Parker's First Christmas

It's been a great holiday season, as Jaimie, Little Man and I travelled to Austin for Christmas with the Osburn side of the family. I must admit, no other baby on the planet travels as well as Parker. Whether or not this statistical anomaly holds up, it remains to be seen. But overall, this kid knows how to fly. Eat, sleep, laugh at the old lady sitting behind us, flirt with the stewardess, repeat. This is what it's like to fly with Little Man.

We arrived in Austin around midnight, with the three of us flying on a different airline than Gramma Osburn, who had spent the past few weeks with us in Pasadena. Papa and Aunt Lisa picked us up and we gathered our luggage as we waited for Gramma to land.

Another 1st since Parker has joined us: For the first time I had to pay $3.00 for one of those luggage carts to carry all the crap we brought with us.

We spent most of the holiday season visiting and playing with Little Man's cousins, aunts and uncles. With the relocation of Aunt Jody, Uncle Mark and Cousin Maddie, Sunday after church we made a road trip to San Antonio for an overnight visit. On the way, we stopped off in San Marcos to visit our friends, Jeremy and Ryan at their restaurant, Zookas. As quick as Sunday and Monday went by, it was great to see everyone.

Christmas was a blessing, a blast and a whirlwind all at the same time. Parker had a wonderful time watching mommy open his presents for him, trying to eat the wrapping paper and ribbons as they came within reach. Cousin Cole and Cousin Maddie both took turns showing Parker his gifts, playing with him and teaching him how to use some of his new toys. We spent the evening playing games, watching A Christmas Story for the 16th time and talking about our future trip to Snowbird in Salt Lake City. All in all a fun couple of days!

For all of you that received Mickey's Christmas letter, I apologize for his negative attitude towards having to write it. It's one of those family jobs that he just has to deal with, similar to taking out the trash or washing the car. Regardless, he has been feeling a little neglected as the holidays closed in on us. We had to leave him for a week and it was obvious that he wasn't happy once the suitcases came out. How fair is it that the "new kid" gets to go, while Mickey has to stay home and watch the house and the cat?

If you did not receive Mickey's letter, please let me know by adding a comment. If we know you, we'd be happy to send you one. If we don't know you, I feel a little creeped out right now. But Merry Christmas anyway :)

To Grandmother's House We Go

For the first time in Parker's new little life, we are about to enter the Christmas holiday season. I am so excited I cannot stand it. And even thought he will not remember this Christmas, I will. I will remember how he spent his first Christmas with his mommy's family in Austin. I will remember how his older cousins were with him, his aunts and his uncles. I will remember how blessed we were to have him come into this world and join our family. And, lucky you, will get to read about it. Then, maybe someday, he will be able to open this back up and read it as well. Knowing full well that his daddy could not have been more excited to have him come into his life.

So bring on the holidays! Bring on the travel and the car seat maneuvers. Bring on the timezone changes and the new climates. I welcome the new surroundings and the new noises. It's all part of what it means to spend time with family. And Parker has already gotten a taste with Grandma Osburn staying with us for the past few weeks. Let's turn it up a notch.

We leave for Austin on Thursday. I'm sure there will be LOTS of stories to tell. So, until then, enjoy the holiday season and stay safe.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Grandma Davis!!! We love you!

Day Care

On Wednesday, Jaimie, Chery, Parker and I went to visit the USC day care facility... AKA, Parker's 2008 home for the workday. We met the facility coordinator, a number of teachers, and toured the facility.

Overall, I'm pretty happy with the set up. The infants have their own room, with a 3 to 1 ratio of babies to teachers. The room is small, but perfect size for little ones. There is also a toddler room, then 2-3 and 4-5. The ratio of teacher to child decreases as the children get older, but overall the level of care seems to be really high.

The advantage to this daycare facility, above all else, is location. Jaimie's office and the daycare actually share the same parking lot. This means it would take Jaimie about 30 seconds to WALK over to visit Parker. It's the same commute to work without a detour. She can pop in whenever she wants to. Convenience can be a huge advantage!

So, once we finish up the paperwork, Parker will officially be a student at USC. I am not sure how I feel about that small detail, but it's something I will learn to get over. GEAUX TIGERS.

OHIO STATE / LSU

It's Official... 

Grandma in the House

In a late evening rush to the airport, it dawned on me that for the first time since Parker had been born, that my mom was about to get him all to herself. It's a cool feeling to see your mom holding your son, and as tired as mom was, she had an immediate thought once we were in the car and leaving LAX, "I can't wait to get my hands on that baby."

Mom's flight got her in around 12:30am, delayed from Atlanta, and we were both exhausted when we finally saw each other. Mom had worked that day, and once you add in the 2 hour time change, she had been up for almost 24 hours straight. Regardless, she was excited and ready to see her grandson. Luckily, with no traffic at 1am in L.A., she didn't have to wait long.

Today was their first day together and it sounds like everything went well. Parker is getting big, I mean BIG, and he loves to eat. Mom experienced it first hand and they had a great day together, even taking a nap together in the afternoon.

Everyone is asleep right now, with the hours slowly whittling away as Parker grows and smiles and meets his family. Tonight, he rests easy. Tomorrow, Mommy and Little Man are off to the doctor for his 4 month check up. 

Stay tuned!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Parker wishes you and your families a Happy Thanksgiving weekend! Don't eat too much turkey or you'll end up looking like this!!!

Time Keeps on Tickin...

It's amazing to me that Jody and Maddie just came to visit us a week and a half ago and it's already time for them to leave. As challenging as two little ones can be, Jody did an amaznig job as a mommy, sister and aunt this week watching both Parker and Maddie. I have to give her huge credit on traveling 5 hours on a plane with a toddler who just had a two hour time zone change inserted into her schedule. But, they both did great and it was fun to watch Maddie warm up to Parker over the days they were here.

Last Thursday, Mark flew into town for the weekend. I invited everyone to the Disney lot for lunch and gave Jody and Mark a tour. They actually got to see someone famous, as Steven Weber yelled something in Chinese he read off a cue card. Jaimie, Parker and I also took the Stafne family to Disneyland. Even with two children too young to understand, it was still a fun day. Maddie loves "the mouse" and "It's A Small World." Parker, on the other hand, thought "It's A Small World" was scary and a bit freakish... that's my boy.

All in all a fun time was spent enjoying some quality family time and seeing my sister again. It just reminds me how much having family around makes things easier and more "normal" in such an abnormal situation.

I got a very sweet email from my father's sister, Aunt Barbara. In the email she compares, from what she sees on this site, the way I interact with my son, to the way my father interacted with myself, Jody and Jeremy, to the way my grandfather interacted with them when they were kids. It's interesting to see how she notices the similarities and traits that seem to be passed down from generation to generation. It's comforting to know that, what I thought was my best attempt to be a good daddy, was just as much tied with me repeating history and how my father treated me. 

Because I know how much I love my son, it's special to know that love has been reflected many times over in our family, from father to son. Thanks, Aunt Barbara.

Now, go look at some new photos!

Family Time

So, the holiday season begins. Mommy has cooked up an elaborate plan to make sure Little Man gets plenty of love and attention while we both work, and also buy us some time Parker officially starts in daycare in January.  And as of Saturday morning, 8:00am, the plan is officially under way with the arrival of Aunt Jody and Cousin Maddie for two weeks. Both flew in from San Antonio and were immediately immersed in a baby shower for our friends, Mel and Andy. 

Over the next few weeks, Aunts and Grandma's alike will embark on a wonderful journey, as Parker tests their limits and blows their minds with his ability to lay around and be happy. At any moment he may snap into a frenzy of giggles and spit bubbles. As we continue through the rotation, it's fun to see how each person takes to Parker differently, his charm undeniable. He has this power over the ladies, makes you wonder where it comes from...

But no matter, Mommy and Daddy see this as an opportunity to spend quality time with family we don't get to see very often and watch how multiple people confirm what we already suspected to be true... we have a perfect child.

But how quickly will perfection fade? Stay tuned. :)

Tigers, Tigers

LSU beat Alabama. It wasn't pretty, but it wasn't a Loss. With the BC loss, LSU is back at #2. Little Man and Mommy went to a baby shower for Mel and Andy in San Bernardino for little Aydn, soon to be here.

Jaimie and I are both excited that Parker will have a little friend so close in age to him. We do alot with Andy and Mel, so to have family friends with a little one in the same age range will make it easier as we watch them grow up together.

Parker is just now a little over 13 weeks old and we are watching as his personality is developing. He is such a sweet, good natured baby we feel almost too fortunate. He smiles and is trying so hard to giggle, but it mostly comes our as little grunts. But it's so freakin cute you can't stand it.

His patented move is to get so excited, he throws his fist at the same time he cracks his biggest smile. I think he stole that from Grandpa Mr. Davis. When he finally starts to laugh and it sounds like my dad, I'll make sure to video it. The thought of a newborn laughing like his grandpa just kills me.

A Hero Is Born

As Super Little Man soared through the sky, he hears a cry from the city below. Soaring at the speed of light, Super Little Man dives straight down in a spiral towards a helpless old lady, about to be struck down by an out of control school bus full of orphans. 

As Super Little Man scoops up the old lady and safely deposits her on a rooftop miles from the scene, he returns swiftly to stop the speeding bus from careening off Dead Man's Point to the deadly rocks below. Super Little Man, carrying the bus with one arm and playing with his toy giraffe in the other ponders how quickly he went from just being able to hold his head up to the ability to grasp a toy giraffe and a bus full of orphans at the same time.

It's Halloween, and Super Little Man made his debut at both mommy and daddy's offices today. The Disney offices were full of kids, all trick-or-treating from cube to office, learning very quickly that us internet geeks have lots of candy! He did an excellent job keeping himself awake the whole day, as he was passed from person to person. And even after he drifted off to sleep in the car on the way home, Super Little Man's mind sprang from the ground and soared off into the sunset.

Happy Birthday Uncle Jeremy!

Happy Birthday Uncle Jeremy! We haven't seen you in a while, but in honor of your birthday, Parker wanted to put up a photo of you guys hanging out together from back on Day #3!

Right now Uncle Jeremy is in Australia for work, which sounds about as sweet as it probably is. Although he is alone for his birthday, hope he knows we are thinking about him and can't wait to see him again.

Return of the King

Jaimie and Parker returned wednesday evening and I couldn't have been more thrilled. When I picked them up at the Burbank airport, Jaimie walked through the security doors to the luggage carousel with Parker strapped to her chest in the Baby Bjorn. Did I think he had gotten bigger? Yes, but the biggest change was he was riding in the Bjorn facing forward, not backward. Little Man has got some head control going!

It was a long day of travel, so both Jaimie and Parker were exhausted. But, I spent most of the evening with Parker sleeping in my arms. He is so sweet when he's sleeping, it's hard to put him down.

Parker had a big week, and it sounds like he got some great Grandma Osburn time in New Orleans, as mommy attended her conference. I'm sure it's crazy that Chery had to fly to New Orleans to spend some one on one time with Parker, but somehow I get the feeling it was totally worth it for both of them.

Missing You At All

You know, after just 4 days away from Parker and Jaimie, I feel like I am missing out on the most important moments of his life. I know it is only a short period of time to be away from someone for only 4 days, but 4 days to a 10 week old is 5.7% of his entire life. That's a huge number. Am I obsessing? I think not.

Jaimie and Parker left Austin yesterday and are now in New Orleans, kicking it on Bourbon Street. Jealous? After a few Hurricans at Pat 'O's, I'm sure Parker will get in a fight with a tranny on some side street an end up sleeping it off in the New Orleans City Jail. Wait, I think I just fast forwarded 20 years. What is wrong with me? All I keep doing is aging him up.

I think it's the fear of missing something important. Right now everything he does is important. Everything is a major milestone. His first smile, the first time he holds his head up. His first time to chuckle... You don't want to miss any of these things because they are his first. I have to keep reminding myself there will be plenty of firsts. You have to decide what the important ones are and live for those. If every first is just as important as the next, then you spend the rest of your life and most of his being an embarrassing pain in the butt.

I've got 3 more days to go, some i'm going to suck it up and tell myself that if any "firsts" happen while I'm not there, then they must not have been any of the big ones. But it's hard, when his first plane ride, first trip to Austin, first trip to New Orleans, first time meeting his cousins and his aunt jody and his first time meeting some of our closest friends all happen on the same trip.

Hi Daddy!

This is what it looks like to talk to your family from 1700 miles away. Thank you Skype!

Daddy's Day

Jaimie went back to work on Monday, so we left Parker at home with a nanny that day. I worked from home on Tuesday, so that I could watch Parker and get some good daddy/son time with him before Jaimie and Parker left for Austin the next day. I will not get be with either of them for one whole week, and going on day three now, I realize how hard this is going to be. So, I am thankful for my first, of many, Daddy Days.

Daddy day was fun. Parker is such a good baby and his favorite time of day is the mornings when he wakes up. This kid wakes up HAPPY. I mean, it's bizarre. He and his mommy both just LOVE the mornings. He's happy, he sings and laughs, he thinks everything is funny. I love it and it honestly helps me wake up as well (mornings are not daddy's favorite), but it makes me realize how sweet and innocent we all are at that age. I mean, nothing phases him, he isn't stressing about the work day ahead, a conference call, or even what to make for breakfast. He isn't responding to email, doing performance reviews, managing multiple budgets or prepping for presentations. He's just living. 

He eats, he poops, he laughs, he stares at objects he's locked onto, then he gets tired and falls asleep, only to repeat in a few hours. From here on out, everyday for him will begin to get more complicated. He will find his voice, he will roll over, he will sit up and crawl, he will learn to use his hands. And that will be a pretty full day for him. 

As he gets older and learns, I hope he takes it all in stride. I mean, it's silly to think about these things now, at the ripe old age of 10 weeks, but we all know how crazy and complicated your life becomes the older you get. You try to become more successful, your expenses seem to grow at the same rate as your income, you move across the country and leave what's familiar. If your kid has ANY drive what-so-ever, you hope they will push themselves to be successful. And success is coupled with a little stress now and then.

For now, it's fun to watch him achieve small goals. Holding his head up, grasping things, and locking onto daddy's face and reacting with a smile and "almost" a laugh. This is what I will remember years later. Trying to laugh could be just as important as interviewing for your first job. But right now, to me, it's the most important thing.

It's Not About the Money

Jaimie received one of the coolest gifts I have seen so far for Parker, from a co-worker (Thanks Mark!). It's a personalized measuring marker/coin bank. I long, clear tube is mounted on a piece of wood and personalized with Parker's name on it. On the board behind the tube are hash marks, showing the height marked off in feet, starting just under 2ft. As the child grows, you add quarters to the height chart until it fills the bank! When full, it should contain $200 in quarters, weighing around 15lbs.

Now, what I love about this gift is the multiple uses this can apply too. It lasts for as long as Parker grows. It can be a great little reward system. It is a great way to save money as a "piggy bank." Genius in it's simplest form.

This, and many others, makes you realize how profitable the kids industry is. From toys to videos to parks to clothes to "baby accessories," there are infinite possibilities on money making ideas around babies and kids.

Don't get me wrong, working for a company like Disney I see the possibilities on a daily basis. It's a very creative and challenging industry. But, for the little guys that come up with the big ideas, I say kudos to you for taking the chance. I hope you all fare well.

Here is a link to TWO BLUE PEAS. One of my favorite little baby boutiques, run by two of my favorite girls, married to two of my favorite guys. Helen and Sarah, rock on!

Also, here is a link to the makers of the measuring stick. Great idea, guys. Wish I had thought of it! :)

Fat and Happy

Just how a baby is supposed to be, says our doctor. And why not? Little Man is a strong eater, so this is a good thing. Still, it's a funny thing to begin learning all about the world of "percentiles" and how this measurement is used to track the size of your growing baby. I've heard new parents use the term for years, but I never realized how much knowing your child's "percentile" effects the way you evaluate your parenting.

Today, Jaimie took Little Man in for his first round of shots. Poor little guy cried sad little tears as the big bad doctor stuck giant spear-like needles in his thighs. But, he took it like a Little Man and spent the rest of the afternoon mad at mommy. That is, until super awesome daddy got home and spent the evening making him smile and coo and forget all about the bad doctor lady.

Now, he has little bruises on both of his thighs. But, he seems to be over it for the most part. He has spent all week with mommy, their last real "at home" week before mommy goes back to work.

So, back to "percentiles." Apparently, Parker is in the 50th percentile for height, placing him right in the middle. However, Little Man is not so little in the weight department, hitting the 95th percentile. This means he won't be playing basketball anytime soon, and he LOVES to eat. Mommy equals full belly.

Jaimie was concerned at these findings (as any nutrition professional might be), but the good doctor assured her that a full baby is a happy baby, casting her fears aside and reminding her that this just means that both mommy and baby are doing their jobs.

The Emotional Drain

OK, so this isn't supposed to be a blog about college football. I'm not supposed to only update it when LSU beats teams like Florida, or USC loses to teams like Stanford. You shouldn't be hearing from me only after a major turn of events in the world of college sports. So, in light of all of these things on the list of "no", I will let Parker explain to you his experiences yesterday on a typical, fall Saturday.

"So, I woke up extremely happy Saturday morning and had a great time practicing smiling with mommy. Then, when daddy got up, he picked me up from my Little Einstein mat, gave me a kiss, made funny noises at me then immediately turned on the TV to something called "Game Day." I think, from that moment on, most of what I saw of my daddy was his profile as he stared endlessly at the TV.

After that was over, mommy and daddy took me on a nice long walk around the neighborhood. I looked at trees and houses and cars and clouds and the sky and birds, until that pesky sun made me close my eyes so much I fell asleep.

I woke up at home to see my excited mommy turn on the TV for something called "pregame." Then, we watched the Texas game with my mommy, which was a lot of fun, except my mommy kept yelling words I don't yet understand while my daddy just kept looking at his watch and shaking his head. When it was over she seemed really mad at the TV. I don't know what it did to her, but I want to find out so I don't do it.

So, I thought we were done with the TV until this time, my daddy got all excited and started yelling and jumping and praying and using adult words. His team, LSU was playing against a team of alligators led by a guy named "TeaBag." My daddy spent every commercial break talking into his cell phone to some guy named Kevin, who seemed to be yelling the same things at him on the phone. They both sure do like to yell.

Aunt Mel and Uncle Andy came over during the game, in which I got to hang out with Aunt Mel while Uncle Andy helped daddy yell at the TV some more. Near the end of the TV time, my daddy seemed to lose control of his body, falling to his knees, jumping in and out of the kitchen... he looked kinda stupid, but please don't tell him I said that.

When it was all over, my daddy was super excited and kept kissing me and hugging me, calling me his good luck charm. Oh, and his breath smelled like beer. But, all the excitement wore me out, so I decided I'd just fall asleep pretty much anywhere I wanted, so I did."

Thanks, Parker. It's been a very relaxing weekend, overall. Nothing major has happened and it was fun to just kick back and relax yesterday with the Little Man, and watch a little TV. He seems to really like Saturdays!

We're Number One

OK, so it's not very often you can sit down and legitimately write down these words, but yes, as of today, LSU is the number one team in the country. And no one is more excited than Parker, let me tell you.

Instead of the typical spitting up and making poop all day long, today he had a little more spring... a little more swagger, as LSU moves ahead of USC in the AP poll by two little points. When the poll came out, I grabbed him and said "Check it out, daddy's team is ranked #1 this week." He just sort of grinned his goofy infant grin and let out a grunt mixed with a little spit... as if to say, "Serious, dad. Did you have any doubt?"

So, we did what any normal father/son football fanatic family would do, we spent a good 30 minutes playing with his crazy toy giraffe, followed by some time on the Little Einstein mat, and rounded out the day falling asleep in the stroller while mommy and daddy took a victory stroll for LSU.

Mommy's Longhorns did not fare as well, losing to Kansas State in a homegame stunner. Parker wore his Burnt Orange proud for that part of the day, but he secretly let me know he was just trying to make mommy feel better. He is the most considerate infant I have ever met, and you could tell mommy appreciated it.

So, our first weekend with no guests in about 5 weeks. A wonderful weekend it was and mommy and daddy have decided to buckle down and begin establishing a sleep routine for Little Man. We are on day two right now and we've learned a few things:

1. Sleep schedules do not work if daddy is still yelling at the TV as Auburn upsets Florida

2. Sleep schedules should not last longer than 2 hours, or else your entire Sunday should be considered a sleep schedule.

3. The sleep schedule only works if Little Man says so

Other than that, I guess the big news of the week is that Parker was accepted into the day care at USC near Jaimie's office. This means that come January 3rd, Parker goes to school. A big load off Jaimie and I, as the daycare is 30 "walking" seconds from her office. No lie, the USC daycare actually shares the same parking lot as her office building. So, for the moment, we seem to have a pretty wonderful solution for when Jaimie goes back fulltime. Keep your fingers crossed that this holds true in a few months.

Oh, and GEAUX TIGERS.

Little Surprises

It's interesting to see how quickly Parker changes, and how a little time away seems like you missed an eternity of his life.

Going to Boston last week I had a tiny little helpless infant that could barely focus on an object, barely sleep 2 hours at a time and barely smile. Returning home on friday and spending the entire weekend with friends, he seems like he doubled in size, completely recognizes my face and my voice and making him smile is as easy as making yourself sound like an idiot... something i excel in.

Now, of course I am bias, but I truly believe I have the most beautiful, fastest developing, best natured baby on the planet. I am watching him sleep next to me right now on the sofa and it reminds me of how amazing this whole thing has been. I had an excellent conversation over the weekend with my friend, Jeremy Kinder, about fatherhood (Jeremy and family joined us over the weekend and are currently finishing a trip to Disneyland, check out the NEW photos). Jeremy is one of those guys I have known from a different time, when the idea of fun didn't include teaching your little girl how to pet a doggie or watching The Little Mermaid for the 6th time in the past 4 hours. But we both marveled at how all of the other stuff from our past didn't seem to matter at all now. Your whole world changes, your priorities, your focus.

I think it all goes back to the reality of having someone depend on you so much that the need to be cared for and to grow is only overshadowed by the love driving you to do it. I look at Parker and I see myself, my brother, my father. I see history repeating itself in small, but different ways. I see a woman and a man changing the focus in their lives, because it isn't just THEIR lives anymore. And I see a child that is destined to know more love in his life than he will know what to do with. 

Weekend Sleep In

It's a rainy Saturday in Los Angeles. Yes, that's right, rain. Not sure why but it's kind of nice.

The temperature has dropped to the mid 60's, the AC is off and all the windows are open, and Parker is just now being woken up after a lazy napping day all day today.

While daddy watched LSU beat #12 South Carolina (and Steve Spurrier), Parker, dressed in his best purple and gold, napped lazily in his swing next to the tv. Even when I tried to wake him up and show him the trick play field goal fake, he still dozed soundly.

We also have house guests again, with our good friends Jeremy, Jennifer and Eliza visiting for the weekend and heading down to Disneyland. Eliza is amazing! Very articulate and lots of fun at 3 yrs old. She makes me realize how much more fun it's going to be in a few years with Parker.

Tomorrow we drive down to Disneyland to take them to the Park. I can't wait to see Eliza when we enter. It will remind me of the first time we took Cole and Hannah. Should be fun!

Slacker's Personal Challenge

OK, I admit, keeping current and up to date with a blog is difficult with everything going on. I have wanted to do a solid update the past couple of evenings, but each evening it turns into daddy/baby time, so i actually have to fly to Boston to be able to sit down and get some thoughts out. But, I promise to be better and more diligent in my updates.

So, the past week has been as eventful as it can be with a new child in the house. Jaimie and I have become slightly efficient in trading off evenings in which either I stay up later or she wakes up earlier. The slight twist to our new routine came on Sunday, with the Malibu Triathlon. 

With the triathlon approaching (and me spending 0.00% of my time training for it the past few weeks), we felt it in my best interest to get rest before Sunday. This meant Jaimie was lucky enough to have a long shift both Friday and Saturday night. Now, Parker is doing much better and is beginning to understand the value of sleeping longer than 2 hours, but it's still inconsistent, so every night is a crap shoot.

Sunday morning, at 3:00am, I woke the family and loaded everyone in the car for the drive

 to Malibu. Arriving at 4:30am, the three of us slept in the car (along with hundreds of other early risers) until I had to make my way to the transition area for 6am. The race started at 7, my heat at 7:30, and finishing up with awards and brunch around 10am. Needless to say, both mommy and little man were total sports, supporting daddy as he "winged" a triathlon.

By the way, the Tri was fun. The swim was cold but easy, I got a flat tire on the bike and the run killed me. But other than my personal issues, the Walt Disney Company raised $235,000 for the Children's Hospital of Los Angeles.

After the tri, we went to visit our friends Tyler and Mel for Tyler's birthday BBQ. Arriving home around 4:30, we took some time at home, then jumped back in the car to go visit our friend Susy at the hospital, who had just given birth to her twins.

So, when it's all said and done, we logged a good couple of hundred miles in the car, visited 4 cities and handed Parker to a lot of people, both friends and strangers. And somehow we still managed to keep moving on Monday.

I am always thankful of how lucky we are to have such a good natured baby. He takes everything with ease right now, always looking around, trying to figure things out, but not getting upset unless he has a reason. But I really have to point out how lucky I am for such an amazing wife, who knows we both have each other's back and makes the sacrifices she can so I can push a little bit harder.

Payback, of course, was Monday evening. And now she is on her own until Friday, where it's my turn this weekend. But you know what, I really like that we can be there for each other and for Parker. I like knowing Jaimie is putting him first when she has him, just as much as she knows I am putting him first when I have him.

In cheerleader speak, "Parker is #1."

New photos posted, go getcha some.

A Week Alone

Honestly, we aren't really alone. But, it's been the first week since we have been home from the hospital that it's just the three of us. It's been interesting trying to settle into this new, but familiar routine of caring for a new baby. We are being careful as most new parents would be, but at the same time I don't want to be afraid to "expose" Parker a little bit, and Jaimie seems to feel the same.

While my parents were here, we had a wonderful time hanging out at home and watching LOTS of football. LSU defeating Virginia Tech was a highlight for sure, but my father having Peyton Manning in his fantasy draft made Pro football fun to watch as well. Parker took it all in stride, as the kid seems to love noise and distractions... basically, he sleeps right through them.

We took my parents to church with us on Sunday, where they were introduced to our Young Marrieds group and a few of our friends. The pride I must be wearing everywhere we take Parker was evident in their faces as they were happily introduced as "grandma and grandpa."

Afterwards, we made a trip to The Grove for some walking and people watching, along with lunch at the Farmer's Market. A fun afternoon with Parker soaking it all in.

What has made this past week so special, besides my parents being here, is something my dad pointed out to us before they left. Parker KNOWS us. I mean, really knows who we are. He is getting stronger everyday and can now move his head around (albeit a little out of control) and kicks and swings his arm, knowing he is hitting something. But, when he is

 really alert, Jaimie or I can speak to him and he will lock on... It sounds so simple but it's pretty amazing to experience the learning process of an infant. To have him look you dead in the eye when you speak to him, knowing he recognizes your face and voice. I'm sure if you've experienced it you know what I'm talking about.

Check out some of the latest photos from last weekend. Good times for the Davis family.

Good Friends

On our friend Amy's last night in L.A., Jaimie decided to have a little Labor Day BBQ at our house. We had the three of us, Amy and Davis, Brent, Mandi, Mel, Andy and our neighbors Simon and Dana. Even in the 90 degree weather, it was a nice casual time in the backyard passing the baby, drinking Mojito's (Amy's new favorite drink) and swapping stories.

Davis is an amazing little girl! She is developing into a little person and it just blew us away how much she looks like her daddy. One of her little "things" is how much she LOVES babies. I mean, LOVES them. Every minute of every day, she wanted to be holding and kissing Parker. It was so funny to watch her light up when it looked like Parker was reacting to her, she just thought it was so cool. I'm sure Parker's first cold will be compliments of Davis, but it's hard to deny the cuteness factor.

Amy's visit was a lot of fun. It was really cool of her to decide to spend her birthday with Jaimie, and to celebrate we drove to Temecula, kids in tow, and hit a couple of our favorite vineyards.

After making stops at Callaway and Ponte, we settled in at Wilson Creek until it was time to leave. Davis spent the afternoon chasing a Golden Retriever and trying hard to stay out of the grass (she has a strange aversion to grass?) and the girls spent the day tasting wine and showing off their kids to all who showed interest. And believe it or not, wine tasters love kids! Parker and Davis both drew a lot of attention and Jaimie and Amy got a lot of "Good for you's" and "Mommy's turn!" in reference to us being at the wineries. It was good, all-american white trash fun.

I just posted new photos to the site, both in reference to this weekend and to Daddy's Little Tiger. LSU #2 and Daddy is happy. More to come...

Freedom

It's now Saturday afternoon, and Jaimie is on her way to pick up Mrs. Amy Hazelrig, one of her best friends from college. This is the first time Jaimie has left Parker for over 30 minutes, and seeing as she has only called once, I think she's doing pretty good.

How's Parker doing? Well, after killing off about 6oz of milk and a few nasty "beer-like" burps (in honor of football season), he is passed out asleep in his magic swing, and Daddy is doing what he does best on a Fall Saturday, watching every college football game that is in high-def. Almost a shame to not be able to watch LSU again this week, but glad they did what they needed to do against MSU.

To that note, I want to give a shout out to Uncle Andy, who organizes the Michigan Alumni events in the greater L.A. area. I have a feeling today's event was not a lot of fun. Also, a shout out to his wife and mother-to-be, Mel, as today is their anniversary and I suspect the Michigan loss will be felt throughout the evening.

So, the reason why Jaimie can actually leave for an extended period, Parker began taking the bottle last night. He is not good at it, by any means, but it does help avoid Jaimie continuing to be a walking pacifier. As you can see by the photo, Daddy got to give the first bottle. There will be many more to come for daddy, so I need to get my practice in now.

Another interesting phenomenon in L.A. right now is probably the hottest heat wave we have had since we moved here. The news today said it is 20 degrees above average. In Pasadena, that makes it about 105, which reminds us of Texas more than we'd like. I had triathlon training today with the Disney Tri Team out in Malibu, but an accident on the PCH caused me to return to the Rose Bowl to do a bike/run brick. The positive, got a god workout in, minus the swim, all within 5 minutes from home. The negative, I drove all the way to the beach and back, and missed out on 70 degree workout weather, opting for 92 degrees at the bowl. 

But, it did get me back in time to get cleaned up and help Jaimie out so she could pick up Amy. We can't wait to see her and her little girl, Davis, who is also making the trip. More to follow.