9 months

Am I late or what? Haha.  Parker turned 9 months last week!  He's really starting to thin out and grow vertically.  Parker has also gained at least 3 lbs in a month, he weighs 21lbs now.  With this recent spurt in growth we got him a new carseat.  Originally I wanted the Evenflo Triumph, but they were no where to be seen so we opted for the Safety 1st Guide 65 Ziggy.  I couldn't be happier and it appears Parker loves it too!

At 9 months you can smile, laugh, wave, clap and you have been standing all by yourself recently!  You say dada, mama, yeah and cat.  Eating is one of your favorite things, you especially love pickles.  Everyday I realize  that you're becoming more of your own little person and less of the baby I brought home 9 months ago.

I love you so much Parker.  You are the best thing that has ever happened to me.

Living in the Moment

Today we visited Matt's family.  Today Parker learned how to clap.  Today is perfect.

It's going to be hard when you don't need me to hold your hand anymore.

Fluff Mail!

Boy, do I ever love receiving mail that's not the usual flyers and bills!  Today Parker received a goodmama fitted diaper.  It is so cute and I can't wait to try it out.  We also got a WHAM made Cheshire Cat pocket diaper earlier this week.  I love Alice in Wonderland and this is just perfect!

Lately I've been sorting through my old belongings (mostly my pre baby clothes *sad face*) and selling the stuff that I don't use/wear anymore.  Today I traded an old jacket for a leap frog play table for Parker.  Best trade eveerrr.  He's in love with it and I love the idea of re using, trading or buying used instead of new.

 In other Parker news, he has become a pro at using his sippy cup and waving.  It melts my heart and makes me want to cry a little because my baby is growing up so fast!

Baby Shower!

Last Saturday, Parker, Matt and I went to the first Annual Dawson Creek Baby Shower.  It was a big celebration for all babies born in 2011.  We had a lot of fun and it was nice that Matt was able to come with us.  I've only been to a few play groups but this one definitely got me motivated to go to more.  Parker loved socializing and I need more mommy friends (because really, I don't have many irl)  We filled up on cake and snacks, had Parkers photo taken and they even gave out little gift bags when we were ready to leave.

Adventures in Babywearing

Yesterday was so much fun!  Matt, Parker and I went to this baby shower for all Dawson Creek babies born in 2011.  We got Parker's photo professionally taken and ate lots of cake.  Parker met another Parker and flirted with a few girls, haha.  I'll post photos of this event later when Parker doesn't have me pinned to the couch while he naps in my lap.  For now heres a few photos of Parker and I trying out a double hammock carry;

Apparently he thought it was pretty comfortable ;)

See it swimming

I could not ask for any more from life after today.  It was one of those smooth, effortless, enjoyable evenings.  Parker slept horribly last night so Matt took him this morning so I could sleep in.  We played and played until Parker was pooped (literally) and needed a nap.  Boy did he ever nap, he slept like a rock for 3 hours!  After he woke up we had some lunch.  Parker nibbled on some avocado and the grown ups ate some cheese tortellini.  He has developed such an appetite.  Some days I just look at that tiny body in disbelief and think to myself, "Where does he put it?!!".  Later in the afternoon we got a call from Matt's brother Tony asking if we wanted to go swimming.  We packed up Parker and off we went.

This was Parker's second time swimming and he loves it!  We love it!  For the first 30 minutes I got to snuggle him in the kiddy pool.  He is usually so active I never get cuddle time unless he's eating or sleeping.  I took full advantage of this.  For the last half an hour we splashed and played with plastic motor boats.  It was paradise.

And now I'm holding the most perfect gift I've ever been given as he dreams.  I don't know how I ever became so lucky.

Wordless Wednesday

Cloth Diapers

Parker has been in cloth diapers since he was 3 months old.  Before I got pregnant I never seen myself using them.  I had this image of diaper pins, pieces of cloth and rubber pants ingrained in my mind when I thought of cloth diapers.  Little did I know there are soooo many options out there.  We personally use mostly pockets and all in one diapers with a few fitteds thrown into the mix.

Not only are they cute, I'm also saving thousands of dollars (for real) and reducing un needed waste thats polluting our earth.  Disposable diapers contain harmful chemicals and are directly linked to low sperm count in males and asthma.  I'm so glad we made the switch, I wouldn't ever go back to paper diapers.  I thought it would be harder, but really it's been an easy switch to make.

If you're interested in helping our earth and making a healthier choice for your baby, this is a great place to get informed on cloth diapers.

Wordless Wednesday, Almost.

Excuse the absence, Matthew has caught a head cold these past few days.  So Parker and I are having extra mommy and baby time while Dad recovers, which means less blogging time, haha.  And we all know men are big babies when they're sick (sorry to say so, Matt).  Anyways here are a few shots from last week;

wordless wednesday

I'm definitely a hypochondriac.  I took Parker to the Doctor's today because he's been shaking his head and pulling on his ear a lot and I thought he possibly had a food allergy.  But nope, I have a perfectly happy, healthy baby.  It doesn't hurt to be pro active either though, right?

home, sweet home.

 This was my chaos last week.

It has been one crazy busy week in the Broadway/Hora household.  We FINALLY have everything moved in.  I've unpacked most of the house while chasing a nearly 8 month old around (yay me).  We've ran into a few snags with our rental.  One being the horrible leak underneath the sink that we over looked.  It has rotted the wood underneath it and has rendered that cabinet useless until it is fixed.  Thankfully our landlord is having someone fix it on Monday.  Minus the few minor repairs, so far I am in love. 

We live right across from the elementary school I attended when I was a little girl and just up the road is the child development center, where my little brother went to day care back in the day.  We have a HUGE backyard and a deck.  I absolutely can not wait to play in it this summer with Parker.

When I get everything unpacked and organized, I will post photos of our humble abode.

Juno

A few months ago my first pet and feline friend passed away.  Moxy loved to laze around and hump socks, he was quite the character!  Unfortunately not long after Parker was born he died of kidney problems and old age.  He now resides underneath the apple tree in my Dad's yard.

I've been throwing around the idea of getting another furry friend for awhile.  Of course it had to be the perfect fit for our family.  I looked for a couple months, nothing really stuck out to me.  Then I saw her, a medium hair siamese cross.  I thought about getting her for awhile, and then found out she had been spoken for.  Weeks went by and while looking in the pet section on a local shop and swap page, I seen her again.  I had to get her at this point.  My friend drove an hour to go get her for me from a cat rescue in Chetwynd, BC.  So far she has been such a well behaved, playful kitten.  I'm so happy to have a furball to curl up to and some company for when Matt is at camp.

Everyone, this is Juno.

Parker seems to like her, but lets just say we're working on our "nice" touch, haha.

Christmas

Our Christmas was insanely busy.  On Christmas Eve we started the day off  having a pancake breakfast and opening a few gifts at Granny D's house.  We later had an old fashioned Ukrainian dinner at Great Grandma Olga's farm.  And we finished the night off with presents at Grandpa Adam's.  Christmas morning arrives in a hurry and we celebrate our first one as a family opening presents and preparing for more Christmas events.  We went to my Dad's house for more presents until Matt had to leave for work, then headed to Pouce Coupe to visit my Niece and  then had dinner at my Dad's house. Parker and I spent our boxing day eating turkey and candied yams (yuuuumm) at Granny D's.    I'm just beginning to recover and relieved the holidays are mostly over.   But all the madness was so worth seeing the fam jam and watching Parker on his first Christmas. 

Finally!

We finally got our tree up and decorated.  This is our first tree as a familly and I'm absolutely in love with it.

It may not be the biggest,most lavish tree on the block, not all the ornaments match and we're using a toilet paper owl in place of a traditional star or angel.  But its OUR tree and it's perfect, to me at least.

Today Parker, Nana Ginger and I did some last minute shopping (gong show!).  Afterwards Parker helped me with laundry and was ridiculously cute.

Did I mention I baked my BUTT off today?

Don't feed after midnight

This was Parker all day.  Yep, I'm pretty sure theres a stage between infancy and toddlerhood called gremlin.

I did get some awesome mail though!

These are some cloth wipes from Modified Momma Creations.  They are just too cute!

Oh, I also won a Scentsy warmer!  I was so excited to get this.  I don't have any wax, but I'm going to get some soon so our house smells delicious.

We STILL haven't got decorations (except for a lonely owl) on our tree.  I'm hoping to conquer that on top of the mountain of laundry I have to do.

Our Week Captured

My heart beams with happiness knowing the love my family shares

❤❤❤

Baby Wearing FTW!

Another sick day in the Hora/Broadway house. As most babies are when they're sick, Parker was the definition of clingy.  Matt is coming home Monday and the apartment is in shambles.  Dirty dishes, unswept floors, clothing on the ground, a living room that looks like a toybox exploded, you name it.  Parker was NOT going for playing quietly by himself, instead it was tantrum city.  So out came the Pognae carrier and up on my back he went!  I've only carried him on my back once before so I surprised how well he took it.  Not a peep for the whole hour I cleaned.  

Matt and I both use a few different kinds of carriers on just about a daily basis.  Our stash consists of a Pognae buckle style carrier, Buffalo Bean ringsling, a Dolcino Bali and Chimparoo Blue woven wraps.  My two favorites being the pognae and dolcino.  Lately I've been drooling over this beautiful wrap.

Fast forward to bedtime, it was not happening.  Not all the nursing, bouncing or rocking in this world could get congested, cranky, teething Parker to sleep at this moment.  Baby wearing to the rescue!  I dug out the dolcino, wrapped Parker and wore him not even 15 minutes and he was sleeping like a log.

Basically what I'm trying to say in all this rambling is if you don't already have a baby carrier (an ergonomic one, not a crotch dangler, ouch!), go get one!  Even if your infant doesn't have trouble sleeping it's great bonding and excellent exercise.  It makes my tasks soooo much easier!  Definitely a lot less cumbersome than lugging a stroller around too (ahem, stairs).

Parker and I ❤ Baby Wearing.

The many faces of solids.

Since Parker turned 6 months old we have been tip toeing through the realm of solid foods.  So far he likes broccoli, carrots, banana, baby mum mums, avocado, apple sauce (this one took some convincing) and apple blueberry puree.  He's not so hot for sweet potato and pears.  I can't remember exactly what he was eating in these photos, but he sure was hamming it up for the camera!

What kind of foods does your little one enjoy or dislikes?

7 Months

Parker turned 7 months old yesterday.  I can't believe how fast time goes by.  It seems just like yesterday he was a newborn.  He is so much fun.  I love watching him grow and learn new things everyday.  Although I am a bit sad that this means he is now closer than farther from being 1 year old. At 7 months old he can sit up all by himself, army crawl and pull himself up while holding onto objects.  He says yeah, dada and sometimes mama when hes really upset.

Newborn, fresh from the uterus

1 month

2 months

3 months

4 months

5 months

6 months

7 months