Half birthdays

Maybe I am crazy, but growing up my family celebrated half birthdays (well, we celebrated my half birthday, at least!). This was a big deal...being a half a year older meant I could say...."I'm not 7; I am 7 and 1/2!" A half birthday also meant a cupcake or cookie of choice from the Publix bakery. This just sweetened the deal!

Well, today is the official celebration of JR's first half birthday. At 6 months old, he won't be getting a cupcake, but we wanted to mark the occasion with a blog anyway!

Remsen hits the big one

Alert the media.
He is now 3-0.


Happy Birthday, Remsen. Hope you enjoyed your gift of keg beer on Saturday.

Ain't nothin but a hound dog

I couldn't help but post this picture of JR and his Elvis impression.

Happy Hump Day...an update from JR

Hi everyone! Just wanted to update you about what JR has been up to the past few days...

He is trying his best to crawl; he has the leg movements down pat....if only he could figure out how to move his arms! His patience with the process has definitely gotten better.

He is also sitting up like a pro, and all by himself. It is amazing to see him go from a sitting position to standing (by pulling up on one of us)--his legs are crazy strong.

He is sleeping through the night (yay!!!)....in a new crib. Our first crib was recalled in late June and we had to purchase another one. Remsen did an excellent job (again) putting together the new crib....now all we are waiting for is the recall package so we can be refunded for the first one! Although his snotty nose creates some snoring, he seems to be having some peaceful sleep in his new bed!

JR still loves FOOD! His favorite is rice cereal and has incorporated squash, apples and sweet potatoes (his favorite) into the mix. Bananas did NOT go well at all. Next week we may try a green vegetable. We are lucky to have a good eater thus far! He sits in his chair in our kitchen and stares out (through the french doors) into the backyard.

School is going great. JR is truly a "ladies man", as he is the only boy in the room! He gets excited when he sees the teachers and classmates. Remsen takes him to school and I pick him up. The past few days, on the way home from school, JR makes this funny low repeating noise (ahhhh, ahhh) until we get home. His vocabulary has grown incredibly (well, his noise vocabulary!).

He seems to favor Sadie the dog, who is constantly coming over to sniff his head and bring him toys. He watches her intently and reacts when she is playing. She doesn't usually stand still long enough to let him "pet" her (grab her fur and pull), but Polk has been very good about love tugs from JR.

Last, but not least, JR is dimpled everywhere. Dimples on his cheeks, his knees, his elbows, and even on his fingers. It is precious!

Heaven in the form of a bouncer

Our kid is into bouncing these days. It is joyous and exhausting all in one hop after another. He was enjoying a bouncher at school so much that we decided to rig up our own contraption (purchased, of course, from baby superstore...not engineered by us)...He also hops on laps...warning to the full bladder: he is a stomping fool!

Mom's features, Dad's Fixtures

Lots of people ask who JR looks like, and for now, he favors his Mommy...

Above: Bec, age 6 months

JR (5.5 months) with Gance

Welcome to the world, Ava Grace Perry

Huge congrats to my college roomie (and best bud), Gina Shaw Perry...she and husband Tim welcomed daughter Ava Grace to the world this afternoon! Can't wait to meet her!

R.I.P, Mr. Bunny

As many of you know, the Parrish family lives in a the nice, wooded setting near the Cottonwood Trail, and our yard has received many furry visitors in the past five years. One of my favorite animals to watch (and photograph) has been a little brown rabbit....well, until Monday morning.

Mr. Bunny was forever hanging out in a sunny spot in our backyard (see photo at left, taken on June 29), enjoying our plethora of weeds and grass (and last year, my garden plants).

Monday morning was no different... unfortunately, when I let our golden retriever, Sadie, outside (literally, "releasing the hounds"), Mr. Bunny's life was tragically cut short by our bouncing pup, who no doubt, thought he was a toy to play with. I heard the agonizing cry of Mr. Bunny, but it was too late. By the time my screams of "Stop, stop!" hit Sadie's ears, she released him, and Mr. Bunny was limp on the ground.

Needless to say, Remsen drove home from work to calm me down (as I had a near panic attack over the incident).

I know that it is Sadie's natural instinct to hunt and retrieve creatures, and that Darwinism taught me that (in the cycle of life), the strong survive...but all of logic in the world doesn't take away the horror of a bunny maiming; the slight sad and empty feeling when I glance into the backyard remains...even if Mr. Bunny is gone. Rest in peace, Mr. Bunny....and thanks for the memories.

Sadie Parrish...loves basketball, swimming, tennis, and "hunting wabbits"

Beach baby, beach baby

Well, the Parrish fam (sans Polk and Sadie) made our yearly trek to Edisto Beach for the July 4th weekend. We had great food, great fun with family, and sunshine! Below are some highlights of the trip...

Welcome to Spartanburg, Pop-Pop

My mom's dad is officially in Sparkle City! We are thrilled to have him in town, although I know he will miss the sunshine of Lakeland, Florida (also my hometown!). Tuesday night we celebrated his arrival and he was able to finally meet his great-grandson!

Did you get it right? He ate...

SQUASH!

That's right...we started off JR's food eating adventures with Stage 1 squash. I was expecting him to screw up his face after the first bite, but he didn't deliver that kind of reaction at all. Instead, he seemed pretty indifferent about the momentus event. Sadie was underneath JR, waiting to lick up stray squash but we had no major spills and about half of the spoonfuls ended up on his bib or his face!