My little explorer...

Parker is not going to slow down anytime soon.  Lately he has been more interested in crawling as far as possible, into every nook and cranny, and discovering EVERYTHING!  I pause every day to just watch Parker discover the world.  We take so much for granted and often forget that we were all babies once.  Today's moment came courtesy of of door stop.  I am sure you know where this is going so I will just get to the pictures and video!

The No-Longer Toothless Wonder!

Parker popped his first tooth!

Fun-Filled Saturday

Yesterday was quite the day for us!  We spent the morning just hanging out at home.  Parker did his very first finger painting to give to my mom (Nana) for her birthday.  He wasn't sure what to make of the paint, but I think it turned out pretty cute!

Then we went to my parents house in the afternoon to celebrate Nana's birthday!  It was a really hot day so we started by playing inside for a while.  The last time we were over here Parker almost climbed a couple stairs, but didn't ever make it all the way.  This time he did it without even thinking!  This was one of his favorite things to do the rest of the day!

My dad pulled down a walk and ride toy I had given to my nephew about 7 years ago to see if Parker would like it.  Jimmy sat him on it and he went right for the handles!  He really seemed to like it.  I can wait for him to play with it more!

He has also been quite the explorer as of late.  At home he just keeps crawling until he can't go anywhere else.  Lucky for him, the space is almost endless outside!  In true boy fashion he wasted no time finding the rocks in Nana and Grandpa's front yard.  He found them rather tasty!

Next was his first "ride" on the 4-wheeler.  He sat with Jimmy and they just drove in a little circle in the front yard.  The engine sounds didn't scare him like they has in the past.

By the end of the day he was one tuckered little dude.  We put him in the new swing Grandpa got, but he just sat there and leans his head to the side.  Anytime Parker is awake and not moving we know he must be pretty tired because it is very rare!  Needless to say, he slept very well!

Pacifier Mastery

Parker has never been a big pacifier guy. He never really got the hang of keeping it in his mouth by himself so we had to hold it there. As he has grown to better handle objects, it has become more of a toy for him than an everyday item. But, in the last few weeks he has started to actually use it for its intended purpose, with a bit of a twist. He seems to think that he has to hold it in his mouth (probably a learned behavior from us!) It is so darn cute! He has also started to suck his thumb a bit, but once again, he is not totally sure of how to really do it.

Here is a quick photo from tonight! I love this kid so darn much!

"Small" Reminders

A good friend of mine recently said "the days go slowly, but the weeks go fast." I never really thought about time this way, but it describes certain stages of life perfectly. Having an infant is one of those stages.

Not all days are long, just the tough ones for the most part. The days when you have a sick, cranky baby to care of. The days when nothing you do seems to comfort your child. But, then you have a moment like I did. You get a reminder of where you have been, where you sometimes wish you could return, but know you can't.

I found it stuck behind the dresser, so small and unassuming. It made me get a bit teary at first. What was it? A diaper. A very tiny diaper. A diaper so small that I can't believe Parker was ever tiny enough to fit in to. But, he was. Born at just 7 lbs. 2 oz., he was in newborn size for almost 6 weeks! I can't believe that was 6 months ago. It is these little reminders that help me appreciate every moment I have with him, even the tough ones. Here is a comparison to the size 2 diaper that he is close to outgrowing.

Goodbye Facebook

I signed off of Facebook for the last time this morning via deleting my account. While it has been a fun 7 years, I felt that I was looking for something different and was ready to leave the world's largest social network. Right after hitting the "OK" button I had a bit of anxiety. I am not sure if it was the act of leaving or worrying that I didn't have all of the photos and videos I have posted saved somewhere else (that did cross my mind.).

Anyway, it feels good to not have the distraction of Facebook. I hope to start blogging more and stay connected with friends and family in other ways. Facebook made "staying in touch" too easy and I think I started to take that for granted. I WANT to work at relationships. That is what separates"friends" from true friendship. I am excited to see what this journey brings and to continue sharing life with all of you!

One last thing, I don't think I shared this picture on here and it is my new favorite of Parker. We have been having family snuggle time on weekend mornings lately (and sometimes weekday evenings.) His new favorite activity is crawling to the window behind our bed and watching the cars go by. It is absolutely precious! This image so perfectly captures the simplicity of those moments.

First trip to the lake!

Parker had his first trip to the lake this weekend.  We met my parents at the beach and went swimming for a while  Then Parker's went on his first boat ride!  He wasn't quite sure about the life jacket, but he was also VERY tired by the time we got on the boat.  As soon as we were anchored he took a long snooze!  That's it for now, just wanted to give a quick update!