Our Week In Pictures

This week has been a challenging one.  Parker must be teething because he has been very cranky.  Everything seems to frustrate him and send him into a tantrum.  But through all that, there have been moments that keep me laughing at this little boy.

Parker's new way of eating Cherrios.  

Eventually I had to take the container away... after I found him using cooking utensils to smash the Cherrios and turn them into a powder.

My silly boy trying to multi-task :)

7 Months & 8 Months

I confess, I've been awful at keeping this blog updated.  The last few months have been very busy but here is a brief photo recap of the last few months...

I got this splash mat from One Step Ahead... and it was PERFECT for Baby Boy this summer!  He could sit and splash in the water, grab and the streams of water and enjoy the one of the best parts of summer... pooltime! 

 With Parker's mobility came the fun of discovering the laptop power cord.  Since we have a MacBook, the power plug is magnetic which made for an easy toy.  On this particular day he grabbed the cord and was across the room before I realized he had it!

I absolutely LOVED the upside down paci look.  Total cuteness! 

Expressing his displeasure at the enforcement of boundaries.   

Enjoying a summer evening on the Boardwalk...

A Tour of the Nursery

When Parker was first born, I loved having him sleep in our room right next to the bed.  This precious little baby that we had waited so long for... who had the cutest cry and who filled me with energy when I saw him in the morning.  

4 months later... that cry isn't so cute at 2am or 3am... or any other wee hour of the morning and my morning energy comes from half a pot of coffee.  Haha.  So Parker was shown the door... to his nursery.

For about 2 months, we've been putting Parker in his crib for naptime but he was still sleeping in our room at night in a Pack-N-Play.  Last Sunday that ended.  Sleep deprivation motivated me to move him down the hall into his nursery.  I wish I could say we're letting him "cry it out" at night and that he's sleeping like a champ... boy do I wish I could say that after last night.  Unfortunately my sleeping champ baby no longer goes 7 hour stretches.  Right now we're lucky to get 4 hour stretches BUT I'm proud that we've transitioned Parker to his room and reclaimed our room!  

Since we moved here a few weeks before he was born, his nursery was never completely finished.  I was just too big, swollen and tired to finish it.  The final piece to his nursery that I've been waiting for was a glider.  I got a fantastic wooden glider but I love having that downstairs... so we bought another glider for his room.

Here's Parker's nursery...

We hung the planes over his crib in lieu of a mobile.

The plane on the left I bought months before I found out I was pregnant with Parker.

 I loved this PotteryBarn Kids crib bedding but struggled with how much it costs.  About 2 weeks after we packed out, it was placed on clearance for 1/2 price!  Yay!  I love the colors and how simple yet fun it is.  

I picked up this metal sign as we traveled cross country.  

His closet is HUGE!  Such a blessing since they go through so many clothes sizes the first year...

A friend gave me this print at my baby shower... and it goes PERFECT with his nursery!

I need to paint some polka dots or something on this shelf to tie the glider in (since it's a different shade of blue).  I love this glider and choose a color that I could easily place in a girl's nursery if the Lord blesses us with a little girl.

December Recap

Parker is taking his morning nap and as I sit down in front of this blank screen, I'm reflecting on the past few weeks.  How is Christmas almost here?!?  I still feel like I'm just trying to survive most days.  I've been trying to workout a few days each week and on those mornings, I'm lucky if I'm dressed by 1pm... but the baby weight has to go and I'm blessed with a husband who works hard so I can stay home and tend to Baby Boy... and try to get rid of the tummy Baby Boy gave me!  

The past 2 weeks we've had a lot of snow!  I lived here for 3 years prior to moving back and I don't think we had snow more than 2 or 3 times in those 3 years.  So far, this year's snow count is 3... and one of those days turned into a snow storm and everything got shut down at noon.  Justin was able to safely make it home but a 20 minute commute took him 2 hours due to the... umm... we'll call it the impromptu driving style of some of the other drivers.  Have I mentioned how much I love seasons?  I do... but I also love a warm house to escape the cold winter season :)  Parker and I spent a lot of time upstairs where it was warmer and enjoyed so slow, relaxing days filled with Christmas movies, hot tea and chocolate.

Everyday Parker shows more of his personality... and I love it!  The acid reflux is much much better which means there's a lot more smiling and a lot less screaming/crying.  Next week he goes in for his 2 month appointment and I'm interested to see how much he weighs.   My little boy LOVES to eat!!!  He growls and makes all kinds of sound effects while he's nursing that just tickle me and make me laugh with entertainment.  He's started sleeping through the night (more or less) which has been such a huge blessing!  Most nights he'll go 5-6 hours between feedings and wake at 4:45 for his first feeding but last night he went 7 hours!!!  YAY!  Amazing how a baby lowers your standards.  At first I was just thankful for a night when I got a 2 hour stretch of sleep... then you get use to not sleeping and you're thankful for a night you don't get puked/pooped/peed on... and then you reach the other side.

We're so excited about our first Christmas with Parker!  Only a few more days...

Treasure Moments

My baby is now 5 weeks old.  It seems like he's been in our lives so much longer.  Perhaps it's because we waited so long for this little blessing.  I find myself wanting to stop the clock to cherish each minute of the day... but the clock keeps ticking ahead despite my desire and chores/daily drudgery keeps me from just sitting and staring at our sweet blessing.

Parker loves listening to music.  Loves it!  However, he definitely has his mama's music taste in that he prefers music with words... not daddy's classical (I think it's because he thinks the songs are someone else talking with him).  I think he's going to have have my chatty personality :)

Each week I'm discovering all the ways that children enrich our lives and fill them with joy.  I'm also discovering how hard it is to raise a baby... How do you remain calm when your baby is crying inconsolably?  Surviving the growth spurts that leave me feeling like a human pacifier for days on end.  Sacrificing my selfish desire to stay in my warm bed at 3am and instead get up and feed my baby.

But then there are those moments that melt my heart.  The moments that just make my heart bubble over with gratitude to God... and I want to remember those moments so here goes.
 

Treasure Moments from this week:

1.) Staring into his blue grey eyes as his nursing while he clutches at my finger.  His eyes say that all is well because mommy is here.

2.) His squeals of delight when I start talking with him during floor time.

3.) Watching him talk with his giraffe and kick his legs.  He loves his giraffe!Maybe a little too much.  I looked over one day and he had latched on to Mr. Giraffe's foot!  Ha ha.

4.) Watching him turn and start looking for his daddy when he hear daddy's voice at the end of the day.

5.) Snuggling with my husband and baby in the morning.  (No, we don't have a "family bed"... but if Parker starts to wake up before I'm ready to get up for the morning, I bring him to bed with me.  This usually buys me an extra hour of sleep!)

6.) Sunday mornings... I'm daily reminded of God's faithfulness when I stare at Parker... which has brought new depth to Sunday morning worship.

7.) Staring at my sleeping baby and seeing him smile in his sleep. I wonder what he's dreaming about...

4 Weeks Ago...

4 weeks ago this video was recorded.  I'm daily amazed at how quickly Parker is growing up.  As I was getting ready for church today I told Justin how sad I am that Parker is already starting to outgrow some of his newborn clothes.  "Yeah, hun.  He's really getting big... he's now in 0-3 month clothes."  Ha ha.  I also found myself correcting Justin yesterday, "He's not 1 month!  He's 4 weeks.  I have 3 more days before he's a month old."  After 2 years of waiting, the past 4 weeks have been an absolute dream.  We love our Baby Boy so much...

Baby Boy's Birth - An Answered Prayer

Tonight will mark 22 day since Baby Boy was placed in our arms for the first time.  There really aren't words to describe how incredible and wonderful these 22 days have been.  Justin and I have walked a hard road the past few years in our quest to become parents.  Even during this pregnancy, I kept waiting for the bottom to drop out but God was at work... and this became increasingly apparent while I was in labor with Baby Boy.
We arrived back in Norfolk when I was about 33 weeks pregnant.  I hate having to find a new doctor.  Being 33 weeks pregnant, the urgency to find a doctor only made me feel more stressed.  How on earth am I suppose to just choose a doctor... and what if I don't like them?  Do I change doctors again when I'm 34 or 35 weeks along?  I finally found a practice and had my intake appt with the medical assistant (who did not impress Justin or I in the least bit).  I was wanting to turn and run then but decided to wait and see what the doctor was like.  They scheduled me with Dr. Wright for my first appt.  Turns out my first appt with Dr. Wright was her first day back from Maternity Leave.  Looking back now... I can see what a God thing this is... because scheduling appts with her the last few weeks of the pregnancy was near impossible and yet, God always opened a slot for me.

My due date was Sunday, October 17th and by the time I hit the 38 week mark I was so done being pregnant.  I was swelling more by the day and having nerve pain down my legs.  By the time I had my 38 week appointment, I knew that Baby Boy wasn't coming before his due date.  I never thought I would consider being induced... but I was done being pregnant so at my appointment I asked how long past my due date before she would induce me.  Turns out the weekend following my due date, Dr. Wright had call for the entire weekend (Friday morning until Monday morning)!  For the next 2 weeks I was praying that Baby Boy would wait until the weekend following his due date because I really wanted Dr. Wright to deliver him.  Her practice has 6 OB's that rotate call... but I was praying Dr. Wright would be there in the delivery room.


October 18th I went in for my 40 week appt... and it was apparent that this Baby wasn't in any hurry... so the eviction notice was served and the induction scheduled for Thursday night.  I was giddy!  Thursday night came and the nursing staff called me off because they were slammed with L&D patients. I wanted to cry but instead, Justin and I went out for a high calorie, fiscally irresponsible dessert.  All day Friday I was just praying they wouldn't call me off again... and at 8pm I got the word to come in!

The drive to the hospital was surreal.  We got there and they got Baby Boy on the monitor, gave me a med to "prep" my body for the pitocin (they would be starting on Saturday morning), and gave me a sleeping pill.  At 4am the nurse gave me the second dose of the med and at 4:30 I woke up contracting.  Justin was passed out so I did my best to work through them... but these were drug induced contractions and coming every 2-2:30 minutes, lasting 1 minute each.  No sooner did I start to relax from one contraction and the next one was hitting.  By 7am I could tell that the decorum with which I had been conducting myself was about to end.  The nurse offered me pain meds.  Let me just say, there isn't a drug they offered me that I didn't take!  The IV pain meds gave me some relief but didn't last long and by 9am I wanted my epidural.  I was only at 2.5 cm dilated so the nurse said I had to wait until I reached 3.  "My doctor said when I was uncomfortable I could have it.  I'm uncomfortable!  Call her!"... 10 minutes later she and the anesthesiologist were in my room.  Praise God for epidurals.

I slept the next several hours (read 5-6 hours).  My labor stalled at 3cm so Pitocin was started at 11am.  As my labor progressed, Baby Boy started having more and more heart decels.  Praise God that I was the only labor patient on the floor at the time and my nurse's only patient... because those last 3-4 hours of labor, she didn't leave my room.  I was so nervous watching the monitor that I had to stop... and I don't remember my nurse (Nicki) saying that if this continued, we were going to have to do "something".  Praise God that Dr. Wright is such a wonderful doctor... who doesn't leave the hospital when she's inducing a patient.  She was sitting at the nurse's station those last few hours watching Baby Boy in case intervention was necessary.  He recovered well after each contraction so I was allowed to continue laboring.  At 6:10pm I started pushing.  I remember listening to his heartbeat drop so low while I was pushing (down to 50-60 bpm)... but God allowed me to stay focused and not panic.  At 7:03pm, Baby Boy entered the world.  His umbilical cord was wrapped around his neck twice (a double nuchal cord) which is why he didn't enjoy labor... but he was healthy and blood tests showed he didn't experience any oxygen deprivation.  Praise God!

I'm so thankful that the Lord provided such a wonderful doctor to care for Baby Boy and I.  A doctor who I had complete and total confidence in... who stayed at the hospital all day (when she could have been home with her baby) to make sure my baby was okay.  I'm thankful that the L&D floor was quiet that day so that my nurse could stay in the room and monitor Baby Boy.  Most of all I'm thankful that our Baby Boy was born healthy.

More Pictures

Today was our 3rd morning to wake up at home as a family of three and it has been an amazing journey.  I find myself staring at this precious Baby Boy just wanting to stop time.  He's such a sweet a mellow baby and we're so blessed to be his parents.   BabyWise would probably disappprove that we rarely ever put him down... but it's just because we can't stop cuddling him!  Our days still revolve around his feedings and cherishing this time.  My mom is here (my aunt had to go home on Monday) and has been such a blessing as she serves us.  I haven't cleaned or done a single load of laundry since we came home... and there has been LOTS of laundry.  It's also been wonderful having someone in the house who can give advice and help us figure out the whole nursing thing... not to mention start the grandma spoiling. :)

Yesterday we took Baby Boy to the pediatrician for a weight check and he's doing great!  He's put on 3 ounces so he weighs 6lb 6 oz.  Such a tiny peanut!  The newborn clothes are HUGE on him... it's adorable!

More pictures to follow.  Once things settle down a little more I want to write about how the Lord protected us and provided during Baby Boy's birth.  It was a wonderful experience and I can't stop tearing up when I think of how gracious our God is.  After 2 years of waiting... the Lord has blessed us beyond our heart's desire!  For now... it's time to change a diaper and feed a hungry baby...