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!

More Pics of the Little Man

Here are some more pictures of Parker.
Everyone is still doing great and we are going home tonight after dinner.
He already seems to be a very content and happy baby as well as being a super cutie!

Look at your pretty eyes

So sweet and sleepy

Check out all this hair

Caleb has this baby holding thing down!

Yelling at my cousin Drayson

Just hanging out at the hospital

Check out Parker's hospital pics by clicking HERE!

Introducing Parker James Guion

Parker James arrived via C-section at 9:14pm on Saturday, October 18th. He weighs 7lbs 12oz and is 21in. long. Baby, Mommy and Daddy are doing awesome! Here are some of the first pics.

The End Is In Sight

Well...we saw our Doctor on Tuesday. There wasn't any real change from the last appointment. I am still at about 3-4 cm. dilated, 80% effaced. This is pretty much what we expected. I think it is a "McCue family tradition" to get to about 3 cm. and just stop! Baby Parker is just perfectly content to stay inside and hang out until he gets absolutely huge! We have a scheduled induction date for Saturday the 18th at 7:30 in the morning. We are so excited and relieved to have a plan now. Now Travis can get some homework done early before Parker gets here and we can really get everything ready and in order. We cannot wait to be parents, it seems like these last several weeks have just taken forever! It has been extremely frustrating to make it to my due date...well...past my due date when everyone I knew who was pregnant and had a due date after mine was delivering early. Travis and I felt like we were trying everything to get Parker to work his way out. I forced myself to go on these huge, long walks hoping that he would move on down...but no! I was starting to feel like I was doing so much and other people were just spontaneously going into labor. My sister told me that I was really becoming a "Bitter Betty." (I really felt like I had reached my emotional/hormonal breaking point.) She totally understands where I am coming from though--having just had a baby 4 months ago! I can't tell you how wonderful it is to have a sister going through the same thing at about the same time. What a wonderful blessing! We had always wanted to have children at the same time, we just didn't really think it would work out...at least not yet! God really does work in mysterious ways. Hopefully the next update will include pictures of our son, we can't wait to see him!

Tick...Tick...Tick..._ _ _ _! (No BOOM Yet)

Well...I continue to be a "ticking time-bomb" according to Travis! We had another appointment today. Our CNM Sara had good news for us this time! Our Dr. is still out of town on his hunting trip, but she will be around and could deliver for us if he is not back when Parker is finally ready to come out of the "hot tub" that is my belly. She is still amazed at the size of my water pocket. So if my water breaks I am in for a big/unpleasant surprise! I am now 3 cm. dilated, 75% effaced, and Parker is sitting at a wonderful -2 station. Basically, he is locked and loaded and pretty much ready to go. Sara also told us that my water is "bulging," apparently this means that it is about to break. She scraped the membranes anyway to try to help things along. You've gotta' love a sympathetic woman who really knows what you are going through! We will keep everyone posted about Parker's arrival...whenever that may be!

I AM TRULY BLESSED!

There are those times when you are feeling pretty down when you really realize how blessed and lucky you really are!

For those of you who I talk to on a regular basis--you know that I have been getting more and more skeptical about Parker's arrival date as time goes on. At the beginning, I was thinking that he would make his appearance early (sometime at the very end of September or beginning of October). The more uncomfortable I get, the more I think that he is going to show his face a week or so after his due date!!! Ugh!!! On top of all of that--I just found out that my DR. is on a hunting trip until October 13th...ummm...I'm pretty sure my due date is the 14th, but okay! Poor Travis has had to bare the brunt of my whining and moping and for this I feel so terrible.

Even with all of my whining, my amazing husband made my 24th birthday (which I was actually not looking forward to at all) so wonderful. He took me to get my hair cut...I have been wanting it done for months now! After sitting there patiently and waiting for me to get done (for anyone who knows Trav...this was a miracle!!!) he took me out to dinner at my favorite place--Tomato Street. Not only did he take me to dinner, but he surprised me by making sure that our friends Gabe & Krystal were there to share my special day with me. On top of a wonderful husband and a wonderful surprise of friends at dinner, my best friend Ashley sent me flowers...I can't remember the last time a delivery person showed up at the door with flowers...and not baby furniture!

Last, but certainly not least, my family knows the best ways to cheer me up! My sister Sara, who is totally blog obsessed, gave me a little birthday tribute on her blog with pictures that really brought back memories. My parents, sister, and nephews are coming up tomorrow to take me to dinner, too! I can't wait!

My birthday was so amazing and I don't remember having the "Ugh...I'm still pregnant" feeling all day! That is a blessing in itself. I thank the Lord everyday for the blessings in my life and all the people around me that make it truly worth living. Thanks to all--for everything!