Tyler's 3 Month Birthday

This has been such a great month! We finished up Square One at Watermark and look forward to starting MOPS at Bent Tree in September. I also signed up for a bible study with some other Square One moms at Watermark that starts in a few weeks. (Can you tell I like to stay busy??!!) One of our favorite things we did this month was going to see a movie with some other mommies and babies. Yes..I went to the movies and was able to stay for the entire thing! One of my friends told me about "Mommy Matinees" so we decided to try it out. Here is the description from thebump.com: "Join us for Bring Your Baby Matinees — the first Tuesday of every month at theater near you. Catch the latest blockbuster and spend a fun day out with parents just like you!

• Breastfeeding-friendly atmosphere
• Brighter lights and lower volume
• Stress-free environment
• Stroller parking
• Crying babies allowed!

When I saw "crying babies allowed" I was SOLD! August's movie was "The Amazing Spiderman" and we are looking forward to seeing "The Odd Life of Timothy Green" in September. 

Tyler had no clue there was a movie playing behind him.

He has also become quite a talker this month. We love all the sweet (and sad) faces this boy makes.

Learning to talk

Talking with Grammy

Isn't this just the cutest pouty face you have EVER seen?!?!

Working on a little tummy time

Giving mommy two hands so she can get something done around here. We are glad he likes this because we will be using it on our trip to Atlanta on Friday.

He NEVER lets me hold him like this so I have to take advantage any time he does. Please excuse the large camera I am holding :). Using the bathroom mirror is sometimes the only way to capture this guy.

Taking a nap in Tanner's big boy bed. 

I am pretty proud of myself for catching this precious moment :). 

Tyler has also discovered his hands and that they can be used to put things in his mouth. He is constantly pulling on his clothes and sucking on his hands, blankets, tags, etc. 

(yes, his carseat sometimes doubles as a purse)

This is why his clothes are all stretched out after one time of wearing them! He has even learned to grab on to his diaper which makes changing him very interesting. 

Next weekend we will be traveling to Atlanta to visit some of Brian's extended family. We will keep our fingers crossed Tyler sleeps during the plane ride. Otherwise, daddy might be walking up and down the isle to keep him happy. Happy 3 month birthday!!!

"Hey! That's my name!"

Food: Breastfeeding every 3 hours during the day and every 4 hours at night. I have been lazy about trying bottles. He has taken a few ounces from other people but we haven't tried a whole feeding in a while. 
Sleep: We put him to bed sometime between 7:30 and 8:00 most nights. He wakes up around 4-5am to eat and then usually goes back to sleep until 8-9am. We have yet to figure out a napping schedule but he usually takes about a 30 minute nap between feedings. I am trying to put him in his crib for those naps instead of in the swing. 
Clothes: 3 months
Likes: He loves being able to look around (especially in mirrors) and only wants to be held facing out. He also loves for you to move his legs like he is riding a bike. This is one of daddy's favorite things to do because almost every time it makes Tyler toot. :) He also likes being at other people's houses. I think he gets bored at our place. He loves to pull on his clothes and suck on things like his hands and blankets. 
Dislikes: He is getting so much better at riding in the car now. Usually he will fuss a little and then just fall asleep. He really doesnt like bath time (some times he is happy but most times he just screams). We do this as part of our bedtime routine so I think he is just tired and hungry which is a bad combo. I might start doing this in the morning and when he is a little older put it back in with our bedtime routine. He also doesn't really care for tummy time. I am trying really hard to make him do it for 3-5 minutes each time but he is usually very unhappy by the end of it. 
Favorite Mommy Moment: When I go to get him out of his crib in the morning. He is always so happy and gives me the cutest smiles. :)

Tyler's 2 Month Birthday

We have made it another month with our little man! He...should I say we...had a tough first month dealing with lots of crying and reflux issues. The good news is that this week (8 weeks) we have seen a big change in Tyler. He doesn't cry as much any more and actually seems happy most of the time. :) Yay!!! He has gotten into more of a "routine" where he will eat, "play", and sleep. He tends to get a little fussy when he is overly tired but if I walk around with him or put him in his bouncy seat he usually falls asleep. He is eating like a champ and loves to lay on his play mat and look out the window or at things around the room. He is becoming so much more aware and when you hold him he wants to be held sitting up facing out! 

Every other Wednesday Tyler and I head out to my sisters house for the day. Tanner loves having Tyler at his house to watch him play. Being that Tyler is so little he has to eat a few times while we are over there. This video might be proof that Aunt Tay Tay might need to start wearing her "hooter hider" when she feeds Tyler now :). Tanner is quiet observant. I thought this was hilarious and will be great black mail when he gets older!

"I have boobies" video

Another "tradition" that we have started is going to Poppa's house (my grandfather) once a month. We usually go on a walk to the park with Howie (Poppa's dog) and then back to his house to play and eat lunch. 

Now that Tyler is becoming so much more aware and happy I find myself posting pictures of him on Instagram all.the.time.  We love you Tyler and look forward to many happy months ahead!

I love to smile!

Chubby cheeks :)

I love having lunch with my daddy!

Tyler is sleeping so quietly inside the sling :)

Weight: 11 lb 6 oz (50th percentile)
Height: 24 3/8 in (90th percentile)
Head: 40 cm (50th percentile)
Food: Breastfeeding every 3 hours during the day and every 4 hours at night. However, he has been sleeping like a champ and typically goes about 6 hours between night feedings :). I will keep my fingers crossed he continues this pattern.
Clothes: 0-3 months
Likes: He still likes being in the sling, sitting up so he can look around, the light from lamps and the tv, and fans
Favorite Mommy Moment: Tyler has started smiling and cooing when you talk to him. I think he loves his mommy :). 

I'm just talking :)

Our family of 3!

Look Who's Talking

At 7 weeks, Tyler has just started cooing and making little noises. It's pretty cute!

Bedtime Routine

We have been to the doctor a few times in the last month trying to get Tyler's reflux under control. The last time I went to the doctor we decided to increase his medication and it has helped a ton! He also wanted us to start putting Tyler to bed in his crib and start a bedtime routine. At first I was really nervous but it has been great! He recommended we lower one side of the crib just a little so that he is on an incline when he sleeps. This allows him to sleep in his crib but also helps with the reflux. We began this bedtime routine at the end of Tyler's 6th week and so far he has slept for 6-7 hours in a row many times. 

(I'm 7 weeks old.)

First we take a bath. 

Then we do a little "swimming". He loves to just float in the water. Mommy holds his head and he kicks his legs around. 

I promise he loves it...you might not get that impression from this face though :).

All clean and smelling so good!

After we take a bath we get our pj's on and mommy feeds me. Then I get all swaddled up and put in my bed.

Night night mommy! See you around 4am.

1st Visit to Temple

This past weekend we took our first trip with Tyler and headed to visit my family in Temple. Tyler was a champ the ride down and the ride back. Brian and I were very thankful that he slept. :) It was nice hanging out in the pool and hearing all about my parents recent trip to Lusaka, Zambia where they spent a week loving on orphans. Tyler didn't really do a lot of sleeping on Saturday so he was pretty fussy. One of the victories of the weekend was getting him to take a bottle without screaming and he did it. Saturday it took about an hour to get him to take the entire bottle but by Sunday he sucked it dry in around 10 min. 

We have gotten the reflux under control but his gas has gotten pretty bad. As of Sunday I have removed all dairy products from my diet. This is a huge sacrifice for me since I am used to having around 2-3 bowls of cereal every day but he is worth it. Sunday we didn't end up leaving Temple until 9pm. We wanted to leave right after I fed him so he would be sleepy but we were also delayed by traffic and weather. We were willing to wait out the traffic even if we had to drive back in the middle of the night. There is nothing worse than thinking of sitting in traffic with a fussy 6 week old baby! We ended up getting back in town around 11pm. One of the leaders in my Square One (a group at Watermark for new moms) said something that I really agree with now that we have a child. The quote goes something like this... "A vacation is no longer a vacation but instead it is just living life somewhere else." 

Here are some pictures from the weekend. 

Hanging out with daddy

Tanner doing some coloring 

Hanging out with iPop

Fun with Grammy

Tyler's 1 Month Birthday

Happy 1 month birthday (June 28th) to my sweet baby boy! It is so hard to believe that he has been apart of our lives for a month already. Some times it feels like it was just yesterday I was pregnant and anxious for his arrival and other times it feels like he has been here FOREVER! It has definitely been a month of learning for Brian and I. I grew up babysitting and playing mommy but I could have never prepared myself for life with a real newborn. It is so rewarding but boy is it hard! The first two weeks he did great and slept most of the time. I, however, was a hormonal wreck! Thankfully after a few weeks I feel like myself again. These past 2 weeks have been pretty tough on mommy and daddy. Tyler was a champ with feeding from the get-go but he started having a hard time feeding and would get very fussy and angry when he ate. His fussiest time of the day is usually between 6-10pm which is hard for Brian because that is when he gets home from work. I took Tyler to the doctor on his 1 month birthday and they confirmed my concerns with his feeding by telling me he has some reflux issues. Apparently there is something called "silent" reflux. Most babies with reflux issues spit up a lot and Tyler never spits up. He just gets really upset during feeding and refuses to eat even though you can tell he is hungry. It is so sad to see him in pain and not know what to do to help. I am hopeful that the medicine will help and we will be a happy eater again soon! Here are some of the things I want to remember about Tyler's first month.

Weight: 8lb 15 oz
Food: Breastfeeding every 2-3 hours during the day and 3-4 hours at night...found out he has reflux so he started medicine 
Clothes: Newborn 
Likes: Being in the sling, laying on his activity mat, laying on daddy's chest, tummy time, being held and walked around (he gets fussy the minute you sit down), the sound "shhh, shhh, shhh"
Favorite Mommy Moment: When Tyler falls asleep on my chest, sweet faces he makes while sleeping

My favorite!

Lots of this going on during month 1 :)

HAHAHAHA!!!

4th of July

Happy 4th of July! We loved celebrating the 4th in the middle of the week this year mainly because Brian had the day off :) It was a nice break in the week for Tyler and I. Brian and his brother Jeff ran in a 5K that morning and then Brian and I headed to our new favorite place, The Egg and I. We had high hopes for a nice breakfast but Tyler had other plans. 

Here are my handsome boys!

10 minutes later this was my view...

Tyler decided that he did NOT want to be out for breakfast and decided to start screaming. Brian took him outside to try and calm him down but was unsuccessful. I quickly ate my food (alone) and got Brian's boxed up and we went home. I guess life with a child forces you to be flexible with your plans :). 

We had a great afternoon being lazy and watching Friday Night Lights. I got Brian hooked! 

Later that afternoon we headed over to one of our neighbors for a little backyard get together. This was the first time we have gotten to hang out with many of them so it was nice to get to know them better. 

All in all it was a great day and I look forward to next year when we can take Tyler to see some fireworks!