13 Month Update

Parker has spent the month of September learning a bunch of new things, trying LOTS of new foods, and just having fun growing and learning!

He has gotten way more independent with his eating so we have just decided to let him have at it. He shows little to no interest if we have to feed him his whole meal. There are still a few foods that I won't let him have entirely on his own because I wouldn't want to even imagine the mess he would make! But for the past few weeks these have been some of his new favorites.

Breakfast
Waffles
Yogurt
Eggs
Blueberry Muffins
Turkey Sausage
English Muffins
Cheerios
Toast

Lunch/Dinner
Grilled Cheese (Definitely a top favorite)
Baked or Grilled Chicken
Pizza
Meatballs
Mac & Cheese
Enchiladas (made with tomato sauce, tortillas, and cheese)
Spaghetti
Sweet Potatoes
Green Beans
Mashed Potatoes
Banana
Applesauce

Snacks
Yogurt (it made the list twice because this kid LOVES his yogurt)
Cheerios
Cheese - all kinds!
Goldfish

He drinks apple juice with breakfast, whole milk for lunch, snack, and dinner, and a couple of cups of water throughout the day (if he has been playing hard or if we are out on a walk.)  He is still taking a couple ounces of formula before bed but I have cut way back on the amount of his bottle and he hasn't seemed to miss it. We will be without a nighttime bottle before too long. That definitely means he's not a baby anymore!

When he is eating a food he absolutely adores he will say "mmmm mmmm" throughout the whole meal. Yogurt, homemade enchiladas, and grilled cheese always get his approval.

With the independence of feeding himself also comes the opportunity to throw what he doesn't want on to the floor. There is never a rhyme or reason to why he throws food on the floor; he will be stuffing as much as he can into his mouth with one hand while tossing handfuls of the same food onto the floor with the other hand. Other meals he will just start tossing the stuff overboard because he is full and doesn't want it anymore. There is never a dull moment with this one!

A few other things he has started this month are taking his brush or comb and trying to brush his own hair. We all know he has plenty to brush. He just had his 3rd hair cut at the beginning of September and he is only 13 months old!

He now knows when Brad is home before he even makes it in the door by the sound of the garage door. Parker will start squealing, clapping, and screaming "Dada" over and over until Brad finally makes it in the house. Melts my heart every time!

He has always been a great sleeper and still is but I have noticed these past couple of weeks that he isn't requiring as much sleep. We try to have him in bed by 9pm each night and he usually falls asleep on his own pretty quickly. I know he would have to have an earlier bed time if I had to wake him up earlier to get going in the mornings. Before he was a year old he used to sleep in until close to 9am every morning, but now he is starting to wake up between 7:30-8am. He still takes a good 2 hour nap in the afternoons.

Still wearing 18 month clothes and size 4 diapers.

12 Month Update

I may only be a month and a half late but since I have all of this information scribbled down on random pieces of paper all over my house I will go ahead and organize it into one spot! Ever since Parker turned one (even for a few weeks before) it sure seemed like he went from a baby to a toddler just overnight! Throwing tantrums when he doesn't get his way, yelling "maamaaa" when I'm not giving him enough attention, not wanting to be held anymore... oh the life of a toddler! Not what you were expecting me to say?! Nah, actually it's not all that bad so I will go ahead and share some of the fun things our "big boy" has now been up to!

Weight: 24 pounds

Height:

HC:

 

 

 His words up to this point are Mama, Dada, "Zo-Zo" (for Zoe) and No-No.

He is not walking just yet but he now has the crawling thing mastered (before it was just the army crawl). I am amazed at how speedy he can be!

 

 Playing on the floor with his toys is still his absolute favorite thing to do. Unfortunately for us, he's such a curious little fella' that his interest soon shifts to the things he's not supposed to be playing with (such as the stairs, climbing on the couch, the kitchen table and chairs, the window shades), so it usually ends up as a big chase around the house - which he thinks is hilarious!

 

Dancing! This kid loves to dance! He's got moves already. He will dance to any music he hears; in the car, in a store, on a toy, on the TV, - anywhere!

 

Clapping! Whenever I say "yay" in an excited voice Parker starts clapping. Or if he sees/hears an audience clapping on the television he joins in along with them. He will also clap when masters something, such as putting his balls in his truck.

 

This next one is a sure sign that little ones are always watching and learning even when you think they aren't. Every night after we sit down for dinner but before we start eating, Brad and I say a prayer. It's something we both did growing up and have now continued the tradition. One night a few weeks ago, I noticed that Parker put his hands together while we were doing this. Now, every single time we sit down to dinner, Parker folds his hands and stares us both down as if to say "don't forget to pray". Even if he has a drink in his hand, food in his mouth, or holding his spoon or fork, he puts down what he's doing to pray with us. It is hands down the cutest thing ever and a true reminder that we always need to be positive role models because we are our children's first teachers. :-)

 

Apparently, I talk on the phone way too much because my 12 month old has picked up on this habit. He will hold his play phones (yes, he already has multiple) up to his ear and pretend he's talking. If a phone isn't handy, another toy, or his hand will also do the job when he has an important phone call to make. He knows that we talk to Grandma on the phone a lot because I'll say "where's Grandma" and he puts the phone up to his ear. So sweet!

 

He is still a pretty good eater, especially now that we are giving him mostly all finger foods (more about that in the 13 month update).  Shortly after his birthday, we started giving him whole milk so that we could start weaning off of formula. He took to it really well and for most of the month was taking whole milk for meals and formula with his afternoon snack and his night time feeding. 

 

He is wearing 18 month clothes and Size 4 diapers.

 

 



We're Back!

Clearly my blogging has taken a back seat these past few weeks! We have been super busy around here with a variety of fall fun activities. Parker and I were able to spend a few days in Osborne at my parent's house at the beginning of the month. Once we were back home, our days have been filled with spending time outside (we are having great weather!), wagon rides, going to the farmer's market, walking to the park, decorating our house for fall, family photos, fall yard work (Brad), and learning to walk and talk (Parker, not me :-)).

When not trying to spend every second of every day with my little guy, I have been putting in much time on my new Diaper Cake business. Baby Sweets launched late this summer and I have been staying busy with trying to get some inventory built up. When I'm not creating baby gifts, I am working on advertising through my Facebook page and most recently setting up an Etsy site, which is still in progress. I had the opportunity to take part in a Craft Fair in Wichita a couple weekends ago. A big shout out to my sister who helped me during the event! I have a couple of other events lined up for this winter during the holiday season. I have enjoyed the creative side of this new business venture and it is very exciting to have something I can call my own! Contact me today for a unique and fun baby gift! :-) 

Stay tuned for a one year update on Parker!

1 Year Old!!

I cannot believe I am posting about my 1 YEAR OLD! No way is this possible. It still seems like it was just last week we were headed to the hospital on that late Saturday evening - fingers crossed we were going to meet our baby boy soon! Although hard to believe for some, I still remember every minute of his birth, most of the first few hours after he was born, and those first few weeks at home with our newborn. I am SO beyond blessed to be able to spend every minute of every day with him. It is definitely the greatest job I have ever had. Yes, I will admit some of the days have been long but the year has definitely been short. No two days have been the same. Our days are filled with LOTS of playtime, some snack time, exploration, hugs & kisses, story time, stroller rides & walks outside, wagon rides, swinging at the park, and lots of other toddler-fun activities!

We celebrated Parker's birthday for about a two week stretch - but hey, ya only turn 1 once!! We had a baseball themed birthday party with all of our family at our house on Sunday afternoon a couple of weeks before his actually birth date. Then, the weekend of his birthday, we got to celebrate with my side of the family in Osborne. We celebrated my Mom and Parker's birthday with cake and homemade ice cream! Yum!!

Here are some pictures of the 1 year old and Grandma celebrating their birthdays!

 

And here are pictures of the birthday boy on August 5th, 2013.

Warning - picture overload. :-)

 

 

The birthday boy getting ready to eat breakfast! 

 

 This is for me?!

And 30 seconds later... already lost interest!

Isn't this how everyone opens presents?

This way is even better....

15 minutes later... :-)

 

Finally!

 





Still interested in the paper.

Daddy and our 1 year old!