Four years old!

It’s terrible that Parker turned four nearly three months ago and I have yet to blog about it.  Talk about falling off the wagon!  But I’m going to do it right now and eventually back date it so it will look like I was far more on the ball.  Perhaps I’ll even add pictures to it!  But for now, I’ll have to stick with words…

How do I start talking about Parker at age four?  The first thing that comes to mind is something I’ve long said about him: he is fiercely independent!  Thomas is two years older but still perfectly content for us to do everything for him.  I think he’d be happy if we fed him all his meals.  But not Parker.  He wants to do everything by himself at all times and will sometimes pitch a royal fit to do so.  He wants to pick out his clothes, dress himself, peel his own clementines, turn things off/on – whatever it is, he wants to do it!

He had a great year in school.  I’m not sure he learned a great deal, but it wasn’t because of his own aptitude.  That’s another issue for another post for another blog (ha ha), but whenever he had the opportunity to learn something new, he did and he did it very well.  He got along well with the other kids in his class and was always kind and sensitive to the needs of his friends (or so I am told). 

He can write his name and he knows all of his letters/numbers (he can trace all letters, but can only independently write the ones in his name).  It’s funny to compare your children, not in a judgmental way, but more just to see how children truly develop so differently.  Thomas was extremely verbal at Parker’s age (and Parker is too, but not as much as Thomas).  Thomas had perfect enunciation and had a strong vocabulary.  Parker has to work harder with his actual speech (though it has improved so much since his tonsils were removed last August), but his fine motor skills are far more advanced than Thomas’ were at that age.  At the end of the 3s, Thomas knew all of his letter sounds very, very well, but could only write the “T” of his name.  Parker knows all of his letter sounds (on a good day – and this is partly due to the fact that Parker had a different 3s teacher), but can write each letter of his name and has been able to do that since the beginning of the school year. 

In other areas, Parker is also different from his big brother.  He loves to eat.  Most of the time I think it’s more an issue of boredom, but he frequently says, “I’m hungry” and I feel like during the summer I am giving him a snack at least once every 30 minutes.   He would live off fruits and vegetables if I let him.  With each meal, he usually eats his fruit (or veggie) first and we often have to ask him a few times before he will eat enough of his meat to be excused.  He has gotten better, but for awhile I thought he was going to be a vegetarian.   Still though, if I put a bunch of food on a table, say chicken nuggets, pizza, hamburgers, hot dogs, rice, broccoli, green beans, oranges, grapes and applesauce – he would make a b-line for the fruits and eat all of those without even considering anything else first.  I have to be careful because he will sneak and start eating grapes in the fridge and he will eat until he is nearly sick!

He loves being outside, though he loves it best if he’s outside with his big brother.  They have a great time riding their scooters and bicycles.  Parker has mastered riding without training wheels (we took those off quite awhile ago).  They still drive their same Power Wheels jeep that they have had since Thomas was 2 1/2.  We had to replace two wheels this year, but it keeps on going!

They don’t watch a ton of television, and somehow this summer I’ve managed to stick to our minimal tv rules (about an hour a day).  Their favorite shows to watch are Word Girl and Wild Kratts – two wonderful ETV programs (one teaches vocabulary and the other teaches about animals). 

Parker is obsessed with Batman.  He has a short-sleeved and long-sleeved Batman shirt and Batman pajamas and if it was up to him, that’s what he’d wear every single day of his life – all Batman.  He enjoys playing with Batman vehicles (Imaginext toys) and Batman legos.  And he and his brother still love to dress up and of course we have multiple Batman costumes in our dress-up bin!

We made him stop sucking his thumb after his 4th birthday and that has gone relatively well, but as a result, he no longer takes a nap and he doesn’t go straight to sleep at night as easily.  We also have not been able to allow him to share a room with his brother because he does have a harder time going to sleep and he wakes up pretty early.  Most days he is up by 6:30.  This is quite a change from his thumb-sucking days when he would go to sleep in about two minutes whenever it was bedtime and he would easily sleep until 7:30 or 8:00.  Oh well, at least his teeth have already straightened (in the front) significantly.  Some days I must admit I am ready to give him back his thumb!

Parker’s favorite person in the world has to be his big brother.  They fight sometimes, but most of the time they love each other dearly and play with each other quite well.  One of the many downsides to Parker’s early wake times is that he often has to wait up to two hours for Thomas to wake up (at least now during the summer).  He is not accustomed to entertaining himself and has a hard time waiting for his brother to wake up and play with him.  I love watching their relationship and I am so thankful they have each other. 

If I was asked what people say the most about Parker, I would have to say that they comment constantly on his size and his hair.  His curls get a lot of attention (especially from elderly ladies in the grocery store) and just about everyone who has a small child comments on how big he is.  Most do not believe me when I tell them he is four.  At his 4-year WCV, he measured (I think):

44.5 inches tall (literally off the charts)

46 pounds (98th percentile)

His head circumference remained in the 90-something percentile as well.  I frequently get asked if the boys are twins (not that they look all that similar, but I guess because Thomas is only a few inches taller than Parker).   Just for fun, Thomas at Parker’s age was 40.75 inches tall and 38 pounds.   Parker’s shoe size (12.5) is only a half size (or a size, can’t remember) smaller than Thomas’ and he can wear his brother’s clothes; though he generally wears a size smaller. 

My favorite thing about Parker is his loving nature.  He wants to make you happy and if he thinks for a second that he upset, scared, hurt or bothered you, it really bothers him.  He used to just completely break down.  He also loves on our dog so sweetly.  I love to see him go to her in a quiet moment and talk to her or sneak her a treat. 

I cannot believe our baby is four; these years have passed far too quickly.  For all the mornings I wished he’d sleep a little longer, I’m so thankful he is waking up in our house as part of our family.  He is a little love and I love him dearly.  I only hope these next four years don’t pass us by quite so quickly!

Two and a half years old!

I've been terrible about updates on Parker for the last six months. I could blame it on a million things, but it doesn't really matter and I hate that it is the case. I will not, however, let his 2 1/2 year old update pass me by!


Two and a half years?!? Where did the time go? I'm not even sure where to begin!

Parker is such an independent spirit. He loves hard and he plays hard and he loves to get in trouble! He thinks he is quite hilarious, especially when doing something he shouldn't do!

I think one of the first things he said was "by myself" and "do it self" and he still likes to do things without any assistance. He doesn't like that we force him to hold our hands in the parking lot and he is almost always telling us not to help him because he wants to do it all by himself.

His vocabulary and speech are very good. He talks quite a lot. His greatest problem with his speech is something that makes him sound completely adorable. He usually cannot pronounce two consonants together at the beginning of a word. So, for example, he'll say things like this, "I am going to sit here and look at this book, that is what I am going to do, I 'tink.'" He frequently uses the phrase, "I think" (or "I tink") at the end of a sentence. It cracks me up. And as I mentioned in the Halloween post, to him, things on Halloween were a bit "pooky" and "cary."

It's so interesting to see how differently your children can develop. Parker loves to sing songs, at home and in group settings (Thomas really did not (and still does not...he's too shy!)). Parker has been speaking very well for quite a long time. Thomas didn't develop the speech that Parker has for a bit longer, but he knew all of his numbers and letters before he was even two. Parker still hasn't quite mastered this. Parker's fine motor skills are very good. Thomas' were not quite as advanced, and I realize that even more when I watch Parker manipulate something so carefully and perfectly with his little fingers. I feel that both of them were and are completely within the range of where they should be, but it's so fascinating to see how differently they can both develop on this spectrum!

Parker is a mess. He is absolute trouble. I love him and he makes me laugh...but he is a handful! It's good that he is so cute! :-)




WHen I ask him to smile, he gives me this overly forced "cheese" face. It's a bit "pooky." ;-)








He is definitely still a thumb sucker...and as strong willed as he is, he probably will be until he's 16 (or however old he is when he decides he is too old for it!).


Now I'm remembering why I stopped taking these photos. He makes it all just a bit too hard! He's a stinker!


He is a mess, but I love him so. I love his joy. Sometimes in the middle of the night, I hear him sing a little tune. He sometimes talks in his sleep. He wakes up entirely too early, but usually he's happy and just keeps calling for me until I come get him. Sometimes we bring him into our bed (if the sun has yet to rise) and he is such a little cuddlebug. Thomas has never been much for this, but Parker likes to curl up and get as close to you as he can get.

As for eating, there's always room for improvement. He is not a big fan of meats or mealtime in general. He'd be perfectly happy to drink milk and eat fruit all day long. But he usually will eat a little bit of everything. Of course, what he likes today, he might hate tomorrow...but such is life with children!

He still naps for about 1.5 to two hours a day, sometimes more. It's funny, with Thomas we couldn't let him take a toy to bed or in his crib for naptime because he would play and play forever. Parker can take a toy, play with it for a few minutes and then go to sleep. As for sleeping in his crib, he would love to sleep in a bed, but in our current house, we're going to try to keep him in the crib for a bit longer (he is upstairs and the rest of us are downstairs). It seems to work for the most part (unless a storm comes...he hates, hates hates thunder). During a recent thunderstorm, we let him sleep in Thomas' room. We tried to put him in his pack n'play but ended up letting him try things out in Thomas' bed. It didn't work all that great (and he ended up being in there the next night), but we do hope they might be able to share a room together at some point.

He is a big, big boy. He is almost as tall (if not taller) than some of Thomas' friends, and he weighs just a few pounds less than Thomas. Everytime I take him somewhere that kids 2 and under get in free, I keep waiting for someone to question me, but it hasn't happened yet! He is one of the youngest children in his class at school, but he is far from being the smallest!

Speaking of school, he goes two mornings a week and seems to love it. He sometimes still cries at drop off, but his teacher says he calms down almost immediately after I leave and has a grand time while he is there. He almost always gets in the car singing a song and tells me he had "so much fun" at school.

Parker loves books and toys of all types (all toys with wheels), though he frequently is the one to bypass the toys and try to get into something else! Most of all, he loves to love. He tells me several times a day, "I love you SO MUCH, Mommy" and it just melts my heart. He will say that and then reach up and give me the sweetest little hug and kiss. He is such a sweetheart.



I feel so blessed to have two such sweet and loving boys. I don't know what I'd do without them, and I only wish time would slow down so I could enjoy these moments just a little bit more!

Two years old

We have officially entered the terrible twos again. These two years have flown right by, and now we have one big two-year old on our hands!



(That was the only non-closeup I could get!)

He has changed so much since one year ago...but before I get there, it's hard to think how much he has even changed in six months since he was 18 months old:


And then to go back six months before that...at one year old:


And six months before that at 6 months old...


And three months prior to that at 3 months:


And that dark-haired newborn who slept all day long can no longer be described in either of those ways...


Seriously! Who was that kid, anyway? :)

At two years old, Parker is a fireball...a little bundle of energy who loves to laugh and get into trouble (in a fun, mischevious way).


He is chatty and I think he "talks" very well for a child his age. His sentences aren't all that "proper," but he manages to string 3-4 words together to clearlly convey his messages. He says things like, "Downstairs. Do it, self" and that means he wants to walk downstairs without holding my hand. If I say something he doesn't want me to say (like to discipline him) he will say, "No say that!" or "No do that!" And he understands things that surprise me all the time. Earlier this evening I was kneeling down in front of him and he started pushing on me saying "Over!" (meaning he wanted to push me over). I told him "no" that I was on the hard floor and "Mommy might get hurt." He looked at me and said, "Hospital." I thought it was funny and it surprised me that he even knew that!



I love him dearly, but the boy is a mess. He is T-R-O-U-B-L-E!


All of these laughing pictures are because I was begging him to sit still for just one second, but he kept trying to get away from me and I had to hold him down a bit (which made him laugh). Monthly photo shoots are very tiring because I spend the whole time chasing him down and plopping him back in the chair to get one picture before he jumps out again! He thinks he is quite hilarious. I disagree.

Then he finally gets tired and sits there and sucks his thumb for awhile. Yes, he still sucks his thumb quite religiously and he twirls his curls at the same time. His hair is certainly his security blanket, and though he has had three (or four) haircuts at this point, we don't cut off too much for fear he wouldn't sleep for weeks!

Speaking of sleep, he is not quite the super sleeper he once was, but he doesn't give us too much trouble. He goes to bed usually around 7:30-7:45 and he usually is up by 7ish (if not before). He naps for about two hours a day. He would nap longer, but I usually wake him up around 4 and that helps him go to bed more easily at night.

We haven't had his official 2-year WBV yet since we are in the midst of a health insurance change, but I did take him for a checkup the week before his birthday and he weighed 33 pounds, 4 ounces. I measured his height the other day and I think he's 36 1/2 inches tall. Both measurements put him well into the 90th percentiles for height and weight. (Just for fun, Thomas was 28 pounds and 36 inches (with shoes on) at age two.) The boy is SOLID. You'd think he's not a picky eater...but you'd be wrong! He really doesn't eat much meat at all and he really just picks at mealtimes. He does, however, drink lots of milk (probably time to switch from whole milk!) and he'd be happy as a peach if we let him eat fruit all day long. He loves strawberries, grapes, applesauce, blueberries and most fruit...though he seems to be cooling off on his love of bananas.

He can sing his ABCs pretty well, but we still can't seem to get him to learn to recognize all of his letters. I don't think we work with him as much as we did with Thomas, but then again, it just doesn't seem to come as naturally to him either. Then again, at his age, Thomas couldn't say his ABCs and Parker has known them for awhile. He can count to about 13 (though he frequently skips "6" for some reason).

Before I go any further, I should clarify that even though Parker loves to make mischief, he is also very loving and sweet. And when he realizes he has truly made you angry he gets so upset. He still frequently loves to be held and at times he is so sweet...he will lay his head on my chest while he sucks his thumb. It's sweet. Or he will let me hold him (ask me to hold him, rather) while he sucks his thumb and twirls MY hair! He loves to do that.



He loves to read books, though he prefers the ones that are shorter and sweeter (not like his brother's longer, more complicated books!). He has memorized many of his favorite books and will sometimes finish my sentences when I read.

He also loves his brother and wants to be around him and near him (and drive him crazy!). It's really fun watching their relationship grow and develop. Sure, sometimes they fight and bicker, but they also often really get along quite well. What really makes me smile is when Thomas sometimes translates things for me. Sometimes I can't understand what Parker is saying and Thomas remarkably gets it quite clearly and is able to help me out. He and his brother really do understand each other quite well.



He's heavy as lead and he loves to make trouble, but he is a sweet little fella and we love him so. Our family would be incomplete without him. I hope these next few years will slow down a little bit. I want to enjoy these final years of the preschool time! I'm so proud of him for all that he is at this point in his life and I look forward to watching him grow in the years to come! I just wish he'd slow down a little bit! :)

23 months old!

Parker is now 23 months old!  (And of course he has been for nearly two weeks, but whatever!)


I've decided after next month, I'm not going to try every month (or even every other month) to take pictures in this chair with the bear and bunny.  Why?  Because the boy will not sit still and it is quite apparently his mission in life to make taking a good photo of him as difficult as possible and frankly, I don't need the stress!  I love him dearly, but I don't enjoy fighting with him to take these pictures (all the while he is laughing his little head off, by the way).  But anyway, back to the update!

Our little mischief maker is nearly two.  I cannot believe it!


Before I write an update each month, I go back and first read what I wrote about Thomas at the same age.  It helps remind me what to include and it's also interesting to compare.  Thomas at this age could recognize almost all letters of the alphabet and was "starting" to say his ABCs.  Parker has been saying his ABCs for quite some time, but cannot seem to gain much interest in actually learning the letters.  Everything is usually "M" to him.  On the other hand, I feel he is much further along, verbally, than Thomas was at this age.  It's so interesting to see how children truly develop at their own pace. 

Parker talks quite a lot and he says, many, many words.  He is starting to form sentences more and more (usually 2-3 words at a time).  Many nights lately it takes him awhile to fall asleep and I so enjoy listening to him chatter in his bed.  Tonight part of it went something like this: "Daddy work.  Parker Charleston.  Mommy here.  Thomas here."  *SNEEZE*  "Bless you." *giggle* "Go walking. Thomas bicycle.  Hi Mommy.  Hi Thomas.  Hi Park-Park. Hi Jack.  Hi Griffin. Hi Carly.  Go see 'em."  (Jack, Carly & Griffin are our neighbors)  Needless to say, he cracks me up. 

Parker loves to look at books and he loves for us to read to him.  However, the books can't be too long or involved or he will lose interest very quickly!  His favorites are Jamberry, any of his Gossie books, Elmo books and other books about cars, trucks or buses.  He frequently will finish my sentences as I am reading a familiar book, or he'll say something about something on the page I'm about to open before I turn it.  For example, yesterday before I turned one page he said, "Coffee," and I had no idea what he meant until I turned the page and he pointed out a woman holding a coffee cup. 

Parker is still very independent.  He frequently tells us "Self!" when he wants to do something on his own.  He doesn't really like to be made to do anything and he will pitch a total fit when we do.  He can be extremely defiant and strongwilled, but he usually is smiling as he does it.  He's a mess!

Two weeks ago, Thomas had a rough week and accidents seemed to find him everywhere.  This past week it has been Parker's turn.  He has scrapes all over his body and each one represents a different incident.  In this picture you can see where he busted his lip on the stairs, and later that day he had added a scrape between his eyes and another on his temple.  


Right now he also has a pretty nasty scrape from falling on the sidewalk on his knee.  And another on his arm.  Hopefully I can get both these boys healed for at least a little while!  

It's hard to contain him though.  The other morning I put him in his crib while I tried to get ready.  He attempted to crawl out (which Thomas has shown him to do before) and I caught him (thanks to the video monitor).  So I set up the pack n' play in his room and it took him about 10 minutes before he crawled out of that!

Speaking of the crib, sleeping has become a bit of a challenge.  For the first two months of his life, Parker slept ALL of the time.  Like 20 hours a day. And then at nine weeks he started sleeping through the night.  Not long after that we could put him down at 6:45 and not hear a peep from him for the next 12 hours, or more.  Then he battled a variety of ailments last month and ever since, there have been VERY few nights of uninterrupted sleep.  He cries out quite frequently.  Sometimes I ignore him and he quickly goes back to sleep.  Sometimes I go in his room and can see he is sleeping, but crying out, and I rub his hair and back and he quiets down and goes back to sleep.  Sometimes he stands up and starts asking for food (sometimes he'll say something like "LUNCH!" or "Cheese toast!").  And less frequently lately, he wants his wet diaper changed.  Some nights I am up 5-6 times a night (and he wakes me up at least that much..even when I don't go to him).  I really don't know what is going on.  My bright ideas have run the gamut from possible ear infection (ruled out), to nightmares, to growing pains.  I wish I could figure it out so we could all sleep a lttle easier!

He has definitely been growing.  I can't wait to get his measurements, but he seems SO MUCH bigger (though his foot is smaller than Thomas' at this age, I feel that Parker is taller and definitely heavier).  He wears size 5 diapers and mostly 2T (or larger) clothes.  Though for as much as he seems to be growing, his appetite is definitely hit and miss.  Some days he wants to eat and eat, other days I can hardly get him to eat much at all.  He always keeps us guessing!

Enough chatter, here are the rest of the best I could manage with our photo session.  I think they capture a good bit of his personality.

Here he is, thinking of trouble:


And here is trouble.  Also a good shot of why we need to get an SLR camera because nothing else is quick enough to get a non-blurry shot of this child. :)


And here he is, quite annoyed when I tried to force him to sit for a picture:


And now, calming down and letting me know that he is over this photo thing.

(He still sucks his right thumb while he twirls his hair with his left hand.  His hair is his security blanket.)



Speaking of his hair, he has actually had two or three haircuts. But we don't cut it too short!


For all the times his defiance drives me nuts, there are 100 times his sweetness warms my heart.  My mom and dad say that his behavior reminds them a lot of me as a child.  I guess what goes around, comes around, right?  :)

I cannot believe he is almost two!  
 

22 months!

In all the craziness of various illnesses around here, I've neglected to get Parker's monthly update together, even though I did take pictures (or attempt to do so) on the right day, March 2. On that date he was 22 months! Twenty-two months! I cannot believe my baby is nearly two! How did that happen?


He wanted nothing to do with the monthly photo session, and the best picture came later on in the day:


That picture is what I see of Parker most of the time (as long as he is well!). He is a happy guy and loves to do what he wants to do, when he wants to do it. He is extremely strongwilled and lets you know if he's not happy about something. He is a troublemaker, but only because he's trying to be funny. He loves to get into trouble just to ruffle my feathers and he thinks he is quite hilarious when he does this.

For the past month he has been waking at least once most nights and that's puzzling since he started sleeping through the night at nine weeks. Most of the time I can change his wet diaper and he'll go back to sleep, but I'd much prefer not to have a middle-of-the-night wakeup call. When he was sick (over the past two weeks), we were getting several such calls a night, so compared to that, one a night is not so bad. At least he is finally doing better...hallelujah! He just finished his last dose of antibiotic today though so I hope that doesn't mean now he'll catch the next thing that comes along! I guess I never came back to share, but after my last post of his pathetic picture, I took him back to the doctor and he was diagnosed with a touch of pneumonia (I'm not sure I agree...but whatever) and a double ear infection. He had six days of high fever and was completely pitiful. I'm so glad to see my happy little boy again.

On the whole he is a good sleeper. He goes down for a nap anytime from 1:15 to 2:15 and he sleeps until 4-5:00. He goes to bed for the night sometime around 7:15-7:30 (as soon as I can get him to bed!) and wakes around 7ish.

As I mentioned recently, he is a big boy. He lost nearly two pounds in his illness, but he still weighs in at a little more than 31 pounds. He's very tall and a lot of his longalls have recently become highwater pants. Oh well! He eats well, but not great. He can be pretty picky about things at times. He still refuses most vegetables, but he did happily eat a serving of lima beans the other night, so I'm glad I keep trying and offering him something every day and night regardless of whether he eats it. His favorite foods are cheese, grapes (and most fruit), spaghetti and meatballs, and goldfish.

His vocabulary and ability to put words and phrases together has really been improving lately. It started when he first started saying "Hey Mommy!" That seemed to be the first time he realized he could speak in more than one-word sentences. And when he first did that it was like a light went on and he was so proud of himself. Then he started saying "Hey Daddy." and "Hey Thomas." ...etc. He'll also say things like "Seat. Do it. Self." if he wants to try to get in his seat by himself. If he sees something he wants he might say, "'Golfish.' Want it." He loves for us to read him books and I think this love has done nothing but help his verbal abilities.

Speaking of his loves, I think he loves his brother (who he alternately calls "Poppy" and "Thomas") most of all. He stayed with my parents for a few of the days Thomas and I were gone to California recently. They had a photo of Thomas on their refrigerator and Mom told me that Parker kept going up to the picture saying, "Thomas. Hey buddy!" (which is what Thomas frequently says to Parker). Is that not the sweetest? And when he did finally see Thomas and me, he was happy to see me for a moment and then quickly asked about his brother..."Thomas?" He ran to him and gave him a great big hug.

One thing he does not love, however, is posing for pictures. It is nearly impossible to get a decent shot of him next to his bear in his chair, but I keep trying. But these are the type of shots I get. These, sadly, are the best of them!


Oh, the many faces of Parker... This is the "I'm not going to smile for you, lady" face:


"Seriously, lady, give up already."


I concede. :) Better luck next month.

When Mom kept him recently, she told me after a full day of Parker, "I see why you don't get much done around the house...he's a little spitfire." That he is. He is into everything and you have to watch him and play with him. Too bad for him, his brother is quite the tattletale...so at least I have him looking out and helping me a little bit.

Even though he keeps me on my toes, he also shares many hugs and kisses and lots of love. He is a sweet, loving boy who loves to make you smile. And he makes me smile so many times during the day. I just wish he'd slow down a little bit because I fear he's going to be 15 in the blink of an eye. :)

21 months old!

I'm only a day late this time! Parker is 21 months old and milking it for everything it is worth. :) He keeps me on my toes and on the run. He is always on the move. Photos are nearly impossible.


He seems to think he is quite funny though, as he is driving me batty. :)


He's lucky he is cute.


I must remind myself of that again. :-) (I kid, truly, I kid.)


In starting out his update, I looked back at him a year ago...


I thought I remembered him being so easy going and laid back then. I found it funny to read that I wrote this: "He loves to be cuddled and held, but is not quite motivated enough to crawl to things he wants. He would rather fuss at us and whine until he gets his way." Nowadays, he can be quite a cuddler and wants to be held when he wants to be held, but if he does not, you better hold on tightly. I have really been building my biceps, I know that much. :) And the part about fussing and whining until he gets his way? I'd say that's still pretty true too.

He is fiercely, fiercely independent. One of the funnier things he says is "Do dat!" -- which is what he says when he wants to try to do something himself.

Speaking of things he says, I wish I had captured this on video because he doesn't seem to do this much anymore, but he went through a spell where if he couldn't get my attention, he'd just keep yelling "MOMMY!" (this was said quickly) followed by "MOMMMMMMMMMMYYYY!" (said in a more drawn-out manner). Rinse and repeat... he'd say it over and over and over again, just like that. Hilarious.

I think what it is about Parker is that he has a great sense of humor. He knows how to push buttons, but he doesn't seem to do it to be difficult or mean, he just thinks he is funny. When I ask him to come to me and he runs the other way laughing, he just thinks he is hilarious.
I'm frequently reminded of the nursery rhyme that includes, "...when she was good, she was very, very good, but when she was bad she was horrid." I don't think he's "bad," per se, it's just that he is a bit of a troublemaker. :) And when he is sweet, he is oh so sweet. He never likes to make you sad or hurt you. He stepped on the top of my bare foot in his shoes once and it hit in just he spot that really hurt me. I doubled over in pain and he looked at me and just started bawling. I had to reassure him that I was okay, but he was so sad. He also can be very, very loving. Today at his Gymboree class, he'd start playing with a few other mothers and then just walk up and give them great big hugs. They all just thought he was the sweetest little thing ever.

In terms of learning new things, he is coming along. He's getting better and better with his ABCs (though I can't seem to capture a good one on camera). He will frequently just start singing them without being prompted (like while riding in the car or something). His colors come and go and he tends to call everything "red." He calls almost all letters "M," but he can usually properly pick an "M" out of a bunch of other letters. Here he is singing his ABCs, but he got distracted rather quickly (notice how he screams "Now I know!" -- that always cracks me up):


He loves to read books and have them read to him. His favorites right now are the Gossie & Gertie goslings series. Sometimes I read them until I hide them from him, but he always seems to find them. :)

He still sucks his thumb, and despite his recent haircut, he still manages to twirl his hair while he sucks his thumb. Though I can tell he misses his longer locks!


Here's the back of his head these days... Some days it is curlier than others.


He is still a great sleeper, but he's been crying out randomly throughout the night more lately. And usually around 5 am-ish, I have to go in there and change his diaper (there is not a diaper out there capable of handling his overnight wet diapers!). He goes right back to bed after that and usually stops crying out at all. Though frequently I don't get in there soon enough and I probably change his sheets about five times a week. That is fun. Thank goodness for the "Ultimate Crib Sheet" that I put under his sheet to make changes much, much easier or I might be going insane.

I don't know how big he is, but he is a big boy. He really seems to have grown a good bit lately (he does drink a lot of milk!). He's starting to outgrow his 24 months longalls/overalls. And he is very heavy! Though I must say, he's much more of a "snacker" than a meal eater. He frequently doesn't eat much at meal times, but I take those same cheerios and put them in a snack cup and give them to him while he's running around or in the carseat, he'll eat them. He is picky about the kind of meat he likes to eat, and he's hit or miss with that. I guess he just has to be in the right mood. :) He still won't really touch vegetables (except for the occasional pea or piece of corn).

Despite my gripes about his trouble-making side, he is a love and I adore him.


And he adores me too. :) But who he really loves is his big brother, "Poppy." Every once in awhile he will refer to him as something that sounds more like "Thomas," but for the most part he is still "Poppy." That is the first name he says when I go in his room in the morning on most days, and when Thomas is at school, Parker is constantly asking for him. It's so sweet. They love to run around chasing each other and seem to have boundless energy in doing so. Even though you might not be able to tell from this picture, Parker adores his big brother (and Thomas loves him right back!).


Speaking of his brother, here's a comparison shot (with an equally non-smiling face!) at 21 months:


I constantly find myself telling people that Parker is T-R-O-U-B-L-E, but I must say that I say that with love and affection. I adore him. He makes me laugh. And even though he wears me out and drives me crazy sometimes. he has such a personality and I love him for it. When he runs up and gives me a great big hug, I just forget about the times he is disobedient. I love his love and I love seeing him love and play with his big brother. It brings me such joy.

20 months old

So once again, I'm weeks behind on the monthly update.  I took a few pictures a couple weeks ago, but they were so dreadful I had hoped to try again.  But there just doesn't seem to be any time, so I'm going to go with what I"ve got before he is 21 months old.  :)  I'm going to back date this.

Anyway, on January 2, Parker turned 20 months old.  He is sweet, but he is wild, independent and laughs deviously when he is doing something he knows he shouldn't do!  He is in nearly constant motion, as evidenced in this picture.


He won't smile much for the camera, but he does have an adorable smile...if I do say so myself.  :)


Most of my attempted photos come out something like this:


You hate to say about your child that he is trouble, but I must affectionately say that my son is t-r-o-u-b-l-e.  He loves making mischief and he loves running the other way and making me chase him when I ask him to come to me.  In restaurants, if I'm so silly as to let him get out of his chair, he will run circles around the tables making me chase him to get him back.  I must say though, he laughs the whole time.  He apparently thinks he is quite funny. 

At his last doctor's visit (last week to check and make sure he didn't have a fifth ear infection in three months), he weighed 31 pounds (with his clothes and possibly wet diaper on).  He is solid, and because he tends to fight me when I'm trying to carry him from here to there sometimes, my biceps are getting quite a workout.  Who needs a gym membership when you have a Parker?  


His vocabulary is still wonderful, though he still "speaks" in one word sentences.  I couldn't even begin to list all of the words he says, and he also will make an attempt to say whatever I ask him to say.  He can, as the video I posted recently showed, say a little bit of his ABCs, and he tries to count to 10, but it comes out more like "1-2-5-6-9-10!"  He still calls Thomas "Poppy."

He's very inquisitive about the things around him.   Last week we were touring a local plantation and he became enamoured with the fleet of ladybugs living on the windows.  It was all he could talk about and he just wanted to keep watching them and saying "Buh!  Buh!" ("bug"). 


Parker, if you ever read this, I hope you know that I do say it with love when I say you are a troublemaker.  I feel confident that this is a sign not that you are going to be a future lawbreaker, but that you are destined to have a great sense of humor.  I know I have to remember to keep mine a lot lately.  :)


So yes, constant motion, wild, trouble are all words that describe Parker at 20 months.


But he is also sweet and loving. 


He loves to give and receive hugs.  Loves for you to hold him before he goes to bed.  He rests his head on your shoulder and sucks his thumb until he is ready to go into his crib.  He adores his big brother.  And when Thomas gets put in timeout, Parker goes and hugs him and sits down right next to him.  Parker loves our dog, Sully (whom he calls "Sussa") and always wants to give her food (milk bone dog biscuits or food from his own plate). 

He is still a great sleeper and all around he is a great baby/toddler.  He just wears me out a little.  ;-)  But I love him dearly and I'm extremely grateful that I can call him my son.