Well, Tyler is now 25 pounds and 31 inches long. He is 65% in weight and 50% in height - about where he has been on the curve. Just your average guy. However, because he has the “smart stuff” as the nurse put it - we get to skip the 18-month check-up! Woo-hoo! Apparently he is already doing a lot of 18 month-old things, so they don’t need to see him until he is 2 years old!! And while I am bragging about my child, let me continue.

He speaks in paragraphs now…
Ok, not yet, but this kid is learning multiple words a day. His daycare caregiver said he talks so much for a kid his age! Yesterday, as he was eating snacks he was saying “craker” and “apple”. He said “cracker” again this morning. Since he is picking words up so fast, I have been trying to reinforce them for a few days to make sure he has the meaning down and isn’t just imitating. So we will be eating crackers for a couple of days! Yesterday he said and was pointing to “trees” as we were on our walk and I think he said “bath” last night and I also think is saying “milk”. “Milk” is for cow’s milk and “boob” or “boop” is for mommy. :-p He also said “diaper” this morning.

Other words
He also says ball, truck, block, sock, hat, dog, cat, and duck. Oh, and does the “baaa” for sheep. They are all in my head right now because I had to list them off for the doctor yesterday.

Hot! Hot! Hot!
Everything is “hot” to Tyler. When I am in the kitchen cooking, he will point to the oven and say “hot”. When he is turning on the tub faucet- if he gets it on the warm/hot setting - he will say “hot”. When I give him dinner - it is “hot”. Hot also seems to encompass very warm and warm in my opinion. Slowly we will work on the variations.

Mommy and Daddy and thrilled!
It isn’t so much that this may point to our child’s future intelligence as much as the lines of communication are opening up. We can talk. He can tell us that something is “hot” to him - how cool is that? As he learns more foods he can tell me he wants a “cracker”. He is also using his “more” sign more often although he applies it only to food at this time (as opposed to more book, more bouncing, etc.) It is so fun. And he wants more words - he will point to things wanting to know the word for it. It is just really fun!

Cracker is my favorite!
Cracker is the cutest sounding word right now. I could listen to him say it over and over.

Chris took a ton of pictures of Tyler when he was toddling around Zilker park this weekend. When I get home and get 5 minutes I will post some up! Have a great day!

I can already tell that we are going to be exhausted at the end of this one - we have too much we want to do. Oh, well - if we accomplish a lot we will feel good about it. I have to post a great picture of Tyler for his aunt and uncle in Florida. They gave him the cute sweater and hat set and his grandparents gave his the green vest. Here Tyler his at a friends birthday party pushing his push toy all over the place.

Tyler At The Park

Abortion Ban in South Dakota
How long has Alito been confirmed now? Well it didn’t take long - South Dakota is on the verge of passing a full-fledged abortion ban. It will definitely be interesting. This law was designed to go head-to-head with Roe vs. Wade. I have no idea how long it will take to reach the high court or when the case will be heard, but be assured - it will get there eventually. My friend made the interesting point that it could come down to a states’ rights decision basically allowing states to make their own laws on abortion.

Dubai Ports Situation
This is kind of a crazy situation because on one hand it has to do with globalization. We had already outsourced the management of the ports to a foreign-owned company. Now the UAE is purchasing the British company. So the foreign ownership is changing and people are up in arms about the new owners. It is going to become more and more common as the government looks for cheap contracts to save money like they do in the private sector.

My co-worker and I were laughing because to some degree we are with Bush on this one. But of course, the Republicans up for office are freaking out about public opinion and so are making a big stink about it all right alongside the Dems. I am just amused about people’s rush to judgement. People make decisions based on sound bites and spin and not facts.

Oh and Hillary Clinton had a great sound bite (I love her speaking almost as much as her husband’s). She said “If 9/11 was due to lack of imagination, and Katrina was due to lack of initiative, then this is due to lack of judgement”. I know some people can’t stand her - but I really dig her.

People Need to Pay Attention Again
At any rate, I hope some of this stuff, espeically the Roe vs. Wade case, gets people paying attention to government again. I agree that watching politicians do their thing grates on me. I see so little in the way of progress. But if I ignore it becuase I find it so frustrating, I am just contributing to the problem. I have to vote and I have to make my voice heard. I would love to carve out some more time to actually write my congressman and senators. I am really working on that. We have to care - it is how change happens. I mean look at the 60s and early 70s and all the grassroots efforts. I know it was an insane time - I was way to young to remember any of it, but there was a raw edge and energy that you can’t deny. With songs like Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young’s “Ohio” - the music of the time was so informed. I don’t care if you disagree with all my politics, just be involved. The government officials get away with so much crap on both sides of the aisle because they don’t think that anyone is looking or taking notice.

Neil Young and the song Ohio
If you don’t know about the song “Ohio” here is some background:

On May 4, 1970, a student demonstration at Kent State, Ohio left four students dead, one paralyzed, and eight others wounded. This demonstration, meant to be one of many peaceful demonstrations against the war, was ended abruptly and violently when the National Guard fired into the crowd for 13 seconds. The brief shootings ended the lives of students Jeffrey Miller, Allison Krause, William Schroeder, and Sandra Scheuer. The distances ranged from 270 feet to 390 feet. Some of these students were not even directly involved. Justified or not by self-defense, the “massacre” sparked a nationwide student strike that closed many colleges and universities.

Immediately after the Kent State shooting, Neil Young composed the song “Ohio” after looking at photos appearing in Life magazine and then taking a walk in the woods. Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young went to the studio and recorded the song which was released to radio stations shortly after the killings. Soon, the lyrics “Four dead in Ohio” became an anthem to a generation. In some parts of the country, the song was banned from playlists because of it’s “anti-war” and “anti-Nixon” sentiments.

Tin soldiers and Nixon coming,
We’re finally on our own.
This summer I hear the drumming,
Four dead in Ohio.

Gotta get down to it
Soldiers are gunning us down
Should have been done long ago.
What if you knew her
And found her dead on the ground
How can you run when you know?

Gotta get down to it
Soldiers are gunning us down
Should have been done long ago.
What if you knew her
And found her dead on the ground
How can you run when you know?

Tin soldiers and Nixon coming,
We’re finally on our own.
This summer I hear the drumming,
Four dead in Ohio.

So I have been craving a Dairy Queen blizzard and while Chris was getting Tyler to bed last night decided to sneak out and get one. Get to Dairy Queen, get the blizzard, drive off. Munching on blizzard in the car and the ice cream tastes funny - it has the metallic taste to it. At first, I was going to just eat it anyway, but then being pregnant and thinking “why does this taste this was and will it hurt my baby”, I returned to Dairy Queen. They made me another one our of the other machine - still tasted funny. The staff tried to ice cream too and agreed it tasted wierd (thanks goodness - I didn’t want to be the crazy pregnany lady). So I got a refund and went home empty handed. Ah, the luck.

This morning however I made my usual jaunt to Whole Food scaveging for breakfast and picked up some chocolate pudding. This had put and end to the blizzard thing - I just think I needed chocolate.

My Whole Food mornings were kind of a treat for me when I had a bad night with Tyler. I would get some yummy muffins, yogury, fruit and orange juice or chocolate milk. Now that I have one month left at work, I need to buckle down on the spending, so I think I will go back to making my muffins at home. Yummy muffin recipes anyone? Oh, or scones - I am really getting into those as well.

I just Yahoo’d a friend and told him that I just finished taking an emotional crap on my blog. And that made me laugh. Then I read some other blogs and thought of some stuff Tyler is doing that I should post about. I also switched from listening to Dave Matthew to a great Rusted Root song “Send Me on My Way'’ Fabulous cheerful ditty!!

Haunted House Book
My child is going to like horror movies. He loves this book. At first I swear some of the pages seemd to scare him - it is a pop-up book, so stuff pops up at you. But he wanted more - do it again and again and again. Maybe his fears have been conquered because he realized that with his toddler strength he could tear the head off of the bat if he so desired. Actually, he desires a lot, buy Daddy steps in and protects the book!

“Throwing Kisses”
I have been putting my hand over my mouth, making a kissing sounds and then throwing my hand out. And one day he just did it. It is that whole thing like signing where you don’t think they will ever pick it up and one day, they just make the sign. It is too cool - just like “hi” and “bye”.

The Words are Flying Now
Man, the words are flying now and it is so fun. We are in a “truck” phase right now as well as “duck” and “sock” and variations of them. We are working on “mama” (will that day ever come?) and just try to describe anything he points too. He is starting to point to my boob and say “boob” or “boop” which cracks me up. Although I told Chris a few days ago that instead of “Mama and Daddy” it is probably going to end up being “Daddy and Boob”! Oh well…..

He is too fun. He also loves putting anything on his head and calling it a “hat”.

Working Hard on Walking
He practices and practices. He bops down on his butt and gets right back up. Lately his bed time is slipped a bit - I think because the weather has prevented our park play. Although, he spend a lot of time just walking around in the evenings. I now realize before we know it he will off in a full sprint!!

I am down and have been crying so much last night and today. Don’t know why. There was discussion going on in this mother’s group I am a part of and it kind of set me off. Strange thing is the topic didn’t bother me nor did anyone’s comments. I don’t know. I wanted to post a final reply, but I think the thread had moved on and if it is one thing I am trying to learn in my life is when to let it lie, ya know?

I haven’t had many teary-eyed days with this pregnancy. Maybe it is all the sugar I have been eating? :-p Maybe I am just so tired and feel like I have been holding it together for a while and just needed a good cry? Maybe this was some nutty straw that tipped the scales enough to open the floodgates?

Dunno, I referred to myself as the black sheep of the group because I am the only one who had chosen to have daily separation from my child working part-time in addition to a few longer-term separations. Because of these choices, I haven’t had the opportunity to bond with the group in such a way that I feel completely “safe” when we share deeply held opinions and beliefs. I don’t know. I guess it is when you aren’t really good friends with people yet, so you feel a little unsure when you say stuff?

I think I was looking for some group love/acceptance/validation and instead I just felt more on the outskirts of it all. I guess I just needed someone tell me I am great, ya know? I just needed a little love. I needed a hug. I need my Mom.

I used to be so great at being there for others and now with a kid, I fail at that - miss birthdays, milestones, etc. I feel so self-centered and at the same time, I kind of have to be. Yay for my own insecurity issues - needing to constantly feel validated by the world. I have also been so emotional the last few days - yay hormones too…

I don’t have the physical outlet that I used to for all of my emotional energy, so I guess for now, tears it has to be. Better than anger any day. I had some chocolate milk this morning and seriously feel better.

On an up note, Tyler actually slept with me in bed part of the night. I had gotten him to sleep like three times only to have him wake up when I put him in the crib. I then tried to nurse him in bed - no dice. I thought maybe he just wanted to sleep in my arms, but I couldn’t sleep upright - I needed to lay down. So I got him to sleep in my arms and then carefully got us both in bed. So finally there was sleep to be had. So there we have it - a new strategy when he isn’t digging the crib and one that I really like. I miss sleeping with him anyway. Oh, and it was a darn poopy diaper that woke him up in the first place….

Oh and it is sunny this morning - what a great feeling. Tyler and I have felt so cooped up. Of course, I have a hair appt this afternoon, so the one chance to go the park and I won’t be able to. Tyler will get to play with his grandma though, so he will have some fun. Getting my hair done will totally cheer me up to.

On a serious post, I give you the serious side of my little boy.

Thinking About It All

I think one of the biggest pains in the butt is teething. You get so excited at the first few and also bewildered. But by the middle, you want the thing done. Ya know, it makes your child fussy, interrupts his sleep, causes an array of other symptoms. Tyler gets quite a few - flushed cheeks, low-grade fever, loose stools sometimes, fussiness, bites everything and everyone and has the waterfall drools.

The drool fascinates him by the way - he will drop a pool of drool on the floor and then put his finger in it to check it out. Do I have a boy or what?

Anyway, Tyler’s gums aren’t very efficient, so we know he is getting something, but when? I think his top molars took a couple of weeks to get through. To me the worse is always before you know what is coming. You are so bewildered by your child’s fussiness, behavoir, and nightwaking and then suddenly, you see some white points. Ah, that explains EVERYTHING! Then you wait for them to “erupt” and things start settling down. Unfortunately, the worse of it, for us anyway, is before you can see anything in his gums.

Where are We?
Tyler currently has 9 teeth - 4 top, 3 bottom and 2 top molars. I guess I am wondering if the bottom molars are coming in now. His top molars came in together. For me that is a BONUS!! It is a 2 for 1 deal!! Tyler actually had 3 come in at once while we were at Cloudcroft.

And there you have it - I am so paranoid that he will be getting teeth while we are on our road trip. He did pretty good last time, maybe all the distraction helped. And oddly enough, he slept for almost 7 hours straight last night teething and all. Woke up kind of feverish though.

I tell ya - it will be nice when they are all in. It just eliminates a variable - and with babies there are so many variables at night - it is nice to have one less.