We are BACK!

Hello!!!! Thought I was gone for good, huh? So did I! But I've been thinking about it, and I really want to keep updating this blog. Life has been pretty crazy and I have lots of updates for y'all!! I just spent the past 45 min going over the last 5 months in pictures and have come up with our most favorite moments to blog about. I may not go into a lot of detail about some pictures, but each one was picked out to mark the special memory of Parker's first 6 months.

October highlights (2 months old Oct.25): Meeting Jamie, Great Grandmothers, and Kate.


At the beginning of October, Parker, Matt and I drove to my parents lake house to see my parents, my sister and her little ones (my niece and nephew). They all loved Parker to pieces and we all had a blast.


This is Parker meeting her Aunt Jamie and cousins H and E for the first time!! I can't believe Parker was that
little!!













At the end of October, Parker and I drove down for my nephew's baptism and for Parker to meet her Great Grandmother's and Miss Kate. Matt has a childhood friend, Jay, and he and his wife had a little girl 6 weeks before we had Parker. So that weekend we got to meet lots of family and had a great time.














This is Parker and Kate. I love these 2 pictures because it describes the weekend perfectly! Parker was pretty fussy and Kate had no idea who she was or why she kept making those noises! The one of them sleeping together is just a cute picture and they are such sweet little girls!! Oh, and Parker had a milestone while at Kate's! She slept through the night for the first time! Little did I know that it would be a loooooooong time before that happened again and stuck!



This is Parker with her Great Grandmothers! She is the 6th Great Grand baby!!












And so concludes the highlights for October! It was a busy month of traveling but we met lots of family and continued to learn what this whole parenting thing is about! More to come, don't worry!! I'll post November highlights later tonight:) Parker just woke up from her nap and needs some attention!

D-Daddy!!!

This past weekend my mom and dad came up to see Parker. All the grand babies call my dad D-daddy. He got to see Parker in the hospital, but had to leave and did not get to hold her. So this visit was very special to us! He talked and sang to her and she smiled so big, I tried getting pictures but I just managed to get the sweet little half smiles. She loves her D-Daddy.

smiling!

Parker has reached the wonderful milestone of smiling in reaction to people! She is 6 weeks old and started smiling at Matt and me about a week or so ago. It is so amazing to see this little baby smile so big. Her eyes just sparkle and she grins so, so, so, so big. It's such a heart melting feeling and makes me so happy. The other night she was getting fussy and Matt picked her up and she could not decide to smile or pout. It was so cute, she would stick that big ole lip out and look like she was about to cry out and then Matt would start talking to her and she would smile. Silly little baby!

One month check up

We went to the DR last Monday for Miss Parker's one month appointment. I had been having a lot of trouble with Parker spitting up a lot the prior week, so I was very anxious to get in and talk with the DR. The week before her appointment she started to spit up a lot. I know that babies spit up, but she was spitting up after every meal and it was between 4 and 5 tablespoons. It just seemed more than what I thought was normal for spit up. We had finally introduced bottles to Parker, so that daddy can feed her and I can go run errands. She took to it wonderfully and that definitely took a burden off when we would be out and about with her. (Still keeping in mind that it is flue season and she is still so small, our outings have been limited to uncrowded places.)Last Friday, I needed to run to wall mart and that is not a place we are taking her yet because it is always so crowded. Matt stayed home with Parker and fed her a bottle while I was out, she threw up the entire bottle instantly. So then my concerns got even greater. We went to lunch with friends the next day, and I had to give her a bottle at lunch... same thing, instantly the entire thing came right back up. I was in tears (again) and still had to wait the weekend to talk to the DR.
Finally, Monday morning comes and I tell him all about the spitting up and his main concerns when it comes to babies spitting up as much as she was are if they are gaining weight and if they are in pain. She weighed in at 9lb 6oz (up 2 lbs since birth!!) and she is not a fussy baby. So, he was not concerned at all. He suggested that I try and eliminate dairy from my diet for a few days and see if that makes a difference.
It has been a week with no dairy and sure enough, the spit up is much better. She still has her moments of spitting up 3 and 4 tablespoons at a time, but now it's not after every feeding and not 3 and 4 times in between them. So good news for her, bad news for me! He also noticed some eczema between her eyes and said that could be a pre-courser for allergies. Who didn't see that one coming?! Matt is the king of all allergies!! Her eczema is getting worse, so I called the DR and now she is getting a good dose of Cetaphil daily and he will check it at her 2 month check up.
The DR said that she is growing wonderfully and is very alert and right on target for her development. He said that we are doing the right things as far a scheduling and feeding and he easied some (not all) of my worries of parenting. He said I'll always be worried, that's part of parenting. haha We have been so blessed to have such a wonderful baby and we are still in awe of her. I love her so much and love every minute of our time together!

My husband, the hero!

Matt and I have sort of created a little routine when he comes home from work. Miss Chunky greets him excitedly at the top of the basement stairs and then Parker and I give him hugs and kisses. He brings his lunch box and water bottle into the kitchen and then changes out of his uniform. After he is all settled, we have the "how was your day?" conversation. They normally are pretty boring and consist of funny stories about what Parker has done that day and anything he can find interesting about his day. Well last week Matt when we sat down in the living room to chat and watch some TV, Matt had quite the story about his day!

He received a phone call at the office with a women in hysterics on the other end. She said that her son was in the Navy and stationed overseas ( leaving that detail out) and had just called her to say goodbye because he had just taken an entire bottle of pills. She was so scared and didn't know what else to do but call the local Navy office here in town. Matt, not knowing if this was a prank or not (they get lots of prank calls) gets online and finds a phone number to the overseas base. He told the person that answered the situation and asked what to do. The man on the phone gave Matt another number to call. That number was disconnected. Matt then called the original number and a Chief answered. Matt told the Chief the situation and the Chief said they would take care of it. A few hours later, Matt got a phone call from that base thanking him because they found the man and was able to get him to the hospital in time to save his life.

Now, that's not a story you hear everday! Matt had the biggest grin on his face when he finished the story because he knew he saved that man's life! I'm so glad Matt decided to take action when that mother called instead of brushing her off. He is truly a hero in my eyes!!

SLEEP!

Sleep is a word that has been long lost in my vocabulary! Unless it is accompanied by the words, lack of, or no. However, everyone around me seems to be getting plenty of it! Last night while I was laying down to try and get some sleep, I realized what the factors are of this sleep deprivation! The first factor is that I have a newborn that eats between 2 and 4 hours. I know, that in it self should be enough explanation as to why I'm not getting sleep. OH, but it's just one reason! The 2nd factor also includes my little baby. After I nurse her in the middle of the night, sometimes she falls asleep and I lay her back in her pack n play and she doesn't wake up till the next feeding. On most occasions, she wakes back up and either fusses when I lay her down or she hums and/or grunts herself to sleep. For a while I thought these grunts were because she was either unhappy or filling her diaper. But I have discovered over the past few nights, that they mean neither. She just likes to grunt.
OK, so those are 2 factors of no sleep, but there are more...
My wonderfully sweet husband has horrible sinus problems and therefor is an extremely loud sleeper. It's not every night, but most nights he has to breathe out of his mouth, because his nose is stuffed up. And then there are the nights of snoring!
Oh, that's not all, our little puppy dog is a big snorer too! Once again, not every night, but on the nights she isn't snoring, she is having puppy dreams and yips in her sleep. Every so often, all the stars align and I have a nice quiet night of sleep. I still have to wake up and feed my little love bug, but it is in a quiet environment!
Well, last night was NOT one of those nights! AND to make last night even more enjoyable (notice the sarcasm?!?) not 1 but 2 lovely little, but LOUD, crickets found their way into our basement and chirped ALL NIGHT LONG! So at 7am when Parker was finished eating, I went down stairs with a can of Raid and got rid of those little boogers!
I've noticed that I get the best sleep between 9am-11am. Matt leaves for work around 8:45 every morning, he lets Miss Chunky out and Parker is normally done eating by then and if I keep her in the bed with me, she doesn't grunt or hum. So I get 2 quiet hours of sleep every morning.
I know this may seem like a lot of complaining, and I guess it is, but I have found it is just apart of my new life and have fully accepted the fact that sleep has left my life and will probably not come back until Parker is 18 and out of the house! And I absolutely love my new life and would not trade if for anything, not even sleep! I just found it kinda comical last night while I was laying awake listening to the sounds of my family!

Parker Leigh Sopp is here!!!!

The wait is over! Parker Leigh Sopp is here! She arrived August 25, just 3 loooong days late! We have been home just over a week and Parker, Matt and I are adjusting pretty well. She weighed in at 7lbs 7oz, 20 inches long at 1:43 pm.
So I guess I'll fill everyone in on the "birth story". Don't worry, I'll leave out the ugly details, haha. I started having mild contractions early Sunday morning and since Matt and I weren't too sure what that meant, we went ahead and went into the hospital to get checked. Well, they decided that I was probably in early,early,early labor so they asked if I wanted to stay or go home and wait. We chose to go home! Matt's parents were already up staying with us and my parents were on their way from the lake house. So, Matt and I went home and rested and kept waiting to see if anything would progress. So Monday rolls around (now I'm 2 days late) and Matt goes to work and Al heads back to GA to check on their dogs. Bonnie, Mom, Gammage and I go out for lunch and walk around downtown. My contractions from Sunday were gone, so I was pretty bummed out. Well, after lots of walking, and I mean lots of walking, I started to have some contractions again. Well around 3am Tuesday I really started feeling the real thing. We started timing them around 4am and they were between 7-9 minutes and were painful enough to stop me in my tracks. So off to the hospital we go. I checked in at 6:30am and the nurse checked me and said that I was in labor and it was time to have a baby! yay!!
The funny thing is that there were 6 other women there having babies! 1 was a c-section and the other 5 were scheduled inductions. Parker was the only one that decided one come on her own! I'm really glad we didn't go with and induction because she was the 1st one born that day!Well. the c-section baby actually came first, but that was scheduled for a certain time so I didn't count that one :)
I chose to get an epidural and am so thankful I did! There was an hour where I was in serious pain and I don't know how I would have made it through with out pain relief! They don't call it labor for nothing!
Parker arrived at 1:43pm with a head full of hair and a great set of lungs! Hearing her cry and seeing her for the first time was so amazing and overwhelming at the same time. It was a lot to take in and no words can describe that moment.
We have been home a little over a week and have been on our own for 5 days. Al and Bonnie left the day after we came home from the hospital and my mom stayed for the weekend. Matt has been off work for 10 days. We are adjusting fairly well. Parker seems to be a very content baby. At night, she fusses when she is hungry, but doesn't really cry, it's more like little grunts and she gets real fidgety . I try and feed her when she starts acting like that to prevent the all out crying. Most of the time I catch it, but she has gotten to exercise her lungs when momma doesn't get out of bed in time. There have been times she is wide awake after I feed her at night and I feel so bad putting her back in her pack-n-play awake, but at the same time, it's the middle of the night and I'm exhausted! So, I just wrap her back up and lay her down and she just lays there and doesn't make a peep. She's very content and that makes it a little easier to go back to sleep.
During the day when she is wide awake, we lay on the bed and watch TV and have "pillow talk". She is so cute when we play like that. She looks around and makes good eye contact and makes noises and it's such a rewarding time for me. I know that her smiles are not toward me (they are nick named "gas smiles" hehe) , but when she does smile at me it melts my heart. I can't wait for a true reactions smile.
Becoming a mother has been one of the best things to ever happen to me. It is such an incredible feeling and I could not be happier. Yes, I do get frustrated and am completely sleep deprived, but those downsides can't take away from the joys of being a new mom. Seeing Matt with her is also one of the best things to see. He is so amazing with her and having his child has made me fall more and more in love with him. Watching him being a new dad is something I'll never forget. I asked him in the hospital right after she was born what he was thinking, and he said that no words could describe it, and that is so true. No words can describe the first moments with our baby. I love our little family and am trying to soak up every minute of it. We are so blessed to have a healthy, happy and adorable baby.

25 days

So I have 25 days until my due date! I don't really know what to think of these 25 days because babies tend to show up when ever they want! My OB would prefer if I made it to at least 38 weeks before delivery, however they are not going to stop labor if I go now at 36 weeks. Parker is fully developed, so she can come anytime, however the last few weeks are for her to gain weight and for her lungs and brain to keep maturing. I am due Aug. 22 and I have grown fond of that date, so I have requested that Miss Parker come then!
We have almost finished her nursery, just waiting on her dresser to be shipped! We are very excited and the little ladybugs are just too cute!!















These are the shelves in our closet! All ready for baby!

















Her Pack N Play all set up!


















Her little bouncy seat... one of my favorite gifts!!






















Her little swing!

I have been nesting ever since we moved in, but after the shower, I spent lots of time putting things away and moving things around and preparing our house for Parker. The shower was so fun and she got a lot of wonderful things!! Her pack n play, swing and bouncy seat are all set up and ready for her. The strollers are in the basement waiting to go on a walk! I have refrained from installing the car seat, but can't wait to do that! Matt said the other day that he keeps looking for a baby because we have so many baby things out!

loving family!

The past few months have been very eventful around the Sopp household! Both my sister's have come up to visit and so have my parents! Jamie and Joe came up Memorial Day weekend and I got to spend some quality time my niece and nephew! They are getting so big and it was nice to have a houseful for a few days!
Then, 2 weeks later Sharon came up with her little one! She got here right in time to paint Parker's room! We had quite an adventure in Home Depot trying to pick out paint and entertain a 2 and half year old. Other than a little tinkle on the floor by the fan isle, things went just fine! My niece is potty training and we forgot how small a 2 year olds bladder is! Sharon and I painted druing nap time and then I finished things up after she left.I was so worried how Miss Chunky was going to be around little ones and turns out, she runs from them more than they run from her! As you can tell from the pictures, Chunky and the babies got along wonderfully! I have a feeling that Parker and Chunky will be best friends and that eases some of my worries of having a baby.
Mom and Gammage came up last week for the 2nd time to visit for the day. We went to eat at a local little resturant and Matt got to meet us there for a few minutes, too. Then we went down a few days later to the lake house and got to spend the day with them on the water!
It's been so wonderful to be close to home again! Matt and I have gotten to see our families more in the last 3 months than we have in 3+ years!

Well, I am almost 34 weeks and nearing the end. My Dr appointments are every two weeks and when I reach 36 weeks, I'll go every week! So far, things are still going very well. Parker is growing and moving and I seem to be right on track, too. We signed up for childbirth classes and those start July 13th. I'm heading home tomorrow to stay with Jamie for a few days. I am having maternity photos taken and then my baby shower! I am so excited and will have lots to do in the next few weeks to finish the nursery. Mom is going to come up and help with the finishing touches. Matt is also started to get excited! He talks to Parker every night and she just wiggles around in my belly so sweetly. As soon as her room is ready, I'll post pictures!

It's been a while!!!

Parker's nursery and me on my first Mother's Day!


Hello! Sorry it's been so long since I've updated the blog! It's been a busy, yet wonderful month! Matt and I are settling into the new house and loving being home owners! His parents have come up 3 times to help with the yard and fence. Matt and his dad built our fence for Miss Chunky (which saved us a TON of money!) His parents are great with outdoor help. So different from my parents, and that is part of the joy of having in-laws. Mom and Gammage help with the inside of the house, and Al and Bonnie help with the outside. I've got the best of both worlds! There is still a lot of work to do with our grass, but in time it will all come together. I spent a lot of time outside yesterday picking weeds. It was funny because Gammage used to make me go outside and pick weeds when I was disobedient as a child and yesterday was Mother's Day and I actually enjoyed working in my yard picking weeds. Oh how times have changed.

Matt had started his job here in TN. He is a Navy Recruiter and works with 2 other guys in his office. The commute is very close and I've gotten to go visit him a work a few times and meet the other wives. It's so different from working with 160 guys on a submarine. He has really enjoyed the new job and it gets pretty busy sometimes. He looks so handsome in his new uniform, too!

As for baby and me, we are doing just fine! We picked out a name, Parker Leigh and I'm finally out of the sick phase. It only took 24 weeks! She moves around all the time and Matt loves it. It's funny because when she kicks, my belly moves. I remember watching my sister in laws belly move when her son, Chase, was kicking away and now it's my turn! I had a DR appointment Friday and everything is right on track and baby and mommy are doing great! I've gained some weight, but not too much and not too little. I just need to keep eating healthy and taking my daily walks with Chunky to make sure I keep gaining the right about of healthy weight! We have finally picked out her nursery and I can't wait to buy it! I'm itching to get up in that nursery and start working. It will finally give me something to do during the day while Matt is at work.

We love TN and love where we live. There are beautiful mountain views everywhere and beautiful old barns all over the place. One day, when it stops raining, I'm going to go around and take pictures of the barns. I absolutely love old barns!

It's a...

GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is Lauren's sister... I've hi-jacked her blog and wanted to announce the exciting news!!!

Home Owners!!

Matt and I closed on our house Friday!! It's official. we OWN a home! yay! I don't know where I have placed my USB cord, so I wont be able to post any new pictures I took Friday until I find it. It's all brick, 1 and a half story, 3 bdrms 2 and a half baths. The reason it's called 1 1/2 story is because the only thing up stairs is the 2 spare bedrooms and a full bath. We have a drive under garage with an unfinished basement as well. It was built in 2008, so we are the very first people to have it! It's nice being able to start fresh! The house is on half an acre and there is farm land behind us with a horse stable you can see from the back porch! I'm really looking forward to living in the country. The closest Target is a 45 min drive! Now, that's country! haha Matt finishes up his training class next week and comes home just in time to help get everything organized. The furniture comes this week, so I'll be very busy trying to get what I can done while I'm there by myself.

Things are getting better with the pregnancy. I'm starting to feel better, and in about 2 weeks we will find out if baby Sopp is a girl or boy! I'm 19 weeks today and keep waiting for the 2nd trimester energy and glow to come along! I have started to feel the baby and that has made things much better! It's actually moving around right now! It feels like popcorn is popping in my belly.

Well, as soon as I find the USB cord, better pictures of the house will go up!

Hello!

After almost 4 years of traveling with the Navy, we are finally settling down in Tennessee! Matt has taken a job as a Naval Recruiter for the next 3 years to finish out is career. We just bought a brand new home and are excited to be in a house instead of an apartment! For the past month, Matt has been in Florida training on how to become a recruiter and I have been traveling around Georgia visiting family. Matt and I were planning a quiet Christmas this past year when we got some exciting and surprising news... I was pregnant! So, not only are we making a big move, we are also planning the arrival of our first child. We want to find out what we are having so we can plan the nursery and we will find out the beginning of April. Matt and I are excited and very nervous. During my traveling around Georgia, I got to spend a week with my sister, Jamie. She has a 2 yr old and a 1 month old. I got quite a bit of training in and Matt got to hold a new born for the first time. Next I got to go see my other sister, Sharon who also has a 2 yr old. Macie and I got to spend nice March days outside picking flowers and listening to frogs and birds. Then I got so spend "quiet" time with my mom and dad and with my in-laws for a few days. Visiting two 2 year olds in 2 weeks was a lot of fun, but very tiring. Matt and I are so excited to move into our first house and start a family!