domestication

I think I am perfecting the art of being domesticated. I make (almost) every meal, do chores around the house, take care of the baby, and now make clothing. That's right people. I can fricken make baby clothes. Booh-yah!

Thanks to an awesome tutorial online I've successfully made Parker 2 pairs of leggings! Plus matching headbands for me! I'm so proud of myself for learning how to use a sewing machine and make things on my own! I think next I'm going to try to hand stamp some clothing so Parker can have one of a kind items. 

I've been following some entrepreneurs on Instagram that do these sorts of things and while I commend them all for being so darn crafty and business minded, I think it's silly sometimes how much they charge. $25 for baby leggings for example. It cost me $5 for a yard of fabric and $4 for elastic which lets me make 3 pairs. Plus headbands (which usually go for $10) with the scrap. That's some good profit! 

For now I'll keep my skills in the family and focus on making fun things for Parker. 

Uhhhh.

Matt just got Parker to fall asleep. On his own. In the living room. What the heck?!

Dangit!!!

I did it. The thing I told myself I'd never do.

I let Parker sleep in our bed. 

For the record though... We first put him to bed following his normal bedtime routine. He slept from 8pm until around 11pm before he woke up. I got up and tried to give him his binky and shush him in the pack n play with no success. So then I picked him up and rocked him until he was calm again. When I thought he was sleeping I set him down. Then he woke up. This happened 3 more times for almost 2 hours. We even changed him and fed him. So... I have up and brought him in bed with me and we slept for 5 hours. 

I don't want to have him in bed with us. I love cuddling with him but he already only naps on me during the day. We are even getting ready to transition him into his crib this week! We're going to try for a week to consistently put him in his crib, even if that means less sleep.

The Story of Baby Parker

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splish splash

We love swim class!

special visitors

So blessed that my parents came to Tucson the past four days to stay with Parker and I. Matt was out of town on business and even though Parker's a good boy, I was stressed thinking about being home alone with him. Even though we live only an hour and a half apart I wish we could visit more often.

Parker loves his Nana and Poppa! He was so happy and lovey all week! We had a great time together passing Parker around and listening to him chat away. They got to come to baby time at the library and his swim class! 

It makes my heart happy knowing that Parker will grow up surrounded by family.

Do you want to be my friend?!

We are making new friends, yay!!! Whenever I meet new people (especially with kids) I have to consciously control my excitement. In my head I'm like "What's your name?! How old is your baby?! Where do you live?! Do you want to be my friend?!"

We moved to Tucson almost a year ago and between the new house, new job, new city, and new baby we haven't been very active in getting to know new people! When you move to Tucson, you might as well have moved to a new state because no one visits. Even 3 months of me being home with Parker I can count our visitors on one hand. Pretty lame. So I am so excited to be meeting new people with similar situations who live down here and have little babies! Just two streets down is a couple with a 2 month old and the mom is staying home too! 

It's been so great going to library time and swim with Parker. So many of the parents there are just like me. Wanting to meet people and get out of the house! Makes me feel a little more normal.

Matt's been able to connect with a few new daddies as well. His job keeps him really busy still and luckily he has friends at work too. 

As Parker gets older and is able to do more I'm sure our little (microscopic at this point) circle of friends will grow. I can't wait until he's is sports and can make his own little friends too. 

I'm hoping he'll get better in the car and won't cry after 20 minutes so I can venture up to my hometown. It's only an hour and a half drive. But alone with a crying baby does not sound great! 

Another growth spurt!?

Yup. Just when I thought he couldn't get any bigger!

Instead of going online and thinking Parker has some crazy illness I decided to call the pediatrician's office. I told the nurse about how he's been fussy, chewing on things, less talkative, etc. and just not himself. She said it sounds like a growth spurt. Dangit! I thought we had just finished one! I'm hoping that he gets back into his normal routine soon. Today he's already slept 5 hours and it's only 3:00 pm. I finally gave in and started wearing him around again. We ended up swaddling him last night as well. He was doing so well sleeping on his own too! 

I am definitely not letting him "cry it out" to sleep. I feel like it's my job to take care of him at home. And also it hurts my heart. I am going to try the "No-Cry Sleep Solution" method for the daytime naps. He never has had a problem with night sleeping but I picked up the book just in case. 

naptime fail

How I want Parker to sleep. 

How he really sleeps. 

Yes, that's me he's laying on. 

Naptime is so tricky for us. I love that my little pumpkin head feels safe and cozy with me but I'd also like him to feel the same way on his own and be able to soothe himself. He is only 11 weeks right now and still isn't sleeping in his own room. Matt and I decided to transition him after the 3 month growth spurt. 

I'm hoping that once he's comfortable in his own room then he'll be able to nap better. I can't let him cry it out. I know it works for a lot of people but it kills me to hear him scream when I know he just wants to be loved on. 

I think this post will need a follow up in a few weeks...

Teething already?!

Baby Parker is only 11 weeks old and I have a feeling he may be teething. Today he was so fussy! He just wanted to be held when he was both awake and asleep. Each time I tried to put him down to nap he would just wake up crying. It seemed like he was in pain. He was drooly and chewed on everything that came near his mouth. Burp cloth, binky, toys, blanket and hands. I am going to order him an amber teething necklace in hopes that it will help ease his discomfort.

Pool time!

Parker's been taking swim lessons the past two weeks and we finally got to test out his swimming skills in a real pool! He only lasted about 20 minutes because the water was a little chillier than normal and he was tired. He can only stay up for 45-60 minutes at a time depending on how well he's napped.

Anyways. It was cute to be able to have Matt do some of the swimming class activities with him before he got too fussy. After he was back in dry clothes and fed, he went down for a nap which gave us a little time to hang out in the pool!

He didn't end up going back in, but was really good the rest of the day. He sleeps well when there's a lot of noise and loves to observe people.

laughter

Parker found his laugh today!!! It's the best sound in the world! I was playing with him in the morning like I usually do and out if nowhere he let out a big laugh!

Matt ran to grab the camera and record it while I kept entertaining him. I didn't want that sound to end! I'm so glad Matt was home to hear it too. 

We spent the rest of the day trying to get him to do it again but we were unsuccessful. I won't give up though!