Changes at home

When we bought this house in 2005, we knew that we would eventually need to replace the windows and the siding, as both were original to the house (built in 1985). Well, this was the year. We replaced the windows and got vinyl siding and shutters!!!!! (which our house desperately needed)

Before:
















And After!!!! We chose a sand colored siding, with white trim and dark brown shutters.


















And since The Home Depot did the work on the house, here is Tyler wanting to be one of the workers:

Action-packed summer

Apparently, we are just going to go non-stop this summer with our little boy. And we love every second of it. Our weekends seem to be packed with all sorts of fun activities. Just last weekend we took Tyler both days to the pool. It's only about a half mile walk to the front of our subdivision from our house, so it works out very well. The first day wasn't real exciting for him, and he didn't really seem to be as into it as we thought he would be. But by Sunday, he was trying to jump in from the side and seemed to want to be on his own out in the water. He was a much happier camper. We're looking forward to spending a lot more time there this summer. We'll probably look at formal swim lessons for Tyler next summer.

This past weekend, we went to the mall so that Tyler could have his feet sized again at Stride Rite. Believe it or not, it's already been more than 3 months since we went the first time! His feet haven't grown too much, he went from a 5 Wide to a 5.5 Wide. So we bought him a nice new pair of sandals, and ordered some new tennis shoes. Turns out that 5.5 Wide is a pretty hard size to find. We tried several stores, but to no avail. We ended up getting the sandals at the Stride Rite store and I had to order the tennis shoes online - even the Stride Rite store didn't have his size! Tyler had a ball at the mall, running through stores and riding the escalators. He did well (for the most part) by holding hands with us and not running away.

On Sunday, we took Tyler back over to the Children's Museum of Richmond. We hadn't been there since mid-March, and it was so neat to see how much more he enjoyed his time there. We met up with Darren, Jennifer, and their little girl Sophia (who is just a few weeks younger than Tyler) and had a great time. Tyler and Sophia played in the water play area both indoors and out, and Tyler had a great time running through the Under 3 section. Travis & I both agreed that the museum needs to become a regular in the rotation as far as activities are concerned. It's a free trip for us, since Genworth is a primary sponsor. And we think that Tyler will get a little more out of it each time he goes.

The next activity that we'd like to add to our summer is heading to our local library for story time. Turns out that we've got a library just a few miles down the road from us! And upon further investigation, we have a brand new library being built even closer! According to the website, they hope to open later this year.

So we have lots of activities to keep us busy this summer and we can't wait. Add in our week long vacation to Emerald Isle in less than 2 weeks, and we truly have one action-packed summer ahead!

And we just want to add - CONGRATULATIONS to Meredith & Ryan on the birth of their little boy, Evan Andrew! Evan was born on June 15, 2008! Congrats and we love you!

Video update - Stocking the fridge

Stories

If there's one thing that Tyler really loves, it's his stories. He loves books. All books. When we're all in the living room, he'll bring a book over to you, read it with you, then go and grab another one for you to read. This will go on for as long as you will let it, or until he's taken all of his books off of the shelves. He's not just interested in "his" books either. He likes Daddy's "Eat This, Not That" book, Mommy's "What to Expect the Toddler Years" (though I suspect that he tries to see what lies the book is telling about him), and any magazine or catalog that he can get his hands on. He's an equal opportunity reader.

Right before bed, Travis reads 3 or 4 stories to Tyler in the glider in his room. He lets Tyler pick out his books (with a firm nod of the head), and they settle in to read. Tyler really gets into the stories, and he's even starting to memorize them we think. He knows when the end of each of his favorites is coming, and starts to squirm so that he can go get another book (and avoid bedtime). And he does have favorites - "Peek-A-Who?", "Goodnight Moon", "Ten in the Bed", and "My Name is Elmo" (he even gets to tickle Elmo's feet in this one). Travis took Tyler to Barnes & Noble this weekend and picked up a new favorite for him - "One, Two, Three!" It's already a hit. We love that he wants to read his books so often. We hope that this love of books stays with him for life.

15 months old!!!

Seemingly overnight, our little boy learned the power of his head movements. Shaking back and forth means no, and nodding up and down means yes. It's a wonder we made it this far in his young life without him being able to express himself in this way. Maybe he just got tired of us doing the wrong things and he decided he better start this now, before we make him do something crazy. But again, it was just an overnight change. He started nodding late last week, but it was more of a whole body nod. He couldn't just nod his head. He had to put his back into it. And we weren't 100% sure that he knew what it meant to nod. He just knew that it got a positive response from Mommy & Daddy, so he kept it up.

However, at Grandpa's house this weekend, he was asked several yes or no questions, and each question received a nod or a shake. And we realized that he "got it".

"Tyler, do you want a snack?" Tyler nods his head emphatically and reaches for his snack cup. "Tyler, do you want to go outside?" Again, nods his head emphatically as he sprints for the door. "Tyler, do you want more?" Shakes his head, and then turns away.

I love the fact that he can communicate with us in yet another way as his vocabulary grows.

Tyler also had his 15 month appointment last Friday. He weighs 24 lbs. 9 oz and is 32.5 inches tall. This puts him in the 50th percentile for weight, and about the 75th-90th percentile for height. His pediatrician was thrilled with his stats, and even more thrilled with his developmental skills. She said that he "walked beautifully" for a 15 month old (whatever that means - haha) and was pleased to see that he was indeed saying about 10 words, even though he doesn't say them often. She said to keep doing what we are doing, and gave us some skills to watch out for as he nears 18 months of age. Believe it or not, Tyler's already doing many of them and she was pleased to hear that. Some of the skills included stacking blocks (he is a pro at this), learning cause-and-effect by dropping things into buckets (done), and learning 3 - 5 new words. She also commended me on making it to the 15 month mark with breastfeeding.

Well, we almost made it at least. Tyler nursed for the very last time a week ago Friday. We had gotten down to one feeding a day, and that was the one as soon as we woke up in the morning. But sessions were getting shorter and shorter, and I was feeling ready to let go, so we did. And neither one of us has turned back since. I've been a little sad here and there when I think about it, but then I remind myself of what I was able to give my son and of the bonding that he & i have shared in these last 15 months. I was able to give him something that no one else could, and no one else could share in (as selfish as that sounds). I'd do it all over again in a heartbeat. And Tyler has done well with the weaning too. We have a new morning routine now, one that includes breakfast with Daddy, then getting dressed with Mommy. Travis used to always pick out Tyler's clothes, and now it's my turn! I love it!