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!