Just a few Parker updates...
He weighs 19.5 pounds (~ 50th percentile) and is 28.5 inches long (~ 75th percentile).
Parker's first tooth (tooth #O, the mandibular central incisor- thanks Dr. Paul) came in last week! I think the one next to it (#P) will pop through in a few days. I haven't noticed any extra fussiness, but at our appointment last week I asked the pediatrician if we should expect some fussiness and what to do about it. Paul had said that the gum numbing cream isn't effective for babies because they just lick it off. The doctor said that teething isn't painful for babies and we don't have to do anything concerning the tooth except brush it. No pain?? No discomfort?? I came home and told Paul what he had said and Paul agreed with him. Hmmm... That goes against everything I've ever heard about teething. I'm not sure what to think of it.
A couple weeks ago I gave Parker some mashed bananas. About two hours later, just as I was putting him down for a nap, he started coughing, and then when he was in his crib he started gagging. I went to check on him and he was sitting in a puddle of vomit. He continued to throw up several more times. When I thought he was done, I gave him a bath and put him on our bed while I cleaned up his crib. In the time it took me to get everything taken care of, Parker had thrown up in our bed and fallen asleep. I called the doctor's office and was initially told that it might be a food allergy, but when we went in for our regular appointment, our doctor said it was more likely a food intolerance. With allergies, the body sees certain proteins as invaders and makes antibodies to attack them. There aren't many proteins in bananas, however, they do contain salicylates (also found in asprin), which some people have an intolerance to. The symptoms are very similar, but whereas you might eat one peanut you're allergic to and go into anaphylactic shock, intolerances are dosage dependent. I'd rather not find out what Parker's tipping point is, so I think we'll stay clear of bananas for awhile.
I'm continually amazed at how well Parker does with traveling. He's been on 10 flights (only four round trips, but sometimes we've had to change planes) and he has never been fussy on the take off or landing (I've heard that sometimes baby's ears can hurt them with the changing altitude) or any other time during the flight. He always makes friends with other passengers and the flight attendants. What a blessing!
Parker is making lots of sounds these days and even combining consonants.
He gets a kick out of peek-a-boo.
He laughs when he hears other people laughing.
I'm not sure, but I think he knows how to play copycat. I'll imitate what he does and he gets a look of extreme contemplation and then ends up giggling.
Most of the time when I go get him from his crib in the morning or after a nap, he's sitting up. For a while he'd get stuck there and start screaming, but he's figured out how to lay back down now.
When he wakes up in the morning, I'll bring him into our bed so that Paul and I can continue to rest. Parker always dives for Paul's face. He grabs at his nose and pulls Paul's hair. It's one of his favorite activities.
Parker had serious stranger anxiety for the first time! It was so weird. It was at the doctor's office and he was fine with all of the nurses, but when the doctor came in, he turned his head into my chest and stayed that way the whole time. I think the only other time he's been so still is when he's asleep. Poor little guy.
Some days Parker does really well with solid foods, other times he throws his head back, locks his lips, and won't even try a single bite- even if it's sweet potatoes, his favorite! This happened a couple days ago and I noticed that he kept staring at the bowl that the sweet potatoes were in (I had warmed them up in a normal, non baby bowl). While he wasn't looking, I put them in an empty baby food jar and then he ate them all up. How can such a small person have such a big opinion on what type of jar the food is coming out of? Not cool.
Hurricane Parker has hit and is about to terrorize everything in its path! Parker can crawl! Paul's interactions with Parker are now dotted with "Treats! Treats!" and "Come by call!"
