Jeneric Adventures

The Gift

2012-01-03T20:19:00.000-08:00

Beep Beep!

2011-10-07T12:04:00.000-07:00

Shanon loves her tricycle. The best part is she thinks about safety too! She won't get on the tricycle without her helmet. You'll notice her left cheek has a red substance on it...that would be raspberry juice from shoving as may raspberries as she could into her mouth and missing a few times. She's getting taller and soon will be able to move the pedals on her own. For now she doesn't mind sitting on the tricycle and beeping the horn.

Shannon's 2nd Oktoberfest

2011-09-24T18:26:00.000-07:00

Today Shannon experienced her second annual Greeley Oktoberfest. She seemed to have a lot of fun watching Erin & Grady play, doing the chicken dance, and eating bites of mommy's black cherry Tropical Sno. She also enjoyed watching the traditional German dancers. I didn't take too many pictures but did manage to grab some videos of Erin and Grady on the inflatable obstacle course and slide.

Grady at Oktoberfest from Jennifer Parrish on Vimeo.

Grady's Bliss from Jennifer Parrish on Vimeo.

For some perspective I glanced back at pictures of last year's Oktoberfest. Oh how fast a year goes and how much changes! Here's last year...

And now this year!

As you can see the kids were not happy about being forced to watch the dancers when there were pumpkins to decorate and more slides to go down on the other side of the park!

I need to blog more...

2011-08-12T20:11:00.000-07:00

The purpose of this blog is for friends and family to see pictures of our happenings way out here in Colorado, but it seems like Facebook, Facetime, and picture messaging have made me lazy. Rather than write about what's going on, I just put a blurb on my Facebook status or press a button to Facetime my mom (who now has an iPad!) I'm also disappointed because Vimeo changed something about it's video embed code so that videos automatically play when this page loads, which is rather distracting.

Shannon is 16 months old now and it seems so easy to take care of her. She eats whatever we put in front of her, she plays with her friends for hours at a time, and she sleeps through the night. I know we are fortunate to have a child with this temperament. I wasn't that type of child, or so I hear. She's our sweetheart and I'll close with some pictures we recently took.

Videos & Pictures

2011-05-19T19:20:00.001-07:00

Here are some videos and pictures of what's been going on lately.

Shannon is learning how to dance. Yes, that head shaking, leg moving thing is her attempt at dancing. I think she got her rhythm from daddy :-)
SORRY-VIMEO IS ACTING UP AND I REMOVED THIS :-(

We took a trip to Nashville to visit cousins Alyssa & Sam.

Here's Shannon in front of a picture of Sam at about the same age.

Shannon was reunited with Cache. Sniffing of behinds occurred.

We went to Alyssa's softball practice and enjoyed watching her play. The uniforms are so cute!

Dancing Buddies
SORRY-VIMEO IS ACTING UP AND I REMOVED THIS :-(

Happy Birthday Cousin Alyssa!

2011-03-24T18:04:00.000-07:00

Shannon is so excited to go visit her cousins Sam and Alyssa at the end of April. Friday is Alyssa's birthday and Shannon's birthday will follow a week later.

Even though it's only March it feels more like spring lately. Temperatures have been in the 70's and the sun is always shining. Shannon and I enjoy getting out every afternoon to go for a walk or a run. She LOVES her chariot and I'm so happy because I'm getting back into shape. Here's Shannon enjoying her bottle and taking in the beautiful day.

We went out and about on St. Patrick's day, mainly to get me some Zyrtec to help my bouts with hives. Shannon loves going to the store and she won't keep a hat on despite my efforts. She also likes to take her shoes off and throw them but luckily with the new pink sneakers that lace up she can't tug hard enough to get them off.

We got a babysitter on St. Patrick's Day and went out to enjoy music and beer at the local brewery. Yes, that's Erin in the background. The event was kid friendly but ours goes to bed early so we opted to go kid free.

Erin & Grady share everything with Shannon, including viruses. They all had a rough one with high fevers followed by non-stop snot and coughs. Here they are watching March Madness and feeling pitiful. I texted the picture of Shannon to Deborah and she sent me the one of her pitiful crew to me. Basketball made it tolerable for all involoved.

I have an obsession with Pho (traditional Vietnamese noodle soup)and was so happy when Shannon devoured her rice noodles. I guess we'll have to go there more often!

Shannon loves her daddy. When she was sick she didn't want her mommy but just wanted to cuddle with daddy.

She's feeling better now and hopefully she'll have a wonderful first birthday next week.

Almost a year old!

2011-03-04T17:57:00.001-08:00

Here are some fun pictures from the last few weeks.
Erin and Shannon playing at the mall. It was a rare rainy day so we all went to the mall and Shannon survived, and enjoyed, the chaos.

Shannon has been crawling around (fast) forever but hasn't been very motivated to stand up and cruise. Obviously, as shown here, she is more than capable. Now if we can only get her to pull herself up! (I stand her up to get her to play like this).

Shannon has some crazy hair. I wonder where she gets than from! Note the noodle on her shirt. Her new favorite food is cheese and noodles.

Shannon loves playing with all the toys she got from her cousins.

Daddy & Shannon have lots of fun. She's getting bigger and loves to ride on his shoulders.

Here's Shannon playing piano with daddy.

Untitled from Jennifer Parrish on Vimeo.

Erin's Carnival Birthday

2011-02-13T18:50:00.000-08:00

Shannon went to a birthday party today. She was a little young but she didn't want to miss her buddy Erin's birthday carnival. There was bowling, fishing, bean-bag toss, balloon animals, and a pinata. She loved watching all the action and had her first taste of pizza. Well, she had some pizza crust that is! She quite enjoyed her first taste of white bread.

Erin and her buddy Everett fishing at the carnival.

A look at the decorating Deborah did. Nice job!

Erin playing bean-bag toss (Eric & Shannon were running the game).

Shannon found one of her favorite toys-a string-and gives us a good look at her new front tooth.

Deborah leading the children in pretending to be different animals and doing interpretive dance.

Shannon looking at something!

Heading home after a fun party. It was so warm we walked over.

Basketball Shannon

2011-02-10T20:43:00.001-08:00

Peek a Boo

2011-02-02T20:12:00.000-08:00

Shannon & Her Dog

2011-02-01T09:00:00.001-08:00

Curly

2011-01-31T18:54:00.000-08:00

Shannon has her mom's curly hair.

Shannon is going to be a talker

2011-01-22T06:28:00.000-08:00

Shannon is not a fan of black beans

2011-01-15T07:59:00.001-08:00

She loves the soccer bal

2011-01-14T20:16:00.001-08:00

Another slide show

2011-01-06T20:31:00.001-08:00

A New Slideshow

2011-01-03T16:01:00.001-08:00

Shannon has been my subject (of course) in the testing of our new camera. Enjoy!

Daddy's Little Girl

2010-12-29T20:16:00.003-08:00

My first creation on iMovie. Rough around the edges but cute. The last video is Shannon's reaction to Eric coming home from work.

Soccer Star

2010-12-27T18:45:00.000-08:00

I made a movie called "Daddy's Little Girl" but am unable to post it since it was on my laptop which is now drying in a basket of rice. So instead I'll show you a few clips from our fun Christmas.

Here she is with Grandpa Parrish this weekend. She's dancing, well sort of :-)

iMovie Creation

2010-12-23T18:11:00.003-08:00

Just a fun little experiment. There will be more to come-I made this in 10 minutes on my phone!

iMovie Fun from Jennifer Parrish on Vimeo.

New videos

2010-12-20T11:56:00.000-08:00

Tickles from Daddy from Jennifer Parrish on Vimeo.

Waking up to Shany from Jennifer Parrish on Vimeo.

Shoelaces, shoelaces! from Jennifer Parrish on Vimeo.

Balloon Girl from Jennifer Parrish on Vimeo.

A Few Christmas Photos

2010-12-12T12:03:00.000-08:00

Here we are trying to get a few good pictures. Boy are we hoping to get a new camera soon!

We love our friends

2010-12-09T20:15:00.000-08:00

I love that Shannon gets to spend her mornings interacting with and watching Erin and Grady. Here they are leaving the rec center.

Deborah is amazing taking all three out to the store!

Eric's parents moved to Grand Junction (a 5 hour drive, but it's a lot closer than Georgia!) and we love having them visit. They were here last weekend and it was glorious being able to sleep in two days in a row. Shannon loved the attention and had a lot of fun. Here she is with grandpa. We were all feeling a little under the weather so unfortunately we didn't get many pictures. Next time for sure!

Grandpa Feeding Shannon from Jennifer Parrish on Vimeo.

Baby Bird. Eric finds it funny to "test" to see if she's hungry.

Baby Bird from Jennifer Parrish on Vimeo.

For you Kathy!

2010-12-06T12:34:00.001-08:00

We Elfed the Kids

2010-12-05T19:56:00.001-08:00

Shannon & Daddy

Funny

2010-12-05T19:06:00.001-08:00

Crawling?

2010-12-01T18:29:00.000-08:00

Not sure if this counts as crawling but either way Shannon seems to get around just fine.

Crawling? from Jennifer Parrish on Vimeo.

I thought she wanted the green cylinder but apparently the new scenery was more interesting. This is the first time she's explored this area of the house.

Rounded the Corner from Jennifer Parrish on Vimeo.

For Grandma(s) & the nieces

2010-11-26T18:46:00.001-08:00

A fun video of Shannon trying to crawl on the hardwood. Tough decisions!

Decisions! from Jennifer Parrish on Vimeo.

Turkey Day

2010-11-25T20:11:00.000-08:00

We had a good Thanksgiving. Shannon even helped daddy grill the turkey. Here are some pictures, along with one from this week.

Shannon & Daddy

2010-11-23T17:20:00.001-08:00

Sometimes after nap time Shannon goes to see daddy at work. Everyone there adores her and of course she loves seeing daddy. Here they are together.

Note how tall this little girl is. Those are 9 month pants and they are a little short. I'm excited to possibly have a tall point guard!
Shannon loves Erin. Here they are playing today.

Jumping Shannon & Erin the Entertainer from Jennifer Parrish on Vimeo.

Our Mornings

2010-11-19T14:09:00.000-08:00

Here's what we wake up to each morning. In order to get some extra sleep each morning we put a few toys in the crib for her to entertain herself when she first wakes up. Totally brilliant idea! And you might notice all the pacifiers...got that idea for Deborah. In the middle of the night if she wakes up all she has to do is reach around and she's bound to find a pacifier to stick back in! Again, TOTALLY brilliant idea!

Shany in the Morning Part 2 from Jennifer Parrish on Vimeo.

Shannon in the Morning Part 1 from Jennifer Parrish on Vimeo.

Being Young

2010-11-18T18:39:00.000-08:00

I've done a lot of thinking about getting older. My knees hurt when I work out, keeping weight off requires eating a lot less these days, and the wrinkles and gray hair are starting to be noticeable. Each day I'm reminded how fast time really does go, as Shannon grows and changes. One day she can't reach the edge of the carpet, and the next day she's moving all over the room and sliding across the hardwood floor. I'm doing a decent job of living in the moment, enjoying each new thing she does and taking my time to cuddle with her after rocking her to sleep. Life really is good, no, great, right now.
I love having Erin and Grady over each week. Erin is almost 4 (going on 10) and Grady is 18 months. Grady and Shannon take afternoon naps but Erin is too old for that so we hang out. I could put a "novie" on and get some housework done, or even take a nap, but the one on one time with her is too precious for that. It reminds me of times with my niece, Sam, when I watched her years ago. I loved doing things with Sam, like going for walks, heading to the park, coloring, and any craft imaginable. The same is true with Erin, though I realized last week I didn't have much for a preschool age kid to do when the weather forced us indoors. It was forecast to snow so I improvised and got out some white paper, scissors, and crayons to cut snowflakes for Erin to color. It was quite a hit! That evening Shannon and I went to Michael's to buy the essentials- watercolor paint, paint brushes, construction paper, pipe cleaners, googly eyes, glue, kid scissors, craft sticks...oh, and a set of 100 cookie cutters.
This afternoon Erin and I made turkeys out of construction paper by tracing our hands. I remember doing that in school and added a few fun steps, such as tearing all colors of construction paper into little bits and gluing these "feathers" on all over the turkey. We also glued our birds on a craft stick to make a puppet of sorts. Of course the googly eye was the best part. After over an hour of craft time Erin says, "I think I need to have some rest time. I'm tired!" It was great.

Shannon usually wakes up at the end of our craft time and she LOVES watching whatever Erin is doing.

I'm looking forward to many more winter afternoons making crafts and feeling younger.

Here are a few new videos of Shannon lately. There's just one word to describe her-fun.
Shannon LOVES being out and about. We are at the store and she was giggling at everything I picked up. She enjoyed looking at her reflection in this beverage bucket.

Giggle Girl from Jennifer Parrish on Vimeo.

Here's Erin and Shannon in action. I have a feeling Shannon will be cruising as soon as she figures out to sit up before reaching for items on the table. Shannon is reaching for the picture Erin painted with watercolor while Erin babbles in "Shany talk" admiring herself in the baby mirror. Too cute!

Watching Erin from Jennifer Parrish on Vimeo.

Shannon went to her first basketball game tonight. She enjoyed the action but wasn't fond of the loud buzzer.

Friends

2010-11-03T19:09:00.000-07:00

Going in circles from Jennifer Parrish on Vimeo.

Friends from Jennifer Parrish on Vimeo.

Shannon Loves the Swing from Jennifer Parrish on Vimeo.

Here are our creations from Halloween. Mine is the ghost, Shannon's is the "Eek!", and Eric's is...well, I'll let you guess who that is. Hint, 80's music "hello..."

I rode my bike to the Bungalow and Eric brought Shannon and met me there to have coffee. She seemed to enjoy one of my favorite places.

Shannon got my crazy curly hair.

Shannon loves watching Erin play, and in this case, build a fort. Other than constantly hitting her head on the table it was a success.

Shannon loves watching Erin and Grady turn our living room into their playroom. We always have fun on Tuesday afternoons.

Bathtime Fun!

2010-11-02T19:58:00.000-07:00

Shannon loves water. If I try to drink from a clear glass while I'm holding her she lunges toward the glass, fascinated with the water. We finally got the bathtub seat out so she could play in the water more and she had a great time.

Halloween 2010

2010-10-31T17:39:00.001-07:00

Trees

2010-10-25T19:52:00.000-07:00

Shannon loves trees. She watches them intently out the window and today, with the high winds, she even giggled a few times at the waving leaves. I remember her staring at the trees in RMNP on her first visit there at 2 months. I'm always wondering what she'll enjoy as she gets older so maybe it will be trees. I'm ok with that!
We've enjoyed the beautiful weather the last few days and took advantage of the amazing red color of our maples for a backdrop for some pictures.

Here's Shannon's view from our front window.

Shannon is enjoying solid food these day. As you can see, she has two teeth beginning to push through.

This is her "poo poo poo poo face" as Eric (aka "ShannonsDaddy" on Twitter) says. She's going to be angry at me someday when we are scrolling through pictures and we come to this one. It was a big one.

Fall in Colorado

2010-10-21T15:17:00.000-07:00

I think fall is the most beautiful season here in Colorado. Today it was 70 degrees and sunny so we spent some time outside enjoying the leaves, grass, and sunshine. Shannon is growing everyday and is now wearing 12 month clothes, despite being 6 months old. She is long and lean which makes it easier for her to scoot around, crawl, and roll over. She's not keen on sitting up, though it's obvious she's capable. She'd much rather be on her belly scooting around to investigate the world around her. I think she loves nature.

Audrey & The Snowman

2010-10-19T20:34:00.001-07:00

I'll write more about what's going on around here another time when I'm not so sleep deprived. Our little girl has decided to wake up at 3am lately.
Here's a fun video of Erin, Shannon, and what happened today.

Erin, Shannon, and the eating of the snowman from Jennifer Parrish on Vimeo.

Pumpkin Time

2010-10-09T16:41:00.001-07:00

For those of you not on Facebook, here are some pictures from our trip to the pumpkin patch today. Shannon really enjoyed it!

Shannon Videos

2010-10-08T21:03:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile but these are worth watching.
We discovered Shannon's love for balloons at Oktoberfest this year. We were at the store today and I couldn't resist getting some video of her reaction to a Halloween balloon.

Laughing at a Balloon from Jennifer Parrish on Vimeo.

Shannon & Her Dog Part 1 from Jennifer Parrish on Vimeo.

Shannon & Her Dog Part 2 from Jennifer Parrish on Vimeo.

Beautiful

2010-10-05T19:14:00.000-07:00

Our little girl cut her first tooth today! A big moment because now I can't call her Gumby. She tried and disliked avocados today, but we are going to keep trying. We spent some time this afternoon outside enjoying the perfect fall day.

6 Months Old

2010-10-03T18:30:00.000-07:00

We are in awe that we've been parents for half a year. In that time we've learned how to function on little or no sleep, prioritize our worries so they don't consume us, and love deeper than we ever imagined. She is our life. The wonderful part of this is that I don't feel like we've "lost" ourselves as I once feared would happen. Instead we are becoming more compassionate, empathetic, tolerant, relaxed, and childlike. We love singing songs, playing peek-a-boo, and acting silly to make Shannon giggle.
Our little Shannon.
First real food and she loved it!

First real food- sweet potatoes (with apple) from Jennifer Parrish on Vimeo.

Hanging out on a blanket on a beautiful fall day after a stroll in the Chariot.

Trying on a possible Halloween costume to make sure it fits because Shannon is SO long.

Shannon & The Lion from Jennifer Parrish on Vimeo.

Shannon's View

2010-09-29T20:20:00.001-07:00

When Shannon and I sit outside on nice afternoons this is her view. We were laying on our backs, side by side, and as I looked up to see what she was smiling and giggling about I understood. The leaves were moving in the wind making amazing rustling sounds and the sky was the most beautiful blue. It's always good to look at life from a different perspective.

Shannon is getting stronger and holds a plank pose more gracefully than I do these days. She loves being outside! Today we had the fortune of watching the UNC cross country team do their interval workouts around our neighborhood. Shannon loved watching the runners and couldn't take her eyes off them as they ran by.

On your mark, get set, GO! So intense!

Some funny new videos

2010-09-29T18:58:00.000-07:00

Shannon and her dog and our little vocal girl.

Shannon & Her Dog from Jennifer Parrish on Vimeo.

Vocal Little Girl from Jennifer Parrish on Vimeo.

Nashville Half Marathon

2010-09-27T19:04:00.000-07:00

Eric and I need a goal to stay motivated to work out this winter so the Nashville Half Marathon it is. We've done the race a few times and enjoy everything except the hilly course. Oh, and this year we hope the humidity is low and the temperature just right. Obviously we didn't run last April (hmmm, I wonder why) but the year before it was HOT. If I remember correctly the temperature was 80 at the 7:15am start. Yuck.
Shannon is big enough to put in the Chariot and go jogging so I hope to take afternoon runs throughout the fall. Eric is shooting for a personal best of under 2 hours and I'm hoping to run the race in around 2:15. Here's to a winter of working out!

And this blog just wouldn't be anything without pictures from the week. Here's Shannon at Oktoberfest laughing at a balloon.

Bathtime Fun!

2010-09-25T17:36:00.000-07:00

The Real Jeneric Adventure

2010-09-24T18:40:00.000-07:00

As you can see in the picture above, the weather has been beautiful here in Colorado so Shannon and I have been enjoying being outside whenever we can. We hang out in our yard on a blanket and she seems to soak everything in. She notices butterflies, birds, and squirrels as they travel through our yard and her eyes track any car that drives by. She loves to watch the trees sway in the breeze and I wonder if this is a sign she'll love the outdoors like I do. It sounds crazy to think that something so seemingly insignificant as focusing on trees would indicate her future interests, but I remember baby Erin being fascinated with letters at this age and sure enough, Erin (age 3) can practically read! Shannon is such an intense little girl for being so young. I can't wait to get to know her and see who she will become. I feel like she really wants to tell me things now! It's daunting to think of the responsibility we have to raise this little girl but we can't imagine anything better. Eric and I love her fiercely and this adventure has been the best yet. I don't think we knew what a real Jeneric adventure was until we met Shannon.

Here's our little muncher!

Muncher from Jennifer Parrish on Vimeo.

Lunch

2010-09-21T17:49:00.000-07:00

Shannon is finally getting more excited about rice cereal!

Lunch from Jennifer Parrish on Vimeo.

Earlier in the day she spent time with her buddies, Erin & Grady. It's understandable why she is so hungry and sleepy when I pick her up-her friends are so fun to watch! The next video below is funny because I intended to record Erin saying the parts of her plane (the first one that's hard to catch is indeed "fuselage") but instead we are now cracking up at a pants-less Grady being typical Grady. A few minutes earlier he decided it would be a good idea to sit in a mud puddle.

If you watch the video closely you can actually see the popcorn. He's such a funny kid!

Erin explains her plane from Jennifer Parrish on Vimeo.

Fall is Here!

2010-09-18T07:23:00.001-07:00

This morning we woke up to a cool drizzle and I definitely felt fall in the air. Eric was super and got up with our little morning girl at her usual 5am and let me sleep in until 7. Of course I bundled Shannon up to head out to the farmers market, our Saturday morning tradition.

We were waiting in line in the picture above to buy yummy Colorado peaches (Eric's favorite).
(Alyssa & Sam-can you see which hat Shannon is wearing?)

Shannon is going to Vanderbilt from Jennifer Parrish on Vimeo.

Since it was drizzling, I hurried to drink my coffee, bought a burrito for Eric, and we headed home. Shannon always falls asleep on the drive back and then takes a decent morning nap all "roasty toasty" (as Bradley Barnes would say) in her car seat. Soon enough she'll be running around the farmers market on Saturday morning and I bet by next year we'll be sharing a warm cinnamon roll with each other. I'm looking forward to little weekly rituals and starting traditions that she'll remember forever. Hmmm, I have very distinct memories from age 3 on that consist of hunting and cleaning rabbits, squirrels, and deer, weeding the garden, picking strawberries from our garden before anyone else was out of bed, and the smells of our kitchen during canning season. I hope that Shannon gets to experience those things, minus the hunting and cleaning of rabbits of course.
Yesterday Shannon started to crawl, though I don't think she's really aware of what she's doing. I think we are safe from a mobile baby for at least a few more weeks. I love how athletic and active she is! I always want to encourage her to be this way and am very glad we live so close to an amazing park. I just hope she doesn't start climbing over our fence to escape the backyard!

I give it two weeks from Jennifer Parrish on Vimeo.

This baby is strong...

2010-09-16T19:01:00.001-07:00

5 1/2 months old and already doing push ups better than her parents!

Quotes from a website on 5 month old development...They obviously don't know Shany.

"During this month, your baby can most likely prop herself up in a slow but sure manner and hold her head upright throughout the entire movement. She can also closely follow and observe in detail the movement and activities of people around her."

"By month's end, he is adept at rolling and begins to push himself up on his hands and knees."

"Just generally spend more time kicking or lying on their backs and playing with their fingers and toes." HA ha ha ha

"Rolling. While the general timing when it comes to rolling is front-to-back at 4 months and back-to-front at 6, there is a great deal of variation on this timing. In general, a 4-month-old should be able to push up on his forearms and lift his head and chest 90 degrees when lying on his stomach — a position which only requires a slight lean to either side to become a roll. Some are able to roll from back to side at 4 or 5 months, but typically aren't able to complete the task until 6 months or so."

Naked Baby & bumGenius Model

2010-09-15T17:06:00.001-07:00

This is a sleepy Shannon!!!!

2010-09-15T15:00:00.000-07:00

Sleepy Shannon from Jennifer Parrish on Vimeo.

These are Shannon's friends...soon enough she'll be playing catch too!

Grady & Erin playing catch from Jennifer Parrish on Vimeo.

I must be crazy

2010-09-13T19:04:00.001-07:00

Most of you already knew I was crazy but I'm going to confirm it. Yesterday I went for a long bike ride and felt really good. It's been a long time since I would consider myself to be fit (having the standard I set back in 1996 when I was in top college basketball shape) and all I could think about as I maintained a very good pace was how I was going to train for a half-iron man. A 1.2 mile swim...then a 60+ mile bike ride...and finish with a half-marathon (13.1 miles). You see, I found out last week that both an iron man and half iron man would be held this fall near my hometown in Ohio at the BEST amusement park in the universe, Cedar Point. I had no idea! I looked online and saw that it would be held again next fall and the wheels started turning. It makes perfect sense to use the opportunity to visit friends and family, plus it will keep me motivated all winter to train. I think I'll start my official training in a month, with the Nashville half-marathon as a gauge in April to see how fit I am and then make the decision whether or not to register for the half iron man.
For now I'll post some super cute pictures I took today of Shannon while we lounged outside in the grass. She's my motivation!

Fall

2010-09-12T13:24:00.001-07:00

I remember posting last fall, talking about how I felt so sick all the time and thought I understood how much our lives were going to change. Luckily this fall I feel better than ever (and will celebrate this with a beer at Oktoberfest!) and I was right about how much our lives would change-but I didn't know the change would be so wonderful. Sure, I go to bed by 9 each night and wake up around 6 (if I'm lucky), our lives revolve around a baby we are trying to get on a nap schedule, and most of my days are spent washing laundry and bottles or making sure Shannon has had enough to eat. But the wonderful part is when I see her amazing smile in the morning and how she wiggles with delight when she sees me. And then there's the cuddling, her little fingers gripping mine, as I rock her into a drowsy state for her naps. Oh, and the beautiful walks we go on around the park on these crisp fall afternoons. I almost forgot to mention her belly laughs and giggles, especially at Eric when he gets home from work. It just doesn't get much better and for the first time in my life I've slowed down to enjoy each day rather than looking ahead to what's next.
I'm also feeling better physically than I have in a long time and have been doing some intense biking. I'm feeling so good I'm even considering registering for the Nashville half-marathon and then possibly doing a few sprint triathlons late next summer.
That's what's been going on around here and here are some pictures and videos from the last few weeks.
Here's Shannon sporting her new BumGenius diapers. I had no idea that cloth diapers had come so far and wish I had switched sooner!

Shannon isn't really interested in solids but we are practicing with rice cereal each day. She likes the funny noises I make as I try to get her to open her mouth.

Each morning Shannon goes over to Erin & Grady's house. She loves watching the chaos they create and when they come over to her house to play. I think they will be great friends!

We had a picnic today and Shannon enjoyed chilling out looking cute. She's such a great baby!

Shannon adores Eric! Here they are listening to Shane this morning.

Erin & Shannon from Jennifer Parrish on Vimeo.

Shany from Jennifer Parrish on Vimeo.

A fun video just for Alyssa!

2010-09-09T20:01:00.000-07:00

Cousin Alyssa can't seem to get enough video of Shannon so I took this one today just for her :-) Shannon can't wait to visit her cousins Sam & Alyssa in Tennessee!
When do you think she'll crawl?

When will she crawl? from Jennifer Parrish on Vimeo.

Video and thoughts on diapers

2010-09-04T19:31:00.000-07:00

We love taking video of her laughing. It's just so cute!

Our happy little girl! from Jennifer Parrish on Vimeo.

Now for diapers. A few weeks ago I sat down with Eric and asked if he's be willing to switch from disposable diapers to cloth since we were getting the hang of things (meaning Eric could now change a poopy diaper without gagging). I had already crunched numbers to have as ammunition since that's the language Eric speaks. Here's what I presented to him:
Number of months left with Shannon in diapers: 24
Amount of money spent on disposable diapers and wipes each month: $50-60 (on average)
Total amount we'd spend in the future on disposables= $1,200
Cost to switch to cloth diapers=300$

It was a simple decision. Some people will argue that you increase the amount of water you use from extra laundry and you have to buy more laundry detergent. After a week of using the cloth diapers I don't think we'll see much increase. You are instructed to use 1/4 the amount of detergent and I've found that each load uses the "small load" setting because you wash about 8-9 diapers each day. We chose the brand bumGenius and they are really cute.
I'll keep you informed but so far I'm sold that we made the right decision, not only financially, but environmentally. Plus for the first time Shannon doesn't wet her entire front by 4am because the cloth diapers are THAT good!

This will make your day...

2010-08-30T20:49:00.000-07:00

Giggle Girl from Jennifer Parrish on Vimeo.

Shannon & Daddy

2010-08-29T18:48:00.001-07:00

Whenever she sees Eric she raises herself up as high as she can and smiles.

Giggling Shannon from Jennifer Parrish on Vimeo.

Bouncing Shannon from Jennifer Parrish on Vimeo.

When do you think she'll crawl?

2010-08-25T19:15:00.001-07:00

I want to crawl! from Jennifer Parrish on Vimeo.

Summer is REALLY over

2010-08-22T17:54:00.000-07:00

I decided that since today was officially the last day of my summer (my last Sunday before the craziness of school begins) I would go for a relaxing bike ride to the Bungalow. The trip out was nice, despite my late start (I got up with Shannon around 6:15 and let Eric sleep in). After sipping my coffee I hopped on my bike to hit the trail back, since it's always safer to ride on the trail versus the road. I compete with myself to keep my speed above 17 mph even though the trail has lots of curves. I was doing fine until I tried to take a sharp curve like I've seen Lance do in the Tour with my speed pretty high. I leaned a little into it and before I knew it I heard a pop, my front wheel slid out from under me, and I hit the trail with my right hip and proceeded to skid across the trail, still clipped into my bike. I haven't experienced anything like that since my college days when I thought I could roller blade down the Coliseum sidewalk...some of you might remember that. I pushed the bike off me, unclipped, and checked for any broken bones. That's when I noticed blood streaming down my leg and off my arm.

As soon as I started walking my wounds swelled up and I realized I hurt all over. Thankful that I was wearing my padded bike gloves and my helmet I slowly walked my bike to the next road intersection and called Eric to come pick me up. It wasn't until I was sitting under a tree in the shade that I noticed my baby Trek was as beat up as I was. The handle bars were bent and I suspected that the fork or frame could be cracked. I'll take her in tomorrow to see what the damage is but I'm afraid she may not have survived. That makes me really sad...but at least I got a good workout in and I still have my Hoo-Ha.
After coming home we decided to give Shannon her first solids. Here are some fun pictures and a cute video of her sitting up on her own and then tasting her first bowl of rice cereal.

Shannon's First "Solid" Food! from Jennifer Parrish on Vimeo.

Good Morning!

2010-08-22T13:58:00.000-07:00

Now, normally once she sees me she gives me the smile you see, but when the camera isn't around she will kick and squeal too. Of course she is always distracted by the camera...These days she's distracted by everything!

Waking up... from Jennifer Parrish on Vimeo.

And this is just what Shannon does these days! She's getting bigger and is more fun each day.

Nothing Exciting, Just Shannon from Jennifer Parrish on Vimeo.

And I forgot to mention that we have two little bottom teeth about to pop through!

What do you think?

2010-08-14T21:17:00.001-07:00

As Shannon gets older I think she starts to look more and more like me as a baby. What do you think?
Me at my baptism, 6 months old...

Shannon, 4 1/2 months old...

Me...

Shany...

Our Funny Little Girl

2010-08-11T19:40:00.001-07:00

This is my last week before going back to school. I've had a wonderful summer. Here are some new pictures, and they say everything about her personality.

Untitled from Jennifer Parrish on Vimeo.

She can grab and put things in her mouth now, rather than just slinging them everywhere and hitting herself in the face :-)

Pictures

2010-08-08T20:26:00.000-07:00

Shannon's Personality

2010-08-07T21:05:00.001-07:00

It's scary how such a tiny baby can show so much personality...and that it reminds me of me! Her frustration at not being able to crawl yet is funny for us but she gets very mad.

Shannon trying to scoot from Jennifer Parrish on Vimeo.

You may wonder why she is on a towel. Well, as you see in this and other videos, if she was on the rug she would get some serious rug burns on her cheeks. Whenever we put her on the rug she ends up with dog hair stuck all over her face and body despite how many times I vacuum the rug.

Pictures from this week...

2010-08-04T18:06:00.000-07:00

That last picture is for you honey...
She's 18 weeks old today...Though I guess we speak in months now, rather than weeks. It's tough to go back to months after the 40 week pregnancy where you mark major developments each week!
I know one thing this week, or month, or however you gauge time...I want time to slow down.

Talking with Daddy from Jennifer Parrish on Vimeo.

Best Summer Ever

2010-08-03T19:26:00.000-07:00

Summer usually means taking classes, research, landscaping, gardening, and filling the remainder of my time with something. This summer has been very different, and I've liked it. Morning starts early, sometimes before 6am, because Shannon doesn't know summer is a time to sleep past 8. Once she's chattering in her room so much I can't sleep through it, I go into her room and am welcomed by her beautiful smile. I pick her up, change her diaper, and feed her. Then we head to the living room where Shannon plays (which means smiling at everything I say and rolling over) and we turn on the radio to listen to the news. Then it's off to put her in her swing while I sing some tune where I substitute her name for the lyrics, and brew some MUCH needed coffee. My favorite part of the morning happens next when we head outside to sit in a rocking chair on the front porch and talk to each other (yes, she does babble back) about the trees, the types of clouds we see, what color cars drive by, and the many species of birds that land in our yard-all while I sip my coffee. It doesn't get much better.
I'll be sad when the summer is over and I have to get up early and head to work instead of hanging out with Shannon. I'm glad she has taught me how to slow down and enjoy beautiful summer mornings. This has been the best summer ever.

Spinning Her Wheels from Jennifer Parrish on Vimeo.

Nothing Better

2010-07-31T16:35:00.000-07:00

There's nothing better than a baby giggling.

Shannon Loves Her Daddy from Jennifer Parrish on Vimeo.

Scooter

2010-07-30T16:03:00.000-07:00

Of course Shannon doesn't show us her best when we are recording, but this shows her new move she's been working on for about two weeks...Sometimes she does the "drop the head and push" move 4-5 times in a row and really gets somewhere. Here she manages to get off the pink mat. She's 4 months old tomorrow!

Shannon Scooting from Jennifer Parrish on Vimeo.

Our Lives

2010-07-29T10:41:00.000-07:00

This has been a wonderful summer. I'm not ready to go back to school but I think it will be nice to see my friends again. Eric took some vacation time this week and we decided to stay at home and relax. I've had a great time and it's been wonderful to see Eric and Shannon together. Here's a typical interaction between the two...I think she's going to say "dada" first!

Shannon Loves Daddy from Jennifer Parrish on Vimeo.

Do you hear Yani playing in the background?

Proud Shannon

2010-07-27T19:03:00.001-07:00

Here's a higher quality video of Shannon rolling over then showing her personality.

Proud Shannon from Jennifer Parrish on Vimeo.

It worked!

2010-07-26T07:47:00.000-07:00

Here's another video we had on Facebook but now you can view it in higher quality.

Shannon's Exercise Routine from Jennifer Parrish on Vimeo.

Video

2010-07-25T19:44:00.000-07:00

For some reason the video quality when uploading to Facebook is terrible...the whole reason for buying the new iPhone 4 was to be able to quickly and easily post HD videos on Facebook for all of our far away friends and family to watch Shannon grow up. I think I've found a couple of ways around that. First, I joined a site called Vimeo which allows you to post videos for free and share them. I can email people when I post a new video, which can be cumbersome for me and the people who have to click to view a video. Fortunately the site also allows me to embed the video here on my blog. This is a test to see if I can do that. I hope it works. If so, enjoy the millions of minutes of Shannon doing exciting and not so exciting things in high definition. We hope that you can watch her grow up despite being hundreds of miles away. Enjoy!

Shannon Wants to Crawl from Jennifer Parrish on Vimeo.

Oblivion to Awareness

2010-07-17T11:25:00.000-07:00

The title of this blog was from a friend's comment on my Facebook status that I thought truly sums up the transition Shannon went through when she hit 3 months. Those first 3 months she was fun, but oblivious to everything around her. She could sleep through anything and the only response we got was crying or smiling. Then she turned 3 months old and BOOM-she's aware of the world around her and soaks everything in. Each morning it's more fun to see her smile and begin learning. She loves to stare at Audrey, her gaze follows me around the room, and when she looks in the mirror when I'm holding her she giggles. Today marks the day when we an no longer just put her down on the carpet or on her play-mat...she rolled over both ways in a matter of minutes to get where she wanted to go. I think we have an active little girl!

Shannon loves her friends. Erin, Grady, Cecily, and Everett. It is very sweet to see Everett's eyes light up when he sees her. Normally he's quite the active and rough little boy, but when he comes close to Shannon he is gentle and usually gives her a light kiss on the forehead. Erin loves to play with her toys where Shannon can watch and Erin likes to sing songs for her. Cecily likes to talk to Shannon to make her smile. And lastly, Grady, who we have deemed "Grady Monster" likes to crawl near Shannon and there was one time he wanted to play with a soundly sleeping Shannon so he jumped on her while she was in her swing. I'm sure they will be great friends!
Here are some fun pictures from the last few weeks.

Butt Paste

2010-07-05T18:37:00.000-07:00

I read a lot of books when I found out I was pregnant. The What to Expect Series, the more humorous Girlfriend's Guide, Ina May, How to Write a Birth Plan, just to name a few. I poured over information on the Internet (always checking with my amazing friends, Joanna and Lisa-who happen to be doctors- if something seemed off). However, nothing could have prepared me for last night. I was giving Shannon her bedtime bath and her bottom looked a little red. So I did what I normally do and reached for the Butt Paste and slathered it on. She started to get fussy and I realized she was super tired despite it only being 6:10pm. I quickly diapered and dressed her and we headed straight to the rocking chair. She was drowsy in about 5 minutes so I put her in her crib, turned out the light, and left the room. I should have gone straight to bed myself since I had been up since 5:45am and the day had included a fast 30 mile bike ride. Instead I rubbed my eyes and decided to stick it out since the Chastains were over for dinner.
Did anyone catch the issue here? Yes, I SLATHERED Butt Paste on my baby's butt and did not wash my hands before rubbing my tired eyes. I had given her a bath so I wasn't thinking about washing my hands like I do the other hundred times a day. All through dinner I couldn't figure out why my eye was red, itchy, dry, and causing me to see white halos around lights. I started to get worried because it wasn't getting any better so I started washing my eye out with water, like we do with kids in the chemistry lab when a chemical splashes in their face. After each wash my eye would dry out again but finally, after about 10 minutes of continuous washing, I noticed a white gooey substance in my eyelashes. Hmmmm I thought....Butt Paste! No wonder my eye was so dry! Throughout the night little globs of the stuff migrated to the corner of my eye for me to remove. I was ok by morning as all the Butt Paste seemed to be gone but be warned, no book or Internet article about having a baby will prepare you for getting Butt Paste in your eye.
Here are some pictures from recent weeks. We have been having so much fun blowing raspberries on her tummy and hearing her giggle. Each morning we go into her room and she gives us huge smiles. She's also holding her head up all the way (has been since about two months) and is very intent when she watches what's going on around her. Oh, and she is sleeping through the night (for the most part) so Eric and I are a little less sleep deprived these days.

She holds onto us tight as she soothes herself to sleep. Once she's in her own crib she holds an imaginary hand. It's really sweet.

This is in the morning. She is so animated and happy when she wakes up, even if we aren't quite awake yet.

Shannon loves her daddy. Eric is amazing with her and is the one who gets up to check on her if she wakes at night. Usually all he has to do is put the pacifier back in her mouth and she drifts right back to sleep. She's an amazing baby.

She is quite the talker and I caught her talking to me in this photo.
Here she is live (14 weeks old tomorrow). I accidentally stopped recording a few seconds early but you get the idea. She's been doing this since right before she turned 2 months old but this is the first time I caught it on video.

Happy Fathers Day

2010-06-20T16:23:00.000-07:00

Shannon absolutely LOVES her daddy. When I'm holding her and he walks into the room she can't take her eyes off him. She has watched a lot of World Cup with her daddy all week so she got him a replica of the soccer ball they are using in the tournament.
Here are some pictures I've taken lately of our 11 week old. I promised Eric I wouldn't post the picture of him I took yesterday. Both Eric and Shannon were sacked out in our bed and Eric's mouth was gaping open-classic.
She's lifting her head up and rolling over...soon enough we'll have a mobile baby-YIKES!

Shannon is sleeping through the night, well, from 8:30 until 4am. Here I am rocking her to sleep. She loves to hold your hand as she falls asleep.

The Poudre

2010-06-19T12:54:00.001-07:00

When I moved to Colorado one of the first things I noticed, other than the smell, was a strangely named river. The sign posted by the bridge said, Cache la Poudre River, and I thought "How do you say that?" I asked a friend and when they pronounced it to me, "Cash-la-Pooter" I started cracking up! Pooter? Seriously? That's what Pumba from the Lion King was known for. I found out it was French for "hidden powder" and legend has it that the French hid barrels of gunpowder along the river. At that same time I also thought Poudre was a cool name for a dog and obviously followed through on that one a few years later.
During my 10 years here I've grown to love the Poudre River and the Poudre River Trail. Many of my professional development classes have been held at the Poudre Learning Center and I've traveled hundreds of miles on the Poudre Trail that runs from downtown Greeley to Windsor. I love watching the water level in the river rise and fall as snow melts in the mountains, where the river originates, in the spring and warm August temperatures stifle us on the Front Range. This spring we've had an exceptional year in terms of moisture, as a large snow pack melting coupled with heavy spring rains caused flooding along the Poudre that many who have lived here for years have not seen. The vegetation along the river and the trail is beautiful because of all the moisture, with native grasses flourishing and large cottonwoods along the way. When you ride the trail in the evenings the cool air near the river is refreshing and makes up for the swarms of nasty mosquitoes and gnats that sometimes end up in your mouth. Sometimes the occasional goathead (aka puncture vine) can reek havoc on bike tires and your patience, but the safety and beauty of the trail makes it one of my favorite pastimes.
A side note on puncture vine some of you might find interesting... If you've never stepped on a puncture vine thorn consider yourself lucky. They are so sharp and hard, almost like a nail, they can flatten tires and cause a nasty wound if you step on one. When we expanded west and constructed the transcontinental railroad, buffalo herds crossing and standing on the track were a huge problem. Apparently puncture vine, which was probably introduced into the US through contaminated sheep wool, was someone's solution to the buffalo problem. Someone thought if they planted this along the tracks it would keep animals off the tracks. Hmmmm...they failed to take into account that ungulates have hard hooves that are not affected by the thorn. I wish I could find the source where I read this information but that's escaped me for now.
Back to the trail. I went for a bike ride today from the Poudre Learning Center to the Bungalow coffee shop and back. I didn't know what I'd find, since there were rumors the trail was flooded and damaged in parts. I set out and did end up riding through some water, but overall it wasn't too bad. The river level was still high and a large cottonwood tree was down near the Kodak plant. I saw many "chariots" being pulled by bikes and can't wait until Shannon is big enough to go for rides on the trail.

After I got back to the Poudre Learning Center I decided to ride some hill repeats in an adjacent neighborhood. When I got to the top of the hill I noticed a new lake to the north. Here is a picture of the swollen river and the reason the section of trail that runs from the Learning Center to Island Grove is closed. Too bad because this is the most beautiful part of the trail and where I'll often race squirrels and herron as I ride.

Some of the homes near the river flooded and even though they are valued at $500,000-$750,000, I don't feel sorry for the owners who were featured on the local news when their basements were filled with a foot of water. Why would you build a home worth that much on a floodplain?
If you live in Greeley or visit anytime, let me know if you want to go for a ride on the trail. Many of my bike partners have abandoned me (Stefan, Amy, and Kathy to name a few) and I'm always up for a ride.

Life IS Good!

2010-06-17T18:29:00.000-07:00

Shannon is able to push herself up and look ahead, though I couldn't quite catch the moment with the camera. Note-this baby is already growing hair! After Erin and Grady I wasn't sure what a 3 month old with a little hair looked like.

Shannon finally likes her swing. She sits in it while I clean the house and do the dishes. Hmmm, that sounds like I've become more domestic. Yep, it's true, and it's been nice to slow down and just "be" with Shannon during the day. When she naps I clean up around the house or occasionally nap with her.

Sylvester

2010-06-12T17:26:00.000-07:00

Just for laughs...

Call me Sylvester!

Some fun new pictures!

2010-06-12T16:56:00.001-07:00

I did a little photo shoot with Shannon today, just for Kathy, since she was wearing her full panda outfit. Kathy was disappointed that we didn't put her in it while she was here, but the truth was it was WAY too hot last week-in the 90's most days, and today the high temperature was 51! Only in Colorado. Needless to say Shannon looked pretty cute!

Eric took a few pictures of her too. She's so fun in the morning!

8-4

2010-06-11T20:43:00.000-07:00

Shannon is just like her mommy. Eric will tell you our little girl inherited my digestive system, stubbornness, and smile. I think she inherited those things but she is most like me in that she likes to go to bed early and get up early! I've always functioned best if I could be asleep before 9pm and wake up early. Even as a little girl I was always out the door as the sun came up looking for an adventure. My mom tells stories of me getting up with the sun to head out to the strawberry patch to eat up all the berries before anyone else had a chance. I remember climbing trees, building forts, riding bikes, and picking mulberries with my neighbor, Camie, who also liked getting up early. Before Shannon there were times I'd work out at 5am and most times, as long as I went to bed early enough, I didn't mind. Going to bed early...oh I wish!
Shannon is going to bed around 8:30 or so and waking up around 4 (give or take an hour) to eat. There are some nights she wakes around 1 to eat too, but I'm seeing a pattern- 8-4. There are so many things to do before I can go to bed I usually end up getting about 6 hours of sleep, if I'm lucky. Don't get me wrong, this amount of sleep is wonderful compared to those first 6 weeks (how did we manage to function???) and we are enjoying every minute of Shannon. Until I can get 8 consecutive hours of shut-eye please forgive my mommy brain.
I don't have any recent pictures but here is a family portrait that is one of my favorites. I think Shannon is almost 7 weeks in this one. Night night!

I want a nanny...

2010-06-09T10:35:00.000-07:00

I'm spoiled. For two weeks someone has been here to hold, rock, and feed Shannon. I've been able to work outside around the house and get things done that were put on hold as I threw up last summer (I had all day sickness all of August and September!). My parents were here and grandma got to rock Shannon a lot. I was also able to do some deep cleaning of the house or just relax. It was SO nice. The best part was that Kathy took 3 consecutive nights of night feedings. Shannon is becoming a good sleeper, but usually wakes up at least once during the night to eat and then is ready to get up and start her day by 6. I was able to get 8-10 hours of sleep each night! Therefore, as the title of this post indicates, "I want a nanny!" Until we win the lottery and can lure Kathy back to get her phd in Shannon rather than biomechanics, I guess I'll be the one stumbling through the night to feed and change my little girl. The smiles in the morning are all worth it.
She's such a happy baby, especially in the morning!

Shannon's first game of Settlers.

Kathy and Shannon cuddling.

Shannon was very interested in the pines in Rocky Mountain National Park. I hope this is a sign she'll love being outdoors!

She wasn't too thrilled about the short hike around Sprague Lake.

Darcy will be staying at Camp Parrish for a few days. She's sporting her new do! She won't have her best friend, Cache, to play with since Cache went to Ohio to stay with my parents.

Photo Shoot

2010-06-02T12:32:00.001-07:00

I don't know if anyone else struggled with the issue of whether to vaccinate, not vaccinate, delay vaccinations...but I sure did. I read all the books, got online and looked at the research, and even talked to friends about what they did with their kids. I have a diverse group of friends when it comes to this issue so I feel like I got information from all sides. I found a lot of interesting information, and after looking at the research it seems like vaccines are much more safe than the media or some of the more conservative books or people say. Most of the reasons for delaying or not vaccinating at all are based on case studies of very few children or a person's untested hypothesis. The fears that vaccines cause autism is also unfounded (talk about unscientific evidence!) Unfortunately we'll never be able to conduct clinical trials, since a valid scientific study would be unethical. It is also difficult since no one knows the long term effects of vaccines. In the end I decided to vaccinate my child based on the recommended schedule. We went in today and Shannon was a champ. She screamed for a few seconds and then she was fine. I've heard more intense screaming when her bottle was a few minutes late! We'll see how she reacts over the next few days, but no matter what happens I feel like I made the best decision for us and we are very informed. I'm sure this is the first of many difficult decisions I'll have to make concerning her.
Here she is in our photo shoot a few hours after getting her shots. Shannon is a very happy little girl! She is 9 weeks old today.

She's even happy in her sleep!

Update

2010-05-29T14:42:00.000-07:00

Shannon is growing everyday and either she's getting easier to take care of or we are figuring this parenting thing out! More likely it's a combination of both. Here are some fun pictures of her in her most common mood-happy.

Smiling at Daddy

We are also selling the scooter if you are interested! It made sense to have this before we had Shannon, but now there really isn't a time when we'd ride it because we also have great city bikes.

More fun pictures of our little girl.

We also had a chance to get her out in her "Chariot" and she really enjoys relaxing in the infant sling. I know I'd like to have someone push me around Glenmere Park a few times while reclining in a comfy hammock-like contraption!

Shannon says, "I've got them wrapped around my little finger! He he he..."

Funny Faces Once More

2010-05-19T20:33:00.001-07:00

Mom, these are for you.

Variety of Pictures

2010-05-18T18:56:00.000-07:00

We had some severe weather roll through tonight so we all headed to the basement. Here's Audrey peeking out from her hiding place after a particularly loud clap of thunder. We had 3 or 4 tornado warnings and lots of hail but nothing as serious as the Windsor tornado two years ago.

We spend a lot of time holding Shannon because we know soon enough we'll have to get tough and have her go to sleep on her own. For now we are enjoying rocking her to sleep and holding her in our arms while she naps.

Shannon is a good sleeper. Even though we often rock her to sleep and hold her, she stays asleep when we put her down in her crib or the co-sleeper. She's up to occasional 4-5 hour stretches of sleep at night, though most of the time the magic number is 3 hours and she wants some food.

Deborah was watching Shannon and decided to take the kids-ALL the kids, to the library. Erin, as you can see, ended up sitting on the stroller handles. Grady and Shannon were snug and shaded in the double stroller.

Eric's favorite treat and traditional birthday "cake." Erin was in charge of putting the candles on!

Erin helping Eric blow out the candles.

We celebrated Eric's birthday a second time on the weekend with this cake. No, he's not 40 but sometimes we give him a hard time about being so "mature" for his age.

Distracted Driving

2010-05-14T20:28:00.000-07:00

Since I've been home during the day for the last few weeks the TV has been on quite a bit more than usual. I'm caught up on current events in the news (very depressing) and all my favorite reruns. One show I flip to at 4pm is Oprah. I know, I know. But last week she aired something worth paying attention to- an entire hour dedicated to showing the dangers of distracted driving. I'm guilty of texting and talking on my phone when I'm driving. It's a habit (maybe even a borderline addiction) to use the time I have in my car to make phone calls and keep in touch with people. But not anymore.

Over 6000 people have been killed and many more injured due to texting or talking on cell phones while driving. Oprah interviewed families of people who were killed by distracted drivers and had people who were disabled or otherwise injured on the show to tell their stories.

I watched mothers and fathers talk about their children who were killed because someone thought a text or a call couldn't wait and was more important than paying attention to the road. Now that I have little Shannon I can't imagine how I'd go on if I lost her, especially to something as senseless as texting and driving. Think about this- how many times have you seen someone do something stupid while driving, only to look over and see they were on a phone? How many times have you done something stupid when on your phone?

Many public service announcements are being aired to inform about the consequences of texting and talking on your cell phone while driving. It reminds me when I was in grade school and states began passing laws mandating seatbelts or MADD (mothers against drunk driving) showing graphic images of mangled cars. It seems silly to us now that there WOULDN'T be a law requiring seatbelts or serious consequences for drunk driving. There are laws against texting and driving, but only in a handful of states and most people know it's tough to enforce. We see it as our right to talk on our phones or text while driving even though it's just like getting behind the wheel intoxicated.

Oprah is heading a campaign called No Phone Zone where you sign a contract that you will no longer text and drive. I haven't physically signed the paper, but now I keep my phone in the diaper bag in the back seat. There is no reason a phone call or text can't wait. I look in the backseat at my little girl and realize there is nothing more important than making sure I'm focused on keeping her and everyone around me safe by driving without any distractions.

So, if you call or text me and I don't respond, I'm probably driving so leave a message and know I'll get back to you as soon as I get home.

2010-05-08T20:19:00.000-07:00

We've had a wonderful week. Eric and I are getting a little more sleep now that Shannon is sleeping in her own room, therefore we've had more energy to get out. Eric's birthday was this week so we had a small celebration Wednesday and then a larger one on Friday with our friends. Mark had his annual get together at his house in the mountains so we took Shannon on her first visit above 7,000 feet. Here are some pictures from the week.

Normalcy

2010-05-04T18:14:00.001-07:00

It will be 5 weeks tomorrow. "It" of course being when Shannon joined our family. Our lives have glimpses of normalcy these days, like more than 3 consecutive hours of sleep, taking showers, going out and about, and even exercising. Every day she becomes more expressive and her sleep patterns more regular. She is a content baby, checking the world out when I place her on her back for 30 minutes or so at a time. She will fall asleep in your arms and nap with you and it's rare that she fusses or cries, which only happens when she's hungry or needs to be changed. This is a huge change from the first two weeks of her life. Those were tough and we are glad that she is so content and happy.

Another cute picture

2010-05-02T14:38:00.000-07:00

Faces of Shannon

2010-04-28T16:45:00.000-07:00

During the day Shannon is usually WIDE awake. It doesn't matter if we go for a walk, put her in her swing, or even take a ride in the car. She just likes to be awake, wide eyed, and alert. It's adorable, though sometimes I wish she'd just take a nap so I can! When she is awake she's a great baby and we just sit and make faces at each other. I usually have my iPhone handy so I snap pictures of her hoping to capture her personality for those of you who haven't had a chance to hang out with her yet. Here are some of her many faces.

I take too many pictures...

2010-04-23T19:52:00.001-07:00

I just can't help it. It's like I have an addiction. I'm known among our friends as the one to snap pictures all the time and of course I can't help but to capture cute kids doing cute things! It used to be Erin, Grady, Cecily, and Everett but with Shannon it seems worse. Maybe it's because I'm with her all the time, or maybe it's because she's so darn cute! I suppose it's a harmless addiction that my family appreciates, so here are some more.

She's wide eyed and alert for a few hours each day. Daddy loves to make faces at her and try to make her smile.

Getting sleepy...

I promise we didn't give her anything to drink!

After being awake for a few hours and then eating, she fell asleep with a full belly.

Just some Pictures

2010-04-21T04:57:00.000-07:00

Blogging with one free hand means just pictures this time. I scanned some of my baby pictures... I wondered why her hair had a tinge of red. I think she kind of looks like me!

18 days but who is counting?

2010-04-18T13:20:00.001-07:00

So these last 18 days have all seemed like one big blur. The sun setting and rising doesn't really matter and we can't seem to remember what day we did what. That's a result of Shannon eating at least every 3 hours leading to our sleep deprived state. You can watch others go through the newborn phase and people can tell you how difficult it is but you have no idea until you've been there. I would have never thought I could fall asleep while still rocking a crying, squirming baby or that I can be woken by the faint sigh of a baby. But here we are, having survived through day 18, and wondering what's in store next. Hopefully some sleep...

Here are some pictures of this week. She didn't seem to mind her first tub bath too much but for some reason she doesn't seem to like the bouncy seat! We also went on our first walk in the "Snugli."

Patience

2010-04-15T15:39:00.000-07:00

Those of you who know me know that patience is not one of my strengths and I'm a control freak. When I want something I go out and get it. When I think of something to do I get it done. When others don't work at the pace I want them to I get mad or somehow try to motivate them to work harder. I've tried to improve this part of my demeanor but nothing ever seems to work.

Then along came Shannon.

I've had to learn to relax, slow down, and just BE. When she's crying and nothing can calm her down I just have to be patient and wait. That's really hard for me and I realize that as she's napping in my arms and all I can think about is what I need to do next or that there's something else I should be doing. I can't control when she wants to eat, sleep, and especially poop. She's teaching me to live in the moment and just enjoy her. I have a feeling this is the first of many lessons this little one is going to be teaching me!

And of course here are some more pictures.

"Enjoying" her first sponge bath at home.

We think she's pretty cute. She seems so tiny right now!

Shannon Clare

2010-04-08T07:25:00.000-07:00

Shannon at her first checkup. One of my favorite pictures of her so alert.

Four years ago, the summer Eric and I got married, the World Cup was played in Germany. I wasn’t a huge soccer fan but ended up watching the games during the times I was running madly on treadmills with my too-snug wedding dress my top priority. I found that even though I didn’t quite understand soccer (what’s up with this off-sides and not being able to beat the defense down the field to receive a pass??!) , the World Cup stage brought electricity to the sport, much like the Olympics. So I watched it, liked it, and we decided we’d be going to South Africa in 2010 to watch it in person.
Ah, little did we know that in 2010 we’d have little Shannon Clare and our lives would be a bit hectic to travel to South Africa for the World Cup. We are so excited to have her that missing a trip to Africa and watching the World Cup isn’t a big deal. She’s that great. Even after the non-stop feedings, lots of crying , lack of sleep, and the anxiety and worry that come with taking care of a someone completely dependent on you, we love her more than we’ve ever loved anything. A distinct line separates the two parts of our lives-life before Shannon and now our lives after Shannon. We gage time with phrases like, “Shannon is a week old today, can you believe its been a whole week?” or, “Shannon took a two hour nap today.” It’s almost like we’ve forgotten what it was like not to have her, even though it’s only been 8 days. We no longer think about ourselves much at all and sometimes even the essentials of life (eating, sleeping) go overlooked while we rock her back to sleep or make sure she has enough to eat.
Someday we’ll go to Ireland and show her the place Eric proposed to me, near the river Shannon in County Clare, and walk through Rossmanaher Castle and tell her our story. These days of sleepless nights will be long past and she’ll be all grown up before we know it. I’m just going to enjoy each day and take lots of pictures to share.

I wanted to give birth naturally, as many of my friends have, and I asked Deborah, Sara, and Natalie to help me through the process. I couldn't have done it without their support! Here's Sara holding Shannon.

Erin is going to be like a big sister to little Shannon.

Natalie was able to be Shannon's nurse! It was wonderful knowing that the person who was taking care of Shannon the first moments of her life and showing Eric how to give her a sponge bath was a very dear friend who I knew loved Shannon as much as we did.

Here's Eric giving Shannon her first sponge bath.

Deborah holding her.

Here's Eric cutting the cord. What an unbelievable feeling to have her laying on me still attached. She was so content.

We are trying to breast feed but it's been a little bit of a struggle. We decided to supplement with a small amount of formula until she begins gaining so here's Eric giving her a bottle. Eric is amazing-he gets up with me at each feeding (at least every 3 hours around the clock) so that after I feed her he can get a bottle ready, change her diaper, and then finish feeding. I couldn't do this without him!

Eric is as tired as I am, and we tend to fall asleep whenever and however!

Here's our precious girl thinking!

Once we started supplementing she started sleeping more and is so much happier.

We can't believe how small she is.

Just a few weeks to go...

2010-03-21T17:45:00.000-07:00

It's been a busy month. With only a few weeks (or days) to go until Baby Parrish arrives, we've been busy with last minute cleaning, purchases, and enjoying march madness. One piece of news is that we've decided to keep Cache. It's not that we think that's the best decision, it's just that we haven't been able to find a permanent home for her and we can't bear to take her to a kennel right now. We figure we'll try it and if she isn't good with the baby or have ANY problems we'll be able to justify taking her to a no-kill shelter in Denver. Ironically both dogs have been very well behaved since Cache returned from her 4 day stint with a new owner in Ft. Collins (the girl turned out to be allergic to her, well, that's what she said).

This week I had quite the time with something called PUPPP. It's a rash that some women get during pregnancy. Don't click on that image link if you are easily grossed out. It started on St. Patrick's day and by Friday I felt like I was on fire. At first the doctors said there was nothing they could do, but when I called for the 4th time and explained that my lips and eyes were swelling and my eyes were like slits, and the rash covered my body from my chin to my toes, they decided that it would be wise to try a low dose steroid. I started that on Friday and by Saturday night I was able to sit comfortably and not scratch my skin off. Here's a picture of what my leg looked like as the rash flared up while at the doctor. Eric had fun watching it spread and making pictures out of the hive patches. Ah my lovely husband...

This week we received the "Chariot" stroller from Eric's parents. We don't want our active lifestyles to change with a new baby so this will be perfect. We put it together tonight and it is more amazing than I thought. Here's Eric modeling it!

As you can see it easily converts from a bike carrier into a jogging stroller. There are other attachments that you can purchase to make it a stroller, take it hiking, and even skiing. The design is amazing and we can't wait to get out and walk, jog, and bike along the Poudre Trail.

Even though we are only planning to have one child, we got the stroller that would accommodate 2 kids. We figure that Cecily, Everett, Erin, Grady, Elias, Audrey, or June (some of the many kids we plan to have around to help our only child learn how to share and get knocked down) will be traveling in the Chariot too.

We are excited about having Baby Parrish and no, we don't have a name yet. We have some ideas but they change daily. We'll be sure to let you know when the baby is born and we've named her. And boy do we hope it's a her!

What's up in Greeley

2010-02-23T20:00:00.000-08:00

Eric and I worked hard to get the spare room cleaned out and ready for Baby Parrish. There were boxes from when we moved into the house that hadn't been touched so it felt great to organize and clean the clutter! We have had fun folding baby clothes and making the room feel cozy. Eric likes sitting in the chair and is reading the first book he purchased for the baby-the Velveteen Rabbit. I think he'll really enjoy reading to the baby.

Here I am telling Cache that she is going to have to go to another home and that we would try to find her a nice person to love her.

My new favorite food in Greeley, Pho. (Pronounced fa) Even Eric likes it so I get to indulge once a week. Mmmmmm...

Eric's parents brought us a piano! I've always wanted to play and am slowly going through all of Eric's old lesson books. Baby Parrish will get to take lessons if she wants to.

I've been terrible about taking belly photos. Everyone tells me I look fine but I feel like a whale.

8 more weeks...

2010-02-07T19:11:00.000-08:00

Well, 8 weeks to go! We've been busy getting ready for Baby Parrish's arrival. Lots of playing with Grady and Erin (since they are going to be gaining a sibling-like friend), getting the baby's room ready, installing our pellet stove, and celebrating the holidays. Eric prepared his traditional Thanksgiving turkey on the grill.
I'll be sure to update this with more pictures, especially after I have pictures of our own baby to post.

Jeneric Adventures

The Gift

Beep Beep!

Shannon's 2nd Oktoberfest

I need to blog more...

Videos & Pictures

Happy Birthday Cousin Alyssa!

Almost a year old!

Erin's Carnival Birthday

Basketball Shannon

Peek a Boo

Shannon & Her Dog

Curly

Shannon is going to be a talker

Shannon is not a fan of black beans

She loves the soccer bal

Another slide show

A New Slideshow

Daddy's Little Girl

Soccer Star

iMovie Creation

New videos

A Few Christmas Photos

We love our friends

For you Kathy!

We Elfed the Kids

Funny

Crawling?

For Grandma(s) & the nieces

Turkey Day

Shannon & Daddy

Our Mornings

Being Young

Friends

Bathtime Fun!

Halloween 2010

More videos for Grandma Ginny

Trees

Fall in Colorado

Audrey & The Snowman

Pumpkin Time

Shannon Videos

Beautiful

6 Months Old

Shannon's View

Some funny new videos

Nashville Half Marathon

Bathtime Fun!

The Real Jeneric Adventure

Lunch

Fall is Here!

This baby is strong...

Naked Baby & bumGenius Model

This is a sleepy Shannon!!!!

I must be crazy

Fall

A fun video just for Alyssa!

Video and thoughts on diapers

This will make your day...

Shannon & Daddy

When do you think she'll crawl?

Summer is REALLY over

Good Morning!

What do you think?

Our Funny Little Girl

Pictures

Shannon's Personality

Pictures from this week...

Best Summer Ever

Nothing Better

Scooter

Our Lives

Proud Shannon

It worked!

Video

Oblivion to Awareness

Butt Paste

Happy Fathers Day

The Poudre

Life IS Good!