Enjoying the nice weather!

We have had some beautiful weather these past few days, so we've gotten outside and enjoyed every minute. Brad built a picnic table Easter weekend and it's below our deck. We ate lunch on the picnic table, Parker had his lunch outside, and Jake was outside with us as well. Then, we watched Brad hit golf balls in the yard and Parker played in his Bumbo seat. It was a fun day and it was so nice to be outside!


Parker lounging in our lounge chair. Parker's shirt has a black pug on it that says, "Mama's Boy."


Parker and Jake hanging out on the chair.

Parker is doing so much better learning to sit up on his own. We brought him outside on the grass to see if he would like sitting in the grass better than on the hardwood floor inside. It seemed to work because he did really well! We are looking forward to the day when he can sit upright all by himself!

We know this is a little early for Parker to be doing, but we thought we would give it a try!

Parker with his shades on ready to go for a ride around the neighborhood.

Parker feeding himself

Parker has started grabbing the spoon from me when I feed him, so I read that when babies do that, they are ready to start feeding themselves. Even though I was reluctant to do this, because it's just so messy, I know that he needs to do this for his development and independence. So, we pushed up his sleeves and I put some of his pureed food on the highchair tray and let him go at it. He really didn't know what to do at first, but once I showed him a couple of times, I think he liked it. He loves putting his hands in his mouth anyway, so I figured this wouldn't be too much of an issue. I think the picture below lets you know what he thought about the process.

It was pretty funny. There was food everywhere, but he was very good to not get it in his hair or on his clothes. I am glad we have a lot of bibs, because we seem to go through a lot now. Our next milestone will be letting him put "real" food in his mouth. We'll start that in a few days.

Parker's New Activity

We got Parker this new bouncy seat. You hang it in the doorway and it's attached to a spring, so when Parker moves his legs up and down, the seat will bounce. We just got it, so it's taking Parker a little bit to get used to. However, he was pretty entertained for about 45 minutes. I have it hanging in the kitchen doorway, so I can watch him and cook and clean at the same time. We have to give credit to Grandma Kleeman for suggesting that we get one of these. She said Brad and his sister had one growing up and loved it. I think Parker will like it, once he gets the hang of it.

Parker is 7 months!

Parker is just over 7 months now. I took him to the pediatrician and he got his round of vaccines. He actually did really good this time. After the 2nd shot, he cried for a few seconds, then he was ok. He's such a trooper and I just hate it when they have to do that. He weighs 16lbs. 6 oz. and is a good sleeper and eater. He also has 2 bottom teeth that have broken through the skin. I think he's starting to get another one on the bottom as well.
He has blonde hair now. As some of you may remember, when he was first born, he had brown hair with blonde tips - it looked like it had been highlighted. It was really cool and all the nurses loved it! Then, it started to change from brown to red. Then, it went from red to strawberry blonde. Now it's all blonde and it's beautiful! I had white, blonde hair when I was little, so maybe he's getting that from me! He also has blue eyes still. I know they say babies eyes change, but it would be neat if his eyes stayed blue! Blonde hair - blue eyes - goodness, the girls will go crazy!
He still loves his hands - he plays with them, moves his fingers, and chews on his fingers. I've tried to put all these teether toys in his mouth and he'll chew on them for a little bit, but he really prefers his fingers. The pediatrician said that was ok and we're all wondering if he's going to grow up and do something with his hands!


We are working really hard with Parker to get him to sit up without support. He can do it for a couple of seconds, then he falls forward or falls to the side. His legs are much stronger than his arms right now. Hopefully with us working with him, he'll be able to sit on his own soon.


We decided to try Parker sitting in the boppy. We thought this would help him strengthen his back so he could sit unsupported. Of course, as we were getting ready to take the picture, Jake came over and sat right in front of Parker. It was hilarious! As you can tell, Jake loves the camera.


Parker chillin' in his bouncer. He's almost too long for it, so we're trying to use it as much as we can. He really likes it. He figured out a long time ago that if he kicks his leg, the chair will bounce. I just thought this was a really cute picture of him smiling and Jake laying beside him.


The boys watching golf on Sunday. Jake is doing so much better with Parker and he's usually right there beside Parker when we're playing. Jake still gets a little jealous, but we try to give Jake just as much attention as Parker and that usually works. Parker is starting to reach out and pet Jake and one day Parker grabbed his leg and Jake just sat there and let him do it.


Parker at the doctor's office. He loves looking at himself in the mirror. Before we took this, he was starting to get a little crabby, so we put him in front of the mirror and he entertained himself for about a half hour.


Parker sporting his floppy hat. Brad is so ready for him to be able to help out in the yard!

Jake's Egg Hunt

Ok, I just had to post this. It is absolutely hilarious! We put out eggs for Parker and Jake. I filled 3 eggs with doggie treats for Jake. We let him out and he went crazy sniffing at all the eggs! He sniffed out all 3 of his egg treats and then he found the "mac daddy" treat by a tree. It has to be one of the funniest things I've seen from him. I hope you all enjoy it as much as we did!

Easter Fun!

I think Parker enjoyed his first Easter. Even though he won't remember anything that went on today, Brad, myself and Jake had a good time with him. We all went outside and had an egg hunt, except Jake was the only one that found all his eggs. I had to get all of Parker's eggs and bring them to him.


Parker and his Easter basket with a couple of eggs "he" found.


Jake did a good job of finding his treats in his eggs.

Jake didn't wait for anyone else. Once he found this treat, he laid down and started eating it.

Parker and his Easter Bunny cake. I think he was really thinking about taking a swipe with his finger, but luckily he didn't!

Easter 2009

Easter is upon us and what a great day! This is a wonderful day to thank the Lord for all our many blessings. Our family has been blessed this year with a beautiful baby boy and good health for us all.


Brad's parents were in town this Easter weekend and we had a great time with them. They got to spend lots of time with Parker and Brad and his dad built a picnic table that we will put in our backyard. We always enjoy when Brad's parents come into town. We only get to see them a couple times a year, so the time we spend together is very special. It's so nice to have an extra set of hands to help out with Parker, so thank you both for everything! While they were here, we made a trip to Starbucks (we all love that place) and we also ate at Taco Mac. It was so good! Parker was great during our dinner out - he slept the entire time!


Parker getting to see what the Easter bunny left him. He got a letter from the Easter bunny, a storybook about Peter Rabbit, 2 stuffed animal bunnies from Grandma Henry, and a stuffed animal lamb from Great Grandma Kleeman.

Jake got a visit from the Easter bunny as well. He got an egg doggie cookie, chewy sticks, Snawsomes, a lamb loofah toy and a bunny stuffed animal.

Here is our 1st Easter Bunny cake. I made this - can you believe it? I thought it turned out pretty good and it's a very "light" dessert. It was actually really easy to make - white cake mix, cool whip for frosting, sprinkle coconut all over, and decorate. This will become a tradition for us each Easter. I made the bunny have blue eyes because right now Parker has blue eyes.

HAPPY EASTER!

We hope everyone has a nice Easter with your family and friends. This is Parker's 1st Easter pictures with the Easter bunny. I will post more pics after Easter Sunday. Enjoy the time with your families.

Happy Spring!

We have some daffodils that come back every Spring, so we thought this would make for some cute pics with Parker. Of course, Brad is teaching him early about flowers, grass and pine straw. We hope you enjoy the next few pics of Parker with the flowers.

Looking for weeds.

Didn't find any!

Is this fake pine straw? And, yes - we have what's called Textraw. It is fake pine straw and it's awesome. It looks like real pine straw, but it's made out of recycled plastic. It's really cool.

Parker and Jake

Parker is doing really good. He is almost 7 months old - I can't believe how fast the time is going by! He's changed his schedule a little bit, still sleeping 10-12 hours at night, but now he goes to bed around 7:30pm. We kindof like that though. He also takes a long nap during the mid-day, so that's nice. The past few days he has been propping himself up when he's on his stomach. He will also hold his feet up in the air - I think he's trying to scoot, but he hasn't quite figured out it's head up, feet down, butt up. We're working on it. As you can see, Jake was right there to support him!


We've also been working with Parker on sitting up without support. He is starting to get the hang of it, but it's so funny when he tumbles forward or to the side. Again - Jake's in the picture!


I think Parker finally gave up here and decided to rest. Jake is really doing a good job with Parker now. He was real jealous at first, but has gotten so much better. Parker is starting to grab at him and touch him, so I'm sure Jake will grow tired of that soon. Brad and I think they will become good buddies.