Wondering...

My mind has been heavy on Baby Ford lately. Tomorrow is our big ultrasound appointment - 20 weeks! Can't believe we're half-way there. I can't wait to see our little miracle and learn so much about him/her. Of course, we can't wait to find out if we're having a boy or girl. But, I also want to see all of his/her organs functioning as they are supposed to; see her arms and legs moving around with all of their respective fingers and toes. I can't wait to get a glimpse of our little one's tiny face and begin to think about who he/she will look like. It's all so exciting. So, stay tuned - we'll announce tomorrow if we're on Team Pink or Team Blue. Pray that everything checks out normal and put my mind at ease for the next 20 weeks.

Bye-bye Pacifier!

In the words of Dora the Explorer, "We did it!" Better said, he did it! The pacifier is gone!!! Parker gave it up like a champ. We had a few whiny moments when he would ask for it, but reminding him that he threw it away b/c he's a big boy was enough to move on. Mommy and Daddy are so proud of what a big boy he was through this big step. He always loved his binky, as he called it, and I know giving it up wasn't easy for him.

Parker's Two

Wow! - I can't believe our little boy is officially two-years old now! He had a great birthday party and got lots of wonderful gifts. He's really enjoyed playing with all of the new stuff! We had his 2-yr checkup at the pediatrician's office...I can't believe that he doesn't go back for a checkup now until he's THREE!


Flashback: Parker at birth

And, today

More for my record - here are his current stats:

26 lbs (25%)
34" height (50%)

Vocabulary - short sentences (Where mommy go?, I want milk); more words than I can count - he can repeat almost any word in English and some in Spanish and Chinese that he picks up from television. :) He also remembers and understands associations between words and actions/objects. He will perform tasks when asked - go get your shoes, etc. He is disciplined with timeout (now 2 minutes long) and understands that is his consequence for bad behavior. He can walk, run and jump (although not gracefully) and climbs. He's not afraid of anything, which scares us more than it does him. He puts together puzzles and flips through books. We're working on identifying colors correctly - he knows that green, blue, red, etc are colors, but doesn't always match them up correctly. We're also working on shapes, letters and numbers. His favorite toys are his basketball hoop/basketball, tricycle, grill, train table and tools. His favorite cartoons are Handy Manny, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Elmo and Yo Gabba Gabba. I'm sure I've missed something. :)

Finally, everything's not "mine".

For months now everything Parker sees, touches or plays with is "mine" "mine" "mine". But, we've recently had a breakthrough with him identifying things that belong to others. He brings me my shoes and says, "mommy's shoes"; or points to Jon's car and says, "daddy's car". It's so refreshing that he doesn't think the world belongs to him. I'm not saying that he's willing to share the things he thinks are actually his, but it's progress. :)

Parker's also been working on forming sentences in his own little style. He loves to ask "where mommy/daddy/Tucker go?" He's also very demanding on his drink order - he'll say, "I want apple juice." Then in the next breath say, "No, I want strawberry milk (his favorite)." Then as you're about to hand him his cup, he'll say "No milk, I want lemonade." I feel like a bartender sometimes. Usually he ends up with three sippy cups each containing his drink orders. Ha ha - mommy's a sucker! :)

We're gearing up for the big 2nd birthday! I can't believe my little boy is almost 2...really feels like I just brought him home from the hospital. Time goes so fast - I'm glad I get to spend each moment of it watching him grow and develop.

Spring Tease

So lately the weather has been nice and not-so-nice/warm then cold/ dry then wet. I'm more than ready for some warm, spring weather! Parker is too! He stands at the back door looking at his swing so sad and asks over and over, "swing? outside?" The last 2 days have been rainy and cold so he's been disappointed. Hopefully that is short-lived.

Parker's become quite the basketball fan. He love to watch it (live or on TV) and loves to play it. He's actually getting pretty good for his age. He has a basketball hoop that's just his size that he plays with all of the time. We pick him up to dunk, which is a frequent request - "dunk, dunk, dunk!" is a common thing we hear. He can even recognize a dunk on the television and runs around yelling, "dunk, dunk, dunk". It's a riot!

Here's hoping for some warmer weather!

Adventure of the B.B.s

Parker has accumulated quite the bedtime collection of necessities. He has 2 blankets (he calls them his B.Bs), a beanie baby dog - called "puppy", a teddy bear - called Dakka bear and his paci. Tonight I was changing his bedding and putting his blankies in the wash and he was not going for it. I would put the blankets in the washing machine then he would take them out...in, out, in, out...it was a vicious cycle. He didn't want his b.bs in the washing machine - period! I didn't want to upset him for the 50 minute wash cycle by forcing him to give them to me so I talked him into a game of ball and tossed them in once he was distracted. He was very happy to see them after they were dry. Crisis averted! Whew...mom wins this one!

Fun Afternoon at the Park

Parker loves to run and play at that park! Yesterday it was sunny and warmer than it has been so we took off to meet a few of our friends at Cox Park. One of the cool things about this park are the pine cones - Parker didn't remember them from last fall so it was a new discovery to him. He thought they were pretty cool and stayed entertained by "hunting" for pine cones and bringing them to mommy. What a great way to burn off all of that toddler energy!

Finally, an update...

My good friend, Katie asked me if I was still sitting in the closet from the scary storm post that I made a LONG time ago... Ha ha, no we made it out safely! :)

There have been many updates in our life since my last post. Parker is now 21.5 months old and we're getting ready for the big 2nd birthday that is quickly approaching. I can't believe how quickly the time has gone...most of the time I just want it all back, but I'm anxious for every new step ahead of us. Parker has developed an extensive vocabulary - too many words to list and even has many sentences and phrase that he uses often. His favorite questions are "what is that?" and "where is __________?" He is very inquisitive and I love it. Sometime I think he doesn't stop asking to listen to the answer. He's a typical almost-2 year old...running, jumping, climbing, falling and fearless. He's a very social little man and I get regular comments about what a great personality he has. There is a little stinker inside him too...he's a toddler - he doesn't share well, he cries when he is told "no," and he is constantly pushing boundaries. This is all part of his development and up to me to be consistent and teach him how to be a civilized person. That sounds so simple when you type it out. Ha ha! :) All of you moms out there know how "easy" that is.

Jon is working hard at Stratas still and has taken on managing new projects and delegating a lot of the day-to-day work. It takes lots of long hours, but he makes it a point to be home w/ me and P on the weekends. We need to schedule a vacation to get away from all of the stress and relax...much over due!

Overall, life is good here - no complaints right now. I'm ready for some warmer weather, but know that the hot summer months will be here all too soon. I'm making a commitment now to update this blog more often, so stay tuned and remind me if I fall behind!