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Thursday, July 31, 2008

Introduction to Nursing Research...

Now...does that sound like a fun textbook to read from cover to cover??? Nope!! Here's the story...since I already have a degree, I was given the opportunity to take a content challenge exam for this course that I am enrolled to take in the fall entitled 'Independent Nursing Research.' The instructor told us that in order to prepare for the exam, we would need to read the textbook Introduction to Nursing Research. I tried, and I tried (ok- maybe I just tried a little) but I could not find the motivation to read this stuff. I would have rather spent time with Parker and Geoff or scrapbooking (which I am still SO behind on!)...or really anything other than that! And I had also just finished a Summer I course, so I was burnt out and really just wanted a break. So I showed up for the test yesterday with little hopes of making the 80% I needed to pass, but gave it a shot anyway...I had nothing to lose. And I am sure glad I did!!! I passed with an 84% and now do not have to do the coursework for this fall! Hooray!! I guess I'm glad I didn't read that book after all... (children...don't try this at home )

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Almost finished...

Here's an update on our flower bed. We did get all of the plants in the ground that we bought last week. They look pretty good. We still have some empty spots in the bed, but are planning on filling those in hopefully pretty soon. In this picture, it is hard to see what has been done, but eventually they will grow in and be more visible. To see the 'before' picture, click here.

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

First steps???

For about a week now, Parker has been taking a few steps at a time. For instance--when she is standing up and holding onto something, she will let go, take a few steps, and then plunge forward toward me (basically- if I was not there, she would fall on her face). But today, she was holding onto a toy (a distraction) and I stood her straight up a little ways from me. I backed up, held out my arms and said "Come here..." ... and while looking me straight in the eye, she took 5 steps "pat...pat...pat...pat...pat..." They were slow and steady, and there was no plunging forward! It only happened once today so I'm not sure if I'm supposed to count those as her actual 'first steps,' but I do consider them improvement. We're proud of her nonetheless!

Sunday, July 27, 2008

The sweetest laugh...

This video is from about 6 weeks ago. I know...I am little behind in sharing this. It just takes a while sometimes since our video camera is not compatible with our computer. So we have several steps we have to go through before we can actually get it to this...

Thursday, July 24, 2008

An afternoon at the pool...

This afternoon, Parker and I met some friends at a local swimming pool. This place actually has a zero foot entry pool (sort of like the beach) and it only gets to 2 feet deep. So Parker was able to walk around, and even crawl in some areas. The first picture was taken when we were done swimming and about to leave. The rest of the pictures were taken at my dad's house.

She loves that ball! (in case you haven't already noticed)




Wednesday, July 23, 2008

One hour and three shrubs later...

Over the past month or so, Geoff and I have been trying to get the flower beds looking half-way decent. They are fairly large beds and all they had in them were a few large shrubs and a lot of weeds. So we've been tilling portions at a time. We planted some impatiens a few weeks ago. We also knew we wanted to do more, but didn't know what. Pictured below is what we had done so far...


So this morning, my dad took me to this nursery near downtown. We looked around for a bit and I ended up getting 4 dwarf youpon and 6 shrubs (that makes TEN all together) that I am unsure what they are (but they are pretty and I like them).



So I had big plans for the afternoon that I was going to plant them all while Parker was napping. And it was going to be a surprise to Geoff when he got home. Yeh right!!! But I did get 3 shrubs planted and the rest are in their spot, patiently awaiting their placement in their new home! It was a LOT of hard work, but I honestly enjoyed it. It was hot, hot, hot! My arms feel like jell-o, but I have high hopes, yet again, that this work will help tone my arms! haha. Stay tuned for the finishing pictures of our flower bed (hopefully that will be in the near future)...

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

A bright flash...

Last night I took some pictures of Geoff and Parker just sitting on the sofa after her bottle. After taking several pictures-- this is the face she started making because of the flash. She kept making this face even when I wasn't taking pictures, but still holding the camera up. It was cute, but I felt bad for hurting her eyes! If you click and enlarge the picture, you can even see little tears. :(

Monday, July 21, 2008

10 months old...

I had mentioned a few days ago that Parker is now 10 months old. I know every month I say this, but I can't believe how fast time flies! Well...I guess I can believe it- because it happens, but it all does go so fast. She's still a baby, but I can see inklings of her looking more like a "little girl" rather than a baby. Bittersweet. I love watching her grow and learn new things everyday, but it's hard not to look back and think of when she was so little and new. I look at her hands and feet now, and think- they are still small, but so much bigger than they were! Anyway- to update on how she's progressed since she was 9 months...we are now down to about 1 bottle per day which is the one before she goes to bed. The transition to the sippy wasn't too difficult. We just put her formula in them when we fed her breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and at first, she would drink a little, then we'd put the rest in the bottle to make sure she got it all. But now she's really getting the hang of it and I think she likes it better than the bottle!

Our trials with trying out new foods got better as the month progressed. The only 'baby food' we feed her now are the fruits. They seem to be easier since they don't spoil after only a few days. She will not eat the baby food veggies, but she will eat the frozen veggies that we steam (even peas and green beans!!!). She loves chicken...not too much a fan of beef, and there is still so much more to try! She also likes cheese and yogurt!

I did find her 7th tooth yesterday! For some reason I thought she wouldn't get any more teeth until she is one (and I do not know why I thought this), but she did! I had noticed for the past few weeks more drooling (like when she was 5 months old), but I just blew it off and didn't think a thing of it.

So now I have been going through the house and putting up all of her 'baby' stuff...like the bouncy seat and swing. She hasn't used either one in a couple of months, so I figured with the new and many toys and things she has to play with now, we needed to make some room. So I am taking them apart the best I can and trying to pack them away nice and neat so that we can use them again one day.

I guess that is all for now...I hope your eyes haven't gotten too tired!

Saturday, July 19, 2008

A few random pictures...

Well- today, Geoff has been busy, busy, busy! He began the morning by fixing our shower door, followed by mowing the lawn, then finished with tilling the flower bed! Parker and I spent most of the time inside and playing, but we did go outside to visit him for just a bit (in the shade, of course!). Here are a few pictures I took just playing around...


YUMMY shoes!?!?!?!

(I know this isn't the prettiest flower...)

Friday, July 18, 2008

Our first photo shoot...

For a while now I have been wanting a new camera that will be able to take good quality pictures. So- for my birthday (and I think it counts for Christmas, too!!) I got it! It came a couple of days ago, but because we've been so busy, I haven't had a chance to really take any pictures. But today, Parker is 10 months old, so after breakfast, I put her in a little sun dress, and off we went to the park. I was a little nervous because I hadn't ever been to this park, but was comforted to see when I pulled in that there were quite a few people there. So I put her in the stroller, and off we went to find the 'perfect' pictures spot. I don't think we found it, but I did get some ideas for in the future...especially when she can walk on her own. It was a bit difficult getting her to stand, sit, and look where I wanted, and to smile! (I also wasn't prepared, in that, I did not remember to bring a squeaky toy or hand puppet to make her laugh...my faces and noises just don't cut it!). I do think she enjoyed the trip though...there was so much to look at! It would have also been easier to have Geoff there so one person could position her, then one take the shots. And then on another note...I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing!! I need to read up on everything that this camera can do...plus- I have no idea about lighting and all of that fun stuff!! Looks like I have some homework to do...




Friday, July 11, 2008

A daily occurrence...

Everyday we play this game..."let's take all of the books off of the shelf!" She loves to do this. She usually takes them off 1 at a time, looks at it for a second, then tosses it on the ground. We have to laugh...

Thursday, July 10, 2008

Rubber ducky...

This little rubber ducky is Parker's favorite toy at bath time. This ducky is one of the reason's she throws a fit when we try to get her out of the tub. Since she began playing with toys in the tub a few months ago, I made an executive decision that we would not let her play with her bath toys when she was not in the bath because we didn't want her to get tired of them (even if she threw a fit!!). But today, Geoff is working late and because when he is gone all day long, it tends to be a long day. So...I decided that when I got her out of the bath tonight, I was going to let her keep the rubber ducky so that we could eliminate the fit she throws after getting her out, the fit while I put on her diaper, and the fit while I put on her sleeper. I knew she would enjoy this, however, I did not realize how much! I got so tickled seeing her carry it around in her mouth following me everywhere I went, picking up toys and playing...all with this rubber ducky in her mouth! (as I was taking these pictures and thinking about how I was going to post them tonight, I thought "this is one of those pictures she's going to love when she gets older!")




Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Waking up from naptime...

Here are some pictures of Parker waking up from her nap. She has finally figured out how to pull herself up in the crib! (she has also discovered chewing the wood railing on her crib!!)



Sunday, July 6, 2008

Yesterday...

Yesterday, Geoff had the TV on watching Wimbledon: Women's Finals (I know...it seems odd...he even said that he has no desire to play tennis, but has enjoyed watching it on TV, so...) Anyway- they were doing the awards ceremony and the camera focused in on the crowd while they were clapping. Parker, who was playing with the remote at the time (one of her favorite things these days!), looked up, dropped the remote (surprisingly!) and began clapping, too! We just thought it was so adorable...

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

It only takes a second...

So today I was doing my laundry, and the new thing is for Parker to come and "help" me. She stands at the door of the dryer and talks and screams to hear her voice echo. Then, more recently, she has decided to pull the laundry out of the dryer and throw it on the floor.


But today, I briefly stepped away (for less than FIVE seconds!) to place a shirt on the drying rack (which was 3 feet away!), and during this time, Parker decided she was done "helping" me. As I turned bak to the dryer, I noticed she wasn't there, and knew immediately where she was...in the bathroom across the hallway. It was too late...her hand was in the toilet! Uuuughhhh! Anyway- I washed her hands with soap and water 3 times, and used 2 antibacterial wet ones in between and after cleanings. So the moral of the story...it only takes a second for her to get into any and everything!

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