Seven Months of Parker

I had this written when Parker actually turned seven months old but never downloaded a picture to go with it. So here he was at seven months old even though he is about to turn eight months old. Better late than never right?

This has been a busy month with many "firsts" we have been able to share with Parker. We are so blessed and love our little man more and more each day.

Fun things about Parker:

• He now weighs 15 pounds and is in the 75% for height and 10% in weight. The doctor said this is normal as he is becoming more mobile and burning more calories.
• We have started on other solid foods besides cereal. So far Parker has tried squash, sweet potatoes, pears, & applesauce. He was NOT a fan of peas.
  
• He enjoys sitting in his new high chair and jumping in his Jumparoo.
• He cut his two bottom teeth and is now working on his two top teeth.
• He LOVES our dogs and is so happy when they let him touch their faces, grab their tails, and laughs the most when they lick his hand.
• He has learned how to turn his musical aquarium on and off by kicking it. He does this while he is falling asleep for a nap and when he is waking up.
  
• His laugh is sounding more and more like Papa's.
• He is preparing to be a big brother and is patient with his mom when she is running out of room in her lap because of her growing belly.
• Perhaps the biggest event this month was going to court to finalize Parker's adoption. He is now officially Parker Elliott Spence!!
  

A New Role

Perhaps the one of the biggest events of our summer so far is discovering Parker is going to be a big brother. The news came as a shock to say the least. It is still hard to believe that at eight months old Parker is taking on the title of "big brother" when he is still so much of a baby boy to me. Parker and I told Mark our news by having him wear a bib for Mark once he got home (they don't make very many big brother shirts in 3-6 months!) Although it has been pretty overwhelming, if there is one thing God has confirmed to us is that we were meant to be Parker's parents. There is no question he was meant to be a part of our family. Ironically Jonathan was already a part of our family and we didn't know it. Let the adventure begin!

Gottcha Day

On Friday the 17th we reported to the courthouse to finalize Parker's adoption. My parents, sister, her 2 kids, Charla, and Lilah came along. My sweet friend Arlene and her hubby came as well to take pictures for me. In some ways it is still hard to believe that this time last year we were waiting for a match and now we have had our precious little one for almost seven months. It was a sweet time and nice for everything to be official although we have known him to be ours the day we held him for the first time. It still gave me chills when the judge pronounced his name to be Parker Elliott Spence.
Testifying before the judge.

Parker has new shoes on that he was VERY interested in.

How cute are they?

Waiting around made him very sleepy.

Arlene actually made it in a picture!

The Family

Proud Grandparents

Sittin' High

With Parker turning six months old, we recently set up the high chair. He gets excited when I strap him in because he knows we are about to eat. We have previously been feeding him cereal but are now trying him on other solid foods. So far, we have tried pears (a little tart), squash, and sweet potatoes. He is never quite sure the first time but by the third or fourth feeding he has decided its not so bad. We will see if that changes when we move on to peas and green beans! (If you look closely you can also see Sam checking things out as he sits next to Parker. This is becoming a new favorite hang out as he hopes to consume anything Parker may drop.)

Six Month Pictures

I took Parker the other day over to my friend Arlene's to have his six month pictures made. It was in the midst of teething and so we were going on not much sleep and wanting a nap. Thankfully Arlene is fast. I think it took us longer to change his clothes than to get his pictures. You would never know it by looking at his sweet smile!

Parker is sitting up for VERY short periods of time. These pics consisted of me propping him up, letting go, Arlene snapping really fast, and then catching him before he falls over.


It didn't take long before he was fast asleep.

Bottom's Up

I love to watch a sleeping baby-especially our little man. To really know if Parker is sound asleep for the afternoon or night we always go down our mental checklist:

• On his belly? Check
• Hands tucked up under him? Check
• Feet crossed? Check
• Last but not least: bottom in the air? Check

It doesn't get much better than this.

Fourth of July

I realize this is late, but our computer is having problems uploading pictures from my card so I am just now getting caught up on the recent happenings of the Spence family. We were happy to celebrate the fourth as a family. Mark had just gotten home from Argentina the day before so it was nice to be together again. We spent the evening at church watching the fireworks with friends. It was hot but Parker was a trooper.

This is blurry, but one of the new expressions of Parker these days.

We are also discovering our tongue or perhaps he was tired of his mom trying to take his picture!

Hanging out with his friend Cindy


Our friend Jason was charged with the task of taking a picture of the three of us, with fireworks going off in the background. It was a little tricky with the camera delay. This is as good as it got!

Missin Daddy

Parker is enjoying his Bumbo chair these days, (I know you aren't supposed to put it on a raised surface but he was being supervised! ) I took these pics while Mark and Parker were watching a soccer game together the day before he left town.

Mark has been away all week in Argentina so Parker and I have been hanging out alone. I think at this point he is getting pretty bored with me and is ready for some play time with his Dad. We miss you Mark and are ready for you to come home!