First Park Trip

The weather was so beautiful yesterday that we decided it was time for Carter's first trip to the park! Although he slept through the whole thing in the ergo carrier, I think he really enjoyed being out in the fresh air (if nothing else Parker, Bobby and I really enjoyed getting out of the house)! We went to Municipal Park so we could feed the ducks and Parker loved it! Parker and I use to go the park on a regular basis before Carter came so while I was in the hospital Bobby took him and I was so surprised by all the things he's mastered since the last time we went. He's always been a little afraid of going down the big slides but that is no longer a problem! He was going down every slide in the park like an old pro!

I've only taken Parker to Municipal Park once when he was just starting to walk and although he enjoyed feeding the ducks then, he really got into it this time! I was amazed at how unafraid the ducks were of people. They came right up to us and Parker was able to feed them the bread we had brought right out of his hand, which of course scared me to death but he thought it was the greatest thing ever and he still has all his fingers so I guess it was okay!

I can't wait for spring so we can have more fun times at the park!

Isn't it crazy how close the ducks get!

Ooooh...I so thought my baby was going to come back missing a digit!

Cheesing in the swing!

Carter and I doing a little swinging, too!

Bobby and Parker playing the Xylophone

This is what I see when Carter's in the carrier!

Parker driving the "mint truck" as he likes to call it!

Weight Check and More...

Thursday we took Carter for his two week weight check and he's already up to 6lbs. 5.5oz. He was 5lbs 9oz when we left the hospital so I'm really happy with the weight he's gained back! Nursing is going really well so there's no telling how much he'll weight at his one month appointment.

On another note, as most of you know I've been trying to grow my hair out to donate to Locks of Love for the about a year and a half now and this past week I finally had the 10 inches I needed to have it cut. My hair is a little shorter than I thought it was going to be but its really starting to grow on me. I don't have very good before and after pictures but here are a couple:

Before

After

For me loosing my hair would be one of the hardest parts about having cancer so I hope this donation makes such a difficult time a little easier for one women or child.

I'm still trying to get use to it being so short, but I think I'm going to keep it like this for a while. I think Parker was a little taken back by the fact that all my hair was gone b/c when I came home he just stared at me and kept saying "mommy cut hair". I know both boys will probably really appreciate it being a bit shorter because now it won't fly in their faces as much ;)

Jaundice Therapy

When we brought Carter home he was just a touch jaundice but our pediatrician thought he would be fine and told us to call if it got worse. On Monday I noticed he was a little more orange than he had been so to be on the safe side we took him to the doctors and they said his jaundice didn't look bad enough to need photo therapy and to just keep doing what we're doing. They also did a weight check on him and he'd already gained back up to 5lb 12oz after getting down to 5lb 9oz in the hospital! I think he's trying to keep up with his big brother!

Getting a little sun therapy!

Brotherly Love

Parker so far has been so good with his new little brother! I was a little apprehensive about how he would do with having a new baby in the house but he's really surprised me. We've stressed to him that he's only allowed to kiss or touch Carter on the top of his head so every now and then he'll go over and stroke his head then give him a kiss. Its really sweet! For now I'm just going to enjoy how well he's getting along with his little brother because I know it will be short lived ;)

Carter Evan Stinson is HERE!!!

Finally our family is complete! Carter made his entrance January 8, 2009 weighing in at 5lbs 15oz and 19.5 inches long. He's a little guy but I'm sure it won't take him long before he's catches up with his big brother! Speaking of big brother, Parker has really enjoyed having us home today. He won't let me out of his sight (which really isn't that abnormal) and if Carter cries or makes a noise Parker rushes over to see if he's alright and tells him "its okay, baby Carter". I know we might have some jealously issues in the next few weeks but for now he's being a great big brother!

This past week as I told you all before I've been running around like crazy trying to get everything done and I guess with good reason! On Thur. morning at about 4:30 I noticed I was having some rather strong contractions so I called my physician and she told me to go to the hospital and let them check me out to see if it was the real deal. When I got to the hospital at around 7:00am I was already 7cm! They gave me my epidural at around 8:30am and at 2:15pm I started pushing. He was born at 2:35pm. I can't believe how quickly I've recovered this go around. I'm sure it has a lot to do with how small he is but over all it was a very easy labor and delivery. Much easier than with Parker. Bobby keeps saying "you don't even look like you've just had a baby". God has blessed us in more ways than one!

Now for the part you all care about the most: PICTURES!!! Enjoy!

What a cutie pie!

Our little family!

Parker, keeping himself busy at the hospital with his cars and trucks!

Carter and his Gigi at the hospital!

Finally leaving the hospital!

Carter's Nursery Update and More

The bumper pads are done!!!! YAY!!! I'm so happy with the way the turned out! I was getting a little nervous that I wouldn't finish them before Carter arrives being that my doctor took me off all my medication starting today but some how I got them done. I have all the rest of the fabric cut out for the curtains and bed skirt and I will start them today but I'm not near as worried about getting them done as I was the bumper pad. Here are a couple more close up pictures of my work!

I've known for sometime now that today would be the first day without my medicine and you would think that would have encouraged me to get everything done before now but you'd be wrong! I don't know what my problem is but it seems like whenever I have something important to get ready for or do I ALWAYS wait until the last minute to get it together. Basically I'm the epitome of procrastination! Anyways, because I waited to the last minute to get everything together, yesterday I ran around like a chicken with my head cut off trying to get stuff packed for the hospital and picking up things I'll need when we bring Carter home. Something else I'd been putting off until last evening was doing my belly cast. I'd found the idea when I was pregnant with Parker and thought it was a cute way of preserving this special time in my life! Here are the pictures of the finished product!

I'm not exactly sure how I'm going to decorate it yet so any suggestions would be really appreciated. I thought about making it into the shape of a bug some how but Bobby didn't really like that I idea so I guess its back to the drawing board! Here is a picture of the belly cast I did for Parker. Bobby came up with idea of how to decorate it. I think its probably the best, and only, decorating idea he's ever had!

Merry Christmas 2

Here are a few pictures I forgot to put up in the last post:

Parker taking a picture of me taking his picture with his new camera!

Gotta love squishy balls!

I attempted my first turkey this year for Christmas Dinner and I was so proud of the way it came out that I decided to post a picture of it. Not only did it look pretty but it was pretty tasty, too! In case you're looking for an easy but delicious turkey recipe, here is the one I used http://www.recipezaar.com/Roast-Turkey-77861

Merry Christmas

We had a wonderful Christmas! This year we decided to stay home and start our own Christmas traditions instead of going up to Auburn like we have been. We wanted to make sure that the true reason for Christmas wasn't lost in all the Santa and toys hoopla so Parker and I read about the miracle of Christ's birth and Christmas morning we put a candle in his cinnamon roll and sang Happy Birthday to Jesus. Although he's still a little too young to fully understand everything, I'm so glad we started these traditions so once he is old enough he will know the importance of Christmas! One tradition my family had that I always loved was driving around on Christmas Eve to look at the Christmas lights so Wed. evening we drove through Mid town and some really nice neighborhoods in Mobile and saw some beautiful lights! Parker seemed to really like looking at the lights especailly the yards that had lots of lights and santa figures.

Because we didn't go home this year, all our family came to us! My mom was here first through Christmas and then Bobby's parents came down and lastly my dad came to stay. Parker had a great time with each of them and has been asking where everyone went since they all left. I think he really misses his grandparents!

This year he was so excited about opening his presents! He would open one and then start playing with whatever it was and forget all about the others. By the end we were having to beg him to put down the toys and finish opening his gifts! Here are some pictures of Parker opening his toys Christmas morning.

I hope everyone had a blessed Holiday season this year!!!