Back to work for mommy

I'd planned to post new pics a long....time ago, but read my title again...need I say more. I went back to work Dec. 1st. It's actually been a fairly easy transition for all of us, but that's only because we have so many wonderful and supportive people in our life. Chris and I are incredibly blessed to have our children taken care of by their Mimi and Nana while we are at work. They sacrifice so much to make sure that our kids are cared for, loved and especially spoiled! :) We wouldn't want it any other way. 

The kids are doing great. Parker did have a little hiccup a few weeks ago. He busted his chin open during Sunday school, but luckily it could be Dermabonded instead of stitched. It has healed nicely. Reese will be 2 months old Wednesday. As usual, time is going by too quickly. Reese has had a stuffy nose for the last week, but other than that she is sleeping and eating like a pro. She is starting to smile more, which melts our hearts every time. Parker got a haircut this week and now looks like a big boy.  He's been so great with Reese. Not one single time has he acted jealous or "neglected." (like he would ever have a MOMENT of neglect!) He always wants to make sure that Reese is taken care of and getting plenty of kisses from her big brother.

I've added a few more pictures below. There are plenty more, but I will add those later. We are still trying to take some pics for our Christmas card...no such luck yet. We'll see if we get those out this year! :)

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season!  ( Just a wish for you in case I don't make it back here for another month!!)

You can see a glimmer of a smile here. They are becoming
more and more abundant! :)

Reese with her new purple bow. She's my sweet girl!

Parker playing in the leaves. He loves running and
jumping in the leaves.

My sweet Parker Pie.

More Pictures

Here are some more pictures, as promised! Parker is at school and Reese is sleeping in my left arm while I type with my right. This could take a while! Everyone is doing well. Reese is getting better at sleeping at night. Last night she didn't want to go to sleep initially, but once she is asleep she is only waking up to eat. She is already growing so much and is starting to get fat rolls on her legs! :)

Today was my first day to take Parker to school with Reese. I was wondering how I would pull off getting Parker to eat breakfast (no small task) while feeding Reese, getting him ready and making myself presentable enough to be in public. All the while getting there on time, but we made it! I still can't carry Reese's car seat or lift her stroller to put it on so I just carried her in with me. She was sweet and slept the whole time. Parker was proud to show off his sister to his teacher and classmates.

Reese's first professional picture. She was such a 

good little girl.


Parker is starting to look so grown up. He did such a good 

job of sharing his sweet smile with the photographer.


Parker Pie and Reesie Peesie Pie (Parker gave her that
name)

This picture was on the other post, but I wanted to share

it again since it goes with the other pictures. Parker can't 

stop kissing her. It's so precious. I would like to hope it 

stays that way forever, but I have big brothers and know 

better!


Bathtime with daddy! This is such a sweet picture. She 

loves her daddy!


So... sleepy! Reese and daddy take a nap.


Story time with Mimi. Parker loves holding his baby sister. 

As soon as she can hold her head better, it will get a little 

easier to hold her. It's just hard to explain that concept to a 

3 year old.

Reese looks like she took a vacation to Hawaii without us. 

Sometimes she is so tan!

Sweet picture of my two precious babies.

I really do have good intentions when I say that I will be regularly post more pictures. But, the truth is, it's a matter of "Do I want to spend more time loving on my children?" or "Do I want to sit at the computer and download pictures?" Being that it's Saturday today, Chris is here and in full daddy mode! Parker and Reese don't even know that their mommy had escaped!

Reese's trip back to the doctor went great! Her bilirubin level had stayed the same as before, so the doctor said it would start coming down instead of going up anymore. As far as her weight, she needed to gain 2 ounces in 2 days and she gained 4.5 ounces! Go Reese....and mommy! She was almost already back to her birth weight at 5 days old.

She is doing wonderful! Last night she only woke up to eat! It was nice to have a little extra sleep. She stays inconsistent in this department, but I am hopeful that she will get it all down soon. I love spending time with her, and I remember how quickly this phase goes by. Even if it means spending time with her wide awake in the middle of the night, I will take it. Parker has grown up so quickly, so I'm trying to slow down and just enjoy my two babies.

Yesterday was Halloween and we had an evening full of festivities. Parker had a blast, and Reese slept through the entire thing. We went to our church for a little bouncy housin', sliding, petting animals and playing games for lots of candy! Luckily Parker liked bouncing more than playing the games, so he didn't end up with a ridiculous amount of candy. Nothing Mommy and Daddy can't help him polish off in a few days. :)

This was Reese's first big outing. Mimi and Nana came with us, so there was plenty of help and time for Chris and I to run around with Parker....and run around we did. He was non-stop for 2 hours. The weather was fabulous. You never know what you are going to get for Halloween. It's usually so hot all the little ones are sweating in their huge costumes their parents bought week ahead of time in hopes to keep them warm, or it's freezing and it's hard to enjoy being outside. So, thankfully, it was right in the middle this year.

Reese has changed so much in the past 3 weeks. I keep telling her to slow down so that I can just hold her and keep her little. Every time I start to say, "I can't wait to see her smile or hold her head up...." I stop myself and remember that in time I will see it all instead of wishing her life to the next moment.

I hope you enjoy the pictures. There will be more to come in the future I am sure. Parker and Reese had their picture taken last week. They turned out so cute. I will add those hopefully within the next couple of days, as well as some other random pictures taken around the house. I hope you all had a wonderful and safe Halloween.


Parker wore his Japanese warrior costume for Halloween.
Thanks Tay!


Mommy and Daddy with their sweet warrior.




Parker feeding the baby pig with a baby bottle. It was so cute
that poor little pig would follow the kids around trying to drink
from the bottle. Of course I felt so sorry for all the animals
because all the kids were handling them not so carefully. :(


A rare smiling moment caught in a picture. Parker wore this same
onesie when he was a little guy. It was neat to see her wear it. Of
course I had to add a big bow with it. :)


Our sweet little pumpkin girl.


Leo was a helicopter for Halloween! Just kidding...I can't believe
I caught this picture. He's such a little nut!

Introducing Miss Reese Caroline and Big Brother Parker

Born 10/10

7 lbs. 3 oz.

20.5 inches long

Reese is finally here! After a long anticipated 9 months, she is here, perfectly healthy and absolutely precious. Labor and delivery were quick and better than I imagined, which is such a blessing. Parker should win the award for Best Big Brother. He has been so wonderful, and such a big boy. He seems so big now that we have held Reese, but of course he will always be my baby boy, Parker Pie. He loves to hold and kiss her. 

We have spent the past few days getting to know her and trying to get some sleep whenever possible. Like most newborns, she has her days and nights mixed up. I need her Uncle J.J. here to offer night relief! :) She has gotten a little better each night. 

She went to her pediatrician yesterday. She had lost 7 oz., which is normal for newborns. But, her bilirubin was higher than when we left the hospital, so they want to check that out again tomorrow. I have her in the sunlight right now, so hopefully that will help.

Sweet little Reese Caroline

Just takin' a peek


Mommy is having fun dressing me up! :)


One of the rare moments caught with her eyes open...so sweet.


Parker and Reese with good friends Melissa and Grant.

Melissa took the boys to Wiggles the night we brought Reese home. He had a great time playing with Grant. Aren't they so cute in their rival shirts? Too bad that's the same day that OU got beat. :(


Another sweet one with her eyes open.


Reese's first bath. She SLEPT through the entire thing.
Parker was a good helper getting her towel and talking to her.


Daddy with his best bud and little girl. She looked so
sweet in her pink towel.

Parker's First Day of School

I have always wondered how I would feel when Parker started school. Chris and I were talking about it a few days ago and we were trying to picture him at school in certain situations. Say for instance, he is on the playground and has to use the restroom. We do teach him manners, but little 3 year old boys sometimes tend to "pick a spot in the grass."Granted, this is pre-school, and he's only going twice a week, but it still brings a string of emotions. Since his Mimi and Nana have kept him since he was 6 weeks old, this will be a new experience for us all. His only experience with a classroom type setting with other children is Sunday School, but he's only there 2 hours once a week. We chose to let him start school this year so that he has something that is "his" and has nothing to do with his little sister who will be here before we know it. He's so excited to meet Reese, but inevitably, there will be transitions and change along the way. Also, it's never too early for children to begin working on their social skills. He's around adults so much that we want him to associate and learn alongside other children. 

I wrote the paragraph above yesterday, so that I would have a jump start on it for today. Parker did great at school, which is such a relief for us.  When I was dropping him off  there was a little girl in front of him who started bawling. I thought, oh great.....but, he just looked at me and said, "Mommy, hold me." Once we were in his classroom, he spotted the toys and a friend of his from down the street. Not a tear from either of us! :) Below are some pictures from his big day.

Parker's first project for school. He had to make this
little man look like him. He painted everything, and
I cut it out.


Close up of his art project. Parker was wearing his Romo
jersery, so we made his little man look like a Cowboy. 

Chris and I were discussing what we could do for the nose.
Parker took the black marker, and just drew one in.
So cute!


Parker and Mommy


Got my keys and backpack. I'm ready to go!!!


Do I have to carry ALL of this? Of course he didn't, but I
thought it would make a cute picture. He's holding his
backpack, napmat and lunch box.


Parker and Mimi before going to school.

Reese update - I went to the doctor today, and everything looks good! Reese was moving around while they were trying to get her heart rate, as usual. She's already such an active little girl! We can't wait to meet her. We finally finished her nursery, so I will include some of those pictures as well. 

Reese's nursery


Chris and I made this for her room. We thought

it turned out so cute.


I wish you could see the detail up close, it's 
amazing. Chris made these letters from scratch all
by himself. What a sweet daddy! :)

Parker's 1st trip to the dentist

I was so very proud of my little guy at the dentist. I have to say that he was much braver, and showed much less anxiety than his mother when she goes! He kicked back and watched Mickey Mouse with headphones. He never cried or even moved for that matter. Vickie, our dental hygienist, was awesome with him. She had names like Mr. Tickle and Mr. Thirsty for all the instruments. I don't know that I have ever met Mr. Tickle, maybe Mr. Scraper or Mr. Claw, but definitely not Mr. Tickle. Anyways, I am so glad that it was a good experience for Parker.

What a good sport!

Watching Mickey Mouse in his cool glasses.

"Mr. Tickle" cleaning his teeth with strawberry polish....mmmm!

Parker also went to see his pediatrician this week for his 3 year well visit, so he shouldn't have to go back for a while. Everything went great, especially since there weren't any shots involved. He did get a dose Flu Mist (nasal spray) instead of the flu shot this year. He didn't feel well for the next couple of days, but it will be worth it come flu season.

We also did some fun things this week. I really didn't want to spend my last week home with him going to the doctor all the time, so we made up for it by playing in his new frog pool, playing with the water house and sprinkler, going to the pool, etc....

Hugging his new frog pool. It has a sprinkler 

attached to it that Leo loves to play in as well.

More fun times in his pool.

We are working very hard to get Reese's nursery ready. We still have plenty of time until she's here, but since I go back to work Monday we are trying to get as much done as possible. I will be very little help once I am drained from being at work all day. Her furniture will be delivered tomorrow, so Chris is painting and installing a chair rail. I will post pictures when everything is ready.

Happy Birthday Parker!

Parker celebrated his 3rd birthday on Saturday, Aug. 9th at his Nana and Poppy's house. He had such a wonderful time with his friends and family. We set up a bounce house/waterslide, train amd kiddie pool. I'm sure all the kids were wiped out by the time they left....I know I was!! His actual birthday is today, so we took him to Wiggles Play Center and the mall in Frisco.  I wasn't the best photographer at his party, but here are some pictures that turned out OK. I have also added some pictures from his actual birthday. He celebrated it with Mom, Dad and Mimi. 

Parker's cupcakes! Not what I had originally planned, 

but they turned out cute.

Parker and Daddy singing Happy Birthday. Parker actually

 sang Happy Birthday to himself....so cute!

Chris driving some of the kids on the train. They loved the train!!

Grant and Parker sitting on Poppy's tractor.


I can't believe my little boy is 3 today! This is the cake he 

picked out. He could barely keep his fingers out of the icing!


Daddy took off work to spend the day with his little buddy!


Finally...time to blow out the candles! We made him take 

a million pictures, so he was ready to dig in.

Baby update - I am 31 weeks now.I went to the doctor last Thursday to have a sonogram. It was 3D which was awesome! I never had that option with Parker. You could see her precious little ear, nose and cheek from her right side. She weighs a little over 3 pounds. I can't wait to hold her. Parker is very excited to be a big brother, and I know that he will be the best one ever!

Busy week this week....Parker is going to the dentist for the first time tomorrow to get his teeth cleaned. He also has an appt. with his pediatrician Thursday for his 3 year exam. I don't think there are shots at this one. I sure hope not. :( The baby's furniture is also being delivered Thursday. As soon as Chris paints the nursery I will post some pictures of it. Time is flying by so fast that it's hard to get everything done. I also start back to work on Monday the 18th. I've had so much fun with Parker this summer. It's going to be hard to be away from him.