theparkerfamily.org

Tag: Firsts

  • first bus

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    IMG_0960, originally uploaded by [ecpark].
    sparklet took her first official bus ride today (met auntie melissa for lunch in dupont) and besides being cranky about the forced photo op, she handled it with grace and dignity befitting a 10 week old.

  • first pub

    Sparklet’s First Pub: Holiday Party w/ Ashley, Sarah, Jennifer and Ryan @ Tonic, Mount Pleasant, Washington, DC.

  • found: first snow

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    IMG_0904, originally uploaded by [ecpark].

  • baby’s first video

    httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKO6uOkctZE

    in a sign that we have officially become “those” people, the lady sparkler and i got a video camera today.and i feel dirty.

    we are the couple that callously laughed off the idea of a video-grapher for our wedding ceremony, and explicitly banned video cameras at our reception.

    to make things worse, i’ve personally had nothing but bad video experiences … three of which immediately spring to mind:

    • 11th Birthday — I said something about somebody’s present that I shouldn’t have, and I still feel awful. The fun thing is that this is one of my earliest memories and it is preserved on tape somewhere, taunting me from afar.
    • Thriller — my brother did a spoof of the Michael Jackson “Thriller” video for a high school english project, which was perfect with the exception that you could hear me tittering in the background.
    • Yellow Journalism — I got stopped by a local TV news station during the blizzard of 1996, and blew them off by making an off handed remark about the need for global warming, which they of course used on the 6 pm and 11 pm broadcasts.

    so, in the face of all this … what could have possibly made us throw all the caution into the wind and go against our every best notion?

    Baby Sparklet is just so damn cute.

    as such, we bought a little tiny Flip MinoHD with a gift certificate that the super fabulous people at my work gave us, and have started documenting the incredible cuteness of sparklet without rest.

    given my love of film, we’re obviously going to restrict use of this fabulous machine to furthering the forces of good, but the type of video camera we bought has two characteristics which (we hope) will help minimize some of the emotional damage.

    first, the flip is all digital (no tape) so we’ll have to be very judicious about what we decide to keep — meaning “bad” footage won’t be around for long. second, the whole interface (it’s tiny, no bigger than a pack of cards) is really setup to tape 30 second snippets. As such, we’ll be filming small moments of mundane cuteness and not long home documentaries and travelogues.

    of course, my other hope is that the lady sparkler won’t want to learn how to use the camera … because if i’m the one filming, i probably can’t be the one caught on tape embarassing himself.

    watch the video on youtube:
    test video

  • first christmas tree

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    ECPA20091128_2885, originally uploaded by [ecpark].
    turns out, we might have been a little too eager to get a christmas tree this year.

    we started thinking through how we were going to fit one in the house back in October, and rearraged the furnature by mid-November. and then, come the first day after Thanksgiving, the lady spakler, baby sparklet and immediately jumped in the car and roared off in search of something tall, skinny and green.

    finding a tree lot in DC is about like finding a gas station … they are around, everybody has their favorite, but you never can seem to find one when you are looking.

    we started off looking in glover park, and the lot over there that we usually use still hadn’t opened for the season. we then drove out connecticut avenue to a stand i had last used in 2005 … only to find that the whole area had been plowed over and turned into a gas station.

    by the time we crossed into maryland, we were feeling pretty good … because soon after we passed an SUV going in the opposite direction with a tree strapped to its roof like road kill.

    and sure enough, after 15 minutes and trying two more “known” lot locations (from when i lived in bethesda, circa 1999) we finally found a lot that was open.

    we bought the lot’s third tree of the season.

    and, given how hard it was to find a christmas tree that was open, i’m guessing we bought the city’s third tree of the season as well. now we just have to dig out the hot chocolate maker, and we’re all set for the winter.

    Explore the Photo Set:
    Christmas Tree 2009

  • firsts

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    photo of the week // week six
    another string of small celebrations over the weekend:

    • first “take your daughter to work day” — we stopped by the Conservancy on Friday afternoon (i had the day off) and made a quick round. i love the fact that i am the only boy in a department of 29 women for just this type of occasion.
    • first television — i caught little miss kate actually *watching* television this weekend. sunday night, i put her down in front of the tv to get her a new bottle, and when i came back here eyes were transfixed on the screen. of course, it was the tottenham match, and they went on to win 9-1 (which is kind of a lot for a soccer match) so she’s now allowed to watch tottenham whenever she wants.
    • first dress — baby momma has been just itching to get sparklet into a little dress she had picked out, and we had a couple good reasons (guests, work) to break out the nice stuff. monumental, because it’s the first time she’s broken out of the usual onesies/pants routine.

    in other news, we had out latest pediatrician’s appointment on Friday. sparklet clocked in a a whopping 9 pounds, 1 1/2 ounces, which brings her up to about the 25th percentile for weight. if you couple that with 22 inches long (75th percentile) and 14 inches around (25th) she’s either going to be a bean pole, or a supermodel, or both.

    and lastly … i’ve got to find a new time to blog. way back when, i used to blog on my two hour round-trip, public-transit commute, but with the baby i have started driving (i know, i know) which not only takes less time (18 minutes each way) but isn’t a very good environment for multitasking.

    more recently, i’ve been blogging during the downtime between the 6:00 pm feeding and the 10:00 pm feeding. the lady sparkler is asleep, and sparklet *used* to be either (a) asleep or (b) blessedly docile. however, since the onset of the six hour rolling dinner feedings last week, there has been precious little time (or free hands) to write anything down.

    maybe they make thought-to-screen, telepathy-based dictation software for the mac …

    Explore the Photo Set:
    sparklet’s first dress

  • first trip to the zoo

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    photo of the week // week four
    we’re in a strange bit of indian summer that is reaching deep into november, but nobody in the sparkler family is arguing.

    we figured when baby sparklet arrived it would be waaay to cold to spend any serious amount of time outside, and frankly i didn’t think that baby mommy would be up for the hike down there and back.

    we didn’t spend much time in the zoo — baby sparklet is just starting to look and focus, mommy still isn’t 100% — but we did find a hidden little statue that we’re going to try and swing by for photos each visit.

    i’m really excited that we’re up and moving around. i feel like i’ve been waiting eight years to take my daughter to zoo …

    Explore the Photo Set:
    photos: first trip to the zoo

  • first halloween

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    photo of the week // week three
    well, a month ago, we certainly had a different image of halloween.

    we obviously didn’t think that we’d have a sparklet to costume … and we really thought that the lady sparkler could go dressed up as Juno, or maybe a pregnant Mary Magdalene to my Jesus.

    our beloved m.o.h. (maid of honor) actually went out and bought sparklet a pumpkin costume, but it unfortunately didn’t live up to its advertised sizing (it was “one size fits none” not “all”).

    so, yesterday when we were in dupont circle, we ran to the local children’s boutique, and bought the last decent costume off their shelves (giraffe) at 40% discount.

    if anybody from work asks, we picked out the costume as an ideological statement … and she’s dressed up as either (a) the Conservancy’s adopt an acre in africa project, or (b) the number one teething toy in Paris.

    halloween is quite a big deal in mount pleasant, and our neighborhood shuts down streets to make room for all the trick-or-treaters who come in from around the city.

    we wandered around a bit with the baby giraffe-let in her stroller, but it was way too early (5:00pm) and it was raining to boot. even so, we saw tons o’ princesses and vampires, and more than a few ninja outfits from a children’s television show that i couldn’t figure out.

    no candy was purloined (she’s too young for us to keep a straight face) or purchased (our building requires card key access, and has no other kids) but it was a lovely afternoon none-the less.

    oh, and a nice warm up for next year …

    Explore the Photo Set:
    photos: first halloween, washington, dc

  • first: dupont circle

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    ECPA20091030_0539, originally uploaded by [ecpark].
    i had an inadvertent day off today.

    i’ve been stockpiling vacation days in expectation of sparklet, but apparently did too good of a job. now i’m maxed out on how many vacation days i can save up and HR won’t let me accrue anymore unless i use a vacation day every two weeks.

    don’t get me wrong, it’s a good problem to have … i just wish i figured out I had to take today off before i spent two hours sitting at my desk.

    anyway, the lady sparkler and i are still negotiating with our work to nail down the details of how our maternity / paternity leave is going to look.

    for now, it looks like mommy is going to be off from now through Martin Luther King Day (that mid-january, for anyone in arizona) and i’ll be off the four weeks following (through President’s Day).

    once we figured that out (and shipped the notion off to our respective office places) we took a quick trip down to dupont circle to get some fresh air, and show sparklet her first neighborhood outside mount pleasant.

    and, needless-to-say, mommy was tickled to have an extra set of hands for the day.

    Explore the Photo Set:
    flexday: dupont circle, washington, dc

  • photos: baby’s first bath

    [sparklet takes a bath]
    ECPA20091027_0468, originally uploaded by [ecpark].
    baby was getting a little stinky, so the lady sparkler and i broke down and gave her a first bath.

    now, i’ve heard legendary stories of babies first interaction with water, and i’m thankful there was no meltdown of epic proportion. truth be told, she just seemed a little confused, like “um, what’s this stuff?”

    well, that was until mommy inadvertently dumped a whole quart of water over her head. that part didn’t go so well … but they both recovered after the initial shock, and in the end they reached a happy place.

    Explore the Photo Set:
    photos: baby’s first bath