Flashback - One year ago today (Parker's due date)

My 40 week belly pic:

And I felt as big as a house...

Little did we know, that exactly a week later, our little bundle of joy would make his entrance into the world.  I cannot believe that exactly a week from now, he will be one!!

Ladies and Gents, I think the walking will commence soon!

Yep, he's a walkin'.  In  the last four days that I've been home with Parker, I've watched him take a few steps here and there to now starting out every move walking.  He usually gets about 4-5 solid steps in before he falls to the ground, so while he's not a "full blown walker" yet, I have a feeling it's coming soon!

Here is a video I shot of P towards the tail end of his "ball of nebulizer energy" last night.  I'm pretty sure he wore a path around the ottoman last night ;)

And here is a little shot I caught this morning (if you haven't already seen it on fb) of P.  Just to give you an idea of how far the stretches of his steps go, he walked from the ottoman to the edge of the kitchen!!  Way to go little man, mom and dad are so proud of you :)

Sick, sick with a little side of sick

This has been our house for about the last three weeks now.  It started with Parker throwing up on Christmas Eve and it's been a bumpy ride ever since.  This week was no exception either.  Monday started out with a trip to Urgent Care in the evening after Parker came home with pink eye and a high fever that night. The following day a horrible cough appeared, so Scott took him to the doctor to make sure everything was ok, especially considering the bad ear infection he was just recovering from.  While they weren't 100% sure what it was, they diagnosed it as a "bronchial virus".  Parker received a steroid shot that day and his first breathing treatment and they were sent home with a round of oral steroid meds and a nebulizer along with the instructions to keep him out of daycare for the rest of the week.

Since Scott had been home with him for two days and had some things he needed to take care of for work, I took Thursday and Friday off to stay home with P.  Turns out, with the nasty weather that came in Wednesday evening, I lucked out.  Granted, I had the pleasure (if you can call it that?) of doing some breathing treatments on my own with Parker, but we both took full advantage of pj attire only for both days :)

I didn't take many pictures because let's face it - snotty noses and a teary kid who is not happy about this steam machine in his face are not really picture "moments".  However, I did snap a few on my phone:

Parker "helping" mom with laundry both days

Parker begging and lurking for more 'naners.  Even sick, the kids still loves his bananas!

We're really hoping that between the breathing treatments and medicine, this clears up the nasty stuff that has gotten ahold of him.  Honestly, these sleepless nights are starting to take their toll on all of us.  This Scholten house is definitely ready for spring and the fresh air it brings!

For your Saturday night viewing pleasure...Parker and the remote!

  

Parker is so his daddy's boy.  He's always after the remote, so tonight Scott gave him free reign with it.  Watch and laugh as he totes his "dadadada's" remote around the ottoman.  Please ignore my annoying voice in the background ;)

Happy 11 Months (and Happy New Year)!

And yes, I'm actually posting ON his actual 11 month-aversary!!

***Edit - ok, in my defense, I had this written last night.  However, a certain baby who shall remain nameless decided he did not want to go to bed, so after two and a half hours of mom and dad taking turns rocking and singing to him, we were too pooped to finish this post.  Oh, how I miss my easy sleeper!***

The dude turned 11 months today, can you believe it?!  We are having a hard time admitting that we will have a one year old on our hands next month and that he will no longer be our "baby".  Scott and I were just talking about what our lives were like last New Years' Eve (my pregnant self didn't make it to midnight then, new mommy self didn't this year either!).  It's so awesome to think that majority of this year was spend WITH Parker instead of without.

Not much has changed since my last post since it was just about a week ago, however I do want to mention one game that has become his favorite.  It's called the "Let's toss everything out of the crib" game.  Here's how it goes:

Step 1 - mom or dad puts Parker in the crib and loads him up with fun toys to keep him entertained while we hurry up and get ready for the day.

Step 2 - Parker whines a little as we leave the room, then realizes he's not alone in his crib.

Step 3 - Parker proceeds to grab each toy and tosses them out one by one, saying "uh-oh" after each one falls to the ground (at least this is what I perceive since I am not in there with him, although I do know he says uh-oh every time he drops something).

Step 4 - Once every toy has cleared the crib, Parker becomes lonely and realizes he misses his mom and dad, so the waterfall of tears begin.

Hopefully by Step 5, one of us is ready to go and can rescue him before the cry-fest gets out of hand!
 
Parker's 11 month picture shoot went fast as the poor guy has been battling a bug along with a nasty ear infection, so he just wasn't in the mood.

Really guys, another photo shoot?!

I refuse to partake in this sillyness

Why do you make me do this??

Ugh.  This is the closest you'll get to a smile.

Later.  I'm blowing this popsicle stand.

Sweet freedom, I think I see my toys!

Yes, just a few more steps...

So.close.

Yay!! I missed you guys.

Oh, it's you.  And you still have that camera.  Hmph.

Wait, what's that?

Oooohhhh!

A yellow ball!

And because it was so darn cute, here is a glimpse of what was hanging around the table at dinner last night while Scott and I munched on some chili:

P walking between the chairs :)

And last, but not least, Parker posing with mom and dad for his 11 month pics!

Happy 11 months kiddo, we love you!!

Not quite a walker....(9 and 10 month pics inside!)

....but we've definitely had a "first step"!  That's right, just after he turned 9 months, Parker took his first step at daycare.....twice in one day!  Everyday he has gotten more solid at standing on his own, so it's not surprising that he's taken a few ventures at walking.  In fact, he's got the shimmy move down pat.  Scott and I enjoy watching his many tours around the ottoman or scaling the handle of the good ole fridge.  He's an old pro at crawling and can disappear from a room in the blink of an eye, so we just patiently wait and watch for our little guy to become a walker.  And let me just say, this mama is fine with waiting ;)

Here's a quick run down of the stats from his 9 month well child exam:
- weighing in at a decent 21lbs 6 oz (although from our tired arms we could have sworn it was more!)
- height shot up to 29 inches, surprisingly right around the 70th percentile for his age!

Food has been an interesting area to navigate.  More so because mom and dad just weren't sure what to feed Parker and figuring out how to introduce him to our foods at dinner.  Turns out the kid really doesn't care, as long as we're feeding him!  So far I'm loving not having a picky eater (and am aware that it could change at any time) and the buddha belly on P confirms this ;)  Our boy is a healthy growing boy, this is for sure! 

Now, time for pictures, starting off with the 9 months pics.  I'll be honest, these were about two weeks late.  Time just gets away too fast these days, along with the little mover.  Getting him to sit still for these pics has been interesting to say the least (as these pics will prove). 

Here dad, let me try

Parker perfecting his sumo stance

Baby airplane!

Silly guy!

And I'm over it.

Yep, your turn.

Just to make sure the sticker doesn't fall off.

Parker also enjoyed helping with getting the tree out and decorating.  He especially loves the big totes that hold the ornaments as they make a perfect "shelf" for him to play on and build a fort with.  And if I'm being honest, mom and dad loved them too (they stayed in the living room for over a week!) as they provided a mini baby-jail to keep P occupied while we did our chores or cooking in the kitchen :)

He loved bouncing and rolling his little balls on them

See, perfect height for the guy! (sorry for the weird coloring, I was messing around with our camera options :))

Checking out the naked tree

P also enjoyed his "magic carpet rides" around the house.  And never to be excluded from the activities, Koda enjoys chasing him!

Koda, move your paw!

Ridin' one-legged....such a show off.

And now for 11 months:

Free standing!

All by myself!

Koda - Parker face off.  Parker and him could share toys really, they're always stealing each others!

Gearing up to scale the living room wall

C'mon mom! (oblivious to Koda's shenanigans in the background)

Did you see this?!  So cool mom.

Dad have you seen how cool this vent it?!

That's it for now.  I'll be working on a few Christmas posts soon and of course the little dude turns 11 months next week.   In fact, I've already scheduled my time off for this first birthday and need to get some plans going for his birthday party.  How is that even possible?!?! :(

A Day of Many Thanks

Parker's first Thanksgiving is winding down and I suddenly realize that I failed to take any pictures to document it.  We had good intentions, toting our camera to each stop, however we always seem to get caught up in the activities once we arrive and the thought escapes us.  Must get better at that!

So instead of loads of pictures of the boy enjoying his Thanksgiving feast (and boy did he enjoy it, we have a fan of pumpkin pie on our hands!), I'd like to share what I am so thankful for this Thanksgiving.

First and foremost, I am so thankful for our God.  He has blessed us in so many ways and we will never be able to thank Him enough.  The grace and love that we receive from Him on a daily basis is beyond what we deserve, yet we continue to receive it.

My family.  Scott and Parker are so very important to me and I shudder to think of my life without them.  Scott, you are such a loving, patient and generous husband to me.  I know I don't say it enough, but I love and appreciate you so much.  Parker, you are such a wonderful blessing to us and everyday you teach me a little bit more about myself and what is really important in this life. 

Our parents.  Raising a child is tough. Ironically, I think we both now fully appreciate what our parents did over the years to feed us, clothe us and just basically be the best parents they could for us.   Thankfully, we have a strong support line of parents who have helped us out tremendously in these last (almost) ten months, so please know how much we truly thank you for it :)

Our health.  A lot has happened this year between our two families.  Too many family members in the hospital or with other ailments and unfortunately, the loss of my grandmother.  Scott's cousin Rachel had a heart transplant recently and is thankfully thriving in her recovery.  We've said many prayers for her and will continue to for a long time.  This first holiday without my grandma is tough, however I know how lucky I am to have had the time with her that I did, as well as the opportunity to say good-bye to her.  I know so many people lose their loved ones suddenly.  Our sweet baby boy is healthy and growing like a weed, something I never realized was so precious until having a child of my own.

I hope you all were able to enjoy the day with your loved ones and please know how thankful we are to have you in our lives.

PS - I swear the next post will have some new pics of P! ;)