April

April started out with a cold. For all three of us. Justin and I were down and out with aches, runny noses and fatigue. Parker had a seriously runny nose, but still managed to be his mellow, happy-go-lucky self. That guy is a trooper. I'm glad his first cold waited 5 months to come. It's a little crazy as a first time parent. He busted out the humidifier, raised up the head of his mattress slightly, used saline drops and the dreaded aspirator (which Park absolutely despised). It lasted about a week, so we spend the first part of April at home for the most part. It was rainy anyways.
Then came Easter.
Easter weekend was really fun this year because our brothers Ian and Curtis were here. We had both over on Friday the 6th for a visit. Parker loves his uncles, that's for sure! He also loved the beverages they were holding. Parker wouldn't take his eyes off the beer bottles. This either means that he enjoys the sparkle of the glass, the art of micro-brews or if we have a future frat boy...I guess we'll have to wait and see.

The next morning, the sun was out for the first time in a long time.  In fact, I think it may have been Parker's first experience with true sun.  Justin, Parker and I took a stroll up to Proctor for coffee at Starbucks and to look around the farmer's market. We ran into our friends, the Lees which was special treat. We pulled Parker out of his stroller to say hi for about 5 minutes. Later I realized that he had too much sun exposure, as he was a super light shade of pink. Now I'm going to be another one of those sunblock-Nazi moms I swore I'd never be. Poor kid.

After our walk, we headed to the Holmes' for dinner. Ian and Justin relived their childhood and I think used every piece of sporting equipment they could find. Perhaps the most entertaining was they shooting baskets from the rooftop.  Parker showed off by sitting up unassisted for about 2 minutes. Pretty exciting! (Before that, he has only done it for a few seconds). It was fun that his grandparents got to witness it.

On Easter morning, we drove up to Sammamish to meet family for church. Parker decided he really liked it and started yelling in excitement. That meant him and Dad spent the service in the foyer rather than seated with the family. :) After a great service, we headed to Tim & Maggie's for brunch. It was wonderful seeing family. The weather was wonderful, so we spent a lot of the afternoon outside. The ladies decided to make Parker the center of an Easter photo shoot. Of course, he decided to show off by sitting up the whole time! 5 months isn't too shabby for sitting up!

Another fun activity this month was Parker's first baseball game. My dad ended up scoring a suite at the opening series of the Mariner's game against Oakland.  So fun! It was great seeing the game from the suite. Parker likes to do things in style. The service was awesome. They took photos of Parker and gave him a certificate to commemorate his first game.  Uncle Curtis also got him a super cute Ms hat and socks. Love!

Justin and I went to the Coldplay concert with Ian, Ryan & Heidi in Portland while Parker visited with my cousin, Kelly. What a great show! The next day we drove to Bend, OR for a vacation with Justin's family. It was great to spend a few days walking the trails along the Deschutes River, relaxing, and eating good food. Parker enjoyed all the attention! He did a great job on vacation. He hardly fussed at all, slept well and didn't mind being off his schedule.

 He turned 6 months old on the 28th. It's hard to believe he's getting close to a year!

At 6 months, Parker loves eating solid foods.
Loves: bananas, Baby Mum Mums (rice teething crackers), carrots
Likes: sweet potatoes, peas, broccoli
Dislikes: avacados, plain rice cereal

Want a Kiss?

Parker had his 6 month checkup and vaccinations. He enjoyed tearing up the paper on the patient table, grabbing the cords from the wall, and chewing on tongue depressors.  While he found the oral vaccination tasty, Parker found the two shots in the thigh pretty rough.  Poor kid! He had a quick cry, but once I picked him up and popped a pacifier in his mouth, he was fine.  Extra bonus: he got a board book from Dr. Clapper. Parker is 17.12 pounds, has a 16 inch head circumference and is 26 inches long.

Some other favorites this month:

Don't Make Fun of My Milk Mustache

First Time in a Swing

Helping Mom Shop

Last Time on the Counter Due to Splashing