Having Paul at home was the best Christmas present I can think of, and even though he was usually studying, we got to do a lot of fun things.
I started off the break by going to the LA Ballet's production of The Nutcracker with a friend from church. Can you believe Paul didn't want to go with me?? Weird. Instead, he volunteered to babysit Parker and have a male bonding night.
We got a Christmas tree- a real one that smelled wonderful! The last time we got a tree was in 2007 and since then I've been a Scrooge and have not wanted to spend money on one. I don't know what changed this year, but I'm glad it did. I also put up some other Christmas decorations and I love how festive our little apartment felt.
We went up to Paul's parents' house for Christmas where Parker was the only grandbaby. He got lots of attention, and was only a little fussy, which I'll blame on him having a cold. While we were there we got to spend time with friends from BYU.
Paul had his third and final interview for a dental residency and we should hear back at the end of this month. If our wildest dreams come true, we'll be in Sacramento staring in July for one year.
Paul has been studying to take Part 2 of the Dental Boards. He took Part 1 two summers ago and did very well, but it came at a price. Paul usually keeps things light and likes to joke around, but in all seriousness he refers to that summer as "a very dark time" and that studying for that test was the worst thing that has ever happened to him in his whole life. This time around the exam is pass/fail, so I think there's less pressure, but it's still been very consuming of his time.
We got some really awesome gifts this year, but I think it's safe to say that Paul's favorite is a remote control helicopter from Parker. On his study breaks, you'll find him in our garage perfecting his piloting skills. Parker prefers to enjoy the helicopter from a distance- like, out of sight or sound. If he sees or hears it, he starts to cry.
We had a really wonderful break and spent a lot of time contemplating our many, many blessings and how fortunate we've been this year. We're so excited for 2012 and all the new adventures headed our way.
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Dancing Baby
Parker got several musical toys for Christmas that he loves. Up until this point, I think he has regarded his toys more as interesting things to investigate, rather than really playing with them. Now that there's music involved, the fun has really begun- even with non-musical toys, he seems to know that they are for playing. He started to do this bouncing thing when the music came on and eventually we figured out that he was dancing! I love in this video that he knows when the ABC song is over and in the last clip he is dancing to the beat... mostly.
A few other Parker things for posterity's sake...
He continues to hate getting his diaper changed and putting on clothes. Are all babies like this, or did we just get lucky? You'd think that after the hundreds of times that we've done this that he'd just suck it up an hold still for the minute and a half it takes to change his undies. We can always count on protest crying and him trying to crawl away; I'm constantly chasing his bare bum as he escapes.
He's a really good eater- as long as the food doesn't have hard chunks in it, he'll eat it. Both Paul and I have aversions to certain foods, so I don't expect that this will last forever, but it's nice for the time being.
He makes the most hilarious faces- I really wish I could get them all on camera.
He is finally, FINALLY sleeping through the night consistently. Up until nine months, we let him wake up once or twice at night to eat, although towards the end I think it was out of habit, not from being hungry. At nine months we cut him off and it took about three weeks for him to not wake up at night and only just recently has he started sleeping until 6:30ish. Before that, he'd wake up at 5:00 or sometimes earlier and we thought he was still just learning how to self-soothe and go back to sleep. We started putting him to bed earlier and it has made all the difference. Since he's been sleeping through the night his naps have also been longer. Hurrah!
When I give Parker kisses, he holds his head really still and opens his mouth. I laugh every time.
When Paul says, "Clap!" he claps and when we say "Come here!" he follows us.
A few other Parker things for posterity's sake...
He continues to hate getting his diaper changed and putting on clothes. Are all babies like this, or did we just get lucky? You'd think that after the hundreds of times that we've done this that he'd just suck it up an hold still for the minute and a half it takes to change his undies. We can always count on protest crying and him trying to crawl away; I'm constantly chasing his bare bum as he escapes.
He's a really good eater- as long as the food doesn't have hard chunks in it, he'll eat it. Both Paul and I have aversions to certain foods, so I don't expect that this will last forever, but it's nice for the time being.
He makes the most hilarious faces- I really wish I could get them all on camera.
He is finally, FINALLY sleeping through the night consistently. Up until nine months, we let him wake up once or twice at night to eat, although towards the end I think it was out of habit, not from being hungry. At nine months we cut him off and it took about three weeks for him to not wake up at night and only just recently has he started sleeping until 6:30ish. Before that, he'd wake up at 5:00 or sometimes earlier and we thought he was still just learning how to self-soothe and go back to sleep. We started putting him to bed earlier and it has made all the difference. Since he's been sleeping through the night his naps have also been longer. Hurrah!
When I give Parker kisses, he holds his head really still and opens his mouth. I laugh every time.
When Paul says, "Clap!" he claps and when we say "Come here!" he follows us.
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