back to work

parker's first day of daycare: j/k (that picture was taken a couple of weeks ago. isn't his lower lip the most precious thing you have ever seen??)

parker's real first day of daycare:

his favorite toy (he spent over an hour in it today!)

cherished family time in the evenings, washing parker up

the sweetest face

love you bud!!!

love me some weekends

from our pool to yours, happy weekend! happy summer! happy hot, hot weather!

love yall!

the sneaky chef

james hasn't driven anyone famous yet for the limo company. the week before he started, the company escorted ben stiller and michael jordan around nwa, but james' luck has only been wal-mart employees...UNTIL TODAY! okay it's not really that cool, but james drove the sneaky chef's husband. of course james had no idea who the sneaky chef was so he mentioned that his wife likes cookbooks (ha. i don't know about that, but i did happen to get some out yesterday in an attempt to make more meals at home). the sneaky chef's husband then asked james for his address so he could send us an autographed copy of his wife's new book (#4) that hasn't been released yet. james was a little frustrated that this man might send him a book instead of giving him a tip, like when i got a signed copy of this book when i worked at a terrible little golf course:

not only did he get a tip, though, but i told him the sneaky chef is a ny times bestseller, was on the today show, etc. and her new book will be AWESOME! because, you know, we really could use more some vegetables in our diet. love yall.

dear daddy a couple days late

james,

i cannot begin to thank you for everything you do for our family. you are not only an incredible father to parker, but an encouraging husband to me. i am so thankful for every day i get to spend with you, my best friend. although it's been over 3 years since we started dating, you still constantly make me laugh and keep things exciting through your creativity. you might be the most fun-loving person i've ever met, which is why we work so well together. you don't take life too seriously, yet you are mature and responsible.

i am in awe of your gift of entertaining in all social situations. during a lull in saturday evening's bbq, you suggested everyone play four square. don't get me wrong--i loved four square in 2nd grade--but i didn't have much faith that the attending adults would buy into the fun. i was wrong. for 3 1/2 hours friends stood in line to take their chance at being the four square king. although there were other people playing horseshoes, ladder golf, frisbee, etc., four square was the hit of the night.

i know the baby stage of parenting is not your favorite, but i am so appreciative of your positive attitude and willingness to help. i love watching you enjoy parker time more and more as he becomes more interactive. before you know it he will be able to play catch with you in yard and box you out on the basketball court.

i love how active you are. i love your ambition. i love how you love the Lord and everyone around you. i respect your work ethic. i cherish your soft heart. babe, you are my hero and i love you with all of my heart. muah!

love,

silvy

p.s. parker says he loves you, too.

Happy Father's Day

baby gap sale!

confession #1: my first trip ever to babies r us was after parker's 1 month birthday.
confession #2: my first trip ever to baby gap was this week.

i'm not quite sure why i never ventured into baby gap before parker was born--probably because parker was given many, many clothes and i figured baby gap's clothes were overpriced (see Recession 2009). however, last week parker received a shirt and shorts size 0-3 months. i tried them on him and took a picture to send to the well-wishing giver even though they were tight as can be. then i drove straight to the baby gap 10 minutes from our house to get a bigger size. luckily i found the outfit and was about to exchange it when i saw the price on the shorts, $19.50. $19.50?? for a pair of semi-cute shorts? that he will wear once or twice before he outgrows them (p is already 14lbs)?? i told myself it was a gift and if someone else wanted to spend $19.50 on a pair of shorts that was their choice. i knew baby gap was overpriced.

but then the sale rack caught my eye. and i saw these:in case you can't read them, they say:
1. "i'd rather be NAKED."
2. B.Y.O.B, Bring Your Own Bottle
3. GET IN LINE GIRLS
4. Teething bites.

and i had to get them because... they were all either $1.99 or $2.99!!!! with the reversible crabby hat i ended up spending <$19.50 for everything. take that overpriced shorts!

moral of the story: go to baby gap this weekend. get some uber cute clothes. you will be glad you stopped in.

p.s. thank you all for your great comments on the last post. i might write more about the subject or chronicles of a babywise mom next week, but it is friday!! we're hosting a dinner party and the cheesecake is in the oven! love yall.

baby literature

what to expect the first year: excellent book. it is not so much about parenting theories as it is answering common parent questions like "why are my baby's eyes crossed??" i highly recommend it to all new parents.

happiest baby on the block: also a wonderful text. i love how this book focuses on the 5 S's of calming a fussy baby (which all parents can use at some point in time). Karp's 5 S's:
1. swaddle tightly
2. side or stomach position
3. shush loudly (i had no idea that louder = better)
4. swing or bounce
5. suck on pacifier or something
this book also talks about extending the womb environment into a baby's 1st 3 months of life (which makes good common sense to me, although babywise disagrees). babies love being close to their mothers whether in a sling during the day or in bed during the night.

the baby book: haven't read it yet, but it sitting on my desk ready to go. i have heard many positive reviews about sears.

the baby whisperer solves all your problems: this is in my library on deck after the baby book, but i'm a little hesitant to read it because babywise moms often reference it. hopefully it will be more enjoyable than anticipated.

healthy sleep habits, happy child: another recommendation from a friend. 3rd on the upcoming agenda.

babywise: oh where do i start. first, for everyone who enjoys and follows babywise principles, i am glad they work for you. second, this book begins by making several valid points like the importance of the marriage relationship and outside relationships with friends. however, my biggest qualm about this book is the way it presents the babywise theory in a brainwashing, condescending tone. take for example:

(paraphrasing) "chelsea's parents follow babywise. chelsea is a perfect angel. she constantly gets praised for being such an ideal baby."
"marisa's parents are not pdf parents. chelsea is a fussy, unmanageable baby."

"because of babywise, chelsea's parents have a perfect marriage."
"marisa's parents' marriage sucks."

"because of babywise, chelsea's parents have tons of friends and love life."
"marisa's parents not only don't have friends, but they are extremely lonely causing deep postpartum depression. because of their stress and depression, they are much more likely to hurt their baby. non-babywise parents = abusive parents = high likelihood of shaken baby syndrome."

"rarely, chelsea does cry (growth spurt! 45-minute intruder! growth spurt! growth spurt! growth spurt! of course not because of babywise) but...the training she is receiving right now will make life so much easier in the future."
"marissa might have some lucky days now, but this only means she is going to be a TERRIBLE, UNDISCLIPLINED, PEOPLE-HATING toddler in a couple years."

you get the idea.

there are also all kinds of contradictions in the book. at one point it says babywise babies are less fussy and cry less often than non-babywise babies. then in chapter 8 ('when your baby cries'), ezzo admits that AP babies "do cry very little...however, this is not a result of love and an abiding sense of security." well, ezzo, what the heck to you think makes these babies cry less than babywise babies? AP babies are NOT loved so they cry less? hmm thanks for clarifying that one.

unjustified statements like this permeate all chapters of babywise. also in chapter 8, ezzo quotes the AAP saying, "newborns routinely cry a total of one to four hours a day." is this a goal of babywise parents, having babies cry 1-4 hours a day? ridiculous. ezzo claims "attempts to minimize crying increase stress because emotional tears actually eliminate chemically activated stress hormones from the body." let's think about this one, ezzo. do babies cry to express emotions or because they are hungry, poppy and want to be held?? have fun with your infant crying for 4 hours a day.

i could pick apart every chapter of this book, but the pool is calling our name. i would never recommend this book to any friend having a baby. when i hear moms say this is the only book they are reading to prepare for newborn care, i wince and hope that they read other books to open their eyes. although this book has some good points (again, see the importance of devoting time to your spouse sans baby), it guilts moms who don't follow babywise into thinking they are subpar parents. i encourage everyone to avoid falling prey to the book's untrue realities.

more pics

dear parker,
you are beautiful.
love,
momma
p.s. i am very pleased with my experience at the picture people (in pinnacle promenade). they never have sitting fees and sent a coupon for a free 10x13 picture, so we figured what the heck. the photographer was great with parker and had tons of ideas and poses, so the session only took 20 minutes. 15 minutes later we reviewed the pics in the store and made our prints right there! it was super easy and the pics turned out great. the only thing i'm a little sad is that parker never smiled when the camera was on him. while we were putting him into the poses and tickling his tummy he smiled so big. Every time she grabbed the camera he stopped (but it was kinda funny). oh well, maybe at his next shoot we will get some smiles. anyway, here are some of the pics...

love!!

booya

dear gerber baby,

you ain't got nothing on me.

love,

parker
p.s. more pictures to come...

the little things

james: why don't you wear your hair in a ponytail any more?

silvy: because i'm actually trying a little to look nice

james: but i like your hair in a ponytail

silvy: and that is why i love you

first video

here is my first attempt at embedding a video (please ignore my obnoxious laugh)


in other news, parker's 2 month stats:

length: 24.25 inches (90th percentile)
weight: 13 lbs. (75th percentile)
head: 15.75 inches (50th percentile)

oh i am hopeful/excited you are going to be tall, parker! you can thank your 6'4" dad for that. being tall will give you a huge advantage in (most) sports, will help you with the ladies, and should help you in the job world (or at least if you want to run for president, ha).

you hit a big milestone this week by... sitting in your bumbo chair!!! (my life has come to this--highlight of the day is putting my son in a bumbo chair, eek). now you can join us on the dinner table and strengthen your neck muscles!

love you,
momma

summertime

dear parker,

welcome to your life.

love,

momma

updates and childcare

parker's 2nd girlfriend, abrey.

don't think it will last since they wouldn't hold hands or look at each other, but it's a step up from hitting. good job, parker. (p.s. parker is definitely too small for newborn clothes, ha).

oh it is nice to stay home for a weekend. james and i got some good cleaning done, updated our monthly budget spreadsheet, ran a little 5k route around the neighborhood, and relaxed. updates on life...

PARKER: survived round one of vaccinations! yay! i think the EMLA cream helped because he only let out a little "wahh" for about 5 seconds and didn't shed a tear, but i don't really have anything to compare it to. however, after we came home and he woke up from his nap, the pain was still stinging in his legs making him a little fuss muffin. he cried/screamed for 15 minutes twice during the evening, but luckily woke up today 100% better, phew. note to self: don't invite friends over for dinner the same day your little one gets shots. bad idea.

JAMES: is out for the night driving a limo for a wedding in fayetteville. he called to tell me that he enjoyed shrimp, spin dip, stuffed mushrooms, a quesadilla bar, etc. at the reception while i am at home eating a super pretzel and deli meat. i am excited for his new little side job, though. yesterday he drove for the walmart shareholders meeting and got asked 3 times if he was single, ha! i enjoy that other women hit on him (he's mine!) and completely trust him. he showed them his ring and pictures of parker on his cell phone so they know he is really taken (having kids seems to make fidelity that much more important). dating = kind of taken. married = taken. kids = TAKEN TAKEN.

SILVY: uploaded videos on the computer! yay!!! finally figured out how to transfer videos from the camcorder. now i just have to learn how to post them on youtube and slice the clips i want to post. get excited for parker mania (i have 66 videos uploaded so far).

on my run today i stopped and talked to one of my new mom friends in the neighborhood. she and her next door neighbor, cindy, each have 2 kids and watch children in their homes. cindy is going to take care of parker 1 or 2 days a week when james is working his 24 hour shifts and i am at the office. the rest of the week james will play with parker while i am hard at work. yay for home childcare (wish we had family in the area, but this is the next best option). i think when we have baby #2 in a couple years i will stay home full-time, but this is what's best for us right now.

LOVE!

vaccinations

dear parker,

guess what you get for your 2 month birthday? vaccinations! luckily mom read an article in the june issue of parents about "taking the sting out of shots" and got you some EMLA cream that should help ease the pain. she's also going to dip your pacifier in sugar water (that she's making herself since bentonville pediatrics does not have sugar water, boo). it was actually quite an ordeal getting the EMLA cream, but i think it will be worth it.

actually, the whole doctor experience has been quite an ordeal. a little background...

1 week old appointment: bentonville pediatrics. overcrowded--james had to sit in a little kids' chair across the room. transparent walls--we could hear kids screaming in other rooms. the baby sitting next to us had an (obvious) tumor in her brain and said the doctor's just realized what it was. the mom almost cried when she was telling me about it. i told myself i could put up with the waiting room madness if the pediatrician was good. and he was.

as i was making parker's next appointment, the receptionist told me parker's pediatrician was moving to africa indefinitely. beautiful.

next day: drive around rogers interviewing pediatricians and family doctors. decide i like the atmosphere and idea of a family practice, especially if parker does not have any major problems.

1 month well baby checkup: take parker to the new family practice doctor. he is nice, has kids, etc. he asks how everything is going and i say great, blah blah. he questions if parker is sleeping through the night and of course i say no because parker is 4 weeks old! doctor recommends i read babywise. what?? i did not ask for a recommendation on baby literature/parenting philosophies. and it's not even the fact that he gave me a recommendation because i appreciate advice, but the book is pretty controversial (more in a later entry) and i don't want a super opinionated doctor. again, i tell myself i can put up with it because i don't want to doctor hop, but seriously.

and then he tells me he does not have all of the recommended vaccinations in his office, namely the hib vacine. apparently he's had it on order for 2 years, but the drug companies do not make enough for family practices. he affirms that no one in nwa can get the hib vaccine except the health dept. i specifically ask if the ped. clinics can get it and he says no.

that afternoon: i call bentonville ped. to see if they have the vaccine and of course they do. now family doctor has not only told me i need to read babywise but also lied to me. perhaps an honest mistake. btw, he also made a joke that his daughter was chubs because she got the "short and fat" gene from her dad. not that i need a doctor who is super fit, but you'd think doctors would try to take good care of themselves instead of simply blaming it on genes.

this monday: call bentonville ped. to get a prescription for EMLA cream. they are too short on staff to have a nurse or doctor talk to me and the secretary has never heard of the cream.

tuesday: get a call back. they "do not ever give prescriptions for EMLA cream." apparently they hear babies scream and cry all day so they are desensitized to pain.

tuesday afternoon: call family practice doc to get a prescription for it. "no problem!" thank you! too bad i'm still probably not coming back to you. but i appreciate it.

today: the test. will EMLA and sugar water help?

(btw, the generic brand of the cream is only $10 for 30 uses! i'll take it for 33 cents/application).

2 months

dear parker,

wow! you are already 2 months old! every day keeps getting better and better. you are more alert, more interactive, and so much more fun! mom is trying to keep you entertained even though she doesn't really know much about babies. you don't have control of your hands yet, but boy, you can kick! the baby einstein playard is your new best friend! when you kick the shapes/numbers, they play a song and light up in mesmerizing patterns. you've figured out that you can control the tune by kicking your left foot on the green triangle and your right on the purple square. it is awesome to see you kick and kick and kick:

when you get bored with baby einstein, mom sings you nursery rhymes and does motions with your arms and legs. your favorite songs are: the wheels on the bus, humpty dumpty, hickory dickory dock, twinkle twinkle little star, round and round, little miss muffett, and jack and jill. grandma betty got you the book "toddler play" that has all of the lyrics and coordinating motions, which is mom's secret to creativity. apparently there is a book by the same gymboree teachers called "baby play," but we only have this one:

mom can't sing well, but you still love to hear her voice. you especially love when she plays with your tummy, and you SMILE! every single day. yay parker!! such a cutie...

every day we either go on a long walk or go to the pool. when we don't get outside, you get fussy, so bring on the fresh air! although it will be a while before you can walk, you can already hold weight on your legs. mom spends about 30 minutes a day working with you on strengthening your leg muscles.

mom tries to give you 30 minutes of tummy time a day to help strengthen your neck muscles, but it usually makes you spit up. we'll work on this. love you oh so much!!!
love,
momma

picture overload

here are a few pics from alan and lynne's wedding (one of james' best friends from ecuador). it was one of the best wedding weekends we've enjoyed together.

new bff, jen. we had a wonderful 4 hour car ride together. i'm convinced that if i ride for a car with anyone for 4 hours they will be my new bff.
the boys at the rehearsal dinner: james, eric, alan, ben, bryan.

jen and me with our husbands (thank you $10 walmart dress. i would wear you every day if i could).
parker laying out at the hotel pool (in the shade).

jen and me at a fun little sandwich shop we found, "which wich?"

wedding cake. i love wedding cakes!!

the boys posing before the ceremony.

parker in his wedding getup. not exactly a tux, but still cute.

my handsome husband. love you babe!

the happy couple opening their balloon-filled car. james tried to chase a balloon and ended up face planting on the cement. it was pretty funny until he realized a huge rip in his tux pants. luckily i was able to smooth talk men's wearhouse and we did not have to pay for it. if there are two things in life i am good at they are 4 hour car rides with strangers and smooth talking customer service reps.

best friends all grown up and married. crazy.

love yall!!

swimmin' fool

parker,
yesterday marked our second trip to the neighborhood swimming pool. we went two weeks ago, but the water was too cold, you were crying for hunger before we even got in (mom forgot to bring your bottle), you didn't have a hat, sunscreen, etc . dad was skeptical to try again yesterday because you still don't fit in the smallest size of little swimmers, but he obliged to mom's demands (mom loves the pool more than she should). i think you actually liked it! you didn't really cry as mom bounced you around in the water and seemed content kicking your little legs under water. we had to cut the adventure short because mom forgot the new hat she bought you at target and didn't want you to get sunburned. she also forgot a towel, change of clothes, etc.

it is tough to remember everything you need on outings! today i am making a pool bag so we are prepared. in the bag: sunscreen, baby towel, blanket, dry onesie, diapers (one regular and one lil' swimmers), wipes, burp towel, pacifier, and a hat. on the day of each trip i will add a bottle and the camera. that's just for you! forget all of the items mom needs for herself. leaving the house will never be the same again, parks.

our family has been pretty busy lately (shalini, our neighbor, told me yesterday that we are the busiest people she's ever met! ha). dad looked oh so handsome in his tux last weekend and we really enjoyed time with mom's family in lawrence. more pics to come. love you little guy! i'm so proud of you for going in the swimming pool with a good attitude! :)

love,
momma