I forgot to tell yall!!!

Parker has officially tested out of physical and speech therapy!! He is still delayed for his age but he doesnt qualify for therapy anymore! I am so proud of him! I have taken him to physical therapy twice a week since September of 2008 and speech therapy since December 2008. Parker started physical therapy when he was like 10 months old, he had just gotten his g-tube out and he couldnt sit up by himself or roll over. The first week of therapy he learned how to roll over and never stopped from there!! I cant tell you how much the therapists at Easter Seals mean to our family. They sincerely love Parker. They cried on his last visit!

This is a picture of Parker on his very first day of physical therapy. That is his therapist, Leanne, she is the person that taught Parker how to walk. She is AMAZING!! and we love her! She had some hard times with Parker at the beginning. For the first three months, he cried every visit for the entire hour. At first he couldnt make the whole time but he built up his endurance and eventually stopped crying and loved Leanne. She made him work hard! We are so thanful for her....I could have never forced him to use the muscles she did. She is exactly what he needed. Now, I have to keep up witht he home therapy program so that he doesnt fall behind. He will be re-evaluated in 6 months. I know he will be just fine!!

Just wanted to share the good news!

Our weekend guest....again!

We have been keeping Tyler since last Thursday. I didnt realize how spoiled I was with just Parker. He really does a lot of things for himself and entertains himself most of the time. It is so amazing how quickly you forget what it is like to take care of a newborn. I feel like I did good and I really do think I could handle two =) I wont lie....there were a few stressful moments (Parker getting sick the very first night!! parker wanting me to play with him at the exact same time I am feeding Tyler). Overall, it was good. I will tell you that I cant get my mind off of Wednesday night, when I get to sleep the ENTIRE night!!!! Tyler really is not bad to get up with at night. It takes him like 15 minutes to eat and he goes right back to sleep until the next feeding time. He is so different than Parker was (tube feeding took ove an hour to complete every feeding). I keep feeling like I am fogetting something (medicine, thickening, g-tube stufff).

Anyways, here are a few pictures from our week....

Bath time


Tummy time

Parker being silly, he loves to wear his hat when Daddy is wearing a hat.

Being sweet!

Parker being so sweet!! He kept kissing his head saying "love you, baby" (he wasnt sick anymore, I promise!!)

On Sunday afternoon, my grandmother wanted to watch Tyler for a few hours (and I didnt object!!). Diane and Mallory stopped by for a visit while Dennis and her husband, BJ, went duck hunting.
Mallory is such a joy! She is so happy and never cries!! She just kicked her legs, played with her toys and smiled.

Tonight is our last night with Tyler. I know my parents are missing him. We send them a couple of pictures each day. He really has grown since they left!!

What a start to the week!!!

Last night started our week to keep Tyler (my 5 week old brother). My parents have had a ski trip planned with their friends for a long time (before they knew they were getting Tyler). We agreed to keep him for a week so that they could go on their trip. I picked him up at 5:00 and the evening went pretty well. Parker went to bed at 8:00 like usual and we put Tyler to bed at 10:30 after he ate. As we were getting ready for bed I heard Parker screaming in his room. I went in there and he was actively throughing up all in his bed. We rushed him to the bathtub where he continued to throw up. I took his temp and he had 101 degree temperature. I guess he got a stomach bug or something!! He threw up a couple more times throughout the night. When I wasnt up with Parker I was feeding Tyler. Tyler did really well, he only woke up at 2:00 and 6:00 (his normal feeding times). I am so glad that Tyler slept well!

My mom had set up people to watch Tyler on the weekdays that they are gone so that I could go to work and do school. Well, Tyler went to the babysitter today but I am at home with a sick little boy. He is so pittiful! I am very thankful that Tyler had somewhere to go today. It would have been hard to take care of both of them and I dont want Tyler to get sick!! I just hope Dennis and I dont get it!

Here is what Parker is doing today.....

Laying on his pallet (with a towel, just in case...!) watching Barney. I know he is sick because He is NEVER this still.

Our weekend guest

This weekend my parents had to go out of town to take my sister to college. I agreed to watch Tyler for them while they were gone. WOW!! It has only been 2 years since I had a newborn, but I had forgotten how exhausting it is! I am so thankful for my husband...he played with Parker most of the time, but Parker was still a little jealous. The days were pretty easy but getting up at night was not fun. I was getting the hang of it by the end of the second night. Can you believe I am keeping him again next week?? for a whole week!!!? I will definitely be more organized next time. I guess I am learning what life would be like with two!

Here is Tyler

This is what Daddy and Parker did all weekend. I was so glad that the weather was nice....60 degrees!! Parker has finally figured out how to work his car, but he has not figured out how to stear it yet! We went out to the culdesac and I cocked the stearing wheel to one side and he just drove in circles for hours!! You may be wondering why there is a huge stone in the back of his car?? Well, we had to put it in the back to weigh it down. The wheels would just spin because my little guy is just so tiny!

Smiles

I am so glad I have this little guy to keep me smiling!

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” 2 Corinthians 12:9

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.“ Isaiah 41:10

A night with friends

When I started working at UAMS 6 years ago, I became really good friends with a co-worker, Lyndsey. When I became a nurse, she was my precepter and we just had so much in common. It was so nice to have such a good friend at work. We were also pregnant at the same time. Her son is a few months younger than Parker.
Last January, Lyndsey's husband (who is in the airforce) got transferred to Germany. They just came back to visit for 2 weeks. Of course, after being gone for a year she had so many people to see. Unfortunately, Parker and her son Linkoln didnt get to play while they were in town. I know they would have so much fun together, maybe next time!! On Monday night, after I got out of classs, a bunch of people from work got together for dinner since it was Lyndsey's last night in town. I am so glad I got to see her before she left!!

This is me, Lyndsey and her son (yes, he has his finger in his nose!! those boys!!)
Hopefully they will come back soon!

And.....

just a cute picture of Parker being a big boy!! Eating his own ice cream cone and didnt spill a drop or make a mess!!

Surprise!!!

Since the day Dennis turned 26, I have joked with him that he was almost 30. Well, this year he turned 30!! So, I had to make it a huge deal!! I have been planning a surprise party for months. His birthday is on New Years Day, but I decided that more people would be able to come if I did it the next weekend. This past Saturday Dennis thought he was going to a couples baby shower for my mom (since she just adopted a brand new baby boy...who is my brother!).

Well, he walked into this.......

Over the Hill theme, all black decorations, even a coffin!

Black roses

Some of the guests before he arrived.

Surprise!! He didnt have a clue!

Parker helped daddy open the gag gifts (depends, geritol, ex-lax....)

The cake was a casket

Parker had lots of fun at the party. He loves all the attention!

The theme of the party was that we were mourning the death of Dennis' youth. My uncle made this tomb stone with Dennis' picture etched into it. I thought it looked really neat!

and I had a picture of Dennis from his high school football days in the coffin, along with some dry ice.

I am so glad that it is over, because I am horrible at keeping secrets!!

Happy Birthday!!

Second night.....Perfect!

Last night was Parker's second night in his "big boy bed". I was still a little nervous (due to the event the first night!!). He did perfect! Not one peep from him all night. I did check the video monitor a couple of times throughout the night, but he was always sound asleep in his huge bed!!! It has only been two nights but I think this is going to be an easy transition.

I forgot to tell yall....Parker got his Synagis shot the other day and they weighed him. He weighed 22 lbs 14 oz!!! He has gained 10 ozs in 3 or 4 weeks. That is really good for Parker!!
Hope everyone has a great weekend!! I know I will ;)

Big Boy Milestones

Yesterday was a big day for Parker. He is becoming such a big boy and it kinda makes me sad! But he could not be more fun!!

Yesterday, Dennis and I decided to convert Parker's crib to a big boy bed. I have been putting it off for a while because I just cant believe he is old enough for this!! He wasnt crawling out of his crib or anything. He was just getting too big for it.

When Parker got home from school he was so excited about his new bed!! After he saw it, he kept saying "night-night". I didnt let him play in too much before going to dinner because I didnt want him to get the wrong idea about this new big bed! It is not a place to be silly.....it is a place to sleep! Im not mean, I just want this to be an easy transition for him.

That night we went out to eat with my family for Dennis' birthday. Before we left the house, Parker had to go say goodbye to his bed. He said "bye bye bed!!"

At dinner Parker sat in a booster seat for the first time. He usually sits in a highchair at a restaurant. He did soooo good!! He is getting so big!

When we got home, I got Parker ready for bed and he was so excited about going to his new bed!!

I made it as much like his crib as I could. No comforter, the blanket he used in his crib, and I kept the bumper on the headboard because he loves to cuddle up next to the bumpers. We dont have a bed skirt or a cute sheet on the bed yet, so it looks pretty boring. The bed ended up being really tall!!! so, that made me kinda nervous.

so excited!

Doesnt he look so tiny?!!

Praise. the. Lord. for video monitors!!! We watched him crawl around and explore his new bed for abour 30 minutes when we first put him down. I was watching so closely, because I didnt want him to fall off through the holes and I didnt want him to stand up!! He didnt do any of those things and fell right to sleep (once he was through exploring!!). So, of course, I didnt sleep much last night. I was just worried about him!! I would wake up every little bit and look at the monitor and he would be sound asleep. At 2:00 a.m. I heard a loud cry. I looked at the monitor and he wasnt in his bed!!!! I freaked out and ran in there!! Parker was sitting in his floor crying. I checked him over and he was fine. I think he woke up disoriented and tried to climb out. Since the bed is so tall, he probably fell right when he touched the floor. He was fine and now I know that he can get down without hurting himself. After that he went straight back to sleep and slept until 8:30!! I am just so proud of my little man!

Parker has also started eating his snack at our kitchen counter! I cant believe that the highchair may not be in a lives very much longer!

I just wanted to share with yall a few of the new things going on in our lives. Parker is becoming a little man....I just want him to be my little baby forever!

Hope everyone has a great night.

Going to watch the BCS championship game....I will be cheering on the SEC.

hanging around

Yesterday we woke up to a light dusting of snow and it was still snowing. It was just beautiful!! I love it when it snows but doesnt ice! Alot of schools in Little Rock were closed yesterday (which I thought was soooo silly!!). Parker's school wasnt closed and my work wasnt closed, so it was a normal day for us!! Yesterday evening we went to my parent's house for chili! The perfect cold weather food!
Parker just loves going to Nana's house and he has recently really taken to my brother Justin.

Parker and Justin (sorry for the quality of picture....it is from my phone)

He follows him around and always hugs his leg and says "I love you, Juh-Juh"!! Of course, Justin has to act cool and like he is annoying him but I know that he really loves it!!

Parker also has found Tyler's toys. Last night I look over and he was just relaxing in Tyler's swing. Good thing Parker doesnt weigh much over the 20 lb weight limit!! He also loves playing with his bouncy seat!

This week is going to be busy. I start back to school Monday and I have alot to do to get ready!! Please pray for me this semester. It only gets harder each semester!! I just want to make sure I make good grades in school but also make plenty of time for my family.

Hope everyone has a great week. We are suppose to get 4 to 6 inches of snow later in the week!!

Playdate, New Years, and Birthday

Happy New Year!! I can't believe it is already 2010, but I am so glad that it is a new year with a new beginning. Parker has been so fun and has grown so much this past year!! I have to say that this is my most favorite age so far!! He understands what we say and can talk to us and tell us what he wants. He even tells me when he needs to blow his nose!! He is the most loving little boy I have ever seen!! He gives hugs and kisses and tells me he loves about 500 times a day! He has the best manners saying "thank you, please and excuse me!" and is always wanting to help mommy and daddy. I just cant wait to watch him grow and turn into even more of a little boy! I think we are going to make the change to a "big boy" bed very soon!! stay tuned..!!!

On New Years Eve afternoon I had a big playdate at my house. A bunch of girls from high school came with their babies! It was so fun because I hadnt even met a few of the babies.
Here are most of the girls and the babies. We took this picture before one or two people got there. This is Emily (Noah and Lily), Brittani, Diane (Mallory), Lauren (Spencer), Tiffany (hayden). I am so excited that Parker has all of these wonderful kids to grow up with!

This is Spencer and Parker. Spencer just turned one and is soooo cute!!! He is very busy and reminds me of Parker when he had just turned one.

And here is Mallory!!! and look at the bow! I am so proud of Diane! I just love this little cutie!

That night we had a few people over. No one stayed until midnight and Dennis and I barely stayed up!!

Here is a few of us playing pictionary!! The girls dominated!!


This is what Parker did the entire time! He is such a good little boy!

This is what Bentley did the whole time!! Bentley doesnt make it on the blog nearly enough!! He is our wonderful Shitz tzu that is about 4 years old.

New years Day is Dennis' birthday. He always loves to just sit at home and have pot roast for dinner. So...that is what we did. It was very relaxing and Parker was so fun all day!

That night my parents surprised Dennis with a cake. They came in singing happy birthday with a cake and 30 candles lit!! I think our smoke alarm almost went off when he blew all those candles out!!

Parker loved the cake!!!

I hope that everyone had a great holiday season!! It is almost time to get back to reality and school!!

I am off to watch the last Razorback game of the year!