Ironic Parenting

There's a little girl at Gymboree, she has to be under 16 months because that's what the class is for.  She walks really well, runs really well and apparently is being raised by her grandparents.  Her father is in a wheelchair and while that doesn't exclude him from proper parenting I think that her grandparents play a major role in her development.  Today, she walked over to Parker and took the toy that Parker had in her little hand.  This, to me, is expected.  They're little, tiny kids.  They need to learn.  It was when her grandmother came over, flicked her on the forehead and grabbed the toy back from her I realized what the real problem was.  Later, I overheard said grandmother asking the teacher when kids learn to "play better with others."  I wanted to answer and say "when their role models stop flicking them for learning!"  If you don't play well with others that are at least 50 years younger than you and your flesh and blood, how do you expect your granddaughter to know how to do it?

Also, this is the same family that I witnessed poor little girl's grandfather pick his nose and then eat it.  Didn't try to hide it or ANYTHING.  I'm going to vomit just typing this.  I changed days today after class.  I'd rather not witness anymore flicking of children or eating of boogers by the adults at the class.

Cake Smash

For Parker's birthday I had another photo shoot in mind.  It's the cake smash.  I think this has become popular throughout the last few years.  Putting your newly 1 year old in front of a pristine and delicious cake that they can do with what they want. 

I found a cake online and I was determined to figure out how to make this myself.  I went to Micheal's and got a pastry bag tip and pastry bags.  I got some pink vanilla frosting and a white cake mix.

Found cake online

I made a sheet cake and used a cookie cutter to make a 4" round

I stacked them to make them semi-level

The first attempt looked great

Sides are complete

Finished!

 

And here is our finished product:

Halloween Day

Halloween was on a Wednesday.  Parker and Jake were dressed as Amy and Bobby Bones from The Bobby Bones show here in Austin.  It is a syndicated radio show.  Christian and Parker had met Amy at the market and we live very near Mr. Bobby Bones. Christian LOVES the Bobby Bones Show.  We listen to it every morning.  I've grown to love it and wouldn't mind it so much if I didn't have to listen to the same songs every 5 minutes and if Lunchbox (another personality on the show) wasn't on there.

So Parker was to be Amy and Jake, Bobby.  Here are Bobby and Amy's photos.  The one of Bobby isn't all that great, but it's the only one I could find where he was in his white Lacoste hat.  Bobby is known to listeners to wear Lacoste hats, white v-neck t-shirts, love his dog Dusty and had really curly hair.  Amy is very sweet, loves Taylor Swift, funky pants and helping babies and goes on mission trips. 

Parker HATES anything on her head except her barrettes.  Odd, really.  Ironically, Amy is known to cry a lot so the picture of Parker crying seems to be appropriate.

We also tried, after Halloween, to put Parker into the pumpkin again.  She really does despise it.  Even sitting on top of it.  Poor little girl...

Secrets Are No Fun!!!

Yesterday (11.6.12) we went to our fertility doctor to talk about starting our process of having another kid!  We aren't telling anyone what we're doing because it was so hard for us having to tell everyone that we weren't pregnant.  So, this go round, we're just keeping it to ourselves, but I need someplace to vent.  So here I am, on our blog.  Once we tell everyone I will be able to post them all and you can see my neurosis and processing thorough all of this.

So we went to the doctor just to get a starting point.  She said, alright, let's start on the Clomid and i'll see you back here on the 14th.  Get your vials to the clinic and we'll see you on Wednesday.  So what we originally thought would be a January starting cycle has become NOVEMBER!!!  A week away. 

It was weird enough going to the clinic, much less leaving with an egg fertilizer prescription.  That's what I call the Clomid.  Essentially, that's what it is!

I'm nervous and excited all at the same time.  I hope my pregnancy isn't as stressful as the last one.  But I would do it all over again to get an awesome daughter like Parker.  She has brought so much happiness to our family and I wouldn't trade that for the world, or months of bed rest.

As I was leaving for my errands I realized that mom is going to be here on Wednesday.  So we're going to have to lie/fib to her (sorry Mom, we really didn't have a lawyer meeting).  I want to tell everyone, but it will be easier on us this way.  Plus, Jill doesn't want to know, so it works out well for everyone involved.  Plus, if we were straight, we wouldn't be announcing to the world that we were trying each time! That'd just be gross.

Halloween Part I

For Parker's 1st Halloween I had envisioned many cool new things.  Mostly, since she's still little, a cute costume and some fun pictures.

For her costume, after much consideration and anxiety about picking the "perfect" costume, I got her a little bee outfit.  It was super cute and 40% off. Perfect! She hated it.  Mostly the hat, then the skirt, then just being a bee. 

Pumpkins make everything ok

Then it was off to the Spaw's for pumpkin carving.  

Ethan loves Parker.  They have married Parker off to Ethan already.  He was playing with her and putting her binky back in her mouth when she lost it.  She also wanted to know why she wasn't listening to him.  Already seems like they're married!

She loved playing in the guts from the pumpkins.  She tried to eat it and pulled it all out of the bowl.  Our messy girl.

Here is my inspirational photograph I found online...

Inspirational Halloween Photograph

Isn't this cute!?! Sweet little girl in the pumpkin.  Little toes curled up, smiling.  So we went to the pumpkin patch and got a nice big pumpkin.  Then, it was off to the Spaw's for some carving.  Doug cut a hole in the top, I scooped out the guts and then Doug cut two round holes for her legs with his drill.  It was time and the pumpkin was ready for baby.

Parker HATING Wearing A Pumpkin

 

Absolutely HATED!

I will post about actual Halloween night in another post.  There were more tears.  Stay tuned...