Tough Man

Tyler is really growing into his little personality. He makes new noises all the time and has the funniest facial expressions. One of my favorites is the one he does in this video clip. He usually pulls it out when he's really excited about something but just recently started doing it when Jim or I do it first. He scrunches up his whole face then breathes in and out through his nose really fast. He looks like a bull that's about to charge. What a hoot!


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Something's Different...

Hey Mama, there's a tree in our living room!

A White Thanksgiving

That's right, here's what our street looked like on Thanksgiving.








Nana and Papa Buffo came over to help us celebrate Tyler's first Thanksgiving. He had such a fun time showing off his new moves and toys. When it came time to eat we pulled his high chair right up to the dining room table with us and he was so excited! He tried cranberry, potatoes, dressing and, of course, turkey.
In other news, Tyler is still waking up super early in the morning but has been taking extra long naps during the day. We're really hoping his teeth pop through and all can return to normal but we'll just have to wait and see. Today Jim and I put him in his crib to play and he pulled himself up to a standing position twice!! That's definitely a first and serves as a reminder that sooner rather than later he'll be motoring around the house. Ha!

Come Out, Come Out Wherever You Are!

Tyler's teeth that is. Poor Tyler has had a pretty rough week all due to his eye teeth that are coming in, slowly but surely. We started to notice something was amiss when he was refusing to eat most foods and drinking dramatically less formula than usual. Then he started waking up very early in the mornings crying like he was in pain. I took him to the doctor on Tuesday because we thought it might be an ear infection but his ears are perfectly healthy. She spotted the swollen gums and large bumps just to the side of where his two front teeth will be and said they should cut through in a day or two. So, for now he's on pain relievers at night and getting lots of cuddles during the day. Hopefully I'll be able to post some cute pictures of his new teeth in a day or two. For now, you can enjoy this video of Tyler playing his new favorite game of peekaboo with his bedroom door. He's learned how to push it so it opens and shuts and now it's all he wants to do!


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Fun With Neighbors

This Saturday Jim and I spent the day and evening with our favorite neighbors. Jim and Joe went to the Minnesota Gopher game and then out to dinner with some of Joe's college friends. Meg and I held down the home front with the three little boys. Tyler and William had a fun playdate then they all ate dinner together. After the kids were safely tucked into their beds Meg and I ordered in from Chili's and relaxed with a little wine and some good conversation. Once the husbands returned we all played some competitive Guitar Hero into the wee hours of the night. Joe, who is a G.H. master, beat the pants off of all of us! We had a blast!

Hard At Play

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TGIW!

That's right, Thank Goodness It's Wednesday! Yesterday we had our weekly playdate with Christa and Anna and the day was so much fun. We spent the day at their house and from the moment we got there Tyler and Anna were enraptured with each other. They would sit facing each other, feet touching, and play footsie, have conversations and reach for each other. Anna was such a great hostess. She showed Tyler how all her toys work and shared her high chair during lunch time. Tyler had a great time exploring the new spaces and new toys. He showed the girls how he can book it across the room, especially when he's chasing a pretty little girl! We had a great time. Can't wait to do it again ladies!

Conquering Fears

About a month ago Nana and Papa Buffo came for a visit and brought Tyler a new toy. It was an inflatable tube that, when pushed, jingled and then rolled back to you. It was a great toy except Tyler was terrified of it. Whenever we sat him near it he would instantly start to cry and twist away from it. As the weeks went on we would catch him staring at it from the corner of the room. Thinking he was ready to play with it we brought it over to him. No dice. Then, as he started to get more mobile he would make his way over to it, give it a quick tap, then retreat like crazy. Finally, after a month of fear, he got up the nerve to play with it and now he loves it! He pushes it and will chase it across the room and sits up with it turning it over on it's ends. It's so funny to watch his emotions towards something evolve!

Got Milk?

9 Months Old...

and on a roll! Tyler's had a busy week so far. Besides his new tricks he tested out a new indoor playground on Monday. We met our friends Nicole and her two sons Josiah (4 years old) and Samuel (5 months old). Tyler had fun watching all the kids and playing but when he really gets moving he will love this place! On the way home from our play date we saw our first flurries of snow. The flakes were tiny and sparse but they meant that winter is definitely here!

Today Tyler had his 9 month check up. He now weighs 25 pounds, 2.5 ounces putting him in the 95th percentile for weight. He's 29 inches long which puts him in the 75th percentile for height. Besides having to get a flu shot the visit was a success. After his appointment we went downtown and met Jim for lunch. Jim was the proud papa showing Tyler off to everyone at work. This afternoon, after naps, Tyler got his first taste of American Government in action. I took him with me to vote in our local school district elections and he was very interested in what was going on. Might we have a future US President in our midst? Here are some fun pictures.

Inchworm

No wonder he can't sleep!! Nothing is safe anymore!

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Tyler at Work

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Rise and Shine

Jim and I have been very fortunate that Tyler has slept through the night from an early age. With few exceptions, such as travel, his normal sleep pattern is 6pm to 6 or 7am. Another reason for disrupted sleep is when he's on the cusp of a major development, either motor or verbal. I remember the week before he learned to roll over onto his stomach he was up many times in the night, rehearsing the movement in his crib. For the past week Jim and I have been keeping our eyes peeled for another milestone because Mr. Tyler has been waking up at 4:30. For the most part he'll fall back to sleep after fussing for 30 minutes but one day he actually stayed awake in his crib until 6! Could he be ready to crawl? Or getting in his top teeth or learning some new sounds and babbles? Well, yesterday we got our answer. We were playing in the basement and Tyler dove onto his stomach. After some wriggling around and struggling he managed to sit up all by himself! It's still really hard work for him but he's done it 3 times now. The satisfaction he must get after pulling his little bulk up is worth losing a little sleep over!

Farmer Ty

Our neighbors, Will and Vincent, loaned Tyler their Little People Farm and Tyler loves it! The small round animals are perfect for his little fists and he's fascinated by the animal noises. Whenever he hears an oink, cluck or a bleat he jabbers back in response. He's also discovered how to open the doors to hear more animal noises. He'll sit for minutes on end (that's a long time to a 9 month old!) opening and closing the barn doors and smiling when he hears the "moooo".