9-Month Well Child Visit

Tyler's 9-month check-up was today and his pediatrician said he is doing great. Our little chunk is growing:

• Weight: 21 lb 0.4 oz (70th percentile)- over 5 times his birth weight
• Height: 28.25" (48th percentile)- that's more than 1" per month
• Head Circumference: 17.75" (42nd percentile)- 1.5 times his head size at birth

While Tyler has more than caught up with his peers in size, developmentally he is more like a 7-month old than a 9-month old when it comes to all the milestones, which is normal for a preemie.

How Many Hurtado's Does it Take to Feed Tyler?

Four:

• One to hold his left hand
• One to hold his right hand
• One to spoon the food in to his mouth
• One to take pictures

Am I Old Enough for a Cell Phone Yet?

Turkey Day

Co-head of the table

Renee, Tyler, and Michael

Grandpa, Abuelita, and Tyler

Tia Delores and Tia Janina



We had a very nice Thanksgiving. Michael's side of the family is in town visiting and we actually got to host Thanksgiving for a change instead of traveling. I don't know how we did it, but the timing actually worked out pretty well such that Tyler had just had a nap and a bottle right before we sat down to eat. He sat in his high chair, babbled, and gnawed on a teething ring while we all feasted.

Happy Thanksgiving

Our scanner is on the fritz or else I would scan in one of Tyler's handprint turkeys. It is very difficult to get a 9-month old to keep his hand and fingers spread out, dip them in finger paint, and then press them down on paper. We ended up making some creatively artistic turkeys. Hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Swinging

[Video of Tyler swinging at Metzger Park.]

Laughing

[Video of Tyler laughing in his stroller at the zoo.]

At the Zoo with Grandpa & Abuelita

Michael's parents are visiting from San Antonio for Thanksgiving and are thoroughly enjoying spending some quality time with Tyler. On Saturday we all bundled up and went to the zoo.

My favorite pumpkin in the patch.

 

Strolling through the zoo.

Making a new friend. Hey Mom and Dad-
are you sure we aren't related to the orangutan?

Nap time.

Warming up with a little coffee and hot chocolate.

Family portrait.

Forever Rolling

[Video of Tyler rolling.]

Hmm... I want to get to those toys. How the heck do I move forward? Maybe I'll just roll from side to side...

Standing

Although still not crawling and nowhere close to being able to pull himself up, Tyler loves it when we hold him up so he can stand.

Our Sweetie

Tyler's daycare summary sheet today said, "Tyler had a very good day with his friends. He sat next to Joshua and talked and held his hand. It was very cute." Awwwww!

Upcoming Holiday Visitors

We are looking forward to family visiting over the holidays- Michael's parents and sisters/family will be here for Thanksgiving and my parents are coming for Christmas. My Dad sent me the following poem along with his travel itinerary:

'Twas the week before Christmas, and all through the house,
There was a sigh of relief from recovering from Thanksgiving visitors
Everyone was exhausted, even the mouse!

When what before my wondering eyes would appear,
was an AOL e-mail, that filled me with fear!
What! Grandparents again, visiting right away.
No relief for the weary, not even on Christmas day!

No chance to decline, or make a good excuse,
Left victimized by holiday Grandparental abuse.
It's payback time for many a Christmas past ...
And this Christmas will not be the last.

Laughing and Babbling

[Video of Tyler babbling, repeating Dada, and squealing.]

Although he does not know what it means yet, Tyler can say Dada- much to Michael's delight.

Playing

[Video of Tyler banging plastic rings together.]

Tyler really enjoys finding out what kinds of sounds he can make when he bangs things together. We have to be careful what kinds of toys we give him at restaurants because he likes to bang his toys against the table and that can generate lots of noise! Unfortunately plastic toys are better to bring out and about in public because they can easily be washed with hot water and soap later unlike plush toys.

Chatterbox

[Video of Tyler grabbing feet and babbling.]

Tyler has been making more and more consonant sounds and continues to explore his vocal range. You never know when he's going to babble or squeal. Recently we were driving somewhere and Tyler started squealing along to Twisted Sister's "We're Not Gonna Take It", which was playing on the radio. That's my boy!

Sleeping

Nowadays Tyler is quite the wiggle worm when he sleeps. Every time we check on him he seems to be in a different position. He likes to tuck his knees under like above, which does not look comfortable at all. I think this is Tyler's way of practicing crawling while he dreams. He also likes to get right up against the crib railing, poke his arm through, and hug the mattress. Because Tyler is such an active sleeper many a pacifier ends up behind the crib against the wall. I fished out 9 the other day after I realized we only had one clean pacifier in the house!

Brad & Megan's Wedding

Click above for photo album of our trip to New Orleans for Brad (my brother) & Megan's wedding, which took place October 24. We had an excellent time! The only disappointment of the trip was missing the rehearsal dinner because of a 5-1/2 hour airport delay in Houston due to plane maintenance!!!! Luckily Tyler was a great traveler and pretty much just went with the flow. Brad & Megan got married at Houmas House, a gorgeous plantation located between Baton Rouge and New Orleans. They put on quite a party for the wedding.

Wanting to Crawl

Tyler is becoming more and more mobile but still has not figured out how to crawl. He loves sitting up on his own and is able to reach pretty far to get to toys. We often let him sit on the floor with a pillow surrounding him for cushioning. While Tyler does not topple over as much as he used to, he uses the pillow to help him get closer to the floor. He will lean back or to the side on the pillow and then flip over to his tummy. From that position he attempts to crawl. Sometimes he actually moves backwards because he knows he needs to use his legs for crawling but still has not figured out how to incorporate his arms. After he realizes he cannot actually crawl Tyler just rolls to one side or the other to get to where he wants to go.

So Silly

Michael gets in on the hand-chewing action.

Halloween

On safari with my giraffe for a stop by my office
on Friday followed by a friend's Halloween party.

All partied out.

Note to future moms: festive Halloween clothing is not as hot and uncomfortable as a furry Halloween costume. If Tyler were old enough to trick-or-treat a furry costume would have been practical since the weather outside is cool.