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.

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!