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.

Crafty

Yesterday, Parker made his first craft during play group.  Everyone else made hand spiders but he didn't want to unclench his fists, so feet ghosts it was!  He's so artistic; I'm a proud mom.  :-)

Parker is doing well in his crib.  He slept for 7 straight hours the other night!  We love our Summer Infant touch screen video monitor even though the picture reminds us of a horror movie.  I can just picture a demon creeping into the screen shot.  Creepy.  We can scan the room and even see that he's breathing.  This is his normal sleeping position with his hands up.  Such a funny little guy.

Even though he still can't really "do" anything, Parker has entertained himself a little bit lately with his toys while I have gotten dressed.  I even washed my hair this morning while he was "playing."  See how he's grasping the toy in the picture below?  He can't control his grasp yet and doesn't seem to know that he's doing it, but sometimes he swats at the toys hanging down or even grabs onto them. 

We had to drop by my workplace today, and Parker was a complete doll letting people ooh and ahh over him (he even flashed a couple of smiles) before falling asleep in my arms.  Everyone always comments on his eyes.  They are so big and alert, and we can't tell what color they are going to be.  The color varies day-to-day based on what he's wearing.
Tomorrow, we are going to a Halloween festival at the farmer's market.  It's so much fun having a little guy to take to these things.  Here he is in his Halloween PJs getting very excited about trick-or-treating.

Catching up

Parker is now 11 weeks old.  Time flies!!   

To catch you up on the past month or so...  Parker has been able to form tears for about a month, but it took until a few days ago for them to actually spill down his cheeks.  It's so pitiful when they do!  He's produced a lot of drool and spit up lately, and we go through burp cloths like crazy.  His head control keeps getting better, and he can push up a little on his forearms when he's on his tummy.

Parker does a lot with his hands, grasping things (not intentionally), holding on to my shirt when nursing, making fists, etc.  His hands are always in motion, and I love to watch them in action.  His awareness and focus have improved, and he now enjoys watching the lights on his play mat and sometimes looks at the screen when Skyping with his grandparents.  He responds with smiles and coos often when we talk to him,

and he thinks it's so funny when I stick my tongue out at him.  Sometimes, he even tries to mimic me.

We've been pretty busy lately.  I discovered a group workout program called Stroller Strides (www.strollerstrides.com) that moms can do with their babies.  We enjoy getting out in the fresh air, getting a workout, and interacting with other moms and babies on the days when Parker is up for it.  We took an infant massage class with our friends Maggi and Lily and have gone on a couple of walks with them by the river.  Parker had his 2 month checkup and got a series of vaccinations; he slept about 24 hours straight as he recovered.  Here he is that evening.  Poor baby.  :-(

We took him on his first trip near the end of Sept.  We traveled about 2 hours with his grandmama and granddaddy to spend the night with his great granddaddy at his farm.  He met a great aunt and some great uncles and visited his great great aunt in the hospital.  He did pretty well on the short trip. 

In front of the pack house on great granddaddy's farm

grandmama, mom, Parker, great granddaddy

Auntie M came to visit and brought her dogs.  While she was visiting, Parker celebrated his 2 month birthday on the same day that his doggie cousin Ike celebrated his 9 month birthday. 

Cousin Ike is a big puppy!

Chillaxin' with cousin Susie Q

I got to catch up on some work while my sister watched Parker, and Himal and I even got to go out on a dinner date! 

Who is this fancy couple??  Particularly the lady who did her hair and put on makeup?!  :-)

During Misty's visit, we went on a walk by the river with Chris, Maggi, and baby Lily and were quite a sight: 4 adults, 2 babies in strollers, a DOG in a stroller, and big ole Ike!

Uncle Shane even made an appearance and enjoyed hanging out with Parker.

This week, we've started a bedtime routine.  It usually consists of a bath with Johnson's Baby Bedtime wash followed by a massage with the addition of Johnson's Baby Bedtime lotion.  Parker actually slept through the night for the first time last night (if you use the "official" definition of 5 straight hours of sleep)!!  No matter how many times I have to get up with him during the night, I'm grateful that Parker always falls asleep right after eating (or even just rocking) and doesn't really get up for the day until 10:30 or later.  As a late sleeper, I'm thrilled with the fact that I can still sleep in.  His favorite sleeping position is still chest-to-chest on mommy or daddy.  

The cats have accepted Parker as part of the family.  I'm amazed at how they ignore him when he's crying.  Murray is particularly fond of his new brother.

We are excited about Parker's first Halloween.  I usually make costumes for Himal and me, but I'm too busy this year to make any.  I was excited to shop for Parker's costume, but most of the ones in stores are sized for ages 6 months+ and are too big.  We found a cute costume at a consignment shop that I hope he'll wear.  It's gonna make him HOT, so I'm hoping for a cool Halloween evening.  I'll be sure to post pictures.
Until next time...

Fun weekend

I'm sorry I've been a terrible blogger lately.  Taking care of my sweet Little Man and working from home wears me out!  I promise I'll do better, and I'll catch you up on what we've been doing sometime soon.  In the meantime, here are pictures of Parker from this weekend.

LOVE this outfit that Parker's Auntie M sent him

Parker is 10 weeks old now.  He has really grown and weighed 12 lbs, 15 oz (88th percentile) and was 25 inches long (off the charts) at his 2-month checkup.  We don't know where his height comes from!  He's such a snugly baby with adorable expressions, and we love him to pieces.

Himal and I have an annual tradition of going to the state fair.  We always have a fun time, but I've always hoped that the next year we'd have a child to take with us.  That dream has finally come true!  We felt so blessed to take our sweet baby boy this year.

I love amusement park rides and Himal doesn't, so I've been looking forward to riding them with my children.  Here I am with my best pal on his first ride at the state fair.  So exciting!  I'm stoked for the day he can ride the big-boy rides with me and hope he likes them as much as I do.

I've also looked forward to taking pictures of my baby at a pumpkin patch and finally got to do that this weekend, too. Such a fun time!

Parker was thrilled to be in the pumpkin patch.  Can't you tell?!  :-)