It is incredible how much Parker has "woken up" over the past week! He has started to be very interested in what is going on around him and engages in eye contact much more than last week. He loves to stare at ceiling fans and ride around with Mom in his Snugli carrier.
We had a great Thanksgiving with Chris' parents and a couple of other friends (Parker slept through the whole thing). Our friends Andy and Anna also came down this weekend to meet Parker and help Chris patch a hole in the laundry room floor (long story). We had a great time visiting with them. I've had a couple of days home with Parker, and tonight, we are picking up Auntie Leah from the airport! I am so excited to see her and to show off my little cutie to her. We have big plans to sit around in our pj's, watch movies, and eat good food all weekend. :) We will also be taking some long walks around the neighborhood.
I wish I could post a recording of all of the funny noises that Parker makes so you could all hear. Like I said, he doesn't cry often, but does make plenty of noise! He makes one sound all the time that sounds like a dolphin.
Ok, Parker just woke up, so I'm going to go feed him. More updates later! :)
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
So much to be thankful for!
Finally... another update! It seems my free time is a little sparce right now even though I'm home all day! The Peanut is growing like a weed and weighs almost 8 lbs now. He is hungry All the time, so mom is finding it a little hard to get anything done! :)
We have been blessed to have lots of help so far. Chris' mom, Beth has spent a good deal of time with us and has helped me figure out how to get out of the house with the baby. My mom and dad also spent a week with us and got lots of good cuddle time in with their first grand baby. Grandpa even played the banjo for our little guy!!! :) He is one loved little fellow!!!! We all wish the grandparents lived closer so we could see them more.
We have also had many friends come by to spend time meeting Parker. He is already very popular. :) My friend Brooke came down from Gainesville and Parker really enjoyed her visit. I think she may be his first crush... I have never seen him stare at anyone so intensely!!! He was wide awake for her the whole time she was here!
As Parker has gotten bigger and stronger, he has also started to be awake more and express himself more. And when he's awake, he likes to be entertained. When he's no eating, Parker's favorite activities include listening to mom try and sing every little kid song she can think of, rocking in the rocking chair, playing with his musical toys, and lying on Dad's chest. I think we may have a little musician on our hands!
Chris and I went out for our first post-pregnancy date last week, which was so much fun! We were out for a couple of hours at a nice restaurant while Chris' mom and her friend, Bev, watched Parker. We had great conversation and great food. It was so sweet of them to send us out for some couple time! Parker slept the whole time... he didn't even notice we were gone!
On a personal note, I have been feeling very good. No more random crying, thank goodness! But for now, I cannot type with one hand any longer and Parker is telling me he is bored and tired of being ignored. Sorry, sorry!
love from all of us!
We have been blessed to have lots of help so far. Chris' mom, Beth has spent a good deal of time with us and has helped me figure out how to get out of the house with the baby. My mom and dad also spent a week with us and got lots of good cuddle time in with their first grand baby. Grandpa even played the banjo for our little guy!!! :) He is one loved little fellow!!!! We all wish the grandparents lived closer so we could see them more.
We have also had many friends come by to spend time meeting Parker. He is already very popular. :) My friend Brooke came down from Gainesville and Parker really enjoyed her visit. I think she may be his first crush... I have never seen him stare at anyone so intensely!!! He was wide awake for her the whole time she was here!
As Parker has gotten bigger and stronger, he has also started to be awake more and express himself more. And when he's awake, he likes to be entertained. When he's no eating, Parker's favorite activities include listening to mom try and sing every little kid song she can think of, rocking in the rocking chair, playing with his musical toys, and lying on Dad's chest. I think we may have a little musician on our hands!
Chris and I went out for our first post-pregnancy date last week, which was so much fun! We were out for a couple of hours at a nice restaurant while Chris' mom and her friend, Bev, watched Parker. We had great conversation and great food. It was so sweet of them to send us out for some couple time! Parker slept the whole time... he didn't even notice we were gone!
On a personal note, I have been feeling very good. No more random crying, thank goodness! But for now, I cannot type with one hand any longer and Parker is telling me he is bored and tired of being ignored. Sorry, sorry!
love from all of us!
Monday, November 12, 2007
Time is flying by!
I absolutely cannot believe that tomorrow marks the end of Parker's second week with us! It is terrifying to me how fast the time is passing already...before I know it I'll be back at work and our wonderful undevided time together will be over. :( I'm just trying to soak up every moment as much as possible.
Parker continues to be a sweet little bundle. Chris even made him smile yesterday!!! I know they say babies only smile when they have gas for the first few months, but Chris got him to crack a smile a few times over, so I think it was more than just bubbles in his tummy. It looked hilarious- Chris had Parker's hands in his and was wiggling them around while squealing "weeeeeeee, weeeeeee, weeeeeeee!" I was laughing so hard I had tears in my eyes.
We are all sad because Daddy has to go back to work tomorrow. :( It has been so great having him home to share in every special moment so far. I'm not worried about having Parker on my own, but will miss being able to laugh with Chris at every funny face, and exchange looks of wonder as we marvel at the amazing little person we created. The past ftwo weeks have been so perfect, we both just wish we could stay in this fantasy world forever! But, as it must, the real world is knocking, and I know we will continue to appreciate every moment together more than ever before.
Now, a few of my friends have commented that "Laura, you make this all look so easy!" To be honest, so far my experience over all has been much easier than I anticipated, and probably has been much easier than many women's. Howevery, I do pride myself in being as candid as possible in my blog, so I have to say that being a parent is not all easy. The hardest things for me so far have been my bouts with post-partum mood swings (for anyone who doubts the legitimicy of this, let me tell you, it is for real), and the demanding time schedule of a newborn's feeding schedule. Parker usually eats every 2-3 hours, so leaving the house is a tricky endeavor. In addition to that, I feel anxious when I am away from the baby for any period of time, so I'm obviously going to have to work on taking steps to feel more comfortable taking some "me time". Those things aside, my first two weeks have been fairly relaxing, and each day I love my son more and more.
Thank you so much to those of you who have sent packages, left messages, and sent emails. I apologize that I have been remiss in responding in most cases up to this point... like I said, the past two weeks have gone by at the speed of light. I look forward to catching up with each of you and telling you more about the first weeks of Parker Peanut. Also, although this is technically my "pregnancy blog," I plan to keep up with it as Parker grows so I can share his progress, and mine, with all of you.
Love from all 3 of us!
The Nicholson Family. :)
Parker continues to be a sweet little bundle. Chris even made him smile yesterday!!! I know they say babies only smile when they have gas for the first few months, but Chris got him to crack a smile a few times over, so I think it was more than just bubbles in his tummy. It looked hilarious- Chris had Parker's hands in his and was wiggling them around while squealing "weeeeeeee, weeeeeee, weeeeeeee!" I was laughing so hard I had tears in my eyes.
We are all sad because Daddy has to go back to work tomorrow. :( It has been so great having him home to share in every special moment so far. I'm not worried about having Parker on my own, but will miss being able to laugh with Chris at every funny face, and exchange looks of wonder as we marvel at the amazing little person we created. The past ftwo weeks have been so perfect, we both just wish we could stay in this fantasy world forever! But, as it must, the real world is knocking, and I know we will continue to appreciate every moment together more than ever before.
Now, a few of my friends have commented that "Laura, you make this all look so easy!" To be honest, so far my experience over all has been much easier than I anticipated, and probably has been much easier than many women's. Howevery, I do pride myself in being as candid as possible in my blog, so I have to say that being a parent is not all easy. The hardest things for me so far have been my bouts with post-partum mood swings (for anyone who doubts the legitimicy of this, let me tell you, it is for real), and the demanding time schedule of a newborn's feeding schedule. Parker usually eats every 2-3 hours, so leaving the house is a tricky endeavor. In addition to that, I feel anxious when I am away from the baby for any period of time, so I'm obviously going to have to work on taking steps to feel more comfortable taking some "me time". Those things aside, my first two weeks have been fairly relaxing, and each day I love my son more and more.
Thank you so much to those of you who have sent packages, left messages, and sent emails. I apologize that I have been remiss in responding in most cases up to this point... like I said, the past two weeks have gone by at the speed of light. I look forward to catching up with each of you and telling you more about the first weeks of Parker Peanut. Also, although this is technically my "pregnancy blog," I plan to keep up with it as Parker grows so I can share his progress, and mine, with all of you.
Love from all 3 of us!
The Nicholson Family. :)
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Happiest days of my life...
Here I am! Sorry to have left you hanging for a week, but I have been at home with the fam without internet access. We just got "connected" at the house today, so I can blog to my heart's content. :)
Let's see...how can I even begin to describe my first week of motherhood? I am so crazy in love with this tiny little boy it takes my breath away. He is one mellow little guy and an awesome snuggler. Parker only cries when he needs a new diaper, and kind of grunts when he's hungry. Aside from that, he sits back and takes it all in. (When he's not sleeping, of course.) Physically, I feel great. I cannot believe how elastic the human body is. I've gone for 2 mile walks with my dad every day since I've been home and my energy is good. It is already hard to remember how it felt to be pregnant. Even though I feed Parker every 3 hours through the nite, I don't feel sleep deprived (any more than I have for the past 9 months...lol). I even have a pair of jeans I can fit into!
I have had a few post-partum emotional moments, which are normal, but frustrating all the same. We went out to dinner wth my parents when they came into town and brought Parker along wth us. The whole time we were there I felt massive anxiety...about nothing really. I just felt kind of like I was about to have a panic attack and like I wanted to get out of there as soon as possible. I sat there and told myself I was just experiencing some hormonal shifts and was able to make it through dinner, but I was hugely relieved when we were able to leave. I still feel a little nervous about taking Parker anywhere, but I'm sure that will pass. I've also had some random crying moments over strange things like a song, or a movie. It kind of feels like PMS a few times over. Chris has noticed and has been really sweet and supportive. Luckily, these feelings have only been fleeting and I always go right back to being happy and delighted to be a mom.
We can't really tell yet who Parker is going to look like. I think he's a good mix of both of us. Tonight when we download our pictures to the computer I will post a few so you can check out the cuteness!! It looks like he will have brown eyes (they are still changing) and has a beautiful olive complexion. I think his eye shape might be a little more like mine, but it is hard to say. My mom thinks he is going to look just like Chris, and Chris thinks he looks more like me. Who knows. To me he just looks like the most perfect little person I've ever seen. (A totally unbiased opinion, of course. :) )
Well, I will write a little more later when I post those pics. For now, I have some cuddle time to catch up on.
xoxox- Laura
Let's see...how can I even begin to describe my first week of motherhood? I am so crazy in love with this tiny little boy it takes my breath away. He is one mellow little guy and an awesome snuggler. Parker only cries when he needs a new diaper, and kind of grunts when he's hungry. Aside from that, he sits back and takes it all in. (When he's not sleeping, of course.) Physically, I feel great. I cannot believe how elastic the human body is. I've gone for 2 mile walks with my dad every day since I've been home and my energy is good. It is already hard to remember how it felt to be pregnant. Even though I feed Parker every 3 hours through the nite, I don't feel sleep deprived (any more than I have for the past 9 months...lol). I even have a pair of jeans I can fit into!
I have had a few post-partum emotional moments, which are normal, but frustrating all the same. We went out to dinner wth my parents when they came into town and brought Parker along wth us. The whole time we were there I felt massive anxiety...about nothing really. I just felt kind of like I was about to have a panic attack and like I wanted to get out of there as soon as possible. I sat there and told myself I was just experiencing some hormonal shifts and was able to make it through dinner, but I was hugely relieved when we were able to leave. I still feel a little nervous about taking Parker anywhere, but I'm sure that will pass. I've also had some random crying moments over strange things like a song, or a movie. It kind of feels like PMS a few times over. Chris has noticed and has been really sweet and supportive. Luckily, these feelings have only been fleeting and I always go right back to being happy and delighted to be a mom.
We can't really tell yet who Parker is going to look like. I think he's a good mix of both of us. Tonight when we download our pictures to the computer I will post a few so you can check out the cuteness!! It looks like he will have brown eyes (they are still changing) and has a beautiful olive complexion. I think his eye shape might be a little more like mine, but it is hard to say. My mom thinks he is going to look just like Chris, and Chris thinks he looks more like me. Who knows. To me he just looks like the most perfect little person I've ever seen. (A totally unbiased opinion, of course. :) )
Well, I will write a little more later when I post those pics. For now, I have some cuddle time to catch up on.
xoxox- Laura
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