Parkers 18-month Update!

My sweet boy Parker,

I can’t believe you are 18 months!  Where does time go?!  I feel like it was just yesterday that we celebrated your one year birthday.  The past six months have been filled with so many adventures and you’re growing up!  You got your first haircut which really made you look like a little boy instead of a baby. 

Your personality comes out more and more each day.  You babble a lot more and like saying mama and dada.  You know which one is which and point at us a lot.  You also raise your little hands up to your head and say, “no” when you are trying to say, “I don’t know.”  I’ll ask you, “where are your shoes, Parker?  Can you find your shoes?”  You’ll raise those little hands up and look at me with those blue eyes and say, “No?”  But you will go look for them.  You also know your friends names at schools.  You’re favorite friend’s name to say is Enda.  However, this also sounds very similar to “all done.”  You can say Annabelle – “Annie”, Nathan—“Nay Nay”, Reya, Sophia—“Phia” and a whole host of others.  However, you will NOT say your name for me or dad.  You will say Parker all day long at school the teachers tell me, but you won’t do it for me.  I really want to hear you say your name!

You are really good at giving hugs, but you generally like to give hugs after you have hit someone.  You are definitely a little rough at times.  When you don’t get your way, you think you can just hit something or someone.  But, you know that’s wrong so you will immediately give a hug.  Then, you will hit again.  Then you will hug again.  Repeat.  I love Parker hugs, though.  You hug really tight and will sometimes pat on the back and tuck your little head into my shoulder.  Those are the best.

Being outside is still your most favorite thing EVER.  You will just stand at the door and cry if we don’t let you go outside because you might possibly naked, have no shoes, its raining, its cold, its dark, etc.  You don’t care.  You want outside.  You love to find acorns and hold them in your hands.  You will collect so many, that you don’t understand that your hands are full.  You are starting to hand some of them over so that you can collect more.  I have even caught you eating them.  I sometimes wonder how many acorns it takes before you become a squirrel.  They have to be getting upset with you taking all of their acorns.  You have thrown up after eating too many acorns, so I think you are starting to learn your lesson.  We go for walks to the park, to the zoo, bike rides, etc. just about every weekend.  You also love it when it rains and you can get wet outside and jump in puddles.  Basically, you’re a boy.  Inside and out.

You like to brush your teeth before bedtime.  Really, I think you like the taste of the “toothpaste” and enjoy sucking it off the brush.  But, you let me brush all your teeth so that’s what counts.  You climb up onto the stool and put both your hands up on the countertop with a big smile on your face.  You can barely see over the counter even with the stool and you’re usually naked while we brush your teeth, so it makes for an adorable memory. 

You also enjoy taking a bath now.  It was a long time coming.  Right around your first birthday was when you decided you hated taking a bath.  You wouldn’t sit down in the water, would cry nonstop and no toy could sway you to calm down.  Eventually, I decided I would just climb on in with you.  I had to do this for about a week.  Let me tell you, taking a bath with little water that is just ‘warm’ is not that enjoyable for mom.  But, you liked it so I kept doing it just for you.  Dad couldn’t take the cold… he only did it once.  ;-)  We practiced washing our legs, feeling how the soap felt on the wash cloth, played with the toys and that seem to calm you down to where you weren’t afraid to sit in the water.  You’ve been taking good baths ever since!

You love your daddy.  But, this is just more of the same.  You really love to play chase with your daddy.  You don’t sit down at all at home.  You and him are pulling zebra and a truck around the house on a string and giggling like crazy.  You have developed a little affinity for books.  You are big fan of, “There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly.”  (…I don’t know why she swallowed that fly, she won’t say why!--- you love this part of the story and will hold your hands up and say, “no” because you don’t know why!).  You mostly like just looking at the pictures of books and saying the sounds of the animals.  You also like all truck books.  We have truck book that plays sounds (honk the horn of an 18-wheeler, siren of a fire truck, dump truck, etc).  You like to listen and push the buttons on that book.  You also like your Blue Truck books, though you don’t want them read to you.  You just want to find the blue truck on each page and say, truck (“uck”).  You should also know that daddy has tons of books memorized already.  He has your blue truck books, the old lady book, and chica chica boom boom all memorized.  Maybe a few others I can’t think of.

You are paci free.  We’ve been paci free since around Thanksgiving.  You weren’t using it at daycare anymore, so I think we were just using it as a crutch around the house and in car rides.  So, one day I just put them away and you didn’t even notice.

You are obsessed with stuffed animals.  You sleep with about 8 of them in your crib.  You carry 2 or 3 in your arms.  We still have stuffed dog (from ikea that is life-sized) that you call “dog” and you like daddy to chase you with it.  But, you will cuddle with all of them, still.  You just grab everything that will fit into your arms and then tuck your head into them and fall to the ground.  It’s quite adorable.  The way to your heart is with a stuffed animal.

Mom & Dad went on their first vacation that you didn’t come on (Mexico).  Mom and Dad had a very good time, but really missed you!  Though, I don’t think you really missed us.  You had so much fun with DD Nana and T-Pa!  Really, you did.  They have some good pictures to show for it.  When we came back it took you a couple of minutes to realize that we were really back.  I think you were kind of in shock.  Then, you went CRAZY for the rest of the evening.  You were running around, banging maracas together, playing “Away in the Manger” on the toy Nativity set and just generally being crazy.  You were just super excited, I think.  It was sweet.

You are still my little sleeper.  I love that about you.  We are eternally grateful and I pray to Jesus that you will always be this way.  J  You go to bed between 7:30 and 8 and sleep until 8:30 on the weekends (we wake you up at 6:40 on weekdays).  You take a 2.5-3 hour (2 hours at daycare) nap at home as well starting around 12:30/1.  Even if you wake up early, you just sit and play with your stuffed animals until we come up and get you which is always at 8:30.  You also tell us when you want to take a nap and walk yourself to the stairs.  All we do is drop you in the crib and you bury your head in your stuffed animals and walk away.  I really think getting rid of the baby monitor has helped with this—we never come get you when you wake up.  You know when we are going to come get you.

You are doing well at daycare.  You know some of your colors.. red, yellow, blue.  You also know a lot of animal sounds (horse, goat, lion, bear, sheep, cow, bird, frog, dog).  I’m very impressed with this.  You also love to paint.  Mom bought you some finger paints and a giant roll of paper for you to play with under supervision.  If you see paint, you get really excited!  You know exactly what to do.  You stick your whole hand in it and then make 1,000 handprints.  I love it!  You have gotten a few illnesses (cue Hand Foot & Mouth) over the past 18 months, but you handled them like a champ. 

We are working on getting you to hold hands more frequently.  You like to just run off and our neighborhood doesn’t have sidewalks, so it makes mom really nervous.  You aren’t really into riding in your stroller.  You’d rather be out running crazy.  You will ride in your trike though still and will ride in your wagon.  You also like to push the strollers and pull the wagon.

What other adventures have we done?!  We go to the zoo a lot and let you be free.  You will pay attention to the elephants, but for the most part… you just like to walk up and down the ramps that are at each exhibit.  We went to Arkansas for Labor Day weekend and you got to ride on your first boat with Uncle Travis.  He also pulled you on your first tube ride!!!  You didn’t care for the life jacket too much, either.  Mom also took you to see Santa.  You weren’t a huge fan, but you did like the stuffed monkey the photographer had, so that calmed you down.  J

You love, love T-Pa.  I think in general you seem to like men more than females.  Must be a boy thing.  You just adore T-Pa.   You stop whatever you are doing when you hear his voice and say “Pa, Pa, Pa” over and over.  Ya’ll have a good time together—you carved pumpkins, did yardwork, went on walks, etc with him over these past few months.  You like DD Nana, too.  You always pick up my phone and say, “Nana,” because you know you she will pop up on the screen (FaceTime).

You watch absolutely zero TV.  Zero.  You have no interest. 

You are such a fun boy, Parker!  You are so energetic and full of life.  You exhaust me sometimes!  We always stay busy with you and laugh with you.  I’m so glad you are mine.  Here are few other bullets for your 18-month milestone:

·         You wear size 4 diapers and BM twice a day.  You get the worst diaper rash ALL the time!  If your poo hits your bare bottom, it’s all over.  Apparently, you are really allergic to the acid in your poo.

·         You tell me when you have “Poo Poo.”  I think we are close to potty-training!

·         You wear size 12-18 month clothes.  You can only wear jeans/pants if they have elastic in the waist band.

·         You wear a size 6 shoe.

·         You are pretty good eater, except for when it comes to vegetables.  I’ve tried everything, I feel like.  You will sometimes eat carrots.  And sweet potatoes… do those count?  There are some days that I feel like you just don’t eat, but then another day you will scarf your entire meal down.  My philosophy is becoming, you’ll eat when you’re hungry.

·         Your favorite foods are spaghetti (glad this hasn’t changed!), chicken nuggets, blueberries, yogurt, waffles, orange slices from chickfila (must be from chickfila.. or else you won’t eat them), bananas, hot dogs, hamburgers, grapes, steak and mashed potatoes.  We always give you what we have dinner as well.  You will eat most meats and fruits it seems.

·         You know where your hands, feet, toes, eyes, nose and ears are.  When we say, “Where are your hands, Parker?” you raise your hands up real big and then clap them together!

·         Your favorite stuffed animal is elephant.  You call him “elpha.”  Your next favorite stuffed animals are giraffe, dog and lamb.

·         For some reason, you are rebelling against getting your fingernails clipped.  It’s like going to battle with you and the clippers.

·         We’ve started doing time-outs with you and you aren’t a very big fan of them.  I usually have to sit on you to be still.  We also will swat your hands or leg if it’s particularly problematic.  But, you’ve started swatting us back, so I think I may stop doing that for a while.

·         You love, love to swing.  I think you could swing at the Park for over an hour.  You especially love it when someone runs under the swing… you think its hilarious (cue Mom & Dad pretending you’re going to hit us while swinging).

·         Still have a thing for water outside… the muddier and bigger the puddle, the happier you are.  You don’t even care if its cold outside.

·         You like to chase after live dogs in the park.  Once you get to pet them though you are usually done and walk away.

·         You will play on the playset at the park and will go down slides.  But, you pretty much only do all of that if some kid catches your attention and you try to copy him.  Otherwise, its all about the swing.

·         You have almost all of your teeth!  Your bottom incisors are still growing in and then all we have left are the back (two-year old) molars.  YES!  I can’t wait to be done with teeth!

·         You don’t care for going to church nursery.  In general, you have a hard time being left with people that you don’t know.  So, it doesn’t help that the church nursery staff changes in your room quite a bit.  You cry pretty much the whole time and look relieved to be picked up every time.

·         We got you a Duplo block set that you are entertained with.  You know how to connect up to three blocks at a time.  I call that success!

You have changed so much in 18 months baby boy.  You become more of a ‘person’ each and every day.  I love watching you learn new things and seeing your personality shine through.  I can see that you are going to be a bit hard-headed and you get frustrated when things don’t work for you right away… that’s mom’s perfectionism coming out.  J  Mom and Dad love you baby boy, always and forever.

Still loving the water.

 

You like the cozy coupe now.  You won't use your legs, but you will gladly be pushed anywhere in it.  You can also get yourself in it, too.

This sums up your lake experience exactly.  Life is good with T-Pa.

Also sums up you and me perfectly.

Swinging at the park.

Santa is not so bad if you have a pink stuffed monkey.

Can you tell that this was the first day of Hand Foot Mouth?!  Us either.

This was our Christmas card photo this year.

******

Other pictures from my cell phone:

Parker with his teacher, Ms. Roxy.

The cutest Woody ever for Halloween!

This was during our trip to Mexico.  See how much fun you had with T-Pa and DD Nana?!

First haircut!



School pictures!!

Bath time giggles!

This is what happens when you can't go outside.

You bang your head all the time that requires ice.  This is the only way we can keep the ice on your head.

Stuffed animals.  Picture says it all.

Spaghetti Lover.

 

Parker's 12-Month Update!

Dear Parker,

I really can't believe it.  I look back and I don't know where the time went.  You are officially a "toddler," I guess.  You'll always be my baby, though.  This year has been the craziest, most exhausting, fearful, beautiful, fun, exciting, scary and joyful year yet.  You have taught me many things about myself and mom and dad have loved watching you grow.  You were this little 8lb thing when you were born and now you are 24ish lbs!!  How is that possible.  You literally tripled your birth weight.

This has also been a fun month where you've been to birthday parties, hung out at a pool, had your first birthday party for yourself and spent tons of time in the back yard playing with your many water toys.  I'm slowly turning you into a water bug, I think.  You love, love, love your water table.  You also really seem to enjoy your splash pad that I got you and just splashing in any puddles of water.  We're still working on you enjoying being submerged into water via a pool.  You are improving, though!

You are officially in the "young toddler" classroom at daycare.  You are doing okay at adjusting.  The biggest adjustment is that you now sleep on a cot and only take one nap a day.  The change in your nap schedule has really thrown you off.  You seem much more tired all the time now.  Your little body still needs two naps, so it's taking you awhile to adjust.  We just went through a HORRIBLE transition where you screamed and cried when mom dropped you off in your new classroom.  This broke her heart and made her have awful days at work.  Mom does not like to leave daycare with tears in her eyes. 

We had your birthday party in the back yard and your friend Vir from daycare and mom's friend from work brought her baby from work, Chibueze, to play with you!  You had so much fun and were such a trooper!  All of your great-grandparents on your mom's side were there and all of your grandparents were there with the exception of Grandma Kathleen.  We had it airplane themed and I think it turned out great!  You even went for the cake like a champ.  As soon as I brought your cake to you, you started kicking your legs and grunting like you knew what to do with it!  I have no idea how, but you knew that it was going to taste good!  The party was wonderful!

At twelve months you:

• Where size 3 diapers, but will be transitioning into size 4 when we run out of diapers at home.  Mom has stretched the limits with these size 3!
• Still get a morning and evening bottle and we are transitioning you to whole milk.  You won't drink milk out of a sippy cup (regardless of formula or whole milk).  So, I can already tell that's going to be major process.
• Sleep from 7:30 to 6:40 when we wake you up, but on the weekends you sleep about 8-8:30.
• Are still a very good table food eater, with spaghetti being your favorite.  You will eat adult size portions of spaghetti and its what we had for your birthday dinner!  It just so happens that spaghetti is mom's favorite, too!  :-)  You also like potatoes, steak, pizza, anything ending in "berry" and yogurt.  You go crazy at the sight of yogurt.  You also want to feed yourself... there are very few foods you eat that I feed you.  You spit it out if it comes from me... but will eat it like there's no tomorrow if you pick it up yourself.
• Weigh about 24 lbs and are about 30 inches tall.
• Wear 9-12 months shirts and 6-9 month shorts.  Most shorts are too big in the waist and too long for you. 
• Will drink water out of a sippy cup.
• At daycare you take one, 2-hour nap and snooze on the way home from daycare, but at home you still take 2 naps with the morning being a little over an hour and the afternoon being about 2 hours.
• Had a babysitter for the first time that was not family!  Ms. Nairy from your daycare kept you one evening so that mom & dad could attend a wedding shower for your Aunt Kirstie and Uncle Travis.  You did great!! You love Ms. Nairy.
• Still like to cuddle with soft objects and play with leaves and rocks.  You have really taken to eating leaves and we usually have to dig them out of your mouth.  But, you bite us really hard when we stick our fingers in your mouth and we're afraid we're going to lose a finger!
• Like to just walk around on the driveway and up and down the steps on the deck.  You won't go up the steps yourself and just reach up to one of us to help you.  It's so sweet that you need us to do something.  You get more independent each day, so it's always nice when you reach out to us instead of pushing us away.
• Have SEVEN teeth and I can see the 8th one on the way!
• Love playing chase with anyone.  You love to stay behind the ottoman and sneak around the sides to be surprised!
• Got to spend quality time with your Mimi & Papa Randy who came to help dad out while mom was in San Francisco.
• Got to see your DD Nana and T-Pa THREE different times this month!  You love it when they come down b/c they take you to fun places and you always get to go out to eat.  You do lots of shopping, trips to the zoo, pool time, etc when you are with them!  They wear you out, fast!

This has been a great month baby boy.  We are so in love with you sweet boy.  You have brought a light to our life that we didn't even know was missing.  This has been the best year ever and I can't wait to watch you grow into a little boy.  We will love you always and forever.

Month 0

Month 1

Month 2

Month 3

Month 4

Month 5

Month 6

Month 7

Month 8

Month 9

Month 10

Month 11

Month 12

Parker's 11-Month Update!

Dear Parker,

I feel like I begin everyone of these posts with, "This was a big month for you!'  But, it's so true!!  You got your helmet off, walk everywhere, love the game of chase, love cuddling with anything soft, and eat "real" meals.  You've been to Arkansas, made a trip to Galveston, went to your first 1-yr old birthday party, and have even been to the Children's Museum.

You still smile all the time and your whole face lights up.  I'm still getting used to you without a helmet!  The doctor said you had made some good improvement and had grown out of your helmet.  You are still "mildly" flat, but they say it will continue to improve through the age of 2.  It's way better than it used to be.  You just may never be able to be a skin head.  You didn't have any adjustment period without the helmet.  It didn't affect your sleeping habits or anything of that nature.  You never missed a beat.  The hardest part was teaching you that your head hurts when you fall on it.  Previously, you never really used your reflexes to catch your head before it hit the ground.  You had a bit of a wake-up call at daycare the following day after your helmet came off.  But, now... you pretty much know that your head hurts if it hits something.

You have started eating "real" meals as in adult food.  You love, love, love spaghetti.  But you also eat mashed potatoes, chicken, ham, turkey, bread, cheese, blueberries (another favorite), blackberries, raspberries, pineapples, oranges, apples, pizza (another favorite), goldfish, crackers, steak and refried beans.  You would even eat peas, but only pea by pea.. wouldn't allow me to put them on the spoon.  I've found that with new foods you do much better if you feed it to yourself before I give it to you. 

We recently dropped a bottle in your schedule and you are starting to get milk out of a sippy cup for your afternoon bottle.  So, we're down to three bottles total.  We are working our way towards phasing out bottles, slowly but surely.

You also loved Tot World at the Children's Museum.  You ran around for 2 hours straight at that place from object to object.  It was so fun to watch.  You don't do that at home very well... unless you are looking for leaves or playing with rocks.  This place allowed you to just explore, climb and play.  Whereas, at home you tend to follow one of us around and won't play independently.  You could have cared less about me at the Children's Museum.  So, I definitely think we'll be back.

At 11 months you:

• Weigh in at 22 lbs.
• Wear 9-12 month clothes
• Are 30 inches long
• Have 6 teeth still.
• Sleep 10-12 hrs at night and with 2 naps during the day, each about 1 to 1.5 hours.  You usually nap longer in the morning and less in the afternoon. You typically go to bed at 8 PM.
• Don't like to cuddle to fall asleep.
• Understand phrases like "no" and "come here"
• Love imitating anyone making sounds with their lips.  Dad makes a great elephant sound by blowing with his lips clamped together and you do everything you can to mimic that sound and it is HILARIOUS.  You mostly just make "mouth fart" sounds.  But, you try so hard and effort definitely counts.
• Love to play chase with daddy.  Though, you'll place with me, too.  I just can't play chase for as long as daddy.
• Love it when people throw you in the air.  You bonded to my cousin Jake because he would throw you in the air while daddy was out of town.
• Traveled really well to Arkansas for Aunt Kirstie's wedding shower.  You didn't miss a beat.
• Love all things soft and you just cuddle with any soft item.
• Rocks and leaves are your go to toy.  You are starting to figure out doors to the outside and you will walk to the door so that I know you want to go outside.  You definitely love the outdoors and are all boy.
• Still like to always have one item in each hand.  Whether that's two leaves, two rocks, two blocks, two Tupperware containters, anything... just one for each hand.
• Haven't quite figured out how to go from sitting to standing without climbing up on something.
• Eat three, 6-oz bottles (1 is turning into a sippy cup) a day
• Wave and give high fives
• Know the sign for "all done" when you are full.  Though, it can easily be mistaken for a wave.
• Make a ton of grunting noises and still say "ma ma."  I do feel like you are starting to make even more sounds, but not quite words that I can figure out.
• Keep us on our toes with your mobility!  You are so quick!
• Suffer from separation anxiety when mom/dad leave a room.

You are a shining joy, sweet boy.  I love watching you learn new things every day and your smile and belly laughs keep me going at times.  Mom and dad love you baby boy, always and forever.

Parker's 10-Month Update!

Dear Parker,

You just seem to get bigger and bigger every day.  You are full of so much energy it sometimes makes my head spin.  Your smile lightens up any room and your laughter makes my heart full.  This month has also been a big month for you.  You've gotten three more teeth and are starting to eat some "people" food.  You have also gotten bronchitis where you saw the pediatrician three times in three days.  You have taken a few steps on your own, but for the most part you prefer to have someone hold your hand so you can walk around.

We also moved into a new house with so much more space!  You now have the freedom of a backyard and love your new swing.  You no longer swing in fear and will giggle and laugh.  You've been back to the zoo (and not noticed really any animals) and enjoy opening every cabinet that mom tells you "no" too.

You have started to figure out right from wrong and will crawl over to what you are not supposed to climb on very slowly and look back, flash that million dollar smile, and then inch a little closer.  It's so hard to say no to your sweet face.  You really do have a million dollar smile and you flash it all the time.  Your smile consumes your face and your eyes squint with the big ones.  So, of course, we do whatever it takes to keep you smiling!

At ten months:

• Wear size three diapers
• Drink 4 bottles a day, 6oz each
• Eat solid foods 3x a day with real fruit given as a snack
• Love spaghetti and pizza (you are your mom's son!)
• Sometimes will eat chicken, steak, and other foods.  You also like puffs and goldfish and any chopped up fruit.
• Sleep 10-12 hours each night.  Usually from 8-6:30 on weekdays and 8-7:30 on weekends.
• Nap twice a day for about 1 to 1.5 hours at each nap
• Don't like to be rocked to sleep at night... you prefer to just fall asleep on your own.
• Wear 9-months clothes but your pants are usually too short
• Do well wearing shoes, but you still like to eat your shoes
• Don't sit still for more than 1 minute.  You'll even just crawl about 2 feet sit for thirty seconds and then repeat.  You are always on the go.
• Favorite toys are Scout (Dee Dee Nana's dog), chapstick, pens, stackable giraffe from grandma Kathleen, Tupperware containers, doors that open/close and your walker that you push.
• Love going on walks and being outdoors in general
• Struggle with separation anxiety.  You don't like for us to be out of your sight.
• Love, love your daddy and him chasing you around the house.
• Can high five and wave.  Your daddy gives you a high five and "blows it up" with you and you find that hilarious.  He will just put you in the swing and give you high fives over and over again while you laugh uncontrollably.  I love watching moments like these.
• Haven't missed a beat living in the new house.
• Have been to see the neurosurgeon again and there hasn't been much change in your head growth.  It does look 1000x better, but it looks like most progress was made in the first 6 weeks.  Though, the hospital asked to photograph you for some marketing materials.  Everyone just loves your helmet designs that mom accessorizes your helmet with.  We just moved to aviators and air force stickers.
• Will sit still if we keep food on your high chair and let you feed yourself.  You do better with new foods if you give them to yourself instead of mom feeding them to you.  You are getting so independent.
• Officially a pain when changing your diaper.  You will not stay still.  It makes for a very stressful diaper change and usually ends up with one person holding you down and the other person rapidly changing your diaper.  Forget the diaper cream... we don't have time for that!  I don't know how to make this better for both you and myself.  Hopefully you'll grow out of it.  But, its a terrible phase right now!
• A good car trooper generally.  Your legs still push up against the seat, so I think you will like it more when you can face forward.  We'll think about that when your a year old.
• Will drink out of a sippy cup (water only).  I guess I need to start weaning you off bottles slowly.  Aaahh.... I don't know how to do that!
• Have five teeth... three on bottom and two on top.
• Have had three different breathing treatments at the doctors office where you screamed bloody murder.  Mom cried with you and when the doctor was examining you.  Poor, little guy.  You couldn't breathe.  We also had to use the albuterol inhaler on you.  I sure hope you don't have asthma!
• Have taken a few steps on your own, but much prefer to hold on to something when walking
• Take off like a nascar racer on your walker.  You haven't mastered moving around objects or turning yet.  You do best when its a straight shot.  :-)

You are so much fun to play with Parker!  You still love peek-a-boo and love to watch patty-cake.  But, you don't clap your hands.  You are also learning to wave "bye," but you don't wave on demand.  You usually wave while eating.  Slowly, but surely baby boy.  We love you, always and forever.

This is the smile that I love.  You do it all the time.  I'm also glad the swing no longer scares you.

Happy Easter!  Your face... priceless.

Parker's 9-month Update!

Dear Parker,

Oh what fun you are!  You giggle and laugh all the time.  You absolutely love being outside.  We are all really enjoying the longer daylight hours.  This means we can resume some nightly walks!  You still love your wagon and also your trike! 

This month has really been more of the "same."  You crawl around and cruise like you've been doing it your whole life.  You have taken some steps but that really seems to scare you.  If we try to get you to do it again you just become zombie-like and refuse to stand.  You don't sit still for more than 30 seconds.  Even if that means you craw like 1 foot and then sit for 30 seconds and then go back to where you were.  You're a mess!  Quite exhausting!

The helmet does not seem to bother you one bit.  I feel like your roundness has sort of "stagnated" here in the past few weeks.  I'm sure it will start rounding out a bit more; just have to wait for a big growth spurt.

You said "ma ma" one time.  Not to be repeated.  But, even dad heard you, so I have proof!  But, for the most part you just say "ba."  You're whole face lights up when you smile.  You love it when dad chases you around the house on his knees.  How you giggle, so! I love watching you two together.  I also love hearing you two.  Your dad is always trying to teach you new things.  When I'm in the other room, I can just hear him saying, "look here Parker.  This is how you do it.  You go [....]."  It's so great.  You love your dad.  I'd say this month you have been more of a "daddy's boy" instead of a "mama's boy." 

You have started to have real separation anxiety when I drop you off at daycare.  This breaks mom's heart, sweet boy.  It's so hard to leave you in the morning.  But, I know you are in good hands.  Here's what you have been up to this month:

• You sleep 10-12 hours a night (usually 10-11 hours) from about 8 to 6:30.. when we wake you up.  If left alone, you'll sleep to about 7:45 or 8.
• Drink 4 bottles a day ranging from 6-7 oz and eat 3 meals a day.  You also like puffs and yogurt bites.  You love pizza and anything with tomato sauce (that's my boy!).  You still struggle with different textures.  You love baby food, but if I give you "real" food, you still struggle to swallow it.
• Wear 6-9 month clothing.  Still long and lean, buddy!
• Weigh 19.5 lbs and are 29 inches long.
• Enjoy bath time
• Fall asleep at night all on your own w/o me rocking you to sleep.
• Starting to warm up to the swing at the park.  At least you are cringing when we give you the first push.
• Wear shoes!  Well, that's a bit of an overstatement.  Daycare said I had to start bringing you in shoes b/c you are all over the place.  So, you have shoes.  I put them on before we get in the car in the morning and usually neither shoes makes it on your foot into daycare.  Their problem, not mine. 
• Got your third tooth on the bottom.  We're still waiting for those top ones to come down.  I did see them, but it looks like they went back up for the time being.
• Crawl everywhere and cruise like you were made for walking.  It's only a matter of time before you are walking!
• Enjoy playing with anything that is not a toy including mom's purse, mom's shoes, mom's earrings, mom's camera, hangers, remotes.  You get the drift...

You are so much fun, baby boy!!  I can't believe only three months left until you are one!  You bring us so much joy and I can't wait to see you learn and discover more new things.

Mom and dad love you, sweet baby boy... always and forever.

An Open Letter to the General Manager of Northwest Dodge in Houston

My name is Jessica Meier.  I believe you have been working with my husband, Robert Meier.  To remind you of the situation, we purchased a 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee, Limited.  Our Jeep has less than 5,000 miles on it.

1.     On February 14, 2015, we started having significant transmission problems.  Our car got stuck in 7^th gear and the check engine light came on.

2.     Monday, February 16^th, 2015.  We first took the car to the River Oaks Jeep dealership to get it checked out where they proceeded to tell us our transmission needed to be replaced and that it was unsafe to drive.  They sent us back to Northwest Dodge because that is where we purchased the car.

3.     We arrived at Northwest Dodge on that same day, February 16^th.  Your team said we had to wait (it would take up to a week and a half to diagnose the issue) and would maybe have everything resolved by the end of March.  Your team put us into a loaner vehicle after several go-arounds that day where they finally caved.

4.     We drove the loaner vehicle for a week or so until Robert was able to meet with you when you were able to move us to the “front” of the line.  It was determined that your team could fix the problems.

5.     We stay in the loaner vehicle until repairs are made.  You give us our car back saying “It’s been fixed!”

6.     We drive our Jeep and notice it is still having trouble shifting (up shift from 1^st to 2^nd and downshift from 5^th to 4^th).  We take our Jeep back to Northwest Dodge where your team continues to declare all is fine and that the transmission will “re-learn” what it needs to.

7.     We take our Jeep back to you again on Tuesday, March 3^rd saying that no, it is not fine.  Your shop manager rides around in the car with the computer hooked up and did a quick learn which temporarily fixed the problem.  By the end of the same day, the car was having the same problems.

8.     Robert arrives the following day and rides around with another service tech who says that the valve body on the transmission needs to be replaced.  We get back into a loaner vehicle for another week or so for further repairs to be made..

9.     At this point, we have spent several hours on multiple occasions at your dealership and are very irritated that our brand new car is spending so much time in the shop and the issues not being resolved.

10.  On Monday, March 9^th, It is determined that our Jeep is “fixed, again!”  We take ownership of the Jeep only to notice that is still has significant trouble downshifting from 5^th to 4^th.

You have been in contact with Jeep and its determined that we can trade in our Jeep and get a new one since a new car should not have these kinds of problems.  How can we even stay positive that the Jeep has been “fixed?”  How can we trust that we won’t have even more issues with the car?  This is a BRAND NEW car.  It’s not even been driven outside of the city.  I drive this Jeep with my infant.  I feel less than secure in my car and have zero confidence in your repair department at this point.  Robert speaks with you and your team is under the impression that we can be made whole again by trading in our Jeep for a new one that is similar to what we currently own. Robert works with your team, specifically Dax, to find Jeeps that are of a similar price and options to what we currently have.  We find a new Jeep that is similar in price, options and style.

We arrive at your dealership on Saturday to complete paperwork.  However, it appears that nobody is on the same page.  When we get to the financing department, we must either bring to the table an additional $2k or get into new car that is significantly less than what we currently own.  I have NEVER been treated with so much disrespect in my life.

Your team should remember that we did spend $37,000 dollars with them.  I repeat: your team received $37,000 from us.  A fair commission has been earned and we are a paying customer.  Dax was incredibly rude and kept saying that “he doesn’t really care what numbers we are talking about.”  “We can talk circles all day long…”  It was extremely apparent that all anybody wanted us to do was to leave.  I have never, ever been treated so poorly.  I gave you guys $37,000 for a car with a sticker price of $40,275.  That was the deal we had negotiated at the end of October.  All I want is a car that I can believe won’t break down on the highway with my infant in the back seat.  I want a car that is worth $40,275 for $37,000.  End of story.  That’s how I can be made whole.

We went back to the drawing board to find a car that was in-line with what we currently have and your team wouldn’t give it to us without us paying more.  We have to get into a lesser vehicle that does not have all the options we currently have.  Albeit, with a cruddy transmission.  To make matters worse, when we went to look at this “lesser” Jeep with Dax, he hopped onto another customer and basically left us in the dust.  He originally told us there were only 2 cars on the lot we could “afford” and when we test drove that one we noticed a horrible smell.  So, we wanted to look at the other vehicle on the lot, but all of sudden he “only had one.”  It was clear he wanted us to just leave and he didn’t want to help us any longer. I believe he said, “He doesn’t work for free.”  He no longer had time to sit with us at his desk or to work with us.  He left us just waiting… for about an hour before we just left.  We were considering just getting this “lesser” Jeep because we don’t have any more time to waste at your dealership.  But, Dax wouldn’t give us the time of day with his “new” customers.  We arrived at your dealership at 9:45 Saturday morning and left at 12:45 Saturday afternoon because my babysitter had to leave. 

Believe me, I understand your frustration with the situation, but you have to understand our frustration.  I just want to be made whole.  Right now, I’m not getting to be made whole.  I basically just want a straight swap for a 2015 Jeep that is just like my brand new 2014 Jeep.  That’s it.  It’s not my problem that you don’t have any 2014’s left to swap me out of.  I shouldn’t be the one paying extra for a defective Jeep.  What happened to customer service? 

Again, I have never been treated so poorly for spending $37,000.  I just want a vehicle similar to what I currently own for the same price that I can feel safe in.  I feel like your team is trying to make money off my bad situation.  I’m not looking to make a dime off of you.  I just want to be made whole.

I will be working Jeep to rectify this situation and will be meeting with an attorney this week if this cannot be resolved.  I expect better for being a repeat Jeep customer and considering the money I have already given your dealership.

I appreciate your attention to this matter. 

Thanks,

Jessica Meier

Parker's 8-month update!

Dear Parker,

This has also been a big month for you!  You have really started to show your personality.  I fear you are going to be very mischievous as you grow older.  You are also fearless.  It's hard to know if you are more fearless because of the helmet or if you would be this fearless anyways.  This month you got your helmet, began crawling, began eating some table food, stand ALL day long and smile at everyone.  You have such a happy personality.  You also prefer to fall asleep on your own these days.. no more rocking you.  I think that has some to do with daycare and then some to do with your helmet.  It's hard to cuddle on mom's shoulder with that thing!  I don't blame you sweet boy.

You have adjusted very well to your helmet.  The hardest part was the helmet fitting where they kept taking it on and off of you and then taking it back to the workroom to adjust it.  That just took lots of time and you became grumpy.  But, you did great.  I can already tell a difference!  It's very impressive.  The first week we adjusted you to it by the following schedule:

Day 1: wear it for 1 hour on and 1 hour off
Day 2: wear it for 2 hours on and 1 hour off
Day 3: wear it for 4 hours on and 1 hour off; sleep in it all night
Day 4: wear it for 8 hours on and 1 hour off; sleep in it all night
Day 5: wear it for 23 hours on and 1 hour off; sleep in it all night

It never seemed to phase you one bit.  You actually love it.  The only way I got you to crawl at first was if I would set your helmet on the floor.  It fascinates you.  But then, you don't ever get to see it since its on your head all the time.  :-)  But, baby boy, your head STINKS!  It's the worst smell.  Even after washing your head it still smells.  The helmet smells, also.  It also leaves little red "strawberries" on the side of your face by your ear and on the top of your head where it is applying pressure.  We have to wash your head every night per DRs instruction.  The hardest part about this whole helmet thing is getting you dressed.  We kind of have to dress you from the bottom up instead of putting clothes over your helmet.

Daycare says that you stand all day long.  You are on the go.. the call your Mr. Social Guy now.  You also crawl over to the cribs and pull up and stand at the cribs while your friends are sleeping.  I'm sure they love that.  :-)  You stand all day long at home, too.  But now you are crawling to get you places.  I love watching what you will go for next.  Mom has to get some baby gates.  We don't want you flying down the stairs!  You also think you can walk without holding on to anything.  But, you cannot. You face plant every time.  I think the helmet has given you a little bit of a false sense of security.  You pull up on everything including mom and dad.

So, my sweet Parker, here's what you are doing at 8 months

• Wear size 3 diapers.
• Wear 6-month clothes... you are long and lean.
• Became too long for your infant seat, so now you ride in a convertible car seat.
• Weigh in at around 19 lbs
• Eat 4-5 bottles a day.  On the weekends you generally eat 4 bottles, but during the work week you eat 5 bottles.  I think its because you generally sleep later on the weekends.
• Eat baby food 3 times a day.  You eat 4-6oz of solid food at each feeding.  You love to eat!  You are such a good spoon eater.  You just sit in your high chair and open your mouth wide!
• Have learned how to drink out of a sippy cup!  Yay!  This took lots of practice.  You still require some help holding it though.
• Eat puffs and rice crackers.  Though, I gave you some pizza the other night and you were a huge fan.  Who is not a fan of pizza?!  You also like some fettuccine alfredo.  In the past, every time I tried to give you some rice from my plate you spat it out.  So, maybe you are starting to grow out of this texture phase.
• Sleep about 10-11 hours at night straight.  You sleep from about 8-7 each night.  We have to wake you up for daycare every morning at 6:30.
• Take 2 naps a day, each about 1.5 hours.  I can still sometimes get in a third nap with you.
• Still a pretty good car rider.  You just babble about in the mornings and look out the window to your heart's content.
• Favorite toys are mom's purse strap.  Mom's keys.  Remotes.  Paper.  I literally can't leave any paper out or your will eat it like a dog.  I had to pull chunk of paper out of your mouth two days ago.  You also like your standing table still (you dance to the music all the time) and like your alligator that blows balls in the air.  You also like diaper boxes.  You stand up at them and push them around.  You like seeing the flaps of the boxes go up and down.
• Have had pink eye twice and one ear infection.  But none of those phased you too much.  You just had really snotty eyes.
• Always smile and still have just two teeth.
• Like to play peek-a-boo and patty cake.

We sure do love you baby boy.  We love watching you discover new things and see the amazement on your face.  We're so proud of you already.  We love you always and forever.

Just crawling around.

I'm coming to get your camera!

This is the only picture I could get of you on your back.  Gone are the days where I can just stand over you and take a picture.

Stink pot.

I love standing at the door and looking outside!

This!  You are always this happy.