It's Been a While....

It has been a while since I haven't written anything here about Tyler or our family...time is passing quickly! I am not planning to play catch up at this very moment mainly since it has been a very long day out and about and ending up at the Dr. for Tyler's 9 month check up. He needed to get blood drawn to do a blood panel, check for anemia and check his iron levels. It was so horrible and I hardly want to think about it, poor baby. He did great and I wish he was old enough for ice cream because I would have gotten him one on the way home :( He went to bed early and I am so tired, so I will plan to update things soon. Tyler is growing so fast and I can't believe that I am already starting to think about his first birthday (I actually have been thinking about it for a while now, but now I can actually start to plan)! We are so blessed with a wonderfully healthy baby who is so full of life. His little personality comes out more and more every day. His latest is giving hugs when you pick him up from the carseat or crib, love it. Well, I could go on and on about my precious little one, but I am going to take advantage of a quiet house and get some rest.

My Little Man...

Some cute pictures...

Our First Playdate at the Zoo!!

Tyler and I went on our first playdate to the Houston Zoo this week with some great friend that have a baby boy the same age as Tyler! The babies did amazing, even in the hot, sticky Houston heat. Tyler really seemed to be looking at some of the animals, and even ate his apples and sweet potatos while we were there. We had a great time and now I am looking forward to more outings in the future!!

Mommy Time

Last night I went to get my hair cut and colored, then I had a Baptism class to attend at the church. It was so nice to get out and about on my own, although I felt so weird the whole time, like I was missing something!! Tyler did great for Daddy. He ate his bottle and apples, and slept great last night, two nights in a row!! I am starting to wonder if the cereal we have been giving him just doesn't agree with him...hmmm... I feel so re-energized today, especially after attending the Baptism class. It made me remember to embrace the new role in my life as a mother. Being a mother is such a wonderful and challenging journey. I have been going though some weird things with the transition of staying home to become a full time mommy. I was so excited to stop working and stay home, so I was suprised when school started this year, that I was a bit sad not to be returning. I know I don't miss the work, but having peers to socialize with every day was nice. Now that Tyler is getting older, I know it is time for me to start venturing out, join some groups and get involved with other Mommies through out the week. I meet a girl last night who is in the same situation as me, a former teacher staying at home with her baby. She said the same things that I have been feeling "There is no structure!" and "I miss my friends!". I Was like YES, so it isn't just me that has these thoughts from time to time. I think it is hard for independent, Type A women to give up their career to stay at home with their kids, even if it is the choice they made and it's what they want to do. It is the best choice for our family, but the transition is difficult. She invited me to come to a mommy group with her through the church, and I think I may take her up on that. Granted things are much more manageable now than they were when Ty was a month old, the age of her baby, but I have to admit that I have a fear of joining things and trying to bring Tyler with me. My thoughts are...where will I feed him?, will he throw up all over me?, will he fall asleep in his seat if he is tired and I am not back home in time, or will he just be irritable??...I know that babies adapt, and it is probably just me having a hard time with it. But, I think that it is time. Being at church made me remember the wonderful reasons why I wanted to be a mother in the first place. To raise a fun, loving, strong, and thoughtful child and to teach him about all the wonderful things that GOD has given to us in this life. Reconnecting with my faith lit a fire in me last night, and reminded me that GOD doesn't give you things that you can't handle. Tyler is such a blessing in my life. It was wonderful to come home and see him sound asleep in his crib, and to see him greet me with the biggest smile this morning. Only a child can make you glow like that. Thank you GOD for this precious gift, and please help me guide him through this beautiful life you have given us.

A good nights rest....finally!!

After a much needed nights rest, everything looks more promising. Thankfully Tyler slept for 11 hours last night!!! This is after he was waking up 5 times a night for the last three nights in a row. Brandon and I really need a few solid hours of sleep. Yesterday we felt like walking zombies all day. And thankfully, our wish was granted. I can't figure out why, only that I think all these solid foods we have been introducing has gotten the best of him. He has been "stopped up" for the last four days, and for four days before that too. We decided to back off a bit and just give him apples yesterday to help him move things along. I don't know if that's what did it, but I think we are going to stick with fruits this week to help him out. I just love my little guy so much and hate seeing him waking so often crying, and being so grumpy during the day because he is tired. He seems happier today, so I am praying that by backing off on the foods, he will be able to handle it better. I think I was jumping the gun, thinking that by increasing his solids it would help his reflux and therefore he would sleep better. But, it did just the opposite. I guess the saying "baby steps" comes into play here. I think we were leaping, instead of crawling. And now, it's time to clean up from this weekend. It looks like a tornado went through my house!!

Parenting is truley the hardest job on earth!!!

Lunch with Daddy

Here are some pictures of our weekly lunch with Daddy. Tyler did so good in his new travel high chair, and even ate his whole bowl of sweet potatos while we were there. He didn't fuss once!! We had a nice time. I hope all of our weekly lunches go so smoothly!

Go Cowboys!! Just Kidding :)

I had to post this, even though we are NOT Cowboy fans! My sister-in-law bought this for us, not realizing that we are a Texans/Eagles household. So I put it on him, took a picture, and now plan to hide it away! Thanks Mandi!!

I'm so comfy

Tyler's new sleeping position seems to be on his tummy. When I have gone into check on him this week, he has been this way several times. I'm glad he is comfy!!

What a Day!!

Today was such a great day for Tyler and our family. For some reason, everything just clicked and went so well. Brandon and I had great team work and Ty was the perfect child. We started the day making baby food, which turned out to be really fun. We made butternut squash, yellow squash, sweet potatos, and green beans. We gave Ty some green beans and he gobbled them down! I was so excited! He did really well with peas yesterday so I was hoping that he would continue to do well, and he did. I was super cute, trying to hold the spoon and opening his mouth wide. He was so excited he was smiling and laughing and kicking on his chair. It was like he was saying "Oh, now I get why you guys are feeding me this stuff. This is good!!". We ran some errands and he did great, even with only catnaps in the car. When we made it home around 5:30, I decided to give him some more cereal. He gobbled that down too and had a blast while doing so! He was laughing the whole way through his bath and onto the changing table to get his PJs on, even while rubbing his eyes, he was smiling. He is sound asleep and I couldn't feel happier. I am so proud of my little boy today. If he sleeps through the night, this day would be a perfect 10!! Here are some pictures of our great day!

No carrots for me!!

We tried our first vegetable over the weekend while my parents were in town visiting. I am going to attempt to puree all of his foods, so after preparing carrots we got out the camera to document his first taste of veggies. His response was classic - gagging, and wincing. So funny! I guess we'll keep trying for a few more days, then I will try a new veggie if he still isn't liking the carrots. I read it can take up to 15 tries for a child to develop a liking for a new taste. I know this kid is going to love food once he realizes what it is!!

Starting Solids

It looks like we will be starting solids this weekend!! Tyler has gone back to waking up to eat at night, staring at us intently while we are eating and reaching for the spoon and seems to be enjoying his rice cereal a lot, so I think we are ready. It was pretty cute the other day how he was attacking the spoon while he was eating. I think he is going to love food. We are going to start with pureed carrots while my parents are down. Happy eating!!

My breakdown....

Ok, so I had an official breakdown yesterday. I guess it was from lack of sleep for a week, and the fact that Ty just doesn't like to nap sometimes, but I lost it and was crying right along with him. The good news is that when Brandon came home, he did all the work to get him ready for bed, and just came to get me to feed him. I was able to rest from 7 to 7, with just 2 feedings inbetween. Thankfully he went right back to sleep after he ate, which he hasn't been lately. I never knew that when they got sick it would be so tough, but I guess I am learning everyday. I'm so glad that I got some rest and my parents are coming in town this weekend. We are celebrating my BDay on saturday, so it will be nice to get out for a bit. I just hope my little one does well for Grandma and Grandpa. But as I am learning, what will be will be!!

My birthday present

I received the best birthday present this weekend - a jogging stroller! I have been wanting one to use to run with Tyler during the day, and my fabulous mother-in-law and sister-in-law bought it for me! With some help from my husband telling them the one I was looking at, the got it and suprised me. I love it! It is made by jeep and has a MP3, CD adapter and odometer attached! Tyler and I will be jammin out while I burn some calories... awesome!!

Crazy week

Man, what a crazy week this has been. Tyler has managed to come down with his first cold, and I am feeling the effects too. I went to the Dr. on Wednesday of last week when I noticed a rash on his leg that wasn't going away. The Dr. said he thought it was insect bites! It figures that the first time I put him on a blanket outside he gets bitten by a bug. Poor baby. Thankfully some cortizone cream took it away quickly, but then he was bitten by another bug, a nasty cold. He is actually very calm and content when not feeling well. He is waking up often to eat since his little nose is so stuffed he is not getting much with each meal. So, our nice little schedule is turned upside down for now. We bought a humidifier which has helped a lot, and thankfully my mother-in-law was visiting for the weekend and she showed me how to unclog his nose using the bulb syringe. She is a respitory therapist and does it all the time. Tyler hates it! Now everytime I lay him down to change his diaper, he thinks I am going to work on his nose so he twists and turns to get out of my reach. The Dr. said a cold for an infant usually last 5-10 days, so hopefully we will be over this soon. Although, I'm sure this is only the beginning of sick days to come.

More Tummy Time Pictures...

Crawling is coming!

I may be jumping the gun here, but I am starting to see some signs of crawling coming in the near future. Tyler has been doing great on his tummy lately, staying happy there for 10 minutes +. Recently he has been able to rotate his body around to different corners of his play area, although not moving forwards. Yesterday, I saw him trying to push up onto his knees several times, acting like he wanted to move to get his toy close by. It's like he is thinking "I want that, and I'm going to start trying to get it". I can't imagine how things are going to change once he is mobile!! Tyler has also managed to get himself into some 12 month clothes already! He is 4 1/2 months, but he is a long little guy - 25 1/2 inches at our last Dr. appt 2 weeks ago. He isn't filling out the 12 month clothes, but they fit him length wise so that is what I am buying from now on. He still fits in some 3-6 and all of 6-9 clothes, but I can see in a few weeks that the 3-6 months will be all packed up. The pants are turning into Capris! I can't get over how this boy is growing, especially considering how tiny he started out, only 5 lbs. He'll be in toddler clothes before I know it!!

Mmmm...

I have been feeling very inspired lately to take up cooking as a hobby. I have been spending lots of time watching the food and travel network while feeding Tyler during the day, and I sit there, mouth watering for the foods I am watching being prepared. All in all, cooking has always been something I enjoyed, I just never felt like it after a hard days work. But, hopefully I can make some time to persue this as "fun" and try to cook new and exciting foods! My favorite show lately has been Anthony Bordain - No Reservations. I'm so envious of his lifestyle - travel, eat and get paid! Ahhh, the life. I told Brandon that when we are finished raising our kids, that I don't care if we blow all of our money on traveling while eating and drinking wine everywhere. Well, I really wouldn't want to blow all of our money, but hopefully by then we will be able to eat our way through the beautiful places in this world. But for now, I think it's time to start educating myself on the world of culinary arts and wine. Mmmmmmm!!

Sleepy Time

We finally got Tyler to sleep in his crib without the use of the bouncer this week! It has been so tough being that he has reflux to have him sleep on anything that wasn't an incline. he has gone from his carseat, to the bouncer and now to his inclined crib. I had this feeling Monday just to give it a try, and he did great! Didn't wake up because of the reflux, only to eat then straight back to bed. He looks so peaceful and happy all stretched out. This was definitely needed by all of us. Now, on to cereal!!

4 month check up

Today we went to the Dr. for Tylers' 4 month check up and vaccines. He weighs 15 lbs on the dot and 25 1/2 inches long. He is still in the 50% percentile so he is maintaining his weight as he grows longer. He's grown 6 1/2 inches since birth! We are going to switch to oats or barley cereal since the rice cereal seems to give him a tummy ache and gas. After a few weeks of that we will start some veggies. He can also start drinking from a cup, since a bottle has been an issue. The Dr. said it is trial and error, but I am hoping he will like it so Brandon can feed him too. He got a vaccinne and didn't even cry at all!! I was so suprised and waiting for the cry all the way to the car, but it never happened. I guess he is growing up to be a big boy and taking pain like a man! That is kinda scary because I think he will grow up to be one of those kids that pain doesn't bother, so he will do all sorts of crazy things since he will have no fear... let's hope not. All in all he is doing much better this week. He slept for almost 13 hours last night and woke up once to eat - Amazing. And I just put him down for a nap and he cried for a few minutes them fell asleep. I'm so proud of him. Out new game is for me to chew on his hands, he thinks this is so funny. And he seems to think the word dada is funny too! All is well!

Like Night and Day

I'm learning that no two days will be exactly alike with a baby. Not that I didn't already know that having been a teacher, but to be so drastically different is amazing. After the last few days of Tyler crying so hard at nap time and bed time and waking up frequently, today has been exactly the opposite! He took 3 naps and was in bed by 7 on the dot!! Amazing. I did darken his room by shoving pillows in the top windows to block the light. It would be amazing to contribute todays sucess to a few simple pillows in the window, but stranger things have happened! Here's to a great night sleep.

Random Pictures

4 months old today!!

Happy Birthday!!

Tyler's Milestones
Fourth Month

-Ticklish underarms
- Grabs rattles and puts them in mouth - fingers are always in the mouth!!
-Rolled over from tummy to back, and almost from back to front
-Almost sitting up by himself, needs support but is getting very close
-Started rice cereal, but it didn't feel good on his tummy. Took some time off.
-Grips hands, clothing and toys very well
-Started teething, but no tooth yet!
-Blows bubbles with mouth
-loves being up on legs and can stay for a long time
-Reflux is still very bad. Sleeps very well (8-12 hours), but is in his bouncer in his crib.
- much better at tummy time. Can hold head up and stay for several minutes.

The impossible

It seems impossible to try to summarize my journey into motherhood up to this point, as I said I wanted to do. So, I am just going to start from today and do my best to document Tylers' moments. He is 4 months old today - August 22nd!! Happy birthday! I know that this next month will be an exciting one. We are getting a little play area ready. When he takes off, he is going to need it!!



Tyler's Milestones
First Month

- Born April 22nd, 2009 at 12:18 am!
- Weighed 4 lbs 15.9 oz, 19 inches long
- Eating well and napping 2-3 hours at a time
- Waking up every 2-3 hours at night
- Rocked to sleep in a swaddle


Tyler's Milestones
Second Month

- made first roadtrip to Corpus to see family at 4 weeks
- made second road trip to Dallas for Aunt Lindsay and Uncle Clinton's wedding at 7 weeks
- began to smile at mommy and daddy
- can lift head briefly while on tummy, doesn't really like tummy time
- focuses on mommy and daddy's face
- reflux starts
- still waking up every 3-4 hours to eat at beginning of the month. By the end of the month you were sleeping 8 hours strait!!
- like to stand on legs with support
- started making noises often - talking


Tyler's Milestones
Third Month

- much better at tummy time. Can hold head up and stay for several minutes.
-Began laughing outloud - so cute!!!
-Talks all the time, like to hear the sound of his voice.
-loves being up on legs and can stay for a long time
-Reflux is still very bad. Sleeps very well (8-12 hours), but is in his bouncer in his crib.
-very smiley!!
-follows objects with eyes
-brings both hands together
-keeps head body level when pulled up from floor
-turns in direction of mommy and daddy's voices.

The Battle

I never really understood how your heart and your mind can want to go in two different directions all at once until I had a child. This fight seems to be coming up often recently. Tyler has suffered from reflux since he was born and it is getting worse as he gets older. I know it will go away eventually, and of all problems to have it is a good one, but being thrown up on all day is no fun. The worst part is that it is affecting his sleep patterns. I have been rocking him to sleep for the most part since he was born, as I was told, "you can't spoil a newborn". But now that he is four months, the art of self-soothing needs to be learned. The problem is: how long do you let him cry it out???? For regular babies, those without reflux, the answer may be as long as it takes. The problem with reflux babies is that the longer he cries, the worst his reflux gets resulting in a choking, coughing, gaging baby who wakes up after 25 minutes of sleeping, and when I pick him up he burps and spits some of his last meal due to his fit before. And there is the battle. Do I keep rocking him to sooth him into a peaceful sleep and teach self-soothing methods after the reflux is over, or do I let him cry it out hoping that he will eventually self-sooth and sleep longer. How long can your heart handle listening to your crying baby? I never thought I was a softee, especially after teaching for four years, but having your own does change things. And so, the battle continues.....

I caved....

So, after contemplating for a while about how to keep track of all my memories with Tyler, I decided to get on the bandwagon and start a blog. I have always enjoyed writing, and I think that if I don't start writing down all of Tylers' memorable moments, they may slip me by. Better late than never. So, I am going to attempt to backtrack and start from the beginning of this experience and record my thoughts as well as fun moments that I have with Ty throughout the day. I am going to do a paper scrap book too, but that won't include my daily thoughts and experiences. I also think this will be very therapeutic, since I am home alone a lot (without adults...of course Tyler counts!) and I'm sure Brandon will appreciate not being bombarded with tons of ranting about this and that the second he walks through the door. I'm always thinking of so many things throughout the day and now I'll be able to share. Enjoy!!