He is almost crawling. He just has to figure out how to get his knees underneath him…and then the motion part, but he is really getting close. You can tell in his mood. He is not content to sit still anymore and wants to see everything going on around him. He is starting to hit that frustration point where he is upset because he can’t get himself moving just yet.

Finger Foods!
Tyler is also getting into finger foods. He is now playing with Oatios (Cheerios) and I am giving him small bits of banana. Hasn’t gotten the pincer grasp just yet, but will grab a few in his hands. The dogs, of course, are taking new notice of Tyler. Now he is a food source, so they follow him everywhere! Chase loves to eat teething biscuits out if his hands. Tyler loves the dogs, but hasn’t figured out the food connection just yet. We are in so much trouble when he does….

Laundry Basket Fun
So I has another moment when I realized just how aware and grown up Tyler is getting. I was laying with him on the bed while Chris was folding laundry. Tyler sat up and would look into the laundry basket through the holds to the outside and then would look on the outside of the basket though the holes looking in. He was fascinated with that. Then he would pull the basket toward him with one hand and start emptying it out with the other. We event put him in it for a while which he thought was fun. It is just amazing how he is getting so fascinated by his environment. Very soon he will be into everything….god help us! :-p

My mother says “just do it” while my friends prefer to think it through a bit. My “Master Plan” calls for two kids and I am ready to give it a go and see what happens. Of course I have thought more about it lately as my friend has talked about her concerns and fears. I realize how tired I am and how little time I have and realize that with two, I pretty much would have no time.

I also see the money crunch coming and that really has me concerned. I grew up with money always being tight and vowed that I would not live that way again. Meaning that if I chose to spend an extra coupld of bucks on something, I wouldn’t be having a panick attack at the cost or feeling guilty about the expense for weeks. I just wanted to be moderately comfortable and have some breathing room in the budget. Geez, I didn’t realize just how good we had it as DINKS….

Dunno, I guess that I was blessed with a great brother and great childhood memories, so I see having a second as a great thing. Also, I am doubly blessed that my family is all so close, so we see each other often and are involved in each other’s lives. I know people who talk to their siblings a couple of times a year and that is the extent of it. I don’t know that you can force siblings to like each other, but I hope if we have a second that things are as somewhat harmonious.

Finally, I think I had to consider the impact on my marriage. I know that Chris definitely feels the loss of time with Tyler and that would only get “worse” with a second.

Back in the day without birth control, they had as many as they had. These days it seems that people are having less kids and many are chosing to have just one child. Don’t know. I don’t think that I will think it through too much – just doing it seems a lot easier (and a lot more fun! :-p)

Well we had Charles’ wedding in which Chris was the best man and a baby shower for Erin and Candice (due 9/26 and 10/24 respectively) on Sunday. I was dead tired by Sunday night – I pretty much went to bed right after Tyler. He hung in there, but was cranky Sunday. He took a nap at the shower, but a wet diaper woke him up and he couldn’t get back to sleep.

But overall, he did really well and got to do a lot of socializing. I am tired from all the expended energy, but really enjoyed being able to get out and see so many friends. I so wish that everyone didn’t live so far away and that we weren’t all so busy all the time. Thankfully there are wonderful events like weddings to bring us together.

Looking forward to the coming weekend with nothing planned – yeah! AND I am finally going to get that massage I have been wanting. So far the forecast is clear skies, so I am hoping a surprise electrical storm won’t pop up and kill the spas electricity like it did the last time!

Just got Tyler to sleep. It is Saturday night and we have some Coltrane playing in Tyler’s room. His curtains are open and as I was rocking him looking out the window, the night just felt electric. We just got back from Chris’ best friend’s wedding (Charles) and maybe that has something to do with it. But I remember before babies…when we were dating and Saturday evening had this air of electricity…of possibility where anything could happen. Maybe it was the lighting of the street – I don’t know. But even as I am so tired, I feel dreamy too.

Chris isn’t home yet and won’t be for a while – he was the best man and has the rest of his duties to complete as well as visiting with many dear friends. I have to make some ice cream for the shower tomorrow. But I think afterwards I will take a long shower and head to bed. Who knows, maybe Chris won’t be that late and even as tired as we are there may be time to have a little fun ourselves… :-p

He gave an amazing toast – had the room cracking up the entire time. I was sitting there trying to keep Tyler quiet so I could listen. I was so impresed..sitting there thinking..that is MY man! :-p He is so articulate..turns me on.. :-p

OK, OK…off I go. Have a good night and may your evening be full of delicious possibilities as well….. (Charles we know yours will be…)

Well, Tyler had his 9 month check-up yesterday. Everything is looking good – here are the latest stats:

Weight: 21 pounds 6 ounces (50% percentile)
Height: 28 inches (50% percentile)

He is a happy, healthy boy thankfully. He is babbling away these days. Baby babble is such a joyful noise to me. It just makes you smile. I swear that he sings along with the radio sometimes in the car. Cracks us up. He just has so much to say – oh, where does he get that from?

I love it when Tyler smiles at me. It is such a pure smile. He is showing you happiness all the way down to his soul. Maybe so many people love babies because they are untouched, unjaded, and full of pure unadulterated joy?

Crazy Weekend!
Chris best friend, Charles, is getting marries this weekend. Chris has been busy with wedding duties since Thursday night. Luckily, our friend Mike and Elizabeth our down here for the wedding with their 4 month-old son William. Elizabeth is going to be hanging out at my house while her husband is also off on groomsman duties. Looking forward to catching up with her and doing some mommy bonding.

Then on Sunday, we are throwing a baby shower (not at our house, thank god!) for two friends who are due with babies in September and October. I am a little tired, but I think the adrenaline from all that is going on will keep me going.

Hope you all have a great weekend and I shall blog more later! TGIF!!!

Oh, god. There was a report on NPR on how the president is denying that there is famine in Niger. Apparently, famine means that adults are dying. The reporter stated,

“Babies and children under 5 are the ones starving and dying… …Babies are latching on to their mother’s empty breasts unable to drink milk. The mothers are looking for goat’s milk to feed their babies and babies are dying in the hundreds.”

That line about the babies latching on just killed me. Those poor babies are hungry and don’t understand why their mommies don’t have the milk supply for them. And how helpless their mothers must feel..they are trying so hard to find food for their babies and are watching thier precious children wither away. It is absolutely horrible. There is absolutely NO reason that any person or child in this world should have to contend with hunger. We have plenty of food.

And instead of trying the help these people, the president is calling this a political rouse. It just kills me. Those poor mommies and babies.

Aw c’mon – you were thinking it!! Ya come to see cute pictures of Tyler and instead you have to read about what is bringing down Alyssa this time. :-p On that note, I must say that I am feeling “normal” today – the words that come to mind are sane, level, right, balanced. I hate hormones sometimes.

Anyway, yes – I will post more pictures tonight. I am in the living room watching Tyler play – I’ll move him to the office in a few and get some pics posted. Thanks for being patient with me.

(And yes, the world is wonderful again and my husband is a amazing.)

Tyler Hugging His Friend “Ed”

Piper and Tyler Sharing a Good Laugh

Tyler Ponders a Thought