1 Year Old

I can't believe Parker is one year old today!! This time last year I was still having a very hard time remembering for one that we had a boy and not a girl and the harder thing was remembering his name! I had to write it down because all the nurses kept asking what his name was and I couldn't remember for the life of me.  Good times!  The pregnancy with Parker was definitely my most challenging. I was so sick for the first few months and then I had to get the progesterone shots every week from 20 weeks until 37 weeks and let me tell you sometimes that nurse had it out for me and would put the shot in the wrong nerve and I would be sore for days...I do not miss  those weekly shots at all.  Then we were all expecting "her" to be here early and I had my mom come out when I was over 37 weeks along.  My mom came out from April 2-April 9 and no baby in sight.  On April 4th I did go into labor and delivery because I was having contractions and they were intense and about 2-3 minutes apart, so we thought for sure I would be having a baby, but after a couple of hours and no change in dilation (I had been a 3 for about 2 months), they gave me some drugs and said I should go home.  The drug they gave me made me sooooo loopy...I couldn't even walk and I was laughing hysterically at everything and was completely out of my mind.  I laughed for about an hour because I kept telling David to be quiet, when we got home even though I was the one being loud.  The next day I slept for most of the day and then when I woke up I was so depressed and sad and mad. My mom had come all this way and she didn't get to meet Parker or be here when he was born.  So that whole week my mom and I spent cleaning and rearranging things. It turned out to be a GREAT visit from her and she was such a huge help getting all that last minute stuff done.  Then mom left on Saturday morning and by Monday morning at 4:00 I woke up and thought I had a little accident on myself, so I changed my clothes very quietly and tried not to wake David.  I was grabbing a sweater and my laptop when David woke up and asked what I was doing. I told him to go back to sleep and not to worry...he asked what I was doing and I told him that I thought my water had broke, but not to worry because I was sure we had plenty of time.  He jumped out of bed and said that we were going to the hospital right away.  It was about 4:30 and I had started having contractions about 2 minutes apart.  So I agreed.  David went and told Gabe (who was thankfully staying with us that week during his semester break) that we were headed to the hospital and to watch the kids.  We got checked into the hospital and then by 6:45 I told the nurse that I felt like I needed to push. I was indeed ready to push. At 7:00 the doctor got there, but we had to wait because David was in the bathroom...when he finally came out 11 minutes later we prepped and after pushing through about half of a contraction, the doctor said, "It's a Boy!" David and I looked at each other and said, "you mean a girl?!" The doctor looked at us like we were crazy and repeated that it was indeed a boy...Then they handed Parker to me and I held him for the first time.  He was born at 7:19 a.m. weighing 8 pounds 5 ounces and a little over 20 inches long. 
Since that day one year ago, my life has been a roller coaster.  Parker has not exactly been the easiest baby in the world.  He wanted to eat constantly (and still does) for the first 5-6 months.  Even when I started him on solid foods that didn't help too much. He still wanted just me and would let everyone know it too.   I would usually be able to leave the house for an hour tops before I would get the dreaded phone call from David telling me that Parker has been crying the whole time and I needed to get home asap.  I couldn't even go to church with him for the first few months because he would just cry bloody murder the whole time, so I would end up in the mother's lounge for most of church.  He demanded all of my attention for the first 9 months of his life.  I went so many months with so little sleep and I do not miss those days one bit...once he started getting mobile he got a lot happier! And then he started walking a couple of months ago and he has been a much happier baby since then.  He is a very funny and cute little guy.  He loves Biscuit and you can tell.  He calls for Biscuit, when he can't find him.  That was his second word.  His first word was Dada.  He has said Mama a handful of times.  It is very rare for him to say it.  He loves being outside and is an excellent climber. He loves balls. That is the favored toy in our house.  He chooses balls over anything else.  He loves to eat and isn't too picky, but is somewhere between Maggie and David on that one.  He loves being around other people and turning on the charm. Everyone always asks if he is this happy all the time...sad to say no.  He is a great sleeper.  He has been sleeping through the night for the past few months and loves to turn on his little glow worm right when he hits the bed.  He will find it and then fall straight onto it and lay on it for a good portion of the night.  He hates being in the car and hates shopping. I have a good 5-10 minutes at the most that he will sit in the cart at the store, before he starts standing and kicking and screaming for me to hold him.  He is very vocal and loves to be heard.  He loves church to watch the chorister and start yelling and pointing at her, "ya! Ya! Ya!!" It is hilarious.  He loves his belly button and has made that his little comfort.  He always has his shirt up and his finger right there on his little belly.  He can wave and blow kisses to everyone.  He also loves to clap.  He is still just changing every day and I love watching him learn and grow. He really is a sweet little man and we love having him in our family.  Happy first birthday Parker!! We love you!!

His Growth
He is 20. 4 pounds and in the 20th percentile for weight
He is 28 inches and in the 25th percentile for height