Zoo Lights

We took advantage of the break in the rain and the mild temperatures last night and checked out the Zoo Lights. We knew Tyler would enjoy it because he gets excited about all the Christmas lights he sees when we are out after dark.

Tyler posed with the bear but wouldn't give him a high five when I held him up to the bear paw. He was a little traumatized by the live Rudolph, which was actually a person in a furry outfit. He waved to Rudolph from a distance but cried when I tried to get closer.

We rode the zoo train. At first Tyler seemed a little overstimulated by all the lights and he was also hungry. But after a little snack he really started perking up by the end of the train ride and calling out "Choo choo!"

Family self-portrait on the train

The goat seemed amused that Tyler kept calling out "Baaaaaaaa." This was one of the few animals that is viewable at night while Zoo Lights is going on.

Cheese

Tyler has started saying "Cheese!" without any prompting when I break out the camera. This is great when I want a posed photo with a smile, but it definitely makes it harder to capture random shots of Tyler when he is absorbed in an activity and I don't want him to notice the camera.

Fire Trucks

We were at the Portland Saturday Market this morning and so we strolled by the fire station next to the market. Tyler could barely contain himself when he saw all the fire trucks in the station. Later we even saw a fire truck heading back into the station with its flashing lights on.

Clapping and Dancing

Here is our little ham performing in front of our mirrored closet doors.

Inflatable Fun with Calvin and Christopher

Tubes in Ears

Today Tyler had tubes put in his ears to help drain fluid better until his ears develop more. He has had a whopping 7 ear infections in 2010 (3 in the spring, 1 in the summer, and 3 this fall)! The poor little guy had to be put under local anesthetic but the good news is that the procedure went well (and quickly) and he didn't seem to be in any pain today.

Pre-surgery was traumatic though! Tyler did not understand why he wasn't allowed to eat or drink anything this morning. We showed up to check in at 7:30 and I kept distracting him in the lobby every time he started getting fussy about wanting food. Close to 8:30 he finally broke down in a full screaming/crying/flailing limbs tantrum. Of course that's when they called us in to prep for the procedure. Tyler would not be consoled and did not want to be held and continued the screaming and flailing in the prep room. In order to get Tyler to take some valium and Tylenol, the nurses swaddled him in a blanket to restrain his arms. I held the swaddle together in a quasi-hug while one nurse pushed his cheeks together and held his nose (to force him to swallow) and another nurse squirted the meds into his mouth. Tyler still managed to spit at least 1/3 of the medicine out but after about 5 minutes he fell asleep. (Did I mention that Tyler woke up at 5 am this morning? He normally wakes up around 6:30 or 7.) The combo of the meds, getting up early, and all the screaming finally knocked him out, which made the anesthesiologist's job easier. Luckily the nurses said the meds would make him forget all the trauma!

When Tyler woke up after surgery he happily wolfed down the apple juice and graham crackers the nurse gave him. He was so perky on the way to the car that you wouldn't have known he'd had minor surgery. He remained his normal playful little self the rest of the day. What a little trooper!

Santa Express

Tyler still isn't sure who this Santa character is but he knows his shirt has a train on it and he thinks that is pretty cool. Choo choo!

Hmm.. what's in this box?

This big box from Tia Ludy arrived on Monday. Tyler was quite excited to see the UPS truck parked outside our house. The driver even waved to Tyler before he left as we watched from the front door. Tyler smiled and waved back. Since then Tyler occasionally goes into the front room to inspect the box or to play drums on it. He will just have to wait until Christmas to find out!

Oesh

Tyler continues to love shoes, which he pronounces "oesh". Here he is stomping around the house in Michael's hiking boots on the wrong feet. For some reason Tyler likes my slippers (despite how smelly they are) and he will even grab my ankles and make me take them off so he can wear them.

Hug Police

This morning while Michael and I were hugging, Tyler (with a gleam in his eye) pointed his finger at us and said, "No. No. No." in a singsong voice. We said, "Yes. Yes. Yes."

Dear PawPaw

My dad sent me a text message this morning that said, "PawPaw got this Christmas request from Tyler: one 8'x8' sandbox with ladder to fort level with cookie bar with exterior, monkey bars, swing, and slide with adjacent above ground heated pool." Ha! My dad has been trying to convince me that all little boys need a sandbox in their backyard. Maybe in locations where it doesn't rain much!

Christmas Carols

Tyler is happy to rediscover his Christmas piano and songbook that Michael's sister Janina got him for Thanksgiving 2009. He loves pushing all the piano keys and looking at the pictures that go with each song.