14 months

Tyler saw Dr. Clark for a 14 month check up and his stats are outstanding. Tyler is 23 lbs which is in the 35th percentile and is 32.5 inches which is in the 93rd percentile!! We have one tall, lean dude on our hands, which explains why he is now in his 18 month clothing! I had a list of questions for Dr. Clark - the most ever since Tyler was born...this toddler parenting is a lot harder than newborns! I will put Dr. Clark's answers in parentheses...Is Tyler getting enough milk at around 20oz a day? (yes); Is it okay that Tyler still drinks from a bottle to get his milk 3 times a day (yes, because the milk is what matters the most and since Tyler is not interested in drinking an entire 8oz from a sippy cup all in one sitting, it's just fine, since at age 2 he won't need all this milk); Is it okay that Tyler won't pick up fruits and veggies to eat and the only way he gets those is from juice or baby food? (more than fine, kids this age know what they want and as long as he is willing to eat the veggie baby food, keep giving it and since he downs juice from a sippy cup, he is absolutely normal!); Is his diet of grilled cheese, hot dogs, chicken, french fries, pizza, graham crackers, goldfish, and cheerios sufficient at this age? (absolutely! after all, this is what is on every kids meal, right??); When will Tyler only want one nap a day? (whenever he lets you know). So, in conclusion, I am basically a worrying mom for no reason and while I know "every kid is different and you can't compare" it is absolutely REASSURING to know my kid is perfectly normal and healthy and we are doing a good job!

In other "Tyler developments" he is understanding soooo many more things. He now knows to go to his room when I tell him it's time for a diaper or to simply show me his room. When I say do you want to go outside, he runs to the door that goes to the garage. If I say "Daddy's home" he knows that Daddy comes through the front door, not the garage door like Mommy, and he runs to that door. When it comes time to wash his hands, he goes to the sink and when you lift him up he waits for the soap and then knows exactly how to soap up his hands. And...our kid was already amazing at bed time by not crying at all and going down somewhere between 7:30 and 8p, he now announces "ba ba" and goes to where the bottles are kept when he feels like it's his bed time!! Which exactly coincides with his normal bed time - schedules really do work - and since this child has been on one since 3 months, he's a pro! He naps twice a day at 9a and 1p and if you're not home for his nap to be in his crib, his internal clock let's me know and he is usually out in the backseat while I'm driving.

Tyler is truly amazing...I know, I know, I'm completely biased, but he's just so cute too! This is my next to last day before I start work again for the school year and I can't tell you how much I am going to miss spending my days with him. Although taking care of Tyler is A LOT harder than teaching 24 fourth graders, this has been the best 2 months of summer ever. He is so much fun and brings so much happiness to me each day, I know the first week or two of being back is going to be extremely hard. He'll be fine, I know, it's me. How many days till winter break???

Below are some pictures of Tyler with his grandparents this past weekend. We all went swimming (yes, Tyler showed off all he knows how to do in the pool!) and then we came back to our house for a bbq and some photo ops.

Grandpa and Tyler

Bubbie and Tyler

Nana and Tyler

Popoulli and Tyler

Tyler and Boo Boo - A One-Sided Love Story

As you can all imagine, ever since Tyler has been crawling he has chased after Boo Boo the cat and sought her all over the house. As he improved his techniques and learned to crawl faster, she too learned a few lessons and learned to stay a step ahead of him. When he began walking, she learned that she would have to move even more quickly to escape his 'lovin,' and then she learned something of the persistence of a toddler as he chased her around and around. He has gotten much better over time and is much kinder in his attention to Boo Boo, and she is much more comfortable with him as well, although at times I'm sure she would love some peace and quiet from him. Nowadays, she almost ignores him...or at least is admirably patient with him. Here is a great video capturing their unique relationship - Enjoy!

Tyler's First Trip to the Zoo

With less than a week to go before I start back to work after my wonderful summer vacation home with my bean, Tyler and I went to the zoo with Grandpa today. Tyler's favorite noise to make whenever he sees any type of animal is one of quacking. My dad and I were prepared to hear quacking out of Tyler's mouth all day, however he only did it a few times, and one was actually at a duck-ish looking animal!! Tyler's favorite part of the day was hanging out at the petting zoo with the goats. Tyler loved to point his finger VERY close to their mouths and pet them as you will see from the following video. Tyler chatted the entire time with the goats and they didn't seem to mind his loudness or vitality!

However, Tyler was not so fond of the sheep and this video is the only attempt he made to play with them. The rest of the time was spent hanging on my leg or wanting me to pick him up, which is VERY unlike Tyler!!


I'm thoroughly enjoying my last few days off with Tyler! He sure keeps me running around all day! He is constantly on the move, loves to give out kisses, wants to be read to ALL the time, is constantly exploring new things, and does not stop unless it's one of his two 45 minute naps or bedtime. I love this little man so much and can't believe how fast he's growing up - it's going to be hard to go back to work and I know he's loved having me home for the past two months, but I know he's in good hands during the days with Grandpa, Bubbie, and Nana!