This post has taken me FOREVER to write, but in honor of Parker turning 1, I thought should take the time to jot down a little bit about him at this stage in his life...some of his favorite things, not so favorite things, temperments, stats, etc. I also included some pictures and a little video, of course!!! So, keep reading and by the end you'll hopefully get a good idea of my little baby's personality and all his lovable charateristics and quirks.
1. He's a pretty big boy! Even though he may not look it since he doesn't have those baby super thunder thighs or endless amounts of fat rolls all over him, he's definitely a good sized boy, must be all muscle! At his 12 month check-up (about 2 weeks ago) his stats were:
1. He's a pretty big boy! Even though he may not look it since he doesn't have those baby super thunder thighs or endless amounts of fat rolls all over him, he's definitely a good sized boy, must be all muscle! At his 12 month check-up (about 2 weeks ago) his stats were:
Weight: 26 pounds (88%)
Height: almost 31 inches (79%)
Head: 18 1/4 inches (50%)
And, I seriously think he's gained about 2 more pounds since then and grown another inch but there is no way I'd ever get him to sit still long enough for me to verify it! I couldn't even get him to sit still long enough to get a truly accurate reading for his weight, we just kind of "went with" 26 pounds since that's what the scale started to read before he tried to get off and he weighed in at 26.5 pounds the week before when we were there for somethin else, so we figured 26 even was a safe bet!
His check-up went great and he's completely normal, just a crazy, ACTIVE little boy. This baby is never still, if he's awake he's doing something.
My big little boy
Doesn't look 26 pounds right? He hides his weight well!!
Coming to get Mommy's camera...always after something
2. He's a giver. Parker loves to hand toys, milk cups, glasses, keys, pretty much whatever he can get his hands on over to someone else. I think it's in his nature, he can be such a sweet little baby sometimes. He always grabs Tristan's milk cup (which Tristan routinely throws on the floor after drinking it dry) and tries to hand it back to him. So sweet. If any other child is playing with a toy and they put it down, then he will pick it up and take it to them.
2. He's a giver. Parker loves to hand toys, milk cups, glasses, keys, pretty much whatever he can get his hands on over to someone else. I think it's in his nature, he can be such a sweet little baby sometimes. He always grabs Tristan's milk cup (which Tristan routinely throws on the floor after drinking it dry) and tries to hand it back to him. So sweet. If any other child is playing with a toy and they put it down, then he will pick it up and take it to them.
Handing Mommy the snack cup
Really, he'll keep trying to give it away unless you take it
3. Parker LOVES, LOVES, LOVES to push anything he can get a hold of...it doesn't matter what it is or how it has to be pushed, he will do it. He pushes his toys, drives his cars, pushes furniture, just has a fascination with pushing things around.
It all started at around almost 10 months old when I got out the push toy (I took this picture that day)
He took to this toy right away and he and it have been inseparable since
A little video of his first push
He's come a long way since then, but he's still a "pusher". He can walk and has taken as many as 15 steps on his own and will walk from one stationary object to another, but he really loves to get behind something that he can move and take off. I think this transportation mode has taken over as his favorite, but crawling is still a close second, since he crawls at the speed of lightning, and that's how he "drives" his cars.
"Driving" one of his cars...look closely in his right hand and you can see it
And if you couldn't see the car in the picture above, here's a little video!
A little more
One of his ride-on cars that he loves to push
One of his ride-on cars that he loves to push
He always gets a big open-mouthed grin when he's walking around with something, it makes him so happy
Mouth open wide
His absolute favorite "push toy"...not really a toy and annoyingly loud when pushed all around the house on the tile, but he loves it
His absolute favorite "push toy"...not really a toy and annoyingly loud when pushed all around the house on the tile, but he loves it
Hehehehe, look at that smirk
Pure happiness
Over the last month or so, he's become quite confident with his push toys and whips them around in and around furniture all over the house. It's quite funny to watch, so I had to catch it on video...these two clips are a good representation of his personality. He's on the go, completely wreckless all the time, hilarious to watch!!!
Wreckless video #1
Wreckless video #2
He's now walking on his own a lot more, up to 15 steps by himself, but I haven't taken video, so that will have to come in another post!
"yea, yeah, uh huh, uh huh"
"Oh really?"
"No way, she did what?"
My little gossiper
4. He's starting to imitate, a lot. He loves to do what everyone else is doing, especially Mommy, Daddy and Tristan. He picks up the phones, puts it to his ear and usually opens his mouth, to talk I presume. He also likes to scream if he hears Tristan screaming and lately he's started to give kisses with a big "mmnnoop" at the end (you know, the kissing sound you make) after he's been given a kiss.
"Look Mommy, I'm talking on the phone"
"yea, yeah, uh huh, uh huh"
"Oh really?"
"No way, she did what?"
My little gossiper
5. Another outdoor baby! What is it about little boys and the love for the great outdoors? Parker seems like he's always itching to go outside, especially if Tristan is outside. If anyone opens up a door and goes outside he immediately throws a fit until he gets to go outside. What is it about sitting outside in the 100 degree heat and humidity that my kids like?? I just don't get it!
"Chillin" outside in the stroller, doesn't care if he's in the stroller as long as he's outside
He's very fond of Tristan's ride on car, soon to become his
He gets on all by himself
He must have spotted something better
6. I already mentioned just how much Parker has really been into imitating whatever he sees, but I think the biggest imitation of all has to do with eating. He's always been a pretty good eater, but now he really only wants to eat what everyone else is eating (which sometimes is a little hard due to food allergies). He always wants to hold his fork and/or spoon, although he can't really use them yet. Also, he likes to let us know exactly what he wants to eat, two of his absolute favorite foods are multigrain Cheerios and Ritz crackers...don't ask me why those two things are favorites but they are. He recognizes the boxes and pulls them straight out of hte pantry and brings them to me on a regular basis.
One morning about 2 weeks ago I caught him on the kitchen floor with the box of Cheerios dumped out on the floor shoving as many as he could get in his mouth! Speaking of his mouth, it's full of teeth. He has his top middle four and bottom middle four, and his top two 1 year molars.
Eating Mommy's oatmeal from her bowl
Sucking down a cheerio
Eats off the floor, could care less
No wonder he's such a chunk
My little ham
The bib says it all
"Chillin" outside in the stroller, doesn't care if he's in the stroller as long as he's outside
He's very fond of Tristan's ride on car, soon to become his
Just not always facing the right direction
And he's off
6. I already mentioned just how much Parker has really been into imitating whatever he sees, but I think the biggest imitation of all has to do with eating. He's always been a pretty good eater, but now he really only wants to eat what everyone else is eating (which sometimes is a little hard due to food allergies). He always wants to hold his fork and/or spoon, although he can't really use them yet. Also, he likes to let us know exactly what he wants to eat, two of his absolute favorite foods are multigrain Cheerios and Ritz crackers...don't ask me why those two things are favorites but they are. He recognizes the boxes and pulls them straight out of hte pantry and brings them to me on a regular basis.
One morning about 2 weeks ago I caught him on the kitchen floor with the box of Cheerios dumped out on the floor shoving as many as he could get in his mouth! Speaking of his mouth, it's full of teeth. He has his top middle four and bottom middle four, and his top two 1 year molars.
Eating Mommy's oatmeal from her bowl
Checking to see if there's more
Offering some to Mommy
Offering some to Mommy
Licking the bowl clean
I gave him a bowl of Cheerios and a spoon and here's what I ended up with...at least there was no milk in it
Sucking down a cheerio
Eats off the floor, could care less
No wonder he's such a chunk
My little ham
The bib says it all
Coming after Mommy with his spoon
You'd think he'd just won a contest or something, it's just cheerios son!
Acting coy
That's more like it
Yep, definitely more like the Parker we know and love
There's a shot of the teeth
7. He definitely has preferences! It really is funny to see how different kids are, even your own. Parker most defintiely has favorite toys and activities and they aren't the same as what Tristan liked at this age. As I mentioned before, he LOVES cars, something Tristan just wasn't that into at this age. If it has 4 wheels (or two for that matter), you can bet he'll drive it around, just fascinated with them.
Cooking something up
Order up
A little better
Now we're both looking
Oh forget it, he'd rather chew on the camera lens!
9. Finally, one of Parker's biggest characteristics at this wonderful 1 year of age is his curiosity and constant exploration, without any regard for fear. He is constantly discovering new things, testing limits and going in and out of new places. Parker is definitely a risk-taker and sees no boundaries (I like to say that Tristan takes calculated risks, but Parker just takes risks!).
He loves to crawl from one end of the couch to other and leap over the side, leaving just enough leg for Mommy or Daddy to grab (hopefully) so that he doesn't go barrelling over the side. The smiles and laughs we get from this favorite game are the biggest and loudest I've ever heard from him...just loves it! He will go just about anywhere, through any door, over any object, nothing stands in his way, he's always out look for and exploring the newest things and won't let anyone or anything stand in the way!
A few weeks ago I happened to be videoing him and caught him practicing a new skill he learned...opening doors. I seriously had no idea he could do this. I guess he figure dif I wasn't going to opent he closet door for him to get out the vacumns and swiffer sweepers, he'd just do it himself! He's such a trip!
Opening the door video
Hope you guys enjoyed a little insight to Baby Parker!
You'd think he'd just won a contest or something, it's just cheerios son!
Acting coy
That's more like it
Yep, definitely more like the Parker we know and love
There's a shot of the teeth
7. He definitely has preferences! It really is funny to see how different kids are, even your own. Parker most defintiely has favorite toys and activities and they aren't the same as what Tristan liked at this age. As I mentioned before, he LOVES cars, something Tristan just wasn't that into at this age. If it has 4 wheels (or two for that matter), you can bet he'll drive it around, just fascinated with them.
Intensely examining one of his toy cars
Another favorite activity of his is putting balls or toys in anything he can get them into. Now, I think this is a favorite of most kids since I seem to remember Tristan liking this as well, but he does it all the time. He got a really cute helicopter ball drop toy for his birthday and he loves it!
Another favorite activity of his is putting balls or toys in anything he can get them into. Now, I think this is a favorite of most kids since I seem to remember Tristan liking this as well, but he does it all the time. He got a really cute helicopter ball drop toy for his birthday and he loves it!
One of his favorite things to do
Finally, one of his all time favorite toys in our mini-Toys 'R Us of a house is a frying pan that came with Tristan's Elmo restaurant. Ever since he was able to crawl and stand up he's been enamored with this frying pan, and the restaurant comes in at a close second. As soon as he spots it, he goes straight for it and goes all around the house with that pan. So weird, because he could really care less about the spatula that also hangs up on the toy right next to the pan!
Maybe he likes since he can chew on the handle
Cooking something up
Order up
Aaaaawwww, that's my sweet boy, offering up his favorite toy
I don't think the money is supposed to go in the pan, but whatever makes him happy!
I don't think the money is supposed to go in the pan, but whatever makes him happy!
8. Still a Momma's boy! Although he's started to branch out a little more and show Daddy quite a bit of love and a little preference from time to time, he's still all about his Mommy. He usually does fine if I'm not in sight, but as soon as he sees me, he sprints over as fast as he can or stretches his whole body away from whomever is holding him. I definitely enjoy having a baby who prefers me most, but sometime my arm and back wish he liked to someone a little more!!!
Mommy and baby, take 1
Mommy and baby, take 1
A little better
Now we're both looking
Oh forget it, he'd rather chew on the camera lens!
9. Finally, one of Parker's biggest characteristics at this wonderful 1 year of age is his curiosity and constant exploration, without any regard for fear. He is constantly discovering new things, testing limits and going in and out of new places. Parker is definitely a risk-taker and sees no boundaries (I like to say that Tristan takes calculated risks, but Parker just takes risks!).
He loves to crawl from one end of the couch to other and leap over the side, leaving just enough leg for Mommy or Daddy to grab (hopefully) so that he doesn't go barrelling over the side. The smiles and laughs we get from this favorite game are the biggest and loudest I've ever heard from him...just loves it! He will go just about anywhere, through any door, over any object, nothing stands in his way, he's always out look for and exploring the newest things and won't let anyone or anything stand in the way!
A few weeks ago I happened to be videoing him and caught him practicing a new skill he learned...opening doors. I seriously had no idea he could do this. I guess he figure dif I wasn't going to opent he closet door for him to get out the vacumns and swiffer sweepers, he'd just do it himself! He's such a trip!
Opening the door video
Hope you guys enjoyed a little insight to Baby Parker!
