More Halloween Fun!

Parker was so pumped to be on her fourth trick or treating of the season.























We made it to the last Farmer's Market this morning. We scored some super cheap organic produce and a few "treats;" your normal candy and healthy things like carrots and apples. Then this evening we ventured out again with some friends to Canterbury Village. Parker had fun getting more treats, looking at the displays in the Christmas store, and doing her signature hand move.
























And she walked around like she owned the place.

































And we got scared by a witch (see that hand move again, lol).



We tried to get a picture of the girls but mobile toddlers had other plans. This is the best they gave us.

Such a fun filled day!

Happy Halloween!

We kicked Halloween off a few weeks ago by trick or treating at the zoo for Zoo Boo. I somehow forgot my camera (how is that even possible for me??_ but our friend Chareen was able to snap this cute picture of me and the little miss.












Awww.

Today we had my office Halloween party. I was a Geisha or, according to Kris, an old lady with a mom-cut in her bathrobe.









Tomorrow we're going to either the Farmer's Market or the Rochester outdoor shopping center (similar to Easton--ahhhh) for Halloween fun. I'm hoping to make it to the last Farmer's Market of the season but Parker's nap may fall right in the middle of it. We shall see.

Tuesday is actual trick or treating. We'll probably go to a few neighbors and then hand out candy.

I love this time of year :)



HAPPY HALLOWEEN all you ghosts and goblins!!

Getting Some Zzzzz's

The clouds have parted. Rainbows fill the sky. The suns rays are beaming down. Yes, my friends, this is all because we’ve made leaps and bounds in the sleep department at our house!

Sleeping well has never been Parker’s thing. If you recall, the little miss would not tolerate being laid down in a crib. She demanded more of a nurturing approach so onto our chests and into our bed she went. But we still hit some bumps in the road trying to get her to fall asleep. Nursing to sleep worked like a charm until Parker was around six months; then nursing just woke her up. Rocking to sleep was never Parker’s thing so we wore her in the Ergo. But then we battled with successfully getting her out of the Ergo and into our bed without those baby eyes popping open. It took time but eventually we were able to take Parker out of the carrier and lay her down with no problem. Then two weekends ago we decided, for the first time EVER, to lay Parker down in her crib for a nap. I suggested this to Kris and he thought I was crazy. I was very skeptical too but wanted to try it out. So down went the blinds and on went the white noise fan. A few back rubs later and we had a sleeping baby. I felt so accomplished. If I could do a cartwheel I probably would have. If you have an “easy” baby or don’t follow the same sleeping approach as us you’re probably thinking, ummmm, what is the big deal? But if you have a spirited, energetic, baby I know you get it!

Parker still sleeps with us at night and I have no plans to give up my cuddle time though we did start night weaning last Friday. Now I don’t necessarily believe in mama-led weaning. I think it’s best for baby to decide when to give it up but since Parker sleeps next to me she nurses all night long. And I know she isn’t hungry at night anymore so Kris and I decided that it was time to night wean. We were scared. We were sure that Parker would freak out. But Parker surprised us. She woke up a few times, as per usual, but Kris was able to cuddle with her and she fell back asleep. Without nursing. And with minimal tears. The first night Parker cried for maybe a minute but that’s it. ::cue singing angels:: My mommy guilt over night weaning is gone since Parker was obviously ready for it. We’re still nursing twice a day, in the morning and in the night.

In other non-sleeping news we had Parker’s 12 month appointment yesterday. She’s at 20lbs 15oz (50th percentile), 30 1/4 inches (90th percentile), and her head is in the 90th percentile. Her weight gain has slowed waaaaay down. She has gained less than a pound in over three months, but that’s normal. She’s hitting all of her milestones—talking, walking, recognizing her name—and all looks good with her so I’m a happy mama.

Since it’s against the law to have a post without pictures, here ya go…Daddy, Parker, and Baby Stella :)

Friends Forever

They have no clue how much they melt my heart :)

Toddling Around...Literally!

For your viewing pleasure...the little miss showing off her walking skills :)

Please don't mind the fact that Parker is about to lick a dog toy. Or that I look homeless.

Frankenmuth

Now onto Frankenmuth. We stayed at the coolest hotel. The entire décor was German inspired as was the food. There were five pools including one with a waterfall and a lazy river, mini golf, an arcade, a huge playhouse with a slide, and a couple bars. Seriously we could have stayed at the hotel the entire time and had a blast.

Our first outing was to Frankenmuth’s zoo and it was hands down the craziest zoo we’ve ever been too. The animals were in cages that were literally only a couple of feet away from us. We were thisclose to two lions. All that separated us from the lions was a chain link fence. Uhhhh, I think they could knock that thing down with their pinky finger. Never have I heard lions roar but they were going nuts trying to "talk" to the animals in the next cage over. It scared poor Parker and she cuddled up as close as she could to Kris. Parker loved the goats and loved feeding them even more. Perhaps the most exciting thing was that we saw a Bobcat! We’re almost positive that he came up from Athens.

Parker’s favorite thing by far was our dinner at a family style German restaurant. She was going absolutely nuts. I don’t think she stopped moving for a second. She was playing with spoons, the napkins, and crayons; she had a bowl of food that she was busy eating, putting in her lap, and putting back in the bowl; she was talking to people at other tables; she was smiling and laughing and making a huge mess. The entire meal was awesome.

We got home Monday afternoon and spent the rest of the day playing around the house and opening birthday gifts. We got Parker this ball pit and she is obsessed with climbing in and out of it. Syndey waits (not so) patiently outside of the tent while Parker lifts the tent flaps up and cracks up. Peek-a-boo with the dog is the best.

Parker’s most favorite gift was Baby Stella. This baby doll gets incredible reviews. It’s like the Sophie the Giraffe and American Doll of the toddler generation. I bought it so that Parker would have a baby doll but I didn’t expect her to be the least bit interested in it quite yet. I was so wrong though because Parker will not let her baby go. Stella goes everywhere with her; in the ball pit, around the house, and even in the rocking chair. Parker sits her in it and rocks her back and forth. Stella has a magnetic paci that Parker liked to give her. And our silly baby who never ever sits still for a moment actually sits in Kris’ lap for the longest time just playing with Baby Stella. My heart melts on a daily basis but it really melted when I saw Parker hug and kiss her new doll while in Kris’ lap. Yay for girly girls!

When I dropped Parker of at daycare on Tuesday we were greeted with birthday signs in her honor, cards, and gifts. One of the teachers in the Toddler II classroom got Parker an adorable outfit. We've gotten along really well with her, in fact she was the first person we met at the daycare, and she visits Parker all day long to hug and hold her. She calls Parker her third daughter. I think it's a truly amazing thing to have built such a great relationship with our daycare providers. To have people who are not family absolutely love and care for your child is very special. It takes a village to raise a child and I'm very happy with our village!

And I forgot to mention Parker's language developments in the previous post. She now says uh-oh, thank you, and duck :) Also, when we say bye-bye she waves to us and she's now giving us kisses. Love her to pieces!

I'm very much looking forward to this weekend. Tomorrow Parker has her 12 month well visit, Saturday we have a birthday party to go to, and Sunday we're off to the pumpkin patch! Happy (almost) weekend all!