March

Parker loves to show off. He likes to tell people what he knows.  When he sees a stranger at the store, he will point to a light of fan and proudly name it. Lately he's been pointing to me and saying Momma! 

At 16 months, Parker is testing his boundaries. He will reach for things he shouldn't, then look back at us to see what we will do. Usually Parker is fairly easy going and will follow directions. When he's tired or hungry, however, he may throw a fit. This means he whines and stomps his feet. He will say, "no, no, no!" and either hit his teddy or try to hit us on the leg. If he's really mad, he will hit his head against the wall. We're trying to ignore most of it, except for the hitting. He's been getting much better. I've seen him think about hitting something and then doing "soft touches" and pats instead.

Parker loves to feed himself. He asks for a spoon or fork at every meal. This makes for messy meal times. Yogurt everywhere! Parker has also been more selective about what he eats. I usually give him choices to pick from. He use to eat absolutely anything in front of him. Now, he's turning down watermelon and various types of vegetables.

Just before Easter, I brought Parker to see the Easter Bunny. Our visit with Santa didn't go too well a couple months back, so I wasn't sure how it was going to go over.  To my surprise, Parker was very excited to see the bunny.  He can't do bu sounds, so he says "may-may". He was pointing and waving at the bunny with a smile. The bunny came over to say hi. That's when Parker became tentative. I held Parker and coaxed him to do high fives, knuckles and to pet the bunny. When it was our turn for pictures, Parker when right up to him, but he did not want anything to do with sitting on his lap. He wouldn't even sit next to the bunny. That meant I had to be in it. Parker sat on my lap and stared at the bunny. It was pretty cute. Definitely better then our screaming Santa pictures. Hopefully next year he will be more comfortable. I'm hopeful!

On Easter morning, Parker was very excited about his basket. He got MatchBox cars, new spoons and forks, and a battery-powered bubble wand. He was so happy about the bubbles, he wasn't interested in his first egg hunt.  Once we showed Parker that the eggs contained his favorite treat, fish crackers, his tune changed! It took Parker a bit to catch on. He was good at spotting the eggs, but wanted to stop and eat the fish as he went.  Finally, Justin put Parker on a toy car and wheeled him around the room from egg to egg.  We hid 20 eggs. Parker got bored after 15. When we got around to it the next day, Parker was able to find that last 5 all by himself and brought them to me to be opened so he could chow on his treats! We spent the rest of Easter Sunday with the Holmes side of the family. It was a sunny day, so we were outside most of the time. Parker played with his bubbles and we all enjoyed a boat ride around the lake.  It was a great family day!

As the weather is starting to improve, we've been spending more time outdoors. We've gone to the zoo several times this month. Parker's favorite part is not the animals, but walking around and exploring. He will literally stop and touch every fence and rock. There were polar bears play fighting 4 feet away from us, and Parker watched for maybe 4 seconds before marching up and down a nearby set of stairs.  He's definitely a boy! One exhibit that does hold Parker's attention is the petting zoo.  Parker loves to feed the goats. I thought he'd be apprehensive, but he charges right up to them and holds out the food pellets. He laughs when they lick his hands. Pretty cute!

Parker's baby sister is getting big! My belly is growing larger by the day. It's so fun to see her move in my stomach.  Her kicks are very strong.  We aren't sure how much Parker understands about a new sibling. He can point to my belly and say, "baby" or "sister" but that's about it.  We have been talking a lot about it, so hopefully that will help prepare him. 

Some of my girl friends threw me a spa themed baby shower. It was really special to be able to get together and celebrate my daughter! I have the best group of friends! The baby got tons of adorable outfits. Girl clothes are the best! I can't wait to see them on our baby!