Dear Blog...

I'm sorry you've been so sorely neglected. You see, I have two kids now, and they come first. In my defense, Caleb did hide my camera card about a month ago. I can't find it anywhere. This has prevented me from uploading Parker's first pictures. And you know how I hate to do things out of order. I may need to get over that.
I'm kind of freaking out about it actually. All of the hospital pictures are on it, and we can't lose those. I keep praying it will turn up. I had to buy a new one so I could take current pictures.
In the meantime, it's time to move on. Time to send you out into the world (so to speak) to be read again. So here we go.

This is Parker.

Parker is 2 months and 9 days old. He weighs 9 pounds and 15 ounces and is 23 inches long. To you this may seem very small, but to us it is very big. Caleb was not this big till almost 5 months. Parker is quiet and serious, and loves to be held up where he can observe the world around him. He is extremely strong; he could even hold up his head the minute he was born.

But sometimes he gets tired. Just recently he has started to smile the biggest, happiest smiles. We haven't caught one on camera yet, not for lack of trying. Caleb loves Parker, or "baby", as he calls him. He likes to point out that baby has a nose. And a head, and ears, and eyes. Parker isn't always the biggest fan of this game, but he tolerates it pretty well. They seem to like being brothers.


Sometimes they even chill on the couch together and watch Up. In their diapers. While Mommy blogs.



P.S. Caleb removed said diaper two minutes later.

Parker Aten Nielson

On February 19, 2010, at 7:01 am, Parker Aten Nielson joined our family. He weighed in at 6 lbs 13 oz and 19 1/4 inches long. Mommy and baby are home now, and doing great. Caleb is fascinated with his little brother. Soon to come: pictures, the birth story, and the what's behind the name.

Caleb introduces his best buddy, Mr. Tickle, to Parker

A Face to Put with that Name

At our ultrasound today we got a great shot of our baby boy's face. And we found out that he is 100% healthy! It was a good day.

Surviving the Madness

I thought that once there was a lull in the madness that has been our lives lately, I would post. But obviously if I wait for things to calm down, I'll never post again! So here's a quick list of what we've been up to the last two months:

December 10 - Rachel comes home!

My sister Rachel arrives home from her mission in Geneva, Switzerland. Lots of hugging and tears. One confused toddler.


December 16: Tim comes home!

My brother Tim comes home from his mission in Jackson, Mississippi. More hugging and more tears. One still confused toddler.


December 24: Christmas Eve

We go to Christmas Eve Dinner (a very big deal in my family) at my parents. We leave early when Caleb suddenly spikes a fever.

December 25: Christmas Day

We open presents at our house with a very sick little boy. He loves everything but won't leave Daddy's lap. We consider canceling our vacation.

December 27: Mission Reports and Midnight Drives

Rachel and Tim both give their mission reports in my parent's ward. Even more tears. With a nurse's okay, we pack up the car and drive through the night to Anaheim.

December 28-January 1: Disneyland

Caleb's first trip to Disneyland. He hates the lines and loves the rides. In typical Caleb fashion, he is completely unfazed by the scary stuff. We spend all our time on kid's stuff. I can't go on the big rides anyway. Caleb throws a monumental tantrum on day 2. Mommy and Daddy get the message loud and clear - all the nonstop excitement of the last month has been too much. He just wants his routine back.

January 8: Caleb turns two!

Nothing too exciting happens. Caleb gets a quiet day at home with Mommy. We play cars and duplos and watch Monsters, Inc.

January 11: Michael goes back to school

And the 8 month countdown to graduation begins. 3 quarters left. We've come this far. We can do this, right?

January 13: Three Years of Marriage

We celebrate our third anniversary. We decide we're too exhausted to do gifts and a weekend away. But Michael shows up with two dozen roses and takes me out for a perfect evening. And I'm happy.

January 16: Caleb's birthday party

We have a very small party for Caleb with just immediate family. This year he totally gets that this is all about him. He still needs help blowing out his candles, even though he's been practicing for three months.

Which brings us to...

Today:

I'm 33 1/2 weeks pregnant. I've reached the 'so over this' phase of pregnancy. I feel completely unprepared. I still have tons to do for the nursery. Caleb is sleeping in his toddler bed pretty well, but still naps in the crib. Michael is still at the office, and will probably be up all night doing homework. This is the toughest quarter he's had his whole time at Neumont. We have an ultrasound at 7:40 am. It's the only appointment I could get that we could both make. I'm too tired to find my camera to add more pictures to this post. BUT...tomorrow is another day, and at least the dishes are done.

More details to come on Caleb's birthday and our anniversary. And some previews of what the boy's room will (hopefully) look like when it's done.

Eric Bana as Nero

bringing a whole new meaning to "you're not hardcore unless you live hardcore".

Back soon.

Halloween/Birthday

This year for Halloween we actually got to go out with friends, which was a lot of fun. Caleb hung out with his Grandma and Grandpa. He was actually pretty grumpy that night and didn't even want to try trick-or-treating. He also wouldn't wear his hood on his costume. Oh well!

Michael had a pretty hardcore Fu Manchu mustache. He spent almost a month growing it out before he shaved it into the Fu Manchu. He's not wearing his cowboy shirt in this picture, but he actually looked pretty scary authentic.


I was Artemis, Greek goddess of fertility (and the hunt, hence the bow).


My sister Mary Elizabeth as Penelope. She looked perfect!


We went to a midnight play, so we spent the night at my parents. The next day we celebrated my
24th
birthday. I'm officially in my mid-twenties now. Weird.


Special thanks to my sis, who still throws me a killer Disney princess party, no matter my age.

The next night Michael took me out for a special evening at our favorite restaurant, and showered me with perfectly picked out gifts, including Mastering the Art of French Cooking, the Julia Child cookbook from this movie.

I can't wait to try it out.

Hero in a Half Shell

The wait is over. The verdict is in.

And when Michael called his parents to give them the news he said, "It's a ninja turtle. Not a My Little Pony."

Which is our little way of saying that #2 is 100%

boy!

We are quite thrilled.