My Little Boy is Growing Up

Most days I step back and have to remind myself to take in and remember each and every moment because my baby is growing into a boy right before my eyes. I sit and think about how different he was yesterday, one week ago, one month ago...and I am absolutely amazed at how fast he is growing and developing. With each passing month, the current age becomes my favorite. I think it's because Parker responds to what I say and do more and more every day. He understands more, learns more, and responds more with each passing day. I cannot believe how far he has come in 10 months. We started with a very tough, cranky, fussy baby and we are watching that baby progress into a smart, independent, cuddly, silly, determined little boy. I can't even begin to express my love for my little man. Before I get too emotional, I'm going to share some videos of my baby showing off some of his skills. ENJOY...because I get to every day!

It's been a long time!

Hello world! It's been way too long since my last post. I've been spending the past month chasing my son around the house, pushing cabinet doors closed, removing him from the dog's food and water bowls, taking things out of his mouth and hands that he shouldn't have, watching him walk around tables, and chairs, and cabinets, and beds, and people...So, you see, I haven't been busy at all. 

A quick recap of what all has happened since my last post:

- Parker got his cast off in late March and he is continuing to heal. He was not very happy with the cutting tool, but he was a brave boy. His thumb looks much better than when he first got his cast off, but there is still quite some swelling. He still has low mobility in his thumb joint, and we are hoping that corrects itself once the finger has completely healed, which the doctor said could take up to 6 months.

- In a month, Parker quickly went from a non-mover....to a scooter....to an army crawler...to a crawler...He is everywhere now that he has a whole new perspective on the world. It's been a fun month watching him change and grow so quickly and become such an independent little man. 

- He got his first two teeth on the bottom. We don't see any signs of any new buds coming through.

- Parker has become such an interactive little boy. He loves to be engaged and loves to try to engage others. If you stop paying attention to him...don't worry...he'll pull you back in any way he can. 

- Parker has stayed busy by going to the park, taking walks, running errands with Mama, playing outside in our turtle sandbox, climbing on the dog, reading books, and taking in any new thing that he can. He is such a curious, determined, energetic, smart little boy. 

And all of that just wears us out....Some days you just have to crash....

Movie Monday

Here is Parker's inital attempt at crawling. As you can see, he gets frustrated when he knows what he wants to do, but he can't quite figure out how to do it.

Recently, Parker has been communicating with me by shouting. Here is an example of our daily conversations. Love that little guy...

Funny Guy

I started laughing and coughing and Parker just thought it was the funniest thing. We tried to catch his "reactive" laugh as best we could!

Being Thankful...A New Perspective

I have found it to be too easy to be "down" on a daily basis. The day to day stresses of being a mom, the transition from having a full time job outside of the home to having a full time job (and then some) inside the home, and the lack of personal, mental, academic challenges have really left me having a negative attitude about my current situation as a stay at home mom.  Aaron has challenged me a lot lately to rethink my role as a mom and to step back and realize all that I should be thankful for. (Thanks Baby!)


It really took me a few weeks to recognize my negative attitude and to rethink my perspective. Is my new job hard?  YES. Is every day a challenge? YES. Are there daily things that get me frustrated? YES. Am I a control freak? ABSOLUTELY. Are these things ever going to change? PROBABLY NOT. Do all of these things outweigh the joy of being the one to raise my child each and every day? NO. To wake up each morning to a smiling face, knowing I am about to spend precious time with my baby boy that I'll never get back?  To know that because I am blessed to be able to stay home I will never miss a "first" of Parker's? To know that I am building a bond with my son..one where he is learning trust, love, acceptance, and joy? To know that when my baby is sad, hurt, or frustrated, I am the one there to comfort him and help him through? 


As hard as the day to day grind may be, as frustrating as some days may get...I cannot lose perspective of the blessed life I am leading every day. When Parker cries, I need to be thankful that he has the voice to tell me he's not happy. When he wants to be held for the majority of the day, I need to be thankful because one day he's going to be a grown boy who doesn't want to be seen with his mommy. When he fusses for no foreseeable reason, I need to be thankful that I am one there to try to figure out what is wrong. When the house doesn't get clean, I need to be thankful that I have such a nice place to live. When dinner doesn't get made or the dishes don't get cleaned or the laundry doesn't get folded, I need to be thankful for the extra 30 minutes that gave me with Parker. 


I have learned a lot about myself being a mom. One of the major things is that I love control. And when I feel like I don't have it...I get very very stressed out. Having a child, you have to let go of a lot of the control in your life. Your schedule is now your baby's schedule. Your "To Do" list is "What Your Baby Wants To Do" list. It took me 8 months to realize I have to let go of the control or I'm going to lead a very stressful life for me, my husband, and my son.  I am slowly learning to give it up....let it go...set it free....


Here's to being thankful...a new perspective...

"With all that I am...I surrender..."

Surgery Day

Surgery Day has come and gone without a hitch. Praise God! My little man was a champ and I'm so proud of him for getting through the surgery so well. My worst fear leading up the surgery was seeing Parker being wheeled away through the double doors crying, knowing I was about to loose control. Well God is good and we had a completely opposite experience. Parker had fallen asleep in my arms before it was time to leave for surgery. I was able to hand him over to the anesthesiologist. She took him in her arms, asleep, and walked away with him into the OR as he was being serenaded with song by her and her nurse.  It was the best picture a mama could've left with. In the week and a half following the surgery, he has bounced back like you wouldn't believe. He is using his full arm cast to help himself scoot around the house and get into trouble. It has not bothered him one single bit. In fact, he's using the traction of his cast to his advantage...that little booger.  We have 4 weeks left to go before "the reveal" (cast removal day) and I'm anxious to see our little man's finished product. Thank you so much for all of your thoughts and prayers leading up the surgery for both Parker and our family. They mean more than you know. 

Drummer in Training

I think the practice with Daddy is starting to pay off. What do you think?

The Day a Mama Never Wants to See

Two weeks and counting down until Parker's surgery. Two weeks and counting down until I have to put my baby boy on a stretcher and say good-bye for a few hours. Two weeks until I watch my son being wheeled down a hallway, knowing I am about to become completely helpless. 14 days until all of my hope, faith, and control go into the hands of Parker's doctors and the Big Man above. Two weeks until the day that any mama never wants to experience. February 25th can't come soon enough, yet I wish it was so far away. It's a day I will never be ready for, yet a day that I'm so ready to finish with.

Parker's surgery and all of the worries, emotions, and questions that surround it have consumed my mind for over a month. It's all I think about, worry about, cry about, and lose sleep over. I've kept a lot of these feelings to myself because I try to ignore them thinking that they will eventually go away and I'll arrive at a sense of peace. So far, I've been unsuccessful.  Every time I look at my baby boy, I imagine him being wheeled away from my arms into the arms of the doctors...to a place where his mom can't comfort him, hold him, rock him, kiss him, and tell him it's going to be OK. The image of my tiny baby going into a large room with wires, machines, surgery tools, and doctors will never settle.

Please don't tell me everything is going to be alright...because it's my son and it's not alright. Please don't tell me that he won't remember this...because his mama always will. Please don't tell me it'll be over soon...because it feels like it's been going on forever. Please don't tell me his surgery is short...because those two hours are going to feel like years.

Until it is your child, you won't completely understand...

Because until it was my child, I never fully understood...

Like Father, Like Son

Parker has really come to enjoy spending time with his Daddy. He can do things that Mommy can't do...like sing, play guitar, play the drums, make funny sounds, etc. Aaron makes it a priority to spend as much time with Parker as he can, even though work is very busy right now. It's so refreshing to see the interactions between my two boys. Parker's eyes just light up at the end of the day when his Daddy walks through the door and greets him. Below are a few pictures showing the special father son bond that I get to witness. 

Daddy singing to Parker and playing the guitar

Daddy likes to spray me in the face during my bath and I think it's funny...

A drum lesson

This just seals the deal...like father, like son...

A Proud Mama and Dada

Crazy what can happen in one day!! Parker has one proud mama and dada. Our little boy is growing up!

Parker's First Christmas

This is a long overdue post, however the weeks before, during, and after the holiday season were a whirlwind. Parker, Aaron, and I all had a wonderful Christmas and really enjoyed celebrating Parker's first Christmas. We had a chance to spend time with both sides of our family, which made it very special. We spent Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in Charlotte with my family. We were supposed to stay through Sunday, but unfortunately we had to rush out to beat the snow storm that was heading our way. We then spent a few days at our condo in Myrtle Beach celebrating with Aaron's mom, grandma, aunt, uncle, and cousins. Santa was very good to us all. I can't wait until next year when Parker will be a year and a half and beginning to understand the concept of the holiday. Here are a few pictures of our time together.