The Beginning

I guess I will just start at the beginning. We are the Parker Family. Drew and I met through Ridgedale Baptist Church in Chattanooga, TN in January of 2004. We made an instant connection. Drew was still in college at Life University in Marietta, GA while I lived in Red Bank, TN. We saw each other on the weekends and talked on the phone. On April 2, 2004, Drew proposed to me at my townhouse. I came home from work to find candles everywhere (I LOVE candles!!!) and over 2 dozen roses on a lighted arch. We were married exactly a year later on April 2, 2005. We had to work around Drew's school schedule to plan the date and that just happened to be his spring break.

I went to cosmetology school when I moved to Marietta to be with Drew after our wedding. I graduated in April 2006 and received my license in May 2006. I decided to hold off on the career since we would be moving back to Chattanooga when Drew graduated the next March. I got a job at Atlanta Nephrology as a front desk clerk. In July 2006, I found out I was pregnant with our first child. We had decided to try and if we got pregnant great. We were very excited and couldn't wait!!! I found out my due date was March 17, 2007. In November 2006, we found out we were having a girl!! I was very excited because I was sure we were having a boy. That seems to be the Parker trend. Girls are very rare and special. I wouldn't have cared either way, but I am very girly!!

On March 19, 2007, we went for a check up to see if our little girl wanted to come visit us or not. I was not contracting or dilating, but my labs were a little off. They decided to have me come in for an induction the next day. I got there around 8:00 pm.....I remember getting in bed just in time to watch American Idol!! I was contracting too much to give me the drug they had intended, but not enough to go into labor. They had to do a different drug instead and the next morning nothing had happened. They left the IV in until dinner time and took it off for a few hours to let me rest. They hooked me back up that night and tried again. Still nothing the next morning. The midwife came in and was determined to break my water to get this going. She made good on her promise and the labor finally began. I was fine, but once it kicked in more I called for the epidural!! After that I slept. Everyone thinks I am crazy, but I felt nothing and was tired!!!! I woke up around 7:15 pm and said I felt like it was time to push. The nurse checked and said she thought I was ready. She got my midwife (the 3rd in my stay) and I started pushing at 7:30 pm. At 8:00 pm, Avery Elizabeth arrived. She was 7 lbs. 11 oz. and 20 3/4 inches long. It was very easy labor once it started.

This is when the craziness began.......we had her on Thursday, March 22, 2007 after 2 days there. We had to stay 2 days since the labor was so long, we both had slight fevers. We were fine, but hospital rules. We left the hospital at 8:00 pm on Saturday. We moved back home to Chattanooga, TN on Monday. Drew started his new job on Tuesday. It was a crazy week....Oh, yeah. Drew also finished school that week. He was at school the Friday after she was born to finish up and graduate.

Fast forward to today.....Avery is now almost 19 months old. She went for her 18 month check up yesterday and weighed 26 lbs. 10 oz. (75th percentile) and was 33 inches tall (90th percentile....I don't know where she gets height!!). She goes to school at Tree of Knowledge. She is doing so well there. They teach sign language and she is in the process of moving up to the next class. They also teach sign language and they teach Spanish. She is a big reader and loves all animals. She likes to make animal sounds and look around the house for the cats and dog. She is growing up so fast and changes daily. We are so amazed with her and she keeps us entertained.