December

Our little family has started to get into a routine. Parker is consistently eating every 3 hours.  He eats then is awake for 30-60 minutes before his next nap.  He usually goes to sleep a minute or two after we put him in his crib.  Since he is a good sleeper, we are able to take him out a lot. We're trying to get the most out of this phase, as we realize this won't last forever.  Parker goes with us to restaurants, church and shopping.
At his last doctor's visit (the beginning of December) he was 20 3/4 inches long and 7 pounds 15 ounces. Parker seems to be a very content baby. He rarely fusses unless his is hungry or ready for bed.  He is more alert, always looking around, wide-eyed taking in the world. Parker enjoys being on his play mat, doing tummy time, and sitting in his bouncer chair. He loves looking at lights...the Christmas tree being his favorite. Parker tracks objects and voices with his eyes. Our boy has started to smile when we kiss his face or make silly faces. It is so fun to watch his face light up! We are looking forward to seeing more of this in the next few weeks.

 We caught Parker smiling on camera for the first time December 11th.

Grabbing his first toy!

Roscoe enjoys the toys more than Parker

Parker loves the Christmas tree lights

Supervising Dad hanging ornaments

He also is really enjoying bath time.  He likes the warm water on his body. After, he is very relaxed and happy.  It's good to be clean!

Justin had his First Western Properties Christmas party at the Alexis Hotel in Seattle. It was, as always, a lot of fun. He is blessed to work with amazing people. Parker came along with us, and was way more popular than Justin and I.   We ended up staying the night at the hotel.  We ordered room service, slept in and relaxed. Parker got spoiled and slept with us a good portion of the night.

Sleeping like a King

We decided to take a stroll around town in the morning. Parker got his first look at Pike's Place Market. There's no place like Seattle during Christmas! People watching is at it's best: street performers, Christmas lights, and shoppers.

Parker thinks he's a ninja in this picture

December 15th was a big day for Parker. We weighed him and he was 9lbs 5 oz. He's getting big! He's definitely filling out.  His cheeks are chubbier and he has a tiny roll on his thighs. Cute! Also, he rolled over from tummy to back 3 times in a row! His strategy is to be up on his forearms and to throw his leg over to get going.

Now he's getting good at it! Most of the time as soon as I place him on his belly, he works on flipping over. He will roll 2 or 3 times before he gets too tired to do it again.

Rolling over at 7 weeks

Towards the end of the month, Parker could hold his head up pretty well. His next and back are strong. He arches his back and is able to hold his head up to look around. He is also kicking his legs and moving his arms a lot more. He sort of bats at the dangling toys on his play mat. I'm not sure if he is doing it on purpose, but we'll go with it. :)

Parker's first Christmas was so special! It was really fun for Justin and I to have our son with us, as we get to start new family traditions and to continue old ones.

Again, the ninja pose...

On the 23rd, we went to my parents' house.  We made pizza on Dad's Traeger grill and played games. It was fun to just relax. Mom and Dad have a ton of Christmas decorations and a lot of lights. As you can imagine, Parker was in heaven looking around! On Christmas Eve morning, we had some of my friends (Scott, Rachel, Jon, Carly and Allison) over to brunch. It was so fun to get everyone together and for them to meet Parker. I love my friends and that no matter how long we go without seeing one another, it's just like old times when we reunite! Soon after they left, our family started to arrive. What a fun night! We decorated gingerbread houses, ate a DELICIOUS meal, visited and opened presents.

On Christmas morning, we woke up about 8. Parker's first Christmas consisted of putting on new jammies, watching his Mom & Dad open his stocking and, again, staring at the tree lights! After breakfast, we packed the car and headed to Justin's parents' in Lakewood. We opened presents and then Grandma Jane came to visit with Parker. We had a relaxing day and a yummy dinner (Holmes' family recipe gumbo) followed by games with our friends Tiffany and Derek.
We had a terrific Christmas. Parker was absolutely spoiled with gifts. He is such a lucky boy and he doesn't realize this, but I know he can tell he is very loved!

Excited for Santa!

Grandma made a stocking that's just the right size!

I can't believe how big Parker's getting! While he's still wearing newborn clothes, he's been getting too long for some of them.  It's sad that I'm already having to put away some of his precious outfits! At his two month appointment on the 28th, he measured 23 inches long which is 54 percentile. He is 10pounds 13ounces (29percentile). In 2 weeks he gained 1 pound, 8 ounces!  His head circumference is 15 1/4inches (22percentile). It's crazy to think how fast he is growing! Justin commented that he looks more like a baby than a newborn. People warned us they babies grow up before you know it and now we understand!