Playing

Tyler really enjoyed playing in the front room today while we were hanging a number of pictures. He had a hard time sitting on the leather sofa because he kept sliding on the slick surface. It's much easier for him to sit on the upholstered sofa in our family room. We had a hard time staying on task because Tyler is so much fun to play with these days!

Feet may be Yummy

This morning was the first time I have seen Tyler attempt to nibble on his feet. He ended up just getting a mouthful of his PJs.

Gig 'em Aggies (2-0)

The Ags have yet to be televised this season, and there is currently not a televised game on the schedule until Thanksgiving! That didn't stop us from dressing Tyler in his college game day clothes. In hindsight, I should have added his Aggie football and Aggie pacifier to the picture. You can never have enough Aggie stuff! The Ags did manage to beat Utah State today and I am sure Tyler's support somehow played a role. ; )

Little Baller

It's not quite basketball season yet, but it will
be too cold for this outfit in Portland by the time
 the season kicks off. Gotta love the sweatband!

Crashed out in his car seat after a trip to Costco. Tyler must
have been worn out from all the smiling because he was
smiling at just about anyone who gave him the
"Aw, what a cute baby!" look.

Rolling 360

Tyler can now roll in all directions! He finally rolled all the way over from his back to his tummy while at daycare today. He did it again later at home. It was not a smooth movement as he had a little trouble trying to haul his inside arm and head all the way over, but he did it. Then he promptly rolled back over to his back.

Handeater

This morning as Tyler was sucking on his hands for the millionth time Michael called him a little handeater. This inspired me to modify the lyrics from Hall & Oates' Maneater:

Oh, oh here he comes
Watch out hands, he'll chew you up
Oh, oh here he comes
He's a handeater

Almost 360

Tyler is almost rolling 360 degrees. While he has the rolling down from his tummy to his back, he is getting closer to rolling from his back to his tummy. While on his back he will roll his legs over and then he twists his upper body just far enough to reach or look at what he wants.

Fun fact: The vintage blanket in the above photo is from when I was a baby.

Nap in the Stroller

This is a photo of one of Tyler's naps during my softball tournament this weekend. For the entire 30 minutes he was asleep during this particular nap he kept his pacifier gripped in his little hand.

Blowing Raspberries

Tyler usually smiles and laughs when we blow raspberries. For a while now he has been trying to blow raspberries himself and just recently he started getting better at it. When he first started trying to do it he would mostly just blow bubbles and make a little noise and then he would grin because he was so proud of himself. I was never able to capture that on video, but I did get this recent video that is still lots of fun.

Teething in Progress?

Double-fisting it! Must fit both hands in mouth simultaneously...

Or maybe I will just gnaw on Daddy's hand instead...

We think Tyler is teething because:

• The drooling has increased significantly. Sometimes we change his outfit because the entire top half of his shirt is wet.
• Tyler has been fussier than usual. Usually a bottle, diaper change, or nap stops the fussing but not always lately.
• He has been pushing his tongue against his lower gums. The lower front teeth typically come in first.
• Tyler has been having minor diarrhea since Sunday. Gross- I know! Apparently many people think this is a side effect of teething because of all the extra saliva that gets swallowed. The medical community is divided on whether this is true or not.

Chewing on anything and everything is also a sign of teething. Tyler has been doing this for quite a while now so it's hard to tell whether this applies.

More Peas Please?

We gave Tyler peas for the first time a few days ago. It's fun to see his reaction when we feed him, but really gross to see it all come back out of his mouth and pool on his bib and smear all over his neck. Thank goodness Tyler hasn't figured out how to get his hands above the high chair tray. Otherwise, he would add to the overall mess.

Tyler did not look very thrilled about the taste of peas!

We got some smiles, but because Daddy was making funny
faces and not because of the peas.

Tyler at Play

[Video of Tyler grabbing feet and munching on
Mortimer Moose.]

So many toys to choose from- Mortimer the Moose, hands, and feet. I am always amused how quickly Tyler can switch from one activity to another and how he sometimes combines them (e.g. grab foot with one hand and munch on Mortimer with the other).

Such a Wise Child...

We received this onesie as a gift (thanks Auntie Wendy!) and I love it! Mommy needs her props.

I Can Take it From Here Mom!

Although Tyler has tried to "help" hold his bottle for quite a while he is starting to get a little better at it. Previously in his effort to hold the bottle with one hand he would push too hard and it would come out of his mouth. Now he sometimes puts both hands on the bottle and can actually hold on for a little bit while drinking. But he doesn't realize he needs to keep the bottle angled up to keep the formula flowing and inevitably he takes the bottle out of his mouth when nothing comes out.

We are still giving Tyler rice cereal once a day and will start veggies and fruit soon. I am convinced Tyler thinks he can absorb the rice cereal through his chin by osmosis. His chin is where most of the rice cereal ends up. Michael is quite grossed out by this and I have to admit it is a little icky watching the rice cereal pool all over Tyler's chin, neck, bib, etc.

Tyler is already eyeing the food we eat, which I can attest tastes much better. Earlier today we were snacking on some popcorn and after watching both of us take bites Tyler gave us a big pout and then proceeded to cry. It probably didn't help he was tired and it was almost time for a bottle.

Sitting Up Part 2

Tyler showed off his new sitting skills this evening after we brought him home from daycare. Michael and I were quite excited to see him having so much fun.

Sitting Up!

Ms. Amy called me from daycare this morning to let me know that Tyler sat up on his own for a few minutes! This is a first for him. Apparently he used his arms for tripod-like support. We have put Tyler in the sitting position at home and then let go of him but he usually tips over within a second or two. (The JC Penney portrait photographer did the same time while I laid in wait nearby to catch him.) I teared up a little that I missed Tyler's first solo sitting experience but know I will still be just as excited when I get to witness it for myself for the first time.

Rice Cereal Victory

Tyler decided this evening that he actually wanted to swallow the rice cereal we were offering. It took him a few spoonfuls to figure out that the normal sucking motion he makes for bottles does not work for food. We were quite excited when he would swallow a spoonful (well, the half that did not dribble out of his mouth) and then open his mouth for more. We got him to start opening his mouth wide by showing him how to make an "Ahhhhh" sound. Let the messy eating begin! Afterwards we had to give him a good wipedown, especially to make sure we got all of the rice cereal out of his neck creases.