Mother's Day

Well, today was my first Mother's Day. I didn't think that I would actually ever have a son that wouldn't be old enough to wish me a happy Mother' Day, but even though he couldn't say it, he made it memorable. Leo made pancakes for brunch. I also got some pcitures in a nice frame and a digital picture frame which is really nice. Leo and I have been wanting to take Tyler for a hike for awhile now. We weren't sure if today would be that day. It was really windy today. After checking the weather and realizing there was less wind where we were heading, we embarked on our little adventure. We went to George Childs Park first. There was more hiking in here. It was beautiful and not a very difficult hike. Tyler was like a little sponge and took in everything he saw. Leo was surprised how adaptable he was. He wasn't sure if Tyler would be scared of the noise of the waterfalls. It wasn't too loud though. Part of the hiking took you on walkways that were pretty close to the falls, but it never did get as loud as some places we have been. It also didn't phase Tyler. He just stared at them and looked around at the woods that surrounded us. Everyone remarked that he was alert. Many seemed surprised when I said he was four months old. While on the trail, we came upon another family. They had a little girl that was probably between 2-3 three years old. She and her grandmother came over and asked if the little girl could see Tyler. She is fascinated with babies. Leo bent down a little bit and the next thing we knew she took her little hands and put them on Tyler's cheeks and kissed him. Her grandmother yelled at her a little bit. Obviously, you don't want to encourage her doing that, but it was cute. I happen to be taking their picture when she did, and caught it on film. Tyler just took it in stride. When we finished the hike, Leo fed Tyler. Tyler had gotten a little fussy because he was hungry towards the end of the hike. After that we were off to park number two. We went to see Dingmans Falls. This was a smaller walk all on a boardwalk. It was a very nice little walk. I liked that it was handicap accesible and easy to walk for all types of people. I want to go back when the rhodendrens are in bloom as the whole walkway is surrounded by them. We switched Tyler to his regular hat since it was a little more out in the sun over here. We had many people offer to take our pictures, so we have some more family pictures. I even had someone, who recognized that it was my first Mother's Day, actually come back to wish me a happy day. When we got home, Leo made dinner which was also good. Tyler was over-tired as he didn't nap much today. He refused to fall asleep, but finally did crash around 9PM. I must say that today was a very nice day that I enjoyed very much. Just a side note, the pictures in the collage are straight out of the camera. I didn't do any effects on them or adjust them. They all are like the lighting that we had when I took them.

More Tyler

More Birds

Here are some more pictures I took of the birds after I cleaned the sliding glass doors. I am sure they will go missing next week when a certain person comes to visit.

Three Months Old and Birds

Today, as hard as it is to believe, Tyler turns three months old. Time is already flying by. As far as development goes, two days ago he started pulling him up to a standing position. Yes, you are reading it correctly. It can even be verified by his father. Kid refuses to roll over, but can pull himself up. I personally think he can roll over but doesn't like being on his stomach, so he just keeps from going over. I have seen him come within an inch and then throw himself the other direction to stop himself. He also can sometimes sit up by himself. It doesn't last long, but he can do the motions. Leo got me a deck mount so that we can bring the birds closer to house. It has been fun watching them. Hopefully the bears won't bother it. I don't think they will bother. They have plenty to eat around here. Plus, we haven't had a problem since that one time. They seem to avoid our yard. If anything I think they would raid the deer feeding station because that is easier. We will see what happens.

Cousin Love

Yesterday, we went to my parents house. Tyler got to meet his cousin, Lexie. She was very excited to be seeing him. She met us at the door. The big test was going to be when Nana held Ty, but she did well. Instead of being jealous, she just wanted to help with him. Leo, my dad, and Pap went to the sugar shack to make maple syrup. Lex, Mom, Ty, and I stayed at the house. The funny part of the day was when Tyler and Lexie were lying on a blanket together. Mom and I were working on dinner. I looked into the living room to check on the kids and saw my son covered with the Sunday K-mart flyer. It was on him like a little tent. I asked Lexie why he was wearing the flyer. Her response was she thought he was cold and couldn't find a blanket. The flyer was there and she thought that would keep him warm. I had an extra blanket although he was far from cold. She fed him. The problem ended up being that she was trying to be too helpful. She was constantly poking him and in his face. This led to very little sleep, but I would rather have this problem than her being jealous of him. Tara came up with Kameron and Kenzie. Lex grabbed Kam so that she could introduce him to her baby cousin. She made my dad take pictures, so he could print them out on his printer for her to take home with her. Overall, it was a nice trip home. I am also hoping Leo will post about his trip to the shack. We got to take a quart of the syrup they made, and he learned a lot about the process.

Cousins

Yesterday, while Leo, Adrian, and Stephen were out on the mountain covered with snow, Katie got the chance to play with her little cousin. It was a nice visit. She must have worn Ty out because he slept real well last night. Katie also got to enjoy Mario Kart on the Wii before Stephen got back and annoyed her. She started out a little rough, but overall got the hang of it and did pretty good. This morning here we had some snow. We got about three inches. Now, the sun is out. Tyler enjoyed the Disney channel. He seemed to really like the Information Workers which I take it are the next generation of the Wiggles. We also watched Winnie the Pooh together. He is now napping from his busy morning.

Aunt Christine's Blanket

Here's Tyler relaxing with the blanket Christine made for him. I have the windows opened and decided to cover him. It is 48 degrees outside right now. One thing about this house is that it keeps its heat for a long time. It has only dropped three degrees inside and the windows have been open most of the afternoon. Tyler woke up for a little bit from his nap, but went back to sleep. He has been sleeping much better through the night. He gets up only to eat and then goes back to sleep. He also hasn't been getting up until later morning now. His mother can live with that choice. Tomorrow, Leo is gone on his little work excursion. It is supposed to be sunny and in the forties here, so Tyler and I hopefully can outside for a little time. The deer were here today. There were ten bucks and it now has been confirmed that both the monster boy and the other large ten point made it through hunting season and the winter. They were with the bachelor group today. There were actually ten bucks in total together. In a few weeks, I will start prepping the hill for the food plot. It will take a little work, but I think the effort will be worth it in the end especially if Elizabeth bags a nice buck her first year. I think it is only fair that John bagged a nice one last year that we work on getting the kid hers this year.

Sleep

Tyler got back to sleeping half way decent during the night. He ate and then went right back to sleep. The previous days he has been getting up at 4AM and then staying awake starting his day. The problem was that his early start wasn't working for his parents. He was cranky yesterday late afternoon and early evening because he wouldn't nap, but that worked in our favor (well more in my favor since I am the one who gets up with him during the week). He then didn't get up until 8AM. I hope this keeps up for the rest of the week. Leo goes to Jamaica on Saturday, so I don't get my weekend break. I also don't want him to be cranky tomorrow because I have a doctor's appointment, and he obviously has to go with me. He also is a much happier child when he sleeps at night as opposed to when he takes a long nap in the morning. He was laughing up a storm this morning. Apparently, I was very entertaining. He actually has a little laugh now. He has been smile for a few weeks. Now, he does that almost everytime he sees me. Last night, Leo was holding him while I was making dinner, an Tyler kept trying to look over the couch to find me. Leo brought him out to the kitchen, and he broke out into an ear to ear grin. I guess spending all day with him isn't enough for Tyler.

Quiet Day

We are having a quiet day today. I was up sick most of the night. Luckily, Tyler took a good morning nap and I could get some sleep. I feel much better this afternoon. It is snowing here this afternoon. It is a light snow. I don't think that we are supposed to get a lot of snow here. Snow totals are becoming a relative thing at this point up here. Our snow was just melting when this came. So far we only have a dusting. Tyler is really starting to smile now. He is also cooing quite a bit. It is working out well because he will now fall asleep on his own if he is put down even if he is more awake when he lays down. He talks to himself until he falls asleep. Hopefully, he will be awake tonight when Leo gets home. Yesterday, he slept until right before Leo went to bed, so they did get to spend any quality time together. Maybe tonight they will get a chance to play together.

Party Time

Today was the twins birthday party. It is hard tob believe that they are four already. Timmy met Baby Tyler as he calls him at the door when we arrived. Tyler does seem to really like him. When he was crying before we left, it was Timmy that ended up quieting him. Tyler other favorite does seem to be Grampy. He has spent time with all of his grandparents and he always lets Grampy calm him and does seem to listen to what Grampy tells him. Tyler slept some in the car. He ate when he got home and then fell asleep. We will see how long that lasts. Hopefully for a little bit and then he gets back on schedule. The last time he went without napping he slept for ten hours ate and went right back to sleep. Leo is going to get up with him tonight, so I will at least get more than four hours of sleep. That will be a nice little break.

One Month Old

Today, Tyler turned one month old. It is hard to believe that he has been here for a month already. If you go back on the pictures, you can see that he is getting bigger. He is starting to fill out and is getting much longer. His legs have caught up witht he rest of his body. He fills clothes that didn't fit him when he came home. Some of his newborn clothes are getting tight. He even had to go up a diaper size even though that doesn't stop him from finding ways to pee out of them. In honor of Grampy, he is celebrating his being here a month by wearing a train outfit.

Super Sunday

Well, Tyler didn't see most of the Superbowl. He was doing this most of the time. He is doing better on formula number three. He doesn't have gas and isn't breaking out where his spit up touches his skin. He isn't spitting up much now since we changed his feeding style. We are feeding him in a regular sitting position instead of reclined. We then keep him sitting for at least 30 minutes after he is done. He does much better that way. Today, he went outside and met the neighbor girls. They were outside being pulled in their sleds by John's quad. We didn't keep him out long but it was warm enough for him to go outside for a little bit. Tomorrow, Leo goes back to work. It was nice that he could take as much time off as he did. It is going to be strange not having him here during the day. Tyler and I will just have to get into our own little routine. We kind of do that at night when he is up. I am hoping to be able to get him on a better sleep schedule. His eating doesn't suffer no matter how much sleep he gets. I also realized that he looks more like a Spaeth than a Lebo. My cousin put a picture of her nephew around the same age as Tyler. There is a striking resemblence. With the exception of hair and Tyler has more slanted eyes the two of them look very much alike. I had already started to see my Uncle Bill in him. It was just reiterated once I saw Cooper's picture.

Much Happier Boy

Well, we had to change Tyler's formula. His gas problem got to the point that he couldn't rest and was constantly screaming because his stomach hurt. He had always had a little problem, but it got much worse as his formula intake increased. He is now on a formula that has less lactose and partially broken down proteins. He wasn't having full blown allergic reactions, so we decided to go this route instead of putting him on a soy based or hypoallergenic formula. What I didn't expect is how quickly he would benefit him. Within 24 hours, he is a different baby. Before it got bad he was a happy baby, but this is even better. Because he is now not constantly battling pain, he is more alert when awake. He is now smiling more and just generally much more happy and fun to be around. Well, there is only so much fun you can have with a three week old, but it is definitely better than listening to him scream and know that he is in constant pain. He is lso taking in his surroundings more. It is nice to see him so happy again.

More Sledding Fun

We didn't realize how much use our hill would get when it comes to sledding. The twins brought their sleds with them today, and many runs down the hill were made. They not only got Ted going down them but they also Leo riding with them. Not that Leo needs much encouragement to sled down the hill. They were out for quite a while. It was a lot of fun watching them. I think the best part was listening to Bridget laugh as she was sledding. Everyone seemed to have a lot of fun. They also wore out their Uncle Leo as he is now sleeping on the couch. After the sledding fun was over, everyone came inside and played Wii including the kids who did a very good job boxing. It was a very good time.

Tyler and the Twins

Today, Tyler met Timmy and Bridget. Oh, and they brought their parents with them. As you can see in the pictures, they all got along real well. Timmy was especiall interested in his new cousin, Baby Tyler. He held him real well, and did a great job putting Tyler's pacifier in his mouth when it fell out. He also was constantly checking on the baby to make sure he was okay. It was the first thing he did when he came back in from sledding. It was really nice seeing them all together. It was a very fun day having them here.

Happy Boy

Ashlea got a picture of Tyler smiling. He is beginning to do this a lot. He has always done it in his sleep like this picture, but he is now doing it more when he looks at you. This is the only picture we have of him smiling at this point, but he does look cute when he does it. On another front, Leo came in second in his snowshoe race that he did today. He won a headlamp and a gift certificate. He also got a free lift ticket for the place the race was held, but didn't ski all that long due to it being crowded and there was a lot of ice on the slopes. The conditions were awful and since he didn't pay for it, he left early.

Apple/Tree

We didn't get real good pictures of Jason and Tyler. It has been widely suggested that Tyler strongly resmebles Jason. Leo first thought when he saw Tyler was that he was the spitting image of Jason. He does look quite a bit like Jason when Jason was the same age. Let's just hope that he doesn't end up looking like this when he gets older.

Tyler Meets Uncle Jason and Aunt Ashlea

My sister-in-law called yesterday to say that their church had flooded and wanted to know if they could come here to see Tyler. Of course, we told her that they could come here and see him. Tyler was awake for most of their visit, so that was nice. He didn't crash until early afternoon today. We had to explain to him that he wasn't to listen to anything the Uncle Jason tried to teach him. He was telling him that he needed to say to Nana "Woman get me some food." This is the type of thing my brother thinks is important to teach him. Jason also made a video in which he tells Tyler that women belong in the kitchen and they need to wait on their men. I will be sure to let him watch that many times. Overall, it was a nice visit. They also brought their dog Zoie. Wrangler enjoyed having her here to play. They ran around quite a bit. The cats, on the other hand were not very happy to have her here. They seemed very relieved to have Zoie go home.

More Pics of Tyler

Here are some pictures taken with the Nikon of Tyler. They are in backwards order on here going from the dates of 1/8/09 to 1/18/09. You can see some of the changes in him since he has been home. Leo is out snowshoeing somewhere right now. Ty is sleeping. He should be out for another two hours and then it will be time to eat again. He also watched some of the Steelers game last night and actually seemed interested in what was going on. I think he just liked looking at the lights on television. The deer have been coming most of the day. We are down to just five that come, but that is really enough to feed this time of year. Leo got some nice shots of them yesterday in the snow. I will have to get him to post them on his site.

Pics of Tyler Awake

We don't have too many pictures of the little man awake. After all, he is a baby and they tend to sleep quite a bit. Last night, he was awake for a bit. Leo took some pictures of him. He was looking for the most part at one of the cats that was sitting on top of the couch. These give some idea of some of his expressions.

First Doctor Visit

Today, Tyle went to the doctor's. He is now 19.5 inches long. He is also back up to his birth weight. The doctor was impressed with his grip and how long and strong he can hold his neck up when on his stomach. Overall, he got a good report and was deemed healthy. He goes back in six weeks for his next appointment. He wasn't impressed with his trip outside. He screamed almost the whole time he was there and the whole car ride home. He then stayed awake for a couple of hours after we got home. He was back to his normal self this evening.

Getting Into a Routine

Yesterday, Tyler was extremely cranky. I think that was a combination of him eating from the bottles that bother his stomach and being out of a routine. With people being here over the past couple days, there was no way to establish a routine for him. Yesterday, he hardly slept at all during the day. I don't think he knew whether or not he should be awake or asleep, eating or not, or just hanging out. During the night, I got him back on the schedule he had been on since he was home and he was the happy baby he normally is. So far during the day, he is back to himself. I think it is just that he is on his three hour periods of time that he likes. It is fine by me to live the day in three hour increments if it means a happy child. In the picture, you can see he is hugging his pacifier. We couldn't wrestle it away from him, so I just took of picture instead.

New Friends

I figure that I should start writing about Tyler being home. After all, this blog was started about becoming and being a family. As you can tell by the picture, Wrangler has no problem with Tyler. Although, we are careful to make sure he doesn't accidentally jump on him. Satin just started acknowledging him really today. So far, there have been no real problems. He only is cranky if he is hungry or needs changed. He is basically sleeping through the night. He does get up to eat but is usually back to sleep in minutes. the same if he needs to be changed. Right now we have everything set up in the living room. I can't sleep in the bed with someone in it until the staples come out, so I have been covering hte night duty. I get a little sleep here and there when Tyler is sleeping. The only problem is that cats are up most of the night running around which keeps me awake. Leo gets up early to take over and then I go to bed. By the end of this week, we are going to move him into the bedroom which will makes some things easier. He is on a pretty good schedule. He eats every three hours. We have to watch how much he eats. He would eat a ton if we let him do so. Right now he is eating close to two ounces at a time. I have discovered that Playtex drop in bottles are the best invention. Keeps him eating slower without the gas and spitting up. He has been much happier since we started using them. He only seems to like soothie pacifiers. I think that is because they use them while doing hte circumsicion and he has bonded with that pacifier. He loves sitting in his Boppy pillow. He is a very expressive and active kid. He is always moving his arms and legs and has many facial expressions he uses. I have been really impressed how he already has picked up using his hands to hold he pacifier in place. The past two days he also has been putting them around the bottle when he eats. He also has one heck of a grip. With his long fingers, that has pitcher written all over it. We will try to get more pictures. We haven't taken that many of him to be honest. I really don't need a ton of pictures of him sleeping. Once he is awake more and does more interesting things, I am sre that both of us will be taking many pictures.

Kids

This weekend Ammy and Grampy came to see Tyler for the first time. Luckily, they got here yesterday before the snowstorm started. We didn't get as much snow as they originally said we were but we got enough for some youngsters to go out and have fun. Leo had cut out a trail with his kayak. I didn't go outside with them, but didn't have to when I could sit on the couch with Tyler and watch through the window. You didn't have to turn on a television. Of course, I did have the football game playing while they were outside. It was definitely something to see. I also think that our neighbor now knows that Leo comes by it naturally as John drove past while this was taking place.

We're Home

We came home from the hospital this morning. This is Tyler lying in his pack and play. The pets don't seem to mind his arrival. They just look at him and that is about it. We have discovered that Tyler can sleep through barking dogs. Satin seemed to be real happy that I am now home. She gave me a nice greeting. Wrangler seemed more interested in his new brother. Leo hasn't been feeding the deer while we have had this ordeal. We'll see how long it is before they realize that I am home. I am obviously on restrictions for a bit and not allowed to do much of anything. Tyler and I both have appointments the end of next week. Leo went down to fill my prescriptions and Stephen Uncle Leo also bought guitar hero while out, so you are now all set the next time you come up here. You can fight you uncle for the Wii time.

New Year's Day

Well, we spent most of our day at the ER vet clinic with Satin. She woke up. She went to the bathroom and then came inside and vomited. Nothing there to get to alarmed about since our pets are known to do this on occassion. The part that became troubling is that she realy couldn't walk and wouldn't eat anything including people food that was offered to her. She just laid down and moaned. We debated on taking her but she was getting worse as the day was going on, and we decided that she couldn't wait. Of course, she rebounded once there. She was like taking the car to the mechanic. Of course, most of that was adrenaline related. It turns out she is going to live. Her bladder infection appears to have returned. The other problem is that her arthritis is getting worse, and the meds she was on isn't working really for her. The problem with them is that she is at a weight that is between safe dosages for her liver. This doctor changed to a new medication that seems to be working great. She got an injection while there and was walking the best that she has in a long time. We got the oral medication of that drug and some antibiotics for her bladder and were on our way. By the time we got home, she was pretty much back to normal. We also did bloodwork while there and that is the best it has been, so she is doing well otherwise. The place we took her to was very nice. It is an hour away, but all ER facitlities are that distance or more. For it being an emergency clinic, the prices were actually better than what we pay at the regular vet clinic. We also got to travel to an area we haven't been to and found that the ara also has many specialty stores and things like that. I guess it turned out to be a productive trip.