Parker

Time for Mr. Parker. What a sweet little baby he is. Now that he can smile and laugh he doesn't seem quite so grumpy all the time. He has the best smile ever - I can't even describe it. When he sees me and I smile at him, he smiles back so big it almost sends him into convulsions.

He is on a pretty good schedule these days. Throughout the day he eats, then he's awake for an hour to an hour and a half, and then he naps for about an hour and a half. So, roughly a 2.5-3 hour cycle. I can live with that. One of his most fabulous qualities is that he gets very sleepy in the afternoons, right when Kenley takes her long nap, he takes a nice long 2-3 hour nap. Does he love his mama or what? He can fall asleep all by himself in his crib, and can sleep from 7-9 hours at night. Notice I say can and not necessarily does. He's only just about to turn four months old, he still has his moments. But he is a much better sleeper than Kenley was when she was a baby. It was way easier to start training him to sleep on his own when he was so little, plus he's just naturally a better sleeper. He is in a growth spurt right now and eating like crazy, every hour and a half or two hours (with the exception of nights, thank goodness). He is growing so quickly, and I truly don't think it'll be that much longer before he is both as heavy and as long as Kenley. She is just a tiny little thing, and I think Parker has more hope for a normal height range. Thanks, Hamptons.

I'm pretty sure that there has never been a baby so worshiped by his big sister. Kenley just loves on him! Except she doesn't quite get that the closer she is to him the quieter she needs to be. This fact, combined with Parker's overly active startle reflex, leads to the following interaction occurring several times each day: Kenley pops up right by his face and shouts, "PaPa! I yuv you MUCH!!!" Poor Parker's lip starts to quiver, he dissolves into tears, and Kenley keeps toddling by. And I sigh.

Hmmmm... Parker's likes and dislikes.... let me think. He really likes Mommy and Daddy (smart boy!), the fan, being "nakey," eating, laying on a blanket, and staring at his bedding set. The mobile, bumper, and curtains are all fascinating and wonderful to him. Oh, he also likes to have one arm out of his swaddle and scratch his crib sheets as he drifts off to sleep. Dislikes... baths (why do my kids always hate baths?), being scared by Kenley, laying on his stomach, and being licked by Lucy.

Well, that's our little boy. Hope you enjoyed such a detailed glimpse into our day! We are about to start him on rice cereal, he's starting to laugh more, and we're still waiting for that first roll-over (which probably won't happen until I actually put him down on his stomach, so don't hold your breath). Should be fun!