The Hardy Boys

Ever since Parker was born, Mommy and Daddy have both thought he favors Collin when he was a baby. They both appear to have the same eyes, mouth, and cheeks. Parker does appear to have a different nose than Collin, although we are not sure who it ressembles yet. He also has much lighter hair, almost a light brown to dirty blond look, depending upon how the light hits it and is a little thinner than Collin was at the moment. For fun, I decided to dress Parker in an outfit I had several pictures of Collin in to see how similiar they looked. You can definitely tell they are brothers!


Collin


Parker

Tummy Time Is Hard Work

Our New Family Of Four

Parker's Newborn Portraits

Could Not Ask For More

Although life is crazy right now trying to take care of a toddler and a newborn, things could not be any better. Seeing our two boys interacting with each other is the best feeling in the world. Patrick and I always knew we wanted to have two children so that when something happened to us one day, they would have each other to lean on. We were a little worried how Collin would adjust since he was used to having all the attention, but other than a few days of tantrums and regression in potty training, he is adjusting well. Every morning when he wakes up he wants to see "Baby Parker". He always goes over to Parker and tells him "I love you" and gives him a kiss. If he is crying or making any type of noise, Collin tells him "It's okay, Parker" and tries to give him his pacifer. It is absolutely precious! Parker loves to look at Collin and is in awe of everything he does. He loves for Collin to lay beside him during tummy time and will turn his head from side to side to find him. We are so happy with our family of four and cannot wait to see the boys become best friends in the years to come. God had blessed us beyond measure and we will be forever grateful!

Brothers

Collin is adjusting to his role as a big brother beautifully. Every morning when he wakes up he asks to see Baby Parker and wants to be near him all day. He loves to show him what he is playing and sing to him. He thinks Parker's favorite songs are BINGO, Happy Birthday, and Jesus Loves Me. So cute! He also has "helped" Mommy feed Parker his bottle, change his diaper, and pat his back to burp him. He loves playing with him on his musical mat and showing him all his toys and telling him what they are. It warms my heart to see the two of them together. I have always wanted a family of four and it is amazing to see my dream coming true. I love you, boys!

Parker's 1st Sponge Bath

Today Parker had his first sponge bath at home. Mommy and Daddy laid him down on his turtle sponge and gently washed him from head to toe. He did not appreciate having to take his clothes off and being cold but calmed down pretty quickly. His favorite part of the bath was getting his hair washed, just like his big brother Collin.

The Many Faces of Parker

Parker's 1st Doctor's Visit

This morning Parker had his first doctor's visit to meet Dr. Harbaugh and get checked out. Parker weighed in at 6 pounds, 3 ounces and was 20 inches long. His head circumference was 13 inches and his chest circumference was 12 inches. Dr. Harbaugh said everything looked great and he appeared to be perfectly healthy. He said Parker should be eating at least every three hours during the day and he could have two or more ounces each feeding depending on how much he wanted. At night he can go up to five hours before we need to wake him up to eat. It sounds wonderful but we may have to work him up to that! All in all we had a great visit and were blessed to hear that everything looks great!

Welcome Home, Parker

Today Parker got to come home! We were so excited to bring him home and let him meet his big brother. As soon as the garage door opened, Collin came running out to greet us. He was so happy to see Mommy and Daddy I think he forgot that someone else was with us. After I spent a few minutes cuddling him, Patrick brought Parker in to see Collin. Collin was not sure what to think. He kept looking at Parker in his infant carrier but would not go anywhere near him. Everytime Parker would make a noise, he would back up in fear of something happening. The sweetest moment between the two was when Collin opened his "big brother gift" from Parker. He was so excited that Parker brought him a Lighting McQueen car and big rig that he looked over at him and screamed out "I love you, Baby Parker". It was the sweetest moment. Once I took Parker out of the infant carrier and sat with him Collin was all about meeting him. He told him "hey" over and over and even wanted to sit with Mommy and suck his pacifer just like Parker was. Although I am sure there will be moments of jeaulously as he learns that he now has to share everything with his little brother, I am hoping the two of them will become fast best friends who can rely on each other for anything. Nothing in the world would make Mommy and Daddy happier!

Introducing Parker Von Hardy

We are so excited to announce the arrival of our second son, Parker Von Hardy. He arrived on Thursday, March 3rd at 1:30 pm. He was 6 pounds, 6 ounces and 20 inches long. He is perfectly healthy and absolutely adorable!

Parker decided he wanted to meet his Mommy, Daddy, and big brother Collin a little early. His actual due date was March 20th, but he decided he was ready to join the world and share a birthday with his big brother. Around 5:00pm on Wednesday, my stomach started to feel a little strange. It did not hurt but something definitely did not feel right. After talking to several friends and much debating, I decided to call the doctor who told me to head on down to the hospital so I could get checked out. I honestly thought it was false labor and was fully expecting to be sent back home. However, when we arrived we were told my contractions were four minutes apart despite me not being able to feel them. They decided to monitor me overnight just in case but were leaning on the assumption they were Braxton Hicks and I could go home in the morning. Around 7:00am, my doctor came to examine me only to find I was five centimeters dilated and having contractions every two minutes. He then decided to break my water and start the pitocin. The first hour of the medicine I still could not feel any of the contractions the monitor was showing. However, around 11:00am things got very painful. All I remember is screaming for an epidural! Once the epidural was in my nurse checked me again to find I was nine centimeters and ready to go. How I made it nine centimeters with no drugs is beyond me! After three pushes, Parker Von Hardy made his arrival.

Our biggest fear was that Parker would come out not making any sounds, like his big brother. Luckily our prayers were answered as Parker came out screaming. He passed his Apgar test without any problems and even gave the nurse an extra surprise when he urinated all over her. He then got to come over and meet his Mommy and it was love at first sight! I am beyond blessed with two healthy, precious, adorable little boys. God was definitely with us that day and all the glory goes to Him for allowing our son to be as perfect as can be!