Fifteen Months

I guess it's true that you never realize how quickly time goes until you have a kid.  I've heard that before, but I never fully comprehended it until Tyler came around.  Even when I was pregnant I got a glimpse of that.  

It's funny the way having a kid makes you want to speed up time, and freeze it simultaneously.  You can't wait to see them learn something new like crawl, walk, talk, etc. but at the same time that means they're growing up.  I don't know about all moms, but I can tell you that Tyler growing up is an awesomely scary thought.  I'm so anxious to see what kind of person he'll grow in to, but I already miss the newborn stage, the bright-eyed baby stage, the not-running towards the street phase!

Ty's fifteen-months-old and I can't believe how much he's grown and learned in such a short amount of time. At his birthday he was just taking a few steps here and there.  Now we can't get him to stop and he's all-around running!  He has quite a few words.  Many of them really only we understand, and he may not say them often, but he has said them, in context, so it counts!  I still don't think Rob has ever heard him say "turtle", but he has, while trying to pet Bebe through the aquarium!

And I really can't get over how much he's grown.  He's a big boy now!  He was a tiny little peanut at birth - not even 7 pounds and 20 inches.  Now he's 24 pounds (50th %) and 33 inches (90th %).  He has 12 teeth.  Yes, TWELVE teeth!  Molars and all.  He grew 3 inches in 3 months.  Insane, I know!  Proof positive that time goes fast right there!

And, some new discoveries recently... Ty used to be hesitant of Brown Bear (maybe we'll rename him later - that's pretty boring!), but now he loves to grab a book, his blankie, or a toy and cuddle with him.  I'm anxious for the day he falls asleep with his big protector!  How cute would that be?

I discovered Ty's love for smoothies!  At the Kid's Flea Market at The Magic House I got a free smoothie, and gave Ty a sip. The kid screamed for more and couldn't get enough of it!  Good to know - that might be one way to sneak more fruits and veggies in to his diet!

Daddy Skills

I know it's been awhile, and I really need to update on actual life, but for now - another video.  This is something I saw on Facebook that I have to share. Even as a mom, it's amazing how much of this I relate to.   And I'm sure Rob can relate as well ;)

Ty - The Budding Director

Just a super cute video that I had to share.  Ty is a vain little guy, and loves to look at himself.  And who can blame him?!  He's quite handsome!  Last night he got a hold of my phone while we were hanging out on the couch, well WELL past his bedtime, and the lock screen is an old picture of him, and he was having a blast with it.

Rob had the brilliant idea to turn the camera on and flip the lens so that Ty could see himself like a mirror.  Well, he managed to switch to video mode and shoot this fun little video of himself.  I'm not sure why it won't upload in HD, but oh well!

I must say, I think he's well above the times in terms of cinematic direction.  Look out Marty Scorsese!  And Ty, remember mom and dad in your Oscar speeches!

We're Alive!

I know, I know - bad mommy blogger!  I haven't posted since Ty was a few weeks old, but for very good reason.  I've been loving on my baby boy, and who can blame me!  So, here's a quick recap of where Tyler is:

Currently 9 1/2 months.  Seriously, where has the time gone?!  It feels like just last week he was a little 6 lb. 10oz. baby coming home from the hospital (well, 6 lb. 4oz. when we left), and now he's over 20 lbs.  Yep - he's a big boy!!

A big ACTIVE boy at that.  And I wouldn't have it any other way.  He was a very mellow baby, and once he figured out how to crawl (on January 30th, by the way), he hasn't stopped.  In fact, he's one of the fastest at Day Care, and therefore they moved him to the "Little Movers" room to be around some of the slightly bigger kids.  So basically that means that it's only a matter of time before he starts walking. right?  He could probably do it now, but the kid gets so excited that he starts bouncing.  Imagine Tigger - and you've got Tyler!

He loves music, and drumsticks particularly.  Because he's constantly hyper and loves to drum on things we've taken to calling him Animal. He's even got the clothes to prove it!

    

He's also getting pretty good at eating!  Three solid meals a day and some snacks.  He's getting very good at putting table foods in to his mouth and chewing, but we're still working on the actual swallowing part!  I don't know, maybe he likes acting like a chipmunk and storing his food!?

If you have some spare time - check out some super cute videos of the kid on my YouTube channel!  Once I get better about posting more frequently I'll post actual videos! 

Three Weeks!

It's hard to believe that our precious baby boy is three weeks old today!

It's taking a little bit, but we're starting to get used to parenthood.  I think the adjustment has been harder for me than Rob, but I have to admit that I don't envy him for having to get up and go to work every weekday morning.  Yes, being home with Ty is hardwork, but at least I don't have to be up, moving and presentable at a certain time.

Speaking of hard work - boy is maternity leave hard work!  I knew it would be hard but I think it's physically impossible to explain how hard it is.  I know people try, but it's impossible to understand until you live it.   I love this little guy to death but he's more work than I was expecting.  As I said though, we're starting to get used to it.  Without a doubt the hardest part is breastfeeding.  I'm going to stick with it as long as possible though.  It may be hard but the health benefits to Ty are worth it in the end.  Everyone says that it takes awhile to get the hang of it, and thankfully I feel like we're close to that point!

Another thing to be thankful of - Ty is a good baby.  Yes, he fusses and yes, breastfeeding is harder than I expected, but overall he's a good baby.  He sleeps well and is content most of the time.  He's so alert that sometimes I feel bad that I can't play with him too much.  He's just still too little, but soon we get to start tummy time and I think he'll love it!

On the physical side - Ty is doing great.  We went to the doctor on Wednesday for his two-week check up and he's up to 7 lbs 9.6 ounces - nearly 1 pound bigger than his birth weight!  I'm sure at this point he's topped 7 lbs 10 oz.  His next appointment is in August though, and I'm not looking forward to that.  He starts getting his first shots :(

Mari and Wyatt are in town for a few more days and I'll share more next week about our time with them.  For now I'll leave you with one more cute picture.  It's an old one, but without a doubt my fave!

 

Welcome Tyler Frank Spinner

I know, I know... it's been a long time since I've blogged anything.  Truth be told, the last couple months of my pregnancy blogging just wasn't a priority.  Rightfully so!  Anyway, the real reason for this blog - Tyler!!





Tyler Frank Spinner was born at 12:45am on June 19, 2011.  I don't think I'll ever be able to top that Father's Day gift!  He was 6 pounds, 10 ounces and 19.5" long - just a bit smaller than I expected!  I guess those utlrasound estimates are purely just estimates!  Initially he was measuring in the 75th percentile, though I believe that's because his legs are LOOONG!  In actuality, he weighs in at the 10th percentile while his length is in the 65th percentile!

I must admit, I had a pretty enviable experience.  On Friday, June 17th I started having subtle contractions, but I wasn't sure if they were Braxton Hicks or legit contractions because they were so light.  Early on June 18th I started thinking they were legit, but they were spaced very far apart and not too intense yet.  However, later that afternoon they started getting more intense and though still very sporadic they were no longer hours apart like earlier in the day.  I anticipated going to the hospital in labor at some point on Sunday, but then the cotnractions started coming on fast and furious around 5:00 in the afternoon.  We started finishing up the hospital bag and taking care of a few things around the house, knowing that this baby would be here soon.

Then, at 9:00pm it all became real.  99% certain that my water broke I called the doctor and was told to go in to L&D to check it out.  At 9:45 we arrived at the hospital where they checked the leak, and sure enough my water broke.  After an internal check they also discovered that I was at 4cm dilated.  Thank God, because the contractions were every 3 minutes at that point and PAINFUL!

Around 11:40 I got my epidural and at midnight the nurse wanted to check my status before putting in a catheder.  Thank goodness she checked because I was fully dilated by this point.  She then decided to have me start the pushing process so that I was close to delivering once the doctor arrived.  Well, that was short lived as after one push the head was already crowning and she still hadn't called the doctor.  Thankfully he must live close.  Once he arrived and prepped I pushed 2 more times and then heard the most amazing sound in the entire world.  My precious baby boy was crying, and had a great set of lungs on him!!

Let me just tell you something about a quick labor - though amazing, the pushing part was hard as hell... My epidural had JUST gone in to effect, so I couldn't feel a thing!  I just had to listen to the nurse and Rob to know what to do.  Whatever I did worked though!



All of us are adjusting well to being home and hopefully soon developing a routine!

Just a quick update

Well, I just wanted to give a quick update... though a lot has happened I haven't been able to blog it due to not being able to log on to Wordpress for a few weeks.  Hence the lack of updates on my food blog too, though most of that is due to laziness and the preoccupation with the baby!

We should get to meet this little guy in about 5 weeks and we're so excited!  I can't wait to see what he looks like, learn his mannerisms and personality, etc.  Of course, I'm most anxious just to hold him in my arms and cuddle with him.

The room is relatively finished but we still have a few things we need to do (finish washing the clothes to put away in the correct spots, hang the curtains and make the name art to hang.)  Now that we've told his name we can get to work on the name art aspect, but again, it all goes back to the whole laziness thing!  I have everything we need though, it's just a matter of breaking out the saw and getting to work.  I can't wait to finish it though so I can share pictures because I know it'll be amazing!

Speaking of the room - here are a few quick pics of the bedding, in various stages:

Puma playing with the bag the bedding came in...

Pinot hanging out in the crib after I put the bedding on to check it out (pre-washing)...

And of course, the bedding, uninterrupted by kittens!



We still have a few things left, but we're getting there.  Next on the list is to pick a pediatrician, get the car seat installed and buy the rest of what we need.  It's all planned though!

I also need to clean the house, but the couch is so much more appealing!