Happy Ho-Ho-Ho to You!

It's the most wonderful time of the year! At least, for me it is! I love this time of year. Time to go out and spend money just because you have a good excuse to. And this year, Santa will be visiting our home! He didn't come last year because Tyler was too young, but this year is an entirely different story! Speaking of an entirely different story, we went to visit Santa again this year. Last year, Tyler didn't have a care in the world about who's lap he was sitting on or what he even looked like.
Well, this year........................not so much!!! I thought that I might be able to just walk up to Santa, sit down and all would be well since he was fine watching Santa while we were in line. In fact, everything was just fine as we sat down on St. Nick's lap, UNTIL.......Santa asked "And what does Tyler want for Christmas this year?" With that, Tyler turned around to see who the unfamiliar voice was, only to be faced with a strange man with a big white beard. Suddenly, our nice pleasant Santa visit turned to pure horror and he screamed the entire time we were on his lap. Oh well! Most importantly, we built great memories with our visit to Santa this year.
Lastly, I decided to go out on a limb and I personally designed our Christmas Cards this year [hence, the reason for them just hitting the mail yesterday]. There are some of you that I don't have addresses for, so this copy's for you. For the rest of you, whom I do have addresses for, coming soon to a mailbox near you:
Happy Holidays to all, and to all a Good Night! And so it goes...

15 Month Milestones

I decided to start doing these milestone updates on a quarterly basis now that he is over 12 months old. That being said, I had to dig through Tyler's baby book to see where we left off. Here goes...

Height: 31"
Weight: 25lbs 9oz

Places Traveled: Lots and lots of traveling occurred over these months. We visited Lake Wales numerous times. We went to Busch Gardens again in September for what might be our last visit this year. We attended Tyler's Great-Great Grandmother's 90th Birthday Party and Abigail's 1st Birthday Party. We also traveled to Palatka over the long Thanksgiving Weekend to visit with family. While there, we visited St. Augustine and had loads of fun! Following that, it was on to Lake Wales for a week-long adventure, and an adventure it was!

Accomplishments: Oh, there are many! First and foremost, last we left off, Tyler was just about walking. It didn't take long. These days, Tyler is on the verge of running. Along with that, he has also mastered walking up and down the one lonely step in our home. It's funny to think back before he was crawling and how much of a threat it was to him to crawl down it. Now, it doesn't even phase him.
Two new teeth joined Tyler's world over the last few months. He got both of his lower lateral incisors bringing his total tooth count to 8. Which leads me to the next accomplishment, FOOD! Still, not a thing he dislikes. This Boy can EAT! It is much easier now that he eats "table food". I don't have to worry about packing for him because I know that I can cut up whatever I eat and he will be just fine with it. One thing that we don't leave home without, though, are his "O's" Cheerios are mommy's best friend and the fact that they are good for them makes them world's perfect snack. Tyler is also feeding himself with a spoon and getting better & better at it everyday. Also, come to think of it, Tyler also got his first ICE CREAM CONE just 2 weeks ago. He got to enjoy a cake cone of Mint Chip on St. George Street in St. Augustine.

A popular past time for Tyler these days, aside from Madagascar, is "Patty-Cake" and "Ring Around the Rosie". Great-Grandma Carlson taught him Patty-Cake and I'm thinking he learned the other at the babysitter's house. He likes the "all fall down" part best and does it before it's time to 'fall down' everytime.
Tyler got 2 more haircuts since his 12 month update. One haircut was an official one done in the barber shop. The other was attempt on Mommy's part. I was pretty proud of myself, actually. I used the clippers and scissors and it didn't turn out half bad. Next time, I will attempt to do it a little shorter. The stage freight got me the first time and I didn't cut enough.
Lastly, Tyler put his first visits to an Urgent Care Center and the ER under his belt, which were both learning curves for both Mom & Dad.

New Babbles: "All Done" is his new favorite babble. Just like with Uh-Oh, usually the "all" comes and the "done" comes seconds later. Aside from that, he has just basically learned how to use his vocal cords. He has become very, very LOUD.

New Discoveries: He LOVES to ride. If you ask him if he wants to go for a boat ride, or for a ride in the Jeep, or for a golf cart ride, or for a Rhino ride, he gets SO excited! He just likes to be outdoors and on the move. I've noticed that if we spend a whole day inside, he is cranky. As long as the day consists of some type of outdoor event, he is a happy little camper. That being said, we are going to start bike riding now that the weather is getting cooler and I'm sure he is going to love that too!
He also LOVES shoes now. Maybe it's because he associates them with going somewhere. In any event, if you say 'let's go get your shoes on' he goes straight to his room, sits down and puts his feet up. He's ready to go!!!

SIDENOTE: We went to the Pediatrician today for a follow up to his allergic reaction. Doc was very pleased with his progress. His still has a very minor ear infection, so we will continue on the antibiotics. As for the rash, he cut the dose of the steroid in half [which I am very pleased to hear since Tyler has been up all night for the past 3 nights due to this medication] and he is to remain on the Zyrtec for now too. We go back next Wed. for a follow up and at that appointment we are hoping for a clean bill of health.

Vacation, [Bitter]Sweet Vacation!

We set out Thanksgiving night, on a one way ticket out of town. Well, not really. We would be returning, but not until December 6. It would be the first Hunter Family vacation. We have done numerous trips as a group, but this would be the first with just the 3 of us (5 of us counting the dogs). We were so excited to get out of South Florida for an extended holiday and vacation. Little did we know what we were in for...

Day 1 - We arrived to Lake Wales Thanksgiving night. It was an easy ride up, no one on the road and the weather was a crisp 58 when we arrived. What a perfect beginning to what we anticipated to be a perfect vacation.

Day 2 - Tyler seemed to toss & turn the entire night and eventually ended up waking up crying around 5 am. We had planned on leaving early in the AM to head toward Palatka to spend a long weekend with some family, so the early rise was good with me. The part that wasn't good with me was that Tyler was running a slight fever. I gave him a dose of Motrin, loaded the truck and we were on the road. He seemed to be pretty cranky during the ride up, which is completely out of the norm for him, especially during the morning hours. After about a 4 hour ride, we finally made it to our destination. Tyler was pretty cranky toward the end of the ride, partly due to his wanting to be out of the truck and partly due to discomfort, as he was fevering again. Long story short, we ended up at the Urgent Care Center around 6 pm. Tyler's fever was progressing and was no longer responding to the Motrin. A luke-warm bath didn't even help. Once we arrived to the UCC, his fever was at 103.1 and I was glad we were in good hands. His diagnosis: double ear infections. I was glad that we decided to take him in, learning that ear infections can spike the highest, most dangerous fevers in infants and toddlers. Two doses of Children's Motrin(Infant's wasn't strong enough) and a prescription for Amoxicillin and we were on our merry little way.

Day 3 - Doing MUCH, MUCH better! Hung out for the day with all his 2nd cousins and enjoyed the nice cool weather! Fever is gone!

Day 4 - Again, doing much better. We went to St. Augustine for the day, toured the fort, ate lunch in an old historic home that is now a pub, walked/shopped St. George Street and rode the Holly Jolly Trolley at night, which toured the entire downtown area that was covered with Christmas Lights! The only downfall to this day was that Tyler got his first official road rash in St. Augustine. He's still a bit wobbley on his feet and his nose met the conquina (the stone that the streets are paved with in St. Augustine). 1 minute and 10 tears later, he was back on his feet as if nothing had happened.


Day 5 - We rode around cousin Aaron's family farm and enjoyed the awesome weather. We headed back to Lake Wales in the afternoon.

Day 6 - We put the boat in the water and just basically eased through the day. Later on that evening, we were preparing for a pot luck dinner at the neighbor's house, when we got word that one of the neighbors was not breathing and they needed our assistance. Sadly, the neighbor ended up passing away. Our thoughts & prayers are with his family.

Day 7 - Started out pretty rough after not really sleeping due to the events that unfolded the night before. We decided to take the boat out that day and try our luck at some Speck fishing. Huh! Luck was not on our side as we didn't even get one bite. To top it all off, a cold front was moving in, so it got cold, cloudy, windy and ended up being one of the choppiest days on the lake. We made the best of it and boated instead of fishing, riding 3 lakes that connect to Lake Kissimmee.

Day 8 - The cold front was over top of us for what seemed to be like an eternity. It began raining the night before and didn't let up all day. We had some errands to run and some shopping to do so we headed for town and spent the day there. We returned home to even more rain, which lasted throughout the night.

Day 9 - It was still raining. At this point, rain-rain-go-away! We wanted to go out and play. And so we did so anyway. We loaded up in the Jeep and went for a ride in the freezing cold, wet weather. Again, we made the best of it!

Day 10 - It was still raining when we woke up and to add some flame to the fire, Tyler woke up with a rash covering his belly, chest and back. I ran into town to get some Children's Benadryl. I couldn't think of why Tyler would develop this reaction, as I had done nothing different. Again, we made the best of the rainy, cold day and set out in the Jeep, Benadryl in tow. He never seemed to be bothered by the rash, nor did it seem to be spreading, so I decided that we would wait until the following day to see his Pediatrician, since we were headed home anyway. I took a picture of him in the bath that night. Even as bad as it looked, he was still the good spirited, smiling boy we know and love. Anyway, I put Ty to bed around 9:30. Just as I laid my head down around 11:30, Ty woke up crying. I put him in bed with me to see if he would go back down. I knew he was tired and the Benadryl was making him drowsy. He tossed and turned until 2:30 am, so I finally took him out in the Living Room to watch, what else, but Madagascar. At this point, I had had 20 minutes of sleep, tops. David woke up around 2:45 am and came and laid with us. Around 3:30 am, I noticed that Tyler felt a little warm and he appeared to be getting more and more uncomfortable. I turned on a light so that I could turn on the thermometer to take his temp and I noticed that the rash had moved down his legs and arms and on to his face, which was now starting to swell. To top it off, he was running a slight fever. That was the end of that. We were off to the Lake Wales hospital in 46 degrees and only 20 minutes of sleep under my belt. LLLOOOONNNNGGGG ER story short, turns out that Tyler is allergic to Penicillin. Amoxicillin is a semi-synthetic penicillin, which he began taking 9 days prior to him having a reaction. Nice. One cortisone shot, one antihistamine shot, 3 prescriptions and 2 hours later, Tyler was discharged and we were headed for home. We got back home at 7 am, took a 2 hour cat nap and it was time to load up and head for Home-Home. That was the longest 3 hour drive in history and I give David tons of credit for not falling asleep at the wheel. I couldn't help but nod off several times.


I apologize for the novel, but I didn't want to leave anything out. I never really said it meaningfully, but this time, I TRULY need a vacation from my vacation. As they say, life's a dance, you learn as you go. We certainly did and I'm sure there will be many, many more situations like these. As of today, Tyler's rash is almost cleared up, thankfully. And so we take one day at a time. And so it goes...

Many, Many Thanks!

Rewind to last year, same time, same place. Mr. Tyler was just about 3 months old.




Here we are, Thanksgiving 2009, with a walking, talking, almost 15-month old. For him, and so many other friends, family and things, we are so thankful and grateful. Wishing all of you a safe and happy Thanksgiving! And so it goes....

Spoon on the Side, Please!

We have been working with Tyler ever so slightly on teaching him to eat with utensils. Again, not pushing it, just letting him explore and have fun with it. The below video is from a couple of weeks ago and I am just now getting around to posting it. He's begun to get the hang of it, sort of. We cheer if he scoops a bite onto the spoon. If the bite actually makes it to his mouth, our excitement is much louder. Something tells me, like with everything else, he will instantaneously become a natural at it and the messy meals will be a thing of the past. Until that day, I will be standing with my hand/face/whatever else needs to be wiped down-rag in hand, patiently waiting for him to empty his bowl so that I can clean him up. And so it goes...

Cleared for Takeoff

This is it! The moment we have been anticipating since the first sound of the pitter-patter footsteps trailing behind the lion. It's still the same pitter-patter, only, there is no muffling by the lion. Our Little Man is officially walking!

Tyler has been taking a couple of steps here and there for a couple of months now. Those couple of steps turned into a full fledged walk on Tuesday night, while visiting Great-Grandma & Great-Grandpa Carlson. We were all sitting in the family room talking when David got up and walked into the kitchen. Tyler, who was standing at my knees while I was sitting in the chair, decided he was going to follow Daddy and attempted to walk to the kitchen too. You could hear a pin drop in the room as Gr. Grandma, Gr. Grandpa and I watched him take off. He made it about 8 steps before dropping to his bum. We all looked at each other in disbelief and then chuckled at how quiet we got.

The next night was Family Dinner Night at Mimi & Pop-Pop's house. (We do FDN every Wednesday night and alternate between our house and my Mom & Dad's house) Anyway, he was at it again, only this time, he made it a few steps further than the night before.

On to Thursday night. Add a few more steps to the stride. At this point, he has conquered walking, stopping and then walking again. I'm still a bit in denial that he's walking, but I'm positive that in the next few days it will be pounded into my head, as he is walking like a Pro. I was able to catch some 'walking footage' on this night, but please excuse some parts of the video. It was dark outside and the light on my video camera was having a hard time keeping up with the focus.

Every day brings a few more steps and a few more scrapes and bruises. And so it goes...

A Spook-tacular Halloween

Although, this wasn't Tyler's first Halloween, it truly felt like it was. Last year, Halloween fell on a Friday and because Tyler was just shy of being 2-months-old, we didn't take part in any Halloween festivities. Instead, we loaded up and headed North for Lake Wales, but not before we took a few photos of Tyler dressed in his first Halloween pumpkin attire. Here they are, our little pumpkin. It's hard to believe that this was already a year ago.





Prior to having Tyler, David and I always looked forward to handing out candy on Halloween and seeing all of the children in their costumes. More than that, we loved seeing parents who also dressed up and took their kids out trick-or-treating. In those days, we promised to do the same when we had kids. Now, here we are, in the days of Halloween with our very own Son, so we had to fulfill our promise as Parents.

Our Little Man was the center of the festivities this year, beginning with the planning of our costumes. For those that know me, I'm not one to go out and just purchase a costume off the shelf. And to make things more interesting, David and I ALWAYS do couples costumes. This year, I had my work cut out for me. I had to figure out costumes that could suit the three of us, but still fall into the 'original' category. We had an adult Halloween party to attend on the eve of Halloween, so I had to figure out a costume that would work for that party, as well as be appropriate enough to wear as a family costume on Halloween. It was tough, but in the end, I got it done! The end result.......I introduce to you, the Hershey Family. Tyler was a Hershey's Kiss, I was a Hershey's Chocolate Bar and David was a Hershey's Chocolate Bar with Nuts. Who said Mommies don't have a sense of humor?????


We went trick-or-treating with the family, including Tyler's Cousin Madison, who was the cutest Bumble Bee on earth, along with a few friends and their little ones. We had such a good time and Tyler pushed his lion almost the entire time. We were all so amazed at how far he walked before he started to tire. When he had had enough of the walking, we put him in the wagon, disrobed him and let him have a lollipop for the rest of the walk. At that point, it was almost dark anyway. I was also not opposed to the wagon ride at this point, since most of the time he wanted to walk out into the street so that he had an open "runway" to walk the lion down. What an animal! Next year will be even better! And so it goes...(Remember, you can click on any of the photos to enlarge them)

Here Fishy, Fishy, Fishy...

Boys will be boys, this, I know. So, when it came time for Tyler's first fishing trip, there was no doubt in my mind that it would be an interesting one.

Last weekend, while up in Lake Wales, I discovered that I had 2 bags of old hamburger buns in the freezer that I needed to throw out. I had an even better idea: "Why don't we go feed the fish?" Our neighbor has a pond that he stocks with local fish, so why not go spoil the fish with a little extra breakfast? And so we did. But what started as just a fish feeding trip, turned into Tyler's first fishing trip. As we were feeding the fish, Todd (the Neighbor) yells, "go get a pole". OK! This was not your typical fishing hole, since the fish are used to being fed on a daily basis. All it took was to drop the hook in with a bread ball on it and out came a fish. It somewhat takes the fun out of it, but for a 13 month old, it was just enough action to keep him interested for a good 20 minutes.

The best part of all was not the actual catching of the fish, but Tyler's reaction to the fish once they were on the dock. Most kids would be frightened by a fish frolicking around on a dock. Not Tyler. He actually took a swat at the fish as if he were trying to gain control of them and tell them to calm down. He's too much. After about 5 catch and releases, Tyler was ready to move on to bigger and better things. One thing's for sure, I know where we'll be taking him when he can actually fish on his own. To him, it will be a great day on the water!!!! And so it goes...

Pumpkin Patch

It's that time of year again. Time to set out for the Pumpkin Patch and take oodles of pictures and eventually, walk out with a pumpkin in hand. Amazingly, this time has come a lot quicker than I thought it would. A few things have changed since our visit to the Pumpkin Patch last year. Tyler was only 1-1/2 months old last year at the Pumpkin Patch (PP) and the weather was MUCH cooler. In fact, I recall freezing my rear end off last year. Since this blog was non-existent at this time last year, below are some pictures that we took.




As we drove to the PP this year, David and I were reminiscing about a little boy that was there last year. The boy had to be close to 2-years-old and was running around like a mad man, all over the place. We recalled telling each other that that would be us this year. What do you know, here we are! Tyler is not yet running like a mad man, but he will certainly out-crawl any speed walker! We let him have at it since we were there early and there wasn't too much of a crowd. We got our photo shoot in and then let him pick out a pumpkin. He chose one certain pumpkin that was just his size and naturally, we bought it. He didn't let it out of his hands until we got in the truck to go home. Another year, another Pumpkin Patch, another bunch of memories! And so it goes...

Oh Lolly, Lolly, Lolly...

Last week, Tyler experienced his first encounter with a lollipop. Or, should I rephrase that to read: He experienced his first encounter with a lollipop that I am aware of? I know there are some of you out there saying that's more like it. Anyhow, WHAT A MESS!

He was rewarded with this lollipop after his haircut from Rhonda. She asked if she could give it to him and I hesitated, but eventually gave in. I sometimes underestimate the knowledge of a 13 month old, because as she handed it to him, he knew exactly what to do with it. He even tried chewing through the wrapper to get to it. Daddy unwrapped it for him and as soon as he got his first lick in, his eyes lit up and it was like he was in baby heaven. He even switched it from hand to hand like he had been awaiting this moment for the past 13 months. Needless to say, I was not about to put him in his car seat with it so that he could touch everything in sight and get it sticky, so the ride home was a very loud one. As soon as we got home, we put him in his high chair and let him back at it. Again, as if his addiction were satisfied. The only downside was that his usual 8:30 bedtime came and went that night. No more lollipops for Mr. Tyler anytime soon! And so it goes...

Four-Wheelin' Fool

But, of course Tyler already has his own ATV. Could it be any other way? Ha! Not in this family!

For his first birthday, Grammy & Pops got Tyler his very own four wheeler. It is one that is not motorized (thank goodness) and he has to pedal himself along. He is just now getting the hang of sitting on it and moving, only he goes in REVERSE! It is the funniest thing. Mostly, he likes to just push it around and walk with it, although he does like to sit on it and push all of the buttons so it will talk. We'll keep working with him on it until he is full speed ahead, which I'm sure will be before we know it!!! (PS: Notice he's all trimmed up. He just had haircut #3 last night) And so it goes...

Just Call Me......Paparazzi

Obsessed. That is the best way to describe how I feel about my new toy. We broke down and FINALLY bought a real camera, a digital SLR. Yes, that's correct, WE bought it, but it is MINE, all MINE! No offense to anyone who swears by a point-and-shoot, that was once me. But really, the picture quality doesn't even compare. This is a whole new world of photography. I still plan on purchasing another point-and-shoot to throw in my bag and take everywhere, but to capture all of those most unforgettable moments, I will rely on Mr. SLR.

My most recent digital camera turned up missing about two weeks ago. We went to the airport to watch airplanes (Tyler is ga-ga over airplanes) and no one has seen it since. We went back to the location only to find no sign of it. As my Mom would say, it grew legs and walked off. That two weeks without a camera felt like an eternity. I was so lost. I would run to go get my camera to capture something cute or funny that Tyler was doing and half way there, would realize that I didn't have a camera. That was enough of that! Last Sunday we went to look at a few models that were referred to me, and walked out with a new camera in tow! SWEET! I couldn't wait to put it together and snap away! Forget about reading the manual!

Needless to say, I still haven't read the entire manual, so I've only gotten familiar with about 50% of the functions, but I'm working on it. There are so many buttons, and not being a photography student, it is a little overwhelming to me. To test the 50% that I was familiar with, we went to the beach last night just before sunset and did a little Mommy-style photo shoot. Of course, the primary focus was who else, but Tyler! Daddy made his way into a few of them too. It was a lot of fun and I can't wait to go back and do it again. Only, next time I will be a little more educated with the camera and hope to get better shots! Below is a slide show of some of the pictures I took. Enjoy! And so it goes...

Lights, Camera....ACTION?

Approximately 6 months ago, a friend of a friend, Elena, met Tyler for the first time and immediately suggested that I get him into child modeling. Really? My first reaction was: 'wow, that could be really cool.' That thought was quickly followed by doubt. I only doubted that I would be able to juggle yet ANOTHER schedule in the busy lifestyle that we already lead. That being said, she put me in touch with the Agent that manages her 3 children. Within 1 week, Tyler was a contracted baby, or 'Talent' as the contract refers, with one of the largest firms in the world, Ford Models.

It took less than a month for Tyler to get his first casting call, which was a request casting for a French clothing line. Not knowing what that meant, I called Elena (friend who referred me) immediately and asked one-million questions. 'What is it like? What do I bring? What should I dress him in? What will we have to do?' She calmly told me it would be fine, told me what to do and added that because it was a request casting the company hosting the casting has already seen his profile and they requested him. I was psyched. The only downfall, I was headed to Miami Beach. Ahhh! I HATE driving down there! Long story short, the casting went well, Tyler was a cheese for the camera, BUT he did not get printed. No big deal, it was fun and a great learning experience for me.

I discovered that the modeling industry, just like so many other businesses, has 'seasons'. Well, apparently Summer is the sssllllooooowwww season for them, as we did not hear from his Agent all summer long. Then, just as quickly as Fall showed up, so did the casting calls. We received a request casting call for Hanna Andersson, another clothing line, which we attended yesterday, again in Miami Beach. Tyler did VERY well. The photographer only had to take 2 or 3 shots before he was more than satisfied with his product. The casting will be taking place for the next 12 days, so upon completion of it, we're hoping to hear some good news from his Agent. To make the day even better, I returned home only to find another request casting call waiting for Tyler, which is this weekend, for Babies-R-Us. This casting will take place in.....you guessed it, Miami Beach. Elena, hopefully you are going too!

Wish our little model good luck! I would love nothing better than to add a clipping from a magazine or catalogue, that he was featured in, to his Baby Book. What a great story that would be to tell him one day! And so it goes...

Star Light, Star Bright...

Star Light Star bright, The first star I see tonight, I wish I may, I wish I might, Have this wish I wish tonight.
The next time you find yourself wishing upon a star, you may be wishing upon Tyler's star. For his first birthday, Tyler received one of the most thoughtful and incredible gifts from Kim & Sue Jones....HIS OWN STAR! Now, our little star has a star. Or, is it, our little star is a star? Either way, it is one of the most incredible things I have ever heard of and I am completely intrigued by it.

The star, registered by the International Star Registry of Switzerland and recorded here in the US, is located in the Orion Constellation of the Milky Way Galaxy. Ironically, Orion translates to Hunter. I love that, seeing how Tyler is a Hunter after all! Star Tyler Lane Hunter has it's own stellar coordinates, which is indicated on the Orion Constellation chart as well as the Official Certificate that we received. The star is said to have a magnitude of 12.9, whereas, a magnitude of 6 is the smallest magnitude that can be viewed by the naked eye. Just to put things into perspective for you, the sun has a magnitude of -27. We won't be catching a glimpse of our little star's Star unless we use a super duper telescope to see it.

As new telescopes and instruments bring new discoveries, we now have a star, literally, and a personal stake in this universe. I can't wait to show this to Tyler when he is old enough to comprehend it so that we can research it more. Heck, we might even purchase one of those super duper telescopes at that point and try to find it! Thanks again Kim and Sue! Fascinating! And so it goes...

(Click on images to enlarge)

Dancin' Pants

Tyler has been dancing for quite some time now. With the new addition of some of his musical birthday gifts, he now dances on command, only he's the one in charge. He quickly learned which buttons to push in order for the music to play and will do so over and over again. Thank goodness most come equipped with a button that allows the sound to be turned off.

Making his dancing debut, here he is, our little dancing machine! And so it goes...

Pitter-Patter, Footsteps

Yes, correct, footsteps. Only, they are usually muffled by the sound of some rolling object serving as Tyler's makeshift walker. I just love it! He is so wobbly, yet so in control. That's an oxymoron, I know, but it is what it is. I watch him walk and I can't help but smile, thinking what a big boy he is. He, on the other hand, thinks he is on top of the world when his little feet are guiding the way. Should you offer up a finger or two to assist him, he will grasp on tight and walk until his little heart can walk no more. I usually end up with a backache after being hunched over, guiding him on his little stroll. At that point, I usually turn to the lion push along for some relief.

I recently went to a barbecue at a friend's home and I was talking with one of the other couples there who had 2 sons, a 3-year-old and a 3-month-old. She told me that for their first son, they pushed everything, working with him persistently from crawling to walking. Ultimately, they ended up regretting pushing him so much, since it all goes by fast enough on it's own. By urging every stage, they essentially put everything in fast forward. With their new baby, they decided they were going to let him develop at his own pace and enjoy every step of the way. I was glad to hear this, as I am taking the same approach. At this point, you should all know my outlook on parenthood and how quickly it goes. I am going to enjoy every moment of the cutesy stages I have left, before our little man blossoms into the young man he will become.

I captured some video of him 'cruising'. I hope he does wait a while to start walking on his own. As much as I think newly walking toddlers are the cutest things EVER, I'd like him to keep his pudgy thunder-thighs around for a short while longer. Plus, I always forget to put shoes on him, so I need to work on that. And so it goes...

Triumphant 1st Birthday Celebration

Yet again, another milestone has come and gone. It was a lot of work and pretty hectic for Me and Daddy, but all very well worth it! Part of that is my fault, since I tend to go over the top with some things, but that's just me. The weather held out, the food was plentiful and the company was incredible. We are so blessed to be surrounded by so many family and friends who come together and celebrate these important times in our lives. Tyler had so many people that came to celebrate his birthday with him. A great time was had by all. As expected, he didn't get too indulged in his cake, but he did enjoy his fair share of it. He had a handful of helpers that he shared it with, including Daddy, who ended up with more cake on his face than Tyler.

A whole separate topic is gifts. Jeez! The only thing we are lacking now is MORE SPACE! Ironically, I have been eyeing a certain toy box that I have been debating on purchasing. Suddenly, it has gone from a debate to a need. A 1-year-old with not one, but two, toy boxes full of toys. Not to mention, Lake Wales. I will say this, he did get some pretty cool toys! 2 words: Modern Technology! After this birthday, we officially have the best dressed boy with pretty cool toys and money in the bank. Sounds like he's off to a good start. [Thank you notes are in the works] I even got a gift of my own at Tyler's Birthday. My Sister made me a scrapbook of Tyler's first year. Each month was documented page by page and milestone by milestone. It is beautiful and of course, I cried! Thanks Stef! You're the best!

I tried to get pictures of as many of the guests that I could with the #1 hands that I made, and thanks to Brittany and Alexis, I did get quite a few. Thanks! Heck, thanks to EVERYONE who helped with food, decorating, grilling, ice or just lending a helping hand. I couldn't have done it without you and I appreciate it very much! There is just too much for me to write about, so I'll let the pictures tell the story. Copy the link below and paste it into your browser to view the photo album from his birthday party.

At the conclusion of the first year, I'll say this: If every year goes by as quickly as the first did, than I better get planning his 2ND Birthday, because it will be here before we know it. Happy 1st Birthday Tyler Lane! And so it goes...

http://www5.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=1705300014/a=91386376_91386376/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=bellsouth/

12 Month Milestones

Height: 30-1/2"
Weight: 24lbs 5oz

Places Traveled: We went up to Moroso for the first [and Tyler's first] Mud Bog. It was unbelievably hot out, but we managed to keep our little man cool with many drenches of water. What a blast!

Accomplishments: It seems there is a new one every day now. Whether it be a new word, or a new maneuver, there is never a dull moment.
Standing is now second nature to Tyler and with a little assistance, he will walk for hours. Walking on his own will be the next big accomplishment, I'm sure. I'm not pushing the walking thing too much though, because when that starts, it will be go, go, go from then on.
It's out with the old and in with the new when it comes to nutrition. Formula is a thing of the past and whole milk has moved right in. Also, in relation to nutrition, are Tyler's meals. Hello 'table-food', goodbye jars. Most of the time Tyler will join us for dinner unless it something that he just shouldn't have (i.e. sushi). Otherwise, it's one bite for Mommy/Daddy, one bite for Tyler. Only, his bites are a little more bite size than ours. This boy can eat!
Lastly, Tyler got his SECOND haircut this month, if you can believe it. Most babies don't even get their first haircut until after a year-old and he has already had two. Sheesh, I wish I had hair that grew that fast!!!

New Babbles: This month we learned a new one that is commonly used among the infant-to-toddler crowd...."Uh-Oh". It's fairly new, so it frequently comes out as "uh" and the "oh" follows several seconds later.

New Discoveries: Not that it is a new discovery, but he loves telephones and has loved to toy around with them for months. The only difference from then to now, is that now he actually puts the phone (or tries to anyway) up to his ear as if he were talking on the phone. It is funny because the phone usually ends up at his neck or somewhere around the back of his head. If you say "hello, who is it?" the smile creeps from ear to ear. Gotta love it!

"hello, who is it?"