Back to Work

I can't believe it happened already. I'm back to work after Emma's arrival. It's been just about seven weeks since her stunning arrival! Time is going MUCH faster now, I'm sure of it. 

Today is only my second day back, and actually, my first FULL day back. I will gladly admit that I am struggling. What Mom would not want to be home with her kids? I miss them so much. I don't want to miss all the cool new things Emma does, and the continued cute things that Evan's been doing. Emma made a valiant attempt to roll over yesterday. She was laying on the couch between Mommy & Daddy and was just trying to maneuver herself closer to Daddy (she's Daddy's girl already!). She made it onto her side with no problem, and would have used the momentum of the couch to get the rest of the way over, but Daddy stopped her. She's such an overachiever. 

Emma also went an amazing 5 and a half hours between feedings last night! The downside of that was that Robin had stayed up to give her a feeding so I could get a little extra sleep, making it an alarming NINE hours between feedings for Mommy. Not a good, or comfortable feeling. Bless her heart, we're reevaluating the overnight feeding schedule. Mommy can't go that long between feedings. 

Evan still really likes his little sister. It's Mommy and Daddy he's not too happy with right now. That's our impression, anyway. We think that he's acting out for attention. He will literally look us in the eyes and do exactly what we asked him NOT to do while he's doing it. He will run in the opposite direction when we call his name and he woke up at 5:30 two mornings in a row. (We actually think he might be trying to kill us... subconsciously.) Even through all that, he's still the cutest, sweetest little boy in the entire world. Both of our kids are basically, the best.   

Evan wanted to be close to his sister... just not 'too' close.

Parents of Two

The hardest thing I've found about being a parent of a newborn and almost two year old is getting enough sleep. Everything else has it's challenges, but it's pretty manageable.

Doing everything with a lack of sleep makes it just a touch more difficult. It's still wonderful, though. Emma is a complete joy. She does, however, make the most interesting noises in her sleep. My Dad says that when I was a newborn, I was sleeping in their room and I was so noisy, he needed to move me out so he could get his sleep. I understand this now. Emma isn't even really in our room. We have her bassinet in the dining room, but we can STILL hear her many noises as she sleeps. We don't know what that's all about, but it can keep a person awake.

Today (or, yesterday, I guess at this point), Robin, Evan, Emma & I made the trek to GTCC for a H1N1 vaccination clinic. Evan getting the vaccine was our priority, but I was hoping to be able to get one, too. I was shot down (no pun intended) repeatedly. I asked every health department official I came in contact with, including the Medical Director himself, but was told I was not a 'priority,' even though my OB doctor told me I was. I understand they are trying to stem the epidemic where it will be most likely spread (the children & college students), but I wanted it so I could protect my daughter, darn it! Supposedly, there will still be enough vaccines... eventually.

In other news, I only have ONE WEEK left of my maternity leave. I'm trying not to dwell on it, because I know we need the money, but I really don't want to go back to work. No surprise, there, I guess. I can't imagine any Mom wanting to leave her two kids at home. Robin doesn't want me to go back either. He will be at home with the kids, and Maw Maw (our new 'grandma' type name for Lu, Robin's Mom) will be watching them as well. Please pray for us all as we prepare to make this adjustment!

Here are a few photos, for those of you who may not see them on Facebook!



Here is Evan, embracing his Hip-Hop side.


Emma, saying HI!


Evan, sharing Mr. Penguin with Emma. After this, he also let he use his 'blankie' for a few brief seconds.


Emma, in repose...


Our outing to Barberito's, a favorite Mexican Grill in town. This was our first trip out with both kids!

WELCOME Emma Rose Parrish!

We have relocated our 'Littlest Parrish' Blog because we have a new 'littlest Parrish!' Emma Rose Parrish joined the Parrish clan a little early on Wednesday, September 30th at 6:40am! She weighed in at a petite 6 lbs. 3 ozs. and 19 inches long. She was two and a half weeks early, which caught us a little off guard.

Here's the story... in brief:

I woke up at 3am, feeling a little funny, and decided I just needed to walk around a bit. I thought my stomach felt a little upset, but didn't really think anything of it. I walked out to the living room, where Robin was still up working on his next book (due out July of 2010... couldn't resist a little publicity there). He asked what I was doing up, and I just said I needed to walk around a bit. Neither of us thought anything of it just then.

I made my way back to bed, and was laying down when I realized I was probably having contractions and they were an alarming 5 minutes apart. Gulp, I thought... this might be active labor! What happened to the first part of labor?!!

So, I came out of the bedroom again and told my husband what was happening and he immediately called our Doctor. She suggested it might be false labor and that I should drink a bunch of water and if that didn't help, I might want to come in in an hour or so.

Shortly after hanging up the phone, the contractions started getting MUCH worse, so Robin shifted into overdrive and started packing bags for himself and Evan... who needed to go to Grandma's house. So, by about 4:15am, we were all loaded in the car and heading to Grandma's first, then the hospital. The contractions were now about 3 minutes apart and beyond intense.

We dropped Evan off and skidded into the Emergency Room. They took their good old time admitting me (ok, it wasn't so bad, but as a pregnant woman in SUPER ACTIVE LABOR (note the all caps), it seemed like a lifetime.

Eventually, we made it up to the Labor and Delivery section and I got deposited into the same room I was in when I had Evan (a cool little coincidence). The nurse was also taking her good old time (ok, she, too, was pretty efficient, it just seemed like a horribly long time, since I couldn't have any drugs until she was done).

Skipping ahead in the not too far future, the anesthesiologist arrived JUST in time for the epidural (I LOVE that man), and followed shortly by the our favorite doctor, Dr. Mattern... two short pushes later (and did I mention I couldn't really feel my legs or anything else by this point? Did I also mention that I LOVE that anesthesiologist?)... Emma arrived!

In the meantime there, we had called my parents, who were on their way down... they didn't quite make the actual birth, but did make it the DAY of her birth. We had visits from Pastor Roland, Cher, and help from Aunt Susan. She brought my bag I had packed in advance, but had mistakenly left the house without because I thought Robin had it and he thought I had it. Ooops! She also brought Krispy Kremes for us. YAY!

Our parents and Evan all arrived at the same time and we also had visits from Andrew and Krista and Carolyn, a Chaplain from the church.

I wanted to write this down because it's all mostly a blur. Crazy stuff... it happening so fast. I guess Emma was in a hurry to make her appearance. We're glad he did. She's the sweetest little girl you will ever see, and Evan is still adjusting to her, but we think he's the best big brother ever, too!

Here are a few photos... I'm slacking a bit on the blogging, but don't worry, we'll do our best to stay up to date with Emma's achievements and continue with Evan's... who, by the way, is beginning to talk up a storm! Go EVAN!


Our little princess is already plotting her next move...


Emma with Grandma Sprengel!


Evan meets his little sister for the first time (with Grandma Parrish & Sprengel in attendance)


Evan is doing much better with his little sister now... he was probably wondering if we were going to send her back anytime.


Emma & Grandpa Sprengel!

Yes, we are still here!

The Parrish Family is still alive and well. We have just been ridiculously busy as the arrival of our new littlest Parrish gets closer and closer!

All is going well with the pregnancy, and today we are just about a month away from little Emma's arrival. She has been super active over the past few weeks bumping and flipping and doing general calisthenics to keep her Mommy on her toes. It's actually quite cool to experience.

We are JUST getting over the men of the house's sicknesses. That's right, both Robin & Evan were quite sick for over a week. Both are still getting over the last of the yuckiness, but overall, I'd say they are both better. Thank heavens I didn't get what they had. And no, they did not have H1N1, although the morning I called the Dr. for Robin, the lady that answered the phone to give a message to the Doctor said, "That sounds like that swine flu!" Crazy lady. Luckily, it turns out she was completely wrong and hopefully she got fired for making a poor pregnant woman freak out about her family getting the swine flu.

The wonderful folks at my place of employment were sweet enough to have a 'mini-shower' for me for Baby Emma. It was not 'officially' a shower, because this is the second baby, but they were very generous in giving the family an awesome gift card for Babies R Us. We can definitely use that. Woo hoo!

As for the goings on in Evan's little ever-changing life, his vocabulary is the most fun new thing we are experiencing. It's growing it seems like every day. We, as parents can tell what he's saying more than others, of course, and Grandma Lu can swear she hears him say stuff that I can't quite make out. Some of the more amusing words he's come up with are, 'poopy,' whether he actually has done a poopy or not,'crap,' which we try to ignore, even though it's super funny, and any word with a -y at the end always has the accent on the second syllable. So, it's not really POOP-y, but poop-EEE! Just try to imagine it... it's really cute. He of course, also says, Mommy and Daddy and a plethora of other things, like, truck (which sounds like 'cruk!'), duck, ball, cute (as in, I'm cute!), pookie (which is something I've called him since he was born), and other things, too. It's SO great hearing little words come out of that little mouth!

So, the adventures continue in the Parrish household as we prepare for Emma's arrival. We're PRETTY sure that Evan has a small idea of what's coming, but we are also certain little Emma will rock his world when she arrives.

Please pray for our family in the coming weeks! We're so excited, but we're all in for SUCH a change when we've expanded to FOUR!

The parents are coming... the parents are coming!

Tomorrow is the day my parents are arriving from PA to spend another week with me while my husband traipses off to Cali, yet again. It's actually very great to have them here. They are extremely adept at entertaining Evan, and it's really great for them to get to spend time with him. It doesn't happen nearly enough. For all you grandparents out there who live near their grandkids, please tell my parents, so they will seriously consider moving closer to us! (Did you hear that, Mom?)

Anyway, I just heard from Robin that he is thinking he's getting Evan's cold. Evan has had a mild cold for a few days. I think it's getting better, but it's not quite gone yet. But anyway, Robin is getting that cold. AND he's leaving for San Diego on Wednesday. So, if you think of it, please pray that he would feel better, that he would have a safe trip, and that he makes some good contacts with some writing proposals he is taking with him.

We are also still waiting to hear back about some of the other proposals and offers that are out there on various tables around the country. Prayers for those would be appreciated as well. We're still very much in financial need. It's been over a year and half now since Robin has had steady income, and we're feeling the stress BIG TIME!

On the plus side, we got to go on a date on Friday night. We went out to eat (and I got to hear the plot line of his new book... HA! Take that all you book fans out there!). It was really nice to just have some Robin & Karen time. It's been a LONG LOOOONG time since we last went on a date.

As far as our new little girl goes... she's doing great. Growing as she should. We just had another ultrasound last week and she was very squirmy and flexible. She had her toes at her forehead, bless her little heart. We're at 27 weeks today... the blood pressure was actually better than it had ever been with Evan, so we press on! We can't wait to meet her! The pink clothes are beginning to accumulate!

More photos of Evan soon!

The Wagon Train

Yesterday, Robin & I took Evan on his first wagon ride. The wagon came courtesy of his Grandpa & Grandma. We have had him in it before, but this was our first foray into actual transportation with it. He was awesome. Check out the video and the photo... the photo shows how he had gotten VERY comfortable by the end of the ride.



Cruising in my new wagon...



Chillaxin' in my awesome new transportation... faster Daddy! Faster!

On another note of 'firsts.' Evan refused to sit in a high chair at McAlister's last night (that's a favorite restaurant of his)... so, we used a booster seat for the first time. He absolutely loved it.



ALSO, he loves helping around the house... whether it's actually helping or not... we don't want to discourage him from that. He insisted on helping Daddy with the garbage this week. It was really adorable.



And on one final note... congratulations to Brook & Jared who welcomed their little girl, Sophia, into the world on the 3rd, and Chris & Melody, who welcomed their new little girl, Cana, into the world on (I think) the same day. All are happy and healthy! Now, I only have to wait another three months to do the same thing. :)

Visiting Family

My parents and brother were here this past weekend visiting their grandson/nephew. They may have tried to pretend that they were there to see Robin & I, too, but well, we all know the truth, don't we? It's ok. I understand.

So, while they were here, my mom complained that I hadn't posted a new blog in a long time. She was right. I really haven't. I have no good excuse, except that I have an 18 month old who loves to get into everything and I'm 24 weeks pregnant and exhausted beyond belief. Other people are doing it, though, so I guess I should suck it up and write something.

I don't have much to share. Everything is going on pretty smoothly. Evan is REALLY trying to say some words, but because he's such a good communicator without the words, he really doesn't seem to think it's necessary to actually SAY anything. Yesterday, though, I do think he finally said 'truck' and he continually points at things and says 'that.' He also loves to say 'yesh.' That's Evan-ese for 'yes.' So, I do think we're making some progress.

I know that once he starts talking, he will never, EVER stop, so while I can't wait to hear more of his adorable little voice... I'm all about him taking his time.

Our family is still struggling financially, so more prayers for that would be greatly appreciated. Robin has had a bunch of little things to bring in much needed income, but we're still trying to find one or two BIG things. God has never let us down yet, and we know His timing is perfect, so we're really trying to hold onto that right now.

We are truly blessed with family who will not let us go homeless or hungry, so we are very thankful for them in the meantime... we'll be thankful for them once we're financially on our feet again, too. I'm just saying...

Anyway, other than a few bumps in the road, things with the Parrish's are going great. We're excitedly awaiting the arrival of little Emma in October. She's making herself known by making Mommy continually nauseous... still... and she has been doing her gymnastics and karate to let Mommy know she's there. I love it!

So, that's where we are. Peace, love and fireworks!

Here are a few photos of the little guy. Because I know that's why you all really read this. :)

It's official!

Evan is going to be a big brother... to a little sister! We found out at our ultrasound yesterday that Evan will be joined by little Emma Rose sometime this fall. She looked absolutely beautiful in the ultrasound. Everything looked good, and we're on our way!

Evan still doesn't quite get it yet, but as he's understanding more and more all the time, I figure it won't be long before he knows what 'sister' means.

Here are a few cute photos of Evan, to tide you over until I can get more up! These are courtesy of Robin and his cell phone...


Evan is very excited about his new 'outdoor' ball...

Because THIS ball replaced the other one, just like it, that deflated when we took it outside.

What kid doesn't love peek-a-boo?

Evan Parrish... Outdoorsman

Well, so much for his fear of grass. Our little guy totally LOVES to be outside now. Grandma and Grandpa were just here for a visit, and he dragged them outside at every possibly opportunity. Not like they minded.

We had a great visit with the grandparents and I hope to have some photos up soon from that, but in the meantime, here's some pictures of Evan enjoying his new found love of all things green...

I'm more of a slacker than most...

I have been very delinquent in my blog posting. Isn't it funny how life can get in the way of something so important as blogging? ;)

Well, a lot is going on in the Parrish household. Not only do we have a little 15 month old who is super curious and loves to explore and watch (and Touch) EVERYTHING... we have another one on the way.

Yep, for those of you who hadn't heard, we have the second little Parrish due to arrive sometime in October this year. For those of you doing the math, Evan and his little sibling will be about 22 months apart. Not too bad.

So, we've been keeping the news on the down low. For a couple of reasons, but nothing too major. We are about 11 weeks along, so we're still pretty early on. Yes, still in the nauseous stage. Almost through it, I hope.

In Evan news, he and I have been fighting a cold for a little over a week now. Going on two weeks, really. I'm ready for both of us to be better. I think we're getting there. Of course, in the process, Robin also got the cold, so we're a family full of sick people. FUN!

Robin & I took Evan outside to play yesterday. We haven't done that too much. We should have done it a lot more before now, because our son is petrified of grass. He doesn't want to walk on it, touch it, not even eat it, which is pretty unbelievable. He found himself standing on the grass by accident at one point and just about had a meltdown. I had to rescue him from the mean, scary grass... sigh. We'll work on it. I know he'll get over it...eventually.

So, that's where the Parrish family is at. Lots going on. We could still use a lot of prayer concerning our finances. Robin has been able to find a few small jobs to generate some income, but we'd love for him to find something more permanent that would still allow him to work at home and write.

We're excited to see what God has in store for us. We know he has a plan much bigger than we are and we're trying to keep looking to Him for encouragement and provision. We're so thankful He cares about us and He already knows how this part of our story ends. Thank goodness He is in control.

Turning Clocks and sleeping babies

Well, I am thanking the Lord that our little guy has proven, yet again, to be totally awesome. I have heard stories of the time change effecting little ones sleeping schedules. Not our little guy! He was a trooper! Sleeping above and beyond the call of duty. Especially since Mommy had a migraine really, REALLY bad this weekend.

He's the best little guy ever!


Eatin' lunch with Daddy!

Lots going on, but not a lot to talk about...

So, it's been over a month since I posted an entry. I'm a slacker when it comes to journaling, blogging, whatever. I try to stay consistent, but I'm the worst.

There's a lot going on in the Parrish household, but not a whole lot to report. We play with Evan, watch him discover new things (which is the coolest thing EVER!) and survive day to day.

As many of you know, our little family is struggling financially right now. We are totally trusting the Lord to provide the right answer at the right time, but as everyone knows, finances are a HUGE stressor. The biggest blessing to me is having a little 14 month old boy to play with and forget about the cares of the world every time I see him. Evan is amazing. He's happy, funny, indescribably cute and so much more!

So, while there have been no huge milestones to report, every day is another milestone in our household. One more day we are thankful we're together and blessed with each other!

Yay, Parrish's!

Here are some great photos of the boys...






... and our little Tarheel fan!

Look out world! He's Walking!

Yep, the little guy has started taking his first steps. It is easily one of the cutest things in the world to watch. Not only is his little timid attempts adorable, but the look on his face is priceless.

He is SO proud of himself. The biggest grin you have ever seen. It lights up the entire room. It's precious. And I don't use that word lightly.

Even when he falls on his little bum and looks up at us, probably because we're applauding wildly for him... he's STILL proud.

However, it's also a little bit sad. I actually found myself crying the other day when he took his first 'walk' across the living room. This means a little more of the babyhood is slipping away! Make it stop! I want him to be a little baby for just a while longer. Sniff. Sniff.

Ah well, we can't make it stop, so we're just enjoying every single minute. As long as we can.

Alarming New Law - CPSIA to go into effect 2/10 - Help Now!

I received this email from a local consignment shop today. This is not the first I have heard of this law, but I encourage you to read this email, and check out another friend's post here.

It is very alarming and will effect all families and potentially all consumers in America! Please take the time to read this, and contact your Senators and Congressmen to express your concern!

You can contact your senators here or your representative here. PLEASE take this seriously. It will only take a moment of your time.

See the email below from our own favorite local consignment shop...

To all my friends and consignors,

It is with a heavy heart that I send this email. A new law has recently gone into effect that will impact every consumer with small children. The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act is scheduled to go into effect February 10, 2009. This act states that all products targeted at children 12 and under must be tested for lead content by a third party testing site. There are very few testing sites in the United States currently accepted by the Consumer Product Safety Commission. This law states that not only must retail businesses test their products, but resale companies such as consignment stores and Goodwill must have their products tested, as well as individuals wishing to sell their items at a yard sale, church bazaar, WeeRuns, or ebay. This is a very costly procedure and many small businesses will cease to exist if they are required to comply. There will be no more church yard sales, or purchases made on ebay. The law also states that the items may not even be donated. Any items not tested or that do not pass the test as of this date become "contraband". This means it will be illegal for us to even own the product.

As you can see, in this time of economic hardship, there MUST be a way to come to an intelligent compromise to protect the safety of our children without putting a further strain on the economy!

Thanks for taking a moment to consider this and to take action!

Welcome 2009!

Evan is growing like crazy. He has his 12 month well baby visit on Friday, so we'll know for sure how MUCH he's growing then.

He is SUCH a joy, pretty much ALL the time. He, of course, has his moments, but as a couple of first time parents, we consider ourselves very blessed by our little man.

He's THIS close to walking. He's taken a few steps, but no more than about three consecutively. We keep reminding him he can take his time growing up. We're trying to enjoy every moment we have with him, each and every day.

I'm still sad that I can't be at home with him, but I am also very thankful to have a job. I know there are a lot of people out there right now that are struggling to find one.

So, here's a photo of Evan's latest antics. He loves playing. It doesn't matter what he's playing at, he just loves to be silly!