Merry Christmas! Happy 5 Weeks!

Merry 1st Christmas Parker!

Well, it's hard to believe that Parker is 5 weeks old! He is the love of our lives and we are loving being his parents. He had a busy week with a visit to Franklin University, Christmas Eve with Grandma Sharon and Christmas day with Poopa, Grandma Terry, Uncle Jimmy and the Hix Clan! His 1st Christmas was great (just another day to him) and he got to wear lots of different outfits. You can see the from collage above he had at least three wardrobe changes!! :) These outfits will be available for anyone needing them for next Christmas cause he won't fit into them again!! Here are more pics from the past week...

Parker now has a Wubbanub. What is that you might ask... kinda like a beanie baby attached to a pacifier. It helps hold it in his mouth and he can hold on to it when he is older. It also gives mom a few more inches when reaching into the bassinet to put it back in his mouth... :)

Visit to Franklin!! He got to check out mommy's office and all of her great co-workers. We only got a few pics... Below is Melissa getting her "baby time" in...

Uncle Paul looks so awkward in this pic but he was doing a great job with Parker!

Oh, man we have it on camera, Uncle Wayne holding a baby! Someone stop the press!

Last but not least I had to put a pic of Parker and Mommy! I am not wearing mascara these days (too hard to deal with during long days) so I think I look weird.

4 weeks... getting so big...

This past week has been busy! Ray is back to work and busier than ever. Working retail around the holidays (especially at Best Buy) can be a little hectic! Parker and I are trying to let him sleep at much as possible but that is hard to do when sleep is hard to come by for all of us.

We had lots of visitors this week and enjoyed every minute. We are very excited about Parker's first Christmas and we have the tree up and a few decorations around the house. Ray even put lights outside on the bushes. They look really pretty under the snow. We have a busy week ahead of us. Parker has his 1 month appointment as well as an ultrasound on his hips. Since he was breech they like to check the hips to make sure all is good. We also are going to visit my work to show off Parker. Then Christmas Eve, Christmas day and all of the other family visits we will make.

We are all tired but loving (almost) every minute! :) Here are pics from the last week. Enjoy!

Great Grandma Schupp, Grandma Sharon, Daddy & Parker

Uncle Trent made an appearance :)

Trent you are so cute, well not as cute as Parker but... :)

Meredith and Kristen stopped over and brought us yummy wraps!

Parker ended the week with a visit to Grandma Terry and Poopa's house! Poopa babysat while the girls went shopping. Parker looks pretty happy to be with Poopa! :)

3 weeks old...

Happy 3 weeks Parker! You are such a joy and we love you so very much!! You are loved by so many people and melt everyone's hearts. Here are some pics from the week...

We had lots of visitors and lots of outings...

Katrina from Franklin stopped over for some Parker time!

We went to visit with Mommy's cousins....
Look at those beaming Grandparents

Last but not least Parker met Santa!! He slept right through it and look so did Santa!! :)

Parker Gained Weight!

Family Dinner

So we went to the doctor on Monday and Parker gained 4 oz! Doesn't sound like much but it was an improvement. That means we don't have to keep going to the dr for weight ins. We have his 1 month appointment set up for later this month so he can wait until then for another check. The one bottle of formula a day seems to be helping! :)

Ray went back to work on Monday and my mom came to stay with me Monday and Tuesday. It was a big help to have extra hands while Ray was away. It helped me transition into being home alone with Parker. He was a little cranky on Monday so the help was very much needed!! Above is a pic mom took of us eating our yummy lasagna dinner from the Chenetski Family! We have had lots of visitors over the past few days, so here are some pics!! :)

Uncle Jimmy stopped over to see how cute Parker is in person! :)

Mara came over with her mommy (Wendi) to bring us dinner and to visit!

Aunt Sarah stopped over at lunch time to get a little Parker love'n!

Great Aunt Debbie came over to visit with Parker :)

Parker is 2 weeks old!

Wow, these past two weeks have gone by fast! We are loving ever minute of being parents and even being tired doesn't get us down. We were prepared for the challenges and never thought it would be easy. But when you look into Parker's eyes they make you melt! Being a parent is such a blessing!!

Parker is still not gaining weight, not losing, but not gaining. We have been adding a bottle of formula to his schedule and go back to the doctor today. We will see if the formula has helped him gain any. Not sure what we will need to do if that doesn't work.

Last week Parker also had his follow up appointment with the cardiologist at Children's Hospital. We had to go for a check up since his heart rate went up right after birth, this is why he was in the NICU for the first two days. Well, what we thought would be a one time visit turned out to be a little more. Parker has been diagnosed with SVT (Supraventricular Tachycardia). I think we were both surprised the he will need to be treated for at least a year on medication. We will have to visit the cardiologist on a regular basis and we will need to check his heart rate on a regular basis. He started his medication last week and seems to like it. I like it because is smells like lime margarita mix!! :) We are hopeful that the medication will help fend off and more episodes. We are very cautious with him right now but know he will do great!

This week Ray goes back to work so it should be interesting with the two of us home alone. I was just released to drive and carry more than 10lbs on Saturday. This means I haven't driven since 11/20 & I haven't had to carry the car seat. I am sure I can handle the challenge but it will be interesting with this cold wind and snow!! Wish me luck! Have a great week everyone!

1st Week at Home

Well, it's been one week since we came home. It's been a long but exciting week here. Ray has been off work which has been wonderful. We have been trying to work out a sleep schedules for ourselves, some days it works and others it doesn't! :) Mr. Parker is breastfeeding and doing well with eating but he is not gaining weight. This means many visits to the pediatricians office to keep checking his weight. If he doesn't gain during tomorrows visit we will have to come up with a new game plan.

Parker had his first bath and he had his first visit with the Hix Boys! :) Both were very eventful!! He also had his first outing to Babies R Us and then we stopped at iHop for lunch. Here are some pics from that last few days.

Parker's first bath! He loved his little frog cover up!

Hanging out at home with Mommy & Daddy!

Carter, Camden, Parker & Keegan: they love him so much already!!

Parker's First Week

Parker is now 1 week old! This week has been filled with so much joy and excitement. Ray and I both are settling into parenthood and figuring everything out together. I still pinch myself thinking that I might be dreaming. I can't believe we have a baby! We are a family! It's so surreal and hard for me to take in at times.

Parker has to follow up with the cardiologist this week since he decided to get his heart rate up right after delivery. All of the tests came back looking good but we still have to do a follow up just to check in.

Here are a few pictures from Parker's first week... enjoy! :)

First OSU game... made it even better that it was OSU vs Michigan

Mommy & Parker getting ready for his first mini bath

Grandma Terry & Poopa hanging out with Parker on game day

Aunt Liz over for a visit

Mommy & Daddy love you Parker so very much!!

Parker Has Arrived!!

I am sorry for the delay but we welcomed

Parker Douglas Gibbs into the world on Saturday November 20, 2010!

He is doing GREAT! He was working the system and made his heart rate spike right after birth which meant he had to go spend some "alone" time in the NICU. We think he just wanted a private room with his own nurse!! :) He is doing great and is now with mommy and daddy (who are over joyed)!! Birth story and more to come but here is what you really want to see, pictures!!

This is me Friday night (not having a clue how my life would change on Sat)
birth story to come later! :)

Parker & mommy in recovery

Mommy, Daddy and Parker in the NICU

Overjoyed daddy in our room! We both feel so blessed!

Grandma Sharon came to visit!

Last Doctor's Appt!! YEAH!

Well, we had our last doctor's appointment today! YEAH!!

Parker is still breech and no real changes. We love our doctor and like usual he cracked us up while we were there. We are so lucky to have such a great doctor to help us through this wonderful journey!!

We are scheduled for a c-section on Wednesday 11/24. Yes, I know, we will be in the hospital for Thanksgiving. It doesn't matter to me where we are as long as we are together as a family!! We are so excited to meet Parker that I can hardly stand it! We will be taking the laptop and camera with us to the hospital so we will keep you posted. Even if he comes sooner you will know!

Until then.... love you all!

Second to last doctor's appt!

Well, we went to the doctor this past Friday and Parker is still breech! The doc didn't check his weight but he did "check" me and I am dilated 2cm and thinning out (my cervix not my waste). :)
The doc thinks I will go sometime this week but we will just have to wait and see. They were not able to get us scheduled for the c-section until Wed Nov 24th, at 2pm!! They tried to tell me that I couldn't eat after midnight and then have to be at the hospital at noon. Who tells a pregnant lady she can't eat?? Well, if Parker does not make his debut this week we will see the doc again Friday so I will talk to him them about the whole not eating thing.... :) We are ready and we are just trying to rest and relax while we anticipate this arrival!!

I do want to say how much I have enjoyed being pregnant. Even with all of the aches and pains they don't seem to bother me much. I feel so blessed to be where we are and I am SO thankful for this experience. Please pray that we have a happy & healthy delivery!! Keep checking back for updates!

38 weeks

We went to the doctor on Friday and Parker weights 6lbs 15 oz! He is still breech so we continue to check on him. If labor doesn't start on its own we will have an induction or c-section around the 22nd!! He will be here soon!

37 weeks! 3 weeks to go...

Today is my 37 week mark! Tomorrow I can say I have 2 weeks & 6 days!! :) We have a doctor's appointment later this week so I will have another update then. To hold you over until then... here are some of the pictures we had taken. McFalls Images took the pics and we are very pleased with the results! Hope you enjoy!

36 weeks and feeling great!

Well, we are now in the 36th week! It could be any day now!! I have been feeling really good and Parker is very active. We had a non-stress test on Thursday and Parker pasted with flying colors. They hooked me up to 2 monitors to check his heart beat and to see if I was having any contractions. When he moved his heart rated needed to go up and be up for at least 15 sec. Well, since I had just eaten breakfast before the appointment he was very active. Ray was able to record his heart beat on his cell phone. I will have to see if I can upload that sometime! :) We return to the doctor this coming week for an ultrasound. They will be checking his weight and his position. He is getting so big that the ultrasound this late in pregnancy are really hard to see anything since he is squeezed so tightly in there!!

What is a post without pictures! Here is Parker's room all finished and ready for his arrival!!

These are my shoes from when I was little! :)
These are super cute "sock" that Aunt Rashawn bought! :)

35 weeks, bags are packed! :)

During the past week I have had a little cold. I have been very lucky that I have not really been sick so a little cold is manageable. Since I can't take much I guess I have to let it take its course.

We went to the doctor today and will continue to go each week from here on out. Because of my gestational diabetes they will be checking Parker's weight and position. It's very surreal because this means we are getting so close to d-day!! Everything went well at the doctors and Parker is still breach and measuring right on schedule. We will be going in for an ultrasound in 2 weeks to check on his weight. We will also determine if he is still breach and have more discussions about delivery options as time goes on.

So we have started the final steps on the check list by having our bags packed and car seat installed. Well, bag is packed and car seat is almost installed! :) Ray is in charge of packing all electronics and I was in charge of packing what I need and what we think we will need for Parker. The car seats should be installed by early next week. We have some great firefighters around who will be checking Ray's work to make sure the car seats are installed properly.

Over all we are all doing great and just trying to take one day at a time. I am also trying not to get to overwhelmed with all of the shoulda, coulda, woulda things! We have everything we need and when it's time for Parker to arrive, it will be time! What's a post without pics! Here are a few from the friends shower that I forgot to post! Enjoy!

Yummy Strawberry Cake!

The Hostesses! Natalie, Liz, me and Sarah

The super cute decorations!