Busy Weekend

Dear Parker,

     We thought this weekend was going to be relaxing and that we would get a lot done.  WRONG!!!!!  Saturday, we had to go pick up your Aunt Lauren because she hit her head. (She's ok.)  That evening, your friend Morgan came over to babysit.  Sunday, we went to the zoo, your friend Elise stopped by AND we got a surprise visit from our friends, Tiger, Megan and Max.  I think you had a great time with all of your friends, but you were quite tired in the end.  Unfortunately, I only have pictures from the zoo.

 Oh - I forgot!  We also bought you a sheet set for your new big girl bed!  Well, alright.  It's not exactly a new bed.  It's the bed that we have had in our guest room, but we thought we would use it to make sure you were okay in the big bed.  You have been, so we will get you a bed and mattress all of your own sometime soon.

I can't believe that you are big enough to sleep in a real bed.  Where did my baby go?

I love you so much!  I'm looking forward to this weekend and getting pumpkins!
Love you,
Mommy

Upside Down

Dear Parker,

I've been meaning to write about this for a couple days, but I keep forgetting.  You cannot stand it when a picture in a book shows someone or something upside down.  You do not understand that the picture is intentionally that way.  So, you will turn the book over.  Then, you turn the page (turning back one page).  Then, you will discover that that picture is upside down.  So, you will turn the book back over and repeat the process.  You will continue this until either your Mom or I force you to not turn the book over and just move on!  Hilarious.

One more random story.  The other night, you were talking about the different animals that all your friends at school sat on.  You named every animal that every child sat on.  We thought maybe you were just making it up, but when we asked you again, you named the same animals.  We checked with your teachers the next day and they said that you had every animal correct.  That's crazy.  I did get a little worried though because the second time we asked, you couldn't remember the animal of one of your friends.  You said, "I don't know!" and then started to cry.  It makes me a little concerned about your perfectionism and what life will be like for you in high school.  I hope you always know that you don't always have to have all the answers or all the right answers.  We love you know matter what.  You don't have to be perfect.  Although, we are proud of you because you are so intelligent, we are also proud of you because you are so caring and funny and because you make these hilarious little faces and because you call people you love "My" Whoever.  There are so many amazing things about you.  You don't have to get the right answer all the time.

We love you, baby.  I'm so glad tomorrow is Friday.

Love you,
Mommy

A 'Lil Bit Sassy

Dear Parker,

You are getting a little bit sassy and I'm not sure how to fix it.  Part of your problem is that you have more words and inflections than most 2 year olds, but don't know when each is appropriate to use.  We just keep trying to offer a better thing to say when you say something with an inappropriate tone or get too bossy, but I'm not sure it's working.  I don't want you to grow up to be bratty, but I don't feel like sending you to time out for these things is appropriate because, really, a 2 year old isn't supposed to understand when sarcasm is appropriate and when it's not.

Appropriate or not though - it is stinking hilarious when you do things like say, "Grandma?  Grandma? (clap clap) Hel- LO?!!!"

I love you so much Parker.  I'm excited that we don't have to do any traveling for a few weeks.  AND fall break is just 2.5 weeks away and then Thanksgiving is 4 weeks after that and Christmas is 3 weeks after that.  Hopefully, the days will go by quickly.

You are amazing (sassy or not!).  I love you.

Love,
Mommy

A trip to College

Dear Parker,

This weekend you and I took a solo trip to visit your Aunt Sally at college.  I was a little nervous about traveling with you by myself because I had never done it.  You, however, were great and made it relatively easy.

We left Friday night for your Aunt Stacy's.  You were so funny in the car.  We sang and danced for almost the entire 3 hour journey.  It was exhausting, but so fun.  You thought driving through all the small towns was amazing and you kept pointing things out and asking, "what's that?"  You kept asking where your Aunt Stacy was and I kept telling you that she was at her house waiting for us.  When we were getting close, Stacy called and we went through it AGAIN.  This time, when we finished, you said, "We're not their yet.  We're coming."  For the remainder of the drive, you just kept saying, "We're coming!"  Too cute.

Saturday, we got up and headed for Berea, OH.  We got there and hung out in Sally's dorm.  You thought her dorm room was awesome.  You especially loved that her bed was "in the sky."  We went to lunch and then to the football game.  You kept asking, "Where my Aunt Sally?"  Sally was with the band, so we found the band and watched them warm up.  You LOVED watching the band.  Later that night when we were driving to dinner, you even said, "I liked Sally's band!"  It got us talking to you about what instrument you wanted to play in the band and you said you wanted to play the trumpet.  AND - this morning at Aunt Stacy's, she was showing you old BHS band videos and you started marching along.  (I secretly love all of this!)

After hanging out at the hotel for the evening, we went back to Baldwin Wallace to get a campus tour from Sally.  You liked walking around the campus and particularly enjoyed the music building.  You liked peering in the rooms and were amazed that were so many pianos.  You even went into an instrument locker!  Silly Bits!

You had a great time with your Aunts and Grandparents.  When we got home, you asked your Mom if you could play her trumpet.  She, of course, let you and you were even able to make a little bit of a noise.  You had a pretty good buzz going, but it was often not on the part of your mouth where the mouthpiece was.

I had an awesome weekend with you.  I love you so much and wish that we didn't have to go to school tomorrow.  You are amazing.
I love you, Parker.
Mommy

Bubbles

Dear Parker,

Lately, you have been singing this song from school about a turtle who gets put in the bathtub to see if he can swim.  We are with you up until the part at the end about bubbles, at which point, we have a hard time deciphering the actual lyrics.  So, tonight after the bath, you started singing it.  Your Mom asked, "What happened to the bubbles?"  You thought for a really long time and then said, "They comed out of my bottom!"  Hilarious because you had just farted in the tub and thought that the bubbles were super funny.

We laughed for a long time.  Thanks for being so amazing.

I love you,
Mommy

So hard

Dear Parker,

I love you infinitely.  That will never change.  But life with you is kind of hard right now.  You are super clingy.  You have always been a Mommy's girl, but lately it's been excessive.  I can't leave your side or you have a complete meltdown. It even extends to your cloths, blankets and toys.  You are very possessive and anything that is "mine" has to be with you at all times.   I feel terrible because every morning when I leave you at school, you scream your head off.  We had almost gotten to the point where you weren't even crying.  Going to bed is another nightmare.  Before we moved, you were going to sleep by yourself.  Ever since the move, I have had to lay next to you until you fall asleep.  There have been a couple nights this week where it has been tragic.  You wouldn't go to sleep and even if you did appear to be asleep, the second I leave, you start crying.  The problem now is that you are a bit beyond "crying it out."  You just scream and scream and scream (and scream and scream and scream.)  It kills me.  I've been so stressed and frustrated with life that I'm not handling any of these situations well and it makes me feel worse and even more stressed out.  Tonight, I finally sent your Mom in.  You screamed for her for awhile and finally went to sleep.  You weren't happy about it, but you are still sleeping.

I hope that you know that when I leave you at school or make you go to sleep that I still love you more than anything.

You are the light of my life.  I just want you to be a little more independent than you are right now.  Tomorrow is another day and I am looking forward to seeing your beautiful little face in the morning.

I love you,
Mommy

Insomnia

Dear Parker,

What was up with last night?  I know that we sort of messed you up by allowing you to nap in the car on the way back home from the shower, but you just refused to go to sleep.  You kept "trying" by closing your eyes, but they would just keep popping back open.  We were all so frustrated.  I did not handle it well.  I'm sorry.  In the end, we put you in our bed and turned on a Sesame Street thinking that you would just fall asleep.  Notsomuch.  You didn't fall asleep until 11 or after and even then you were flopping around all night.  This morning (which came WAY too soon) I got up to get in the shower and you woke from a dead sleep and insisted that you come with me.  I tried to encourage you to stay in bed and sleep, but there was no convincing you and I didn't have time to fight.  So, I got in the shower and you crawled out of bed and laid on the bathroom mat right outside the shower door with your cloth and blanket.  I'm not sure what's up with the extreme clingy-ness lately, but it's getting kind of old.  I love you more than anything, but other people love you too and would love to hold you and take care of you.  Plus, you are a big girl and can do things for yourself.

Anyway, I'm very glad that you went to sleep normally tonight.  Hopefully, you will sleep well and will be in a better mood tomorrow.

I love you so much, bits.

Good night. Love,
Mommy