Train Ride

I found out about midday on Friday that Paul wouldn't be home until after Parker went to bed.  These days, by late afternoon I'm counting down the seconds until Paul walks in the door and can take over playing with Parker.  I just get tired so easily.  But come on, I'm making a baby.  It's hard work.  I'd been wanting to take Parker to Irvine Park for awhile and Friday afternoon seemed like the perfect opportunity; Parker would enjoy it and it would be easy for me.  We'd spent the morning organizing a closet (an interesting endeavor with a toddler's "help") and it was time for some fun.  We walked around the park and admired the Easter decorations and the free-roaming peacocks.  We also saw some parrots flying around.  We looked at some ponies (from a distance, Parker was not a fan) and then finally rode the train.  I don't think Parker would mind one bit if we went back every single day.

Mall Carousel

I've already started wearing my maternity clothes and I loooooooove it.  And really, who doesn't love an elastic waistband?  The last go-around, most of the maternity clothes were borrowed, and the ones that I do own are primarily for winter.  I've come to realize that the pair of capris and handful of shirts that are actually mine aren't going to cut it for the next six months.  So, Parker and I trekked to the mall and shopped til we dropped.  Actually, we only made it to two stores, but by the end we were both ready to be done.  Parker was so good and several people complimented him for it.  Before we left we took a ride on the carousel; he chose the blue bunny and had so much fun!

... and a Birth Day

And now for the Birth Day... Did you catch what was on Parker's shirt?  If not, here it is again:

That's right.  This mama's makin' a baby.

Proof:

While I realize it looks like I'm making a Pinocchio, I was told that it's just the baby's hand by its face.

I'm due on September 9th and am looking forward to leaving this first semester far behind me.  I had planned on detailing some of the awfulness of it, but recently decided against it.  I will say this, though:  I think that with future pregnancies I'll tell people sooner than the socially acceptable 12-week-and-over big reveal.  I think it would have really helped me to be able to talk to people (ie family and close friends) about what I was going through, rather than keeping it to myself because I wasn't ready to make my pregnancy public.  I do understand that the risk of miscarriage is higher in the first trimester, but if I had miscarried I would have wanted people (ie family, close friends) to know that too. 

Anyway, enough about that.  I'm doing SO much better now and we are really excited for this new little addition to our family. 

A Birthday

Parker's SECOND birthday was on February 24th and we had a two day celebration.  On the 23rd (Saturday) we went to the beach to fly his new Cars kite and watch the sun go night night.  For his birthday dinner, Parker chose to go to Mimi's.  Actually, that was my choice, which Paul fought, and then finally conceded.  Paul has issues with Mimi's.  He thinks it's only for grandmas- my rebuttal was that Parker loves grandmas and it was therefore the perfect choice.

On Sunday (his actual birthday), we kept it pretty simple and had some of Parker's church friends over for cupcakes. 

He got lots and lots of presents.  We filmed him opening a few...

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What a fun little guy Parker is!  He has decided to forego the "terrible twos" and continue to be as sweet as ever this entire year.  

Harlem Shake

Twice a week Paul works at a really fun office in Fountain Valley called Rosy Dental.  Yesterday Parker and I met up with Paul after work to help with their version of the Harlem Shake.  Haven't heard of the Harlem Shake?  Neither had I.  Apparently it's the latest big thing on YouTube, but do yourself a favor and don't go looking for other versions- most of them are pretty vulgar. 

Can you spot Paul and Parker in both scenes?  Here's a hint: in the second scene Paul's wearing a king hat thing and a boa. 

A Funny

Yesterday when Parker got out of the bath, he dropped his towel, ran into our bedroom and closed the door behind himself.  As I opened the door I saw him dive under the blankets on the bed. 

Me: "Parrrrker, where arrrrre you?"
Silence
Me: "Parker, are you in the closet?"
Tiny Voice Coming From the Blankets: "Yes."
Me: "Parker, should I look for you behind the curtains?"
Tiny Voice Coming From the Blankets: "Yes."

Parker's Words

Parker learning to talk is the best thing that has ever happened to him, particularly when he learned to say "yes."  I feel like his tantrums are minimal these days because he's able to communicate better.  Before, he loved to say "no!" and would say it even when he meant yes, which was a real headache come mealtime.

"Are you hungry?"
 "No!"
"Do you want a banana?"
"No!"
"Do you want some yogurt?"
"No!"
"Do you want a sandwich?"
"No!"
"Do you want a cookie?"
"No!"

"Do you want to go to Disneyland?"
"No!"

And then if we tried to feed him anything he'd throw a fit because, hello, he'd already made his point very clear.  Why weren't we listening to him?!  After his tantrum he'd then be ready to chow down.  Anyway, it was quite exhausting and in hind sight we probably should not have asked for his opinion when choosing what to feed him.

I feel like he's learning words so quickly now.  There have been several times when he says a word that I don't understand and Paul will have to translate and inform me that he learned that word a couple hours ago and I'm sooo behind the times.

I started making a list today of the words that Parker knows.  I've probably forgotten some, but here's a pretty good sampling:

Car, keys, go, hold on, come on, walk, fast, wet, rain, slide, grass, bye bye, hi, hello, work, dada, mama, dad, mom, mine, my, friend, church, Jesus, amen, shoes, socks, jacket, dark, light, on, off, yes, no, nope, peanut butter, pancakes, cereal, cheese, banana, apple, beans, cookie, water, milk, bowl, fork, Elmo, read, George, Word World, ball, basketball, football, baseball, blocks, bird, owl, pig, dog, duck, frog, lion, honk, beep beep, book, nigh nigh, sun, nose, Kleenex, grandpa, eyes, crash, hot, cold, brrrr, warm, hat, trash, back, away, home, song, Parker, fish, hey, yay, cool, what's that, who's that, where'd it go, poo poo, pee pee, bum bum, hurt, yeah, ouch, picture, hair, push, up, hug, bubbles, please, spin, baby, bag, race, buckle, chair, stuck, all done, all gone, broke.

It's really cute how he pronounces some of these.  For example, pancakes is "bee keys," water is "warr," fish is "woosh," and friend is "wenn."  It's fun to look at this list and see how completely it encompasses his world.