Have a Merry Christmas!

We are loving Parker's first Christmas season and can't stop taking pictures.  Can you blame us?  We have such a cute model!

 

 

Parker and his gal pal Lily

 

We had a busy weekend.  Parker met Santa, and then we went to a Christmas party and a 1st birthday party.  Our little P is so social! 

On the developmental front, Parker reaches out and tries to grab what he wants and recognizes that he shares his house with cats.  He often stares, smiles, and coos at them, and when they walk close, he sometimes holds out his hand to pet them.  It's very sweet.  He also gets distracted while nursing now.  He'll stop and look up at me and smile.  And sometimes he reaches out to touch my mouth or nose.  It melts my heart.

We are about to really get into the thick of the Christmas holiday in our household, so I want to wish you a merry Christmas now in case I don't get a chance to post beforehand.  Have a wonderful holiday!!

Our Christmas card picture.  We could not get Parker to smile at all during our photo session.

The best gift

A year ago today, we found out that we were expecting a baby.  After years of trying, it was the best Christmas gift that we could have hoped for.

I had been getting tired early for about a week and had a suspicion that I was pregnant, but it wasn't unusual for me to think I was having pregnancy symptoms only to find out that I wasn't.  I had some early pregnancy tests on hand, and  I took the test in the morning after Himal was at work.  He wasn't aware of my suspicions or that I was taking a test.  After getting many negative results in the past, I was amazed as the + sign showed up almost immediately.

For a second, I considered going by Himal's work at lunch to tell him, but I decided to wait until he got home.  I went to work, and afterwards, I bought a father-to-be card and wrapped it up in a box as a Christmas gift.  I also took another pregnancy test just to double-check; it was still positive.  When Himal got home, I gave him the gift and told him that it was going to be the best present ever.  Once he opened it and read the card and processed what it meant, he agreed and was ecstatic.  I think we went out to eat at our favorite Mexican restaurant to celebrate.  The whole day was amazing and surreal.

This year, we are so blessed to have Parker, and he is by far the best gift ever.  He is such a sweet, adorable, fun, and precious baby boy!

Big baby!

Parker had his 4-month check-up on Monday, and he weighed in at 17 lbs, 8 oz (92nd percentile) and was 25.5 inches long (80th percentile).  What a big boy!  Who needs sculpting class when you carry around a 17.5 pound baby all the time?!

In other news, Parker has learned to make loud, obnoxious, and hilarious sounds like a raptor.  Pretty funny unless you're sleeping or in a public place.

Here's the silly, big boy propped up in my bed this morning.  I love this baby!

Thanksgiving, visitors, and 4 months

Happy December!  I hope you had a good Thanksgiving.  We visited Himal's mom for the holiday and had a nice time.  We were worried about the day-long car ride because Parker often cries in the car, but he was perfect.  I sat in the back like usual, and his basket of toys, a pacifier (which he doesn't usually take), and several stops helped keep Parker happy.  Here he is stretching out at a rest stop.

Parker finally got to wear the first thing I bought for him when I found out I was expecting - Thanksgiving gobble PJs.  He was cozy in them and slept like a champ during our trip.

While visiting Himal's mom, Parker went in the ocean for the first time!  He was shocked at first because it was chilly.

He also got on a swing for the first time and enjoyed it even though he looks a little grumpy in this picture.

On our way home, we visited my good friend from grade school.  Her son was really sweet to Parker.  Aren't they cute?

After Thanksgiving, my sister and brother-in-law came to visit us.  We all cheered for Bama as they took home the SEC Championship.  Parker loves being a champion!

Auntie M had a blast playing with my adorable kiddo.

We are getting excited about the Christmas holiday!  There are so many firsts to celebrate with Parker: his first stocking, first visit with Santa, first family Christmas card, first Christmas morning...  It's a dream come true!  We tried to take him to church for the first time for a Christmas concert, but he was not having any of that.  I spent most of the time in the stairwell and lobby with him until we decided it just wasn't going to work and left.  Here we were before it started when we thought we were in for a nice evening of carols.

Parker turned 4 months last Monday.  His hair is getting darker and a little bit fuller, and his eyes have settled on being brown.  He goes for his 4 month checkup and shots this coming Monday, and we can't wait to see how much he weighs and how long he is.  Somehow, my tiny, skinny newborn has grown into a big baby!

We love him more every day, and it's so amazing to watch him learn new things.  He loves blowing bubbles, and he rotates his body like the hands of a clock now.  He's started doing little sit-ups, and he can roll from his back almost all the way to his tummy.  We are going to have to baby-proof soon.

Parker is growing into such a fun baby.  Here he is being silly while playing with me today: 

Thankful

We are so grateful to have our precious baby boy with us this holiday season.  Having a little one makes the holidays even more fun! 
Here is what Parker has been up to lately: 

Being serious

Silly monkey

Parker and his friend Lily.  The ladies already can't keep their hands off of him.

Look at those cheeks!

He sucks on his fingers a lot

What a happy baby

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Rollin' and strollin'

Parker rolled over for the first time today!  We were hanging out on the bed, and he rolled from front to back 3 different times.  It was amazing because it was so effortless.  All of a sudden, he just rolled over.  Of course, once I got out the camera to take a video, he wouldn't do it anymore.  This is a picture of him practicing yesterday:

We have a Graco travel system stroller which is great for places like the mall because the car seat fits right into it and it has room for the diaper bag, packages, etc, but it doesn't handle uneven sidewalks and gravelly pavement very well.  I had a jogging stroller on my wish list for Christmas and found a used BOB, considered the best jogging stroller brand, for sale on Craig's List.  Himal and I checked it out on Sat. and it was in great shape, so my parents got it for me as an early Christmas gift!  It is such a smooth ride for Parker, and I have had so much fun pushing it this week.  Here's Parker's new ride:

See how happy he is to go for a stroll in it?

Parker's personality is really starting to shine.  He's playing more and has an easy laugh and smile.  His happy face is pretty much the best in the world to me.

 

He's started really splashing in his tub, so much so that water splashes onto the floor.  We read together almost every day

and he enjoys playing in his new Jumperoo even though his feet don't quite touch the ground yet.

3 months old

Parker turned 3 months old on Saturday. 

He's growing into such a handsome and stylish little guy!

He's gotten so big.  We had to remove the infant insert from his car seat last week.  When we first brought him home, he was about the length of Gilligan, maybe a little shorter.  Look at him now!

Parker is a strong baby and can officially hold his head up now, so we can play fun games like Superman:

He can intentionally grasp at toys, and he appears to be a lefty.  It's fun to shop in the toy section now that he expresses some interest in them.  We have rattles and jingly hanging things and squeaky toys and a mirror.  We also play with some chew toys.  He's only up for a few minutes of play at a time; then, it's time to recharge:

You know he's zonked out when his little mouth opens like this.

At 3 months, Parker was old enough to vote!  See, here's the proof.

Bibs are a common accessory now because he drools and spits up A LOT.

Even though he only possesses a few skills, it's amazing to watch him learning new things.  We love our little man so much, and there's really nothing better than seeing him break into a huge grin.  He's such a sweet baby.

Halloween

Parker had an awesome first Halloween!  Can't you tell by his expression?  :-)

It just so happened that his grandparents, Mr. Big and G, were coming through to spend a couple of nights, so they got to celebrate with us!

Pre-trick-or-treat walk with Mr. Big

Here he is posing with G and the jack-o-lantern.

Then it was time to change into costume..... an adorable, fluffy puppy dog!!

We trick-or-treated at a few neighbors' houses.  Everyone loved him.

Trick or treat!

Afterwards, because he's so awesome, Parker changed from one costume into another.  Here is our little superhero posing with his Halloween loot.

Quite a stash for a guy with no teeth!

Have a Happy Halloween!

We are so excited to dress Parker up and take him trick-or-treating!  This is his first holiday!  Here are some pics from festivities so far.

Halloween festival

Parker slept through the festival

Lounging

Look at this sweet face!

Himal carved our pumpkin tonight

I wanted to get Parker's picture with the pumpkin, but he slept through the carving.