Help! We're Snowed In & We Can't Get Out!!!

Well...if there ever was a time that I really hated Cheney with a passion...this would be it! I know that everyone has to listen to me say how much I can't wait to get out of Cheney and move away from it, but now I really have to get out. It is no longer just something I want to do. There is so much snow here and I think Deacon (our dog) is the only one enjoying it! I was excited to see the snow at first--when I was still unaware that it would not stop! We are currently snowed in to the parking lot at our apartment complex and the road once you get out of the complex hasn't been plowed either...we are literally stuck people!!!

The weather is really putting a cramp in my day. Parker has his 2 Month Check tomorrow morning and I already had to call the Pediatrician's office to let them know that we may or may not make it. It is a toss up whether or not we will be rescued from this awful place known as Apartment 20!!! If I wasn't going "stir-crazy" trapped in the apartment before, I AM NOW!!! Travis went to dig out the car and see if he could get it out of the parking lot to get to work...NOPE! He was out there for about 2 hours, stuck! Finally he got it back to where it had been parked before, but only with help from some of our neighbors. We were supposed to be leaving for the Tri-Cities tomorrow to start our winter vacation and we are unsure whether that is happening either! My parents said that if we could not get out of this awful place by Saturday, that they would bring their truck and come rescue us!!! Well, here are some pictures of the massive amount of snow here and our crazy pup that is "in love" with the snow!

Here is our silly puppy...his face is constantly covered with snow from seeing how far he can bury his face looking for snowballs!

Check out our windows...yup...that's ice...ON THE INSIDE!

Here is our parking lot that we can't get out of! (and the street outside of the parking lot)

Here is our little guy...ready to head outside in his puppy "Elmer Fudd" hat!

One of those days...

Have you ever had one of those days when someone hurts your feelings so badly and just makes you feel terrible? I have had two in a row...ugh!

Yesterday I checked my E-mail to see that I had a new comment on the blog. I am usually so excited about these. It is nice to know that people relate to what you write, or find it amusing/interesting. It kinda makes you feel like you are writing for a purpose. When I checked to see who had left a comment and what they had written I was very sad to see that it was an extremely RUDE comment. Someone had posted a comment that stated that it would be nice if I would post some pictures of Travis' parents holding Parker because "it would be nice to let other people see that he has 2 sets of grandparents." Yikes...let's pull back on the reins a little bit here!!! Anyone who really knows us is aware that Parker has two amazing sets of grandparents, who I write about often, so I don't think that leaving rude and inappropriate comments on my blog for all to see is a very kind thing to do. I know the name of the person who left this comment...but not exactly who it is. If you are reading this, I would just like you to know that my feelings were very hurt by this comment and I think you are out of line. If you pay attention to my blog (key word MY blog: this word entitles me to write about whatever it is that I want) you would see that I do not just post pictures of Parker with one set of grandparents...I have not posted any pictures of Parker with my parents either. (Except for one of him with my mother the week we brought him home from the hospital and she had stayed in our little apartment with us for a whole week, waiting on us hand and foot, I think a picture thank you on the blog was well deserved).

I started this blog as a fun way to keep everyone informed about Parker and our lives, since we do not live in the same city as EITHER of our families. It is times like these that make me feel like taking time out of my day to fill everyone in is not a good use of my time. As a new mommy, I am busy all the time and could easily be doing other things...but I choose to do this. I know that it is hard for both sets of grandparents to be away from Parker and not to get to see and hold him every day. It is overly hurtful to feel like people believe you are "favoring" one side of the family over another and I would just like everyone to know that this is not the case. I have deleted this hurtful comment off of the blog and would kindly ask that IF YOU DO NOT HAVE ANYTHING NICE TO SAY...PLEASE DO NOT COMMENT ON THE BLOG. You have caused a great deal of hurt. I have enough going on in my life right now...and do not need others to add DRAMA to it.

Sorry for the rant to those who read this and have no idea what I am talking about...and thanks to those who do know and have been so supportive of my feelings.

New Pictures of 7 Week Old Parker James!

It seems like it has been forever since I had the time to post a blog...believe me, I have been trying!!! Lately it seems like there has just been so much going on in our little apartment. It took us a little while to get back on our schedule after Thanksgiving. We put up our Christmas decorations and our little tree (literally). We have an aluminum tree that belonged to my grandparents. It is one of the ones you always see at the antique stores now. My Grandma Sy kept it in amazing condition and it still looks great even though it is so old. This tree reminds me of her, which I absolutely love! I miss her so much all the time and it is great to have something that brings back good memories. She always knew how to make the holidays, an already amazing time, EVEN BETTER.

Parker is getting so big. It is hard to believe that he is already 7 weeks old! He is making so much more noise now. He "coos" all the time and grunts a bit too. A new obsession with the T.V. has started early--he stares at it no matter where we put him. Parker also loves the lights on the Christmas tree. He loves to play on his activity mat and bat at all the toys. He has the most fantastic smile, and he shows it to us quite a bit now. He sleeps a solid 8 hours at night now, which we LOVE!!! Now that he is awake more during the day we really get to see what a content and amazing boy he really is. It had been a while since I put some pictures up on the blog, so here they are!!!

THANKSGIVING AT THE OFRANCIA HOUSE

PARKER JAMES--THANKSGIVING WEEKEND AT MY PARENT'S HOUSE

I LOVE THIS PICTURE--HE IS REALLY STARTING TO FOCUS ON EVERYTHING AND EVERYONE

PARKER & DADDY TAKING A NAP...WELL, DADDY TAKING A NAP!

THIS VIDEO IS HILARIOUS...A LITTLE BACKGROUND INFO: the burp you hear in the background is Travis, Parker spits up almost immediately afterward (probably trying to compete with Daddy and 1-UP him) and he is totally staring at the television...not at me!

GIVING THE EVIL EYE...HE IS GOOD AT THAT ONE! USUALLY HIS FOREHEAD IS ALL WRINKLED!

PARKER'S VERY FIRST CHRISTMAS ORNAMENT--THANK YOU GRANDMA JAMMI AND GRANDPA LEE!

I LIKE TO CALL THIS VIDEO "THE RED BIRD BEAT DOWN"--PARKER IS SERIOUSLY IN LOVE WITH THIS RED BIRD AND NOW THAT HE HAS LEARNED HOW TO HIT THINGS AND MAKE THEM SWING IT IS ALL HE WANTS TO DO!

a little late...but i am still thankful

I know that my post about Thanksgiving is a little late...but better late than never, right??? It is hard to do a blog post when you are out of town. We were able to head to the Tri-Cities on Wednesday night to spend Thanksgiving with my family. It was amazing to see everyone. I am always aware how lucky I am to have such a wonderful and caring family that gets along so well together, but what better than a whole day to show you over and over! On Thanksgiving, we went to my Aunt Naomi and Uncle JJ's house to celebrate with the Parker side of the family. We took some pictures, ate some good food, and were able to just visit. It was great!

To start off the day on Friday, Travis and my dad were busy putting my studded snow tires on my car. Later on in the afternoon we were able to go over to my Aunt Lauri and Uncle Carl's house to visit with Lauri, Grandma Janet, and Grandpa Bill. After visiting for a little bit we headed back to my parents house. On Friday we also went to the Tri-City Americans hockey game with our little guy. It was fun to get to go to the game with Nonni Donna, Papa Kev-O, Auntie Sara, Uncle Chipper, cousin Caleb, and cousin Drayson. Parker did so great at his first hockey game. He slept the whole time. Scott and Becky (family friends for as far back as I can remember) thought this was hilarious because they used to watch me sleep all the way through American's games...noise and all.

Saturday was a very busy day for the Guion clan. We woke up, got ready, and headed to Ellensburg to meet up with Travis' parents and brothers. We also got to see his Aunt Rhonda, Uncle Mark, and cousins Torri and Cody. It was so nice to get to see Trav's family. We just don't get to see them as much as we would like. Parker did so great on the drive and with the fact that he was totally out of his element.

Sunday my mom, sister, and I got to go shopping for a little while with Drayson and Parker while "the men"--Travis, Chip, Dad, and Caleb--put up the Elfering's new shed. My friend Ashley was also able to come from Yakima to go out to lunch with Travis and I before we headed back to Cheney that evening.

I was so sad to head back to Cheney, but we had been away from our routine for what seemed like forever. It actually was nice to be back in our little apartment and everything familiar. Parker went right down in his crib like he had missed it so much. It took a day or two to get him back in the swing of things, but we are back to normal now!

In other amazing news, Parker is sleeping all the way through the night now!!! We get 8 1/2 hours of sleep every night. It is amazing! He is starting to make so many more noises, hit at toys on his activity mat, and smile at us too. Our little guy is getting so big now!

UFC, Here He Comes!!!

So, the other day Travis was holding Parker and when I looked over this is what I saw. I just thought it was too funny and had to share it with everyone. I wish that you could hear the noises that he was making while he was punching Trav in the face...it was so cute! I couldn't stop laughing. Parker is getting to the point where he is starting to be more in-tune with everything around him and with us...it is so sweet to see him start to smile at us! We can't wait until he is doing it all the time.

Parker James has his 1st cold...Ick!

Well, we went to the doctor yesterday because Parker has been a little fussy and out of sorts the last couple days. We thought that maybe he had reflux, and the doctor seemed to think so at first, too. After a little bit, she came to the conclusion that Parker has his very first cold...poor guy. It is so hard because there isn't really anything we can do for him when he is so little. We just have to wait it out until it goes away. He is still getting a five hour chunk of sleep at night, and just wants to be cuddled a little more...what Mommy could argue with that??? We have found that our son hates the "nose sucker" with a passion. It took me forever to get the giant boogers out of his nose yesterday! They literally looked like man-size boogers...it was gross. He can breathe better now though, so it was all well-worth it.

Last night Parker just wanted to snuggle up on me after he finished his bottle. Check out our little flexi-baby's legs! So funny!

Here are some cute pictures from today, he just looked so cute in his "little man pants."

His hair gets crazier every day!

He was so cute smiling and giggling at the camera...what a ham already!

Daddy and his "mini-me"

Parker loves his Soothie!

oh, the stress of being a new mommy

I think that I may have jinxed myself with my last blog. Up until the last two days, Parker has been such a fantastic eater and sleeper. I have had it so easy, that even the little stuff made me feel that there may be something wrong. Just in the last couple days, Parker has been eating all but the last ounce or so of his bottle and starting to cry every time I try to put it back in his mouth. He has also been having a hard time sleeping during the night. He has been such a content and happy baby so far, so it is so hard on me to hear him be fussy. I have been reading my Baby Wise book, and it kind of sounds like he may have Reflux. I hope not! We are going in to see the Pediatrician tomorrow to see if they can give us any clue as to what is going on with our poor little guy. Your prayers and good thoughts would be greatly appreciated while we try to get our content and happy little man back to normal!

Where does the time go?

I can't believe that it has already been 4 weeks since we brought Parker home with us! It just doesn't seem possible. He has grown so much already that it almost makes me a little sad! I feel like he is going to be walking in no time, then all of a sudden he is going to be starting school in the blink of an eye! It makes me feel so old that my little guy is already a month old. I was giving him a bath today and I couldn't help but think back to his first bath. My mom and I gave him his first bath when he was not even 1 week old--he hated it so much! Now he barely even fusses and he gets to actually sit in the water. After bath-time was over you should have seen his hair!!! A picture didn't do it justice...we tried! Parker's hair was going in all different directions and flipping every which way...it was so funny. He is also doing such an amazing job of holding his head up already.

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I thank the Lord everyday for how blessed I am and how wonderful my life is. I have the most amazing son. He makes me smile not just everyday, but at least every hour. Parker is such a good boy and already sleeps in 5 hour chunks at night (almost every night). I also have the best husband in the entire world. He makes me laugh all the time...even when he isn't trying to! We have grown so much as a couple and I cannot believe how far we have come since we first started dating.

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This weekend was filled with visitors and relaxing all at the same time. Is that really possible??? We were lucky enough to have 4 visitors all on Saturday (my mom, my Aunt Lauri, Travis' old neighbor Robin Kalina, and Travis' high school teacher Ms. Short). It was so nice to visit with everyone. I have noticed that everyone seems to visit on the same days. It is totally okay with us...we love visitors. It is nice for me especially since I spend most of my time "trapped" in our little apartment with Parker!!! After visiting with the ladies for a while, Travis had to go to work (it was amazing that he even got to see anyone before he left for work). After Travis left for work and the baby was good and fed, my mom-Aunt Lauri-& I went out into Spokane for lunch. It was great just to get to visit and catch up. I am lucky enough to get to see and talk to my mom all the time...I am not exaggerating...I really mean all the time!!! I haven't seen my Aunt Lauri for a while though and it was wonderful to get the scoop on what's going on in her life!

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When I get time to really sit back and think about what an amazing family I have and how charmed my life has been, I always come back to the same quote:

You don't choose your family. They are God's gift to you, as you are to them.

A Picture's Worth A Thousand Words

Here are some pictures that are just too cute for words! Not much else to say...everything with the Guion Family is going well.

Parker James is our little thinker...he always looks so cute when he sleeps!

Parker and cousin Drayson were so cute holding hands on the activity mat together...well...it was more like Drayson clamped on to Parker and didn't want to let go. Still so cute!!!

Parker James and Drayson John (or PJ and DJ)
When we were visiting my sister Sara and Chip I was looking at the two of them next to each other and all I could think of was that garbage bag commercial..."hefty, hefty, hefty---wimpy, wimpy, wimpy"...I'll let you decide which you think is which!!!

Caleb is such a big helper with his cousin Parker. He just wanted to help Nonni feed him, instead we let him feed him all by himself. I can't believe how big Caleb is getting!!!

A Weekend With The Uncles!

We had a wonderful weekend! Tyler and Shane, Trav's brothers, were finally able to make it over to see Parker. (And it was great to have some extra hands while Trav was at work ...holding Parker and feeding him.) Tyler and I even ventured to the mall with Parker while Shane took a nap and Travis was at work. Parker did great, he just slept the whole time. The only pain is having to take the elevator to the different floors because of the stroller! It was nice to just get out of the apartment for a while, too! It was awesome to get to see Parker with his uncles! They will both make great "Daddies" (if that ever really happens!!!...we're waiting).

-Uncle Tyler & Parker (above)- - Uncle Shane & Parker (right)-

It was a long weekend full of fun. It was enough to tire Parker and Mommy out!!! Travis caught us napping and snapped a couple of pictures! He always catches me sleeping...at least now I am not alone! Parker is getting so big and he is such a sweet boy. I really think he will be smiling in no time.


Another fun picture from the weekend was Parker playing on his activity mat and Deacon guarding him! Deacon likes to keep close to the baby, it is so sweet! He really wants to play with the baby. He lays with his paws on the activity mat and puts his ball on it. It is so funny.

Fun Times...&... Not-So-Fun Times

On Saturday, my mom came to visit! It was great to see her. She had gotten an activity mat for Parker and had a few other things to bring up to us. Parker LOVES the activity mat. Especially the red bird! You can see him having a little stare-down with it in the picture. He just sits in his Boppy pillow on the activity mat and stares at the bird and the lights. It is so funny to watch him get so captivated by something! After Saturday was over with...we took Sunday to relax because we knew that Parker had his 2 week doctor's appointment and circumcision on Monday. Poor little guy!



On Monday we headed to the pediatrician's office. The doctor said that he is doing great! Usually at the 2 week check they like to see newborns get back to their birth weight. When Parker was born he weighed 7 lbs. 12 oz. On Monday, he weighed a whopping 8 lbs. 8 oz. He was also an inch longer. He is growing so fast! He did such a great job at the appointment and afterwards. We are so blessed with such an amazing little guy. The picture below shows him in his carrier after the appointment. You can see what a trooper he really is! He looked so cute in his little cow zippy! Thanks Nonni and Poppa Kev-O.

Happy Halloween!!!

Today was a big day for Parker and Mommy. I am actually allowed to drive again, so...we decided to venture out of the apartment and visit Daddy at work! I got Parker dressed in his Halloween outfit, and out the door we went. Of course Parker slept through the whole thing. This was fine because it meant that he wasn't screaming in public! He looked so cute in his little outfit and he has just been a dream today!!! He slept in a 5 hour, then a 4 hour chunk last night. It was great. He didn't even really cry in the middle of the night. Travis didn't even wake up and put the pillow over his head last night!!!

I hope everyone has a wonderful Halloween. I can't wait until Parker is big enough to go Trick-OR-Treating!!!

Parker James Loves His Daddy!

There are those little moments in life that really do take your breath away! I love to watch Trav and Parker together. Parker is just awe-struck by Daddy. He loves to just stare at him. I just think this picture is so precious and it warms my heart! I can't believe that he is almost 2 weeks old already.

I just had my 2 week check-up at the doctor today. All is going well, and the nurse was shocked at how awesome my incision looked already. Dr. Barrong did a great job! She said that the steri-strips can come off now, and I can drive again...only I still can't lift anything heavier than Parker for 4 more weeks. Ugh! That means that even though I can drive...I can't put Parker into his car seat and carry him to the car. I would have to:

1. Put the car seat in the car.
2. Take the baby out to the car.
3. Put the baby in the car seat while it is in the car (for those of you with kiddos...you know that this is a daunting task!)
4. Drive to where I want to go.
5. Take the baby out of the seat.
6. Hold baby while I do whatever it is I need to do.

Does that sound like a good plan to you??? It doesn't to me!!! Well, enough about that. At this point in time I can't wait until I feel like I can multi-task again. Even something as simple as making dinner while taking care of Parker (even while he is sleeping) exhausts me just to think about it! I am sure that in the next several weeks, while Parker gets onto his sleeping & eating schedule, I will get more accustomed to getting things done again!!!

A Couple Firsts For Baby Parker

It is now Saturday night. My hormones have been in full force for the last several days! Lots of tears...over absolutely nothing!!! I tried to watch a movie with Mom and Travis the other night and started crying immediately. I was then sent to bed by my mother and husband straight away. My mom is leaving tonight, and I am not quite sure what to do without her here. I am very nervous as of right now. Especially because Travis has gone back to work, so now I will truly be at it on my own. I am sure that I will be calling her a bunch!


Yesterday Mom and I took Parker for his first walk around Cheney. It was nice to get out of the apartment for a while and just get some fresh air. I have discovered that I love our stroller (thanks Grandma Jammi & Grandpa Lee)! It was a great walk. I took that same walk over and over while I was pregnant. It was nice to get to do it with the baby on the outside this time! (Even though he slept through most of it.)Another first for Parker was his first bath this morning! He can't be submerged yet because his umbilical cord has not fallen off yet. We got to give him a sponge-bath though. He was not entirely thrilled...but fell asleep shortly after! After his bath, we were able to see just how wavy his long hair is. I attribute this to Grandma Jammi!

Another first was Parker's amazing ability to sleep through half a day! We tried just about everything to wake him up. He took a really cruddy nap earlier today, and was fussy until his next feeding. After that feeding, he slept and slept and slept. We were still able to get him to eat every 3 hours. But waking up was out of the question. We tried changing his diaper (something he usually hates unless his tummy is full), wiping him down with a wet washcloth, and just about anything else you could think of! Parker finally decided to wake up at about 7:30 p.m. I am sure Travis and I are in for quite a night!!! We'll see how we do. It has been a while since we were up all night for any reason! Pray for us that we get our little man back to knowing day is day and night is night!!!

In any case...we have loved having Nonni Donna here with us and we will ALL miss her very much!!! Thanks for everything Non! We love you bunches.

Parker James is 5 Days Old!

I can't believe that we have already had Parker with us for 5 days. Over the last couple days there have been lots of bottles, lots of diapers, lots of tears, lots of love, and lots of sleeping (Parker, not us)! Things are going just the way you would expect them to with a newborn in the family. It has been such a blessing for Travis and I to have such supportive families. We are thrilled that my sister was able to stay for a couple days to help out, and my mom has been able to stay the whole week. I am not sure what we would do without her here.

Parker is such a wonderful sleeper! I almost felt at first that he was sleeping too much. He loves to sleep with his hands up over his head...but his favorite is napping and snuggling with Mommy. Daddy is adjusting to having baby home too! Parker loves to just stare at Travis. I am surely out-numbered now! What will I do when my mom goes back home??? We had our first visit to the pediatrician yesterday. Parker's weight is good (7 lbs. 5 oz. now). He is still 21 in. long. The doctor said that his cord is drying very well and his color is great. He was actually surprised how wonderful he looked after just 4 days!

Well, enough writing...I'm sure everyone just wants to see the pictures anyway!