Cancelled plans & sharing memories

Well, we didn't go to Lynchburg the other weekend because Tyler got a pretty nasty viral infection earlier that week. I got the call from daycare that Wednesday that he had a temperature of over 102. So I picked him up and brought him home. We stayed home the next day, and even on Friday, as he continued to have a fever of almost 103. I took him to the pediatrician, who said it was just going to have to run its course, and suggested that we stay home for the weekend. So we did. By late Saturday afternoon, Tyler was feeling much better and it showed in his attitude. Poor guy just looked so tired and you could tell he didn't feel well before then. We were sorry to miss the wedding that we were scheduled to go to, but it turns out that it rained there so maybe it all worked out for the best. I have a feeling that we would have ended up with a very wet and muddy Tyler had we been there. But we also missed out on visiting with Grandpa and Uncle Eddie, so we are headed there this weekend to see them. Here's hoping for good weather and good health!

This past Sunday was the 2 year anniversary of my Mom's passing. My Dad and Nana Scoggin (with others) spent the day in Union Mills, NC where Mom is buried. Travis, Tyler, & I made that trip last year when Tyler was just about 8 weeks old. But we knew that we wouldn't be able to make that trip every year. So we celebrated Mom's life at home. We have a picture of Mom in his room on his dresser, and before bed that night we pulled it down and showed it to him. He gave his Oma a big, wet, sloppy kiss right on the glass which immediately prompted me to cry. But before he went to bed that night, I made sure that I told him a few stories about Mom. We're determined that he will know who she is, just as if she were always here with him.

Overnight changes

Seems that every time that we turn around, Tyler has learned a new "trick". It's absolutely amazing. His latest tricks came over the weekend. We were just hanging out in the living room as we always do on Sunday mornings, when Tyler walked behind his play kitchen and climbed up into his rocking chair and sat down. He just looked at us with this big smile on his face, and you could tell that he was really proud of himself. We just cheered and cheered for him, which made his smile even brighter. He then showed us that he can also sit properly in his little armchair, and even made an attempt at climbing up on the couch with us, but I don't think we're quite there yet. It is funny to watch him hike his leg up though in an effort to sit with us.

We also pulled out his old John Deere ATV this weekend. He hasn't really shown much interest in riding toys (even though he has about 2,986 of them), except to just push them around. Well, this weekend he went up to the John Deere and immediately hiked his leg over the seat to sit down. It took a couple of (frustrating) tries, but he finally got it, and once again he just beamed! I thought that he would have a tough time with the dismount, but a few more tries and he had that down pat too! He tried all of this again when he saw his little trike outside while Travis & I tried to get some yardwork done. Success!!! Now, to just get him moving while he's sitting on his toys. I have a feeling it won't be long now!

To back up a few weekends, we did head back to Lynchburg for my Granddaddy Woody's funeral at the beginning of the month. Though it was a time of mourning, we got to spend some very special time with some family that we rarely see. My aunt Kay flew in from Singapore and brought with her my cousin Anne from NY. And my other cousins Gray & David drove up from Atlanta. It was so exciting to see them all, as this was the first time that they had met Tyler! Nana Scoggin and my Uncle Nathan also made the trip, so we had a nice time visiting with them too.

Granddad Snead (Trav's dad) has been a bit under the weather lately, so we've been trying to visit with them across town some so that Tyler can brighten the day! We were there on Saturday, and Tyler had a great time pulling out all of Gramme's tupperware, just like he does at home. Silly boy.

We're headed back to Lynchburg this weekend for a wedding, and then I think that we're actually home for a few weeks!! Our next big trip after that will be our big trek down to Columbia, SC for Maggie & Stephen's wedding, where Tyler will be the ring bearer with his good buddy, Madison Michael. We can't wait!!!

I'll leave you this week with a video of another one of Tyler's new tricks. At first, I thought that he was going to blow me a kiss, since I had just done so to him. Nope. But this is still just as cute.

Busy Easter weekend

Last week, Travis & I had the day off for Good Friday. So we decided to make the most of our long weekend, and do some new activities with Tyler. We took him to the Children’s Museum of Richmond on Friday. Travis’ company has a substantial relationship with the museum, so as an employee, he (and his family) get in for free! It’s a wonderful perk, and one that we plan on taking advantage of often. Tyler had a great time. He played in some “fossil brushing” boxes, and really enjoyed watching the other kids play. He also got to pick apples off of the apple tree (which are red balls that shoot out of the holes in the trees), and sit on dinosaurs, and build with all sorts of blocks. We also took him over to the 3 and Under area, where he had a blast running all over the place and playing. They had some oversized Legos for building, lots of books and puzzles, and a kitchen stocked with all sorts of fun stuff. Tyler also got a kick out of watching the other kids play, and liked to go up to mothers that were holding their teeny, tiny babies to see what they were up to. He behaved so well, we were so proud of him. We will definitely be making return trips to the museum. After the museum, we went out to eat and we saw firsthand that Tyler was ready for a nap.

We had decided that on Saturday, we would head to Maymont for their Easter festivities. (Maymont is a park in Richmond, and some may remember that Travis proposed to me in the Japanese Gardens there.) Apparently, about 30,000 other people in the city had the same idea, so it was pretty packed. Btu they had lots of things set up for kids, and most of it was for older kids, but there were some things that Tyler could do. We met up with our friends Lori & Evan, and took the boys in the petting zoo where they met face-to-face with a sheep, and got to pet some baby goats and see baby bunnies and chicks. Tyler was enthralled with the animals and loved walking through the exhibit. We also took the boys to have their pictures taken with a live bunny. Tyler did very well with the bunny and wasn’t rough with it at all. I think he was a little sad when the bunny went away. We then put the boys in their strollers and just took a nice walk around the park and looked at all of the other animals. Travis made sure that we stopped by the white tail deer exhibit to show Tyler what his target would be in about 10+ years. (Travis says it will be sooner than that. I disagree.) It was a beautiful day, but it’s a good thing we brought the sunscreen! We still have a few exhibit tickets leftover, and we can use them at any of the park’s Barn Days during the spring. We’ll be heading back for those.

Sunday was Easter, and the Easter Bunny visited Tyler and dropped off some eggs filled with his favorite snacks! He was very excited to see the eggs, then even more excited to shake them, and even MORE excited to have one burst open and find that snack came out of it!!!! He also got some special Easter gifts from Gramme and Granddad Snead, and from Maw-MAw & Paw-Paw Radick in Lynchburg.

So thankfully, the warmer weather is on its way. Tyler loves to be outside, and we love to take him outside. It’s going to be a fun spring and summer, I do believe!



One sad note to pass along tonight: My grandfather, Wyatt Edward Woody, passed away this evening. He shared his birthday with my mother, as both were born on October 22. He was born in 1919 and was married to my Nana Woody for over 50 years. He leaves behind his wife, Mildred (my Nana), 2 children (my Aunt Kay and her husband Mike, & my Dad), 5 grandchildren (Gray, David, & Anne, Eddie & myself), and 1 great-grandchild (Tyler). I am so glad that he got to meet Tyler and I am so thankful that I got to see how happy his great-grandchild made him. Granddaddy had Alzheimer's, and while he didn't always know who Tyler was, he knew that Tyler could make him smile. I'll never forget sharing Certs candies with Granddaddy at his bar in his basement, or the way that he loved on our old dog, Dudley. He was a wonderful man, and may he rest in peace in a better place. We love you and miss you already, Granddady.

New shoes & the Easter Bunny

We had a pretty big field trip today. We headed to Regency Mall to go to Stride Rite to get Tyler his very first pair of "real" walking shoes! He has soft-soled shoes, but now that he's really toddling around, we felt that he needed something more substantial. And who better to fit him for the shoes than Stride Rite? So we used a bit of his birthday money and bought a very cute pair. I was pretty bummed, as I forgot my camera for the historic event, but have no fear - Stride Rite will take your baby's picture and frame it for you!!!! Tyler seems to like his new shoes, though it is a bit more difficult for him to get around. The shoes, though good for his feet, are heavier and built differently from the shoes he's been used to. But we know that he'll adjust and be running along even faster soon!!!

After we bought the shoes, we headed to see the Easter Bunny. Tyler did very well, and was quite intrigued by the Rabbit. We got a pretty good picture from the encounter. Looking forward to Easter this Sunday!

Tyler-Fest 2008 - The Mechanicsville Stop

We had Part 2 of Tyler's birthday celebrations last weekend at our house. We had a ton of rain the night before right up until an hour or so before the party was to start. Thankfully, the rain stopped and the sun came out. However, the rain was replaced with a strong wind with strong gusts. But it was a warm day, and there were lots of people in our house, so the wind was nice with the windows open.

I once again started out the day by bringing balloons into the house. This made Tyler's day. He was so excited to see his balloons again! He just toddled around the house with one (or more) of them in his hands at all times. Almost a week later, we still have several of the mylar balloons floating around, and he's still as excited about them. Travis and I, on the other hand, are thinking of creative ways to make the balloons disappear. It was adorable the first day, but now it's a little frustrating to have to constantly work around balloons and strings and what not.

Our first guests to show up were Travis' Uncle Wallace & Aunt Brenda. They also brought Tyler a balloon. Then Matt & Laura showed up (meatballs in tow - yum!), followed by a couple of out-of-towners - Julia & Claire from Arlington! (We had been to Claire's 1st birthday party at the beginning of February with our friends the Clarkes from SC.) Also in attendance: Gramme & Granddad Snead, Aunt Jenn & Uncle Brian, Great-Grandma Smith and her friend Julia, my Uncle Nathan, Aunt Donna, & their girls Jessi & Becky, the Griffiths (with their boys CJ & Gage), the Welshes (with little Abby, who is 6 months old & was in Tyler's infant room at daycare - I work with her dad), the Kreckmans (whose son, Evan, turned 1 just 6 days before Tyler), "Uncle" David (who works with Trav), and neighbors the Brants, the Grahams, & the Ailstocks. Talk about a full house, especially with that many little ones running around!

We all enjoyed some food and visited for a while, and the Birthday Boy walked around and impressed everyone with his skills. He was a very gracious host (that is, once he woke up from his nap AFTER most everyone had gotten there, but at least we knew he was well-rested). After a while, we got ready for Cake Part 2. This one was made by Williams Bakery, a local bakery near our house that's pretty famous around here for donuts, cake, whatever. VERY tasty stuff. The cake was a full sheet cake with 3 cupcakes on top - Elmo, Big Bird, & Cookie Monster. I was so excited when I picked it up, they did such a wonderful job. So this time, instead of Tyler getting his own cake, he got to have the Big Bird cupcake to do with as he pleased. And just like the weekend before, he wasn't really interested. He barely touched it or anything, and wouldn't even let us put icing on his lips to taste. He wanted nothing to do with it. Gave him some ricecakes and the kid went to town on those - again. Guess I should be happy for now that he chooses the healthier snack.

We then retreated to the living room to watch a wonderful video of Tyler's first year. My friend, Lori, made one of these for her son's birthday and I absolutely loved it. So she volunteered to make one for us. I am so thankful to her for taking the time to do this. It turned out beautifully. THANK YOU, LORI! Watch the video here.

Next up: presents! And lots and lots of them. Again, our little man was quite spoiled. Lots of clothes and LOTS of toys. New trucks, cars, Little People, ride-on toys (complete with sippy cup holders - haha!), beach toys, you name it. He racked up. And he's having a great time pulling each and every new toy out to play with it. We've got so much going on in the living room now that we finally pulled out the plastic bins that my Uncle Nathan's family gave us at my baby shower last year. Until now, the bins were being used to hold some of our things in the office. But not anymore. Now we have blocks, and balls, and Little People, and stuffed animals, and whatever else in there. Tyler likes to pull all of the bins off of the shelves, and sometimes wear them as hats, but in time we hope that he'll learn their true purpose.

After the party, we headed out to dinner with Julia & Claire. Tyler & Claire did pretty well, but you could tell that the lack of an afternoon nap was starting to catch up with them. So we ate pretty quickly, and Julia & Claire hit the road. And we took our Birthday Boy back home to catch some Z's. Yet another successful party, though, and we are so thankful for everyone that came to celebrate with us!!!

And now begins the Road to Two.

Tyler-Fest 2008 - The Lynchburg Stop

We had Tyler-fest 2008 (Part One) in Lynchburg this past weekend at Grandpa's house. It was a great day with lots of visitors and lots of fun! First of all, we got to Grandpa's on Friday afternoon. Tyler started to show off his newfound walking skills, and it seems that hardwood floors are very good for new walkers! He took off! Travis & I were shocked at how many more steps he was taking, and how bold he was. He did a great job! And he continued this practice for the rest of the weekend.

Party Day started out on Saturday morning when I went out to get some balloons for the big day. I mentioned to the woman who was helping me that the balloons were for a 1 year old's birthday, and that this would be the first time he'd really ever been around balloons. I wasn't sure if he was going to love them or hate them. (Which, by the way, I ended up hating them by the time I got home. Saturday was a VERY windy day!) As soon as I brought them in the house, Tyler was intrigued. So intrigued that he toddled over to take a closer look. He kept calling the "balls" and then later it was either "ball" or "ooo", so maybe he was starting to attempt "balloon"? Maybe not. Only Tyler knows.

The cakes were delivered around 1:00. We had Geisel Nye make the cakes for us. She also made our wedding cake and groom's cake. My mom was a huge fan of her chocolate truffle cake, and thus a huge fan of Geisel's. Geisel made a big Elmo cake for the guests, and a smaller Elmo face cake for Tyler to dig into. As you can tell from the pictures, she did an amazing job, as always. The cakes were cream cheese pound cake with buttercream icing. YUM!

We made sure that Tyler had a decent nap before the festivities. Guests were scheduled to arrive at 2:00, and boy did they arrive! Uncle Eddie, Bridges and her boys, Maw-Maw & Paw-Paw Radick, Sarah & Steve English, Nana Woody, Nana Scoggin, Heath's family (all the way from PA!), Snookie & Lawrence, the Leamons, Berkley & Grace, with later appearance from Larry & Davina Hall and Robert & Debra Hamric. Tyler did a wonderful job around all of the people, and was certainly putting on a show!

We got to the cake portion of our program, and dressed him in his special t-shirt. It says, "I'm One! Got cake? I need something to wash down all that milk." Tyler was a little confused as to why everyone was singing and looking at him. I placed his Elmo cake in front of him, helped him blow out his candle, and watched. He gently placed his fingers in the rich icing and immediately started to try to flick it off. So he grabbed a little more, and flicked a little more. I tried to put some on his lips and in his mouth, but he wasn't having any of that. So I dug into his cake for him to get him started. Still not really interested. More interested in the flicking of the icing. And his balloon. Boy did he love his balloon. He did finally put a few pieces of cake in his mouth, and played in the icing for a bit, but in the end he ended up snacking on his rice cakes instead. Guess I shouldn't complain about my little boy choosing a healthy snack over cake, huh? But the rest of the guests dove into the big cake and boy, did we enjoy that! We have some leftover at our house now, and Travis & I are savoring those slices. Reminds us of our wedding!

Tyler did "help" us unwrap his gifts, and he seemed to have fun with it, especially when he got to the toy cell phone from Berkley & Grace. For weeks now, we've been trying every kind of phone imaginable to keep him away from our real cell phones and the cordless phones at home. We've taken the batteries out of old cells and cordless phones to no avail. He wants the real thing. Well, this phone talks and rings and lights up, so he's much happier. It's been a real hit. He also got a pedal car from the Scoggin side of the family. It should be lots of fun for him when the weather is nicer! He got lots of spring and summer clothes too, which is great! And lots and lots of books, which we all love!

After gifts, he got pretty tired and we knew that a nap was lurking. But all in all, he did a great job for his 1st birthday party! Thanks to Grandpa for having us all weekend and for letting us use his house! Thanks to Geisel for making such beautiful (and yummy) cakes. And thanks to everyone who showed up to help make Tyler's day even more special. He is certainly one loved little boy!

Stay tuned for Tyler-fest 2008 (Part Two).....

One last thing - we had Tyler's one year appointment this week. 22 lbs. 5 oz. and 30.25 inches long! Everything looks really good and he's now a forward-facing rider in the car now - and loving it!!!!

Happy Birthday, Tyler!!!

Today at 6:52 pm, Tyler will be one year old. As this date got closer and closer, I found myself looking back over the past year. And I’ve been absolutely amazed at how much he has changed, and how much he has changed us – for the better. He started out so small and so helpless. Little things like him being able to hold his own head up, or watching his first smile, were monumental events in our house. Now we’re watching him learn new words, take his first steps, and learn how the world works around him. These are the new monumental events, and are no less (or more) significant. In those first few months, everything was so crazy and hectic. We felt like we didn’t know what we were doing (hey, we STILL feel that way sometimes!). I felt like all I did was nurse him. I thought he only saw me as a food source. Now that I’ve hung the pump up for good (yay!), and he’s transitioning to whole milk, I find myself treasuring those rare nursing sessions now, and know that he sees me as a source of comfort. And it comforts me as well, as I know that no one else can give him what I have in his first year. And I have had some amazing, quality bonding time with my son.

Tyler has really changed us too. For me, I know that I no longer think of myself first, but of him. I want to make sure that the decisions that I make in everyday life will be to his benefit, whether it be short-term or long-term. Tyler has brought Travis & I closer together as well. Though we’ve definitely had some trying times in this first year, and many adjustments have been made to our daily life, I love Travis more than ever before, because he helped bring this little man into my life. And I know that he feels the same way about me.

I am amazed at everything that Tyler learns and does. He so easily brings a smile to my face everyday. And we can’t wait to watch him continue to grow and learn. So, Happy Birthday, my little man. Mommy and Daddy love you so very much.

We’ll be heading to Lynchburg tomorrow for Tyler’s big party at Grandpa’s house on Saturday. We’re really looking forward to seeing everyone and celebrating! The woman that made our wedding cake is making the birthday cake, and we can’t wait to see it. It’s going to be a big and hectic weekend, but it should be a lot of fun! Tyler will have lots of opportunities to show off his new tricks – walking, stacking blocks, throwing balls, saying “bye” and waving, and so much more. Let the festivities begin!!!!

Look at me, I'm walkin' & talkin'!!!!

Saying "ball":

Time's just a-flyin'

The first weekend of this month brought our friends, the Clarkes from South Carolina, to visit for the weekend. Madison and Tyler were reunited early Saturday morning, and it was so much fun to watch them interact again. It had been about 3 months since their last visit, and much had changed since then. Madison was now walking, and Tyler was keeping up on his hands and knees this time. They had a lot of fun playing peek-a-boo, sharing toys (or not sharing them, whichever the case may be), and watching Backyardigans. We all loaded into the Highlander that morning for a trip up to Arlington for our friend Julia’s little girl’s birthday. Claire turned one on February 1. Oh and yes, you read that right. All 6 of us loaded into the Highlander. I really wish we had taken a picture of this feat. Travis and Stephen in the front seat, the kids in the second row seat (I think they had more room than anyone else in the car!), and Maggie and I in the 3rd row seat. This was the first time that the 3rd row had been used. Not all that uncomfortable, but definitely made for shorter people.

Anyway, we got to Claire’s for the party, and had a great time. We even saw another of our friends, Jamie, and her little girl Lily, who turned 1 in January. These girls are all part of the group that got together in Fredericksburg in October. The kids did a great job, and Mad & Tyler even managed to take naps that afternoon! We all went out to dinner together that night, and while the parents enjoyed themselves, it became quickly apparent that our smaller guests were unhappy with their surroundings. Very unhappy. The long day had finally taken its toll. So we headed back to Richmond, wishing we all had earplugs. Tyler decided to cry (loudly) for the majority of the trip home, while Mad sat next to him and yelled back. I’d never been so happy to get out of the car. But all in all, it was a wonderful visit, and we can’t wait to see everyone again. Claire and Lily may be in attendance at Tyler’s Richmond birthday party, and then we’ll see Madison at Maggie & Stephen’s wedding in SC in May. Tyler is actually the ring bearer!

Since playing with all of his little friends, Tyler has gotten really good at “cruising” – walking while holding onto everything, the couch, the table, the wall, your hands. He’s not far from taking those first steps, I believe, but I’m in no hurry for it. He’s growing up too fast as it is! I still can’t believe that he’ll be one in a matter of weeks. Feels like just yesterday I was on the couch on bedrest, watching TLC’s Baby Story. It’s crazy how being a parent affects time.

He’s also picked up some adorable new tricks. His newest is putting “phones” to his ear and saying something that’s really close to “Hello”. I put the word phones in quotes because, well, most anything can be a phone to him – remote controls, many of his toys, doesn’t really matter. But it’s absolutely adorable, and we love watching him “talk” to whoever is on the other line. He will often give us the phone to talk to the person. His fascination with balls has been revived as well. He loves to sit and throw the ball with you. And he’s gotten VERY good at it! On the flip side, he’s just as good at catching too. He still loves to read his books, and will let us get through a few pages of a book with him before he decides that he could read it faster himself and loses interest.

He has favorite new snacks, the #1 being Yoplait Kids yogurt smoothies. He loves to one-hand that sippy cup and will just down the thing as quickly as possible. He also has become a fan of Quaker Rice Cakes, thanks to Madison. He likes to shove them in his mouth and cruise around with it sticking halfway out of his mouth. Travis laughed when he saw the pictures of this. He said that the rice cake made him look like he had fake Redneck Bubba teeth or something. You decide.

He’s now fully transitioned into the Beginning Walker room at school, and seems to be doing better. I think that he really does have more fun in there. There’s more to do, and kids more his size and age to play with. We’ll start transitioning him to whole milk within the next few weeks, if I’m lucky. I do plan to continue to nurse him in the morning and at night (if he wants), but hope to be able to make the daytime switch to whole milk around his first birthday. I’ll be honest. After 9+ months of pumping 4 times a day, 5 days a week (and once a day on weekends), I’m ready to retire. I wouldn’t trade my decision to breastfeed Tyler for anything in the world, but I think that I am growing more and more annoyed at the pump simply because I do see the light at the end of the tunnel. Now, let’s keep our fingers crossed that he transitions well to this. We’re also planning on switching him to sippy cups only at the same time. Right now, he takes 3 bottles at daycare each day, and has a sippy of juice/water throughout the day. The goal in the Beginning Walker room is to help wean from the bottle at one year. Lots of change coming for our little man, but we know he’ll do fine! (Or so we hope!)

More busy times ahead. This Sunday, Aunt Jenn & Uncle Brian are coming over to watch Tyler so that Travis & I can finally get out to eat on our own! We’re going to The Melting Pot for my birthday dinner, which we were supposed to do last year, but bedrest didn’t allow it. Then we have our friend Evan’s 1st birthday party the next weekend, followed by two weekends of parties for Tyler! Gonna be busy!!!

Getting the itch

At Christmas, Tyler was given 2 push toys that are supposed to help him to learn how to walk. He wasn’t really interested in the walking portion of the toys, but loved to play with them while sitting still. Well, while we were at Grandpa’s house a few weekends ago, Tyler got the itch. The itch to try to walk. He discovered that Grandpa’s ottoman would slide on the hardwood floor if he pushed on it. So he would stand up and start pushing his way across the room. Once he hit the fridge (or anything else), he’d get mad until someone came and turned him around so he could push his way across the room again. He was happy as a clam as he walked. We got home and decided to see if he would be interested in pushing his walker toys. Boy, was he ever! However, I think we’ve created a monster. Our house doesn’t really have any long halls or anything, so we’re constantly having to come and help him turn to keep him moving. We just do laps around the 1st floor of the house with him – start in the living room, through the kitchen, through the dining room, through the foyer, and back into the living room again. It’s kind of funny, but kind of tiring. He has a great time with his “walking” though. The smile on his face says it all. He’s not a big fan of holding onto your hands to try and walk. He just kind of stands there is you try to help him. But it won’t be long before he takes off on his own!

He’s been standing unassisted a lot more too. He’ll be playing and all of a sudden he’ll just let go and stand there for a while. Once he realizes what he’s doing, he’s usually quick to sit down or grab hold of something. He also looks like he’s trying to stand from a crawling position. He hasn’t quite mastered that yet, or really gotten the courage to just go for it, but you can see the wheels turning in his head. All in good time, all in good time.

With this increased mobility and newfound tricks comes a big change. He’s being transitioned to the Beginning Walker room at daycare. His transition period has lasted a little longer than most because he’s “very attached to the Infant teachers” (exact words from the daycare director). Her exact words are a bit of an understatement though. The kid LOVES his teachers in the infant room. It’s nice to see that he loves them so much and that they have been an important part of his life, but it’s making the move difficult. The daycare works very hard to transition them with little disruption, so they will have one of the infant teachers go with him to the Beginning Walker room for an hour or so at a time. But after a while, he’s ready to get back to the room that he “knows”. We’re hoping that the more time that he spends in the next room will help him realize that it’s more fun in there. He’ll learn to like the teachers in there too. But for now, he’s having a bit of a hard time. He NEEDS to move to the next room though. He’s, by far, the biggest kid in the Infant room now, and he’s getting noticeably bored in there. There’s not a lot in there for a baby with his “skills” to do, so he ends up pulling up on the littler kids, and trying to play with them. We know that once he gets in the other room, and sees all of his old “friends” again, he’ll be fine. And a lot more stimulated. They read books over there and learn Baby Sign Language, sing songs and do more group play. So the hope is that he will be fully transitioned within the next week or two. Keep those fingers crossed.

We also have a new favorite in the house – The Backyardigans. Ever heard of them? Well, if you haven’t, the best way to describe them is as Crack for Small People (as my friend Maggie says). It’s a cartoon show on Nick Jr. There’s 5 little friends that play in their back yards (get it? Back-yardigans?) and use their imaginations to go on all sorts of little adventures. Well, Tyler doesn’t quite get what the Backyardigans are doing just yet, but he sure knows when they come on. It doesn’t matter what’s going on or what he’s doing. As soon as he hears the opening of “Hi, I’m Pablo”, he drops whatever it is that he’s holding, he stops crying or yelling, he’s immediately distracted and turns to the TV and just stares. As the theme music continues, he starts to squeal with joy and the biggest smile creeps across his face. It’s amazing. No other show has this kind of effect on him. (Well, maybe NASCAR races when he was really little.) And TiVo is a wonderful thing. We keep a few episodes on there so that we can start one up when he’s being inconsolable or we need to distract him for a second. Now, before you start to lecture, it’s not like he sits in front of the TV for hours on end watching this show. In fact, he rarely makes it past the theme song. But sometimes you have to have a secret weapon in your parenting arsenal. This is ours. And of all the kids’ shows out there, I have to say that Backyardigans is the least annoying. It’s a cute show with catchy little tunes. There are a lot worse shows he could like (i.e.: Barney).

Travis had his week-long business trip last week, and we all made it out alive. Tyler & I certainly missed him, and he certainly missed us. And the first day or two was a little hard to get used to for me. I’m not used to having the run the whole Tyler Show on my own. But Tyler & I got into a little routine, and I took the day off on Friday so that we could just play. You could definitely tell that he was missing his Daddy by the end of the week. Daddy is the person who wakes him up in the mornings, gives him his breakfast, gives the baths, among MANY other things. Mommy does an OK job at all of those things, but I think he prefers Daddy. So when Daddy came into his bedroom on Saturday morning, Tyler greeted him with a huge smile. Excitement all around. Travis has to travel again next week for 3 days, but at least we’ve got the big trip under our belts now and know a little more of what to expect. We’ll still miss him. And he’ll definitely miss us.

Oh and how could I forget??? Tyler FINALLY cut his first tooth! The little booger broke through on the 16th. It's the lower middle right tooth. And the left one is just about to break. I really miss that gummy smile but it is exciting to finally see some toofers in there! *knock on wood* He hasn't started biting with that one tooth, but the sucker is sharp! I made the mistake of putting my finger in his mouth to feel around.

One last thing in this long update: I found out that a dear friend of mine from college had her 1st baby on January 24th – a little girl named Sasha Adelaide, weighing in at 9 lbs. 2 oz.!!! Congratulations Carrie & Bob!!! Can’t wait to meet her!!!!