I am really happy the transition went as smooth as it did.

Happy 3 Months, Sweet Parker! We love you bunches!

 

Aunt Meg Came To Visit!

 

Megan was in town last night for a work meeting today so we had lots of fun with her! We had dinner at Salsarita's (Meg's new favorite place!) and then after dinner Daddy stayed home with the little guy while Meg and I could hang out for awhile. This included driving across town to Panera for some of their delicious chocolate chip cookies! BEST.EVER. I say clear across town because the one closest to our house was out of them. How dare they! No one comes between a girl and her cookie! After finally finding a Panera that wasn't sold out of them, we went home so that we could share our cookies with Brad. He did stay home with Parker so that we could go get them, so that deserves a cookie. :)  I know this probably doesn't sound too exciting for most, but when you don't get out of the house as much anymore with a new baby and you only get to see your sister every once in awhile, you take what you can get. It was pretty darn exciting for me! 

But, if I am going to be completely honest, going home and watching Megan play with Parker was the highlight of the night. Parker just adores his Aunt Meg (he actually has two of the best Aunts ever - and loves them both to pieces!), and she can always get some of the biggest smiles out of him and last night was no different!  I'll let the picture do the talking....

 LOVE HIM!! 

Aunt Meg helped us get into our pj's, but we had to stop for a short photo shoot in between!

"Who you lookin' at?" This picture CRACKS ME UP! Parker looks SO big here!

Time for another picture, this time with the jammies on!

Photo Shoot Time...

Hanging out before it was time for bed.

  We love our Aunt Megan!

                   

It's not every night that one of my Aunts gets to read me a bedtime story!

Thanks for staying with us Aunt Meg! We loved having you here and can't wait for you to come back in December!

 

Fun Weekend!

Parker and I started our weekend out by going to Aunt Jen's house on Friday to play with her and Jack. We had a yummy lunch at Panera and then enjoyed the beautiful (almost hot!) weather at the park. Are we sure this is November?? .... Actually yep, it is, because today it is back down to 44 degrees! Anyway, we knew it was probably going to be the last nice day of the year so we took advantage of it! Parker enjoyed riding in his stroller while Jack drove his car. We had lots of fun at the park, watching big cousin Jack run around and go down the slides.... Parker even went down the slide for the first time! He didn't quite know what to think about it but I do think he really wished he was old enough to get down and run around with Jack! He'll be doing that before we all know it!

When we got back from the park, Parker decided it was time for a short little cat nap on Aunt Jen's floor. Pretty soon Drew got home from school so we got to play with him, too! Brad decided to meet us after work so we all had dinner at Pizza Ranch that evening. Oh my, Parker was NOT a fan of this place! I figured he would just sleep while we were eating because of our busy afternoon, but nope.... about the time we sat down to eat he started screaming... and didn't stop until we got in the car to leave!

Thanks for a fun afternoon Aunt Jen & Jack!  

Big Cousin Jack thought Parker needed the Batman cape to go along with his Superman shirt!

 How cute is he?! I love this little guy!

 Mom, what are you doing to me?!

 Not so sure about this....

 Maybe it will be better when I go down the slide with Jack! 

On Saturday morning we had a visit from our friends from Wichita, Jennifer and sweet Maria! I cannot believe Maria is as big as she is. I remember the night she was born just like it was yesterday! Brad and I had lots of fun playing with her while Parker got some play time with Jennifer! Thanks for coming by, you two! We sure miss you! Come back again soon!

This is the best we could get with a 1 year old and a 3 month old! :-)

Saturday night we went over to Uncle Kevin's house to watch the KSU game. Parker got lots of attention from several of Uncle Kevin's friends. He sure knows how to flirt with the ladies! :) He did get to spend some time with Uncle Kevin watching the game, too! Bummer that I forgot my camera!

Whew!! What a busy weekend we had but we sure had lots of fun with our family and friends!! 

Happy Halloween!

We had a pretty low key Halloween this year, which is pretty normal for us. However, I got to thinking that this year will probably be the last year for that because Parker will be more into it next year - yay! This year, he slept the night away! :-) Every time the doorbell would ring, Zoe would bark but Parker stayed sound asleep pretty much the whole hour and a half we had trick or treaters at our door.

Brad ended up having to work late, so he just picked up a pizza on his way home. This was the 4th Halloween we have lived in this house and every year we have had the tradition of getting a pizza... quick & fun! Anyway, while we were eating (and Parker continued to snooze) the doorbell started ringing. There were some cute costumes but most of them I don't recognize anymore. That must mean I'm getting old! I mean, what kinda costume consists of a full blue body suit (head and everything) a big gold necklace with the word "gangsta" on it, and a big paper hundred dollar bill? Yes, I can use my imagination! I prefer the cute little Woody's from Toy Story. :-) I was actually very surprised at how polite most of the kiddos were. I did say most of the kids! There were a lot of thank you's said and a group of boys even stopped to tell me to have a Happy Halloween. I thought that was quite polite. Yes, I'm getting old... hehe!

Around 7:30ish I could tell the trick or treating was starting to wind down and I still had a bunch of candy left. Ooops! So, I told Brad that the next kid to come to the door was going to be so lucky because he or she was going to get a bunch of candy! About that time the doorbell rings again and it's our neighbors from across the street with their CUTE little 10 month old dressed as a dinosaur! Hehe, they got a bunch of candy from us!

This picture just cracks me up! Right after Parker was born Aunt Jen gave Parker this race car driver costume because Brad is a huge nascar fan.  It is a bit big on him but still so cute so I just had to take a picture. I snapped this one and went to adjust the top so it wasn't quite in his face and my camera died... ugh! He was kinda in a cranky mood after this because it was bath night so I didn't put him back in it to take another picture. Still adorable though!

 My First Halloween - 2012

Hope all you "ghouls and goblins" had a Happy Halloween!!

Dear Parker - 10-26-12

Dear Parker,

Mommy is going to start writing you letters in hopes that someday you will read back through them and know how much fun we had while you were growing up.  :-)

Your Daddy and I hoped and prayed for you for so long before we finally held you in our arms. Not a day goes by that I don't stop and tell myself how lucky I am to have you. The first time I saw you, I was in love. You were hands down, the cutest baby ever and I couldn't believe you were mine. Right now, you are only 12 weeks old but you have already brought so much happiness to my life.

Before you were born, your Daddy and I decided that I would stay home with you instead of going back to my job. Up until you arrived, I was a teacher. I loved my job and working with other children was so much fun for me. However, since then, I have learned that being a mommy to you and staying home to teach you new things every day is the job that I love the most. I don't regret for a second our decision and I cherish every minute that you and I spend together. Thank you for making my new job of being a mommy so much fun!

************************************************************************

You are still so little but you already have the biggest personality ever.  I am so amazed at the things you have already learned to do and I just love watching you accomplish something new every day. You are growing up so fast that I like to write each new thing down and since I don't always get the chance to write them down on paper, I have used this blog to keep track of your milestones. Here are some of the new things you have been up to lately...

You are still in size 1 diapers but I tried on a size 2 diaper today and you are just about ready to start wearing those full time

You are starting to outgrow your 0-3 month clothes. I noticed this morning that your little toes are about ready to pop through the feet of your jammies in this size. It seems like just yesterday the 0-3 jammies were too big on you.

You started sucking your thumb a week ago. At first, you would suck on your little fists but then I noticed that you had found your thumb and had started sucking on only that. You have done this several times since.

You can be quite the little cuddler after you finish your bottles but your most favorite thing to do is lay on your play mat and just kick your feet and move your arms, playing with your toys. You aren't the most comfortable when people hold you for long periods of time.... you would rather be by yourself to move around on your own. You love looking at and hitting your toys on your play mat.

You are quite the little talker and you will talk to anyone who listens. You just really started babbling this past week. After your bottles, we will sit on the couch and have the best conversations. You will babble to me and then I will talk back to you and your little face just lights up. We can sit and do this for such a long time!

You still love your swing, bouncers, car seat, stroller.... anything that moves!

You have the biggest set of lungs for such a small little fella but you only really use them if you get really, really hungry or you aren't enjoying your bath!

You are starting to hold onto your bottles while eating... but Mommy's favorite thing is when you grip onto my finger with your little hands.

You look so little in your Daddy's arms. I love watching you fall asleep with him on the couch in the evenings.


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You seriously are the best baby ever. You have the cutest smile. You have the cutest little cry. You have the cutest little cheeks, the cutest little nose & toes. You truly are a miracle and I thank God for you everyday.


And finally, I want you to know that since being a mommy to you is a brand new thing for me, I know I will make mistakes along the way, but this I can promise you... I will never stop trying to be the best mommy to you that I can be, and you will always be loved.


Love, Mommy

Parker's Baptism

We had a fun time with our families this past weekend. We hung out with my parents and sister on Friday night and Saturday. Then we all met up with Brad's parents on Saturday night for church and dinner at Chili's. Parker loved getting to spend time with both sets of grandparents and his Aunt Megan. This baby isn't spoiled or anything. :-)  Sunday was his special day as we all gathered for his baptism! We had a reception and lunch at our house before the baptism. Parker was joined by all 4 of his grandparents, his Aunt Megan, Uncle Kevin, Uncle Brian & Aunt Jen and his cousins Drew & Jack. 

After the reception we all went to the church for the baptism. Since we belong to such a large parish, there were 5 baptisms (at the same time) that day - which was a different type of baptism than any of us had been to before. They were pretty organized and had a special place all set up for our family to sit. It was just like a normal baptism, but with every step being done 5 times! It seemed like it would take a long time, but actually it only took about 45 minutes for the actual baptisms. We then spent time afterwards for pictures.  Thanks again to all of our family for celebrating Parker's special day with us. He is so lucky to be surrounded by so many people that love him!

Our little family... with the cake!

Look how big I am getting!

Grandma and Grandpa Z gave me this special baptismal blanket.

Mommy decided I needed a picture with my special hat. Since I have on my baptismal gown and hat I decided I would fold my hands to make it look like I am praying. :-) 
 

Mommy making the sign of the cross on my forehead.

Now it's Daddy's turn.

Deacon John was giving us special directions... even I was listening!

I was baptized by Deacon John. My Godmother is Aunt Megan and my Godfather is Uncle Brian.

Everyone said I did a good job - I didn't even make a peep!

 

Here is Uncle Brian (along with the other 4 Godfathers) lighting the Baptismal Candle.

This is right after Aunt Megan put the baptism garment on me.

Receiving a special blessing from the Deacon.

With my Parents, Godparents, and the Deacon.

Our whole family!

And now just Mommy's side of the family - minus Uncle Bret.

Grandpa and Grandma Zimmerman

And the whole Zimmerman clan!