Photo Shoot

In an effort to save some money, we opted to take our own family pictures instead of going to a professional. While we still have a lot to learn about lighting, etc., the pictures came out very well for taking them on our own (using our camera's timer mode). And now we've got a picture of the whole family!

We started potty-training Tyler the week before he turned 3. He took to it very quickly and easily. Mike thought the best way to approach potty-training was to just go cold-turkey with diapers. No pull-ups, nothing but regular “big boy” underwear. We started on Saturday, January 17. Tyler’s day care teachers had also thought it was a good idea to go cold-turkey and wanted us to bring him to school that following Monday in regular underwear. Well, the weekend went splendidly! Tyler had a few accidents on Saturday morning, but by Sunday, he was going when we asked him to and doing a wonderful job! It’s been 3 weeks and, although he still has an accident now and then, they’ve only happened when he’s with us :)

We did hit a rough patch with pooping, though. When we put Tyler in underwear, he didn’t poop for 3 days. And when he did poop, it was in his underwear. We talked to him and explained to him where his poop was supposed to go. We offered him candy and toys, which he would get if he pooped in the potty. But he told me that he was scared about doing it. So, 3 days later, Tyler pooped in his underwear again. By now, this apparently wasn’t so bad to him. So, he pooped almost every day in his underwear, but only at home (he didn’t poop at all at school). Usually, when he pooped in his underwear, he also peed, so the mess was not easy to clean up. Mike enacted a rule in the house for Tyler: if he pooped or peed in his underwear, then he had to take a shower. Tyler didn’t like that rule too much, especially since the day after the rule was enacted, Tyler took a total of 5 showers.

Well, Tyler must have had an epiphany last weekend, or maybe he overcame his fear of pooping in the potty, because on Saturday, (February 7, 2009) he pooped (A LOT) in his potty! No more cleaning up poopy underwear! I asked him, like I always did, to sit on his potty and try to poop, since I knew it was about that time. I gave him his Leapster handheld game to play, and left him alone. I did hear him grunting a bit, and a few minutes later, Tyler yelled, “Mommy, I pooped!” So, I ran into the bathroom and I could smell it before I saw it…in Tyler’s potty was a pile of poop! I was so excited! I called Mike in to see it and we all did a little poopy dance J

Yesterday, Tyler must have overcome his fear of pooping in the “grown up” toilet, because he pooped there for the first time. Ahhh, even nicer to not have to clean up poop from the potty, either! GO TYLER! Thank you for making potty-training so easy!

First Smiles

Today, Mason smiled at me. A real, “I’m having fun, Mommy” smile. He actually smiled at me 5 or 6 times, and each time I giggled and cooed at him, so he did it again. I was giving him a bath in his baby tub, and after I soaped him up and scrubbed between all his chubby fat folds, I rinsed him off and filled the tub up with clean, warm water. Oh how he LOVED it! Maybe he loved feeling so light, or maybe he loved the warmth of the water, but whatever it was, Mason was having a ball! He watched me pour water on his tummy and cooed at me. Then, he smiled such a cute, dimpled smile…I melted. When we first had Tyler, I didn’t think that I could love anyone else so completely, but here I am, loving my new son just as much!

2 Months

Dear Mason,

Today you are 9-1/2 weeks old. Daddy took you to the doctor for your 2-month check-up and you weighed 14 lbs 13 oz.
Mason, you only seem to cry when you are hungry or when you need to be changed. Sometimes, if you’re in the mood to sit up and look around and we have you lying down, you might whine a little, but once you’re sitting up, you’re happy again. You are a sweet and cuddly little guy, and I think you prefer to be held and snuggled, but you’re so laid back that hanging out in your play gym or swing is cool with you, too.

You’ve started to talk to us (coo and gurgle) a little. You really light up you’re your big brother, Tyler, talks or sings to you. You look for him and zero in on his face when he talks to you. He loves you so much and is very gentle with hugging and kissing you.

Though you are a chubby baby, you can hold your head up for several seconds at a time. You’ve actually been able to do this for a long time, now. You are wearing 3 – 6 month clothes already, and the 0 – 6 month size socks we have you in are getting too small.

You have long, beautiful eyelashes, dark brown hair, and brown eyes. Your cheeks are so kissable and your tummy is perfect for blowing raspberries (Mommy and Daddy call them zzrrbrrrts).

Daddy and I love you so much!

Love,
Mommy

My first 3-year-old

Dear Tyler,

I can’t believe it, but you’re already three years old. Having your little brother, Mason, has made me realize how much you have truly grown, because I can still clearly remember what you were like as a baby. Seeing you now, with all your strength and independence, makes me so proud to be your Mommy, because I helped to get you to this point.

You are 38 inches tall and weigh 34 lbs. You have size 9.5/10 feet and wear (mostly) size 3T clothes.

You are such an active kid. And now I can actually call you a kid, because you’re no longer toddling around, unsure of your feet. You love jumping on your bed, you love jumping off of furniture, and from our couch to our chair, then back again. You just love jumping. Often, you land with a loud “thud” on the floor, sometimes you yell “Geronimo!” as you jump, but I think it sounds more like “Germino!” I can’t wait until we’re able to get a swing and some climbing playground equipment for you, because you love to play at playgrounds and parks.

You are also very talkative and so smart! I have gotten so many compliments from your current and past teachers and babysitters about how well you pronounce words or how they can count on you for the right answers. Of course, you were able to recognize all the letters of the alphabet, numbers 1 – 10, and many different colors before you were even 2 years old. Now, you can recognize your friends’ names when they’re written down and you can tell us what letters are at the beginning of any word we ask you. You are so curious about words, and you can pick up the correct pronunciation and use of many words and phrases very quickly. Many times, I’ll overhear you playing with your trains and you’ll talk about how an engine is “steaming along” or how another engine is “coupled up” to a freight car, because you picked up the phrases from the Thomas the Tank Engine TV show! One time, as you were playing with your trains again, I overheard you singing to yourself, “Holy crap, holy crap, holy crap…” I guess you DO listen to me, after all :)
You love to negotiate with Mommy & Daddy, also. We often try to give you a head’s up a few minutes before you need to take a bath or eat a meal, we’ll usually tell you, “Tyler, in 5 minutes we’re going to have dinner,” so that you know to stop playing. Well, you have begun to negotiate those times with us! “How about 10 minutes, Mommy?” Sometimes you even ask for ridiculous amounts of time: “Daddy, I’ll play for 40 minutes, then take a bath.” Nice try, buddy.

I am still amazed each time you talk to us and speak so clearly. I find myself talking to you as though you’re much older because you seem to understand abstract concepts so well. This morning, you asked me:
Are you done playing volleyball, Mommy? (I had 2 volleyball games last night and left while Daddy was putting you to bed).
ME: Yes, I’m done.
TYLER: Did you fall down?
ME: No, I didn’t.
TYLER: Good job, Mommy! Good job!

You can also follow directions easily. I can ask you to do several things in succession, and you remember and do them (for instance, you can put your toys away, wash your hands, and come to the dinner table, etc.). I even talked you through building a small LEGO boat as you read through the instructions. I only helped you follow the pictures on the instruction sheet, but you built the boat all on your own! I’m talking real LEGO pieces, not the Duplo or Megablocks stuff!

Tyler, your memory is remarkable. Often, I’m surprised at what you remember and how detailed your memory is. You know the names of all your Cars cars and all of the Thomas the Tank Engine trains that you own (which are dozens).

You love your little brother and, though he can’t quite interact with you yet, you still want to read books with him, show him toys, and take baths with him. You are very sweet and gentle with him. He lights up when he hears your voice and pays strict attention to you when you sing to him. I can’t wait until he can more visibly react to the things you do, and you’ll be able to interact with him!

We are in the throes of potty-training, something you took to very well and very easily. We went “cold turkey” on diapers 1 week before your 3rd birthday. You had a few accidents the first day, but have been pretty much accident-free at school, and have already learned to tell us when you need to use the bathroom (though you often whine and drag your feet when we ask you to use the potty).

You are a sweet and wonderful boy, and I’m so proud that you’re mine. I love hugging and smooching you. You give great hugs! During quiet times, usually before bed, you might tell me that you’ll miss me when you go to school the next day. I tell you that I’ll miss you too, but that I always look forward to seeing you at the end of the day when I pick you up and to any time that I get to spend with you.

I love you so much, and am looking forward to seeing how much more you grow this year!

Love and hugs and kisses,

Mommy

Who's turning 3?

During dinner the other night, Mike wondered aloud, "I wonder who's birthday is coming up next," to try and coax Tyler into talking about his own birthday. So, I chimed in and said, "Hmm, yeah, who is having a birthday soon?" Tyler looked at each of us and replied, "The postmaster."

Mason

Here's a short post announcing our newest arrival!

Mason was born on December 5, 2008 at 3:10 PM.

He weighed 6 pounds 15.4 ounces and was 19.25 inches long.

34 Weeks

On Friday, I was officially 34 weeks along. It's been a fairly easy and predictable pregnancy, I feel like all the minor discomforts are just that...minor...considering that we are going to hopefully have another healthy beautiful baby boy in 6 short weeks. So, as uncomfortable as I am now, with dull aches and pains, shortness of breath, and my energy level going down again, I don't really feel like I can or should complain. God has blessed us with so much, it's hard to look at these last few weeks with any negativity.

I don't know how truly READY Mike and I are for another baby to take over our lives, though! We seem pretty laid back about everything this time around, I hope that our attitude only means that we're confident! The baby's room is not quite ready, but we have finished moving Tyler out and into his new "big boy" room with all the trimmings and fixings. He seems to love it! Mike did most of the painting, I mostly helped with the cutting in and the closet. We just got back a bunch of newborn and 0 - 3 month clothes of Tyler's that we loaned to my cousin, and I've been stocking up on diapers when I catch them on sale. The only thing I haven't done is pack my hospital bag! I'm planning to take 8 weeks off after the baby's born, and Tyler will continue to attend daycare, though just part time while I'm home. I think my Mom will be coming for a week, and Mike will be able to take a week off of work, too.

I already love the holidays, the time between Halloween and New Year's Day is so festive, but I think this Christmas will feel extra special, because our family will have grown and changed so much since the previous Christmas!

Saturday was Mike's and my 5-year wedding anniversary. We had decided not to get each other any gifts, in anticipation of having many more added costs in the next few months for the baby, but I tasked Mike with planning our evening out :) We celebrated on Friday night, and Mike's brother watched Tyler for us so we could go out. We had a great dinner and a really wonderful time together. I had been anticipating our date all week, and I was really excited at the idea of a true romantic date! I wrote a freaking novel in a card that I gave Mike, and we ended up exchanging gifts that evening anyway. They didn't exactly go with the traditional 5-year anniversary gift of wood, but we'll at least use them! It was a really fun evening, and everything went perfectly! Happy 5 years, Mike, my sweet! I'm looking forward to many, many more years together :)

Thoughtful

This afternoon, when Tyler and I got home after I picked him up from daycare, I was collecting all my things from the car after I had gotten him out of his carseat. I had my purse, lunchbag, the mail, a magazine, and three of Tyler's sweatshirts that had been left in the car earlier in the week in my arms. Tyler saw this, and said,"Mommy, I'll get your drink." So, he climbed in the front seat and got my water bottle out of the center console for me. Then he said,"You have lots of things in your hand, I'll hold your water." So sweet!!!

Mommy is a Princess

I was showing Tyler some old pictures, including ones from my sister's wedding 4 years ago. One picture was of just me and my sister, I was wearing my bridesmaid dress and she was in her wedding dress. Tyler pointed to me and said, "Mommy, you're a princess?" How freaking cute is that?? How wonderful is it that my son thinks I could have been a princess? God, I love that kid!

32 Months Old

Tyler, you are 32 months old today! It's hard to believe that you'll be 3 soon, because I can still so clearly remember when you were so small that you fit in the crook of my arm. Fortunately, you still like to snuggle with your Mommy. I know that can't last much longer, but I will relish the feeling of it as long as you'll let me. You are a talkative and outgoing little guy, now! You take almost no time to warm up to new children, and even strangers (which is fine when you're with us, but we need to start teaching you how to be safe!). You started in a new day-care (we call it school for you) earlier this month and made new friends on the first day! All the kids are your age and your new school is close to home, so we hope you'll get to see your friends outside of school, too. Maybe some of your friends will end up in your Kindergarten class :)

The first week you were there, your teacher talked to me and told me how smart you are! Daddy can pick you up from school sometimes, and he noticed that many children in your class don't speak as clearly or as much as you do. You pronounce "L", "R", and "S" very clearly, and can make "F" sounds for some words (but not for others…you will say "five" but not "four". When you say "four" it sounds like "dour").

You know to respect other children, even when they may not seem to respect you! Your little cousin hit you with a hard toy, but instead of hitting him back, you told him, "Stop it, I don't like that!" Maybe you also understood that he was smaller than you and didn't know any better?

You know so MANY words! Daddy and I are amazed every day when you use a new word (like "nervous" and "collapse"), and you use them correctly!! You have some phrases that you like to say often, also: You love telling us that things are "So silly!!" and you always laugh while you say it dramatically; when you want to tell us about your day, but can't remember everything, you say, "I want you to talk to me," when you want us to ask you questions about the things you did; and when you're hungry, you'll tell us, "My tummy's not full yet!"

Lately, you like to pretend there are "big, bad fish" everywhere! We know it stemmed from a book ("The Little Tadpole") that has a big, bad fish in it, but you seem to think they're everywhere now and that you need to get rid of them. You also like to pretend you, Mommy, or Daddy are stuck in mud so that we have to get a pretend rope and pull out whoever is stuck.

Your favorite toys are still your cars and trains. They go everywhere with us. Luckily, you LOVE reading books, too. I'll often find you in your room with a pile of books around you if you've been left alone for a few minutes.

You're also interested in many toys that are more advanced than your age. Lincoln Logs are fun, because Mommy and Daddy build you houses that your cars or little Lincoln Log people can go in and out of. You have a marble run that configures into many different designs, and you love putting the marbles through the system.

You also have your Mommy & Daddy's stubbornness (hard-headedness!). When you don't want to do something (like go to sleep) and we want you to, it's a battle of wills that lasts forever! Well, that's what it feels like to Mommy, sometimes! Hopefully, that stubbornness will help you in a positive way as an adult :)

Well, my almost-three-year-old sweet Tyler, you are the pride and joy of your Mommy and Daddy. You continue to amaze us every day just by being you. You are learning so much and can express yourself so well and we enjoy having conversations with you and singing songs with you (you even taught Mommy and Daddy the "Apple Song" that you learned at school:

Five little apples smiling at me!
I shook that tree as hard as I could,
Down came the apples.
Umm, they were good!)

So adorable! We can't wait to see what you'll show us next!

Love,

Mommy

Leave Me Alone!

We were trying to get Tyler to bed last night, he kept getting up and refused to stay in bed. So, Mike told him to sit in timeout until he was ready to get in his own bed. After some crying and whining, Tyler quieted down. Mike checked on him after he'd been quiet a minute or two and asked if he was ready to get in bed. Tyler said,"No, Daddy. Leave me alone!" I don't know where he got it from, but I guess it's a step up from "I don't want you!" which is what he usually says. I had been telling Tyler that he shouldn't say that ("I don't want you") because it's mean and hurts our feelings. Maybe he really listened and figured out something else to say instead?

Nervous?

Tyler was looking through a Thomas the Train book, which had Cranky the Crane shown on one page. The crane was holding a net full of watermelons and had a worried look on its face. I asked Tyler what was wrong with Cranky the Crane. Tyler replied, "He's nervous."
"Nervous? What is he nervous about?" I ask, thinking that Tyler must not really know what the word nervous means.
"He might drop the watermelons."
Crap! Okay, so maybe my 2-year-old knows what the word nervous means, after all!

26 Weeks

A little bragging

So, I picked up Tyler yesterday afternoon, after his first day at his new daycare. He was rather hungry...he usually says"My tummy's not full, Mommy!" which is the cutest thing to hear, but is quickly followed by whining and some crying. It's the first thing he said to me when I picked him up this afternoon. I luckily had a banana with me, and he was momentarily appeased for our short drive home. Mental note, must still bring snacks when I pick up Tyler.

When we got home, he told me he didn't like his new daycare and wanted to go back and see his friends at his old one. I asked him if he wanted to talk about his day, but he was still too hungry to want to talk! He drank a cup of milk and ate some applesauce, then was finally able to concentrate and talk to me. I wonder what he ate at school.

Anyway, Tyler quickly cheered up when we started reading books to him. He didn't seem to want to talk about his first day at his new daycare. I hope tomorrow will be better! This big change has made me realize that he's growing up right in front of me. Although he still loves trains, trucks, and cars, he plays with them so differently than he did when we first introduced him to them. There are storylines he follows...most are very similar to the Cars movie scenes (a movie he STILL loves) and names that he gives to each car he plays with. During the Olympics, he always named a car "USA" and other cars represented other countries. Afterwards, one car was "USA" and another was "Michael Phelps", THEN he named the rest of the cars other countries! Just this evening, he was playing in the bathtub with 3 cars, and he made one car hit another. The third car scolded the culprit car and put it in "timeout" with no toys so it could think about what it did! That car then had to apologize to the first car and then had to sit down and talk with the "mommy" car about what it did and why it was wrong to hit other cars.

Tyler has a soft side, too. If he thinks that he accidentally hurt you, he tries to kiss you where you hurt and says,"I sorry...I not mean to do that." He usually asks if you're okay if he thinks you're sad or upset!

Mike bought Tyler a little set of mini puzzles. Each puzzle is a picture that has a certain amount of one object shown, with the number on one side and the shape on the other. For instance, one card has a "5" and shows five party hats, and then has a picture of a triangle. The "5", the hats, and the triangle are each on different puzzle pieces. Tyler can put all of them together! He knows that a hexagon has 6 sides and doesn't need to separately count up to three objects before telling you how many there are (he can just look at them and tell you if there are 1, 2, or 3 cars, blocks, etc. in front of him)!

Big Day

What I thought was going to be a big deal turned out not being anything.  Today was Tyler’s first day at his new daycare/pre-school.  I don’t know if I should credit his personality, my preparing him for weeks that this day was coming, or just the fact that he’s a 2-year-old and can adjust to his environment for the easy drop-off we had this morning.  Anyway, like I was saying, what I thought was going to be a big deal turned out to be like any other day.  Tyler was previously attending a great in-home daycare near my office.  He’s been going there since he was 3 months old, when I returned to work from maternity leave.  He’s learned a lot and developed his personality from that environment (and we hope to be able to put his little brother there when the time comes, as well).  But, that in-home daycare is just for infants and toddlers, and we wanted to move Tyler to a daycare/pre-school closer to our house for a few reasons: 1) He’ll be playing with kids who he may end up going to kindergarten and elementary school with; 2) It will be close to home when I’m on maternity leave and Tyler can still attend part-time; 3) Mike (or our sister-in-law, in an emergency) can pick up Tyler if I can’t.  Tyler’s in a class with kids his own age, so they’ll help potty-train him, too!  I was anxious about dropping him off, but he went right in and made some friends before I finished talking to his teachers!  I gave him a big hug and kiss and he was off.  I don’t think he even noticed that I left.  I had a whole arsenal of things planned to do, in case he got upset or scared, but I didn’t have to do anything out of the ordinary.  As proud as I am of him and how quickly he became comfortable, it’s another sign of him growing up that I don’t think I was prepared to handle.  What am I going to do on his first day of kindergarten???!!  I don’t think that I’m normally an emotional person, but these pregnancy hormones are really kicking in, and all I wanted to do this morning is cry.  Tyler and I won’t have our talks in the car during our commute anymore.  I’m losing a whole hour per day of dedicated Tyler and Mommy time.  I knew that this day eventually had to come.  He couldn’t stay at his old daycare for much longer, anyway.  I wish I just had a little more time…but, don’t we all? 

Getting Uncomfortable

I had a check-up with my OB on Friday, and everything looks good...according to her! Although I'm only 25 weeks along, I feel like I did when I was 8 months pregnant with Tyler. I get surprised reactions when people see me and then find out I'm not due until mid-December. "Oh!" they usually say. But, the way they say it sounds more like, "Oh! I thought you were due mid-September!"

Honestly, though, I don't really care about how big I look or how far along I look. I care that I'm becoming more uncomfortable more often. I know I won't be able to bend over for much longer, and the weight of my boobs is slowly pulling me down into a posture associated with women much older than me who have osteoperosis and great-grandchildren.

On the positive side, our little guy is doing really well and is very active. I play music for him through my iPod and headphones on my belly every afternoon while I'm at work. He seems to enjoy that...He usually dances when he hears the music :)

Adventures in Potty Training

While trying to potty-train Tyler, we put his potty in the living room, so it would be easier for him to get to and he could sit on it while still reading his books and not be in the bathroom by himself. We have to constantly remind him to make sure his penis is pointed down into the potty. On Saturday, he was especially energetic and kept playing with himself while sitting on his potty. I told him to point his penis down into the potty and he responded with, "I can't, Mommy! It's too big!" Mike said, "That's not a bad thing!"

It's a...

BOY!! We're having a boy!! Here's Tyler telling everyone :)

Myrtle Beach

We went to Myrtle Beach, SC the other week for a vacation with my sister, her family, and my parents. The kids had a really great time, and it was nice to be able to just hang out and relax for a whole week! Tyler couldn't get enough of his cousin, Hannah. He would wake up each morning and ask me where she was. All he wanted to do was hang out with her...so freaking adorable! Here are some pictures from our fun week:

First, we went to Ripley's Aquarium:

There was a cool exhibit that allowed you to walk "through" the aquarium. We saw sharks, turtles, and lots of fish. Tyler's favorite part, of course, was seeing the sharks:

Our only family photo from the vacation:

There was a pool just outside our condo entrance, which we made good use of :) Tyler loves the water, now!

Here's my sister and her daughter, Hannah:
There was a putting green right behind our condo unit, too:

This is one of my favorite pictures from the week, Tyler and Hannah took a break from reading to say "Cheese!" for me:

We went to a paint-your-own-pottery place and made a few pieces. Tyler colored a tile, Mike and Tyler painted a plate together, and I made a cool Virginia Tech trivet. My sister and her husband also made a plate, a serving dish, and Hannah made a tile. The woman who ran it was really nice and even offerred to take this picture for us:

We went to the beach on a couple of mornings, too. The South Carolina beaches are apparently all free! The one we went to was in a national park, was very clean, and not crowded at all. We had a lot of fun doing our normal "dig a big hole and build a wall around it so water doesn't get in" ritual for playing in the sand.

Here are myself, my mom, Tyler, Hannah, and my sister chilling out on the beach: