Month 3: A Look Back

Month 3: A Beary Parker Christmas!

Month 2: In Pictures

Loving Leo, Silky, and Books!

Parker's 1st Halloween... As a Lady Bug!
Parker's 1st Thanksgiving... Featuring a Dorst sweater!
Ready for take-off!

Month 2: Who You Calling Baby?

Parker continues to develop a pace that I'm told by his pediatrician is just right percentile-wise, but I have to say every day offers a new clue to the person he's becoming and I consider that accelerated growth, even if it happens to all babies.

Speaking of which, he's really not a "baby" so much as he's a "little man" around these parts. I think this is because he's starting to express himself through more than one singular cry that's one-situation-fits-all - which everyone knows is a hallmark of true maturity ; )

Particular milestones of interest this past month:

~ Parker had his first "live concert" given by our talented neighbors who played an acoustic set of The Beatles for him, which he absolutely responded to with delight and amazement, equally.

~ Parker got his first round of vaccinations like a champ, charming the nurse even as she repeatedly jammed a needle into the fleshy part of his thigh. His pediatrician was like, "Is he always this happy?" Um, no. Especially when the gas bubbles hit in the middle of the night and he can only be held at a tilted right angle and thumped on the back while being jostled, without abating the accompanying screams, of course.

~ Parker is a swinger after all. Just when we were about to call it quits and send the unnecessarily huge piece of baby gear packing to the wilds of Craig's List, Parker decided he can't live without it. Fabulous. We are moving the swing under our Christmas Tree later today so he can really take in the lights.

~ Parker is super social and loves be outdoors. He is great to mingle with at a gathering, flashing his infectious grin and working the crowd. He would do well at the Marina Safeway on a Saturday night, something tells me.

~ Parker recognizes people besides me and his daddy! He also can distinguish voices and faces from afar and locate sound and sight much more easily. This leads to lots of stimulation, and of course giggles and wailing, alternately. He doesn't have separation anxiety yet, in fact he loves having about 20 minutes of independent time to himself at several intervals throughout the day.

~ Parker met Cousin Rio and saw Cali Girl again and loved every minute of being held by them - Cali even fed him just perfectly and helped swaddle him. Rio and Parker will easily be partners in crime once Parker gets to moving and shaking a bit more, but Rio patiently worked with Cali to include Parker in some of their play during the visit.

We are all looking forward to Parker's first Christmas - Halloween and Thanksgiving pix to follow - and we're hoping that his teething (two teeth coming in already up top!) stays manageable enough for him to sit on Santa's lap at a sunny, Southern California mall!

Week 3: In Which Visitors Hail From The North

Lots of fun with visitors from NorCal this last week. Parker showed off his wobbly smile and forceful pout and generally all shared in The Cute:

Erin-Leigh, The Godmother


Grandpa McNussen


Grandma McNussen

Grandpa McNussen brought with him a bookshelf built expressly for Parker, which we filled with books from across generations. (Pix to come!)

Also, just in this week, existential questions I never thought I'd ask until my son was born:

~ Why does Parker prefer one baby carrier and not another?
~ If I sleep when the baby sleeps and he sleeps 16 hours a day, why am I exhausted?
~ What do newborns dream about? Is there language? And color?
~ Are showers really necessary for a parent? (I feel like a scratch and sniff sticker.)

On that note, bathtime!

Week 2: In Pictures

With Nana's Blankie

Napping

With Daddy

Week 2: What's In A Nickname?

The love comes quickly, as do the nicknames - which are ridiculous in their nature and rapid in frequency as we try to find the perfect fit for what cannot be summed up in a handy catch phrase: "The cutest baby on the planet that burst from my being and changed my life forever." Nope, won't fit on a button or bumper sticker.

That said, here are a few of the nicknames we are trying out... do not judge...

~ Parker Bear - seems to be the front-runner
~ Little Man - a tad confusing since Cowboy has also been referred to by this moniker
~ Buddy - a holdover from when my little brother Matthew was a baby
~ Baby Bird - actually employed as a verb that describes the face Parker makes when hungry
~ Sweetums - this one actually defies reasonable explanation

I think, for me, nicknames have historically served to bestow a marked and affectionate familiarity (just ask Wendy Woman or Rock Star or Young David) and since we are still getting to know each other, Parker and I, there is no doubt in my mind that there are more nicknames to come.

Week 1: In Pictures

Blessed by the Angel of Orthodontics

Coy, Part One

Party Animal

Week 1: Home Sweet Hollywood

We arrived home four days after delivery, and not a moment too soon. We had missed our humble abode in the Hollywood Hills even if we'd been just a stone's throw away in the good ole 90210. (Still trying to decide which location to put on the official birth announcements... maybe the moon?)

Nana was waiting for us, along with Lulu pup and our kitties, Cowboy and Winslow. The pets seemed to suddenly engage their protector alarms and are very conscientious of Parker's presence. For Parker's part, he seems pretty nonchalant about the animal presence in his immediate domicile. Often the kitties and Lulu will climb to a perch above Parker so they can observe and, no doubt, judge whether he shall be friend or foe.

Lots of sleepless nights and days (filled with feeding, dipes, and too few photos) later Parker has a few likes and dislikes I'll share on his behalf:

LIKES:
~ Bottles - yay!
~ Nana 911 - the calm in the storm
~ Living room picture window - so much to take in, so little time
~ Swinging - only side to side, please, and *with* nature sounds
~ Reading - thanks again to everyone for our board book collection

DISLIKES
~ Empty bottles - boo!
~ Nodding off to sleep - "What if I miss the party?"
~ Binkies - not so enticing upon subsequent attempts at use
~ Gas - a.k.a. The Enemy
~ Air-conditioning - an unfortunate scheduling conflict with Indian Summer

Also, this is just a little plug for gDiapers, which is a cloth/disposal hybrid diaper system that is well worth the limited effort and reasonable cash outlay considering the savings forever to the environment. Guess my hippie gene is flexing its muscle, or something, but I just had to share!