It may seem that I have been neglecting Tyler's blog, but I can assure you that his blog is the only thing that has been neglected. For those of you who see him regularly, you can vouch for that. He is a healthy, striving, 2-and-a-half-year-old, going on 12! He is full of energy, has a vocabulary that blows my mind each day, and an attitude to match it. Mostly, he is one hell of a Big Brother!
Since his last update, which even I am embarrassed to admit was 5 months ago, we have encountered and conquered so much. So much so, that I'm not even sure this mush brain can remember it all. Therefore, I'll try to sum it all up in a short, but sweet, post.
Let's see......Some milestones that we've conquered (which might not be as exciting to you as they are to Tyler and I) include drinking from a big boy cup, eating at the table with Daddy and I, potty training, big boy haircuts, terrible two's and swim lessons. These are just a few to say the least.
Big Boy Cup: Let's just say this is not my favorite. I think I spend more time wiping his shirt from dribble or cleaning the floor from spills, but nevertheless it's time to move on to bigger and better things. And, after all, practice makes perfect. He only gets the big boy cup when we're home or at a family member or friend's house. If we're on the go, the sippy cup is still the way to go. I have to say, he's not the hot mess that I make him out to be, but I am a clean freak, so it just seems worse than it is to me.
Booster Seat: I held out for a long time on moving Tyler from his high chair to the booster seat. Our dining room table is a pub table, so it's really high, which made me a little hesitant. But, now with Sissy in the high chair stage, I really did NOT want 2 high chairs in my house. So, we made the move. It has been a while since we did this, but as I mentioned, it's been a while since I reported on my boy, so I'm at fault. The same goes for restaurants. He hasn't been in a high chair publicly for a while. We love having him at the table with us and we have such great dinner discussions now. Sometimes I'm not even sure he knows what he is talking about.
Potty Training: I think I may dislike this one even more than the big boy cup and you can probably imagine why. Let's just say, this one is a MESS!!!! Firstly, for the longest time, I thought his babysitter was crazy. She would tell me everyday that he would tell her when he had to go pee and she would take him in and he would go pee on the potty. She would say that he had only messed 1 pull-up per day. Sure enough, when I checked his bag, only 1 pull-up was missing. When we would get home, it was a battle. After asking Tyler 28 times in a 1-hour period if he had to pee and his response being "NO" every time, only to find out that he had already gone in his pull-up, I was confused beyond words. I then learned.....and I say that sparingly since it took a month or so for my brain to work.....I finally asked the babysitter what his "technique" was at her house. She said he flipped up the lid, pulled down his pants and just stood there and went. STOOD THERE?!?!?!?! No wonder it was a battle for me every time. I'm trying to make the kid sit and tuck "it" down to go. Duh!!!! So, now that we've jumped that hurdle, we are now working on aim. Ahhhhh! 2 words.....tile wainscot. It's a GOOD thing that the walls behind the toilet in the bathroom are tile. I'm having to scrub it EVERYDAY! My favorite suggestion is to go pee-pee in the bushes outside in our backyard. He thinks it's pretty cool, too! Now, going #2 on the toilet, that's an entirely separate bridge that we are trying to cross. We'll get there.....one day.
Hair Cuts:If I may brag, I must say that my boy has some pretty awesome hair. It's thick and easy to manage. The only thing about it is that it grows like a weed. So, being the non-barber that I am, I suggested that David start taking him to the barber shop when he goes to avoid any more of my chopped up, bowl cuts. For many trips, it was a nightmare. The scissor cut, fine. The clippers came out, and it was like someone was trying to murder him. This was no fun for any of the parties involved, including myself. After a handful of rough trips, his wall came down and he will now sit and actually get his hair cut without us having to practically put a straight jacket on him. I'm not sure if it's the donuts that Joann gives him while he is getting his hair cut, or the lollipop reward he gets after, but hey, it works! Hallelujah!
Terrible Two's: Ah ha! Another one of my favorites!!!! Do I know the meaning of this, or what?! Let's just say that Tyler is a very strong willed boy, who, at times, can be very demanding. While I can't say I ever had the "my child is screaming, kicking and yelling on the floor, I have to leave this store right now" type of tantrum, I can say that he has learned what time out is and sometimes spends over an hour there. His biggest downfall is "NO". For a while there, NO was every other word. For those of you who know him, you know that it takes a couple of minutes for him to warm up to new faces or places. Once he's comfortable in his atmosphere, he's fine, but until then, NO is his only response. For the most part, I have to say I have no room to complain about his behavior. He never went through the hitting or biting stage and his tantrums were never uncontrollable, so if all I had to deal with was a few months of "NO's" I'm absolutely fine with that. I am happy to report that we have noticed significant behavioral changes over the past 2 months, seeming as if he is growing out of the "terrible two" stage and I'm hoping that we're full speed ahead for the "Terrific Three's"
Swimming:Tyler has started swim lessons again. He gets a private lesson every Tuesday and Thursday during the day while we are at work. The Swim Instructor actually goes to the sitter's house and does them there. It's the same girl who gave him lessons last year, and we have 100% trust in her. So far, as mentioned above, he takes about 10 mins. to warm up to her and with each lesson, it gets better and better. I think the other part of it is his confidence in himself and his trust for her. In the evening, after each lesson, I ask him how his swimming went and ask him what he did. 99% of the time he tells me he can't swim like a big boy, and repeats "I can't" numerous times. Our hope is that over the next week or so, he builds up enough confidence in himself and trust in her, that he'll just concentrate on what he is doing and overcome his fear. He loves to be in the water, so he'll get it. Like everything else, it just takes time.
Smart Boy: Tyler knows all of his colors, all of his animals, all the sounds they make, he can count to 12 (then 18, 13..LOL), he can identify all numbers and most letters (especially the ones in his name) and most importantly, he can tell you that he has a boat, a rhino, a jeep and a four-wheeler. Yes, I'm not kidding. He will randomly say, "Mommy, where's MY boat?" or "Mommy, MY jeep is yellow."
Big Brother: I saved the best for last. I think it's incredible the bond that Tyler and Riley have. While he won't share his favorite monster truck with me, it is 1000000% fine if Sissy plays with it and he will gladly give it to her. He helps so much with her and the interaction between the two of them is fascinating to watch. He gets her toys, picks up her bottle if she drops it, crawls in her crib with her if he hears her awake in the morning, or even plays hide-n-seek with her. I never imagined him to have a jealous bone in his body when it came to her, but I never dreamed that he would be absolutely in love with her, and he is.
Happy, Healthy and Growing up WAY TOO FAST, we are loving every day with him and wouldn't trade a single minute of this insanely hectic life for the world. And so it goes...
