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.