Ice Cream is Good

Ice Cream is Good,
originally uploaded by Car2nGrl.

I've had to come to terms that I've given birth to a picky eater. Maybe "picky" is not the right word. "Unadventurous" (aka "BORING") is probably the better label. He's not one to try new things. (On the bright side, he doesn't put a lot of foreign objects in his mouth.) He's not a big fan of meat. (I think we may have the next incarnate of the Dalai Lama on our hands.)

So, when we went to Ben & Jerry's while Chris was getting a haircut, I wasn't surprised when Parker refused to taste my ice cream. This time, I had to prove to the little one that Mommy's was right and baby was wrong...Ice cream is good. Parker's head bobbed left to right. Mommy's cone moved in and out. Then...BAM! Bulleye! Mommy's cone connected with baby's mouth.

And...yes, baby had to agree. Mommy was right. Ice cream is good.

Daycare Anecdote

"Parker was counting today -- 2, 3, 2, 3. It sounded darling."
---Ruth

BTW, I don't think I mentioned it before by Ruth is Parker's primary caregiver at daycare.

Feeding Frankie

Feeding Frankie,
originally uploaded by Car2nGrl.

Parker recently discovered the joys of feeding Frankie. His process...place a handful or two of dog food into the cup, then transfer to the dog food bowl (see bottom right of the first pic). Repeat -- over and over again. This takes a good 20 minutes. Hey, it's better than having him go through the drawers in the bathroom and play with mommy's lipstick or stick his hand in the toilet to splash the water.

Finally! Daddy's Shoes.

First it was Mommy's shoes. Then Gram's shoes. But finally! Parker's found interest in Daddy's shoes.

Daycare Anecdote

"Parker is really starting to enjoy playing more and more with his friends. One activity he seems to like is to push Lucas in the wagon around the classroom."
---Ruth

Daddy's First Haircut

Parker applauds, thanking Daddy for giving him such a great hair cut.

I gave Parker his first haircut but the second attempt, on a more active Parker, proved to be too much for my limited skills. Chris, however, has been watching his hair stylest for a while now...waiting for this moment. So when he stepped up the the plate and took control of the scissors, he looked like a pro. And the haircut looked pretty good, too!

Disneyland Again

Parker's third trip to Dland. This time we headed over because Aimee was running the marathon and, while we didn't want to head over that at 7am to witness the actual run, we figured we could still congratulate her at the more civil hour of 9:30ish. (Hello! Toontown doesn't even open until 10am!)

This time, Parker's more mobile. And he's more responsive to everything that's going on around him. Here's Geoffrey and Thommy introducing Parker to their favorite Disney character, Pluto.

Midway in the day Parker pooped out...and so did Thommy. But that allowed us to continue into the night for the fireworks, during which Parker, once again, fell asleep.

Hello. Bye.

Hello! Bye!
Originally uploaded by Car2nGrl.

Parker loves my phone. More interesting...when he plays with it (with the keypad locked, of course) he says, "Hello. Bye." And then "click", he closes the phone. Very funny. But then it makes me wonder, am I on the phone that so much where he's mimicking me? Evidently.

Help! I can't reach the pineapple upside down cake!

Pineapple Upside Down Cake!
Originally uploaded by Car2nGrl.

Thommy and Geoffrey came over for diner and we decided to have a healthy meal of burgers, onion rings, and a pineapple upside down cake for dessert. Oh yeah, we also had a salad. And Miss Vicky's pickles...can't forget those.

BTW, that tower in the center of the table is the onion rings. It's so tall you can bare see Parker at the other end of the table!

Couch Potatoes

Couch Potatoes
Originally uploaded by Car2nGrl.

All the little babies are chillin' with their daddies.

Jasmine & Parker

Jasmine & Parker
Originally uploaded by Car2nGrl.

Parker hangs out with cousin Jasmine.

Hey Lady! Watch it! That's my hand you're running over!

Ken and Jasmine made it down south for the Dive 'n' Movie, which gave Parker the opportunity to play with Jas. That meant lots of running around, coloring, and running over each others hands with toy cars and trains.

First Annual Dive 'n' Movie

All hail the dive 'n' movie! I'm pleased with how the event turned out. First of all, the projector that I got off of eBay not only arrived in time but it also worked! Plus, Chris was able to put together an awesome screen. And the picture quality...for my amateur eyes...was SWEET!



Also, I always seem to spend most of the time in the kitchen for these shin-digs but this time I was able to get in the water with little P and relax poolside, witnessing Geoffrey's awesome, air-sucking, water-shooting-20-feet-(or more)-into-the-air cannonballs.

I hope the birthday boys, Eric and Gerry, (and girl, who knew our neighbor Cathy was also celebrating a birthday) had a good time.

To those who made the party -- thanks for coming! To those who couldn't make the party, you were missed...but don't let it happen again! :o)

Here's a shot of the the movie in progress. The red pool light was an added bonus, courtesy of Chris.

Time for Intervention

Time for Intervention
Originally uploaded by Car2nGrl.

First it was Mommy's shoes and now Grandma's? Parker, I think it's time we had a talk.

In the Driver's Seat

In the Driver's Seat
Originally uploaded by Car2nGrl.

Parker finally got his chance behind the wheel of the tractor. He liked it for a few minutes and then I guess he became overwhelmed because he soon wanted off. That's okay little guy...so long as you stuck to it long enough for mommy to snap a shot. :o)

Baby's First Happy Meal

Baby's First Happy Meal
Originally uploaded by Car2nGrl.

Parker's favorite part...the fries. His least favorite part...the Chicken McNuggets.

Lunch Anyone?

Lunch Anyone?
Originally uploaded by Car2nGrl.

There's nothing like a little authentic Thai Chinese food after shopping at Goodwill and Smart & Final.

Explosive Opportunity

Another classic clip from The Daily Show. You've got to love the quote, "You can't get hummus with out mashing some chickpeas!" Not to mention the 9/11 analogy -- tough day, great opportunity.

On another note, from the during the Condi press confrence where the clip in this clip was taken, she mentions how the Chinese character for "crisis" is made up of two other characters..."danger" and "opportunity". For a while it bugged me because I had just read that somewhere...it's not from "Any Bitter Thing." Could it have been from "Citizen Vince". Damn! I just returned that book to the library. After another day or two, though, it occured to me...it was in the Al Gore book, "An Inconvenient Truth." Now I'm sure many people have probably used the crisis/danger/opportunity bit -- sounds like something professors like to expound on to their students or phd candidates like to metnion in their doctorial thesis -- but I can't help wonder if Condi saw the Al Gore movie (or read the book like me) and picked it up from there especially since Bushies tend to avoid content (i.e. "Brokeback Mountain") that might show them another (convincing) side of an issue.

Fire, Fire, Put It Out

Fire, Fire, Put It Out
Originally uploaded by Car2nGrl.

Well, you can thank Geof for this shot. (And I thought we were going to make it through the summer without a fire.) Chris saw this yesterday and thought it was a car fire. (Of course) He had to go check it out and Geof went with him. I guess it was actually a house fire. (Across the street from the house that had the brush fire last year.) Evidently, there was ammunition in the house because it was doing off in the fire. Bonus! Driving by the house, today, I can see that it was totaled...very sad. I can only hope no was caught in the blaze.

Kisses!

Kisses!
Originally uploaded by Car2nGrl.

So Parker has been working the crowd for awhile now, throwing those kisses. I guess now, though, he wants...no, demands a little love back. Now, he'll put his hand over your mouth and then will do the kissy sound. Mmm-mah!

He's not just doing this to people but to Frankie and his stuffed animals.

Oh, and while we're on the subject of kisses. Parker's also started to kiss us on the lips. Work it, baby!

More Teeth

More Teeth
Originally uploaded by Car2nGrl.

Well, Parker's been working on a few more teeth and I figured it's about time I show them off. Unfortunately, it's hard to get the little guy to stand still long enough to snap a shot. Here's one of the new molars. There's another on the other side. I haven't had a chance to hold him down long enough to check out the top but if they're not there I'm sure they're not far behind.

I Heart Leftovers

"What?" thought Parker. "Where's my dinner?"

"You finished," replied Mommy. "So I boxed it up for tomorrow."

"Boxed for tomorrow? That's weird. I can hold it up in the air but not spill it. That's amazing! I can't resist. I LOVE LEFTOVERS!"

Flight of the Conchords

Here's something to perk up your Monday. I first saw Flight of the Conchords when they were promoting their HBO special on Conan O'Brien. They've only made one CD back in 2002 in New Zealand...but word is they've signed with Sub Pop and may have an album late this year. Keep your fingers crossed! I guess right now they're working on an HBO show...but since I don't have HBO, I'll have to focus my mojo on the CD.

In the meantime, here are more FotC songs:

• Jenny
  
• Albi The Racist Dragon


• Gangsta Folk Battle


• Frodo, Don't Wear the Ring


• The Humans Are Dead
  WARNING [FOR AIMEE]: This song contains robot voices.

And remember..."There ain't no partay like my nana's tea partay!"

Failure

Well, the sick day home with Gram didn't work. Parker still has a fever -- not as high as yesterday but he's still running hot and is not in the best of moods. So he'll need to stay out of day care another day. Luckily, Gram is able to come down again to watch the little guy.

Another failure on the mommy front...sleeping on our bed, Parker edged past the pillow barriers to the edge and then off the bed entirely. I heard him from the other room, making a weird (breathing?) sound but I only got there in time to witness the event. A moment too late. I feel awful. A tumble off the bed in addition to his lingering bug -- it hasn't been a great evening for our little guy. I can only hope we've hit the low and he'll start bouncing back soon. Did I just write "bouncing"? I mean "recovering soon."

Sick Again

Well, the smell of puke is gone but sickness still lingers for Parker. Yesterday, we went to get Parker's 15mo shots (because, yes, I didn't realize we were suppose to do a 15 mo. check-up...Bad Mommy!) and do a post ear operation follow-up (which was on time). But I think Parker must have picked up another bug because I got a call from the daycare, later that afternoon, that Parker was running a slight fever -- Go figure, we visit two places where sick people frequent and we caught something. So I left work early in an attempt to catch him before he hit 101 and got kicked out of daycare for 24 hours.

That night he was cranky but, since he was chewing on his bottle of cold mild, I figured it all might be the result of teething -- he has to big molars coming in! Woo hoo!

But, today I got another call from the daycare. Parker's running another fever; this time at 103. They gave him Tylenol but it didn't seem to be helping so I had to go get him. Poor guy. We headed home and there I gave him a dose of Motrin, which usually works better than Tylenol. However, he soon was at 104.5 and, after a quick call to the doctor's office, it was judged that we should bring the little guy in. Unfortunately, they didn't know what he might have caught -- The fever's too high for teething. Seeing that he didn't react the other two times he had the polio shots, it's probably not the shot. Another kid, who also went in for shots yesterday, had caught hand-mouth disease, luckily for Parker, he didn't have any tell-tale signs (blisters on the hands and feet). The strep test also came back negative.

So now we're just going to stick to the Motrin and wait for this to blow over. Oh..and we're also deploying our secret weapon, Gram, who is coming over tomorrow to spend the day with Parker while I'm at work.

Look Who's Sitting

Look Who's Sitting
Originally uploaded by Car2nGrl.

No surprise...Parker loves to climb on the furniture -- into the bathtub, over the couch armrest, up onto the dining room chair. But look how cute he is sitting in the chair like a big boy. Luckily, though, when dinner time comes around he doesn't fight me about sitting in his high chair.

Meet Chad Vader

Okay, I saw this on You Tube and fell in love with the dark side.

Are your eyes teary from laughter? Are you wondering about what happened on Chad's date? Well, lucky you the Episode 2 is also available.

I can't wait for Episode 3...Stike me down with your hate and claim your refund!

Home Sick

Home Sick
Originally uploaded by Car2nGrl.

When I picked up Parker yesterday from daycare he was throwing up. I guess he picked up a little bug that made the trip home a bit challenging. In the end, that night ran three (small) loads of laundry -- soiled cloths from daycare, the carseat cover, the blanket that I (luckily) used to cover much of my backseat, and a set of sheets. Today, Parker seems to be better. Everything's staying down. But he hasn't had much of an appetite. I'm hoping things will be back to normal tomorrow.

Big Shoes

Big Shoes
Originally uploaded by Car2nGrl.

Okay Parker. What is it about Mommy's shoes?

Andy & Page's BBQ

Andy & Page's BBQ
Originally uploaded by Car2nGrl.

Okay, I have to admit. I find pure joy in dressing Parker and Chris alike. (Thanks for the shirt Geoffrey!)

Notice Parker shooting himself in the face with the water gun? Now you may think, what a lucky shot. However, the thing is, Parker kept shooting himself in the face over and over again. Actually, I don't think he ever figured out how to turn the gun around to shoot others. Oh well. I guess I should be a bit worried but really, it's just too funny.

Daycare Anecdote

"Parker and Tyler had fun this morning. They were playing peek-a-boo. Parker was standing on one side of the cabinet and Tyler on the other side. They would bend down to try to hide, jump up, and say "Peek-a-boo!" It was darling."
---Ruth

War on Terror-ible Diseases

So Bush finally made the first veto of his presidency and that was on a bill for stem cell research -- allowing unused embryos to be used for research rather than be destroyed -- cementing his legacy as a complete idiot.

I love John Stewart's juxtaposition of how Bush "doesn't want human life destroyed" ("every being counts, every being matters") and yet is willing to kill tens of thousands of Iraqi citizens. For some reason, beings with actual thought are somehow less valuable than a handful of cells. Bush feels that it would be better to have these embryos adopted...as if there's a shortage of children in the world that need to be adopted. Once again, beings with cognitive thought are of less value.

It makes me sad and embarrassed to be an American.

O Captain! My Captain!

Captain Oh Captain
Originally uploaded by Car2nGrl.

Here are clips from the video I took of Parker on his favorite toy at daycare...the boat. When he sees it he makes a bee line for it, hops in, and starts rocking. Often, he rocks so hard the momentum of his force pushes the boat backwards until he actually hits a wall.
Land Ho!

Streakin'

Streakin'
Originally uploaded by Car2nGrl.

So it's one of Parker's favorite times of the day -- bathtime. I get him down to his birthday suit and am about to lift him into the tub when he decides he wants to put his shoes on.

Okay.

So I help him get the shoes on and then he tries to hop in the tub.

Uh, no. It doesn't work that way.

Parker become upset when I try to take off his shoes and decides to work out his emotions by going for a run out of the bathroom and round the living room.

Hello! I had to get my camera. Look at that cute tush!

Eventually, I corraled him back into the bathroom and reluctantly he removed his shoes and took a (shorter than usual) bath...to humor Mommy, I guess.

Gnarls Barkley

Jen, I hope you can still read this with the video link. I think the glitch was just with the Rever clip, not YouTube. But let me know if that's not the case...then again, if you can't read this then I guess you won't know to let me know. DOH!



Okay, I first saw Gnarles Barkely at the MTV Movie Awards and absolutely fell in love with them. How could I not with Chewie on the drums.

But I thought they might just be a one-hit fling for me. And this I saw their video for Smiley Faces. There's two versions, this one and another one with Dennis Hopper and Dean Stockwell. But I think the one with the emoticons is the best...raunchy, but funny.

I guess I'll need to add this to my shopping list for my next trip to Target.

Mommy's Shoes

Mommy's Shoes
Originally uploaded by Car2nGrl.

Should I be worried...Parker loves to try on my shoes -- with and without his shoes already on. Of course, Chris doesn't leave as many as I do lying about. And from the pair that he does leave out, Parker loves to remove his orthodics (shoe inserts) and put them in his mouth. Hmmm, maybe I should be more worried about that. (Foot Mouth disease, anyone?)

Pool Time!

Pool Time!
Originally uploaded by Car2nGrl.

Thommy and Geoffrey came over and we test drove Parker's new pool float. I had taken him in the pool about a couple of weeks ago when Kristen, Kelly, and Betsy came over and he LOVED IT. So much so that he kept wanting to go deeper and deeper SOLO even though he doesn't know how to swim. Cool and yet scary. I couldn't get rid of the awful thought in the back of my head -- what if he slipped out of my hands?

Well, I got this pool float from Target (and was that hard to find...it's July and can you believe they've already cleared out their summer seasonal stuff...I guess to get ready for Xmas. I wouldn't be surprised.) I'm holding it down but the float also has a canopy which keeps my little guy in the shade while we float around.

Parker loved all of it but you notice how he leaning forward, trying to climb out...that crazy baby! He knows no limits. (I call that the Trillo in him. I'll do my best to keep that reined in.) He especially loved it when Geof and Thommy would blow bubbles in the water -- laughing and giggling, he even went so far as to try to do it himself. And that got him started on drinking the pool water. Oh well, I guess if Frankie can do it, so can Parker.

What a Treat!

What a Treat!
Originally uploaded by Car2nGrl.

Chris had to return a trailer and a cement mixer to his brother this morning so Parker was able to watch the tractor in motion as Chris lifted the mixer and placed it on the trailer. FUN! We definitely need to keep the tractor keys high, out of Parker's reach. I have a feeling this little guy's going to some day take Daddy's toy out for a joy ride, much to Mommy's dismay.

Step Off, Cavity Creeps!

Step Off, Cavity Creeps!
Originally uploaded by Car2nGrl.

So Parker is a big fan of brushing his teeth all by himself. Actually, he gets really upset when I try to do it for him. So, while he may not do the job perfectly, he gets the general idea...especially with Mommy brushing her teeth with him. (Of course, not while also taking a picture. I'm not that good.)

Fetch?

Fetch?
Originally uploaded by Car2nGrl.

Lifeguard on Duty
Originally uploaded by Car2nGrl.

You Gonna Get That?
Originally uploaded by Car2nGrl.

So, is there ever a time when Frankie isn't thinking about fetch?

No.

And he assume's everyone else is the same way. So when Parker takes a bath, Frankie will, at some point, bring a ball or toy that he needs to fetch...if someone would just throw it.

Parker? Are you listening?

Alas, he's not. So Frankie has to resort to the tracking the other items in the tub...just in case they happen to fly in the air, he needs to be ready to fetch.

But eventually, even that results in nothing and Frankie has to watch his hopes for fetch go down the drain with the bath water.

Heil Kitler!!

All right. I have to admit. This sight made me smile. Cats That Look Like Hitler!

Home Sick

Home Sick
Originally uploaded by Car2nGrl.

Parker had a fever Monday and Tuesday so he stayed home. There's nothing like an inflatable duck, watermelon, and Maisy on the tube to make everything feel better.

But be careful, Parker. I think I see a crocodile coming up behind you.

He's all grown up!

He's all grown up!
Originally uploaded by Car2nGrl.

I know, I show a lot of pics of Parker eating but it's amazing how fast he improves. He can now feed himself and not make that much of a mess. As you can see, he still hasn't decided which hand he prefers to use. (I thought he was favoring his right but as soon as I commented on that out loud he switched to the left...just to spite me!)

Theif

untrustworthy
Originally uploaded by juanita.

I guess since my sister won't update her blog, I should blog for her, using her photos on flickr.

Here's a shot of Niko wearing Luxi's sunglasses. I guess Niko stole them when her sister fell asleep.

THEIF! (Us big sis's need to stick together.)

Well, it looks like the guilt is already getting the best of her.

Independence Day

Well, this year we decided to take advantage of our local 4th of July Parade. Chris and I gathered Parker and Frankie and we headed over to Acton's main drag to check out the festivities.


Of course my shot is late but here's a pic of the Acton Royal Court. Thommy & Geoffrey's neighbor was one of the princesses -- I think she was near the front of the float. It's weird. Where were a lot of "Royal Courts" in the parade from other towns. Not sure if that's because they don't have a parade of their own or if they make the rounds, hitting all the local parades. This latter picture is one of those roving courts. Not sure where they're from but they were dressed in camouflage. Maybe it's Little Miss Desert Storm.


Here are my two favorite parts of the parade. My favorite float -- not sure how it related to the theme ("Peace and Paradise") but it's funny -- and the Shriners in their tiny vehicles -- also funny, I think it's that special combination big/old guy, little car, and, of course, fez.

We returned home around noon and all of us took a well deserved nap. And fireworks? Sorry, we skipped out on the show because it's past Parker's bedtime; plus, I had to work on the 5th.