Sweet Smile

So, Tyler absolutely LOVES our cat, Gumby. Every time Tyler sees him, he gets a big happy smile on his face. If Ty is on the floor, he'll try to lunge toward Gumby; if he's in his high chair, he'll completely forget that he's eating and look all around for the cat! Usually, Gumby runs away from him :) Well, yesterday morning, I had Tyler on my lap and we were sitting on the couch in the living room. Gumby sauntered up and rubbed against my leg and also against Tyler's foot. Tyler was ecstatic! He smiled and giggled at Gumby...and then (this is my favorite part) my still smiling little man looked at me with his wide eyes and eyebrows raised, as if to say, "Did you see that, Mommy?"

OH how my heart melted! His smile will always melt me, but he actually turned and wanted to see if I saw what he saw! How awesome is that?

6 Month Check-Up

Actually, Tyler will be seven months old tomorrow, but we went to the pediatrician on the 14th for his 6-month check-up. They gave him 3 shots (DTP, Hib, and PCV), and advised us on how to continue feeding Ty solids and introducing new foods. Here are his stats:

Weight - 19 lbs. 13 oz.
Length - 26.75 inches
Head Circumference - 16.5 inches

So, he's still in the 90th percentile for weight, and around the 60th percentile for length. But he's been in those percentiles each visit, which is good and means he's growing steadily. His next appointment isn't until he's 9 months old...I can't believe he'll be that old soon!

So much has been happening lately, Tyler has been learning so much in just the past few weeks! He can now easily sit up by himself and play for a while without falling over :) He can roll over easily from his tummy to his back and to his tummy again, in both directions! That's the way he uses to get around the most: he'll be sitting and see something he wants that's out of his reach, but he'll gently fall to one side and start rolling and wiggling to get it! He's beginning to make crawling motions, so it may not be long until he's crawling. BUT, Ty can also stand by himself for a few seconds at a time, so maybe he'll just start walking instead!

Tyler's first two teeth also popped out in the past couple of weeks. He used to like to gnaw on our fingers (better than any of his teething toys!) and I started feeling something sharper against my finger. He woke up crying a couple of nights in a row, but wasn't hungry and was easily consoled when we picked him up and rocked him. The next day, we noticed that his bottom two front teeth had clearly broken through! Now it looks like they are about a third of the way out. Poor little guy! Teething must be so painful to babies! :(

Tyler also got too big for his infant bathtub, and we have retired it and just give him a bath in the regular bathtub. He loves watching the water come out of the faucet, splashing around, eating his bath toys, and then watching the water go down the drain. I hope he always loves bathtime!

Not Enough

Tyler's daycare provider told me that once he achieved his first milestone, he would learn something new every two weeks. I think she's pretty right on! It's been two weeks since my last post, and Tyler has since learned how to sit up very well and roll over from his tummy to his back. That actually just happened this afternoon! Mike and I think that he'll be crawling really soon. Once he got pretty good at sitting, he began noticing everything else around him. Now, Tyler rolls to his tummy from a sitting position and rolls onto his back then to his tummy until he gets where he wants to go. He can only roll to the right, though :) And Ty can't sit up from a lying down position, yet...but it looks like we'll need to babyproof the house sooner than we thought!

Last week, we also switched from a baby carrier carseat to a convertible infant/toddler carseat. I think Tyler likes it better because he sits up a little more and he has more room to wiggle :) It's a little big for our car, but we're also hoping to get a minivan soon. Yes, seriously...we're going to get a minivan! We like the Toyota Sienna, Nissan Quest, Chrysler Town & Country, and Mazda MPV. Anyone love or hate any of those vehicles?

Drinking

I swear I could just watch Tyler all day as he learns and grows. It really is amazing how much babies learn in such a short time! He is so aware of his surroundings and is learning that he can interact with his environment.

I was holding Tyler in my lap the other day, and I picked up my glass of water and took a sip. It was harder than before because Tyler was now trying to reach for it himself, so I had to contort my body a bit and take a drink facing away from Tyler so I wouldn't spill water all over us. After I took a sip, Tyler continued reaching for the glass so I let him touch it and feel the condensation and coolness of the glass. After a minute or two of that, he put both hands on each side of the rim and brought the glass to his mouth to try and drink from it! I tilted the glass up and let some water flow into his mouth (which then dribbled down his chin onto his clothes), but Tyler LOVED it! The next day, I got him the First Sipster. I filled it with water and let Tyler try it out when we went to watch Mike run a 5k race on Monday afternoon. Tyler loved holding the cup himself and chewing on the spout, and most of the water ended up on his onesie, but he may have actually drank some from the sippy cup :)

It's all happening so fast...

Our little guy is growing so fast! It seems like every time I update my weblog with Tyler's newest achievement, he learns how to do something else!

On July 3rd, we took Tyler to the beach for the first time. He always enjoys experiencing new things, but I think the waves at the beach were a bit much for him, although he liked getting wet because it was so hot out.

Just last week, Tyler also started sitting up by himself for an extended time! I think he was so engrossed in his toys that he didn't really realize what he was doing. Mike set him in his Boppy pillow and Tyler just sat there and played with his toy. If he fell back a little, he would catch himself. If he fell back all the way, he would work his little ab muscles and try to right himself again. Sometimes it worked, but he never whined for help when he couldn't get back up. Now, Tyler can sit for a pretty good amount of time without the Boppy!

Also, if you notice in the above picture, Tyler's hair is getting pretty long. Can you guess where this is going? Yes, we did it. As much as I didn't want to do it, it had to be done. Many of you know that Tyler was blessed with a full head of hair at birth, most of which kept growing and growing! His hair was crazy and unruly at first, but as it got longer, it weighed itself down to his head so that only his cowlicks stood up (and eventually those hairs got so long that they sort of fanned down in a mini wave).

Anyway, the longer it got, the more we had to comb Tyler's hair to the side. He had been losing some hair from the back and sides of his head, so it looked like we were attempting a comb-over to hide the balding spots. At first, we were, but now those are sort of growing back in. The hair on top of his head was now reaching past his eyebrows and into Tyler's eyes. So, after much debating over the past few days, Mike and I…...okay, MIKE decided that we had better get it over with and cut Tyler's hair. We ended up cutting his hair while he was asleep (how horrible is that? What if YOU woke up and suddenly your hair was gone??). So, it's cut now, and it looks fine, but Tyler looks older than 5 1/2 months. We saved all the hair in a little ziplock bag. I can't believe we cut his hair before his first birthday!

He Rolled Over!

Today, July 2, 2006, Tyler rolled over from his back to his tummy! Of course, I missed it (we're visiting Mike's family and he and I were out with his brother and his wife running a few errands while the grandparents were watching the kids), but Tyler arched his back turned to the side and kicked his leg over his body! He figured out how to get his arm out from underneath him, too! Now, when we lay him on his back, he inevitably turns over on his tummy. What a great milestone, and how wonderful that we can see him experience the beginnings of it! Since Tyler doesn't really like being on his tummy, it's really funny to watch him flip from his back to his tummy and realize that he doesn't want to be facing the floor! Usually there's something to encourage him to flip over, like a toy or a person near his head, but once he actually flips over he doesn't want to be there :)

5 Months Old

I know, I know, it's hard to believe 5 months has already gone by. In some ways it feels like time has flown, but considering how much Tyler has grown, I can't believe it's only been 5 months. I compare Tyler to pictures of him from when he was a newborn and he looks completely different! Still so adorable and quite possibly the cutest baby I've ever seen...but I guess I'm a bit biased :)

He's on the brink of doing so many things, I'm so proud of him! He's a smart little guy :) Sometimes I'll just sit with him and ask him to say "mama" or "dada" over and over, and I can tell he's studying me, albeit with a big smile on his face. He talks back and I really think he's trying to say those words! On the other hand, I know that all these achievements mean he's growing...and as much as I want him to grow up to be an adventerous adult, I don't want this time with him to end. I love that when Mike or I hold Tyler, he's comforted and happy. I love that he can fall asleep on my chest, and that it seems like there is no place else he'd rather be than with us. I know that one day, he'll be a teenage boy and not want to hug his mom or even be around his parents. One day, Ty will feel like he can't wait to leave home for college, and I will miss him terribly and probably pull out his old pictures from these times and cry.

He's accomplished many "firsts" this month...We were so proud of him when he went in a "big" pool for the first time! Tyler didn't cry, whine, wimper or anything! He splashed around and even went underwater for the first time! We want him to grow up loving the water and the beach. Kids have so much fun at pools and beaches :)

Tyler is also much more aware of his surroundings and that he can interact with them. He was sitting on my lap at the dinner table and I had my plate on the table in front of me. All of a sudden, Tyler completely ignored his toy and reached for (and grabbed) my plate! He knew what he wanted :)

Tyler also notices when we eat. It was almost time for Ty's next meal, and he was laying on the floor under his play gym next to Mike. Tyler watched Mike take a bite of pizza and his little face wrinkled up and turned red and he burst out crying! He wanted to eat, too, and was mad that Daddy was eating right in front of him. We couldn't believe it! Mike picked him up and Ty stopped crying right away...and I got up and got his dinner ready :)

Another Milestone!

Well...sort of :) We had Tyler propped up on his tummy on a pillow, and he was reaching and reaching for a toy in front of him. As he was reaching, he kicked his right leg over his left and slowly rolled off the pillow. Maybe gravity had a little to do with the last part, but he definitely kicked his leg to get the momentum to even roll over in the first place. He was so surprised when he was all of a sudden on his back and facing me. All my sister and I could do was gasp and celebrate for him :)

We spent Father's Day weekend at my parents' house, which my dad loved! He got to see his two grandchildren on Father's Day. We gave him this picture in a frame:

And these are my favorite "Father's Day" pics. Here is Tyler with his Lolo, I just love their facial expressions!

And of course one of Tyler with his Daddy:

Happy First Father's Day, Mike!!!

4 and a half (months)

Actually, Ty is a little older than that, but it sometimes gets on my nerves when people keep referring to their kids as "23 weeks" or "19 months"...just round it up! Say "she's almost 5 months" or "he's a year and a half."

Well, Tyler's beautiful hair may not be around for long. It began falling out a while ago, but only a few strands at a time, here and there. Recently, we've been finding his hair on everything he uses, but mostly when we pick him up out of his crib in the mornings we'll find a bunch of hair where his head was laying! Oh it's so sad, but it's mostly around the sides and the back of his head...the top of his head is still pretty full of hair. From now on, I may start putting him on his tummy for naps!

Ty has gotten used to the motions his mouth has to make to eat the rice cereal, too! He used to get too frustrated when he was hungry to try to figure out how to eat the cereal and wanted a bottle instead, but now he gobbles the stuff right up! And he's getting less messy (note that I didn't say cleaner, just less messy).

Tyler found his feet the other day, too. If he's laying on his back (anywhere), he'll usually grab his feet, one in each hand :) It makes diaper changing time a little longer, but it's so cute to see him hold on to his toes like a little yoga man. He now giggles and laughs at me and Mike, too! Oh that sound is pure heaven. It just makes us want to get him to giggle more! I say the words "mamamamama" and "dadadadada" to him over and over when I change his diaper, and he just lights up and starts giggling. This also makes changing time a little longer :)

Today has been very dreary and cloudy. We are getting remains from Tropical Storm Alberto, so it's not too rainy or windy, but just cloudy and wet enough to make you want to stay inside. I guess I don't mind being at work so much today. It would have been a great day to stay in and cuddle with my two boys, though. Mike and I have not had as much time for cuddling as I think either of us would have liked in the past few days. We'll have to work on that :)

More Pictures!

Here are some cute pictures of our newest nieces.

Hannah, my sister's daughter:


And here are some of Sienna, Mike's brother's daughter:

Such beautiful little girls!!!

Big Boy

Yesterday, Tyler had his 4-month check-up. He did so well, smiling the whole time and talking with the doctor. He weighed 17 lbs and is 25.25 inches long! Instead of looking like a curve, Ty’s growth chart looks more like a rocket path…both weight and length :) He did so good with the 4 shots again, Mike was holding him and I was trying to distract him with a toy, Tyler didn’t even flinch when he got the first two shots. After the next two, he let out one big wail and Mike was able to easily calm him down. I guess those chubby little legs are good for getting shots :)

Tyler is figuring out how to sit up, too! He is so cute, most of the time he falls over, but his little arms are getting stronger so he can hold himself up for a short time! He was so excited when he did it all by himself :)

Growing Like a Weed

It seems like such a callous term for such a precious creature, but Tyler really is growing like a weed…I sometimes catch myself comparing him in my mind to how small he was when he was born. I remember holding him and trying to be so careful when picking him up and thinking about how fragile he was. Now he’s a baby. I don’t think I can even call him a newborn anymore, he’s already a baby. People think he’s about 6 months old when they see him, but he’s only a week past his 4-month birthday.

The day after he turned 4 months old, we began feeding him rice cereal mixed with formula. He had no idea what to do with it at first; his tongue kept wanting to push the weird mush out of his mouth. He didn’t finish even one serving each time, because he would get too frustrated and hungry. After a few more days of feeding (we tried as often as we could over the weekend, and during the week we fed him the rice cereal when we came home after work/day care), he began to get the hang of it! He’s now eating larger servings and, although a good part of it ends up on his bib/hands/arms/high-chair, I think he’s really eating it and enjoying it! When I feed him, I’ll hold a spoonful of mush in front of his mouth, waiting until he’s ready, but he’ll open his mouth and lean forward to chomp down on the spoon. If I don’t have another spoonful ready immediately, he’ll start fussing.

Tyler's neck muscles seem to be catching up with the size of his head, too! He can definitely hold his upper body up for much longer when he's on his tummy. Mostly, he likes sitting up or standing in his entertainer, since he gets a much better view of the world that way :) He's also on the brink of turning over (from his back to his tummy). If we lay him on his back on the floor, he'll twist around so that the entire top half of his body is turned to his side. He just has to figure out how to get one of those chunky little legs over and he'll be on his tummy!

I don't know how it happened, but my wrist has been KILLING me lately! My sister was a trainer at a high school and she said there was something wrong with a tendon. It actually hurt to pick Tyler up (not that it stopped me!). I've finally scheduled an appointment to see what's wrong, because it's been gradually getting worse over the past month.

On more joyful notes, Tyler has yet another cousin! Sienna was born on Tyler's 4-month birthday (May 26) to Mike's brother and his wife. They are all doing really well and we can't wait to meet the newest addition!

New England

I almost forgot! Tyler went on his very first plane trip on May 4, 2006. We flew up to Boston for my friend Julie's wedding. Her wedding wasn't until Saturday, so we rented a minivan (we're hooked on getting one now!) and drove to Connecticut to visit Mike's brother and his family. Our sister-in-law is due on May 28th, I think, but she could go any day now!

Anyway, Tyler has spoiled us yet again. He was an angel on the plane, didn't cry or fuss one bit! Mike and I were both a little unsure of how he would handle the pressure changes, but I made sure he was either drinking from a bottle or using a pacifier when we took off and landed. He slept almost the entire flight, to and from Boston!

All my friends finally got to meet him, too. They were so excited, and so was I. Although, it seemed like I now had a completely different life compared to the last time we were all together, it was so wonderful to be with them again. Mike was great, he took charge of Tyler for a majority of the weekend so that I could visit with my friends.

It IS kind of strange being back with my girls. I'm a mom now, and though hanging out and meeting for drinks the night before the wedding would have been a blast, I really preferred to stay with Mike and Tyler. Maybe it's just a phase, since Tyler is so new in our lives. I feel like I need to relish every moment of his babyhood that I can, because EVERYONE tells me that it goes by so fast...and when I look at pictures of him from when we first brought him home, I really believe that time whizzes by. Which brings me around to thinking about my friends again. I get so nostalgic when I think about how long we've all known each other (going on 11 years!) All 6 of us girls have kept in close touch with each other all this time...I just feel so lucky and blessed that I have such great friends in my life. And even though my entire life has changed since I last saw them, it didn't feel that way when we were all together again. I like to imagine the six of us 30 or 40 years from now laughing and talking over drinks, still as close as ever.

May 16, 2006 - My new niece's birthday!

My sister had her baby on her due date! Little Hannah was born at 8:25 pm on Tuesday, May 16. She was 7 lbs 3 oz and 20 inches long! Hannah-Banana is the cutest little girl, so sweet and perfect! My sister went home Thursday morning and is doing really well. Hannah breastfeeds really well and sleeps most of the time, for now :)

Here are some pictures of her in the hospital:
















And here is Hannah and her mommy:















And more of Hannah and Tyler together:

My First Mother's Day - May 14, 2006

It was great! I love being a mom! I love that I can celebrate such a wonderful day! Mike made me the cutest mug, with Tyler's little hand and feet-prints on them. I love it, I brought it to work and use it all the time! I had received a bunch of "Mother's Day" email forwards, mostly about how motherhood changes your life (in good ways!). I had read them in the past, before I even began to think about kids, and it's just amazing how differently I was affected by them this time! Most of them brought tears to my eyes...I finally understood what it was all about! Here is the forward that I liked the most:

Before I was a Mom, I slept as late as I wanted and never worried about how late I got into bed. I brushed my hair and my teeth everyday.

Before I was a Mom, I cleaned my house each day.

I never tripped over toys or forgot words to a lullaby.

I didn't worry whether or not my plants were poisonous.

I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom, I had never been puked on.

Pooped on. Spit on. Chewed on. Peed on.

I had complete control of my mind and my thoughts.

I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom, I never held down a screaming child so that doctors could do tests.

Or give shots.

I never looked into teary eyes and cried.

I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.

I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom, I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want to put it down.

I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn't stop the hurt.

I never knew that something so small could affect my life so much.

I never knew that I could love someone so much.

I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom, I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body.

I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby.

I didn't know that bond between a mother and her child.

I didn't know that something so small could make me feel so important and happy.

Before I was a Mom, I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay.

I had never known the warmth, the joy, the love, the heartache, the wonderment or the satisfaction of being a Mom.

I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much before I was a Mom.

On Saturday, May 13, 2006, Tyler acheived a major milestone. He purposely grabbed a toy! He was actually sitting in his bouncer, and I happened to walk by and see him reach out with his right hand and grab hold of the toy that hangs down from the bouncer toy bar! You could see the concentration in his face...it was so exciting! He did it again several times, so we bought him some small rattles and baby keys that he could more easily get his hands around. Now he grabs hold of anything he can :)

Yesterday, my sister called me to tell me she started feeling regular contractions. Well, regular in the sense that they were occurring often, but not at consistent intervals. Then, this morning, my mom called to tell me that my sister had gone to the hospital at 3:30 am because her contractions were closer together and she was feeling a lot of pain. And, get this...today is her due date! Who has their baby on their due date? 8% of women, I think?? So exciting! I will update as soon as I hear anything :)

Future Hokie!

Back at Work

I did it, I survived my first week back at work...sort of! My first week was only 3 days long, and it was hard enough. Monday was the worst, and I was much better by Wednesday (but maybe that was only because I knew I'd be spending Thursday and Friday with my little guy...). I cried all day on Monday, and when I wasn't crying I was showing my co-workers pictures of Tyler. It was not a very productive day ;) It was rough because Mike and I carpool to work. I usually drop him off on my way, and that's what we did on Monday morning, but then I also dropped Tyler off at the day care. I was in the car with my family when we left the house, but by the time I got to work I was all alone. Oh, it was so sad! It was all so new, too. I had to take a completely different route to work because I had to swing by the day care on the way. It just sort of marked another change in my life, I guess. I'm still a little sad that I have to go back to work in the morning, but it will luckily be another short week. I think that easing back into work is the way to go...so many emotions are stirred up inside of me.

It is so amazing how in love with this little guy I am! All I want to do is hold him and gaze at him, try to get a smile out of him, hug him, sing to him...and nothing he does makes me upset or mad or frustrated. If he pees all over the place while I'm changing his diaper, I just laugh. If he's crying because he wants another bottle, I just want to cuddle him and feed him. When he's sleeping, I just want to pick him up and put him on my chest.

When I met Mike, I never thought that I could be more in love with anyone than I was with him. But now he's got MAJOR competition :)

12 Weeks and 2 Days Old

One of my co-workers told me that the anticipation of leaving your child with a daycare provider is much worse than actually doing it. I go back to work in 2 days and it's really hard for me to fathom not being with Tyler during the day anymore. I don't even want to think about it, but it's lurking in the back of my mind all the time.

Besides all that mess in my head, Tyler is really growing like a weed! He's still lifting his head up, only more often now and for longer periods of time while on his tummy...and I swear I thought he said "ma" the other day! He's also smiling SO much now! We discovered he has 4 dimples, not two! I cannot explain the utter joy I feel when he smiles at me...there's no feeling like it in the world!

11 Weeks and 4 Days

I'm going back to work in a week! Seriously, I thought I would be jumping at the chance to go back, but actually, I'm hesitant. Not because I don't want to work (I think I will always want to work) but because I just wish I had a little more time with Tyler. In Europe, moms get 6 months of paid maternity leave! How great would that be? Don't get me wrong, I'm SUPER thankful that my job has allowed me 12 weeks already, especially since I think my old job would have only given me 6 weeks! It just has been so great to be with Tyler and watch him grow. I was looking back at pictures from when we first brought him home and comparing them to what he looks like now...such a short amount of time and so much change!

Speaking of change and growth...Tyler is consistently holding his head up when he's laying on his stomach now! He's almost pushing up with his arms, and wriggling around on his belly like he's trying to figure out how to crawl! It is so great watching him accomplish all of these things...I'm really going to miss spending so much time with him when I go back to work.

10 Weeks and 1 Day

Tyler had his 2 month well-baby check-up this afternoon. He got 4 vaccination shots (DTaP, Hib, IPV, and PCV7). Poor little guy...I couldn't stand to watch them do so many, so Mike and I spoke with the doctor while the nurses gave Ty his shots - two in each thigh! :(

The good news is that he's healthy and happy! He weighs 13.5 lbs and is 23 inches long/tall.

You know, it is just brutal what women have to go through in their lives. I don't think that I've experienced emotions as deeply in my entire life as those I've experienced within the last 3 months. We get pregnant, which is a wonderful experience and the closest to God that I've ever felt, but our bodies change so drastically and sometimes so suddenly. But yet, we deal with it and many women take it all in stride (I tried not to complain too much about aches or nausea). Then we go through labor and delivery, which is the craziest emotional roller-coaster I've ever been on. Once we come home with our new family member, we're then expected to know how to do and handle everything related to this tiny, delicate person. Women are the last line of defense...if your husband/boyfriend/partner doesn't know what to do with the baby, they turn to you! Once the shock of a new and different lifestyle has faded, some women have to go back to work. I'm telling you that 3 months of maternity leave seems like a long time, but right now it doesn't seem like enough. I will miss snuggling in the mornings with my son and being able to pick him up and hold him whenever I want, and watch him take his afternoon nap. And we're expected to handle everything so gosh-darned well! I feel like I should run and hide when I need to cry, or that I need to turn my feelings into a lighthearted anecdote to be told months later, when I've rationalized my mind into accepting that I cannot be with Tyler every second of the day. Whoever said that having a child is forever deciding to let your heart walk around outside of your body knew all this. The term bundle of joy is so true! I thought that there was no way that I could be happier than when Mike and I got married, but I truly am happiest when Mike, Tyler and I are out for a walk, snuggled on the couch, or playing on the floor together.

When we first brought Tyler home, I was so overwhelmed with the responsibility of taking care of him. I even confided to Mike that I couldn't wait until Ty was old enough to crawl or even sit up...wishing away those newborn times. Now that I'm only a couple of weeks away from returning to work, I want to hold him all the time and stare at him and make him smile, because he'll never be 10 weeks and 1 day old ever again. His cute baby grunting will soon become toddler cries or whines and his cute toothless grin will soon give way to teething.

I guess this nostalgia will soon fade when we get into a permanent schedule of work and day-care. But for now, I'm going to go and hold my son as much as possible.

9 Weeks Old!

Yeah, I can't believe it, either! Time sure flies nowadays. My maternity leave will be over at the end of April. I'm sort of looking forward to going back to work, but not looking forward to being away from Tyler all that time. :( Will he still know that I'm his mom when he's spending most of his waking hours at a day care? I'm going to miss him so much...I won't be able to hug and kiss him whenever I want to, and right when I have to go back to work, he'll be smiling more and sitting up more. I will probably miss a lot of his firsts, too...I'm starting to get teary-eyed right now just thinking about it! I can definitely see why a lot of women decide to stay home with their kids, even if they didn't plan to before.

Anyway, Tyler's starting to hold his head up more, now! When we hold him under his arms, he likes to push himself up with his legs and he can keep his head upright for several seconds at a time. He really loves laying under his play gym and batting at the toys with his arms and feet. He lay there for at least an hour while I put up new curtain rods and curtains in the living room!

He's also getting pretty chubby...we only feed him when he cries to be fed, and if it's too close to his previous feeding, we try to distract him and hold off until it's been 3 hours. Most of the time, he drinks 5 to 6 ounces at a time now. He's just so adorable, I'm kind of glad he's chubby so I can give him hugs instead of little pats on his back :)

Pictures!

Here are some pictures from our visit with Mike's brother and his wife, Dave and Rebecca:

This is Rebecca with a very content Tyler

Here's Tyler checking out his Uncle Chad

Tyler and I were pretty tired the next day

Finally, a group picture before we had to leave :)

Time Flies!

Wow, I can't believe it's been less than a week since my last post. Tyler will be 8 weeks tomorrow...craziness! So much has happened! We took Ty on his first road trip over the weekend to visit Mike's brother and his wife in North Carolina. Dave (Mike's brother) is in the Marines and will be deployed this summer, so we wanted to make sure we were able to see him and let Tyler meet him before he left. The drive was a little over 4 hours, and Tyler made the drive beautifully! We stopped once on the way down to feed him, and didn't have to stop at all on the way home. Luckily, the car ride lulls him to sleep, and he's good for 4 or 5 hours :)

We were only in NC for one night, but Dave was able to show us the helicopter he flies and Tyler was also able to meet his Aunt Rebecca and Uncle Chad for the first time, as well as see his grandparents again.

Tyler has also been sleeping in his crib every night, so far! We put him down around 9 pm and still go in to feed him about every 3 hours or so. Sometimes he goes for 4 or more hours between feedings, but it's usually 3 hours. Right now, Mike is doing the midnight feeding, and I'm doing the 3 am feeding. It's working really well, because once Tyler's in his crib, Mike and I actually have some alone time together in the evenings! One night, though, we didn't realize the baby monitor's batteries had run out and neither of us got up for Tyler's 3 am feeding. Mike was the one who heard him crying at 6 am! I don't know if Ty woke up at 3 am, but I assume he did and cried and cried himself back to sleep :( We felt so terrible! The next two days after that, I made sure I was at his side the second he started crying. Anyway, we didn't make that mistake again, and the monitor has fully charged batteries!

Today, Tyler was holding his head up while sitting. I had to support him sitting up, of course, but he was holding his head up for several seconds at a time! I held him up by his underarms and he was pushing off the ground with his feet to a standing position AND holding up his head! My boy is so strong :) I told his Daddy all about it, and when he came home, Tyler showed him, too!

Seven Weeks Old!

Tyler is seven weeks old today. Wow, I really can't believe it. I was looking at pictures of him from just a few weeks ago, and he looked so tiny! He's so big now...and fitting perfectly in his 0 -3 month clothes. I expect he'll be wearing his 3 - 6 month clothes way before he's 3 months old!

We bought this really awesome diaper "bag" for short daytrips. It's called the Essentials Diaper Bag. We got ours from Target, but I'm sure that you can find it at other baby or department stores. It's great, it has room for a couple of diapers, wipes, an insulated bottle holder, and lots of pockets for keys, wallet, etc. The best part is that it's worn across your chest, so that both hands are free, and you don't have to worry about a bag falling off your shoulder while bending over to pick up or talk to your baby!

Two nights ago, we started putting Tyler in his crib at night. We need him to get into a schedule before I go back to work at the end of April. It was really hard at first. He would cry and cry (and I cried, too, while holding the baby monitor), but I went into his room to comfort him and kiss him every 10 minutes or so. Eventually, he stopped crying and fell asleep and only woke up to be fed during the night. I couldn't believe it, but I also missed him so much already, and he was only in the next room! When he woke up at 6 am to be fed, Mike picked him up and brought him to me so I could snuggle with Tyler for a little bit. I fed him and we read a few new books together in bed. Last night was pretty much the same thing, but I think both Tyler and I cried more! Eventually, Tyler did settle down and fall asleep, again only waking up to be fed at night. I hope this gets easier :(

This morning, I wanted to see if Tyler could track objects with his eyes. I showed him a squeaky toy, and once he caught sight of it, I moved it around and he followed it with his eyes and even turned his head to it! I did it several times just to make sure it wasn't a coincidence the first time.

Almost 6 weeks

Tomorrow Tyler will be 6 weeks old! A month ago, I thought we'd never get to this point. I don't dread nights so much anymore, even though Tyler went through his 6-week growth spurt earlier this week. He was waking and eating every 2 hours on the dot.

On Monday, I had my post-partum doctor's appointment. Wow, I really missed my doctor! She's so nice and understanding...it was nice to be able to see her so often when I was pregnant, but now I'll only see her for my yearly checkups! But I did have a great talk with her during my appointment (and she got to meet and hold little Tyler). She made me realize that I hadn't gotten a full night's sleep since he was born. She suggested that I work something out with Mike for one night during the weekend where I sleep a full 8 hours uninterrupted. She even gave me a prescription for Ambien (though I don't think I'll need it). I talked to Mike about it last night, and he said that he would let me sleep through on Friday nights. Ahhhh...that will be so nice! Nowadays, when I get 3 or 4 hours of sleep at a stretch, I'm feeling pretty good!

After my appointment, Tyler had his 6 week check-up. He weighs 10 lbs 6 oz! And he got another booster shot for Hepatitis B. He was so good during the whole day! The pediatrician is really happy with his growth and muscle development. Looks like Mike and I are doing something right :)

Yesterday afternoon, Tyler and I even made it out early enough to meet Mike at work for lunch. We stayed for a couple of hours so that some of Mike's co-workers could stop by to meet Tyler. Last week, Mike had realized that a lot of people at his office were sick, so he got a hold of one of those anti-bacterial gel dispensers and installed it on his cubicle wall! It was pretty handy yesterday, because I didn't mind anyone holding Tyler once they used some of that anti-bacterial gel :)

Today, my goal is to work on some birth announcements...we'll see how that goes! The rest of this week is supposed to be gorgeous, so I want to get that stuff done today and spend all week outside with Tyler!