Utah Parker's

Yes indeed....it's snowing in Utah's Dixie! We're not well equiped for snow here, so the entire county cancelled school today. In comparisson to other places, we really didn't get a lot, but it's COLD!!!
Jackson loves the snow. He can sit by the window and just watch it, but he really likes to go outside and play. He points and "ooooo's" and "ahhhhh's".

We had a very fun Thanksgiving weekend in Northern Utah. We spent Thanksgiving at Matt and Kim's home and had a great time with the whole Christensen clan together. Baby Kade was blessed and we had a fun time playing games and visiting. We were also able to see Brooke and Brad and their families. Jack loves all of his cousins! It was especially fun to see the three baby boys playing together - Hunter, Jack, and Sammy. Jack and Hunter took turns pushing Sammy in the walker, while Sammy hung on for dear life. Christmas is going to be FUN!! We hope that Nama Parker is child proofing even as we speak for these three.


We love the fact that Jack is such a people person. He seldom hesitates to go to someone - even if he doesn't know them very well - and Uncle Matt can be SCARY! He's a Ute Fan.....who knows what else he's capable of??!! Just kidding Matt...love you! Rise and shout....... etc. etc. etc.

Thank goodness the hives are gone! Three days of polka dots and a whole lot of mom and dad feeling sorry for him, and Jack is all better. We think the continued Benadryl doses did the trick, but we're still not sure what got him in the first place. He's such a tough guy that he didn't really let them bother him at all. We think it was much more itchy for mom and dad than Jack.

Happy Halloween Everyone!

We had a great time with our little Mickey Mouse. Jack was fascinated with other costumes to the point he forgot he was dressed up. He was very funny the first time he saw himself in the mirror. He was so happy to see Mickey Mouse that he kept kissing his reflection in the mirror.



Here's Jack with "his Lexi". He loves Alexa so much and is always happy to play with her, and even puts up with all of Lexa's babying.



We went to a Trunk-R-Treat and then to a few houses around Grandma's neighborhood and around our little block. Jack was exhausted and asleep by 7:30 as usual, so no late night for this little man.



Someone likes Donuts!!!



Our little Jack is 10 months old, and this was his celebration....his first donut. You can see how happy it made him. I am constantly amazed at how quickly time goes by and how big my little baby is getting. Most days I wish there was a way to freeze time, but at the same time, it's so fun to watch him learn and change. He's taking up to 8 or so steps at a time now and is getting braver every day. He loves to sing and dance. Grandma taught him a cute Halloween song, and it's his new favorite - with actions and everything. He says Mom, Dad, bye bye, and makes lots of animal noises. It's hard to remember life before Jack.



It's getting colder around here, so Bryan found Jack a cute little hat and mittens. He looked so cute with them on, we had to snap a picture. Jack stays cozy, but he's not quite sure when his fingers to in those mittens. He just holds out his hands and moves them and stares at them.


Here's our latest health issue - Jack has a horrible case of hives. They cover most of his body and he seems to be getting more red all the time. We took him to urgent care yesterday, and they recommended benadryl. Has anyone else seen or dealt with hives?
Any suggestions - send them on.


This was the first day of hives, when we thought he was getting chicken pox. Thank goodness we don't have chicken pox, but hives are no fun either.

I have turned both of my boys into football fans. We have been going to Tiger football games every Friday night this fall. It's fun to watch them have a good winning season, and it's very nice to be outside enjoying the fall weather. Fall seems to be turning into winter already as most of Utah should get snow today. UGH!! I think we're safe from the white stuff for now, but our leaves will be gone soon.


Jack got his first real pair of shoes and he's not too sure that he likes them for walking. They seem to put him off balance, so he tries to shake them off. The little man wears a size 6 already! We're going to call him big foot from now on.


Our newest little nephew, Kade Thomas Christensen, was born on Tuesday, October 7th. 7 lbs 6 oz, 20 1/2 inches. Callie thinks he is simply amazing, and Luke is having a hard time even acknowledging him. We won't get to see him until Thanksgiving, BUMMER! This makes 3 Neices and 9 Nephews. We love and miss them all! Can't wait for the holidays!

Our little man is over the 9 month hump with quite a month under his belt. After all he's been through, he's proving to be a tough little man. He finished all of the anti-biotic and got a clean bill of health from the doctor. The doctor again emphasized how rare it was to get the salmonella in his blood. He even compared it to winning the lottery. Well, next time we'll surely take the lottery, THANKS!

Jack also had his nine month checkup and is getting taller and leaner. He was 22 lbs and 1 oz and 29 1/2 inches. 79th percentile for weight and 90th percentile for height. He's hitting all of his milestones just right. He has taken up to three steps at a time by himself, but is still a wobbly little guy. He's into everything, and particularly loves grandma's plants. The poor little leaves just aren't safe anymore. Jack has 5 teeth with the sixth on the way. He has figured out what a kitty says and "meow's" very well. He also pounds on his chest and yells like Tarzan - thanks to Daddy on that one.

Jack enjoyed one very nice bath after getting his PICC line out. Yep, that's it. Just one. We had a little incident with the curling iron, and Jack's leg got a nasty burn on it, so we're back to sponge baths by the kitchen sink again. Poor little guy. Hopefully this weekend, he'll get to take the plunge into the bath tub again.

Jack had his first official hair cut today. The pictures are on grandpa's camara, so we'll have to post them later, but these pics are from after the cut. After losing almost all the hair he had, it's growing pretty well, and very blond. Grandma was a great barber for Jack, while I just tried to hold the slippery little guy still. Quite an adventure!

We love seeing Jack's personality develop, so I tried to snap a few pics of the variations.


Jack loves to sing/yell. This one also shows a good view of those upper choppers.


Although not looking right at me (we're still working on the camara thing) he is such a happy and content little guy.


Well, he's happy most of the time. Sometimes he just has to yell. Like when his mom won't get him out of the crib and just wants to take more pictures.


And finally, as any Mom could attest, this is the sweetest face of them all. Nothing beats a sleeping baby!

Thanks to everyone for all the extra thoughts and prayers the past couple of weeks. We know that lots of people have been pulling for our little man. Jack is doing great. Most of the time you wouldn't even know he was sick. He still gets IV antibiotics once a day. When we left the hospital, we were under the impression that Home Health would be doing the injection once a day. Instead, Home Health taught us how to do it. Grandma Christensen is his official nurse and handles the injection part, while Mom gets to keep him busy, distracted, and still. Our last day of injections should be Wednesday when he can have the PICC line removed. More than anything, I think that Jack misses taking baths. We can't let his arm get wet, so we do sponge baths by the sink. It's just not the same as splashing. We'll keep you updated on any further tests, but as of now, we're looking good!





Jack still changes and learns all the time. He has learned to put his hands up above his head for "so big". He can also immitate the sound of a sheep when prompted - "baaaa". We think he's smart as a whip. :) He loves to crawl over things instead of around them - like the kitchen table. He'll go through everyone of the chairs and the rail under the table just to get to the other side. He's fascinated with our fireplace right now, so we generally build a barrier to keep him out of that one. He thinks that "NO" is the funniest word ever. He can shake his head "no" very well and laugh every time we say it. He also loves to stick out his tongue....to the side. Not the front, but the side. Who knows, maybe it's the new, hip thing to do. We're so crazy about this little man!

After four days and three long nights, we're finally home. Jack's labs still looked good today, so they let us come home with a PICC line. (A semi-permanent iv line) He'll still be receiving antibiotics for the next 14 days with home health.

Here's the long and the short of the story. Jack had a bit of an upset stomach a little over a week ago. He seemed to keep going and not be bothered, so we didn't think much of it. On Monday, he had a low grade fever all day long and Monday night, the fever spiked for the first time to 104.8. We made it to the doctor on Tuesday morning first thing, and they couldn't find anything wrong with him. No problems with ears, throat, etc. The doctor listened to me enough to know that something was wrong with Jack, so we went in for blood, urine and stool samples. The samples came back on Wednesday morning growing bacteria in the stool and the blood. We were almost immediately sent to the hospital to start iv therapy. The bacteria was confirmed samonella on Thursday. His fever continued to spike every four hours or so for the first 24 hours and then gradually went to every 8 hours, 12 hours, and none. Thank goodness. Our doctor looked us right in the eyes yesterday and told us how serious the bacteria could have been, and we feel very lucky that we got really good treatment in great time. Last night was a bit of a nightmare. We had to be transported to another hospital for the PICC line placement. What should be a 15 minute procedure turned into an hour and a half. Jack woke up from the sedative - TWICE! Then his veins were doing crazy things. You know something just isn't right when you see the doctor throw things during the procedure. Luckily, it turned out fine and hopefully he won't have to have any more needle pokes for the iv's or for any blood draws.



Jack was an amazing little patient. All of the nurses on the floor fell in love with him and gave him such good care and attention. We felt very lucky and extremely blessed. They all commented that Jack was the happiest little sick baby they'd ever seen.



We had a challenge on our hands to keep Jack entertained for 4 hospital days, but the nurses made it easier by supplying us with plenty of toys. Jack also loved his wagon rides around the halls. We are SOOOOOOOOOO glad that our little man is going to be ok. What a roller coaster ride, but one we'd gladly go on again if it means good health for Jackson!



Here are a couple more pictures of our future Cougar. We met Grandma and Grandpa Parker and Uncle Brent in Provo a couple of weeks ago to help Brent get settled at school at BYU. I was able to see a few good friends who are still working there, and we had a really nice time on campus and in Provo. This pic was taken while we were watching the first BYU game. I'm sure Jack will be my little football man.



Our little stinker seems to be closer and closer all the time to walking on his own. I can't believe how fast that phase comes. He can move from furniture to furniture and has figured out how to walk behind his toy now. My favorite was seeing him walk behind my grandma's walker this week. I think he is faster than Grandma Mary!

Hey everyone. I'm just dropping in for a few moments to send a call out for prayers for our little man. Jack has officially been diagnosed with samonella bacteria in his blood. He was admitted to the hospital yesterday, and it looks like we'll be there about 5 days - at least that's the last thing we heard. He's been spiking fevers of about 104, but that seems to be much more under control today. He's a sick little guy and we'd definitely appreciate your thoughts and prayers. We have been assured at this point that everything is definitely treatable and that there is no real reason for concern. He just has to stay in the hospital to get the iv treatment that he needs right now. Thanks bunches for your concern and support! We'll keep you updated.

Today is one of those days when I wish I was home because I feel like I'm missing out. Bryan just called to tell me that Jack is a "little pill". Bryan had to shower this morning, so he figured Jack would be safe in the bathtub - dry of course. He threw Jack and all the tub toys into the big tub in our bathroom and proceeded to shower. I think I forgot to mention to Bryan that Jack figured out how to turn on the water this week. So, my darling little boy sat in the bathtub, fully clothed, with the water running, playing with his toys, and so very proud of himself. I could hear him yelling and laughing in the background. It's a good thing I have an imagination, so I hope you can use yours too. :) We'll post more pics soon.

Wow....time flies when your kitchen is torn apart, the kids visit from Arizona, Bryan starts a new job, Jack becomes mobile and life keeps rolling on. We FINALLY have a working and complete kitchen. We were without anything in the kitchen since June 30th when we got back from the Bahamas, so almost exactly a month. We are very grateful to have running water in a real kitchen sink, a dishwasher, a fully working stove and microwave, a running refrigerator, and full access to all of it. I guess you could say the we have a new found appreciation for kitchens.

Our little man is officially 7 months old and fully mobile. We've been child proofing like crazy to keep up with him. He's obsessed with cords of all kinds. Jack is on the verge of getting a top tooth, so we've been savoring the last few days of his two tooth grin. He loves to scream, just to hear the echo. This is especially nice in the middle of church. The chapel echos A LOT!

Bryan's kids were here from Arizona for a week in July. Bryan wasn't working yet, so he had tons of time to spend with the kiddos. The did all kinds of activities like Zion, swimming, slip and slide, hikes, movies, water balloons, etc. etc. etc. The kids were so good with Jack. He sees their pictures now and goes bananas. He loves his brothers and sister. I worked nearly the entire time, so we weren't very good at documenting everything in pictures.

Bryan started a new job selling cars at Legacy Subaru Mitsubishi. So in a week of work, he sold three cars, so not bad for a rookie! He's a natural salesman. I think he comes in the Parker blood.


Here's our crawling bubba. He's so happy to be mobile and able to explore ALL of the house instead of just where we carried him. He seems much more happy and content to play now that he can move.


Here's one side of the new kitchen. YEAH!! We love our new countertops and sink. We also love the added space we manged to squeeze into the pantry area.


And here's the other side.


Jack seems to like the new kitchen too.


Daddy thought it would be a good idea to share a chocolate donut with Jack. I think Jack thought so too.


Getting all 8 kids to hold still and look at the camara at the same time is a real chore, and one we never actually accomplished. No matter what we did, someone was looking away or being cranky. They sure had a fun time playing together.


This one was just too cute of Grandma and her girls. Hallie and Alexa had such a good time together. They are only 20 days apart so each just turned 8 and got baptized. Callie is just the posing princess as always!

We had a wonderful Independence Day celebration with my family. Everyone was in town for the weekend. We went to the city parade and races and game in the park. The kids had a lot of fun together.



The cutest kiddos - at least that's what Grandma says! :) Alexa, McKoy, Jack, Callie & Luke - at the 4th of July Parade.



Jack & Daddy



Jack & Mommy



Here is Mr. Jack man thinking he is so old and big. We had to move the matress down on the crib so that he can't pull himself up. He's not quite to that point, but it's not too far away. He's scooting everywhere - backward, and he's up on all fours regularly.

While we were in the Bahamas, there was a lot of action going on at the house. We came home to find water all over the kitchen floor, and warped kitchen cabinets. Mold was growing everywhere, and it was a royal mess! The small line from the sink to the refrigerator was leaking like crazy. Many lessons learned on this one...most importantly - if leaving the house for more than a couple of days, turn off the inside water. We also learned the importance of having home owner's insurance. From this experience, we are getting all new kitchen cabinets and countertops. We thought it would be nice to re-do the kitchen someday, we just didn't expect so soon.



This was the awful site under the kitchen cabinet. The smell was about as bad as it looks.



You can see the warped cabinets from the outside. There was no fixing on this one, so they all get replaced.



This is the state of the kitchen now. No more kitchen sink, dishwasher, pantry, or cabinets on one side. The other side will come out this week. We have a huge industrial de-humidifier and a hepa filter currently blowing full blast. It sounds like we live in an airport with the engines up full blast.



Our little temporary kitchen consists of the refrigerator, a makeshift pantry, a small microwave, and the toaster oven. We're lucky that my parent's don't live too far away so they can feed us most of the time, or at least let us use their kitchen.