Tyler: Week 26

December 15-December 21, 2010 (25w-25w6d old)

Tyler Update:

• He started this wild slapping motion.  He raises both arms, flails them up and down and slaps his thighs.  Kerry says he's playing air drum.  He even does this when he touches our face or grabs our mouth.  It's about as pleasant as kissing windshield wipers.

• He experienced his first taste of foot.

• He loves scootching all over the bed.  It's the perfect playground for practicing crawling.  Here he is at his first hotel stay having a hay day in the king bed.

• He graduated from the co-sleeper to the pack-n-play.  He still fits in the co-sleeper, but it didn't allow him much room to move around now that's he more mobile.

• He started turtle heading.  This is our term for when we look over at the pack-n-play and he's peeking his head out staring at us.

• He whines a "mmmm" sound with his lips closed when he's tired.

• He sings himself to sleep with a groggy moan.  He started this a couple weeks after we started singing him to sleep.

• He received his first personalized Christmas ornament.  He thoroughly examined every angle of it.  Thank you Great Aunt Carol! 

• He experienced his first road trip, about a 7-8 hr drive down to lower Alabama to celebrate Christmas with Kerry's side of the family.  He did pretty well, just a few fussy moments where he wanted out of his car seat, which I don't blame him one bit.  He did have one meltdown that called for desperate measures.  Desperate = me in the back seat leaning over his car seat sticking a boob in his mouth!  Hey, it worked!  I told him Righty would have to do because there was no way I was flexible enough to give him Lefty.

• He's fascinated by head lights at night.  Note to self, never try to breastfeed at night parked near a busy street when in a hurry.  Apparently car head lights are way more cool than mama's head lights.

• He opened his very first Christmas present this week.  He was much more interested in eating the paper.  Every single strip of paper went in his mouth.

• He was Mommy and Daddy's perfect gift.

• We discovered he loves puppets.

• Video:  He loves Daddy's magic carpet ride.

• He had his first ocean experience at the Gulf of Mexico.

• He experienced sand for the first time.

• Video:  A stroll down the beach and proof that parents are willing to humiliate themselves to get a baby to laugh (and that I'm the world's worst singer ever)!

• He's already fascinated with cars.  Typical boy!

Tyler: Week 25

December 8-December 14, 2010 (24w-24w6d old)

Tyler Update:

• He loves remote controls, just like Daddy.  One morning I woke to my adjustable bed going up and down.  This is what I found when I opened my eyes.

• We've been teaching him sign language.  We sign and say words we want him to learn and also bought him a DVD.  Studies show that babies that can sign have significantly less frustration and temper tantrums because they can communicate what they need way before they can talk.  Here he is watching his Signing Time video. 

• He's getting closer to sitting unassisted. If we support his legs, he has the core strength and balance.  Here he is watching pajama church.  With the raised bed supporting his legs, he can sit for a good bit of time.

• He loves the song Goodnight Sweetheart.  We sing it to him every time we put him to bed.  It seems to really put him in a peaceful state and helps him fall right asleep.  He loves the ba-da-da-da parts and just grins ear to ear.

• He outgrew his newborn mesh insert and is now sitting in his tub.

• He fell asleep on his own while playing for the first time. 

• He experienced his first snow fall.

Video:  Tyler's first experience touching snow

• He keeps pulling his art cards down and examines them.

Show and Tell:

• We celebrated Tyler's great grandmother's 95th birthday at Opryland Hotel.  He loved all the Christmas lights.

• Tyler chillin' while mama gets ready.

• Tyler all ready to go run errands in his bear snowsuit.

• Tyler pooping in his new bear snowsuit!  This seems to happen every time we're ready to leave!

• Video:  Tyler blowing spraying raspberries.

Tyler: Week 24

December 1-December 7, 2010 (23w-23w6d old)

Tyler Update:

• He poops and pees in his potty chair.  It's really quite impressive.  We just sit him on it and tell him to go potty and if he has to go, he goes.  Amazingly he's very patient and will sit there until he goes.  I try to give him several potty-tunities a day.

• He likes to pick up and drop his toys over and over again while he sits on the potty.

• For a little guy that can't sit or crawl yet, he sure can get around.  He is all over his crib.  He rolls, inch worms and climbs the slats sideways as if they were a ladder.

• He started rocking side to side in his exersaucer.  I say "Rock it Tyler, Rock it!" and he goes crazy rocking side to side.  It's so funny.

• People seem surprised when they ask his age and hear how young he is.  They respond with wow, he's big!  It must be his long torso plus a cloth diaper.

• I started softly rubbing his face and saying "gentle" whenever he gets unintentionally aggressive with hands, ie pulling hair or scratching my face.  He seems to understand as he softens his touch.

• He's getting really good at turning the pages to his books.  He seems to understand "Tyler, turn the page".

Video:  Tyler turning pages

Video:  Tyler can read!

Show and Tell:

Daddy surprised Tyler with a visit at lunch time.  Tyler lights up when he sees his Daddy.

Kerry loves palming him in the air.  Tyler is 8 ft up when Kerry stands.  I got a feeling this kid will not have to deal with fear of heights.

This is what I found when I came out of the bedroom, Kerry in the Nap Nanny watching football!

Our little newsboy:

He cracks us up with his squat stance.

Video:  Dancing Baby

Video:  Daddy's kisses are funny

Mama Update:

• I think I've hit an all new sleep deprivation stage.  It's not surprising, I've been getting up 2-3 times in the middle of the night, every night, for almost 6 months straight now.  The most sleep I've had in one stretch has been 5 hours and that doesn't happen very often.  I'm not complaining because this little guy is worth every second of it, what I am saying is that my brain just doesn't function very well these days.  I struggle to finish my sentences and if someone asks me how yesterday went, I sit there looking dumbfounded and say, I don't know, what was yesterday?

• My hair loss has slowed down a little.  It probably would slow down even more if Tyler would quit yanking it out. 

• I was able to freeze my first bag of breast milk this week!  I actually froze 3 bags.  This was a huge milestone for a low supply BFing mama.  I must have opened the freezer door 20x, looked at that bag and smiled.  I know, I'm crazy, but it was such a huge accomplishment.  I contribute this to Ty's new routine as I'm now nursing 8 times a day instead of 13.

Merry Christmas!

A Very Merry Christmas to you all from the Tall Dude Short Chick family!

Fall Photos

Here are our photos from our November 13th Fall photo shoot.  Tyler is 4.5 months.

We had the following photos done for his giraffe themed room.