Bye Bye Piggy Party

So it looks like we will be throwing a "Bye Bye Piggy Party" on February 25th. What is that you ask? We will be saying Hasta La Vista to Parker's extra thumb, better known as his 11th piggy. We saw an orthopedic surgeon at Duke last week by way of recommendation from our good friends whose son, Ethan, had surgery with Dr. F. He was extremely knowledgeable and made us feel very comfortable. He basically told us that each finger has two tendons that run up and down, one on the right side of the finger and one on the left. Since Parker's extra digit is shared, he only has two tendons total for his double thumbs (see his x-ray below).

What Dr. F. has to do is 1) Remove the extra digit 2) Move the right most tendon from his 11th finger and set it to his real thumb. 3)Set his bone so that it grows straight (said he doesn't foresee having to pin his thumb but won't know until he gets in there.) Here is a run down of his upcoming surgery:

- It will last about 2 hours.

- It's an outpatient surgery.

- He will have to be put under anesthesia...but the good news is that it is going to be done by the Pediatric Head of the anesthesiology unit at Duke Hospital.

- He will have to wear a full arm cast up to his armpit for 6 weeks.

- He should not need any OT or PT.

- His thumb growth will be a bit stunted, resulting in a shorter, chubbier thumb than his left hand. If you look at the x-ray you can see the lower bone in his thumb is shorter and wider because of double growth.

- He should have full, normal function of his hand after surgery.

Keep us in your prayers as this surgery is coming a lot faster than I thought it would.

-

Uno, Dos, Tres, Cuatro...

Our little man is 4 months old! He had his check up appointment today and everything looks great! His weight is finally back up (14 lbs. 15 oz), putting him in the 47th percentile. His length was 25.75 inches, putting him in the 79th percentile. We have a long and lean baby apparently, which has been the case since he's been born. He is reaching all of his milestones, and then some. Parker has been released to eat solid foods, so we are slowly beginning to introduce those into his diet. (Pictures and video to come...) I am going to attempt to make my own baby food, since it's cheaper and healthier. Exciting times ahead...

Here is a list of Parker's most recent milestones:

1) He rolls from his back to his tummy and his tummy to his back on purpose.

2) He blows bubbles and raspberries.

3) He "talks" back and forth with you.

4)He is trying to laugh, but instead makes a very high pitched "eek" sound.

5) He grabs objects and pulls them to him.

6) He holds his head up at a complete 90 degree angle on his tummy.

7) He's learning how to grab his paci and bring it to his mouth, although he can't quite get it in the hole yet. :)

8) He is beginning to consistently sleep through the night (YEA!!!). Naps are a totally different story. Apparently some 4 months olds don't feel the need to nap.

9) He follows his mommy and his daddy....nonstop...all the time...and God forbid he looses sight of you...because he'll let you know he doesn't like being alone.

I am really looking forward to the holiday season and spending time watching Parker grow and develop every day. I sat here 5 mins ago and looked at pictures of Parker when he was first born and his first days in the hospital. I can't believe that was only 4 months ago. It seems like forever ago, yet it seems like yesterday. It's a strange feeling...

Happy 4 Months Little Man!

Movie Monday

Here's To Movie Monday...

This is one of Parker's favorite new games that Nana plays with him. He is completely ticklish.

Daddy loves teaching Parker how to play the drums. He's hoping Parker will follow in his footsteps one day.

Parker loves his activity mat. He talks to his animals and watches himself in the mirror.

My Lil Pumpkin

We went to the pumpkin patch for a little pumpkin fun.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

And my favorite from the day...

Baby Brain

The following is a sampling of reasons why I have recently diagnosed myself as crazy and how I know that I have officially lost it. This list occurred in less than a week's time and all examples are 100% true.

1) When cleaning up dinner tonight, I put two dirty dishes in the fridge instead of the dishwasher.

2) I wore slippers out and didn't realize it until I reached my destination.

3) I have gotten dressed two days in a row and forgot to put on my "undergarments."

4) Coke and Halloween candy have become suitable breakfast items.

5) I took Aaron to pick up his jeep at the shop. The plan was to follow him to drop it off at his mom's and then bring him back home. I honest to God forgot and left him stranded with no ride until I received a call from him 10 minutes later asking where I was. Even then it didn't click that I came home without him. Poor thing had to spell it out for me...

6) I was trying to cook dinner last night and for the life of me could not figure out why our water was not boiling. It took me 10 minutes to realize I had not turned the burner on.

7) After dinner I went upstairs to fold the laundry and realized the clothes were still soaking wet. Surprise surprise...I didn't turn the dryer on either.

8) I locked myself out of the house. Never in my life have I done this...

I guess only getting 3-4 hours of sleep a night for over 3 months has finally made me lose it.

You better lock me up before someone gets hurt or someone goes missing...

Here's to hoping that I don't leave Parker somewhere....I wouldn't put it past me.

Blessed

I have to admit how blessed I feel to be raising Parker with Aaron. We have not had an "easy" first three months with our little guy, but I have had the best partner to tackle the tough times. Aaron has been such a tremendous support for me. He always encourages me to talk about my feelings and struggles as a mom, and doesn't judge me for what I say. He recognizes when I am at my breaking point, and does 100% of the Parker duties (including mid-night feedings) to give me a break. He takes over at night when he gets home from work to give me some time to get stuff done around the house. He encourages me daily to keep my head up and keep going forward. When there are times that I am truly overwhelmed, he encourages me to enjoy every moment, as they will be gone before we know it. Aaron reminds me that this too shall pass (whatever it might be) and that we are in it together. I know without an ounce of doubt that he will be there for me and Parker at any moment in time. He has already had such a strong presence in both of our lives and I feel truly grateful for having him as my husband and my son's daddy.

At church this Sunday my pastor said something that really stuck with me:

"Peace is not the absence of conflict. Rather it is the harmony of all things." This one statement made me look at being a mom in a very different light. I have to realize that we are a family, working together as one to achieve different goals. There will be conflict, hard times, and discouraging moments along the way. But if we work as "one", we will find peace in the midst of it all. I am so lucky to have a husband who I get to share this journey with. One who loves me and Parker unconditionally. One who encourages me daily. One who supports our family structure. One who works hard to provide financially for our family to allow me the chance to stay at home. One who helps me focus on the positive side of things. One who is an awesome dad to his son and an incredible husband to his wife.

Aaron...thank you for the man that you are and the woman that you encourage me to be. I love you to the moon and back ;)

"So when you say forever, can't you see? You've already captured me..."

Who Knew It Could be so Entertaining?

Parker has become very aware of his surroundings and focuses intently on objects around him. We were eating dinner last night and Parker was very interested in something at the dinner table. I was laughing like crazy and just had to get it on video. This is one of several of Parker's followings that night a dinner.