April & May Highlights

Parker's arrival made life a little hectic for a little while. Blogging has been at the bottom of my to do list since then.
I am finally used to and have begun enjoying having two children.

I'm going to catch up on what's been happening the last two months in one blog.

The Competition



Tyler and I were really worried how Annley would cope with having a new sibling. Anyone who knows us knows that Annley has been the center of our universe for the last two years. We prepared ourselves for the worst and were a little surprised with how she dealt the the situation.

She ignored Parker completely and whoever had held him for a few days. I however, was ignored completely for four days. She finally came and sat beside me on day four. She pretty much decided that I was the person who was supposed to keep & care for Parker.



It has been two months and now she loves him. The only time she gets upset is if Daddy holds him. This is not surprising since she is the the very definition of a daddy's girl.



Fishing



My dad, my brother Bryan and I LOVE fishing. I try to go whenever I visit my parents. I even went when I was 9 months pregnant. Given this, it should not be surprising that I would want to take Annley.

My dad and brother were very excited for us to take Annley fishing. My dad even went and bought her a life jacket in case we decided to take the boT out.

I talked to Annley about going fishing throughout the day that day. When Grandpa walked through the door Annley ran up to him very full of excitement and said " I WANT TO GO FISHING GRANDPA".

My mom even came with us. My dad taught Annley how to hold the fishing pole and reel in the line.




She loved every minute of the trip, except for actually looking at the fishe once they had been caught.

Tragic Day



May 30, 2010 Annley got bit in the face by Cooper, a dachshund.
She had a black eye & had to have 2 stitches.
Unfortunately this was not the first time Cooper had bitten someone and the decision was made for him to be put down.
It was a rough weekend for everyone involved.
Annley has since recovered with the exception of having a fear of dogs which we are hoping will disappear soon.




- Posted from my iPad

Breakfast of Champions

By Tyler

Annley has heroes…

They have names like Ariel, Belle, Cinderella… Meg

 

Annley likes to name some of her toys after her heroes.

Though her little girl dolls are all named “Meg”.

 

When Annley says “Meg” it sounds like “Egg”.

So this morning when she came running up to me saying “Egg! Egg! Egg!  Daddy, Egg!” I reached for a nearby girl doll and handed it to her.

 

Annley looked down at “Meg”…

and said, “No Daddy.  Breakfast.  Egg.”

David Parker

By Tyler

Sorry I couldn't get into more detail last night. With all the excitement and exhaustion, we didn't want to fail to let everyone know the great news, but we just didn't have the energy or were clear-headed enough to elaborate. Some of this information is repeated from my post last night so please forgive me. I just wanted to give all our friends a little more detail.
Carmen's doing fine now. The labor was much shorter than last time, but she still labored for just under 12 hours (way better than for 3 days). Parker 8 lbs 8 ounces, was 22 inches long with a head 14 inches in diameter so it took a few really difficult pushes, but there was no tearing (rips). From the time we got to the birth center to when Carmen delivered was only about 2 1/2 hours so our timing was very good. Her water broke while she was laboring in a bath; after that she only labored another 1 1/2 hours until Parker was delivered.
Parker's amazing. He's got great muscle tone and strong lungs. He doesn't seem quite as aware as Annley was of her surroundings when she was born, but he's far more relaxed and quiet-tempered. The only times he really gets upset at all is when he has to be changed (he can't stand the cold) and when he's hungry. Other than that he's perfectly content.
Annley stayed with my parents last and Carmen is really grateful for the break since Annley is a firey ball of energy and also since Carmen's still on the mend. We're at home now and enjoyed a peaceful night's sleep last night. Annley will probably come home in just a few hours where she'll have to start getting used to the idea of sharing "mommy" with a new baby. She regarded Parker last night with curiosity, a shred of jealousy, but mostly excitement, so I believe she'll be just fine after a short adjustment. Annley is a bright, helpful, and intelligent young girl, so I have no doubt that she will be a great big sister.
Parker is the second child we've given birth to with a perfect Apgar score of at least 10. We've been told that's not particularly common. We already know what an amazing child Annley has turned out to be so we have confidence that we're at least a little prepared for all the joy and difficulty that comes with bringing a second child into the home.
We appreciate all your love and support. Thank you for the incredible out-pouring of well wishes. We love all our family and friends and we'll be excited to share our family with them whenever possible.
Love,
Tyler and Carmen

The Best Seat in the House

By Carmen

 

Lately Annley has found a new favorite place to watch her movies.

We have a few other options but for some reason this is the place to be.

Two

By Carmen

Yesterday was Annley’s birthday.  I can’t believe she is already 2 years old.  It seems like she was just born. Annley is such a wonderful part of our family and Tyler and I love her very much.

Some things we love about Annley;

She loves princesses, singing, dancing and jumping.

Has a great sense of humor and loves making people laugh.

She loves to cuddle especially in the morning.

She likes to have a plan for the day.

She LOVES animals.

She has a terrific memory (this comes in handy when my memory fails me).

She has a way of making you think her idea was actually your idea.

 

We had Annley’s party and a park and invited some of her friends.  It was a beautiful day to be outside.

I made my first attempt and doing more than just frosting a regular cake.

 

Annley played at the park with her Nana and her friends.

Another First

By Carmen

Annley has never been the most friendly person with kids her own age.  She usually gravitates to older kids who she can actually have a conversation with and who can grasp the game of tag.

Regardless of that fact I have been trying to do play dates at least every other week.  We finally had a break through a couple of weeks ago while we were visiting my parents.

I scheduled a play date with my friend Candace and her daughter Laurel.

The play date started out with Annley being clingy and whiny but after about 10 minutes of being in the “toddler’s” museum and seeing all the wonderful things to do she took off.  She played by herself for a little while and then she and Laurel actually played together.

Here is a glimpse of what they did together.

They ended the play date with hand holding and hugs.

Mommy’s Helper

By Carmen

A few months ago I started giving Annley chores to do around the house.  It drags the chores out longer for me but Annley is learning how to help.

When I first decided to have Annley start helping with the chores, I was worried it would turn into a power struggle.

Then I remembered that she is an attention seeker.

All I have to do is give lots of praise and do a couple of cheers and she is more than willing to help.

Her chores include;

Laundry- loading the washer, putting clothes in the dryer, taking clothes from the dryer and putting them in the “big chair” and now we are working on putting her clothes away.

Dishes- Unloading the silverware and other unbreakable dishes.

Cleaning her room and play area.

So far she is more than willing to help feels very proud that she is helping.  I am going to enjoy eagerness to help while it lasts.