The Jumper

One of his first times in his jumper.

Eating Avacado

Is he still breathing?

On an early morning in November, I rolled over in bed and asked Tenisha if Tyson had woken at all during the night. Even though his crib is at the foot our bed, I had developed the ability to sleep through some of his middle of the night Cry fests. So, it was a honest question, in which I was truly unsure of the answer. Tenisha, with a surprised look on her face said, "No. What time is it?" After I informed her that it was 7:00, the room became silent. I know we were thinking the same thing. I didn't tell her what I was thinking, but I hopped out of bed to look at my boy and put a hand on his belly. I was feeling for that familiar rise and fall of his belly, when he squirmed a bit and smacked his lips. Tenisha, attempting to roll over and catch a few more Z's asked, "is he still breathing?" I said, "Yeah, and I think he's about ready to eat." At this point we both breathed a sigh of relief. Not only was our boy still alive, but he had slept through the night for the first time. This night was not a phenomenon. In fact, it has become a trend. He no longer gets up to eat in the middle of the night. Occasionally he will wake and need to have his blankets re-tucked, but we are actually getting sleep at night again.

The contents of this story may not be exact, but are based on actual events.

Solids

For those of you that don't know, Tyson is a "big boy". We tell him so all the time, especially after big achievements. For instance when he was finally able to support his own neck when being held, daddy told him, "you're a big boy now." He seems to like it when we tell him this, because he always cracks a big smile. But, then again, he smiles all the time, so who knows. Anyhow, our boy is also "literally" a big boy. At his 4 month appointment he was in the 90th percentile for his height and weight. We explained to the doctor that he was still eating every 2-3 hours and that he wakes 1-3 times a night to feed. We asked about feeding him solids early due to his need for more calories. He gave us the green light. Yahoo! Full nights of sleep, here we come.

So, his first "solid" food was rice cereal. It was about as fluid as his breast milk, but we ate it with a spoon. Tyson really liked the idea of eating with a spoon. Probably because daddy told him, "now you're a big boy." After the first few bites he understood that he needed to open his mouth when the spoon was approaching. By the end of the meal, he was reaching for the spoon wanting to take a shot feeding himself. Mama read a book called "Super Baby Food", which gave her info on what foods a baby can digest as each month goes by. Beyond the rice cereal, Tyson is able to eat avocado, banana, and sweet potato. His favorite thus far has been the 'Cado' (avocado). He LOVES it. We can't get it in his mouth fast enough. He is warming up to the others, but cado is definately the crowd pleaser at this point.

Pics

Tummy Time

Our boy is getting stronger. Oh yes, indeed, he is. During our daily dose of "tummy time", Tyson shows increasing strength throughout his entire body. Granted, he is not yet crawling, but he is not far off. As you can see in the pics, he has no problem holding his head up high. And his arms and legs understand their role. However, his "buddha belly" is slowing the process. He does not yet have enough upper body strength or balance to lift the belly off the ground to allow successful crawling. Our little man has an intense desire to succeed at all that he does. Therefore, he naturally gets quite frustrated when he is unable to get anywhere in all his effort. He'll try really hard for about three or four minutes. He'll smile, coo, and move those pudgy arms and legs as much as he can. Then, after minutes of getting nowhere he'll have a miniature meltdown. A meltdown that only hugs and kisses seem to be able to cure. So it goes. Our little guy is getting so big. 17lbs and 2ft2in at 4 months.

Splish, Splash

Tyson had his first true water experience (besides the bath) a few weeks ago. He loved looking at the reflection of the overhead lights on the surface of the pool. We put him in and the first thing he did was take a deep breath and hold it. Periodically, he would take another deep breath and hold it. Guess he's ready to do some underwater swimming. Overall, little T did great. He appeared kinda uneasy at first, but after a few minutes he was smiling, cooing, and slapping the water with his hands.

Camping in Prineville

We rented a cabin in Prineville, Or for a couple nights in early August. We enjoyed the warm weather of central Oregon, daddy fished, we walked through a cave created by lava, and we ate dinner at Deschutes Brewery in Bend, OR. Such a relaxing and fun time.

Visitors from Michigan

At the end of July, great-grandma Herron (Jason's grandma) came to visit the family and meet the newest edition. She is now the great-grandma of 5 boys. She has enough to start a basketball team now. She stayed with family in Eugene, so we packed up and headed down. Dad had to work a lot of shifts that week. But, Tyson and mom were able to spend lots of quality time with all the family.

We had a baby shower on the 29th. Tyson received lots of great gifts, including an all-terrain/jogger-type stroller from great-grandma. Thanks. :) Dad looks forward to going on runs with Tyson.

Tyson had a great time. He played with baby cousin Isabelle. He also met cousin Mic for the first time. He travelled up from Medford. Good to see ya cuz.

We drove great-grandma and her friend, Elmer back up to Portland after the shower. We drove them to their hotel near the airport. Great-grandma and mom sat in the back to entertain Tyson all the way from Eugene to Portland. It was nice seeing grandma and introducing her to her newest great-grandchild. Hopefully, we can make it out to Michigan in a couple years to visit her home.

The S.E.B. trip

Since the first roadtrip went so well, we were quick to head out again. We went on the S.E.B. (Seattle, Everett, Bellingham) trip from July 11th-16th. We had lots to do and many to see. Our first stop was in Shorline to visit Grandma Patrick. Tyson cuddled with grandma while mom and dad rested up.

The next morning (12th) we headed up to Bellingham. A quick stop at Jason's previous employer to visit past co-workers. Then, over to the Rollin's home. Here, Tyson met his Auntie Lisa. Uncle Brent was out of town working. See ya next time Uncle Brent! Tyson also met his new friends Josiah (2) and Gracie. Gracie was born less than 24 hours before Tyson. I'm sure this will become a bragging point for her when they are old enough to talk.

We spent the night and part of the next day (13th) with Lisa and kids. In the afternoon, we drove across town to visit John, Cynthia, and their two little boys on Lake Whatcom. Jason worked with John a couple years ago. After sharing stories, laughs, and some burgers, we headed south to Everett. We stayed the night with Lewis (Jason's college buddy). We missed his wife Megan, as she was travelling Europe. See ya next time Megan.

Tyson attended his first wedding on the 14th. Congratulations Ian and Maria! On Sunday, Tyson went to a Mariner's game. They were playing the Detroit Tigers. The Tigers won! Go Tigers!!

Before heading back we visited with the Pingeons in Normandy Park and had dinner with Great-Grandma Robinson.

Whew!! That was a busy trip. But, it was great to see everyone and show off Tyson!

Road trippin'

We clocked a lot of miles that last weekend in June. We drove up to Seattle for a Memorial service, then zipped down to Eugene to visit grandma Coen, aunt nikki, and more extended family. Lastly, we took Tyson on his first camping trip. We went over to the Oregon Coast to spend 2 nights sleeping outdoors. Tyson did great! Granted he is still young, and sleeps most of the time. But, he is quite the traveler and a good camper too.

Camping and travelling are two things that we love to do, so we are excited to get Tyson out there enjoying the open road, lush forests, majestic waters, and so on, and so forth.

Leaving the house... and the state

Our first real adventure outside the house happened around the weekend of June 23-25. We ventured into Washington state to visit his great uncle, great aunt, and cousins (the Meyer family). For the first time Tyson experienced love beyond his parents and grandmothers. The Meyers welcomed him into the tribe of our extended family.

Tyson experienced live music for the first time from his musically gifted cousins and Aunt Lori. He was "baby-sat" for the first time by cousin Ben. Cousin Kristin changed a diaper for the first time.

In all, everyone had a chance to hold, hug, and enjoy little Tyson. And Tyson received his first lesson, of many to come, about the importance of family.

Photogenic

The first 2-3 weeks of Tyson's life were exhausting, scary, and lots of fun. We were exhausted from sleepless nights of feeding and simply checking to make sure he continued to breathe. We were scared about doing the right thing, as parents. ATTENTION: For those of you that have not had children yet, the hospital does not send you home with an instruction manual.

But, most of all, we had a lot of fun. We spent these first few weeks always together, almost never leaving the house. And we took a lot of pictures.