Just A Swingin'

Saturday, amidst the heat and thunderstorms, Tyler, Maddie and I set out for the park. I had a little treat in store for the kiddies. I had done my trial run at Tyler's Birthday Cake the night before and decided I would let the little ones chow down on the finished product. Of course, we HAD to go to the park to eat the cake because there was no way I was going to allow a frenzy of cake at my house. I know, I'm a freak, but between the mess, the dogs and the potential ants it could attract, the park just seemed like the perfect alternative. So off we went.

I spread the sheet on the ground, disrobed the kids and let them go to town. Madison is experienced in the cake department, that was clear to see. Tyler was the complete opposite, almost intimidated by the cake. I won't digress, as the cake testing is a whole separate story in itself. I will say this, before Tyler could even get one corner down, Madison was "all done Jo-Jo". I thought it was odd at first, as she never turns down cake, but "all done" was shortly followed by "Jo-Jo, let's go swing". I made the mistake of parking right across from the playground and she wasn't going to let me forget that. Thankfully, Tyler wasn't really into the cake thing, so I was able to wrap it up without a fuss. It was just in time too, as the army of ants were marching in just as we were marching out. After a quick cleanup and redressing, we made our way to the swings.

It wasn't until I was actually putting Tyler in the swing that I realized that this was his first time in a swing (aside from his swing in the Living Room at home). Good thing I had the camera!!!! Surprise, surprise....he loved it! The higher I pushed him, the bigger the smile and the louder the giggle! I can't believe he went 11-1/2 months before his first swing ride! We got to enjoy the swings for about 20 minutes before the thunder started and it was time to head for cover. I guess I know what Santa is sending down the chimney this year. And so it goes...

On A Lighter Stroll

It's amazing how far baby items have come, really. I can remember the day that I had to do my baby registry, thinking "Oh my god, I have no idea what to register for." There were so many choices it was almost obnoxious. Of course, I turned to my sister for advice since she was an experienced Mother who was up to par on current baby items. Let's face it, half of the stuff on the market today is aimed more toward fashion and trend, than practicality and necessity. Which leads me to the topic of this post....strollers.

They come in every shape, size and color and ALL are equipped with a pretty price tag. As first time parents, we, like so many other first time parents, opted for the travel system. This, to me, was the hummer of baby strollers. Spacious, heavy-duty and cute to boot! Our infant carrier snapped right in and off we went. As Tyler got older, we eventually got to leave the infant carrier in the truck and just strap him in the stroller. We used the heck out of that stroller and quite often ended up strolling everyone else's belongings around as well, since there was more than enough room for "luggage". As sad as I am to see it go off to storage, I am pleased to free up some room in the back of my truck.

We are now using an umbrella stroller, or as I would call it, "the joovy". It's lightweight [thank goodness, because Tyler is not], practical, has a super-duper sunshade and has almost as much space for "luggage" as our old hummer did. Tyler seems to like it too! Today was his first stroll in it and I didn't hear any complaints. And yet again, another outgrown accessory goes off to storage. And so it goes...

Sir Sips-A-Lot

Hello sippy cup, bye-bye bottle. Well, not exclusively, but Tyler now only gets a bottle in the morning and a bottle before bed. The balance of the drinking duties have been taken over by his sippy cup. HOORAY for me, as washing bottles is one of my least favorite things to do.

The introduction to the sippy cup happened about a month and a half ago. We started the adventure with a sippy cup that had an actual bottle nipple, in hopes of making the transition easier for Tyler. This way he would understand that even though it wasn't a bottle, it was NOT a toy. Although, he couldn't quite understand why this odd bottle had funny handles on each side of it, he eventually got the hang of it and we moved on to the real deal. Every time that I would put the cup up to his mouth, he treated more like a teether than a cup, biting away at the spout. As with anything else, eventually, persistency pays off. As of 2 weeks ago, Tyler had drinking out of his sippy cup mastered. The most difficult part of it was teaching him to tilt the cup up so that he could drink once it got low. As for me, I am counting down the days that I can pack up my bottle drying rack for storage. And so it goes...

11 Month Milestones

Height: 30-1/4"
Weight: 23lbs 9oz

Places Traveled: This month we went to Hollywood Beach for a long weekend of fun in the sun with the entire family. What a blast that was! We also went to Lake Wales for a weekend. Last but not least, we went to IGFA for the Town Wedding and had a great time!

Accomplishments: He is moving right along these days. Standing is a constant in Tyler's world now and my heart palpitations are getting less and less as he gets better at it. He took a step from the couch to the coffee table on his own the other night and I think he even shocked himself.
Just as I was ready to pack up Tyler's bouncy seat, he figured out how to get in and out of it. So now, it's his r&r chair and I won't dare take it away at this point. He climbs up into it when he wants to sit and relax, and climbs right back out of it when he is ready for more play action.
The sippy cup goes everywhere with us now, as he just about got it down to a science. Such a big boy!
Tyler also 'graduated' into his big boy car seat this month. Adios rear-facing, infant carrier! Hello, world!

New Babbles: BELIEVE IT OR NOT, THE DAY THAT I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR SINCE BIRTH ARRIVED THIS MONTH!!!! TYLER SAID MA-MA! At first I was in disbelief, but he repeated it over and over again, which made my day! I can't wait for the day that he actually says it and associates it with me! He also says 'Ba' which we think means ball.

New Discoveries: Tyler LOVES toy balls. Among all of the toys in his toy box, when you take out any of the balls, he goes straight for them. Thanks to Aunt Sue & Uncle Jerry for the bag of balls for Christmas. They are quite a hit now!!! He also LOVES his John Deere tractors and trucks. So fitting, seeing that everything is decorated with John Deere for Tyler in Lake Wales. Thanks to Aunt Kelly for his John Deere diaper cake, as they are a hit now too! Lastly, he is now eating more and more table food with us. Still, not a thing that he does not like!