Goin' commando

Over the past week Parker has started to move forward a little bit more using the "army" or "commando crawl." This is not something Thomas ever did, but Parker is most proud of himself (and we are of him!) for finally figuring out ho to get things that are in front of him. He still rolls all over the place too, so he is getting very mobile! (click on the picture for the video)



The video was over 100MB so I couldn't upload it to my preferred sites, so hopefully this works well enough. He usually will wave, but not when on camera, of course. I'll keep working on capturing that...and him chatting up a storm, like he generally does (baby babble, of course). Ignore my voice. :)

Transition to big boy

Thomas has always liked his crib, so I've yet to rush to put him in a "big boy bed." I like him being confined when I need him to be, and he likes a quiet place to go read his books and enjoy his pacis. But lately, he has insisted quite frequently that he wants to get in his crib "all by myself." It goes something like this...


And then...


Next...


Then we hope the hands are down first...


Parker says: "People, it's time to get this boy a bed!"


Though he never has tried to get out by himself, we've finally decided it's time to start the transition. I ordered the bed railings a few weeks ago and finally pulled them out today. First we had to take off the railing of his crib (which Thomas thought was pretty neat):


And then the railings...


This is temporary. We figure this will be a good transition to the real "big boy bed." Hopefully by his third birthday we'll have him moved into his new real bed. He was so excited today about his "big boy bed," it made me wish I had done it sooner. He was too funny; I told him to get in his crib and he said, "Mommy, it's not a crib...it's a big boy bed!" It's close. :)



He didn't fall asleep for his nap today (just read books), but he did stay in the crib/bed the whole time. We'll see how he does tonight. Of course getting rid of the paci will be the next challenge...but that's not even on my radar screen at this point. At least he only has them in the crib (for the most part). But they are totally like a lovey to him. Notice in the picture he is holding one on his cheek while another is in his mouth. He is so addicted. Oh well. Our little boy is growing too fast...maybe it's good to have that baby part still about him. ;-)

First (shared) bath!

As hard as it might be to believe, the boys had never taken a bath together until about a week ago. Since Parker goes to bed soon after dinner and before Thomas takes a bath, I usually bathe Parker before his afternoon nap (and not all that often, I must confess!). But nearly two weeks ago, we decided to throw them in together and they both loved it!



I think the soapy (thus, murky) water makes this picture okay for sharing...


They certainly had a ball. Both boys truly love each other and want to be around each other as much as possible.


Since that first bath they have had a few more together. Parker actually has done okay without even being in that little seat. I'm sure there will be many more shared baths in their future!

Thanks from Team Jake!

Just thought I'd update on the fundraiser Parker and I participated in last weekend, the MDA Stride & Ride in Charlotte, NC. Our team, Team Jake, raised more than $8,400 toward researching a cure for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy! Here was TEAM JAKE:


All total, the event raised more than $65,000 for the Muscular Dystrophy Association! Let's hope this amount is just the amount needed to finally find a cure that will save countless lives!

Parker and I had a great time participating in the walk...


Parker says "GO TEAM JAKE!"


And here's the precious little boy who inspired us all to participate...Jake (diagnosed nearly two years ago with DMD):


We were so glad to go and participate and show our support to Jake and his family. Please continue to keep Jake in your prayers and pray that a cure will be found soon.

Thank you to all of you who supported us through your prayers and/or your donations. Everything was greatly appreciated.

And one more thanks, Parker and I had a great time and it was quite relaxing just having the one little one for the day. Thomas spent the day with his Nana and he had a ball. Thanks to Nana for a day of fun!

For Jake and little boys everywhere!

Remember Jake?
On Saturday, Parker and I will put our walking shoes on (well, maybe he'll just put his "I'm-going-to-sit-in-the-stroller shoes" on) and participate in the Muscular Dystrophy Association's Stride & Ride at Concord Mills mall north of Charlotte. I am so thankful to those of you who have pledged your donations and your prayers thus far.

To date, TEAM JAKE has raised more than $8,600, of which my friends and family have made it possible to contribute over $1,100. If anyone would still like to contribute to this extremely worthy cause, it is not too late! Please visit my fundraising page here to make a tax-deductible donation by credit card (click the red rectangle at the top center of the page). You can choose one of the pre-set amount or ANY amount you wish to make.

All funds raised will go toward researching a cure for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy -- the most common fatal disorder diagnosed in childhood (Jake has DMD and his website is among my links and can be accessed by clicking here). I cannot impress upon anyone how critical the need is to find a cure for DMD. I truly believe the researchers are really very close to saving Jake and other boys like him.

As I shared before, Jake's mom put together a beautiful montage about Jake. If ever you needed any additional inspiration to give to this worthy cause, this is it. Click it and watch it.

I am asking for your donations, but I'm also asking for your prayers. And above all, I'm just asking you to remember Jake.

10 months old!

Parker is now 10 months old!


And he's pretty excited about it...


So how is Parker at 10 months? Parker is doing just fine and at this age Parker is:

* Still not crawling, but he does get in the crawling position sometimes and rocks a little until he tries to move and ends up on his belly. He can push himself backwards and he rolls all over the place. As long as he doesn't want to go straight ahead, he has pretty much figured out how to get where he wants to go.
* Waving on command (to "hi!" or "bye!") and in response to someone waving at him. He thinks it's pretty funny. It's really funny when he turns his wave toward himself and looks all amazed at how he can wave his hand at himself.
* Holding himself up to stand a little bit, but isn't all that steady just yet. He's much more content to sit in our lap or just sit and let everyone bring things to him. His daddy says he's lazy. :)
* Teething. He has his two front teeth and his bottom two (none are fully through but they are slowly but surely making their way), and the tooth next to his top left tooth is breaking through the gum. With his top two teeth he is a poster child for not sucking your thumb (or an orthodontist's dream). See what I mean?

There's quite an impressive gap between his otherwise very crooked front teeth. Oh well!

Back to my list... At 10 months, Parker:
* Is a bit of a picky eater, but is also more willing to try new things than his big brother was. He loves Cheerios, wheat bread, white beans and lima beans, and he has also tried a bit of chicken and pasta. As for baby foods, he prefers the sweeter things, but will eat his green veggies too if we put a little on the spoon and then mask it in a fruit he likes. Oh well...as long as he eats it! He's still not really fond of rice cereal and will not eat something if there is too much of it mixed in. He would NOT eat it on its own.
* Will have nothing to do with a bottle, but has mastered the straw-type sippy cup. He nurses about 5-6 times a day.
* Loves his big brother. He loves to be around him and play with him and his face just lights up at the mention of the name Thomas.
* Is still not a wonderful napper, but his naps have become slightly more reliable. He naps for 1-2 hours in the morning and 1-2 hours in the afternoon. He goes to bed around 7 and wakes around 7.
* Has an area of curls on the back left side of his head. This is funny because looking back at Thomas' 10-month update I noted that he had an area of curls on the back right side of his head. :)
* Sometimes lets us read books to him, but most of the time he just starts yelling and trying to attack the pages. Hopefully his love of books will grow and be more like his brother's!
* Prefers his brother's toys to his (especially the cars and trucks).
* Imitates sounds very well and is even starting to say something like "Mama" when I say it to him. He mimics many other noises I make and always thinks he is quite funny when he does.
* Wears size 4 diapers and mostly 12-months clothing...some 18 months things and some 12-18.
* Makes some of the funniest faces and that is why he always makes me smile!


He laughs a lot (especially when tickled)...


He was quick to remove the sign this month:

(He has much more hair than his brother had at this age).



I can't sneak anything by him...


He's a sweet boy and we love him so.


How 10 months can fly by so quickly I just do not understand. Sometimes I wish time would slow down!

What's for dinner?

Today the boys attended a birthday party for their dear friend Lily, who turned three. The big kids were having a ball, running around and Trey tired of holding Parker (and he just wanted to get down). So where to put him that is safe? Oh, why not the gigantic pot on the floor (it was being used for a beanbag toss game). He had a cushion of beanbags and he was very content for quite some time. We had to put him back in with his good friend Sarah Ellen:

Oh, and I've been trying to get a picture of Parker making that face for awhile now! He does that sometimes and he loves it if I do the face right back to him. I'm sure he's probably trying to tell me something important that I just don't understand, but I think it's cute.