Diving

This week we're spending a lot of time at home so Mr. Tyler can recuperate from his illness. He already seems to be doing much better. The past two nights he hasn't woken up in the middle of the night and has even slept in a little. He's also been coughing less and his runny nose is getting a little better. Hopefully he'll be completely recovered by week's end!
Last night we graduated Tyler to the big boy tub. He's been wanting all his bath toys in his baby bath but they just don't fit. So, our little boy is growing up and taking baths in the big tub with all the toys he can handle!
Another sign that he's growing up and preparing for the next stage is his diving. Recently, he's started diving onto his stomach from the sitting up position. He began doing it to reach for toys that were out of reach but now he does it almost all the time. It's such a quick fluid motion that he's down before you know it! I'm told by other mothers that this is the first sign that they're thinking about crawling. I know he still has a while to go but I think we'd better get ready for it now!

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Click Clack!

Tyler has learned how to click his tongue and is doing it all the time. Whenever he hears someone else doing it he just has to join in the fun!


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Under The Weather...

but still in high spirits. Tyler woke up on Thursday with a raspy cough and by this morning it had gotten progressively worse. So, with the weekend looming, we rushed to get him into the doctor today. She said he has a little case of the croup and should be able to kick it in a week or so. We have to watch for wheezy/laborious breathing and make sure he's getting plenty of liquids and sleep. He doesn't seem too bothered by his cough and still has his appetite so we'll cross our fingers and hope we've seen the worst of it.

Bath Time

We've come a long way, baby!

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First Tooth!

That's right, Tyler is no longer all gums. This Friday Tyler was chewing on my finger and I felt a sharp painful stab. I felt along his gums and, sure enough, there is a tiny white cap pushing through his bottom gum. It's hard to see right now because it's barely through. Once it pushes out all the way I"ll try and get a picture. He doesn't appear to be in much pain but he is producing lot of drool and has a little runny nose. What a strong little man! Here are some pics from this weekend.

Shopping Trip

This week has been pretty low key. On Tuesday our friends Christa and Anna came to play. Anna, who has recently turned one, is such a sweetheart! She was really interested in "baby" Tyler and she was motoring all over the house. They both took really good naps so Christa and I could catch up and have lunch. We had such a nice time! Christa and I have decided to get together once a week this winter so we can both keep some semblance of sanity!

The weather has turned much cooler here in Minnesota this past week which has meant a lot of time indoors for me and Tyler. Mostly, because we discovered that Tyler had about 2 long sleeved shirts and pants that fit him! He'd also outgrown every single pair of socks we had for him as well as all his pajamas. A lot of the problem is that his height puts him in one size of clothing while his weight puts him in the next size up. In other words, our boy is short and fat! Yesterday, Tyler and I hit the outlet mall in town and stocked him up on long sleeved shirts and pants that are easily rolled up. The outlet stores are about 45 minutes from our house and he was really good on the drive to and from them. He was also a very helpful shopping companion, sitting politely in his stroller and playing with his toys. So, now that his wardrobe is back up to snuff we can brave the chilly weather and try to enjoy the outdoors before the snow falls!

I'm A Big Boy...

At the playground

At the dinner table (I can hold my own sippy cup, for a few seconds!)
and at Target!

Pics from the Weekend

This weekend was pretty low key but fun all the same. On Saturday Tyler and I watched the Aggies while Jim went golfing with some guy friends. That night I had a bachelorette party so Jim and some of his friends hung out here with the kids. On Sunday after church we went to see Nana and Papa Buffo at their new condo. Aunt Shannon and Cousin Kaitlyn also came over to visit.

Go Aggies!

The game is actually being broadcast up here so Tyler and I will take in our first Aggie game of the season together. Beat the hell outta Fresno State! WHOOP!!

Bubba Goes To College

Today we went to the University of Minnesota so Tyler could participate in a study of Attention & Learning in Infancy. The purpose of the study is to explore the role of attention in everyday learning. Research has shown that infants can learn about patterns of objects or events that occur together because they are so sensitive to regularities in their surroundings. They are trying to discover if focused attention is necessary for this type of unintentional learning.

Tyler took to the two girls running the experiement right away. As soon as he saw them he flashed his biggest smile and he kept talking to them the whole time they were explaining their research. The experiment itself was pretty quick. Tyler had to sit on my lap facing a huge computer monitor. They turned off the lights and showed a "movie" of colorful shapes and symbols with some sounds. Below the monitor was a video camera recording Tyler's eye movements so they could determine which objects Tyler found most interesting and how long he looked at them. The movie was on a loop, set to replay over and over again. The two girls told me they'd play it until he got fussy, which for some babies is pretty quick. Tyler sat there like a star pupil, never squirming or making a peep. Finally they had to shut it down on their own, saying no baby had ever made it through that many loops. A+ for Tyler! As a thank you for his hard work they gave Tyler a University of Minnesota hat. The girls were very nice so we didn't mention that our loyalities lie elsewere; we just politely took the hat (although he doesn't look very happy about being photographed with it!).

Watch Me Sit Up

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Butternut Squash Baby

Tyler has learned the art of blowing out just as I put a spoonful of food in his mouth. The end result of dinner is Tyler, me and the surrounding kitchen floor covered in baby food. Yum!

Immediately after this picture we stripped him down and let him hang out in his diaper. He requires a lot of cleanup but he sure is cute!!