1 year!

We wrote this letter to Parker, to help him, as well as us, remember what his life was like this past year. It is very long, so feel free to skip over it.

Parker,

You came into our lives exactly one year ago, and changed our lives forever. From the day you were born, you've brought so much more happiness and love into our home and family. You have such a strong personality and are not afraid of sharing it. We've loved watching you grow and learn new things throughout this last year. We hold special memories in our hearts that will stay with us forever. We still close our eyes and remember the very day you were born; how special that day was! The first time we held you; something that we will never forget. You snuggled right into mommy's chest, and clung onto daddy's finger. You have learned to give the best loves, and we cherish each and every one. (Even the ones that include a bite) You have such a tender heart, and love to show your love for those that you are closest with. It has been so much fun to watch you gain relationships with different people, as well as watch your face light up when they come around. You adore your older cousins, and love to play with them. You are very attached to a certain teddy bear. You take him everywhere with you, and get very upset when Teddy needs a bath, or goes missing. Teddy's ears and tail have been loved and sucked on so much, you are already starting to wear them out. I think Teddy holds the 3rd biggest piece of your heart. Whenever you are upset or sad, you love for daddy to sing "Teach me to walk in the light" and you instantly calm down. You love listening to music, and singing along, but church music always calms you down, especially when daddy sings it. Whenever you get hurt, you always want mommy to make it better. You have the cutest cry, and it melts our hearts.  It's a very specific cry, and is only performed when you get your feelings hurt. Your little lip puckers out, and big alligator tears puddle in your eyes, you get this look in your eyes that says "why mommy?" and then you start to cry a very sad cry. Your facial features are just adorable. Whenever you are concentrating really hard on something, your mouth goes into an "o" shape, and you drool like crazy. When you are being shy, you always bite your lower lip on the left side. It will be fun to see if you continue to keep these little quirks years from now.  You also love to play with our board and card games. We can never keep you out of that cupboard. Actually, that is what you are currently getting into, as I write this. All of our cards are spread out all over the living room floor, and that happens daily with you. You also love to play with any kind of ball or building block. They fascinate you, and can entertain you for the longest. You've recently started to point to where you want to go while we carry you. It's fun to allow you to guide us, and see what exactly it is that you want. Most of the time it's something you can't have. You are starting to gain a sense of being left out. Whenever daddy or mommy are doing or eating something, you always want to join us, and get sad if we don't share  or include you. Of course, we always do though. You have a love for Mickey Mouse that we never expected. It didn't take long for us to find out though. You only watched a couple shows, and you were hooked. Every time the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse song comes on, you instantly drop what you are doing, and book it to the t.v. You also love your binkie (deeply), yogurt, balloons, going on walks, driving in the car, getting your picture taken, any toy that makes noise, Rosco, Jenga blocks, making messes, making mommy and daddy laugh, getting your feet or belly tickled, reading story books, bath time, playing "choo choo" playing in the bathroom drawers, making funny faces, the computer mouse, eating the dog's food and pulling all the toilet paper off the roll. You don't like strawberries, getting your bum changed, getting your hair done, when you can't have something you want, and when daddy leaves for school or work. You are such a fun, loving baby boy, and we love having you a part of our family. You bring so much joy to your mommy and daddy, and we love you so much. It's crazy to think that an entire year has already flown by. We can't wait to spend the rest of our lives watching you grow.

          Love,

                 Mommy and Daddy