No!

We staved it off for as long as we could, but Tyler has started to say "no." Well, he doesn't really say it as much as he yells it. I don't know if he got it from us or from somewhere else, but he's definitely saying "no." It seems to me that he knows what it means, too. Tyler doesn't say it very often, but he uses it in context, so that's what makes me think he knows the meaning of the word. I love hearing his real actual voice saying a real word, but I just don't like that it's "no." :)

We also gave Tyler his 3rd haircut, May 6, 2007. We kept putting it off, trying to decide whether to bring him to a barber or just do it ourselves. I finally felt bad that his hair was so long and in his eyes all the time, so we just did at home :) It took a whole day, between naps and such. But we did it. Don't get me wrong, it's not a wonderful haircut, but luckily Tyler likes the "messy" look :)

I went to a college girlfriend's wedding the weekend of Mother's Day. It was a fun, long weekend. Just us girls hanging out and talking, eating, and drinking :) We all live so far apart, none of us live in the same state, so these visits together are occasional and much-anticipated. Mike and Tyler managed on their own for 4 days! I was very impressed with Mike and he made sure that I never got worried. I think he enjoyed the time alone with Tyler, but he said he was glad to have me back. I loved seeing my two guys standing in the airport waiting for me to get off my plane! That was late on Mother's Day evening, and probably the best gift I could have asked for. It was really hard being away from the two people who are the center of my life, but it was so great to be able to see my best friends and hang out with them for those few days.

All Mixed Up

I am torn. I want to be a good parent, to provide discipline and limits for my son, let him know there are things he shouldn't do, not give in to tantrums and whining. But I also want him to be happy, to ALWAYS be happy. The following events take place just about every night, around dinnertime:

Usually, Tyler begins whining, and the whines get louder as he notices I've started to prepare dinner. If Mike is at class or isn't around, Tyler follows me around the kitchen, not understanding why he can't have dinner NOW. He usually squeezes his way between me and the counter, and looks up, wanting me to pick him up.

"No, Tyler, I can't hold you AND cut chicken for your dinner at the same time." Now, Tyler throws himself on the kitchen floor and wails. No toy will appease him. I tell him he needs to be patient while Mommy makes his dinner. Nope, didn't work either. I ask him to get in his high chair to buy some time (he can't do it by himself, but he tries a couple of times before he grunts and motions for me to help him). By now, I've gotten most of his food ready and can actually give him some. When Tyler is strapped in and eating, he becomes the angel we all know.

He doesn't throw these tantrums very often. We can pretty much predict when he will throw one. Usually around dinnertime, when something is taken away from him (like our cell phones), and when he has to sit still and doesn't want to (like diaper changes).

Other than that we have moments like watching him try to climb onto the couch, or when he runs up to us and gives us a hug, blowing kisses, and my favorite...actually kissing us! Tyler was outside with us on Sunday, as we were doing some yardwork. I was kneeling and weeding with a bucket next to me (for throwing the weeds into), when Tyler sidled up between the bucket and me, leaned over and gave me the sweetest kiss on the cheek! It was totally his own action, he didn't copy anyone...he just did it! I don't know if he knows exactly what he's doing, or what it means, but that moment (and others like it) definitely get me through the tantrum events.

I know that Mike lives for those moments, too. He loves that Tyler runs up to him and gives him hugs when he comes home from work or class. I love watching both of their faces light up when they see each other at the end of the day. I like to think that we are making connections with Tyler, that even though we give him limits and tell him "No", he knows that he is number one in our world and we really would do anything for him.

A kiss and a hug from that little person would get me through anything. The little things really DO mean the most.

GO HOKIES!

I don't know what to say about the events that took place on Monday at my alma mater. Virginia Tech has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. I first visited the school when I was 10 years old, for an Odyssey of the Mind competition. Ever since that first step I took onto the Drillfield, I knew that I wanted to come back. I applied for early admission to Virginia Tech, and nowhere else. The years I spent there were some of the best of my life. I met my best friends there, and we've been just as close ever since. I met my husband there, too. We met at the library on campus and got married at the War Memorial Chapel. Virginia Tech has been in our hearts for a long, long time. We were so sad and angry to hear about the horrific events that happened at our wonderful school. We prayed for the faculty and staff we know there, and for all the students who had to go through such a life-changing experience.

I would like to encourage everyone who reads this to show your support for the victims of the horrible events that took place at Virginia Tech on Monday by participating in the Orange & Maroon Effect on Friday, April 20, 2007.

There is nothing that we or anyone can do to take away the suffering of the horrible day at Virginia Tech, but I also know that Tech is a big family of strong and resiliant people! I know that we will all get through this difficult time...and we'll do it all as Hokies.

Once upon a time...

I was a good blogger. That was before toddlerhood...and volleyball games 3 nights a week...and before Mike started taking night classes. These are good things, all of which I would definitely rather have than being a consistent blogger. Well, I think I'm consistently posting an entry once a month, so I guess I'm an okay blogger :)

Anyway, about toddlerhood. So wonderful! I love it! I love everything about it (yes, even Tyler throwing things on the ground just to have me pick them up so he can throw them away again). I love Tyler's sweet strong hugs, I love the way he runs to greet his daddy when he gets home from class, I love watching Tyler figure out new things (we are really into gears and Hot Wheels cars), I love hearing his voice as he says new words ("Tyler, what does a duck say?" "Cack cack!" "What does a lion say?" "Cack cack!"), I love watching how different traits of his personality develop as he grows! Tyler has pretty much figured out how to run (across a carpeted, solid floor, at least) and practices running back and forth in our living room and hallway. He's so independent and can play on his own, but LOVES when one of us is there with him. As long as we're playing with him, or next to him, he's happy as can be.

Ty has learned how to climb, which is a bit nerve-wrecking:

...but he has learned how to get down from the couch and our bed. At least he knows he can't just walk or crawl right off the furniture :)

Tyler's pretty dexterious, too. He can hold a pencil/crayon correctly!

Another thing about toddlerhood that I love is how Tyler watches what we do and imitates us. He watched me open the door with my house key yesterday afternoon, and this morning he found my keys and picked one out and tried to put it in the lock! He just remembered seeing me do it the day before, and did it on his own the next day! Such a smarty pants :) Tyler watches us play tennis on the Wii sometimes, and he's picked up the motions, too:

We spent Easter with my family. Even though it was cold, we still had a quick Easter egg hunt at my uncle's house and we all brought food and hung out. It was awesome seeing everyone again, Tyler missed his little cousins :) The kids were so cute with their baskets:

Slacker

I know, I'm horrible. This is the only written record of my firstborn's growth and development, and my OWN parental growth and development, and I've not been a very diligent blogger. I have, however, been thoroughly enjoying my son and my husband and the lovely weather we've had these past couple of weeks.

Two weekends ago, Mike went on a guys' ski trip (with his brothers, brother-in-law, cousins and some friends). They left on Friday evening and came back on Monday night. So, it was just me and Ty all weekend. While we missed Mike, it was sort of fun being just me and Tyler.


We went to a park on Saturday, then ran some errands, and on Sunday evening we met my sister-in-law for pizza. Pretty low-key, but I enjoyed all of it. I always feel that the times I'm with Tyler are times I need to make up for him being in daycare all week. Every evening we all just play and have dinner, then play some more until Tyler goes to bed. Then it's time for Mike and I to be together. Not that it always happens like that, but usually it does. Anyway, that weekend I was just reveling in me and Tyler time! Mostly I love to just watch him. He's very independent when he plays, but he learns so well by watching what other people do and imitating them.



Tyler has started dancing, too! He's so cute, we just don't know if he has my dancing genes or Mike's :) He sort of bends and straightens his knees and just bobs up and down, so we have yet to determine his dancing style.




When Mike came home from his ski trip, Tyler had learned how to give kisses! It was a fun way to greet his Daddy:

Toddling

Well, it's official. My sweet little baby boy has become a curious toddler. He's walking so much now. I know that I'm still getting used to it, because when I call Tyler and ask him to come to me, I'm still surprised when I see him walking! He's learned how to get up on his feet without having to pull himself up on something, and if he falls down...well, he'd rather try and get up on his feet again instead of crawl (which is what he used to do only a week ago!).

Here's a video of Tyler walking across our kitchen:


Tyler is so much his own person now, it's remarkable to watch him. I could just sit with him and watch him play for hours. Tyler is really good at stacking blocks now, and can put LEGO blocks together and take them apart! He absolutely loves the just-for-baby volleyball that Mike and I bought him several months ago. He can pick it up and throw it, all while standing :) Tyler also loves playing cards, mostly he likes to spread them all around on the floor, but sometimes he'll try to put them back in their case and help clean up :)

1 Year Old

Happy Birthday, sweet Tyler! You are 1 year old today! You have had a busy year, and by your birthday, you have become more confident at walking, taking 4 - 5 steps at a time! You would rather eat chopped broccoli on your own than have Mommy feed you macaroni and cheese, and you have almost stopped drinking from a bottle (except for once or twice a day, around naptime/bedtime).

You weigh 24 pounds and are 30 inches tall! You love opening and closing drawers, doors, and containers. You love playing with the Hot Wheels and Matchbox cars that Daddy gets you, and you are very good at putting cars on the racetrack! You can recognize shapes and put the correct shape in the shape-sorting bucket, but your favorite thing to do has got to be knocking down towers and stacks and messing up things that are in order :)

Daddy and I cannot believe how much you've grown in just one year, and constantly marvel at how independent you are. It seems not so long ago that you were a sweet little guy who loved to be swaddled in blankets by your daddy. We remember so clearly what it was like to bring you home for the first time, the first bath we gave you, the first time you slept by yourself in your own room, and so many other firsts!

Tyler, you make Daddy and Mommy so happy and we love you so much! Happy first birthday!

First Steps

You read the post title right...Tyler took his first steps last night! At first he was standing next to our living room chair (holding onto it), then he turned around and saw a toy that was a few feet away. He let go of the chair and took a step towards it, all on his own!! I think he got a bit excited (probably because I was laughing and clapping for him once I saw what he was doing), and promptly plopped down on all fours and crawled to the toy :)

Once Mike came home, I told him what happened, and we made this video: (drumroll please...oh, and you'll have to pardon my squealing with glee!)

Quickies

Just wanted to post a few quick pics & a movie :)

I caught Mike and Tyler asleep on the couch the other night...my two boys are the cutest!!















And here is a cute video of Tyler "running" around the house, with Daddy's help...but Tyler's taking all the steps himself!

10 Months Old

Happy 10 month birthday, sweet baby Tyler! It is so hard to believe that you are almost a year old, and yet we (your Mommy and Daddy) are constantly amazed by all that you have learned and accomplished in such a short time. We love how you still snuggle with us, we love your hugs and your gorgeous smiles, we love watching you play and learn, and we feel so lucky to be such a big part of your life. This month, you got dressed up for your first Halloween (as a cow), you had turkey, corn and green beans on your first Thanksgiving, you learned how to walk with a walker, you started clapping your hands, you learned how to wave "hi" and "bye", you learned how to catch and throw a ball, and you began standing for several seconds without holding on to anything! You are such a busy little guy, always going from one toy to another or crawling around the house and following Mommy or Daddy. You love being outside, you love our cats (Gumby and Freddy), and you love feeding yourself!

We are so excited about spending your first Christmas with you. You are the greatest gift we could have ever asked for. We love you, son!

Always,

Mommy and Daddy

Sports Prodigy

Not to be a typical bragging parent but...we have the most coordinated kid EVER! :) Tyler is going to be some kind of sports star, we just know it! He can catch a ball that's rolled or lightly bounced to him and then bounce it back! I don't think I could do that until I was 10 years old, let alone do it at 10 months! Here he is in the kitchen with Mike:



Mike was also playing with Tyler last night in our office. Mike had a spindle of CDs that he opened and spread out on the floor. Tyler picked up the CDs one at a time by putting his index finger in the center hole and put each CD back in the round spindle cover. It was so methodical and purposeful, and each time he put one CD in the cover, he would look up at Mike as if to say, "Check it out! Did you see what I just did?"

Last night was a big night for our T-man! He was playing with one of the kitchen drawers (standing) and pulled out a box of Ziploc bags. I think he was so engrossed with the box and what was IN the drawer that he didn't realize he had pulled the box out and also let go of the drawer at the same time. When Tyler looked down and realized that he was standing all on his own, I think he got a little scared so he plopped down on his bottom :)

It's amazing how the littlest things mean so much.

Almost walking

Tyler first took a few steps with his walker (the kind that he pushes in front of him) the first week of November, and now he's gotten really good at pushing the walker! He's been cruising around the furniture, and getting more adventerous each day, for a couple of weeks now. I think he'll be walking soon!
Check out his first steps with the walker:


And his more confident steps this morning:

Maymont Park - November 4, 2006

We took Tyler to Maymont Park to enjoy the gorgeous fall colors. We showed him the Italian and Japanese gardens, and he had a blast playing in the grass!




























Tyler loves being up high on our shoulders...he kept laughing and giggling at Mike!




























Mike and Tyler had a great time playing in the grass, too:




























Then we found this beautiful waterfall, in the Japanese gardens:










































While we were walking, Tyler fell asleep in the stroller, so Mike and I enjoyed the beautiful scenery together:

More catching up!

Halloween was a blast in our neighborhood! We found Tyler the cutest little cow costume and Mike and I dressed up as farmers for the evening! Tyler looked so adorable as a little calf, I wished that he could wear that costume all the time...though HE probably wouldn't think it was such a great idea :)

Tyler's beautiful hair has grown out again! I hope that if we ever have a girl, she will be lucky enough to have the great hair that Tyler has :) Anyway, once again, we cut Ty's hair while he was asleep. This time, I think we did a better job!

Here's a before picture:

And after the haircut, jammin' out on the keyboards:

Since he was so cute, I had to get a kiss!

Catch-up

Wow, it's been almost a month since my last post. It's amazing how much can happen in such a short time! I actually wrote my last post from my father-in-law's computer while we were all in the Outer Banks. We were there last month for Mike's cousin's wedding...a fun beach wedding and an outdoor reception :) The previous weekend, we went to my cousin's wedding. She and a friend of mine from college met at my wedding and now they're married! Ahh, the circle of love ;)

Tyler has gotten so good at pulling himself up to stand (on anything he can!) and things that we didn't consider within his reach before are well within his reach now! He will stand next to our kitchen cabinets and has figured out how to open them. He pulled himself up under the kitchen table and can reach the tabletop, then proceeded to hang on and swing. It's also quite remarkable how fast babies can crawl! I try to chase him while on my hands and knees, and I am always surprised at how easily he gets away :)



Here's a picture of Tyler, all dressed up, at my cousin's wedding:


















After my cousin's wedding, we went to a pumpkin patch. We went on a hayride and picked a pumpkin. Tyler was enthralled with the tractor and its tires. He didn't even mind the dust and hay very much :)

Not Quite Babyproofed

Over the course of one weekend, Tyler progressed from slowly crawling to pulling himself up to stand. He didn't give his parents any time to babyproof! Now everything is fair game...the TV, the cat... :) Tyler pulled himself up for the first time by himself using a plastic storage bin one night, and he's been finding things to pull himeslf up on ever since. It's so sweet because he can now follow us around the house and he'll pull himself up using the storm door and smile at our other cat (outside), Freddy.

Auto Mobile

Our little guy is on the move! It was a quick progression...Tyler learned how to pull himself to kneeling from a sitting position last week. Then he learned how to get himself to a sitting position from lying on the floor just 3 days ago, and yesterday he took his first real crawling "step." Today, October 1, 2006, Tyler can officially crawl. He saw his daddy in the bathroom and crawled across the living room, into the hallway towards the bathroom. It's just so amazing to watch as Tyler learns how to do all these things! He'll be pulling himself up to standing before we know it...and the toddler years will be upon us. It really does go by fast...it just kills me to be away from him during his "baby" time. I know it doesn't last long, and I wish that I could just watch him and be with him all the time.



We think that Tyler tried to say the word "ball" last week, too. We were sitting on the floor and Tyler and I were rolling a ball back and forth between us. I would say, "Tyler's ball," and roll the ball to him. Then I would say, "Mommy's ball," and he would try to roll it back to me. We had been playing that for about 10 minutes or so (I must have said the word ball a hundred times!), and he said,"aall, aall." It seemed like he wanted to say "ball"!! That's how we saw it, at least :)

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!

Scoot

Even though we traumatized Tyler by bringing him to a large community pool (many screaming kids, vast ocean of chlorinated water), he still loves his bath! He especially loves watching the water go down the drain. We usually keep him in the bathtub and let him splash around while the tub drains. Lately, he's been scooting across the tub to get to the drain and plug it back up! It's the funniest thing to watch him, and he does it pretty easily because he's already wet and slippery :)

Well, since he's learned how to do the"butt scoot" in the tub, he's applied it to out-of-tub movements! Tyler and I were sitting on the floor last night and I had given him his volleyball. Usually he just likes to hug it and try to eat it. But this time I asked him if I could have the ball, and then I rolled it back to him on the floor. He was so excited that he "caught" it, he tried to push it back to me. We got into a whole game "catch" and he learned about taking turns :) Anyway, as Tyler got into the game, he would scoot a little closer to me each time it was my turn to have the ball!

Today, he is home with Mike. They're having a boy's day in, since we're getting remnants of Tropical Storm Ernesto, and it's been raining for the past 2 days.

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?