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!

Happy 6 Months Baby Boy

I cannot believe that 6 months have already gone by! It is amazing how quickly time flies. Parker seems so much older every single day and I cannot believe that I have been so blessed. He looks so much like Travis, it is fun to look at him and see so much of his daddy smiling back at me. Although he has been a little fussy lately, a mild fever all day yesterday, and doing weird things at night (waking up at random times to talk to himself or crying a little while still asleep) he is so much fun.

Some of the highlights about what Parker James is up to now :

• he is rolling all over the living room now...mostly trying to catch Deacon
• his new favorite noise is a very high-pitched & girly scream...he does it if he is mad or happy...pretty funny actually
• parks has 1 tooth and another already through the skin right next to it
  
• now it is hard to eat in front of him, even if he has already eaten because he is constantly reaching for our food
• he loves sweet potato, peach, and banana puffs (Gerber snacks that are crunchy but melt in your mouth)
• at lunch today he tried some pieces of tortilla (loved it) and some little bits of ice (also loved it)
• does not like green beans (but still won't spit them out...come on now...it's food after all!!!)
• loves playing fetch with Deacon outside
• finally figured out the jumperoo...but he more stands on his tip-toes then drops, it is funny
• is obsessed with Daddy

Here are what you are really wanting...THE PICTURES:


still lovin' his exersaucer...you can even see his little tooth!

his big blue eyes are my favorite thing

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Here is a little progression of how our "awake times" go:

step 1: parker rolls all the way across the living room to get over to Deacon


step 2: deacon still tolerating parker's presence because he hasn't reached him yet

step 3: parker finally gets to touch deacon

step 4: deacon acts like a grumpy old man and gets up a walks away...leaving a sad baby that worked so hard just to get to him a be his buddy


Just a couple pictures from today--notice the constant line of drool spilling out of his mouth...yummy!