I was right!

     Lots of times when I really look forward to something, I end up being let down because I have such high expectations.  Well this past week was indeed the best week ever.  I feel so filled up and SO blessed!

     On Wednesday Parker and I finally met up with Bobbi and Mayci.  We went to a coffee shop and were definitely the main attraction.  Bobbi looks amazing and Mayci is such a doll!  First Parker had a bottle, then he spit up.  Then Bobbi was trying to wake Mayci up and she wasn't havin' it.  Then they were both content for a little bit, so we decided to prop them next to each other on a chair for a picture.  Right before I set Parker down, he spit up again, and as soon as Bobbi left go of Mayci, she started crying.  Her hand was hitting Parker in the head and then he wasn't sure if it was okay to be happy, so they both ended up crying.  Bobbi and I were getting a kick out of it, and I'm pretty sure everyone was staring at us =)  Then when we were about to leave, someone told us we had cute babies and asked us if they were about the same age.  Of course we had to spill the whole stories about how were were best friends/roommates in college, ran track together, had due dates 1 month apart, and had our babies the same day.  They were flabbergasted.

     Thanksgiving day was wonderful.  We were at Ryan's house all morning and ate at noon.  Then we went to the Ross Thanksgiving for the evening.  I love our families!  We passed Parker around to whoever wanted to hold him, and he did a pretty good job for the most part.  He doesn't love being held when he's wide awake because he'd rather kick and flail his arms like crazy, but we played with him on the floor a lot.  I love seeing all my aunts and uncles and cousins and their families, playing games, laughing about silly stuff, and eating yummy food!  I am so blessed to have a family that loves God, supports us, and loves spending time together. 

     Thanksgiving night, Nat and I planned out our Black Friday trip as always.  We hardly had anything to get this year, and she had to be back by 10:30, so we decided to get up at 3:00am.  (The best part was that my alarm went off before Parker woke me up!  Which means he slept til 3, and he had been waking up around 1 the past week.)  We went to Kohls and Target and were back by 8:30 =)  Always a great time.  The rest of the day was relaxing.  Took a nap, played some Settlers, and played with the Parkster.  Ryan put him in the Bumbo and he actually sits up in it.  It's so cute.  I'll have to post a picture soon.

     Sandy and Malinda had a shower for Parker on Saturday which was really nice.  He got lots of super cute outfits that will fit him when he's bigger.  I can't believe he'll ever fit into some of them.  They look so huge!  After the shower we went to the Saar Thanksgiving, which was also really fun. 

     Sunday morning was quite the adventure!  After I fed Parker, Ryan changed his stinky diaper and picked him up.  As soon as he did, Parker spit up all over Ryan's sweater.  Ryan passed Parker to me and while I was holding, I felt something warm running down my arm...yep, he was going potty through his diaper.  (Don't know how that happened.)  We were able to give him a quick bath, clean ourselves up, and still get to church right as the prelude was ending.  We laughed the whole morning =)  Sunday night we played the first games of ping pong for the season...heck yes!

Best Week Ever

     I am currently in the midst of the best week ever!  Let me just tell you why...
Sunday - Went out to eat at a fancy restaurant for FREE with Ryan's work - I got a steak and it was delicious!  Then we went to a comedy club that required you to buy two items per person.  Ryan and I are pretty cheap, so he asked for the 50 cent keychain...the waitress did not laugh.  We ended up getting a slice of cheesecake, a pop, and 2 cups of coffee.  The absolute cheapest items on the menu.  It was a great time.

     Monday - I interviewed for a part-time Kindergarten position at the Naperville Christian Academy and it went really well!  They asked me to come in next week to teach a lesson.  I know there are a few other candidates that they will be observing, too.  They'll make their decision by the end of next week, and whoever they choose will be starting shortly after that in order to make the transition easier in January.  I'm really excited and I think it would be a great fit for me.  It's only in the mornings, but I can't help but feel a little bit guilty about possibly leaving Parker.  I'm trying not to get my hopes up because I've been excited for several "perfect" positions in the past and they haven't worked out.  We'll just see what God has to say about it all.  

     Today I will be headed home for a long Thanksgiving.  I absolutely love Thanksgiving, and can't wait for the rest of our families to meet Parker!  Plus I got him a shirt that says "gobble gobble." ;) 

     Tomorrow I will be spending more time with the families and hopefully seeing Bobbi and Mayci! Thursday is Thanksgiving, Friday is the annual Black Friday shopping trip with Nat, Saturday we have another baby shower and another family Thanksgiving.  Sounds like a good time to me! 

Picture Update

1 day old - fearfully and wonderfully made

Big blue eyes!

My personal favorite.

Imagine Ryan singing "The Circle of Life" in the background.

Chillin' after his first bath.

"Hmm...should I eat or sleep next? So many choices!"

"I don't have a diaper on...this could be interesting."

"Was I just back in the womb?"

"Are you my mother?"

"Ya know, I think I like it here."

Precious Moments

     Parker has pretty much out grown all of his newborn clothes!  I can't believe it.    One of his very cutest outfits is now in the "save for another kid someday" bag.  It's really happening...time is flying, he's getting bigger, and I keep reminding myself to enjoy every minute of it.  I often make comments about how great it will be when he sleeps through the night, but I am really trying to do my best at enjoying this very short stage of his life.
    
     Ryan has been home during the days, so Parker and him get a lot of daddy/son bonding time.  It's so precious to watch.  Ryan always gets him to smile so big!  Parker also likes to just sit on daddy's lap and chill.  He looks so cute sitting there with his eyes wide open just taking in the world around him.

     I love to play with Parker during the day, rock him, sing to him, etc, but every time I try to read a book to him, he fusses and I never get to finish!  Now, having a teaching background, reading to your child is something I strongly encourage at all ages, and was slightly bummed that Parker was just not having it.  However, the last two nights have been different =)  I feed him at 6, we do some low-key playing, then I feed him again at 7:15.  (During the day he only eats every 3 hours, but I read that if you "cluster feed" toward the end of the night, their belly gets more full and they have a better chance of sleeping longer at night.  I tried it last night and it seemed to work pretty good, so I did it again tonight.)  Anyway, after he's done I put him in his jammies and then he will actually sit on my lap and be content =)  I've been able to read him a few stories out of our Rhyme Bible and he hasn't fussed at all!  I love it!  Then I swaddle him up, put in the plug, (pacifier) rock him and sing to him.  What is it about rocking your sleepy baby that is so precious?  I love watching his eyes get heavy and feeling him relax in my arms.  I love watching him smile at his guardian angels and I am in awe of how perfect God made him.  I love praying for him and dreaming about what he will be like when he's older.  I love these precious moments.      

Oh and 1 other thing

     I almost forgot to mention that my BFF College Edish, Bobbi, had her baby on the exact same day as Parker!  She wasn't even due until some time in October, but she had Mayci Ann around 9:30pm.  Isn't that so cool?  I still can't believe 1- that we were both pregnant and are now moms, and 2- that our babies are birthday buddies!  I love it!  Parker and I haven't gotten to see them yet, but hopefully we will around Thanksgiving =)  Love you Bob!

     One of my other BFF's, also named Bobbi Jo (but goes by Joei), had her baby girl, Elliana Grace, 2 weeks before Parker.  We put the babies by each other on the floor and laughed so hard!  They would not look at each other, but were both staring at us no matter where we went.  Then Parker would raise his arms and knock her in the head and then she's hit him back.  It was so funny.  We tried to get them to hold hands, but they weren't having it.  It will be so fun to watch them grow up together.

AND another one of my BFF's, Kate, is having a baby is March.  They decided not to find out what they're having, but it will either be another girlfriend for Parker or a best friend.  How fun.

AND (last one) my sister-in-law, Malinda, is having a baby girl in March.  We just feel so blessed to have friends and family in the same phase of life as us.  Parker already has friends and cousins to play with =) 

Current Events

     Now I'm pretty much up to date!  Yay me!  Parker will be 7 weeks old this coming Thursday.  Time is flying!  I spent some time with a 9 month old this past weekend and can not believe that Parker will be that big in just a few short months.  One thing I am looking forward to is him sleeping through the night.  I try not to complain about it too much, but it is hard for me to enjoy the days and get things done when I didn't sleep much the night before.  I know people say to sleep when the baby sleeps (and I do), but getting a 1.5 hour nap in the middle of the day just doesn't make up for never sleeping more that 3-4 hours at a time in the night.  He is showing progress of sleeping longer, so that's good.  =) 

     Hopefully now I will be able to blog more frequently and go a little more in depth about other things that are going on in our lives.  Now I am going to attempt to add some pictures!  That way you can skip reading all the posts and just look at the pictures and captions ;)

1 month already?

Before we knew it, Parker was a month old!  He was very easy to get on a schedule and was becoming quite predictable.  The amount of time he was awake during the day was increasing and so was his alertness.  He's starting to grow out of the newborn clothes and is almost 10 pounds!  Play time is so much fun with him because he is smiling so much!  He is just so cute.  He also enjoys tummy time and can turn his head from side to side.  The first day he did it I was cheering so hard for him, and when he looked at me I almost cried.  Then I called about a dozen people to tell them.  It was so exciting because it is the first of many 'tricks' he will learn in the first few months.  Every time he gets done eating I can hardly wait to play with him because he is just so happy and I can't wait to see what he discovers next.  One day Ryan was home and I really wanted Parker to show his daddy how he could turn his head.  Ryan and I were both on the floor by Parker, cheering him, and all of a sudden he was on his back!  We looked at each other and could not believe that he had roller over!  It was so neat that Ryan was there to see him do that.  He hasn't done it since, but we know he's capable ;)  It's fun just to watch him wiggle all over.  

 

I mentioned in an earlier post that Ryan and I were watching YouTube videos to teach us how to knit.  The reason we were doing that was because I found a super cute, knitted football costume online and wanted to make it for Parker for Halloween.  I loved Halloween as a kid, and now I love it again that I get to dress up my own kid =)  Anyway, after several hours of learning, making one that was way too small, and buying more yarn and needles, we finished the football just in time for Halloween!  I must say that Ryan did all of the hard parts, and is a much more accomplished knitter than I, but it was fun to make it together.  On Halloween we went over to the Knapps house for our Small Group kick-off.  We had a chili cook-off, took family pictures, brought the kids trick-or-treating, and just enjoyed the day together.  We love our friends so much!  We attempted to take a nice family picture, but Parker was a little upset at the moment =)

Parker's Best Friend, Ella.  She was a little lady bug.

The first few weeks

     The first night in the hospital was a bit rough.  Our nurse was not the most friendly, and I was incredibly exhausted.  I got very emotional in the morning when my mom and dad came, but then things started to improve.  I could finally move around a little better and was becoming more comfortable and relaxed with Parker.  We stayed another night in the hospital and finally got to go home Saturday afternoon.  It was so fun putting him in his take-home outfit.  I bought it the weekend after we found out we were having a boy, and looked at it almost every day until I packed it in our hospital bag.

    The first week was a total blur...actually the past 6 weeks have been!  We had our newborn check-up on the Monday, and our Pediatrician (who we love) reassured us that everything about Parker is perfect and we are going to be great parents =)  What a great thing to hear from a doctor.  When the nurse measured him, he was only 19 and 3/4 instead of 20 and 3/4 inches.  He shrunk because the cone on his head right after birth had shrunk back to normal.  Isn't that crazy?  The human body is an amazing thing.

My siblings came the night he was born!

Papa and Grandma getting their first look at their new Grandson.

Aunt Kate

Aunt Jo Jo - 2 weeks after Ella was born and lookin' mighty fine!

Aunt Natalie and Alaina came when we first got home and made us applecrisp...yumm.

At first Alaina was sort of nervous, but now she loves Parker so much!  She can't wait to babysit, but says she won't be changing any diapers ;)

Aunt Malinda lovin' on her nephew.

Uncle Adam

Big smiles thanks to Uncle Adam joking about something.

Nana enjoying her 3rd grandson.

   
     We had tons of visitors, but all I really remember is figuring out how to take care of him.  By the end of the week I was feeling pretty great.  Again, amazing how quickly a body can recover!  We went home to Stillman and German Valley for Columbus day weekend.  We got to show off Parker to lots of family and friends, work/ride in the field, go to the apple orchard, and take him to church.

      The best part about the first 2.5 weeks of Parker's life was that Ryan was off work!  I was kind of skeptical about whether he would be able to do that because in the month prior, he had been working open-close at the new clinic almost everyday.  I wasn't sure if that place would survive without him, or if people would leave him alone.  He went the whole time without even turning his work phone on and we enjoyed every day together!  What a blessing.  He is a super great daddy and husband, and a huge help and encouragement everyday!

Special Delivery =)

     My due date was September 23, but my body was showing no signs of progress.  On Tuesday the 27th, I went to get a non-stress test and talk about inducing.  My Dr. did not think waiting any longer would do me any good, so we decided to start the process the next night.  I went to lunch with a friend the next day and the waiter asked me when I was due.  I told him 'last week'...he looked a little nervous, haha.  It was really weird all day though, telling myself that I was going to have our baby the next day.  
  
     Ryan and I went to Culvers before we had to check in to the hospital at 8:00.  As we were walking in, I told him that we should try to talk about something other than the fact that we were about to have our baby and how much different our lives would be forever.  We ordered our food, sat down, and just looked at each other like it was an awkward first date.  We were both obviously thinking about what the next few days would bring, so we decided it was okay to talk about what was on our minds.  =)
  
     We arrived at Rush-Copley at 8:00, checked in, took a quick picture, and then I changed into my beautiful hospital gown.  A few minutes later, 3 nurses rushed in without introducing themselves - needles in hand.  Just a reminder, needles and I do not get along well.  I was instantly light headed =)  Before getting there I had mentally prepared myself for the IV, but I didn't know they'd have to draw blood too.  I was a little overwhelmed, but then my main nurse, Andrea, came in and made me feel a lot more comfortable.  She was extremely friendly and talked with us quite a bit throughout the night.

     The reason I went in at night is so they could give start Cytotec.  You can get it every 2 hours, and usually it takes 3 to 4 doses before it takes effect.  Andrea hooked me up to the monitors and little did I know I was already contracting!  I couldn't feel them yet, but I was excited that the process was officially starting.  After the 2nd dose of Cytotec, I was contracting 15 times every half hour.  I was going to get the 3rd dose, but then my water broke at 6:00am.  I felt a little pop and thought maybe it was it, and a few seconds later I KNEW that was it.  I was officially in active labor =)  Then they started me on Potocin to speed up the whole process.
 
     The early morning was pretty easy-going.  Ryan and I were teaching ourselves how to knit (by watching YouTube videos), and my contractions were manageable.  At about 10:00 they started to get a little more intense, so I got some Fentanyl.  That just made me super sleepy.  At 11:00 I asked for the Epidural.  This was probably my #1 fear about the delivery, and it was no big deal.  What a relief!  They upped the Potocin and I could not stay awake for the life of me!  I basically slept from 11:30 to 6:00, except for when my nurse (now Molly) came in to check on me.  I started to push around 6:00, and Molly went to get Dr. Alexander at about 6:15 because she thought the baby would be come in the next 10 minutes.  An hour and a half later, our beautiful baby boy FINALLY made his debute!  Parker Ross Glendenning was born at 7:38 pm.  7lbs, 6oz, 20 and 3/4 inches long.  I instantly thought he looked just like his daddy =)
 

   
     The whole experience was so surreal.  There were several times throughout the day that Ryan and I would just look at each other and get tears in our eyes.  It felt like our love for each other grew exponentially.  The fact that we were in the hospital about to have our first baby was so crazy!  I can't even describe it, but it was one of the best days ever.  I always thought childbirth was going to be incredibly horrible, but it was a very enjoyable and rewarding experience.  (Largely because of the Epidural, but the whole process was pretty cool.)  I knew a baby was a total miracle before, but having my own made it seem so much more amazing.  God is brilliant.

Finally!

     Wow!  I made this blog in August with intentions of writing on it very very frequently after our baby was born - now it's mid-November and I haven't written a thing!  In my defense, I sat down 2 other times to start, but none of my pictures would upload.  Let's be honest, who seriously wants to read a blog without pictures?  I gave up those times, but now I think I've figured out a way to upload them and will do that soon.  (Cross your fingers ;)  I'm going to do my best to recap the past 6 weeks, and then try to keep up to date after that.  Here we go!