Trick - Or -Treat

The Meirowsky household has been pretty busy lately...last weekend, we all went over to Aunt Loni and Uncle Eric's house. We took Reagan over to meet their new Great Dane Levi. Reagan has him beat on the weight, but it won't be long that she will have the height. Aunt Cassie and her boyfriend Montana were also over, so it was nice to have the whole gang together.

Then Tuesday my high school friend Ramie came in town from Texas, so we got to hang out with her and her son Jackson. I didn't get any pictures because I thought we would have more opportunities to get together, but it didn't work out. Every one in our house got sick...not sure who started it, but what a drag! We are still sniffling, coughing, sore throat, and just tired! So we only got to see them on Thursday evening for a couple of hours.

Saturday Kevin and I played in a Duck Soup tournament. I love that tournament; it is so much fun! Overall, it is a softball game, but every inning has a twist. The first inning you only get one pitch - hit it or your out, second you hit with the opposite hand, third inning you run the bases in backwards order, fourth is a huge 16 inch ball, fifth you draw for the defensive position, and their is never a tie, because the visiting team starts with 1/2 a point. Our team did great! We took third and was out at the ball field until about 9:00 that night. Parker is such a trooper; he never complained all day. I usually think I am a prepared person, but for some reason we didn't bring Parker any dinner (not going to lie; didn't think we would be out there all day). So we had to run to QT and improvise a little bit. Thank goodness Aunt Jenny is out there to watch him while we play; she is such a huge help! I know we will pay her back (she is due in about 3 months).

Then Sunday, we decided to take advantage of the still warm weather and go to a pumpkin patch. There wasn't a whole lot Parker was able to do, but he loves being outside!

Then last week, my friend Megan, Parker and I went to visit another friend that I work with, Jennifer Kerr, who just had twins a month ago. Max and Joshua were super cute! Too bad I forgot my camera...boy, do they have a lot on their hands! And since the weather has been nice, we went to the park. Parker really enjoys watching all the kids run and around and play. Next year he will be able to join them! We also got to go to our PAT (Parents as Teachers) playgroup. It is good to let him interact with other kids and play with new toys. Also the group has a nice set up that you can check out the toys that Parker is enjoying. They let you borrow them for a week; which is more than enough time. By the time the week is over, he is over them and on to something else.

Then of course, we are excited to share Parker's first Halloween! GRRR...as a dragon! The afternoon didn't start off that great. Parker had another hearing appointment; this time with a specialist. Every doctor that we have been to has said that Parker has a lot of liquid in his ears, so we decided to go to a specialist and get his opinion. He agreed that their was quite a bit of liquid and we don't want Parker to fall behind on his speech. Since that part of his development is fast approaching, we decided to have tubes put in his ears. This will be done at a later date. It is going to be so hard for me to be in the room for this small "operation." At the specialist's they had to pull out a ton of earwax which meant holding him down and restraining him. He did not like that a bit! He cried so hard it make him hoarse. I hate that! I hate seeing him in pain! It is going to kill Kevin and I when they put tubes in. Anyway, that day is in the future...so after the doctor we headed over the Grandma Chris and Grandpa Tom's house to show off our little dragon. Of course they thought it was super cute (who wouldn't?) and since Parker is not a Trick-or-Treater yet, they got him a cuddly dinosaur pjs and a frog bath toy. Then we headed over to Grandma Lisa's house where we met up with Aunt Cassie, Aunt Loni, and Uncle Eric. Grandma had some Cheerios and Fruit Loops waiting along with a blinking pumpkin necklace. Then our last stop was Grandpa Kirk's house. Everyone thought Parker was the most adorable little dragon they have seen. He kinda reminded me of the baby dragons off of Shrek 2.

Then SCARY GRANDMA! She had a Halloween party to go to. She borrowed some of Kevin's hunting gear, gave herself a couple of bullet holes and ew gross!

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Does anyone else see any resemblances with the crazy hair?

Finger painting

Getting ready for Halloween and NO this is not his costume. We are keeping that a secret!

It has been a great week! Last Sunday, Parker used the nursery at church for the first time. In the past we had been able to go to a service that Parker would sleep through because it was nap time, but now he is much to active to hold him for the hour and a half. I think Kevin and I were both a little nervous leaving him there with so many kids. The church we attend is huge; so many people! But is was so organized! We sign in on a computer and it prints off two stickers, one we put on Parker's back and one we keep for when we pick him up. Then they seperate them into rooms depending on age/ability. Parker is with the crawlers. He is assigned a 3 digit number and if they have any troubles, they alert us in the santuary (laugh it up Grandma Lisa and Aunt Loni!!). Anyway, we used it again today and once again it great!

Last week, our babysitter was out of town for vacation, so Parker got to spend Thursday and Friday with Grandma Lisa. And it looks like Aunt Loni snuck over for some play time as well. I've said it before, and I'll say it again...it is SO nice to have family close. I owe them big time; I really appreciate them!!

And last night I decided to let Parker have his first finger painting session. Don't worry, it is not real finger paint; just ketchup and mustard. He only put it in his mouth once and decided he really didn't like the taste (can't blame him - GROSS!). He is so artistic - haha.

Maize Fall Festival Parade

We had a great day today at the Maize Fall Festival Parade. Parker's first parade! He really enjoyed the fire trucks, ambulances, the bands, really anything that made loud noises.

UPDATE : Parker is now a professional crawler...no problem! He also pulls himself up on everything. Sometimes he pulls himself up on the kitchen chairs and then scoots them around. He has also learned the meaning of "NO!" He tries to bite the coffee table and when we tell him "no," he gets the big bottom lip and usually cries a little. It usually takes once or twice for him to actually stop what he is doing...stubborn little guy! He likes to wake up in the morning and stand in his crib; he has been doing that for about a month now. He usually just stands in there and talks to himself - sometimes up to 15 minutes. But as soon as we move the door to see him, he is all smiles! As for foods, Parker still enjoys banasas, peas, carrots, and sweet potatoes. Green beans are still the worst! We did try chicken tonight and that seemed to go well. Also this week we did half whole milk/half breast milk in his cereal. So far so good. My goal is to be done nursing by about 10 months. Right now he has a bottle in the morning, one around 4, and then again before bed. Parker has never had any formula; I think that is one reason he is so healthy - only 2 colds in 8 months! (Knock on wood!) Parker also eats cheese slices torn up, cottage cheese, Gerber puffs, and Cheerios. He is getting better at hitting his mouth - we always pick him up from his highchair and Cheerios fall everywhere! By looking at him you would think he never misses his mouth. I have also introduced the spoon to Parker; I know he is a little young for that, but he does a pretty good job. I dip applesauce on the spoon side and then lay it down in front of him. He picks up the handle end and puts the spoon in his mouth. He is pretty messy by the end of dinner, but it is fun to watch him learn. And still his only word (that we can understand) is "da-da." Bath time is still a blast and we have added bubbles; he likes those a lot!

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Woofstock

What a great weekend!

Friday night Steve Garcia and Shanon Wiggins finally tied the knot! They had it at the new zoo in Goddard, Tanganyika. We didn't get to see much of the zoo, because it got dark to quick. But the wedding was beautiful and tons of fun! Parker stayed for the ceremony and then called it a night. Good thing Grandma Lisa is flexible with her schedule and was able to come take him off our hands so Mom and Dad could have a late night out with friends. We have to be the most spoiled parents ever! It is so nice to have so many babysitters so close!! We owe everyone A LOT!

Then Saturday, we caught up with Jeremy and Gina and headed over to Woofstock at Sedgwick County Park. It is a fundraiser for Kansas Humaine Society, and they MUST raise a ton of money. That place was packed with people and dogs! Every type of dog was there : bulldogs, poodles, yorkies, great danes, everything! We of course took Reagan and she got a good workout in walking around for 3 hours. They have master/pet look-a-like contests, sheep herding contests, obsticle courses, dog clothes/costumes, every dog toy under the sun, and just about any thing else "dog oriented" you could think of. Parker did a great job and enjoyed watching everything. Only got fussy once and because it was way past lunch time, so we sat in the shade and enjoyed a banana. That night we played catch up on some sleep!

Then Sunday, Kevin and I had a couple ball games. Again, Grandma Lisa to the rescue! It was SO windy...gotta love that Kansas wind and it was howling that afternoon. Not the best afternoon to be outside. But I guess Parker didn't mind it, because when we pulled up, him and Grandma were sitting on the porch and Parker had fallen asleep! How cute!! Then Great Grandma, Great Grandpa, and Great Aunt Carma came over to visit. Aunt Carma turned Grandma about a month before Parker was born. My cousin Jeri had a little boy, Ayden (he was on the blog from when we went to Table Rock Lake this last summer). It was fun to catch up with her and see the differences/similarities in the two boys!

We had a great chat, but then we had to rush over to Grandpa Kirk's house to celebrate his birthday. Uncle Eric and Aunt Loni joined us and we had some ice cream cake.

All in all, got to see lots of people, got lots of rest, and lots of Parker time!