Christmas... Whew!!!

Real quick... look at this smiling, precious face...



We are still trying to recover from a wonderful Christmas! First, we went to Birmingham for Parker Christmas, saw Emily and the Hensons, then landed in Scottsboro for a few days. After a few days back at home, it was time for Christmas Eve at our house with the Childresses, Holts, Herds, etc. We went to the river after that to wait for Santa. Yes, it was midnight when we got there.

Wesson wanted a 5:30 bottle, which was his schedule for a few days, so I tried to talk the family into seeing what Santa brought then but I lost. We went back to bed until about 9. After a day of opening Santa's gifts one person at a time, we snacked in the afternoon and ate a huge supper. We have all starches on Christmas night so that we can get ready for the New Year - dressing, mashed potatoes, mac n cheese, green beans, turkey, cranberry sauce, ham. We had it all.

Grandmother's house (Wesson's great-grandmother) in Lawrenceburg was next on the 26th. Wesson met his cousin Will for the first time. My Grandmother is so thankful to have three healthy great-grandchildren to see grow up, and we are equally as thankful for her to be in their lives.

We came home about 4:00 to meet DAVE! We had Dave up for the night as well as hosted a few of my friends from high school that have children or wanted to meet the children. It was early to bed for us because Sunday morning we went to pick up AUNT KATIE at the airport!!! It was so nice to have her around while Lee had to head back work. We had a great time with Aunt Katie but her visit was way too short!

Just in time for Lee to go back to work, Wesson has decided it is really fun to sleep at night (hope I don't jinx us by saying that). He has a 9pm or so bottle then heads to dreamland and snoozes until 6 or so. Its been wonderful! Its odd that I will actually have to wake him up to eat so I can get in the shower for work. I'm not complaining though!

You are probably wondering where the pictures are... There are so many I want to share so I started a Shutterfly page. Go to http://www.theparkersinpictures.shutterfly.com/ to see ALL of Wesson's pictures.

Major Shopping Day... and Santa!!!

We went shopping yesterday with Well Well and Aunt Ginny... what a day! It was my first day without Lee to manhandle the car seat in and out of the vehicle and my first day to use the stroller. It is huge!!! Well Well had an emotional breakdown when she realized she was finally pushing her grandbaby in a stroller through the mall. She said, "I have been dreaming of this day for a really long time!" So we took her picture...

My first failure as a mother was not to think that a mall in Nashville has Santa set up for pictures 24-7. We couldn't pass it up though, seeing that "Barry Clause" at the hospital tomorrow will be skinny and have a fake beard. We attempted to buy him a Christmas outfit and come back but nothing was small enough. We opted to just wrap him in his blanket and call it my fault. Santa was great to take a little nap with Wesson....

More Week 3

We got Wesson some shoulder protectors for his car seat and its hilarious! He looks like he is going to space, especially when he puts his hands on the straps.
Next to his monkey for week 3!

We went to Big Daddy and WellWell's for their annual Christmas Cheer. After WellWell got the party over with, she was ready for some Wesson time!

Wesson's Third Week on Earth

Well we've made it to Wesson's third week. Here are some of our adventures...

First family photo since we were in the hospital.
First big boy bath... We weren't worried about him peepeeing on us because he went down his leg outside his diaper while I was waiting on the water to warm up!

We went to Colby and Catherine's for dinner and Wesson loved their tree!

First Christmas parade. He was all decked out!

Our baby has decided that if he is going to cure cancer some day he needed to get busy growing up. He is so strong already. He rolled from his belly to his back all by himself this weekend!!!

Busy Week for Wesson

We have had quite the show at our house the past few days. Here are some of the adventures...

On Lee's birthday, we took Wesson to Aunt Ginny's house for a few hours so we could go see The Blind Side. I took a picture just in case one of them didn't make it.

This is Wesson after we let him hang out in his bassinette and throw a little fit. He was so mad he took his shirt off!

This is Lee's little adventure with Hot Dog Relish. Got to keep your finger on the lid, Dad!

Week 2

Well we made it through the first week! Wesson is perfect! He eats every 3 hours during the day and once in the night. I don't want to jinx myself, but he is such a good baby. We went to the doctor today and things are going well. In one week he gained 9 ounces, grew 3/4 of an inch longer, and his head got bigger too! Very impressive. His expressions crack us up, especially after he toots! He thinks it is so funny to mess up a fresh, clean diaper - even if he just went! On to the pictures...

His Granddaddy and Mimi brought him this monkey this weekend so we decided to use it for his growth pictures.

Wesson likes to through a little fit mid-evening so he and Mama cuddle in the recliner with the cable-knit blanket and a soft pillow. This is the aftermath...
Our big boy is holding his head up a lot so put him on his Boppy to grab a picture.

Wesson Is Here!!!!!

Cancer will be cured soon... Wesson Lee Parker is here to save the world. We went to the hospital Thursday night to be induced (darned BP), had a good night sleep then woke up Friday to crank up the drip. I was a 5 by noon and ready for the drugs. By the time we were getting the goods, I was really hurting and the doc wanted to check me when she saw the situation and GET THIS..... I was a 10, just an hour or so after I was a 5!!! I barely got the epidural... Ahhhhh! Probably would have missed it if the doc had gotten there any sooner. So while I reaped the rewards of the epidural, everyone prepped to have a baby and he arrived at 1:52pm!!!

Anyways... Wesson weighed 6 lbs 2 oz and is 18.5 inches long. He looks like his Daddy and not a thing like me. He is precious and we're going to keep him!!! I can't wait to show off all his firsts to you all!!!

38 weeks 4 days

Yep, still pregnant! My blood pressure is still high, not getting higher, just a little out of the doc's comfort zone. We go back Wednesday to see the results from several tests we did Friday and to see if any of them dictate where we go from here. We'll keep you updated!!!

Not Much To Say

Its been a while since I've updated you on Wesson. We are just hanging out these days. He is trying to "see the light" but we're not quite there. We're checking my blood pressure everyday to make sure everything is still going well. We go to the doctor tomorrow for an official blood pressure check. We'll assess from there. I know one thing... we are having a baby very soon no matter what!!! Yah!!!

Another Project

Well, everyone needs one more major project before a baby's arrival, right??? We are so thankful for our gorgeous new deck. Lee and Dad worked so hard on re-planking the floor and putting up new rails so that Wesson has a smooth surface to play on.

And just when I thought that looked hard... holy cow! Mama, Dad, Lee (and me for one day) stained the deck this weekend. It took two full days of painting to cover everything. But ITS GORGEOUS!!! HUGE THANKS TO THE FAM FOR ALL THE HARD WORK!!

Before

After

Super Pregnant!

Since I couldn't seem to smile like I meant it this morning, you're only getting the belly! We are officially 36 weeks and 1 day pregnant. I want to say we are ready for him, but we aren't. We really want Lee to be out until Dec. 28th so that we can go to Charlotte before Christmas to see the family. If he comes too early, Lee will have to go back to work before then and we will miss seeing everyone again this year!

As far as my health goes, I'm really feeling okay. Resting is difficult for me. I'm to the point that I pay for it if I do too much. Wesson lets me know when I need to chill out.

We go to the doctor every week now so I will have more updates soon!

35 weeks

We are 35 weeks now! I think you can definitely see a difference in the 34 and 35 week pictures.

The Clydesdales Visit Pulaski

The same weekend of AJ's beauty contest, the Budweiser Clydesdales made a visit to Pulaski. Wesson had to have his picture made with them so his Daddy could see (Lee was in Pittsburgh visiting Uncle Nolan). The Herd's had their picture made too of course.

I'm teaching Wesson bad things early. I caught Anna Grace in front of this "smiling" Clydesdale. She was not really excited about it!

AJ's Beauty Contest

We recently had the opportunity to enter AJ into a dog show in Pulaski. He loved it! He won 1st place in the Best Groomed/Most Natural category and 2nd place in Best In Show!!!!

This is AJ smiling for me with his ribbon.

This is his pose on stage while waiting on the other contestants - notice how he keeps his eyes on the judges. I taught him that!!!

34 Weeks

Wesson is a whole 34 weeks in my belly today. Not liking any belly pictures but I'm willing to sacrifice for the blog. In other news, I had a swine flu shot today. Mom even got one since she will be around our little buddy a lot. I just need to find Lee one now. We went to our third prenatal class tonight - super fun because Hillside has yet another precious CRNA on staff. Learned a lot about epidurals tonight that I have not really worried about knowing since I have been planning to give myself one if no one else would.

Other than that, we are working on packing a few things to have ready to go and ready to wait it out. Its crazy how many women are having their babies a little early... come on Baby Wesson! We are ready to meet you!!!!

Gifts Galore!

Here are all the wonderful things he received! We don't have a picture of the Pack N Play from his Big Daddy and Well Well (We'll see if the names stick). I don't know that it would fit in a picture anyways - its huge!!

Showered With Gifts

What a great time! Besides the rainy day, Wesson's shower was perfect! He has so many new things that we are so thankful for. Major thank yous are due to Leigh Ann, Lori, Phyllis, Gail, Naomi, Sarah, Jane, Hayley and Brenda for hosting the party. I have put in a few pictures of his friends and gifts for you!

This is a hand-made blanket from Grandmother. Its gorgeous. The pink outfit was my Dad's! He was Grandmother's fourth born child and she just knew that she was due a girl. Obviously, God had other plans. With all the hard work she put into to making the outfit, she put it on him to go home from the hospital. Now we know what is wrong with him!

Big thanks to Wesson's "aunts" for making the big event.
This is Wesson's river chair from Jennica and Lee. His umbrella says "River 101," which is the class you have to pass before being able to handle the river crew on full-time basis. I think Wesson will catch on pretty quickly!

I must thank the hostesses again for the Super Stroller! It is mac-daddy. I'm not sure that we will be able to see Wesson when he is it for a while. PS - Wesson chauffeurs are going to need credentials to operate this thing. We are dangerous!

The Nursery is Done!

I know you've all been waiting patiently for these pictures so here they are. Between a sick computer, crazy work and a few loose ends to tie up in the room, we had several delays. Hope you like it!

This is taken straight into to the room from the door.

This is taken from the door and into the other side of the room. This is obviously the other corner opposite the changing table. The shelves are not organized completely. I'm sure Wesson will have several things to display by the time he gets here.

As Promised

Ok, this is definitely the time when the belly pictures begin to be humiliating. In my own defense, there is a little bit of a shadow to the side of my face. Its not all fat! But... here he is! This is us at 30 weeks and 1 day.

30 Weeks

I cannot believe we are already at 30 weeks! Thanks to Sheela's patience, we got to sit around for a while and just watch Wesson scratch his face, roll over and practice breathing. I think Wesson got a little agitated with us trying to get his picture. His hand on his head in the 4D image cracks me up. That was the last picture he let us get. He let us know he was done with us by flipping over where the "wand" couldn't get to him.

Even though Dr. Gist doesn't like her to tell, Wesson is estimated at 2 lbs 14 oz. Just perfect! His nose looks rather large, like he is pressed against some glass. I will have to say that the 4D was confusing. I would love to see him again in a few weeks to see how much he has changed.

His fluid is great and my placenta is at the top of my uterus. Most important to me is that he is very low with his head down. This confirms the reason for the pain and pressure on my "lower area." Little Buddy is going to have to float up if Mama is going walk for the next 10 weeks! I keep meaning to take a belly picture, so stay tuned for that update!

I thought he was talented enough to blow bubbles, but its the umbilical cord in the background!

He gave a high five before he realized we were going to bother him for an hour! This one is a little difficult to make out. He has his hand on this face (as if we were causing him to get a headache). You can see his right eye in the center of the picture, then his big, pudgy nose, his chin goes in the shadowed area. This is last picture he gave us before rolling away. Surely he's going to be genius with that big head!