I'd shopped and ran errands all day.  The backache nagged me.  Went home, made a pot of vegetable beef soup (Chris's favorite), still with the backache.  Swollen feet, tired legs.  So much to do.  Too tired to finish any more of it.  I made Chris and myself bowls of soup and I followed him to living room.  I took my spot on the floor, legs tucked under the coffee table, back leaning against the couch, and we settled in to watch the Reds play the Braves.  That was almost 9:30pm on April 20, 2004.  My due date was April 22, 2004, just two days away.  I felt the baby kick once, and then again.  Hard. By 8am the next morning, this is what I looked like:

Yep, ready for our baby boy to enter the world!  Notice the makeup?  The brushed hair?  Yeah.  That didn't last long.  Soon the makeup melted off from sweat and exhaustion from trying to deliver a baby for two hours.  The freshly-applied lipstick disappeared due to the obsessive consumption of of ice chips, which I begged Chris to spoonfeed me nonstop between contractions.

Finally, at 10:11 am on April 21, 2004, our little baby boy took his first breath.  He let out his first wail.  And seconds later, sobbing, I held 7 pounds and 14 ounces of my heart right there in my hands.  Parker made me a Mama.  He made Chris a Daddy.  We were officially a Family.

SORRY PEOPLE, BUT YOU WILL NOT SEE THE AFTER PHOTO OF ME!!!  :)  I must retain a little bit of my dignity, thankyouverymuch.  I was so unbelievably swollen that my own mother nearly cried when she walked into the recovery room and saw me.  Thank goodness I had no idea how horrific I looked at the time.  I was just glad the pushing was over and that he was here and healthy!  (Yes, actually this is the best I looked, from the very-pregnant moment you saw above until Parker was several days old.  I know.  Still scary.)

A year passed in what seemed like mere days.  At least I'm not swollen anymore in this next picture though!  This photo was taken on Parker's first birthday.  The crib bedding behind him is now on Lila's bed (yep, same crib) and I still love it to pieces.  If you hadn't noticed, we're a wee bit sentimental around here.  ;)

He was just about to turn two in the above image.  And this is likely the shortest you'll ever see Parker's hair on this blog.  We started letting his "surfer hair" grow when he was about 18 months old.  I'm so thankful he still likes it.

And this one?  Well I'm just kicking myself for not having found it sooner.....  he was three and a half.  His hair was light golden, it was long, and it was glorious.  I loved it.  And his squinty laugh still makes me smile!

He had just woken up from a nap in the below-right image, and he was snuggling with his "Best Buddy" in the whole world.  His Daddy.  I didn't dare edit out the sweet sleep marks on his right cheek.  Precious.

Four. I think this is when he started looking incredibly more grown up to me.  (Maybe it's just that I had another tiny person to compare him to at this point!)  After all that loud crying from this itty bitty baby who was just minutes old, Parker still decided that she was okay and that we could indeed take her home with us.  Today, he is the one who sings, "You Are My Sunshine" to his fussy sister in the car, and substitutes, "please don't take my Lila away," in the chorus.  The sweet innocence of his voice.  Lila stops crying two notes (two notes!) into his song, every time.  But he keeps singing anyway.  I love that.

Five. Now a preschooler.  Ohhh how I adore this boy who calls me "Mah-muh" in that sweet, lispy voice that belongs to none other in this world.

And finally, six.  Oh be still my heart.  He's just grown up faster than I ever could have dreamed.

Dear Parker Scott, I hope that someday you read your Mama's blog and that you can see how much I loved simply being your Mama.  You are an amazing little person and your Daddy and I are honored to have been given this wonderful gift of raising you, Son.  You make us happy beyond our wildest dreams, and we are so proud of you and the big boy you're growing up to be.  We love everything that makes you uniquely YOU ~ the way you still crumple your blankie to sleep at night, the way you roll your eyes and curl your lip when you are thinking of something funny to say, the delight you take in going to "Guy's Lunch" with your Daddy, your contented smile when I'm scratching your back at bedtime.  How every occasion calls for a light-saber in tow.  Your funny bedhead each morning, and how you always come to our room every single morning when you wake up.  How you'd rather read a comic book than eat when you're hungry.  Your honest, can't-contain-it giggle when you're tickled.  How you call Daddy your Best Buddy, and how you charged everyone $1 to join the Best Buddies Club (including Papa Donnie and Popaw Pat) when you were three.  That perfect freckle on your cheek.  How you still go along with Mama's photography projects and ideas, even when you could be watching SuperHero Squad or building something amazing with your Legos.  How you were my most gorgeous and available subject during the very long time that I was learning photography ~ I hope you know how thankful I am that you don't despise me after all of the constant modeling I asked of you.  ;)  We love how sweet you are to your sister, even though she dumps out all your toys and takes your Bakugans without asking.  How snuggly and affectionate you still are, and how much you value simply our "being happy with you".  Parker, your Daddy and I are very, very happy with you.  With your kind heart and your creative mind for building and inventing, you will certainly make a difference in this world someday, Son.  We believe in you.  And we hope you have the most amazing birthday ever today!  We love you so. ~Love, Mama and Daddy 4/21/10