.Hollis Parker Week Ten.

MONDAY:
Well... Monday was definitely a Monday. Stella woke up and was a pistol from the get go. She had a meltdown that lasted from 8-8:45am. I was supposed to be at work to watch her older brother at 8:30. Needless to say, that didn't happen.. thank goodness for their cousin Lexi. Highlights of the meltdown: "No Lexi, I naked!" (put your clothes on) "No, I not put my clothes on!" and I may have put her out of the car (she wouldn't get in her seat) in the road (small, no traffic neighborhood--I am not that crazy!) and she was running screaming butt naked. It randomly stopped. She was fine, got in the seat, and we were on our way. She continued to apologize all day.

I got my birth book!!!! I am so excited. It turned out amazing. John found two typing errors... ugh! Thanks John! haha.

Hollis was happy to just relax and be back on her schedule Monday night. She appreciated the peace.

TUESDAY:
I love hand me down clothes! How cute is this little outfit! <3

On a side note: the hair is uncontrollable.. I try... it just sticks right back up! haha.

Hollis and I made our Mother's Day gifts for our grandmas. I made brag books of her newborn pictures and we put her footprints in the shape of a heart on the inside cover. They turned out great! I was skeptical on what to use, but I ended up using a Crayola washable marker, colored the bottom of her foot, then stuck it on there!

It was a BEAUTIFUL day outside. We went outside to see the baby chickens, ride our bikes, and Hollis and I rode the EZ Roller. (kind of an updated version of the turtles at the old skate rink parties!). Hollis loves to be outside. Whew! That is good because summer is quickly approaching. Look at her intently watching Stella!

big chickens... babies are in a different coop!

"I want to be a big girl too mom!"-Hollis <3

Happy baby... ready for warm weather to stay! 

WEDNESDAY:
Another beautiful day full of playing outside, new toys inside, and sunshine! Hollis learned to kick her toy to make it play music and bubbles. She catches on to things pretty quickly. I am in trouble! hehe.

We love to play and are working on a pretty good schedule during the day. Eat, play, sleep. Eat, play, sleep. Repeat several times!

Hollis got to wear one of her Easter basket items! This warm weather is amazing!

We went to daddy's baseball game in Delaware! Daddy vs. hometown! It was a super sunny day. We are truly the Brave's #1 Fan! (Found this on Zulily... perfect!) I remembered the sunscreen this time!

THURSDAY:
We traveled to New Albany for some baseball on their new field. We got to wear our JEAN SHORTS! (not easy to find cute jean shorts for an infant... FYI) It was sunny again, so Hollis wore her fun hat from Aunt Tiff, Uncle Pete and the girls.

Funny thing happened... Hollis was standing on my legs, I was talking to a parent, and I turn around to look at Hollis and her shorts are around her ankle! haha!

FRIDAY:
SENIOR NIGHT FOR THE BRAVES! We have known these boys their entire baseball career. It is cool to see them graduate. Hollis wore her pretty dress for the occasion. She even got to take a picture with the whole team! She is definitely out of your league. ;) The boys just love her. They play with her all the time after games. It is super sweet to watch.

Friday Fire was fun because Adam and Michelle joined us! Adam finally met Hollis and we had a great time just relaxing. I can't wait for the twins to meet her! It is going to be so cute!


SATURDAY:
Baby Yoga Day!
I signed up for a mommy and me yoga class at Lattes and Lollipops. It was so much fun. Hollis was the only girl baby. I was nervous she would cry, but she just laid there.. smiling. Then came the tough stuff. I was working hard! The move of the day, squats holding Hollis straight out in front of me. (I may or may not have been able to sit easily the following TWO days) It was really fun and she loves to do the yoga stretches. I try every day.

After the class, we headed to the baseball game, but it got rained out. So... we got to come home and relax a bit!


SUNDAY:
My FIRST Mother's Day! I was showered with loving messages on my Facebook, gifted and recognized at church, and got to spend the day with the little who made me a mommy. It is surreal to still process the fact that I am, and will always be, a MOM! We went to church, went to visit Gram and Papi (and we got to see Steph and the kids), then we went to Jared. I really really want an aquamarine ring to wear in honor of Hollis' birth month. We didn't have much luck finding one at a reasonable price. So we went to Costco and then to Babies R Us to finish off the day! Thank you to everyone who made the day so special. <3

 -Alexis-

.Hollis Parker Week Nine.

MONDAY:
Hollis was looking beautiful in her pink outfit from the George family. Seva loves elephants and Hollis got to sport one! She looked so sweet in the light pink.

The baseball game got cancelled. I had BIG plans to go to the gym... I am curious as to how the childcare would be. I just wanted to tan. haha. I chickened out. I will take her eventually.

We found daddy's Father's Day present! I am so excited to give it to him. We got him tickets to the Indians vs. Yankees in Cleveland. I hope that Jeter plays so daddy can see him before he retires! I am going to add some fun things too... but this was a BIG chunk!

TUESDAY:
I got my birth photos!!! I am so excited and love them. I am a bit disturbed at how large my double chin was... but I can deal. The pictures are priceless and beautiful! I will create a whole post of just pictures from the birth. Here is a beautiful teaser! I created a book online of the birth. I can't wait to see it in person!

No baseball gave us the chance to take a family walk! I loved the pink so much, I had her wear pink again. She liked the walk. The dogs appreciated the walk too. It was a struggle, but worth it.

WEDNESDAY:
I switched it up to BLUE! How cute. And she does love her mommy. <3 She was full of energy.

Stella has a new friend.... Tyler. She still loves Drew Batt, but Tyler the fireman is high on her list. He has been added to the prayer list at nap time and she drew him a few pictures for his locker at work!

THURSDAY:
Whew! Look at this bed head! I try to get it to stay down to no avail. It was bad this morning! haha.

Stella was rocking HEAD TO TOE pink today. Even her new moccs matched!

Someone is TWO MONTHS old! I can't believe it. She is becoming quite the drooler. Ew.

To the doctor we go. We had a blow out on the way there. Yeesh. Then... we had to get three vaccines... two shots. She handled them pretty well. Only cried for a few seconds. She grew 2.5 inches and 13 oz. The doctor said her head is 'generous'. We knew she would have a big head... runs in both our families!

Today starts the weekend sleepover of Stella! Mom and dad went to Cabo, so Stella is staying with us. She was so excited to take a bath with baby Hollis Parker. (She only calls her 'baby Hollis Parker" nothing else will do... she will correct you!)

Stella shared our bed. Wow. It was interesting. She moved a TON! I moved her, she would move into a new position. Funny stuff. I am good without a kid in my bed. <3

FRIDAY:
The Boppy has become quite the comfy spot! Hollis loves to hang out, Stella loves it, Hudson always has it around him. It is funny.

We went to the baseball game. Stella got to see her friend Tyler. They both ate fruit roll ups. Stella got to see Papi and he brought her a tennis ball to keep her entertained! So much fun!

Friday fire got a late start. But... I did get to enjoy delicious deer steak thanks to Tyler! Yum! We all love the family that we have created. I love everyone who comes to Friday Fire. It is just fun to relax.
I suggest you join one Friday. I can't wait for Jamie and I to make our sweet sweatshirts. <3

SATURDAY:
Saturday started off with a bang. Stella didn't want to go to baseball... or have Jamie touch anything, or do anything. She was having a fit. She has fits. I usually ignore. She apologizes after. Once they start, it is hard to stop. Needless to say, we finally made it to the baseball game and she was fine and had fun.

After the game, my best friend, Natalie, was having people over at her new house in German Village to celebrate Mike's birthday. She JUST moved back to Ohio from NYC and I couldn't be more excited! She hasn't met Hollis, so John stayed with Stella, and I went to visit Natalie and Mike and they got to meet Hollis. It was so great to see them together. Two of my favorite people.

with Vinny <3

<3best friend meets daughter<3

When I got home, I tried to get a good picture of Hollis on the quilt. She was being sassy... so they didn't turn out great. I will try again.

SUNDAY:
Sunday started out great. We had our pretty dresses on for church, and then... we went to church. Stella had a meltdown, so we had to leave. On our way out.. she was dangling from my arms yelling, "I need baby Jesus!"

Don't Fret.. this was poop covered as soon as we got to church... never fails. 

We had a better afternoon. We went to Stella's house to take our nap, got to see the siblings, then headed home to take one more bath with Hollis! We had some reading time before bed too. Hollis and Stella listened to John read the Story of Easter. :)

.Hollis Parker Week Eight.

MONDAY:
It was a gorgeous day outside. The weather was amazing. We took a walk to the end of the driveway and back (the driveway is about .75 of a mile...) I got a glimpse of what my summer will look like! Stella leading the way, Hudson 200 feet ahead on the scooter, and random stops to pick flowers. Stella insisted on pushing Hollis. She did pretty good. Then, almost crashed! haha. Hollis loved the fresh air.

flower picking

After work, I went to Easton to meet Jeremiah, Dena and Zooey. They were passing through and had a gift for Hollis. It is a beautiful quilt!! I love it and can't wait to take it outside and have picnics, play, etc. when the rain dries up. Thank you Dena (and Zooey)! Pictures to come.

This does it no justice. The colors are amazing! 

TUESDAY:
On Tuesday I got to meet up with Jen, a friend from high school at Lattes and Lollipops. It was great. Hollis slept the whole time. Baby Luciano was so smiley and adorable. He is going to be a heartbreaker! We got to talk about new mommy frustrations, excitements, etc. It was great. Stella had a BLAST playing!

Hollis sleeping through the play date... classic!

I love this outfit on Hollis. The stripes are just adorable. I don't know what it is, but this kid can poop sideways and ruin any outfit! Her diapers are the right size... so she is just really good at pooping! At least we have a new washing machine to take care of this issue!

Happy as a clam after her outfit change! hehe.

I have always had to use a nipple shield to feed Hollis. Well, I try to feed her without sometimes, and today... she ate without?! Both sides... it was crazy. She didn't do that later in the day. It was a one time deal. I will keep trying.

We tried our first bottle tonight! At first, it was a struggle. I have read that mommy shouldn't be around because they can smell you and want your milk. Well.. it was my milk, just in a bottle. So, John tried, and she just screamed!!! So... I took her, tried to give it to her, and as soon as she started eating, gave her back to John. He loved it! We only did an ounce as a trial. More bottles to come if I can get this pumping schedule regulated...

This picture is special because this was my FAVORITE book! I loved it so much when I was a kid. My mom gave it to me at my baby shower. I love reading it to Hollis.

                                           


WEDNESDAY:
Hollis doesn't do regular baby things. She likes to stand.  I have her just hold my fingers and she will just stand there.

She has been having a lot of fun playing with different toys on the play mat.

The Braves played again. Stella joined us at the game. Stella watched the game and even sang through the net (Itsy Bitsy Spider). It was adorable to watch her watch the boys. They all give her a high five when they are on deck. Again... amazing gentlemen. Stella realized the concession stand had food. Well Uncle Tyler's mom was working the concession stand and Stella was able to get free candy and a Gatorade out of them! Then she started to help selling. I'd buy anything from that smile!

Hollis got to wear her "Hey Batter Batter" shirt! Baseball games are fashionable.

After baseball games, we tend to fall asleep easily at our house. The fresh air really makes us sleepy!

THURSDAY:
Well, back to colder weather. So much for fresh air. Stella wanted to go out, I told her it was cold, and this is what she came back into the room with. Hat, scarf, boots, the works!

During nap, Jamie and I helped Karmon clean out one room before the big remodel happens. I was able to get some super cute things for Hollis! :) More shoes... hehe. ((don't tell John))

After all our hard work, Jamie and I met Tyler and John at dinner at Mi Cerrito. My FAVORITE Mexican restaurant. Delicious. It is fairly priced and so good. We had a blast just standing and talking and joking. We are blessed to have such amazing friends. Tyler even held Hollis and soothed her while John and I got to eat a meal!

FRIDAY:
Someone was happy it is Friday! I agree with her! I love my job, but the weekends are so much fun just being a family of three. I love to just hang out with her and do fun things!

Stella has a HUGE crush on Drew Batt. He is a player on John's baseball team. She yells for him at games, knows his number (5) and swoons when he talks to her. She wanted to give him some of her Easter candy. So we packed it up in a baggie and she drew him a picture! :)

Another successful Friday Fire! Aunt Wendy had the day off, so she came too! The boys (John and Tyler) worked on the fire-pit. They made it higher so the heat actually warms the people. Funny to watch them play in the sand like two little kids! We had some bbq pizza to eat. Yum! Cheryl and John (Tyler's parents) joined too! It was fun to just sit and talk. Whew. Relaxing.

SATURDAY:
We had a double header in Pickerington. That is quite the drive, but we had fun! We watched both games and grandma Feasel held Hollis. She slept the whole time! (other than when I was feeding her in the car) It was crazy. She continued to sleep... and sleep... and sleep. I think someone is growing!

SUNDAY:
WE GOT A SWINGSET!!!! An amazing family on the baseball team, the Helbers, gave us their swing set! I am so excited. How kind of them! Shout out to them for being awesome! So... we had to move it. We borrowed the Dorsey's truck and trailer and Uncle Tyler, Papi, Gram, Aunt Jamie, daddy and mommy all moved it. It isn't small. We had a lot of chiefs... and we all know that mommy is the chief! It made it to our yard without falling off the truck. There were some really funny moments that made the stress of the process seem insignificant. Hollis took a test swing as soon as it was secure! Thank you everyone who helped and to the Helbers. I can't wait to re-stain it and do some painting! :)

daddy may have dropped this... hehe oops! Sorry to Uncle Tyler's back! ;) 

 Working Hard! Uncle Tyler and Aunt Jamie did a lot! Thank you, Thank You! :) 

Relaxing... Uncle Tyler fed Hollis her second bottle! Big girl! <3