mommy gets a girl's weekend

{ashley--me--jessica}

This past weekend I was lucky enough to get a weekend away. This was my first time leaving Parker overnight and boy was it tough...but I had such a blast. I was able to head to Seattle for a briday shower with my best friend Ashley and our friend Jessica. Nothing like 3 married ladies getting a night out on the town. Even the car ride was a blast! So thanks ladies for a wonderful weekend. I really enjoyed myself.

The weekend even started off with a laugh. Jessica and I headed to Yakima from the Tri-Cities to meet up with Ashley. Ashley had said that she would drive to Seattle from there. Not even a couple minutes into the drive we start hearing this whistling noise...not just a quiet one, a pretty loud one. Jessica and I both looked at Ashley and she explained to us that it had been doing it for a while and her husband Luke said it is something with the antenna. Ashley...the McGiver that she is (hahaha)...decides some gum might help to cover up the problem. We spent the weekend trying to remember to take it off before we got back home! If only it would have solved the problem!!!

{jess--me--matt}
On Saturday we went to our friend Demisa's bridal shower in Monroe, did some marathon shopping, then headed into Seattle to have a drink with our friend Matt. It was such a blast. We even ended up staying until "last call" and didn't get back to our hotel until about 4 a.m. I don't think I have stayed up that late since my early college/Gamma Phi Beta days!!! Needless to say, it was such a fun weekend. By Sunday I was so ready to get back to my little guy. Parker stayed at my parent's house and had a blast with Nonni, Papa Kev-O, and his cousins.

Here are some pictures of Parker from the weekend. He is just so cute...I don't think I could have done a blog post without some pictures of my little man.

{my mom, sister, nephews, parker and i went shopping...this pic with his belly hangin' out cracks me up}

{parks and drays...they were so cute together}

{parker figured how to move around my parent's house in the walker...and how to open up doors he isn't supposed to...already into stuff}

{i couldn't resist this picture...he had just gotten a bath and was lovin' hanging out in his birthday suit...i really don't know where he gets the bubble-butt from...hmmm!}

Today we went to Men's Warehouse so that Travis could look at some suits for job interviews. Parker was such a riot and had a blast just sitting on the floor by a huge mirror and watching his daddy try on suit jackets. Here he is sitting so nicely in a chair...he was such a ham for the camera.

{notice my lip gloss in his little hand...he was playing with it and chewing on it for so long...it really makes the expensive clinique lip gloss worth it!}

we're free!!!

I feel like I really should start every post with a picture...just to start things off right! So it is something new I am going to try to remember to do.

Parker has a new love of fresh bananas! He gets so excited when I bring it over to him.

Last week was a fun week. Parker and Mommy actually broke free from the apartment a few times!!!

On Friday, Parker and I went to lunch with my friend Krystal. Parker was totally in love with Krystal and pretty much gazed at her the whole time. We went to Subway and Parker thought the empty chip bag was the best new toy. He also enjoyed dropping it on the floor for one of us to pick up...such a fun game!

After lunch Parker and I headed to Pediatric Associates of Spokane for Parker's 6-month check. I am really going to miss their entire office when we move. All the doctors and nurses are so nice and wonderful with Parker. His check went great and he was such a trooper with his shots too! The doc. didn't have any new advice about the sleeping other than what we have already tried...it all comes back to teething and there isn't really much we can do besides try to make Parks as comfortable as possible. He was such a riot on the table with the paper that they drape across...I wish I could have taken some pictures but Trav had to work and I had to stay right next to the table at all times because he was rolling everywhere! He quickly moved from one side to the other, then figured out that the paper was super-fun to rip and wrap around himself! The nurse was cracking up. The second she put her clipboard down he went for that too. (My sister warned me about that...I guess Drays does the same exact thing!) So, all-in-all a wonderful check.

Here are his new stats:

• Height: 28 3/4 in. (100th percentile...our tall kiddo is off the chart now)
  
• Weight: 18 lbs. 6.5 oz. (65th percentile...not as much of a chunker as we thought)

Yesterday I had to get some laundry done while Trav was at work. When I put it in Parks was asleep, which makes it so much easier. But when it was ready to come out of the dryer...he was up. I lugged him down to the laundry room with me and while I was trying to get clothes out decided that the middle hamper was an excellent spot for him to hang out while I finished getting clothes out. He was so content to just sit in there and watch Mommy get the rest of the clothes. It was pretty funny. I rolled the cart back to the apartment...baby and all!


After I folded all the clothes and was putting them away, I layed Parks down on the bed to "help-out" he quickly pulled my pile of tank-tops over and threw them around...next he found a hanger!

Before one of his naps yesterday he was watching his "rainforest" and I think he was trying to cuddle with it or something...it was hilarious! (You can really see his adorable little birthmark on his back in this video...right above his left booty-cheek!)

Ahhh...I love nice weather!

These last couple days have been such a blast. Aside from Parker still waking up at random times during the night to play...things are going wonderfully! Parker has a doctor appointment this coming Friday. It is his 6 month check...so new stats will be on the way this week. I can't wait to see how much he has grown in terms of weight and height in the last couple months. Growing is one thing we never worry about with our little "chunker" as we like to call him. Anyone who holds him always comes to the same conclusion..."he is thick!" It has been great to have the warm weather and to be able to play outside. We have also been blessed with some extra "daddy time" in the last couple days. I feel like we have gotten much more time with Travis and it has been great.

Travis and Parker were playing on the couch. It was so funny and I love how you don't even have to see Parker's mouth to know that he has a huge grin on his face. His eyes are smiling so brightly and you can tell how much he loves his daddy! It melts my heart!


The other morning Parker and I were playing in the living room. Actually, Parker was playing and I brought my mirror out into the living room to do my make-up. Parks has been going through a little bit of separation anxiety or something lately...the "only Mommy will do" and "don't leave my sight" stage has kicked in a little bit. (He does surprisingly well with "strangers" though.) Any-who...he was playing on the couch next to me and "found himself" in the mirror. He was being so funny. He even decided to lay his head down next to "the baby in the mirror."



The video below is hilarious. Parker was so funny looking at himself in the mirror. I don't think he quite knows that it is him yet...6 months is around when they start to figure it out. I constantly catch myself laughing out loud at all of the hilarious things he does.

That night, he found a cord from Trav's X-BOX controller on the floor. It was still connected and the controller was sitting on the chair. Parker spotted it from across the room and apparently HAD TO HAVE IT! He rolled himself over there to get it. When I rolled the controller cord up and slid it under the X-BOX he rolled his way over there to play with it too. It was too funny! He is into everything now and has totally figured out how to get what he wants. He has even started trying to get up on his knees. Hopefully he won't start crawling too soon! I would like him to wait to start crawling until we are out of this apartment...but our son is on his own agenda and if he really wants to crawl I'm sure he will!


The sun has been wonderful and the weather has been so warm. We took full advantage and even took Parker's Jumperoo outside. He enjoyed the grass under his bare feet and some playtime with Deacon. He thinks playing fetch with Deacon is so funny. He had so much fun playing outside. I'm sure it was a nice change from being inside the apartment.






We have been slowly introducing Parker to more "table-type foods" lately. He has tried fresh bananas, fresh apples, and today he tried a biter biscuit for the first time. It is a kind of a cracker/cookie type thing. He was actually able to hold it by himself and chew/suck on it. He is getting to be such a big boy! He got it all over his face, hands, and dropped it in his lap too.




Today Parker spent most of the day in just a onesie. That's what happens when Daddy changes a diaper...somehow the pants don't make it back on. It kind of reminds me of Papa Kev-O!!! I had put him down for a nap and when I went in to check to make sure he was asleep (Parker likes to play in his crib for long periods of time before falling asleep...there aren't even any toys in it!) and this is what I saw. His little bum sticking up in the air and him practically sucking his thumb! I had to take a picture!


I hope you haven't all had a picture overload...but I don't know who could overload when looking at such a handsome boy! I may have a slight bias...but what Mommy doesn't. My sister found an adorable and oh-so-true quote that says something like:
There is only one perfect child in the world--and every mother has it.

Happy Birthday to "The Great Nan"

Today is Nan's birthday! Nan is Travis' mom's mom...does that makes sense? (Maternal Grandma) Nan is such an amazing woman and always a blast to be around. We miss her so much. She and Papa live in Yuma, Arizona. Our trip last February to visit them was one of the best trips we have ever taken. We had such a good time playing cards, dancing in Mexico, and checking out Yuma Territorial Prison. Basically we just love spending time with her! It seems like it has been forever since we last saw them...6 months to be exact. We were lucky enough to have her with us for Parker's birth. I can't wait for her to see him again. I'm sure that he will love his "Great Nan" as much as we do! Nan decided that she did not want to be called Great-Grandma, and would prefer to be called "The Great Nan!" So funny! So we appease her because she is so great and totally deserving of the title!

We hope she is having a wonderful birthday: full of sun, warm weather, yummy margaritas (make sure you don't tell them it's your birthday...you don't want another "special birthday drink"), and tons of love from all of us here in Washington! We miss you and we love you Nan!

• OUR WEDDING...SEPTEMBER 8, 2007

nan, papa, trav, lee, jammi--before wedding rehearsal

the duncan side--after the wedding ceremony (i'm so blessed to be a part of this family)

• SOME PICTURES FROM OUR TRIP TO YUMA...FEBRUARY 2008:

lee, jammi, nan, papa--nan & papa's place in yuma

nan, trav, & i in mexico (just a couple days before finding out i was pregnant)

jammi & nan in mexico--enjoying the warm weather and sunshine

nan doing what she does best--dancin' & havin' a good time! (there is a video that goes along with this...but because i love nan so much, i won't post it!)

we love this woman so much and can't wait for summer to get here!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY GREAT NAN!