New Achievements!

It seems like every time I have a chance to sit down and write a little bit about Tyler and what he’s learning, he goes and figures out something new and I’m already behind! Right now, he is on the brink of really crawling…don’t get me wrong, he can get to a toy (or a camera or remote control) on the floor if he wants to, but his main mode of transportation is rolling back and forth from one side to the other on his tummy and wiggling to get to his destination. And then, he can’t figure out how to sit himself back up once he’s laying on the ground. I think that will come soon, too, but for now, he whines until one of us rights him!

I just recently started letting Tyler try to use a spoon during his feedings, and now he will only eat if he can hold a spoon in his hand. Mostly, he holds it upside down and often nearly gags himself with the spoon (either end), but he knows that the spoon is used to get food. He is also working more on his “pincer” grasp, but grabbing a bunch of food with his fist still works best for him.

Mike and I brought Tyler to his first college football game last weekend. We traveled to Blacksburg, Virginia to watch Virginia Tech shut out Duke. Not a terribly exciting game, but it’s nice to travel all that way and be able to cheer for so many touchdowns! Tyler actually fell asleep during halftime and stayed asleep through most of the 3rd quarter! I just plugged his ears when the fans began cheering and he slept on my lap.I think both Mike and I discovered how much we miss the mountains. We lived in Blacksburg for 5 years after we met and left because we thought we wanted to live closer to a big city. Well, you know the old saying "You don't know what you've got until it's gone"? I think that's us right now. We had a nice, relaxing life in Blacksburg, and I think a small town would be a great place to raise kids...who knows, we may find our way back there yet! With views like this, how could we not?

One of the things I have found hardest to balance, since having Tyler, is being a mom and being a wife. In my opinion, the first year of life is one of the most important for a child. They learn so many things, and they change so much between birth and their first birthday. I don’t want to miss any of it. I want to revel in the fact that I can rock Tyler to sleep every night. I want to enjoy holding him and allow him to feel secure, loved, safe, and comfortable. I know that one day, maybe sooner than I want, he won’t want to snuggle with me anymore and he won’t smile every time he sees me. I don’t know exactly how Mike feels during all this, but I do know that our time together often has to wait until Tyler has been put in bed. Unfortunately, Mike and I are usually both ready for bed by then, too!