The Life and Times of the Littlest Parrish

Our blog address is moving...

2009-10-20T13:52:00.001-07:00

In order to keep up with our WHOLE new family, we are moving our blog address HERE!

Please visit us there and bookmark that blog! We'll be updating on the whole family from there!

BIG NEWS! We welcomed Emma Rose Parrish to the family on Wednesday, September 30th at 6:40am! It was a BIG surprise that she arrived early. Well, maybe a little surprise, since she only weighed in at 6 lbs. 3 ozs. and was 19 inches long.

Visit at our new blog for news and photos as the new Mommy finds the time! Please bear with me. :)

Yes, we are still here!

2009-09-18T06:47:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-07-20T06:40:00.000-07:00

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

2009-07-05T07:51:00.000-07:00

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

2009-06-30T07:58:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-05-20T06:56:00.000-07:00

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

2009-05-04T12:56:00.000-07:00

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...

2009-03-31T08:24:00.000-07:00

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

2009-03-09T10:48:00.001-07:00

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...

2009-02-25T12:57:00.000-08:00

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!

2009-01-15T11:33:00.000-08:00

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!

2009-01-08T07:33:00.000-08:00

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!

2009-01-06T13:13:00.001-08:00

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!

So much for more consistency...

2008-12-15T11:55:00.000-08:00

I had fully intended to be more consistent with my blogging, but you see how that went. Life has been more busy as the holidays approach. It's fun and exciting getting ready to celebrate Evan's first 'real' Christmas. Yes, he was here last year at Christmas, but he was a week old, and didn't really 'get' it, if you know what I mean.

I can hardly believe that Evan will be a year old this Friday. How is that possible? Wasn't it just yesterday we brought him home from the hospital? Looking back over the year, it's been one exciting milestone after another with Evan. It's been so exciting! We're just on the verge of walking now, and his vocabulary is bound to expand any minute.

We are SO thankful for what a wonderful little boy we have. We are SO blessed to have such a great little guy. He eats well, sleeps well and pretty much listens when we talk to him. He's our little angel.

He is every highlight of this year. We've had plenty of struggles. Specifically financial, but God has proven faithful over and over. We are blessed with family who love and care for us and who are willing to help out when it's needed.

We're excited about what 2009 is going to bring!

Catching Up!

2008-11-09T13:59:00.001-08:00

I am going to try to be a little more disciplined in my blogging. For one thing, my son is just that cute. I need to share more about him! True, but not totally honest. I have ulterior motives that I will share at a later date.

I do want to share about my uber-cute son. First of all, we have celebrated our first Halloween. I think Evan is still working on forgiving us for that one. It may take awhile. Why, you ask? We dressed him as a penguin. He was so adorable, but we really don't think he appreciated it. You be the judge...

He's lamenting his situation with a nearby kid at our church's Costume Carnival.

Caught in the act!

Getting some Daddy comfort.

The best photo we were able to capture. He's a penguin on the edge!

Help me Grandma!

Back from Vacation.

2008-10-21T10:46:00.000-07:00

Robin, Evan and I recently got back from our vacation to Pennsylvania. It was fun, but not as nearly restful as we had hoped. We even planned in time to rest, but we didn't get too much of that done.

We got to visit with the McNaughton clan and a bunch of various friends from where I used to work. It was totally awesome seeing Stacey, Trish, Linford, Jadon, Ann, Stray, Melody, Evie and Heidi. I was especially excited to meet Evie (she's a little older than Evan) and to get to see how Jadon has grown (he's FOUR... as he would tell anyone who asked).

We also got to travel to Gettysburg to visit the battlefield and other fun spots. Robin was doing some research for his next book. I'm not giving any details. It's not about Gettysburg, but we did some research there anyway. You'll just have to wait to find out.

We also were able to find out how great a little traveller our little guy is. He was super in the car and staying at various strange places. He got used to Grammy and Grandpa's house after a day or so. He LOVED hanging out with them.

All in all, it was a good time, but I can now use a vacation from my vacation, and I wish I could have hung out with my friends longer, but gas prices and time would not allow it.

Here are just a couple of the multitude of photos Robin & I took. Robin has a bunch of his up on his Facebook account, and I'll be adding mine soon.

This was Evan's 'Fall Pose.' He didn't really know what to make of the hay bale and the pumpkins, so this was the best we could do. I was really hoping to get a photo of him in the middle of a pumpkin patch, but Robin just didn't want to stop along the highway to plop him down in the middle of one. I just don't get it... :)

This was taken at Evan's first trip to an IKEA. It was very exciting for him. He even had Swedish meatballs. It may have been a little overwhelming, but I think he enjoyed it.

Like Father, Like Son

2008-09-22T07:38:00.000-07:00

I'm trying to get caught up on sharing the news in the Parrish household, but there's just too much going on, so instead, I'll share this great photo (and a few others) that we took of Evan's new adventures in beverage consumption.

No, he didn't REALLY drink the WHOLE bottle of Cheerwine (ok, not any) but his Daddy was proud of him for wanting to!

Look, Mommy! I can hold my sippy cup all by myself! I'm SO BIG!

I LOVED my first taste of Krispy Kreme.

Like I said, like father, like son... loves his Cheerwine and his Krispy Kreme. Lucky for all of us, he also loves his oatmeal, fruits and veggies.

I have a tooth!

2008-09-09T16:06:00.000-07:00

Exciting news in the realm of babydom. Evan has his first tooth! Bottom right incisor! It's all very exciting.

We've been expecting this for quite some time, and it's finally here! I came home to check the status and stuck my finger in Evan's mouth to feel his little gums and there it was! A sharp little tooth right on the bottom!

In other Parrish household news, Robin & I are celebrating our 3 year anniversary tomorrow (Sept. 10th). We'll be celebrating at Macaroni Grille, thanks to our parents (all of them)!

Here's our little guy at his first church picnic!

Thanks for the food, Mommy! I LOVE you!

Pancakes!

2008-08-30T12:11:00.000-07:00

Ok, we're getting a little adventurous in the food tasting now. We're not going crazy or anything, but the other night, we went out to IHOP, and Evan got to try pancakes for the first time. Not syrup drenched pancakes. Just the bread part. He got a tiny bit of syrup right at the end. Again, nothing crazy.

Here's a minute long video that we took of him 'enjoying' the pancakes. Even with the faces, he did keep asking for more, so we're pretty sure he liked them.

Our little giggle box

2008-08-11T17:09:00.000-07:00

This is one of the cutest things... EVER! He does take on a little maniacal look, but he's a cute little maniac!

Oh, he's up to SOMETHING, you can tell...

2008-08-04T09:59:00.000-07:00

Our little guy had quite the night on Saturday into Sunday. I won't complain too much, because he really is a good sleeper, but this night... he was not.

At 2:15am, our little boy woke up and promptly started screaming at the top of his lungs. Mommy got up with him, though Daddy was also awake, and tried to calm him down for about 45 minutes. When I couldn't take it any longer, Robin got up... and it was ON. Daddy would not be defeated, but Evan's will proved stronger than Mommy's AND Daddy's combined.

All he actually wanted was to lay down in our bed and sleep the rest of the night. There was nothing WRONG with him. He just wanted to scream for 2 hours straight until he got his way.

Bless his little heart. We are parents UNITED! He won't get away with it again... we really hope.

You can tell he's up to something in this photo, can't you? He's plotting... I just know it...

Evan's Learning to Drive

2008-07-17T09:26:00.001-07:00

Ok, not quite, but he does have a little Jeep that Ben & Diana let him use. It's just one more thing to keep him entertained. And entertained he is... take a look:

Icky Icky Icky

2008-07-15T08:37:00.000-07:00

My son is easily amused, as demonstrated by this little video I took with my cell phone. I can pretty much say anything I want to him, over and over, and he finds it totally amusing.

Now, I can't use the same material more than once. He's a very demanding audience. He must have new material every time, but, as you can see from this video, the simple words, 'Icky, Icky, Icky,' repeated over and over are enough to keep him giggling.

Photos, Photos, Photos!

2008-07-14T11:15:00.001-07:00

I wore this on the Fourth of July, because I'm so patriotic!

Daddy took this photo of me with his new camera.

I am mastering the fine art of Thumb Sucking. Do not bother me... this takes a lot of concentration.

I'm sittin' with Daddy... watchin' Mommy.

Mommy let me wear my Hawaiian shirt because Daddy's out of town. :)

I'm learning to sit up like a Big Boy!

Practicing in my Boppy!

Mommy and Daddy let me drive my own car...

I've just got to adjust this mirror...

Just prior to the throwing up incident... see below. I don't want to talk about it.

Daddy's In Orlando!

2008-07-14T10:44:00.000-07:00

This weekend, Robin left for Orlando for the annual ICRS (International Christian Retailer's Show... or something like that) to promote his latest book. Evan and I really miss him.

Yesterday, we tried a video chat, because we can... and Evan just didn't quite get it. He was very upset that Daddy was in the computer and not right there where he could touch him. Every time Robin said something to Evan, Evan would stick his little pout lip out and start screaming.

Eventually, after about 15 minutes, he started getting it and even gave him a little grin.

Evan had a little episode on Saturday, right as we were taking Robin to the airport. We had stopped for a quick dinner at McAlister's and were all enjoying our food... Evan was eating peas, when suddenly, without warning, Evan threw up every single little bit of the peas he had just eaten. It just kept coming. I've never seen anything like it... poor little guy.

I scooped him up and was wiping him down while Robin went up to the counter to inform the workers they had baby vomit to clean up. They were very nice about it. The guy that came over to clean it was super understanding, and the manager came to see if everything was ok. So, GO MCALISTER'S! They remain one of our favorite restaurants.

Evan is feeling MUCH better now. He's gobbling up rice cereal and applesauce like there's no tomorrow. I admit I am relieved he didn't continue to throw up, not just because I don't want him to be sick, but because I would have had to deal with it on my own. Everything is easier to deal with when Robin is around. :)

So, thankfully, that drama did not last long. And Robin will be home soon! In the meantime, let's all enjoy some more cute photos of the little guy!

My friend, Mr. Fred and his family gave me this snazzy basketball outfit. I love it. (and so does my mommy!)

I would really like to be able to crawl. For now, I'm laying on my stomach and flailing my arms and legs. Somehow, I don't think it's quite the same thing.

Daddy's New Camera

2008-07-09T07:21:00.000-07:00

Robin got an early birthday present yesterday. It's a shiny new Kodak Easy Share Camera. July is the month of business trips. First, this weekend, he's going to Orlando to ICRS to promote his book, and then at the end of the month, he goes to Comic Con in San Diego.

He was under the incorrect assumption that I would be able to part with our camera for the two weeks he was away. My immediate reaction was 'WHAT!? What if Evan DOES something!?' Meaning... anything. What if he would wear a new outfit? Gosh, I need pictures of that! Looks at me with a cute smile? Yep... I need that, too. Burps? Can I catch it on film? I'll give it a shot. In other words, I really couldn't be separated from the camera at all, so Mom came to the rescue and gave him an early birthday present. Yay Grandma Lu!

So, of course, the first thing he took photos of was our son, and I want to share them with you...

When Mommy shakes her head, her hair makes me laugh... every single time.

Look Daddy! Mommy's making me laugh!

I'm sitting up in a highchair like a big boy. I think I'll throw all my toys over the edge. Woo Hoo!

I love my Mommy...

Mommy brings the food! I really like my green beans. Yum!

Cell Phone Phenomenon

2008-06-30T12:54:00.000-07:00

Our son has an interesting reaction to the cell phone camera. I thought I would share it with you.

When I pull out my cell phone camera and point it at my ever increasingly adorable son... this is what happens. Automatically, mind you, without any provocation:

What's that you got there, Mommy? Oh, I know what it is...

I see you! How's my hair?

I want to get as close as I can, because I'm so cute!

I hope my hat's on straight!

Surgery Report!

2008-06-26T05:57:00.000-07:00

Evan came through like a little trouper. He did great. Aside from the loud screaming heard throughout the surgery center once he got to recovery, he was completely fine. Really, the doctor said everything went really well and we're really glad to have it over.

We got him home by 10am and he was a little angel. Very sleepy most of the day, but when he was awake, he was just about back to his old self. Smiley and happy. He did wake up at 3am this morning, but we were told to expect that because of the anesthesia. We should be back to 'normal' in a few days.

Thanks so much to everyone for your prayers. We certainly felt them through the whole process.

One more set... Krispy Kreme and more!

2008-06-24T08:25:00.001-07:00

Lounging with Daddy.

I'm a big boy!

Hi! I can say 'Da-Da!'

Don't make me wear the hat, just give me the donuts...

Why won't you just give me the donuts!?

Here are some recent photos of the little guy...

2008-06-24T08:22:00.000-07:00

Me & Aunt Susan, hanging out at Chili's!

Me & Uncle Scott. We like to dress the same (totally unintentional... really!)

Evan's Prayer Request

2008-06-23T10:49:00.000-07:00

Hey all! Just a quick request to pray for Evan over the next few days. He's having a outpatient surgical procedure on Wednesday, and we would really appreciate all the prayers we can get.

Supposedly, it's a 'routine' procedure, but I'm a basketcase the closer we get to the date. This is my son, people. Nothing is routine.

So, please pray especially for Evan, that he won't be too hungry going into the surgery, for the doctors, nurses, anesthesiologists, receptionist, basically, whoever may come in contact with him on Wednesday, and for those of us who love him, me, Robin & his grandparents... so we can be calm for him. He always knows when something's not right, so help us be a calming influence on him, not another source of anxiety.

Thanks so much!

And because I can, here's another photo of the little guy, from my cell phone...

Evan's getting a new car!

2008-06-08T04:17:00.000-07:00

That is the reality of it. If it were just the two of us, we would probably not be getting a new car this soon, but the little guy is MUCH too special and important not take care of. SO, as of tomorrow, we will most likely be joining the ranks of the Honda owners of the world.

Robin & I went out to dinner on Friday to celebrate our 1,000 day-a-versary (that's the date we've been married 1,000 days, in case you didn't know), and we went to Gianno's (which happens to be our favorite restaurant). Right across the street is a highly recommended used car place (Rich's in High Point, in case you're looking for a new car in NC).

Actually, it was a little blue Jeep Liberty that caught our eye, so after dinner, we drove over there, not really intending to look too seriously, but we ended up parking right behind this shiny CR-V.

Long story short, Randy Rich came out and let us look at the cars and before we knew it, we were talking trade-in and test drive!

Saturday morning came and we went over, got Robin's car looked at for the trade-in, took it for a test drive, got Grandma's seal of approval, and more importantly (no offense, Grandma Lu), Evan's seal of approval (he likes to sit up high and look around). We walked out of there with the paperwork to go to the bank on Monday! So, come Monday, we should be tooling around High Point in a shiny gold Honda CR-V.

There are so many reasons that is ironic, but I won't get into them just now.

First Mother's Day

2008-05-22T12:12:00.000-07:00

As a ploy to post more photos, I'll just say I had a very cool first Mother's Day. First, Robin let me go back to sleep rather than get up with our very talkative, possibly whiny boy at 6am. THAT... WAS... AWESOME!

I also got some very sweet cards from both my cutie little boy and my wonderful husband. We had a nice lunch out after church and a pretty calm day. All around, it was fantastic...

And now, the real reason for my post... more photos of Evan...

Drama in the Parrish Household

2008-05-22T11:59:00.000-07:00

We've had some drama in our household since I last posted. Nothing hugely major, thankfully, but we didn't know it at the time.

Robin spent a few days in the hospital after taking him to the emergency room for what we thought was dehydration. Turns out, it was gastroenteritis. Luckily, also... neither Evan or I contracted it, even though it's pretty contagious, from what I understand (which, honestly, isn't that much about this particular thing).

SO, that was our major drama, and we're still recovering. Evan got to spend all kinds of time with his Grandma, which I don't believe either one of them hated. :)

So, now that it's been awhile since I posted, I have more photos.

Our Family Photo

2008-04-29T12:34:00.000-07:00

Our church is having photos taken of all of the families in the church for a photo directory for our new pastor... I'm the one putting the directory together, so I happen to have access to the photos. Here's our first family photo. I'm not in love with the picture of myself... still got a TON of baby weight to lose, but since it's our only photo of the whole family, and Robin & Evan look fantastic, I thought I should share it!

New Adventures in eating oatmeal...

2008-04-28T06:49:00.000-07:00

This weekend, we began our next adventure with Evan... solid food. Well, sort of solid. More solid than milk, I guess. We started feeding him oatmeal. Hilarious.

Suffice it to say, it was a new texture he wasn't quite sure he liked to have in his mouth. Mommy certainly got a kick out of him trying it, and as much as Mommy was laughing, Evan laughed, too.

We weren't 100% sure that he actually ate any of it, until a few diapers later...

What is this stuff?

Hee, hee... Mommy's funny.

I'm still not sure about all this!

Me and My Bumbo!

2008-04-25T06:02:00.000-07:00

These are some adorable photos of Evan in his Bumbo seat. This seat helps him sit up on his own. He appears to love it. I think he really enjoys feeling like a big boy, even though he's only 4 months old. Slow down, little man! There's plenty of time to feel grown up!

The Four Month Shots

2008-04-24T05:40:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Evan had his four month well-baby check-up. Any parent out there knows what that means. Another round of shots. Sigh. Really, Evan handles it so much better than I do.

He was the happiest little boy going into the appointment. Smiley, kicky, giggly... the whole deal. He weighed in at an impressive 16 lbs. 13 ozs. and he's grown to 25 3/4 inches. He's in the 75 percentile on all of his measurements. We like to say he's an overachiever. And he is.

So, he's laying on the examining table, kicking happily. Mommy & Daddy were just going over introducing foods to him, which we will start with oatmeal this week, by the way... and then Dr. Mahaffey leaves... and a team of three nurses come in with needles blazing. It was really quite fast. Three sticks, really quickly, and it was over. Evan screamed very loudly for about a minute. Mommy scooped him up when it was over and he calmed down right away.

The Tylenol we gave him helped him tremendously and he napped peacefully in the afternoon. We went to Grandma's for dinner, and he was happy as a clam. (How, exactly, do we know clams are happy anyway?... oh well.)

I was WAY more of a basket case leading up to, during, and following the shots than Evan was. He bounces back quickly. I took a half day to help him deal with it, and I was the one who needed the rehab. So, last night and this morning already, he was smiley and happy.

He's such a good boy. He loves being able to sit up (that's SIT up not SPIT up, although he can do that, too). He's started babbling a lot lately, too. This is a great time in his life. There are so many 'firsts' we get to celebrate. It's quite a fun adventure.

Here are some more photos! He's so cute!

Another milestone!

2008-04-21T08:43:00.000-07:00

This morning at about 6:30am... Evan rolled over for the first time. I was so proud of him! I was cheering him on every little effort he made. He was so cute and proud of himself when he finally made it. I was beyond proud, too! Just one more milestone of many many MANY more to come.

Plus, because I can, I'm attaching a couple of my cell phone photos to this post.

One more thing... please pray for the little guy (and his parents). He's got his four month well baby check-up on Wednesday, which means more shots. He was a little trouper last time, at two months, but he's a little more aware of what's going on now. We've got the Tylenol ready for him, but prayers would be appreciated!

And one more set, because he's just THAT cute!

2008-04-16T13:40:00.000-07:00

More photos of our wild and crazy guy!

2008-04-16T13:38:00.001-07:00

Last Weekend...

2008-04-16T13:35:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, the little guy was dedicated at church. He did us proud. He was as good as gold and better, as Charles Dickens might have paraphrased.

I wanted to include some really cute photos that we have from the past couple of weeks.

Baby Dedication... and photos

2008-04-10T10:01:00.000-07:00

Ok, this Sunday, April 13th, we are having Evan dedicated at our church. It's very cool, and it can sort of be equated to a Christening or an infant baptism... without the water. My parents are coming down from PA for it, and Ross & Melissa and the girls will be coming over from Winston on Sunday morning. It's a big deal.

Well, Robin's mom, has been wanting to get Evan's photo in the outfit that Robin was christened. She finally succeeded... and it is TOO PRECIOUS NOT to share.

Just a few more photos, I can't resist...

2008-04-02T06:22:00.001-07:00

Here are a couple of photos from Easter (ALL the grandkids!). Evan woke up just in time to take part. His cousin, Kara, held him for us.

Also, a very nice photo of Evan enjoying the NCAA Tournament. Go Heels!

15 weeks today!

2008-04-02T06:08:00.001-07:00

I can hardly believe that Evan is 15 weeks old already. How is that even possible? Where does the time go? I mean, really... didn't we JUST bring him home from the hospital yesterday? Robin and I were recently discussing how blessed we are that Evan is such a healthy little boy. Aside from his return to the hospital when he was a week old for jaundice, he's been a really healthy boy. He has the sniffles this morning, but other than that, he's been healthy.

I have heard of babies in the past, oh, I'd say six months that have had heart surgery (two of them!), encephalitis of some kind that may require brain surgery, colitis, and that doesn't count those who have been born prematurely and requiring extensive hospital stays. It also amazes me how God has used those situations to show me how to continue to rely on God with Evan's health. Most all of the parents in those situations are clinging to the belief that their child is in the Lord's hand. It reminds me all the time that that is totally true.

It's such a relief! I'm so glad to know that God is taking care of Evan. He's helping me every step of the way. Robin & I are not in this alone. Whew! This is probably... no, definitely... the most I have ever leaned on the Lord, and I am glad to learn that lesson over and over. I will cling to it as well.

We're doing a baby dedication at church on April 13th, and that just will serve as a public statement that we want to raise Evan the best we can with God's help and dedicate him to the Lord. I'm very excited about it. It should be a great day!

In the meantime, please enjoy these new photos of our little man. He's very handsome, I think. He gets it from his Daddy.

Lullaby... and good night!

2008-03-19T09:52:00.000-07:00

I'm so proud of our little guy! Last night, he slept 7 hours straight! Yeah! Evan!! WOO HOO! The whole family was so tired last night that we all went to sleep around 9:30. Evan did not stir until 4:30! Then, he went right back to sleep after he ate! What an answer to prayer.

He was especially cranky for Daddy over the past two days and had been particularly cranky over the weekend, too. It was actually kind of cute. He would go to sleep, but he would have a bit of a scowl on his face... sort of saying "I'm asleep, but I'm not happy about it!" He's adorable, though, and we couldn't love him any more if we tried.

Today, he's spending the day with Grandma, and he was all smiles this morning when we all left the house, so here's hoping today is a better day. He got some good sleep... we've got that going for us!

New Photos!

2008-03-17T10:48:00.001-07:00

I swear, our little guy gets cuter every day. What do you think?

What a good boy!

2008-03-11T07:19:00.000-07:00

Last night, Evan slept for 6 hours straight... in his crib! What a good boy! His Mommy & Daddy got to sleep that long, too! We were ALL just so tired, we went to bed and passed out. Here's hoping for more of that in the near future. Evan is hanging out with Grandma today, so she'll probably wear him out, too. He gets so excited to go and visit!

So, here's hoping the sleep continues! I could use about, oh... three years of uninterrupted sleep. Now I know why bears hibernate.

Not so good at the time change

2008-03-10T07:27:00.001-07:00

Well, as we all know, the clocks were turned ahead this weekend. This is a BIG DEAL in the life of a baby. We also put Evan in his crib for the first time this weekend. He had been sleeping in his carseat, because aside from being held and sometimes nesting in his Boppy, he wouldn't sleep anywhere else! (Except between Mommy & Daddy on the bed, and that wasn't really working for Mommy & Daddy.)

So, both Saturday and Sunday night were challenging sleeping nights. He didn't do too bad on Saturday night, except that it was quite late when he finally went to sleep. After that, he did pretty well. Last night on the other hand was not a pretty sight. He easily woke up four times, and never wanted to go back to sleep.

Please pray for the little guy to adjust to his sleeping soon so Mommy & Daddy might be able to get some sleep. I don't feel like I can function properly as it's going now.

Thanks for the prayers, and please don't forget to keep praying for little Reagan Olivia (see previous post). They had a bit of a scare over the weekend.

Prayer Request

2008-03-06T10:16:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone!

Although I always appreciate the prayers of my friends for my little boy, today, I'm asking for prayer for a friend of a friend... sort of.

I don't even know them personally, but I know their parents and their brother. Anyway...

Please be in prayer for Robert & Amy Winslow and their brand new baby girl, Reagan Olivia. Reagan was born at 24 weeks old just this week. As a new mother, it breaks my heart to see this little girl born so early, but it's an encouragement to me to read the words of her parents and grandparents and to help them by lifting them all up in prayer.

Please join me to lift this family up in prayer, as the road ahead is definitely a bumpy one... but I am always reminded that God already knows how it's going to turn out, and He always has our good in mind.

Little Reagan has a blog on blogspot, too... reaganoliviawinslow.blogspot.com. You can see how to pray for her and the family and get updates!

Thanks everyone!

Sleep deprived...

2008-02-25T03:38:00.000-08:00

I have a new admiration for those parents out there who update their blogs regularly. I'm lucky if I can get to work even remotely on time.

A lot has happened since I last blogged. I returned to work. It's killing me to be away from Evan so much of the day, but I know that's how it has to be. Although, last week, I was out with something like the flu. The Doctor said I didn't have the flu, but a 'flu-like syndrome.' Whatever that is. I still felt like crap.

Let's see... we've had all kinds of visitors since I last wrote. Stacey came to visit... which was AWESOME! It was too short, but we had a great time, just hanging out and staring at Evan. The next weekend, my parents came to visit. Also a great time. I love watching them with Evan. I only wish they were closer so it could be more frequently.

Last week, Evan had his two month visit, which meant his two month set of shots. It... was... horrible. He cried VERY loudly, but really, he was a little trouper. He was just a little cranky after that, but otherwise, he did great. I think it was harder on Robin & I than it was on him.

So, here it is, 6:45am on a Monday. I've been up since 4:30. Evan just laid back down with his Daddy, and I have to get ready for work. Did I mention I've had a headache since last Monday?

I'm not being sarcastic when I say I'm loving being a Mom. It is truly the biggest joy in the world to look at our little boy and love him more than I could have possibly imagined... I just can't wait for the day when we ALL get to sleep through the night and not the evening. It's coming... I just know it!

He's getting bigger!

2008-01-22T17:51:00.000-08:00

We had our one month well-baby visit yesterday, and we are pleased to announce that Evan is now 9 lbs. 12 ozs. and has already grown to 22 1/2 inches. We figure he'll be tall, since both Robin & I are tall, so he's right on schedule for that.

Sadly, I am scheduled to go back to work on Monday. I really can't express how much I don't want to do that. I had thought I would be ok with it, but sadly, I am not. I really want to just stay home and be the mom for my little guy. It would be fantastic if that could work out somehow. I'm sure someday I will want to go back to work, but right now... it's the last thing I want to do.

We have some great photos of our little guy to share here. He's got a lot of personality already, even though he's only a month old... although I can't believe he's a month old already, for crying out loud!

We don't have too many newsy items this time either... which is welcome. He's sleeping in longer spurts overnight, but still not as much as any new parent would dream of. :)

Oh, here's something of note. He was sucking on his pacifier in the car the other day... we were listening to Matt Redman, and I caught him sucking in time to the music. He must be a musical genius. :)

Nice and uneventful

2008-01-11T16:36:00.000-08:00

Well, we're over three weeks into the adventure we like to call parenting, and since our trip to the hospital at week one, it's been fairly uneventful... VERY thankfully. We had a nurse come out and visit us just about daily for the second week of his life, into the third week, to monitor his bilirubin level and his weight, but now that has come to an end. I'm happy to report that his bilirubin level is down to a normal 10.5. (When we started the whole drama, he was at 29, which is alarmingly high.)

Today, we made an outing to the grocery store, and left Evan with his Grandma Parrish for about an hour. He was very good with his Grandma, and she was super excited to have him.

I've been speaking to my mom every day to give updates on his progress. He doesn't like to let his Mom & Dad sleep at night very much, but I think he's slowly adjusting. We're just very tired. And I hear that's normal. At least that's what everyone tells us. We're glad it's normal. Normal is a great thing.

Thankfully, there's not much else to report. We hope to go to church on Sunday. We haven't been since Evan arrived. We tried to go last week, but had absolutely NO sleep the night before, so we didn't make it.

Anyway, we are still absolutely loving being parents, even if we're sleep deprived. It's all part of the fun. :)

A Brief Hospital Visit

2008-01-01T12:34:00.000-08:00

Last Wednesday, that would be the day after Christmas, we had the first drama in our lives with Evan. When he was welcomed into this world, he had a ginourmous bruis on his little head from his life before he joined the world. The doctors warned us that this may cause jaundice in him, but it was nothing to be much concerned about.

Well, as the days went by, he did begin to look a little yellow, but we were not too concerned, since we had been told not to be. Turns out, he was REALLY jaundiced, and after our first Doctor's appointment with his pediatrician, we were told to go DIRECTLY to the hospital with our little boy so he could be treated.

As anyone knows, this is not something ANY parent wants to hear, and even worse is to tell this to a recent post-partum mom. I cried and cried and any time they did anything to him, I cried some more. The treatment involved putting an IV in his tiny little arm and sitting him under a contraption called bililights. Made to reduce his bilirubin level. You get it.

So, after a day, we were able to take him home with more bili-stuff. A 'bili-blanket' that he had to be attached to. It was very traumatic for all of us. Robin was great, being the calm one, even though I know he was freaking out inside.

So, that was our drama of the week. I would prefer never to relive anything like that again. He's doing great now. Still a little yellow, but more canary than banana, and he's improving all the time.

Thanks for everyone's support and encouragement! Isn't he the cutest?

Evan is here!

2007-12-22T16:23:00.001-08:00

On Wednesday, December 19th, at 5:37pm at High Point Regional Health Center, Michael Evan Parrish came into the world, 19 days early. He weighed in at 8 lbs. 9 ozs. and was 21 inches long. A wonderfully perfect little boy in every way.

We went into the Doctor's office on Tuesday the 18th because I (Karen) had a migraine, and since they've been monitoring my blood pressure, we knew we needed to go into see them if anything like that every happened. So, after a lengthy wait at the Doctor (they had to fit us in on an already packed schedule), Dr. Sansing sent us to the hospital to be monitored and tested.

Once we arrived at the hospital, Robin filled out our paperwork while I got situated for the testing. Dr. Mattern (my main Doctor at High Point OB-GYN) happened to be on call at the hospital, and after much monitoring and discussion, it was decided they would induce me the next day and bring Evan into the world early.

She told us it could take as long as two days for all of that to happen, because of the induction process. As you now know, it didn't take nearly that long. After a rather smooth day, with pitocin, an epidural, a second dose of epidural and a brief amount of pushing, we welcomed Evan into the world. We cried, of course... we have never seen anything so wonderful.

We were excited for our visitors. My parents made it in time for the delivery, and Grandma Parrish had parked herself at the hospital shortly after lunch, of course. Ross, Robin's brother, and our neice, Kara also came to meet him when he first arrived. We also had many other friends and relatives visit, call and send gifts and best wishes, which was very much appreciated.

We see great potential in our little boy since we've had him home. He has big hands, meant, no doubt, for the NBA or as a virtuoso pianist. He is, of course, brilliant. We swear we all heard him say 'Mommy' the other day. :) We'll keep you posted on his progress in these areas.

We continually thank God for this HUGE blessing he has given us this Christmas. It's the best present we could ever have hoped for.