Tyler's 4 Month Birthday

We started off this month with our trip to Atlanta which I wrote about in an earlier post. Since then we have been pretty low key and trying to figure out our routine for this fall. I started a study at Watermark called Equipped Disciple which meets for a few hours once a week. Tyler started going to childcare for the first time. He did great even though I was a little nervous. It's always so fun going to pick him up and seeing him smile when he hears my voice. Such a momma's boy :).

Brian has been really happy with the start of football season which means Tyler wears the same outfit every Saturday. His Aggie onesie, of course! We can't wait for Tyler to grow up and love the Aggies too :) 

Tyler has also discovered his feet. Sometimes I catch him just laying on the floor holding both feet and just staring at them. It is almost like he wants to say, "Are these mine?" He is still sucking on his hands, shirts, thumb, toys, and probably his toes very soon. 

Since the weather has been nicer lately we have started taking advantage of the running path by our house. I am doing more walking than running these days but hope to work my way back into it. Its not so easy trying to run and push a heavy stroller! Here is a picture of us on the trail with Brian's childhood home in the background. Who would have ever thought we would be living less than a mile from where he grew up?!

Our bedtime routine has been working pretty good this past month. We usually put Tyler down between 7:30 and 8:30 and you will sleep until around 7am. It isn't the night time sleep that is difficult but the napping. There are some days I think I am going to lose my mind because he will only sleep for 30 minutes between each feeding. That means most of the day he wants to be held or is fussing. Brian has been such an amazing encourager to me during this time. He has come home early from work many days and is always there to listen when I need to talk. :) Here is a sweet picture of Brian reading Tyler a book at bedtime. This kid has some long legs on him...

These have been the hardest 4 months of my life but I wouldnt trade it for anything. Especially when I catch a moments like this...

Height: 25 5/8 in (75th %)

Weight: 13 lb (30th %)

Food: Still breastfeeding every 3 hours (7:30, 10:30, 1:30, 4:30, 7:30)

Sleep: Naps are a little tricky but he is still doing great at night. He goes down around 7:30 and doesn't usually (key word being "usually") wake up until 6:30 or 7am. 
Clothes: 3-6 months
Likes: To be held, being around lots of people, standing up, sucking on his hands
Dislikes: 

Favorite Mommy Moment: Tyler has started snuggling with me and I love it! Oh, he rolled over from back to tummy for the first time on 9/7/12.

We love you sooo much!

Tyler Laughing

Tyler just started laughing this week and we think it's pretty darn cute! I took this video while Beth and Jerry were driving us home from the airport so it might make you a little car sick to watch. :) 

Tyler's First Visit to Atlanta

We spent the Labor Day weekend with Brian's extended family in Atlanta. Tyler was such a trooper and loved meeting his cousins, aunts, uncle, and great-grandparents. We started off the trip at DFW on Friday afternoon. Brian and I made sure we were the very last to board the  plane to minimize "sitting" time. (Tyler doesn't like to be held when you are sitting down. He wants to be held standing up...high maintenance, I know!) I fed him during take off to help with his ears but about 30 minutes into the flight he started to scream. We tried everything we could but nothing seemed to work so I got up and held him in the back of the plane. I think what it came down to was him being overly tired. We left for the airport around 2 and didnt get him to fall asleep until we were getting our rental in Atlanta around 9. Here are some pics from the flight over.

Heading to the airport

Dont let this picture fool you...the smile was VERY short lived. 

Look who FINALLY fell asleep.

Saturday we spent the day hanging out with the family and celebrating Grandmom's birthday. We always have such a fun time when we go to Atlanta. The cousins introduced us to a new game, Spikeball. The boys spent a lot of time outside playing. 

Tyler was quite the hit. There were times that he had up to 8 people touching and playing with him and he never once fussed. I think he enjoyed all the attention :).

Grandmom and Grandude

 Aunt Leigh

Michael loved playing with Tyler and Tyler loved staring at Michael!

Lots of attention!

 He needed some pictures with mommy since she is always the one behind the camera.

 Grandude got out a dancing monkey and Tyler loved it!

 "Hey dad your beard is scratchy!"

 Playing a little poker. This was only my second time to really play and I actually was winning! WOHOO!!!

 Michael and I ended up having the same cards so we got to split the pot. 

This was the whole crew (minus Scott, Adrian, Jackson, and Will. They had to stay in Dallas because the boys were sick.)

Tyler was a champ and did great with naps and sleeping at night. We headed back to the airport on Monday and he did great on the flight back! Yes, I did have to change his diaper on both flights. Brian was worried he was going to fall in the toilet! 

Walking the aisle to keep this little man happy. Tyler's face cracks me up!

We survived!!!

It was a very long day of travel but we were so glad to get to spend time with family. We hope to visit again soon!

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. :)