The Latest on Big Brother

So, I think I've mentioned before that Kindergarten has been a WONDERFUL experience. Blake has completely come out of his shell. The shy little guy has been replaced by this vibrant kid that has an incredible appetite to learn. He's constantly singing his kindergarten songs and reading everything he can. One of the funniest things he does is he constantly rhymes. He'll catch a word that he just said and say "Oh, George! Cash rhymes with crash!" Then he follows it with all these rhyming words that aren't actually words. Like "and pash! and zash! and fash!" If you tell him those aren't words, he lets you know that they don't have to be words to rhyme. And actually he's right! He also used to be so timid to answer questions or talk to adults or talk to kids he didn't know. Now there are few strangers and he's making friends left and right. He's already excited about the Christmas break being over so he can bring home more books from school. I mean really.

Some things will always be the same. He wants more than ever to hang out with his big sister and she is wanting more than ever for him to leave her the heck alone. Poor little guy. He also still gets a little sidetracked in the mornings when he's getting ready. You'd think he'd fall into a rhythm but there's just too much to do to remember on his own.

There have been a few challenges in bringing Cash home...mainly, explaining the breast-feeding to Blake. I am always covered in front of him and we've just kind of left it a mystery and not addressed it. He started asking questions a while back but I didn't really know how to answer. I asked if he'd ever seen other baby animals eat from their mommy and the answer was no. I was like not even a cow? And he said he only saw milk come out of cows with machines. But we just kind of left the issue. But he told his grandmother that he thinks Cash drinks out of my belly button, you know, "like a cow.". So, I finally just came clean and it turns out, he'll probably never ask about it again.

He's becoming an excellent big brother. Cash loves to hear him talk and looks at him with very bright eyes. This morning Cash was laying in his crib staring out the window (I have to get the poor kid a mobile or something) and Blake walked up to the crib and said "Good Morning, Cash." and Cash returned it with a huge grin. I love seeing them all get to know each other.

Welcome Wolfgang Legend Parsons!

Cash's bestie was born today. We had to wait a whole month! Wolfgang Legend Parsons was born this morning at 1:34 and he weighed 7 lbs 14 oz. and was 21 inches long! He's sooooooooooo cute and he and Cash are going to be kickin' it together real soon.

1 Month, Baby!

Cash here. I’m one month old today and I’ve had a great day (except for when Mama stuck this hat on me to take a 1 Month Birthday picture. She wants me to have a "Birthday" hat on every month using a different hat. Really looking forward to it as you can tell. Maybe next month, my hat will fit). I kept Mama and Daddy up for a few hours this morning around 3 so they’re kind of tired but I’m good to go. Mama weighed me this morning and I’m 10 ½ pounds!!! She’s feeding me well. It helps that I’m a great eater. Mama thinks I get that from her but Daddy’s no slouch in that department either. I hit a growth spurt this week so I want to eat all the time. For some reason, it’s really frustrating Mama. She keeps talking about some “schedule”, whatever that is. She's always taking pictures of me when I'm laying on her so my head looks funny. She still thinks its cute...whatever.

The last month has been eventful. I was born, of course, and that was a doozy. Then I hung out with Mama and Daddy and Mimi and Aunt Traci and Ashley and Blake for a while at home. Then Mama started taking me to work every once in a while. I’ve been really good when she takes me to work. I lay in my basket and play and then I take a nap. Of course, then I eat. I do a lot of that, eating, playing and sleeping. Not always in that order. I like to call the shots sometimes. My cousin, Willa is at work too. She plays and sometimes eats but she never sleeps. I dont' know how she has so much energy? She's going to teach me some fun stuff when I get a little bigger. Like how to scream really loud just to hear my voice. And how to squish my nose up so everyone in the room thinks I'm the cutest thing ever and they'll give me whatever I want. Oh and you should see her work a room. She really puts on a show. I think she could make it big in Hollywood. She's awesome.

Also, I had my first Thanksgiving. It's some sort of holiday and all Mama and Daddy did is eat. Like, a lot. First, on Wednesday night, we went to Mammaw and Pappaw's house for Thanksgiving Mexican food. I had my first bad bout of gas that night and now, luckily, we don't leave home without Mylecon. That was no fun! On Thursday we went to Aunt Lea's church at Cave Creek and ate with her family for lunch. It was nice and relaxing and delicious! Well, judging by how much everyone was eating. Then after Mama, Daddy and I took a good nap, we went to Uncle Johnny's for dinner. I slept through most of the dinner. It had been a long day.

Mammaw's pretty table

Ashley and Cooper having some sparkling cider.

Aunt Happy and Uncle Goober (Adam)

The other six grandkids. Blake (aka Bubba), Cooper, Ashley (aka Sissy), Cameron, Rance and Cole.

Here I am snoozin at Uncle Johnny's. Mammaw really knows how to get me to relax.

The Friday after Thanksgiving, Mama had to go to work without me. And I was sad to see her go (not as sad her though. She definitely cried) but it was cool to hang out with Daddy. We watched the Deadliest Catch marathon and took lots of naps. We kind of made a mess somehow. It was weird because I don't really remember leaving the couch so I have no idea how we made a mess like that. Daddy just really knows how to make a mess. I'm sure it will rub off on me.

This week I decided to start smiling at Mama every morning. I look her straight in the eye and give her a grin. She says it makes her day but she still hasnt' captured it on film. I did it for Daddy a while back and I think she was a little jealous so I’m throwing her a bone. Last night/this morning when I really didn’t want to go to sleep, Mama remembered how much I liked to hear running water when I was really young . Turns out I still like it when I’m upset. I’m going for a record on the water bill. Daddy was in the bathroom with me running the shower for about 2 hours. Music to my ears. He kept trying to put me back in my bassinet but I kept telling him I didn’t want to go to bed yet so we’d head back to the bathroom. What a great Daddy. This trick really works in Mama's favor when she wants to take a shower. I just chill in my cool bouncer (that I'm big enough for now!) and listen to the water. What else is new? Oh and this is really fun. At night, my daddy talks to me and exercises with me. I stand up on him and straighten my legs. I totally hold up my head by myself for a really long time. My greatest show of strength, though, is how I can take Daddy to his knees when I get a good grip on his beard. I think I made him cry the other day. And sometimes I talk. I really try to impress when I have the energy. I’ve really been working on my cry too. I want to get it good and loud so everyone can hear me. Also, just the other day, I found my hand! It just popped up in front of my face and I followed it for a while. It was so weird. It’s like I was controlling where it went. Then check out the pictures of me holding my pacifier. I had it in my hand for a good two or three minutes. I’ve got a good grip even if it wasn’t totally on purpose. Please don’t tell my mom that it probably wasn’t on purpose. She was really excited. She keeps telling me I’m “advanced”. Tonight my Daddy started feeding me with a bottle. It tasted the same as what I get from Mama. They were saying something about “bonding” with Daddy. I’m not sure why crying in the evenings when he gets home isn’t considered “bonding” but I like this too. Okay, and when I yawn, Daddy calls me Mr. Magoo. Whoever that is.

Kickin' it in my bouncer. Being big is awesome.

I love to look out the window.

This is my Mr. Magoo face. ?

Holding my pacifier.

Oh look, I've still got it!

Here I am big & strong holding up my head.

Oh Daddy, I'm falling...

You're beard is so scratchy, Daddy!

Some things about me haven't changed. I still have the little white patch of hair on the back of my head. And I'm still spitting up buckets of milk every day. Mama has no idea how I'm still growing. What can I say? My eyes are just bigger than my stomach sometimes. Happens to the best of us. Mama just has to do a lot of laundry these days. I still really like to have lots of noise around. I can't handle it being so quiet. Daddy thinks that's the problem with me going back to sleep at night so hopefully, he's going to get me a good noise maker of some sort.

So I hope you enjoy the pictures. I really miss my Mimi and Aunt Traci and I can't wait to meet Sam & Alice & Ruby. Cousins are awesome and I've got so many. Mama is constantly wishing she had her camera even more because she thinks I’m so cute and she wants everyone to see. She's a very smart lady.

The First 2 Weeks in Pictures

This is a horrible picture of me but I love that you can see his little blonde spot on the back of his head.

Daddy can always calm him down...

Aunt Traci is finally here!!! We love her and we needed her the first week.

You can almost see that dimple!

Aunt Happy

Aunt Lea

The first bath. I was too scared to do it so Mimi and Aunt Traci did it for me. I decided to be the photographer.

He loves the water on his head.

Cash is so relaxed with his big brother. He makes Blake look so big and grown up!

Big Sister looks a little too grown-up these days too.

She has been such a huge help! She can read when I'm frazzled and she always makes sure she can help.

Too bad this picture doesn't have sound. Derrek was snoring really loudly and it was soothing to Cash. Mimi and Aunt Traci didn't know how he could sleep through it but he'd been listening to it for 9 months already.

This is right before Aunt Traci left us. It still gets me teary.

Man, I miss that first week of naps. I need to reinstate the nap.

This, sadly, was one of my first few diaper changes. Mimi and Aunt Traci did so much for me! Mimi and I were excited because Cash was finally starting to straighten out those legs. It made his diaper changes very difficult at first!

Rosie still doesn't get too far away.

Cash got a horrible diaper rash the first week so he's on these towels trying to air out a little bit. He hated having his diaper changed anyway but when you added a circumcision and a diaper rash, it was heartbreaking every time. To make it worse, he pooped about 10 or 12 times a day. So glad those days are over.

Grandpa Steve finally made it.

Here's Mimi and Cash right before she left me. I still can't really talk about it.

Billie Jean came to visit her Cash Money.

This is his hair right after a bath! I love it!!!