A weekend of firsts & Pictures!

This 4th of July weekend marked many firsts for my sweet little man!  We started off Friday July 1 with his first baseball game!  We joined friends in Mobile to watch the Mobile Bay Bears play the Montgomery Biscuits!  Parker did amazing - I don't know why I'm surprised, he's such a wonderful baby!  The mascots would not leave us alone though!  I was getting a little nervous with those smelly things putting their "hands" all around his face and hands, but I guess you gotta start letting them get germy at some point right?  After the game, we set off to Elberta to spend the weekend at our friend's (Robert & Lena) home.  Cindy and Ryan  were also in town from TX for the weekend!  The boys took care of breakfast Saturday morning (Justin cracked the eggs...lol) and then we started on our treck to the beach.  Parker did amazing yet again and I'm still in shock of how much he seemed to enjoy being on the beach.   He was so happy and content.  I did miss getting to lay out a lot, but it was worth it to have my sweet little man next to me all day long.

Size: no change in this department!  Parker is still wearing mostly 3 or 3-6 month clothes and a size 1 diaper.  Today is the 13th and I weighed Parker last night....if my scales are correct (which they may not be), then Parker is right around 14.6lbs.  Of course I googled "average" size for his age and he's in the healthy range - I wonder what he'll be when we see the dr?

Breastfeeding:  BFing is going GREAT!!  I'm happy with my routine and it's working for us!!  We're still nursing every morning, evening, and all weekends (while I pump 3x a day on weekdays).  If anyone ever struggles with it, please talk to me!!  I joked about wanting to quit many times, but the SECOND I thought I was really going to have to quit, I turned into an emotional wreck until I figured something out!  I wasn't prepared for "my" attachment to it; I always thought I would be able to stop at any given time.  Luckily, I figured this out my first week back to work and my supply hasn't decreased too much (it's inevitable that it wouldn't at all since I'm taking such long stretches b/w pumping).  We're supplementing no more than 8oz of formula during the day (I alternate his bottles), but many days, I'm able to provide enough of my own!  I'm trying to leave my freezer stash alone in case I do have to stop for some reason (he won't have to stop at the same time).  I notice such a difference in Parker on the days where he gets only my milk.  He seems more content and his diapers are more frequent...which makes me feel better (sometimes if he has more formula, he will go longer periods with out a dirty...I don't like that...I like to know everything is working...lol).  I've also noticed that I'm so confident talking about it now and want to discuss it with every mom/pregnant lady out there!  It's really an empowering type of feeling - I can't describe it, but it feels wonderful to know what I'm doing for Parker (maybe it's b/c I struggled and found my way, maybe not).  Do all other BFing moms feel this way?  The financial side is nice too, I don't have to buy formula very often (actually, I found a great deal right afer Parker was born and had 3 $5 off coupons, so I went ahead and stocked up with the double refills).  It takes me close to 3-4 weeks to use one container. Okay, I'll stop now....see, I really could go on and on! :)

Firsts: Parker rolled over for the first time on Tuesday, July 5, 2011!!  I was in the bathroom getting ready for work and he was lying in mine and Justin's bed.  I heard him start to cry and when I walked into our room he was on his back all startled!  He rolled over again at my moms and then once more that evening!  His first day of rolling and he does it 3 times!  It was such a bittersweet moment for me b/c I was so proud of him, but I really felt like crying because he is just growing up too fast.  He also officially found his thumb and feet in the last month!  He's so cute playing with his toes!  He grabs everything now and holds on to it - he loves to look around too!  He'll follow anything that's moving in his view; this new habit is starting to interfere with feeding!  Parker also got to wear his little Sperrys for the first time!  I sure hope they fit around 6mo, b/c I want to have some pictures made with him wearing them - so cute!!

Thoughts:I've been thinking of a couple of things lately.  One is whether or not I'm going to start cereal at 4 months (I know the doctor will say it's okay).  I've heard of a lot of BFing moms say that they were going to hold off until closer to 6 months.  I'm trying to research it a little before deciding.  I feel that I would be comfortable giving him some in the mornings, but I'm concerned about nighttime b/c that's when I'm able to nurse.  I don't want to offer it to him to try to get him to sleep through the night (he's actually sleeping from around 9:30 to 4:30 or 5am - which I think is GREAT).  I don't mind if he wakes up in the middle of the night to eat - I cherish that time with him.  I also don't want to deprive him of something he may need.  He's only drinking 4oz every 3-4 oz, so he's starving by any means.  I've offered 5oz bottles, but he never finishes them, so I'm trying to follow his pace.  ADVICE on this would be appreciated fellow bloggers!!  Also, I'm trying to decide if he's teething or not.  He is drooling like crazy, but he pretty much has no other symptoms.  He is starting to "gum" things, so that is what made me think he might be.  Oh, it would be so wonderful if he continues to be such a happy baby during teething. :)  I won't expect it, but I sure would love if that is the case!!

1st time wearing Sperrys!

1st Father's Day

Sucking that thumb!

1st BayBears Game 7/1/11

Great Game w/ Great People



1st Trip to the Beach 7/2/11



1st 4th of July

Giving Daddy his 1st Father's Day gift - a Carrot Stick!

Well, that's about if for now!  I really need to work on my blog photo skills!  Since I haven't taken the time to figure it all out, my photos are just in one big clump at the end!

I forgot!!

I totally forgot to mention in the past post that we had Parker's 3 month pictures taken on Thursday (6/23/11).  Ryan Clements (Legacy Studios) is our photographer and we just love him!  He is so patient and does such a wonderful job!  You can check out his website at http://www.yourlegacystudios.com/.  We are already looking foward to our 6 month session (although I don't want Parker to get older...lol)!  The picture of him sitting up was actually Justin and I holding him up against a white backdrop, but he looks so grown up with our hands photo-shopped out!  Here are 2 sneak peeks of our precious boy :) enjoy!!

3 Month Update

So many things are changing, it seems hard to keep them all straight!  I always try to make a mental note of what I want to include in the blog, but when I finally have the time to sit down and type - I forget :(  Guess I'm going to have to start writing it all down the old fashioned way...lol!

Size: If I had to guess, I would say that Parker is probably in the 13lb range right now!  He is still wearing a lot of size 3-6 month clothes, although many of his onesies are size 6mo (to fit length-wise).  He is still wearing a size 1 diaper and they fit really good right now, so I'm not sure when he'll graduate into the size 2s (b/c I think he's entering the size 2 weight range - but 1s are still a perfect fit). 

Breastfeeding: Breastfeeding is always giving me new challenges!  My first week back to work was very trying on my patience for pumping and I thought I was going to have to quit altogether.  The oddest thing is that I always figured I'd stop after I started back to work and it didn't bother me....or so I thought.  After 4 days of trying to make pumping at work a success, I came home in tears b/c I just couldn't seem to stick to the schedule.  It wasn't by choice, but just that every SINGLE TIME I needed to pump, something would come up that kept me from going upstairs to do so.  Add that to the fact that by the time I usually made it upstairs (around an hour or two later) I was so stressed about being quick and behind schedule that it started taking me twice as long to pump.  I was miserable and everyone told me that I really needed to stick to a 3-4 hour routine.  Luckily for me, I decided to try one last thing and discussed my plan with a fellow blogger - mummies nummies - who has become a wonderful advice giver!  For the past week and a half, I've pumped at 6am, 11am (lunch), and as soon as I get home from work.  Once I'm home, I strictly nurse until 6am and also strictly nurse on the weekends (if possible).  So far, this is working great!!  I alternate Parker's bottles b/w breast milk and formula during the day and I'm currently pumping around 12oz for the entire day.  Pumping away from work has also relaxed me and we all know that makes pumping easier!  I'm sure my supply will eventually decrease a little as it already has somewhat in the past few weeks, but anything is better than stopping completely.  I just wanted to still be able to nurse in the evenings and weekends.  I never knew how attached I would get until I thought I'd not be able to - hopefully my unusual schedule will continue to work :) 

Sleeping: Parker is still on the same sleeping pattern!  We usually lay him down around 9 or 9:30pm and he's up at 4am ready to eat!  This past week, however, I opted not to give him any formula at night and just strictly nurse, so he's added an additional feeding around 1am.  I'm so happy to nurse him though, it totally makes up for my sleep deprivation!

Firsts: I'm sure that I forgot to mention some firsts in my last post, so I wanted to make sure I included them here!  In the past 3 months we've celebrated Parker's first Easter, Mother's Day, Father's Day, Memorial Day, wedding, and road trip!  I'll post some pictures of Father's day soon - Parker started out right by getting daddy a Carrot Stick fishing rod.  I haven't surprised Justin in years, so I knew it would be special since this was his first "gift" from Parker.  It also was perfect timing b/c Justin's favorite abu garcia rod had broken about 3 weeks before Father's day giving us a perfect excuse to talk about fishing rods :)  I've got some cute pictures of my boys outside with their "toy!"  We also took a trip up to Camden, AL the weekend of Father's day for my Uncle's wedding.  We went to a place called Gaines Ridge - an old home that has been turned into a restaurant.  The wedding was beautiful and Parker was so well behaved (road trip and wedding), so it made the whole day a success! :)  We will venture out on our next adventure the weekend of the 4th when we plan to stay with our two friends, Robert and Lena, at their home!  Our friends Ryan and Cindy will be in from TX too, so it should be lots of fun!  Wish us luck b/c this will be the first "trip" away from home with Parker!  Below are some pictures of other firsts :)

1st time in swimsuit and toes in water - Memorial Day '11

1st time in overalls :)  May 2011

1st time wearing mommy's old jammies :)  May 2011

Squeals of Delight!

I forgot to mention in my post yesterday that Parker squealed and smiled at the same time on 6/10/11!!  It was so adorable!  I'm sure that he'll be laughing in no time!

Last weekend :(

This weekend is the last one before I return to work on Monday.  :(  Don't get me wrong, I love my job, but being with Parker 24/7 for 12 weeks has made me realize how many little moments I am about to start missing out on during the day.  Right now, I'm most sad that I'll have to give up our leisure mornings.  Unless we have an appointment, we are slow slow to get up every day.  I like to take my time getting Parker up and spend some time talking to him and reading him a morning prayer out of his little prayer book.  I know that all of this is possible once I return to work, but I'm just afraid that I won't have the time to do all that I want. For those of you that don't know me well, I am a HUGE fan of sleep!  I always hit the snooze button at least 3 or 4 times each morning (so much so that I have to set additional alarms on my cell phone and leave it in another room to force me to get up to find it).  I'm already thinking that I'm going to have to get up at 5am to ensure plenty of time to get ready, pump, get Parker ready to go and drop him off at my moms, and then be at work by 7:45am.  Ugh, just thinking of getting into such an early routine is making me nervous! [When I was pregnant I got up at 6:45 and was at work by 7:45!]  Another stress for me is that I'll have to pump so early that I'm going to have to take my pump to work and pump mid-morning, then lug it home for lunch to pump, then back to work to pump mid-afternoon, and then back home for pumping after Parker goes to bed . I think lugging that bag around all the time would stress out anyone!  Hopefully, it won't be that bad and it won't discourage me with breastfeeding.  I had really hoped to schedule it so I could pump around 7am and my lunch so I would only have to pump once in the afternoon at work.  I just don't think 7am is going to be a feasible time for me to pump and have time to take Parker to mom's and get back to work. :( 


Basically, next week is going to be so difficult (on many levels)!  Please send some prayers my way that I can handle it :)

10 Weeks Old - Mommy is a terrible blogger!

Well, my perfectly laid out plan of updating this blog weekly is kaput!  For someone as OCD as I am, you would think I would have "planned" for this...lol!  I have TONS to catch up on, so this may be a two-part post, who knows?  I'll start off by saying that motherhood is everything I imagined and more!  Parker is such a sweet baby and Justin and I are so very blessed that he is healthy and happy.  He turned 10 weeks old on Monday and it was a bittersweet milestone for me.  It reminded me that I only have 2 weeks left before returning to work and I get sad every time I think about it.  I love my job, but being with Parker 24/7 for the last 10 weeks has been wonderful.  I feel so fortunate that I was able to take a full 12 weeks maternity leave.  I honestly do not see how some mothers are able to make it after only 6 weeks.  Parker is a wonderful baby and it took me about 5 weeks to finally feel like I could manage on my own (and honestly, it's still difficult).  I know that it must be very difficult for parents of colicky or fussy babies.  I read somewhere online that all mothers should be given 6 months off work when they have a baby.  I totally agree!!!  I feel like I finally got myself together and Parker is getting into that adorable stage where he coos and smiles at me - now I have to leave it :(  The only reason I am not a total wreck is that my mom is going to keep him, so I know that she will show him all the love and attention that I would.  I don't know what I would do without her!!   Well, this is enough about me, let's get to some updates on my precious little man!!  All of these milestones have occurred since Parker was 6 weeks old. 

Size: On May 23rd I took Parker for his 2 month checkup.  He was 11lbs 12oz and 23.5 inches long!  He has grown a whole inch since his 1mo checkup and gained almost 2lbs!  I had to pack up all of his newborn clothes (sniff sniff).  They look so tiny now and it makes me want to cry.  Parker is wearing many 0-3 month onesies and outfits.  There are some outfits that are 3-6 months that he wears as well.  I love to dress him in little Polo outfits and he can fit into a 3 and 6 month in those (they are a little long, but still fit). I stretched out wearing newborn diapers as long as I could, but once Parker was about 7 weeks old, I had to switch to a size 1.  They looked huge on him at first, but now at 10 weeks, they look normal.  I received a giant box of size 1-2 diapers at a shower and I like them b/c they actually say "1-2" on the diaper.  In my little world, I'm going to keep letting Parker where these so I will feel like it takes longer to move into the size 2 diapers!  Another thing that I've come to realize is that I'm not particular about the brand of diaper I use.  I'm currently using Pampers Swaddlers, but I was given some sample packs of the Huggies from a family friend that works at a hospital (actually - I got a WHOLE box of samples - woohoo!).  I realized right away that with a little boy, Pampers work best until the umbilical cord falls off.  The Huggies notch was a little too low and Parker always peed out of the top of the diaper.  Once his cord fell off, though, I was just as happy with the Huggies diapers as with the Pampers.  If you are reading this and you have a newborn son, my biggest tip is to point that thing downward!!  Our pedi told us that at the 2 week visit and all my issues with "peeing out of the top of the diaper" disappeared right away!!  Anyway, I didn't lack for newborn diapers at all, so I was able to exchange many of the purchased ones for other sizes.  I haven't tried any brands other than Pampers or Huggies, but for all of you new moms to be out there, don't rush out and exchange all of your diapers for one kind only.  Give them both a try and decide for yourself which one you like (both of them have a little pee strip that turns colors)!


Breastfeeding:  I LOVE my BRESTFRIEND!!  If you've never heard of it you can go to http://www.mybrestfriend.com/ and read more about it.  Any nursing or expecting mother (who plans to breastfeed) should get one!!Breastfeeding is going good.  I am still supplementing a bottle of formula at night for Parker and he does great with that.  I'm trying to up my supply to pump more, so I've started taking Fenugreek and Blessed Thistle.  I purchased them from the Health Food store in Fairhope and they really work!! I went from pumping 9oz a day to 11.5oz!!  I never imagined that breastfeeding would be so hard, but it really is.  It's also the most rewarding thing I've ever done, so I'm going to keep trying for as long as I can!  My favorite time to nurse is when Parker wakes up in the middle of the night.  He's so peaceful and hungry!!  It's just the two of us (either in our glider or in the bed) and I enjoy this time with him so much.  One thing that I've started doing is allowing him to stay in my bed after nursing (if he wakes up when Justin is leaving for work).  He'll nurse for short periods of time (little snacks I like to call them) and then I'll lay him on his tummy to burp.  We've been doing this for weeks and it's great b/c I can sleep late right now.  The past two nights, I've resumed my original pattern of getting up out of the bed and nursing him in the glider.  I'm sad not to have him beside me for a few of the morning hours, but I sleep better b/c when we get up and move a litte he nurses better and then sleeps longer.  We can't be sleeping until 10 am much longer!!  I've always said I would NEVER put my child in the bed, but I've allowed myself this little luxury b/c he's only in there after daylight (yeah, yeah, I make up my own rules to my former rules...lol)!


Sleeping: Parker sleeps great.  Usually he sleeps from 10pm-4am, but this week he's had a few nights that he's woken up at 2:30 or 3am.  I've started offering him 6oz of formula at night, but he usually only drinks 4-4.5oz.  I feel sure that if he would finish the other 2 oz he would sleep better, but he just doesn't seem to want to.  He still hates to be swaddled, so I have to wait until he's fallen asleep to wrap him all up like a little burrito!  I also started a terrible habit of allowing him to sleep on a boppy for the first 2 months!  That's a huge "no no" now!!  After he was 5 weeks old, he would fall down in it, so I then folded up a blanket so he wouldn't be at an angle while sleeping.  I guess the bobby makes up feel like he's being held?  Anyway, he sleeps in a co-sleeper bassinet and I love it, but I'm going to try to move him into his room at 3 months old.  That means that I have until the end of June to break him away from his precious boppy!  I started this on Wednesday and I'm sure it has a lot to do with the fact that he's been waking up at odd hours the past few nights.  Hopefully, it will get better over the next week and we'll be back to our usual schedule before I return to work on June 13th. 


Firsts: Parker has started smiling at us!!  That smile warms my heart in ways I didn't know were possible!  He is so happy in the mornings and I love taking my time getting up and just talking to him as he kicks and coos :)  This month was also the first time that Parker got into his swing and liked it!!  He hated it at first, but he's been in it every day this week and enjoyed it.  We let Parker touch the pool water on Memorial Day weekend.  I put on his cute little Mud-Pie swim trunks and we sat on the first step.  He wasn't crazy about it, but we got a picture anyway.  Mainly, it was so that I could get the pic of him in his adorable swim trunks before he outgrows them! Parker also upgraded to his 8oz size bottle for his bedtime bottle.  Since I'm offering him 6 oz, we needed a bigger bottle to hold it.  We use the Playtex nursers with the drop in liners.  I must say that I love these bottles b/c they are super easy to clean and we have had NO tummy issues since Parker was born.  I think this is especially amazing since I am supplementing a bottle of formula at night (which can sometimes lead to fussiness and gas). We are truly blessed that he is such a happy baby!


Favorites (mommy & Parker's): There are so many I don't know where to begin!  I love letting Parker lay in my chest when he's sleeping and I love the way he nudges me when he's nursing.  It's so sweet and I feel like that's our bonding time.  Parker loves to sit up at all times (unless feeding).  This favorite of his makes me sad b/c if he's not hungry, then he's really not keen on being cuddled.  He'd much prefer you to prop him up against your arm and let him look around.  Justin likes to sit with him in the glider and watch tv together...it's adorable..I'll have to upload a picture asap!!  Parker also loves to be outside!  He just looks around and is so attentive :)  I love that my mom loves to sit with him on the porch, he's going to really enjoy staying with her (even though it's going to break my heart to leave him each morning).  Parker still doesn't take a paci which has become a favorite of mine (I won't have to break it from him later on).  I love our night time routine and reading a book and rocking him to sleep every night.  He's so sweet and cuddly after his bath and it just makes my world complete to hold him and rock him to sleep. 


Well, I've basically posted a short novel today, so I'm going to finish up now!  Because I'm terrible at blogging, I've yet to learn how post pics throughout the post, so here are some at the end!  Also, I can't get them to post in order, so they are scattered!




4 days old - look at those little legs :)



1st Easter

7 days old - Little Shoes Studios

1st Mother Day

4 weeks old

8 weeks old - going to the dr!

Parker & Daddy sitting on the boat! Yay for fishing!





First Family Photo 3/21/11

ALL SMILES :)

Tomorrow, Parker will be 6 weeks old!  This morning as I was getting him dressed for church he smiled the biggest smile! Normally, he only smiles when he's half asleep or sleeping, so I was so excited!  I talked to him a little and he smiled again - it completely melted my heart!  He smiled twice during church, but I couldn't shout out for everyone to look so I enjoyed those silently :)  I'm so proud of my growing boy and I'm also sad that the time is going by so fast.  After tomorrow, I only have 6 weeks until I return to work.  Before I had Parker, 12 weeks leave seemed like "forever" to me.  Now, it's just not long enough :(  I do love my job, but I'm going to miss spending all day with his sweetness when I have to go back.