This has been a good week so far! The weather has been gorgeous, so we’ve been taking lots of walks around the neighborhood and in Washington Park. I also got back on my bike for the first time in 10 months, and I can’t even begin to describe how great that felt. My dad and I rode almost 12 miles, which is nothing compared to the 20-25 we usually did before I got pregnant, but I’m easing back in.

Oh yes, and then there’s Parker :) He’s up to 9 lb, 5 oz this week, my big boy! His personality is getting bigger, too. One of the things that makes his smile most is when I kiss him — his whole face lights up and he opens his mouth in a huge grin. It melts my heart.

Other things he loves: ceiling fans, the picture Zach took in Florence that is hanging above the couch, bath time, and riding in his carseat. We took our first road trip to St. Louis this past weekend, and he was a dream of a passenger:

As usual, there was no shortage of adorable photos this week. But my favorite would have to be the one we took for a photo contest at People.com in honor of the royal baby. My little Prince Parker!

Those faces are too much! Zach and I may be biased, but we both think that he gets cuter by the day I’ve taken so many photos that my computer memory is almost completely full (which won’t stop me from continuing to take at least 10 per day!).

The summer is flying by, and Parker is growing by the day. Everyone keeps telling me how soon I’ll forget that he was ever this little, so I am taking tons of pictures and holding him as much as possible.

The first month felt a bit like I was living someone else’s life; as much as I absolutely adore my son, I missed the way things used to be. But now we’re five weeks in and I’m finally getting used to life with a newborn — it feels, dare I say, normal. It helps that I’m feeling much better physically and emotionally, and we’re getting out of the house much more often. In the last couple of weeks, we’ve been to the park, shopping, and friends’ houses. I love showing Parker off almost as much as the change of scenery :)

The most exciting thing this week has been witnessing Parker’s first “real” smiles. I was lucky to catch a few of them with my iPhone, and they are by far my favorite photos of him up until now. Most of the time he looks so serious; his smiley faces are so cute and playful.

The most EXHAUSTING aspect of this week has been the constant eating. Parker’s going through what can only be a major growth spurt, and he demands food almost every hour of the day (and most nights, too). Luckily everyone tells me this is temporary, and soon we’ll go back to a much more normal eating and sleeping schedule.

So in the meantime, I’m just trying to enjoy the extra bonding we’re doing during all those feedings. Oh, and playing lots of Candy Crush Saga on my iPhone ;)

I had grand visions of spending my maternity leave blogging, writing in Parker’s baby book, writing and recording songs, organizing my house, etc. while the baby slept peacefully in his bassinet a few feet away. HA! The number one lesson I’ve learned since becoming a mom: don’t expect to get much of anything done with a newborn in your arms.

Parker has made it clear that in my arms is where he likes to be at ALL times. Sometimes if I’m lucky I can put him down in his rock ‘n play without waking him up, and he’ll nap there for awhile (which is how I’m getting this blog post written), but mostly I hold him, which leaves me with only one hand free. Needless to say, I spend a lot of time watching TV and playing on my iPhone.

This first month of Parker’s life has been mostly wonderful, with just a few hiccups along the way. I’m coming to terms with the fact that my job now is to care for and feed my baby, and that I have to let everything else go. It’s been a big adjustment, in all honesty. But when I’m holding him in my arms, watching him eat or sleep so peacefully, I feel like he is all I need in life.

This morning at his one-month checkup, we found out that Parker has grown two inches since birth and is in the 85th percentile for length! He is also gaining weight like a champ and the doctor called him “perfect” — we are so lucky.

And now, some photo highlights from this past month:

My kissy-faced angel!

Destined for superstardom.

Meeting his Uncle Josh and Aunt Jeni for the first time.

Chilling out after bathtime.

Isn’t THAT the truth.

Our little family.

It’s insane how fast the first week of Parker’s life has flown by. The first two days are a bit of a blur, as they were spent in the hospital where we were up pretty much around the clock and just learning the basics of caring for a newborn. Needless to say, we were excited to get out of there and come home!

Those first few days were a BIG adjustment. Parker is the new boss around here and dictates when we feed him, when we sleep, and when we find time to attend to everything else going on in our lives (which isn’t much nowadays!). Luckily, our family has been awesome and has brought us food, helped out around the house, and of course, held and changed Parker so that I can get naps in here and there. My mom has been here just about every day — she and Parker have become best buddies :)

Although most of our time is spent just hanging out at home, we have managed to get out of the house a few times. Parker’s first outing was a trip to Target, and then the next day we went for the very first spin in his new stroller. On Thursday he had his newborn photo session, and on Friday we took him to his first pediatrician appointment. Busy week!

It is so much fun getting to know this tiny little baby, and I have honestly fallen in love with him more with each passing day. Life is definitely much more complicated now that he’s here, but I can’t imagine it without him after just a week.