Week 12 with Parker

Parker is getting ever more coordinated.  He can hold his head up for longer periods of time during tummy time or when lying on his stomach on the boppy pillow.  He will stare at objects like the fan or a light trying to figure out what they are.  This week we started him in the Exersaucer - he is so little!  Had to put the airplane book under his feet so he could touch, and a blanket or pillow in front and behind him so he wouldn't head butt the seat.  He managed to rotate himself 90 deg!  Same went for tummy time.  He is pushing hard with his feet, but hasn't figured out to lift his head or push with his arms, rotating himself 90 deg again!  His hands are getting more coordinated pulling objects like blankies into his mouth, holding his parrot on his bouncer, or holding his feet during a diaper change.  Holding blankies or something soft helps him settle down when he's upset, and he'll suck on his fingers (thumb and index) making Dad's favorite suction noise.  He also likes to look around and blow bubbles, although he seems to get extra bubbles during hiccups.  This week he had his first tears after waking up from a nap, this prompted Mommy to give him extra cuddles!

 Mr Smily

 1st time in the Exersaucer

 Grabbing his feet - this does not make diaper changes easy!

 Sucking on his fingers like Daddy did as a baby

Managed to rotate himself 90 degrees!

Brady continues to amaze us with how much he can comprehend and how much he remembers.  He made a trip to the AT&T store with Daddy where some older kids gave him a blow-pop.  Daddy told him he could eat it but to let Daddy know when he broke through to the gum cause he could choke on it.  Five minutes down the road Brady tells Daddy he broke through and handed the rest of the blow-pop to Daddy - what a sweetie!!!  Since it was 105+ deg plus all week we made a trip to the spray pool.  Brady did his signature move and jumped in with Daddy catching him.  It's only a foot or so deep but we want to keep up the good habits at least until Brady is comfortable putting his head under water.  He had a lot of fun taking Daddy around the spray pool, his favorite was the tunnel.  Mom and Parker watched from the shade, with Parker lying on an ice pack to keep cool and catching up on his sleep.  And Brady is getting very good at going on the potty.  At the beginning of the month he would go occassionally at school, now he's up to 3x/day at school and 1x/night at home - go Brady!  Once he gets this mastered we'll transition to peeing when standing and work on going poopy on the potty.  Sounds like a good one for the Dad department.

 The tunnel at the spray pool

Mr Fearless jumping in

Parker snoozing by the pool

Cooking Mommy a burger and a hot dog - someday soon! 

This was a busy week for Mom and Dad with a night out to the Cotton Bowl stadium in Dallas to watch Real Madrid and AS Roma play a match in the International Champions Cup.  Despite all the returning World Cup stars, Real Madrid lost 0-1 to AS Roma.  It was a beautiful 80 deg night with a beautiful sunset.  While Brady was home playing with the babysitter, Parker enjoyed the match only getting upset when the crowd got really loud and then he went to sleep.  We had great seats too, 1st row, and directly in front of us was all the action and the lone goal.  Also got to see an old friend who came over bringing us dinner one night.  It was good to see Catie and catch up with one of Mom's long time friends.  Tonight Grandma Reggie flies in for a week to help Mommy with the boys while Daddy goes out of town on his business trip.  Almost forgot to mention this was Mommy's last week of maternity leave.  Taking care of the little munchkin is so much more fun than work, even if confined inside because of the summer heat, she will have to go back eventually but not until after she burns off some vacation.

1st international soccer match (for us all)

Parker and Catie

Week 11 with Parker

Parker had a bit of a fussy spell this week lasting about 4 days.  He would eat well, poop at irregular intervals (like 3x in a row, then nothing), his sleep was interrupted waking several times early morning, and he was overall more cranky.  Reading back on Brady's blog, he had the same thing about this time.  We figure it was a growth spurt as he has gotten a lot stronger - he's trying hard to sit up by himself especially in the boppy, he's arching his back almost rolling from back to belly, his kicks are much stronger especially during diaper changes, he regularly pulls his arms out of his swaddle, he really gets bouncing in his bouncer, and his cries and coos have gotten a lot louder.  Thinking next week we'll start him in the Exersaucer to help coordinate all this strength and energy.  Once the fussy spell was over, he slept for what seemed like a day including one night where he slept 7 hours straight.  Mom is putting him in Size 2 diapers overnight to help avoid leaks when he sleeps long stretches.  Otherwise Parker is a happy healthy smiley little boy and has started drooling and blowing bubbles and working on coordinating objects into his mouth like soft blocks or his elephant chewy. He also enjoys reading books with bright colors or singing interactive songs like itsy-bitsy spider or head-shoulders-knees-and-toes.

Checking stuff out during tummy time

 Chewing on a soft block

Back arches - he'll be rolling over in no time!

Parker already looking so grown up

With the Texas heat back, Mom and Parker had some fun indoors playing with Mom's fancy camera.  Parker let Mom dress him up and a couple photo shoots.  With little effort, and at a lot less cost, Mom got even better pictures than this newborn photos.  We'll have to remember that if we have a 3rd.

Mr Blue Eyes

ET who?

What a week for Brady.  He got to play more tee-ball in the driveway - he really can hit and has pretty good form for an older kid much less a 2 year old!  We also went to Veterans Park to play on the playground.  They have all new equipment with sun shades and Brady had a blast going down the big slides and running around with the other kids.  He was having so much fun he did a little skip run which Mom caught on video.  One of the sports radio channels was also there for disc golf and giveaways.  We also took Brady to the drive in movie theater for his 1st time to see Planes: Fire & Rescue.  He got to sit in the front seat in his car seat while Mom and Parker enjoyed the back seat. Think he enjoyed more being there than the actual movie.  He kept pointing out airplanes in the sky, called downtown Fort Worth a "castle", and played copycat to an older little kid in the car next to us.  Later in the weekend he went to birthday party for an older girl and had a lot of fun running through the sprinkler or jumping on the couch with her.  Unfortunately after the weekend he got a touch of a cold, and an ear infection in his left ear where the tube has fallen out, keeping him home sick one day from school.  Daddy had a big presentation so Mom got to spend the afternoon with both her boys.  Mom and Brady did a lot of coloring or watching cartoons.  Brady's coloring skills are getting really good - he can now say all the colors and he will color in objects not just scribble on the page.  This made Mommy really proud.  He's such an amazing kid.  We also consistently get comments about how good his speech development is for a 2 year old - he can say so many words and so clearly they always think he's older.

 What form!  Coach Cofran would be proud

 Going down the big boy slide fearless

 Climbing the rock wall all by himself

1st drive in movie

 Meeting older women

Coloring faces, boots, treasure, and Captain Hook's jacket

This week also saw the mansion finally sell after 9 yrs on the market and the run down house next to it get demolished.  We are looking forward to the new neighbors moving in and maybe even fixing the shared fence and putting in a courtesy gate!

Week 10 with Parker

Goodbye newborn, hello baby!  Parker did lots of big boy things this week including sitting in his Bumbo seat, taking his first bottle, watching cartoons with his older brother, tummy time and lifting his head, pulling objects into his mouth to chew on, first trip to the pool, going for walks in the big stroller, and hanging out in the Moby wrap with Mom.  His muscles are getting stronger allowing him to lift his head with better control, pull himself up to sitting, and almost rocketing out of your lap when he pushes on his legs to stand up.  As with most breastfed babies, his digestive system is maturing and altering his daily routine to eat, play, poop, sleep.  He struggles more with his poops now that it's not immediately after his feeding and has less poop and more gas.  The 30 deg angle works really well on him as it did for Brady, or holding him upright walking around to pass bubbles. Most nights he sleeps through the night (~7 hrs straight), taking 2-3 longer naps during the day and eating ~8x/day.  He's getting bigger now, wearing mostly 3 month size clothes.  He also seems to be taking better to his swing, enjoying looking at his lambs and even falling asleep in it on occasion.  At this age Brady developed into a thumb sucker.  So far Parker seems to enjoy chewing on his right fingers, with or without holding a blankie, but has been found twice with his right thumb in his mouth.  Daddy is pulling for him to be a lefty!

1st bottle - had to take a few breaks to breathe but drank almost all 2 oz

 Saturday morning cartoons with big brother

 Cruisin' the house with Mom

 Getting ready for tubing on Grandpa Bob's boat

Just so stinkin' cute!

Brady continues to bring firsts into our lives.  This week we met a friend for a BBQ and she let us use the pool at her HOA.  And just like in Maine, Brady jumped off the edge of the pool fearlessly into Daddy's arms.  He really loves the water.  With summer in Texas in full swing we are looking into swim lessons.  Brady has adjusted back to the routine at school.  This week they had a special visit from some barnyard critters and Brady enjoyed watching the pigs and goats and brushing the sheep.  He also has had several successful attempts at peeing on the potty at school which he brought home peeing once on his little Thomas the Train potty - go Brady!  The trick seems to be a combination of getting reward stickers at school and watching a Potty Power video on the phone in the bathroom at home.  We anticipate there will be some accidents, including one night where he peed on the floor after an unsuccessful trip to the potty, but we clean up and try again.  Brady still seems to be adjusting well to having a little brother.  He's very gentle with Parker and loves to share blankies, attempt to share food, and kiss him on the head or play with his feet.  As we bring out some of his old toys and gear he does say "mine" - not sure if it's a little jealousy with sharing his old stuff or just that he wants to be the first with the "new" toy.  It is fun to see him playing again with toys he hasn't used since he was really little. 

 Mr fearless

Toe tapping to Potty Power

 Mine?  Ok I'm stuck

Fun feeding the dog, and fun cleaning up the mess

It's mid-July in Texas, normally it's 100+ deg and miserable but for some reason this year we are getting lots of rain.  This has helped keep the temps down enough to enjoy some activities outside.  Last night after dinner we played in the driveway as the storm approached.  Brady hit balls off the tee with Daddy catching, Mommy cheering him on, and Parker providing support from the back of his eyelids.  Brady can swing righty or lefty with pretty good accuracy hitting balls all over the driveway.  Think he's going to be a pretty good athlete!  

With Parker now on a more stable routine, and Mom's maternity leave ending in a few weeks, Mom and Dad have been getting back into their workout routine.  While Dad works out most weekday mornings, Mom works out 2 days on, 1 day off, and is happy to feel ab muscles again.  She'll fit in her work clothes and jeans again soon.  And with all this talk of athletics and working out, the FIFA World Cup concluded this week with Germany beating Argentina 1-0 taking home the most coveted trophy in international soccer.  Team USA did well advancing behind Germany in the group stage, and going into extra time but losing to Belgium in the round of 16.  

Still hard to believe we're parents to two wonderful little boys.  It's changed our lives in so many good ways, we enjoy every second!

Weeks 8 & 9 - and Parker turns 2 months old

Had another great week in the northeast!  Kicked it off with a retirement dinner hosted by Mom and her brothers for Grandma Reggie who retired from Plymouth State University after 43 years.  In attendance was Grandma's long time friend Darlene who was also retiring after 42 years.  From Joe Dudek (1985 Heisman trophy nominee) to Paul Reubens (Peewee Herman) and half the university president's, these ladies had a great run.  We all had a great time at the Country Cow catching up, hanging out, and watching Brady provide the free entertainment.  Mom ran into two of her high school buddies as well.

The retirees - Darlene and Grandma Reggie

With younger brother Steve

With the kids

Brady picking up the check

Over the weekend the timing worked out such that we could stop by and say hi to one of Daddy's old college buddies who has a house close to Lake Winnepesaukee.  It was great to see Chris and his family, and let Brady play with their two boys (James - 6 yr, Sean - 4 yr).  While Daddy had fun catching up, Mom enjoyed a trip to the beach with Michelle and the boys allowing them to dig in the sand and have stick sword fights.  Brady also got to check out their boat going on a short ride with Chris and Daddy.

The gearheads - Chris and Daddy

The week continued with a stop at Storyland (one of Mom's fav places as a kid, and location of many school field trips) on the way to Maine.  Brady had a blast.  It was a little hot, even for northeast standards, so they had sprinklers set up to keep the kids cool.  Despite the tea cup ride, the swans, the farm animals, the pirate ship ride, and possibly even driving the antique cars, Brady's favorite thing was jumping in the sprinkler puddles.  Unlike Clark's Trading Post, Storyland was bigger than Mom remembered.  Uncle Skip was right you need a full day to do Storyland, we covered maybe 1/3 in half a day.  

 Getting ready for Storyland

The view at one of the lookouts on the Kanc en route

Puddle jumping with a new friend

Driving an antique car

Ok, I did it!

Minding the herd

By the time we got to Maine the kids (and parents) were beat and we welcomed some R&R.  Ahead of July 4th the water was really warm, surface temp was 77 deg which is unheard of up there.  We took advantage with everyone getting in swimming and spending some time out on the boat.  Like the previous summers Brady took to the water like a fish, he loved swimming around with or without his life jacket on and playing shark with Mom and Dad.  He's such a fish he jumped off the dock 3x into Daddy's arms all by himself.  He had a lot of fun riding in and driving the boat, feeding the fish and the ducks, catching and releasing fish in his play pool, playing with matchbox cars in the house or on the porch, driving his own John Deere, and playing ball or helping out in the garage.  Parker had a good time too.  He got to spend a lot of time with his Grandma's, rocking on the porch swing, doing his exercises or practicing his "hi's", and watching his brother run crazy.  Brady tried to wear out his Grandpas and his Uncles but he was outnumbered.  

Later in the week we got some rain and it dropped the lake surface temp to a balmy 62 degrees, brrr!  That allowed time to assemble the 4th of July fireworks barge.  It was awesome, what a great show, thanks again to Uncle E and Uncle Paul for providing the fireworks!  Still can't believe the scotch tape worked.  We got lots of cheers and compliments from other camps on the lake.  And despite the colder water, Daddy and Uncle E got out the wakeboard.  Daddy practiced switching lead foot and jumps, while Uncle E worked on jump speed and height, both did great!

All in all it was another great week.  Appreciate Grandma Nancy and Grandpa Dave for driving all the way up from New Jersey, and Grandpa Bob and Grammie Terry letting everyone stay at the camp.  It was a blast, we'll have to do it again next summer!

 The camp with the new door and windows

Throwing rocks with Grandpa Bob

Ready for swim lessons

 Driving the boat with Grandpa

Feeding the ducks with Uncle E and Uncle Paul

Exploring the woods with Grandpa Dave

Grandma Nancy with her boys

 Moosin' around with Grandpa Bob

Parker and Grandpa on the porch swing

The July 4th barge - great job by Uncle E, Grandpa Dave, and Daddy to rig it up

Daddy practicing jumps

Uncle E getting some air

July 4th with the fam