Squirrels at the Park

Yesterday we had a picnic in the park. Michael thought the squirrels were circling in to attack us for our lunch. I started to believe him when he pointed out there were 3 squirrels spaced equidistantly around us in a circle watching us and waiting to see if we would feed them voluntarily. We did not. One of the braver squirrels did venture in closer near the stroller (see 3rd picture) for a better look.

4-Month Check-Up

Tyler had his 4-month well child visit with his pediatrician on Friday and received a clean bill of health. We can't believe he is already 4 months old! His latest vitals:

• Weight: 13 lb 0.4 oz (14th percentile)
• Height: 23.5 in (6th percentile)
• Head Circumference: 16 in (12th percentile)

The percentiles listed are not adjusted for prematurity. This is the first set of measurements that Tyler has made it on to the graph for babies the same age, which means our little preemie is catching up to his peers.

Just Sitting Around

Michael sat Tyler up in the corner of the sofa and Tyler was quite excited about this. The pictures of him giggling with a big grin came out blurry but you get the idea.

All Tuckered Out

This was the scene at our house around 9:30 pm. Michael is now in bed and I am currently giving Tyler his last bottle of the day. Luckily Tyler is sleeping longer periods at night and typically goes 3.5 to 5 hours between feedings at night. Once he even went 5.5 hours!

Happy Crab

When Tyler is excited while laying on his back he smiles, kicks his legs, and flails his arms. It's super cute, but makes for many blurry pictures.

Happy Father's Day

No neckties yet... just a cute picture frame for Daddy to put in his office. We went out for a nice lunch today to celebrate the occasion. Tyler slept the whole meal (a gift itself); however, his car seat wouldn't fit on the booth seat so we sprawled him out directly on the booth seat next to Michael.

Mirror Mirror on the Wall

Which is my favorite expression of them all?

Super big smile

Flirty side glance

Big chuckle

Mr. Tough Guy

It's too hard to pick- I love all of them, even the little pout he does with his lower lip when he cries. One of my favorite activities these days is holding Tyler in front of the mirror and smiling into the mirror at him. He usually ends up giggling and giving me a few really big smiles. I am not sure if he is smiling back at me or smiling at himself, but either way it is a lot of fun!

Mr. Preppy

Tyler and I went to baby story time at the library today. He really enjoyed all the rhymes and songs and the movements that went along with them. Tyler was also mesmerized by all the other babies, many of whom are already crawling. The library's fire alarm went off in the middle of story time and amazingly most of the babies, including Tyler, remained calm. Luckily it was just a false alarm.

Afternoon Stroll

Yesterday we headed downtown for a walk through Waterfront Park and the Eastbank Esplanade. Tyler mostly slept except for when he woke up for a bottle.

Mommy's Favorite Guys

All Smiles

I have been capturing more and more smiles on camera. Who wouldn't turn to putty in the presence of a smiling baby? ; ) Tyler is growing fast and making up for lost time. I weighed him at home on Monday and he was approximately 11-1/2 pounds!

NICU Reunion

The hospital held its annual NICU reunion today so we dropped by for a while even though it's only been a little over 2 months since Tyler came home from the NICU. Tyler pretty much slept through the reunion except when he woke up to eat (right before we had the family photo taken). We caught up with Tyler's neonatologist but never ran into any of the nurses he had during his stay. Of course many of the nurses were probably working! And naturally Tyler was a little live wire at home before we went to the reunion.

Daddy's Team

Smiley

We are enjoying Tyler's ever-expanding range of expressions, particularly the smiles. It is nice to finally feel appreciated for those middle of the night feedings! Tyler has also starting cooing and making baby "talk". Now if only we could understand what he is saying. I like to think he's saying "My Mommy and Daddy are awesome!", but it's probably more like "Feed me again!" or "When is my next massage?" or "Are you really going to make me wear another dorky outfit?"

Minor League Baseball Supporter

Although he has yet to go to a game, today Tyler is happily sporting the gear of the local minor league baseball team. Go Beavers!

Tummy Time

It's fun to watch Tyler do tummy time. He typically lifts his head up a few times and he also likes to push both his legs up in the air. Maybe he's a centipede? Eventually Tyler gets frustrated enough that he wants us to roll him back over.

33 Years Ago Today...

This is the hospital photo of me from when I was born. I was 8 lb (twice the weight of Tyler when he was born)! Tyler might have my nose but it's too soon to tell. For the most part I think Tyler resembles Michael more. Right now Tyler's eyes are somewhere between dark blue and brown so it is most likely they will go brown.

Tyler got me up at 3:15 am this morning for a feeding. My brother Brad said that just means Tyler wanted to be the first to wish me Happy Birthday. Tyler is such a thoughtful little guy! : )

Our Little Monkey

Now that Tyler is getting bigger he has outgrown his newborn size clothes (and newborn size diapers) and is now wearing size 0-3 months. And since it is has been really warm lately I can just dress him in onesies and not worry so much about pants and socks. It is so hard to keep itty bitty socks on his feet and keep track of them! I haven't managed to lose any yet though (knock on wood).