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!