Latest Developments

It's been a while since I've done an update of what Tyler has been up to and it seems like he is constantly doing something new lately. He definitely had lots of stimulation and enjoyed having his grandparents and aunts in town at varying times over a 2+ week period. Everyone left by this past Sunday and Tyler is re-adjusting back to his normal routine. New stuff:

• Teething: Massive quantities of drool were back until Tyler's top front teeth broke the gums. You still can't really see the teeth unless you are looking for them.
• Solid Food: Tyler is still eating mostly pureed food but he is enjoying it more and will sometimes even eat solids twice a day now. And of course he wants to help out by holding the spoon.
• Non-Crawling: Tyler is getting around on the floor primarily by rolling. He sometimes does an army crawl and other times actually moves backwards when trying to army crawl. Every once in a while when Tyler is on his tummy he will tuck his knees under him but he never quite fully makes it into a crawling position. According to Tyler's pediatrician crawling is optional and is not really considered a developmental milestone.
• Standing: Although he is not yet pulling himself up, when we put Tyler in a standing position he absolutely loves it. He can hang on to furniture or your hands for a while. He loves standing so much that often when you try to set him down in a sitting position he extends his legs out straight so he ends up standing instead.
• Reading: Tyler is more interested in books and actually tries to help turn the pages now as opposed to just trying to chew on them. Just this evening he had a ball with a book that has flaps for Tyler to open and close to see what's below.
• Babbling & Communicating: Tyler finally said mama. Granted it was babbled in the middle of a long string of other sounds I was still excited. His repertoire of consonant sounds is expanding. Tyler has also started extending his arms towards you to let you know he wants you to pick him up or hold him.
• Clapping: A few weeks ago Tyler started clapping his hands. He will also give you five if you hold out your hand for him.
• Making Noise: Tyler loves to see what kinds of noises he can make: he bangs toys together, bangs his hands or a toy on tables, blows raspberries, etc.
• Baths: We ditched the infant tub at the end of October and have been bathing Tyler in a regular tub since he has mastered sitting up on his own for long periods of time. Just in the past week he has really become interested in playing with his bath toys and is enjoying splashing the water more than previously. I don't know who ends up more wet- Tyler or me!
• Grabbing: Although babies come out of the womb being able to grab, you really have to keep your eye on Tyler these days. Last week he grabbed his Grandpa's steak knife off the table at a restaurant. Luckily he grabbed the handle and we took it from him quickly. A few days ago he tried to push the buttons on the debit/credit card machine at the grocery store.
• Getting Dressed: Tyler actually helps push his arms through the sleeves now and that makes it much easier to get him dressed or put a jacket on.