Drive-In Movie

Last night we took Seth and Parker to their first drive-in movie! Isabelle spent the night at Grandma Diane & Grandpa Clyde's house. At South Drive-In, we watched Planes, which Seth had already seen, but really wanted to see again. He likes it so much, it's his favorite movie in the whole world and he says we HAVE to buy it when it comes out! Parker liked being at the drive-in but he didn't sit still very much :)  Seth, on the other hand, had his eyes glued to the screen the entire time.

Parker's 2-Year Snapshot

Terrible two's? Not terrible yet, but we can see that Parker knows how to let us know if there's something he doesn't like! Luckily, he's pretty good at following directions. At his 2-year doctor appointment, we found that he is in the 75th percentile for weight (30 pounds) and the 75th percentile for height (35.5 inches). His eating habits, mostly snacking all day, is perfectly normal at this age. He's actually started to eat a lot more foods, and pizza is one of his favorite. Although he had no vaccines at this doctor visit, he still cried and cried when the doctor examined him. He really doesn't like unfamiliar people to mess with him! The doctor is not concerned about Parker not saying many recognizable words and thinks that within 6 months he'll be talking in full sentences. The important thing is that Parker understands what we're saying to him.

Parker loves bath time and when it's time to go bye-bye. He also loves to wave bye-bye to anyone who is leaving, and he's now pretty good at giving people kisses and hugs. We often find him barefoot - he's not too fond of socks even when his feet are chilly. Putting puzzles together and looking at books are two of his favorite activities. He also loves to sing and we typically hear him singing Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star and We Are Young in his crib at bedtime.

Here are a few recent and really cute photos of Parker:

This seems like a cozy spot for a snack and tv time

Cutie after a bath

Play time!

Someone likes Hershey's kisses!

Action!

Love this guy!

Parker's 18 / 19 Month Snapshot

This past month flew by! So quickly that this is an 18 month and 19 month update for Parker!

My attempt at an 18 month photo didn't go too well. He's too active now! I did get this photo as he was playing near me:

Parker, 1 1/2 year old

For Parker's 19 month photo, we took him on a walk and snapped this:

Now that we have warm weather, Parker really likes to be outside. We usually spend a few hours of the day outside. He likes to push his bike and toy stroller around. He rides on a toy firetruck up and down the street. Since there are new houses being built near us, Parker likes to walk on the big dirt and rock piles.

Parker still takes a bottle of milk in the morning, at nap time, in the afternoon and at bedtime. This is something I'm sure we should be cutting down on. He learned how to drink with a straw and likes Capri Suns and juice boxes on occasion. He prefers to drink water though.

Going to restaurants with Parker has become a challenge. He is no longer content sitting in a high chair and having snacks. He wants to get up and explore the place instead.

Parker wears mostly size 24 months or 2T clothes, and size 5 or 5 1/2 shoes. When he first went barefoot outside, he wouldn't step on the grass. Now, though, he's a pro at going barefoot. H still prefers to wear shoes and he will go get his shoes for us when he wants to go outside.

We're looking forward to spending lots of time outside this summer with little Parker Pie!

Parker's 17-Month Snapshot

17 months old!

At 17 months, Parker still doesn't say any real words. He uses "Ma" to mean lights and to mean Mommy and just about anything else. He has learned to say "Hi-Ya" like he's doing a karate move. Seth was saying it one day and to our surprise Parker started saying it. Now the two of them like to say it back and forth a lot.

Parker watches Baby Einstein movies a lot, sometimes on Isabelle's laptop. He also has gotten closer to our cat Cartman and giggles when he pets him.



Watching Baby Einstein on the laptop

Gotta rest

Petting Cartman, cautiously

Parker has gotten better at climbing and balancing. I found him on top of his toy/train table one day just sitting there playing with his toys. He can climb onto a couple of our chairs, but not the couches yet. He hasn't figured out how to climb over the ottoman at the bottom of the steps yet either. He loves to walk all over the beds and play on the steps. He did learn how to climb up and slide down a small plastic slide we have in the basement and giggles as he slides down it.

Being outside is definitely one of Parker's favorite places to be. He'll walk around our sidewalks and street, play with basketballs and push the wagon around. He also likes wagon, stroller and bike rides.

"Nice doggie"

Boys on bikes

Backyard fun

Parker Pie

Parker's 16 Month Snapshot

Little has changed with Parker over the last month. I would say that he babbles more now, but still does not have any real words that he says. He definitely understands a lot of what we tell him. He'll go get his shoes if he wants to go outside or he'll try to pull my coat off the hook as if to say, "We're going outside now." Even with the cold weather, this boy loves to be outside.

He is absolutely addicted to the Baby Einstein movies. He'll lead us over to the DVD player, pull a movie out of the drawer and insist we put it in to play.

Here's Parker watching Baby Einstein on Isabelle's laptop while snacking on the couch.

Life is good!

Parker's 15 Month Snapshot

15 months! It seems like Parker has been a part of our lives for so much longer than 15 months already. It's hard to remember what it was like to have just 2 kids!

• Parker is wearing mostly size 18 months clothes, though I did dig out some 24 month/2T shirts that fit him perfectly. His shoes are sizes 4 and 5.
• 16 teeth are in or coming in. He should get 4 molars around age 2, for a total of 20 teeth.
• He got another hair cut this month, which was his second hair cut.
• Granola bars and chocolate chips have been added to the list of snacks Parker likes.
• He drinks Vitamin D milk and water. He's tried apple juice a couple of times, but just doesn't like it.
• Dancing is one of Parker's favorite things to do now. His dancing consists of turning around in circles (sometimes getting really dizzy) and bending down to hit his hands on the floor. He has a good time!
• "Ma" is his main word and he uses it to mean just about anything. He'll also say "Ga" from time to time and it seems to have a few meanings as well.
• With the mild winter weather, Parker has been able to go on several wagon rides. Seth usually rides in the wagon too and Shane pulls them through the neighborhood.
• He's been going to the child watch at the YMCA while I exercise. He shows how much he hates me leaving him there by crying hard and loud, but after a minute or two he calms down and plays with the toys there. Seth also goes to the child watch on days he doesn't have school and he's very helpful in getting Parker to calm down and play with him.
• Parker imitates me by blowing on his hot food.
• He likes to play on the beds and he points to the lights when he wants them turned on.

Watching a Baby Genius movie while standing

Spring weather in February!

Walking up and down the sidewalk

We love our Parker!

Parker's 14-Month Snapshot

Parker hit a few big milestones this past month.

• He learned to walk on his own! At first he thought it was so fun - he'd walk back and forth between two people and laugh the entire time. He's practically an expert now, though sometimes he tries to walk right over things instead of around them and trips.
• He has also learned to scoot down the stairs, though sometimes he still stands up at the top of the stairs and tries to walk right down them. So far someone has been there to catch him each time he does that. 
• Parker is also now able to stand up by himself from a sitting position. He used to just sit and raise his arms up so someone would help him get up. Now he's doing it on his own.
• He got his first haircut! Thankfully his hair was kept pretty long so he hasn't lost his baby looks.

• He has a lot of teeth. I haven't been able to count them, but I can certainly see a lot of them.  He's been chewing on things lately, like buttons at the top of his shirt, his blanket and his teething rings. 
• He doesn't say many words. Usually he'll just say "Mom" or "more" and he babbles a lot. 
• Parker takes 1 nap a say, usually starting at around 11:00AM or 11:30 and lasting 3 hours. He then goes to bed at night anywhere from 8:00PM to 9:30PM.
• He has the most adorable giggle. 
• We discovered that he really likes pasta. 
• He likes to dance! Isabelle will put on some music and all three kids will dance together. For Parker, it's more of bending his knees so he goes up and down, but he sure likes it. 

Here's a video of some dancing.

• He still loves go outside. Now he'll grab his shoes and bring them to me when he wants to put them on and go outside.
• Parker can wear size 4 or 5 diapers and most of his clothes and sleepers are size 18 months. I'm so glad we kept most of Seth's old clothes or we'd be shopping for bigger sizes a lot! His shoes are size 4 and he has rather fat feet, so the shoes have to be really stretchy!
• He loves to go "bye-bye" in the van. His car seat is now facing forward. This comes in particularly useful when we have a DVD playing in the van on long trips because now he can watch movies too.
• Parker is still really cautious with adults other than Mommy or Daddy.
• Baby Einstein movies are still his favorite.

 

We love our Parker Pie!

Parker's First Birthday and 12-Month Snapshot

Wow, he's a year old already!

My Parker Pie is such a cutie and I'm so glad he's right in the center of my life. I've been so fortunate to be able to stay at home with this little guy for the first year of his life. The smiles and giggles I get from Parker everyday are priceless.

On his birthday, Grandma Barb and Grandpa Steve visited. We had pizza for dinner and cupcakes for dessert. We were anticipating Parker digging into his cupcake and making a fun mess, but he really didn't want anything to do with the cupcake, the candle or the singing of "Happy Birthday". Maybe he's saving all the excitement for his birthday party this coming weekend.

Parker's 12-month checkup was on Friday. He weighs 27 pounds, 1 ounce which is in the 92nd percentile for weight. At his 9-month checkup, he was 26 pounds, 3 ounces and in the 97th percentile. So with his mobility and less formula, he's slimming down just a bit. His height is 31 inches which is in the 50th percentile. The doctor said he will grow 5 inches from now until age 2. So if it's true that kids will grow up to be twice their height at age 2, Parker will be 6-foot tall as an adult!

**Side note: I checked Seth's and Isabelle's height records from when they turned 2. Seth should grow up to be 5 foot 10 inches, and Isabelle should grow to be 5 foot 6 inches. So we'll have the youngest boy be the tallest and the oldest girl be the shortest, and Seth in the middle!**

Also at Parker's 12-month checkup he got the chicken pox vaccine. Of course he wasn't happy about it, but he only cried for about 1 minute and was totally fine by the time we left the office. Yay for only 1 shot this time!

Favorite foods include bananas, yogurt, cereals, breads and crackers. We haven't really been too adventurous with giving him all kinds of foods. It's just more convenient to stick to the small snacks he can pick up on his own. He says "Ba" for banana, which also has a few other meanings depending on the context. Sometimes "Ba" means bottle and sometimes it means ball.

Parker can crawl up the stairs with no problem. He hasn't figured out how to get back down yet. He walks really quickly with his toy walker and can manuever it like a pro. We think he'll be walking on his own in a few weeks. We've seen him stand and hold an object for about 15 seconds at a time before he grabs to hold on to something for support. He still makes a mad dash for the cat food when he sees in on the floor and I'm sure he's eaten several pieces before we got to it. He's the only one of the kids who, as a baby, figured out how to open the toilet lids. Hopefully we won't find a toy in there! He still likes to play with the ball popper and the Weeble Wobbles. We set up Seth's Hot Wheels Criss Cross Crash track and Parker loves to watch the cars go round and round and he throws cars onto the track (maybe he thinks that's how they get on there). He still loves to be outside and we take him on walks when the weather isn't too cold or windy. He says "Ga" for "go outside".

Here are some photos from his birthday. Look for more to come after his party this weekend!

Dumped the cat food out of the bowl. Yum, yum.

Birthday cupcakes. Seth put candy corn on his own cupcake.

Opening presents

Old MacDonald Had a Farm book from Grandma Barb and Grandpa Steve

Stackable, musical trucks from Grandma & Grandpa. Love Isabelle's face!

Musical helicopter from Uncle Louie and Sonya

First birthday candle

Not impressed with the cupcake

Eating the cake part of the cupcake, he didn't like the icing

Us! Parker is chewing a pink eraser

Bath time on my birthday!

I love baths!!

And I love having my picture taken!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEET PARKER!!