One year

Exactly one year ago today, my husband and I were THRILLED. We were 19 weeks pregnant, and we were finally going to find out if our little one was a boy or a girl. Was it going to be Alyssa, or going to be Parker? I remember seeing our little bean, our little boy as he danced and jumped for the tech. He was NOT shy at all, he wanted it very well known that he was a boy. It was hard to get the other shots because he kept wanting to show us his goods.

And then, just as more an afterthought, she checked his heartbeat. It was one of the last things on her list. Suddenly the joking and the laughing stopped. She got very quiet and kept saying "hmmm." After a few tries she said "well, he's gotta be a calm little guy. This heart rate is a little bit lower than what we're used to seeing, let me call your doctor."

And left two wide-eyed parents in the ultrasound room. We had no idea what was going on, what to expect. Its probably nothing, right? Perhaps he's just sleeping or something.

The tech quietly came back in and tried to reassure us. "Its probably nothing, but your dr wants you to do another ultrasound at the perinatologist, just to double check. They can schedule you in two days, does that work for you?"

I didn't know what to expect. I guess I never did expect what happened. I cried, a lot. I started making a small blanket in case he came really early. In my mind, I was thinking that it was just the beginning of us losing him. That his heart had almost stopped, and he was dying inside of me. Every movement, (or lack thereof) I was analyzing over and over. It was such a long two days until our next ultrasound. I had no idea that the entire pregnancy would be like that!

And now, its been a year. As I was rocking my little guy right before bed, I just had to sit in wonder. This little boy, the one I cried over, yearned for, worried, fretted, sobbed, rejoiced... so perfect. So happy. So normal. Just looking at him, you'd never know that he's kept alive and healthy by a machine. But one thing you'd notice is how loved and adored he is.

Thank heaven for little boys, is right. Thank heaven for my little Parker.

Parker's First Camping Experience

We went to Willard Bay for a family and friend vacation. We stayed in a little cabin up there at the KOA. Is that cheater camping? I think so. But we had a lot of fun!

Parker enjoyed all the people time. There was always someone to hold him, or play with him, or even just to snuggle with him.
With little miss Kaylee, our friend's daughter. She loves Parker, and it looks like the feeling's mutual.




We went 'swimming' in the KOA pool, but it was freeeeeeezing. So while the boys swam, we took turns holding and watching.




See what I mean about the snuggling?

Nom Nom nom. So yummy.

Parker in front of our little cabin.

Parker's very short experience with sand. It was so hot, so bug-y, and he tried to eat it. No thank you!

After we went in the lake for a few minutes and got eaten alive by mosquitos, Mommy and Parker retreated to the pavilion.

Then we wandered over to the Children's Museum in Ogden. They are super cheap every Friday night, so we had to go. I must say, its a blast! I like it better than the Discovery Gateway.

Here's Parker pounding on some drums.

Let me introduce you to Parker, President of the United States.

Oh just kidding, he's really the KING.

It cracked me up, he was as big as the 'giant' chess pieces.

He wasn't too sure about the horse rides.

However, he did already pick his college! This is the place, right by the temple and the capitol building!

We wrote his name on the wall, and then got his footprint too!

And a last parting shot in front of our little cabin. We had a lot of fun!

Happy 4th of July!

Every year I had a tradition with Parker's older brother, to take a picture in front of the big fireworks at our city's festivities. So here's Parker's first go at it!

2011

6 mo appointment

Although he turned 6 months old almost 4 weeks ago, I couldn't get him in to the Dr until this week. This past week he's really made leaps in development. Within a two day span he was able to sit up for long periods of time, roll onto his tummy, and (finally) is able to put himself to sleep rather than be rocked. However, he has completely fallen off the chart for weight, and resides in the 1% for height. He's just a very itty bitty little guy. But the Dr is pretty worried, so now we are back to doing weight checks and worrying about how much he's eating. Its frustrating, but we're hoping for the best!