Seasons

Summer has officially left here in Minnesota. The leaves are changing colors and this morning we had frost on our lawn. Yes, it's time to pack up the shorts and tank tops for another year and say hello to turtlenecks, gloves and scarves. For Tyler and I our days of stroller rides and swings are waning fast so we're taking advantage of every last day we have. Yesterday we met some friends at a local park then spent the afternoon swinging at the playground just around the corner from our house.

Tyler, too, is going through some changes. Nothing as dramatic as starting to crawl but subtle differences that show he's on his way to becoming a little boy. Everyday his vocabulary of sounds increases. Twice this week he's waken us up in the middle of the night by talking and laughing to himself in his crib. He still hasn't said "mama" yet but I'm hoping for it soon! He's also learning how to express his displeasure in new ways. Instead of crying he will jerk his arms and legs and "yell". Yes, I think the temper tantrums have begun. I had no idea this would begin so young and that realization has prompted me to check out several discipline books from the library. I know there's not much to do right now but Jim and I know we need to have our game plan together sooner rather than later!

He's also moving around quite a bit. He can turn all different ways on his stomach and can also inch along a little by stretching his body out as far as it'll go. He's using anything and everything to pull himself up to his knees, including his crib railing. Jim and I lowered his crib mattress last week just to be on the safe side. He's also taken to reaching out for me when we're sitting on the floor together. He "dives" for me with his arms out and ends up resting his head in my lap. It's pretty cute!

This week I noticed that he's playing with his toys differently too. He has a set of blocks that have different functions on them. Normally he will knock them over and try to stick them in his mouth the second I stack them up. Lately though, instead of knocking them over he's been gently exploring how each function works and getting excited when he figures them out. Then he proceeds to stick them in his mouth!

All these changes are an exciting prelude for what's to come but they also serve as a reminder to cherish the times we have now. Soon Tyler won't be our little baby but our rough and tumble little boy.