Christmas Pictures

Parker's Christmas pictures

I finally went and had Parker's pictures taken. This one is the only one I have so far. I won't get the others until Friday. I think it turned out quite nice.

9 months

Tomorrow, Parker will be 9 months old. I can hardly believe that time has gone by that fast. I feel like she was just born. She is very much in the fun state right now. Even though she is into everything she is still so much fun. The first of January, she will be going to her 9 month appointment so I will have more information on her height and weight. She is growing constantly so that is a good sign. Some things she has accomplished so far are:

She is eating like a champ. She still has around four bottles a day, baby food as well as "people food". There are so many things that she enjoys to eat. It is neat to watch her try all kinds of things.

She has been a great sleeper the last couple of weeks or so. She is going to bed in between 8 and 9 and sleeping until 7 or 8 am. Those are usually the days she and I are at home, the weekends. Other than that I have to wake her up to go to daycare, :(. She sleeps in her crib but she now can stand in it and pull things off of the wall, yikes! Good thing it is only plush.

Her mobility is great. She can crawl extremely fast, pull up and stand, stand by herself for a second or two, climb a flight of 12 stairs and of course sit up from her stomach. She is doing wonderful developmentally. She can wave bye-bye but only when she feels like it, play pat-a-cake, peekaboo, and many more things. She is saying mama, dada and night night. I am trying to slowly incorporate some sign language as well. We are still working on the sign for mama. Maybe in a month or so we will move on to something else.

She is doing absolutely wonderful and I couldn't be more happier. We are going Thursday to FINALLY have her pictures taken for Christmas. She has a beautiful red Christmas dress all ready to go. We can't wait to go to Conway and DeQueen for Christmas to see all of our families. Here are a few pictures of her playing in the kitchen, eating and etc. Enjoy!!

Getting into mommy's cabinets.


Looking Cute!


What a mess!

Giving Thanks

We, well mainly me, were all over the place for Thanksgiving this year. My first year to try and balance going to see all of the families. First, we went to Conway to see Jeff's parents and siblings. We had a great time seeing everyone. Parker loves seeing her grandparents and all of her cousins. She tried a few different foods while she was there and she loved the yams and dressing. She had a little jello too but that was about all we would venture to. I didn't take many pictures while I was there since I forget I have my camera most of the time. I did take two and they were while she was eating. Jeff decided to have a little fun with her hair.

Giving a good pose

After returning from Conway, I got up the next day and drove to DeQueen to have Thanksgiving with my family. Everyone was happy to see Parker and I was happy to get a little break while everyone played with her. They haven't seen her since she has started crawling and sporting two bottom teeth. I was sad to leave but we will be back there for Christmas. I did take a few more pictures of her in DeQueen.

Parker loved playing with Brian's dog, Dixie

Parker's hair is finally long enough to have a barrette in it

Parker is 8 months!

Since Parker just turned 8 months, I thought I would put up a little update on her. She won't see the pediatrician until next month or possibly the first of January so specifics won't be available.

Height and weight is unknown but I know one thing for sure, she is long!
She is eating all kinds of foods now. She is still taking a bottle, eating baby food and baby food with some meats. She is eating cookies, bananas and other big girl foods. She drinks a little juice everyday but not a lot.

She is sleeping through the night for the most part but some nights she has a bad night and will get us up early. Usually she is in bed between 8 and 9 and will wake up between 5:30 and 6:30 and that is pretty good by me. She always sleeps in her bed but sometimes I do like to take a nap or two with her. She is great about sleeping in her bed but not so much napping.

As of the end of last week, we found a tooth had finally broke through the gum and then I checked her teeth again on Saturday another one had come through. It is so weird to see her with teeth! As for her mobility. She is crawling everywhere and is into everything. She can sit up on her bottom from her tummy. She can pull up on anything she feels she needs to. She can't quite stand on her own yet but we are getting there. She attempts to wave to herself and sometimes me and daddy. She loves peek a boo but will get bored rather quickly. We have started giving her a bath in the big tub because she was way too big for the baby tub and made an awful mess every time she was in there.

Other than that, she is doing wonderful and growing so fast. I don't have an updated picture just yet but I will have one real soon. They are on the camera just not on the computer.

Trick or Treat, smell my feet!

Tonight we took Parker "trick or treating". I don't think you can much call it that since she didn't have any idea what was going on. Jeff and I enjoyed all of the treats that were being handed to us anyway. We went to the square since there was a dog costume contest and candy being handed out. So many cute costumes but Parker's was by far the cutest.

Update

Here are a few pictures of Parker standing up and all by herself. She is pulling up on everything and crawling everywhere. I'm not for sure if I am going to like it very much. She is into everything. She is getting really good at crawling and is moving around really quick. Who knows maybe she will be walking in no time. I guess we will just have to wait and see.

We've Got a Mover!

Parker has been trying to crawl for a while now and she just hasn't been able to figure it out. As of yesterday and today she can crawl. It isn't very good or very fast but she knows what to do now. I guess I better look at now. She is going to be everywhere. Just one more milestone we have accomplished. Watching her change is so wonderful!!

Parker's 6 month check up

Today Parker had her 6 month checkup and it was a little past due. She was already not feeling well before she went in so it started off on a bad foot. She only had to get two shots and not four like the previous times. Her doctor says she is growing wonderfully and I will have to agree.

Right now she weighs 17 lbs and 3 oz
She is 29 inches long and getting longer by the minute
She can sit up by herself and she will play for extended periods of time
She can still roll over in both directions and she does it all over the house and now she is getting up on all fours and rocking back and forth. She will be hopefully crawling anytime now!
She takes about 4 bottles a day not including her morning and evening cereal bottle and is eating all kinds of baby food. She loves everything!

I'm so glad that she is doing well. I just hope I can keep her well during the flu season! I hate seeing a sick baby.

The Botanical Garden

Yesterday we went and checked out the Botanical Garden that was just finished in Fayetteville. It is absolutely beautiful. It was nice to be out on such a nice day and catch a few pictures. There were some beautiful flowers, plants and tress there.

New Pictures

She sits up so well

Glamour Shot!

A few pictures taken during Jeff's flag football game on Sunday.

Here It Is!!

Here is the winner..

Jeff's Fight (Update)

He won his first fight!!! It went almost three rounds. The guy I guess didn't want to come out for the third round. Way to go Jeff!! Hopefully I'll have some pictures from it somewhere I can post. I'm so happy for him! All of the hard work he did finally paid off!!

Jeff's Big Night!

For a while now, Jeff has been extremely interested in the sport of Mixed Martial Arts. He watches it religiously, talks about it and now is practicing it. For the past few months, he has been driving to Siloam Springs and practicing twice a week for three hours each time. Even though he loves doing, I hate him being gone for two nights a week. Tonight is his second fight in Branson. The first time he fought was kind of a on the whim kind of thing. This time he has been training and really getting better. I won't be there to watch him since I have work real early and don't want to keep Parker out until the wee hours of the morning. I wish him luck and hope he gets a 1 in his win column! Good luck and we love you Jeff!!

Finally She Sits Up!

Jeff and I have been working extremely hard at getting Parker to sit up on her own. She can finally do it. She can't quite sit up from a lying position but she can sit up by herself when we put her there. It is so fun to watch her sit and play in the floor for forever. Sooner or later she loses balance and tumbles to the floor. I can't wait for her to crawl now! I can't believe how big she is getting. She has been riding in her infant seat while shopping at Wal-Mart and etc but today we decided to try her just sitting in the cart by herself and she did awesome. She was in awe of this new experience. After she figured it out she was extremely happy to not be in that seat anymore!!

Parker Update

I thought I would give a small update on my little Parker. She is 5 months and 3 weeks old today. She will be 6 months old on September 12, the day after my birthday for those who know. She is getting incredibly big. She can roll over to both sides, sit up for about 15 seconds unsupported, pretty much get up on all fours and scoot, and tries really hard to sit up on her own. She is extremely vocal and laughs when she is tickled or if something is really funny. She loves to play in her exersaucer, jumperoo and sit in her bumbo seat. She is also getting better at playing in the floor. I believe she is getting a few teeth in and she is really letting me know about it.

She did have to visit the doctor last week because of a cough and runny nose so she was weighed in at 15 lbs and 12 oz but we weren't able to get her length. I'm sure Jeff and I can do that. I know it will probably be pretty long. She is eating baby food at least three times a day as well as have a formula bottle, juice bottle and cereal bottle in the morning and at night. Some days she will take an 8 oz bottle of formula and others it is only 6 oz. She will eat her whole container of baby food at one sitting. She is doing really well and has tried almost everything except for peas. I was nervous about the green beans but she seemed to love them. The only thing so far we aren't too crazy about is the bananas. She has been sleeping through the whole night but here lately has been waking up in between 3:30 and 4:30. I sure hope we can get her back to her regular sleeping routine. She is doing wonderful and I can't wait to try to sippy cup!

The Wonderful World of Middle School

Well, it has almost been a full week of school and let me tell you it has been crazy. I anticipated that the first day of school would be chaotic but nothing prepared me for what I experienced on Monday. It was crazy town. I know one thing I; I went into the right profession and age group. I love those kids already. They are so funny and just wonderful to be around. I really like all of the teachers I am working with. It has been crazy but has settled down just a little bit since Monday. Right now I am in charge of two sixth grade boys who have Aspbergers, a form of Autism. They are wonderful but sometimes a little hard to control. They pretty much do and say whatever they want which can be funny. I did experience a small meltdown with one of them and that wasn't too fun. I hope the rest of the school year goes wonderful and I love my job! I can't wait to be in a school as a full time teacher!!!

Last Day

Today was officially my last day working for Wal-Mart. Kind of sad but I believe I'll get over it. I'm looking forward to getting my teaching career going. Everyone brought food and did a lot of nice stuff for me. Can't wait until Monday.

My Pretty Girl!

Just thought I would post a picture of my beautiful girl. She finds excitement in playing with anything and everything that is lying on the counter. Right now her favorite toy is our bag of Splenda. I can't believe how big she is getting! She came back yesterday from a visit with her grandparents in De Queen and she seemed to have had a great time. Too bad she has a pretty bad cold and isn't feeling too well, :(. Keep my little angel in your thoughts so she can start feeling well!

Missing Parker!

Parker is away from home for only the second time this weekend. She is staying with my parents until tomorrow afternoon. It has been nice to have a little break. I indulged in a mani/pedi and a haircut! I miss her terribly but I know every mommy and daddy needs a small break to compose themselves and recharge!! I def needed this before starting my job at McNair. I can't wait to see my beautiful little girl tomorrow.

I got the job!

I'm just super excited that I got the Special Education position at McNair Middle School. I can't wait to start. I'm so happy that I'm finally in a school and on my way to teaching! I just hope that I'm up to the task. Keep me in your thoughts. Parker is still growing like a weed and Jeff is still as wonderful as ever. I love them tremendously!!!

Four Month Check Up

Parker had her four month check up today even though she will be 5 months a week from today. We have such an awesome pediatrician that she stays booked up. The check up went well except for those dreaded shots. Thank goodness there were only three this time instead of the five we had before. Parker still WAS NOT happy about the shots at all. She screamed and screamed. I felt awful and useless.

The rest of the check up went well. She now weighs 14 lbs and 6 oz and she is 27 inches long. She just keeps growing and growing. Our pediatrician said she is just perfect. Which I very much agree with.

Keep me in your thoughts as I have a job interview at a middle school in Fayetteville tomorrow morning and I am super nervous. I sure hope I get it so I can say good bye to Wal-Mart for good. Well not for good I still have to shop there!

Finally!

Finally a picture of Parker smiling!

No real reason to post but I finally took a picture of Parker smiling. She always freezes up when it is time for a photograph. So she always looks so serious! Jeff and I worked real hard on the grin but the end result really paid off. We usually have to tickle her like crazy and then she gives us a big grin!

This is much better than formula!

I had noticed that Parker really doesn't like eating cereal from a spoon so I instead tried giving her a little baby food. She absolutely loved it! Our first taste of baby food was sweet potatoes and she seemed to really like it. Needless to say it was a complete mess but a milestone I enjoyed crossing. She did a lot better than I had imagined as well so hopefully pretty soon we will be pros at eating off of the spoon. I thought these were a couple of cute pictures of all the action.

Bath time!!

I love how she is giving her daddy the "don't you pour that water on me" look.
I know we have way too much fun giving Parker a bath.

I just thought these pictures were too cute and of course had to put them up for everyone to see. Not much of an update besides I believe Parker is teething and that is NO FUN!

Time for a Little Catch Up!

I thought I would start my very own blog since everyone else has one updating on their children. This is my first post so I thought I would do a little catching up for everyone who is interested.

I guess I will start off with little miss Parker. She is turning into such a beautiful girl (not that she wasn't before). She is getting so big. I'm not for sure on the measurements since her four month appointment isn't until the first of August. The only time we could get in. She actually just turned four months old this past Thursday. She did have to visit the doctor not too long ago with an ear infection and her weight was 12 lbs 4 oz and her length was 25 1/2 inches long. We are pretty sure she will be a tall one.

As of now Parker can roll from back to tummy and from tummy to back. She does it any chance she gets so we have to really keep an eye out on her. She is trying her hardest to sit up and I'm pretty sure she will get it any time. She is able to hold her head up extremely well and even tries to get on all fours when she is on her tummy. So I may have a crawler on my hands any time soon. She loves to sit in her Bumbo chair and exersaucer. She could sit in the saucer all day long and just play with the multitude of toys on it. I'm happy she has something to keep her occupied. She has really increased the amount of formula she takes in from 4 ounces every four or so hours to around 8 ounces every four or so hours. I try to give her a cereal bottle in the morning and right before she goes to bed. She has actually been sleeping through the night and I am so happy about that.

She just came back from a visit with her grandparents in DeQueen so Jeff and I were without her for a few days and had a chance to relax and catch up on some sleep. Her first night back she slept from 9 pm to 8 am! What a good girl! So far she has kept that up and I am thrilled about it. She is growing so fast and so quickly.

On to me I guess, I am still working for the Wal-Mart Home Office in Bentonville but I am also trying to get everything prepared to get my license and start teaching by the school year next year. It is hard to get anything done when you work all day and take care of a four month old! Slowly but surely it is all coming together. I can't wait to start teaching!! Other than that I'm happy and healthy!

As for Jeff he is still working hard, going to school and being the best daddy to Parker. He is absolutely wonderful. He is still catching on to the whole daddy thing but he is doing wonderful! He helps out around the house and that is by far the best help I could receive.

I hope I caught everyone up to speed on our little family.