Corey's 9 Month Update

Corey turned 9 months old on the 12th! He's up to 20lbs. 3oz. and is in the 25-50th percentile for his weight and the 25th percentile for height. Tonight he 'pulled to stand' for the first time. He now has two teeth, his bottom middle ones. The first one came in six weeks ago and the second one came in last week. He crawled for the first time the day he turned 7 months old and he sat unassisted the day after that. Rick and I are so pleased with how he's doing.

The bad news is that Corey has only slept through the night ONCE! Once in 9 months. It was the day before Thanksgiving. We sure were thankful for that but it was short lived.

I stopped pumping on November 30th. Not too shabby; I pumped for 8 1/2 months. He's eating more solids and is eating some things with his fingers. He ate a Ritz cracker the other night at a Christmas Party. Someone gave it to him without asking me but all's well that ends well.

Tyler is a very good big brother and it thrills me and Rick to no end to see them interacting together.

Corey at 7 months

These are Corey's 6 month portraits taken in September.








It's been so long since I've blogged that I nearly forgot my password! These past months have gone by so quickly. Corey is growing like a weed and is trying to keep up with his brother. I'm already saying something that I didn't think I'd say for at least another 6 months, "Tyler, share your toys." People forewarned me that second children typically develop faster in an attempt to keep up with their older sibling. Holy cow, that's true!!!!

Tyler says something that completely cracks me and Rick up, "My baby's not sharing." What he means is, "The baby keeps trying to take my football men (like action figures) and I don't want to share them with him." This is a daily struggle because those football men are not safe for Corey to play with. Sometimes Tyler simply goes upstairs to play with them. Who can blame him? Those are his most special toys.

Corey also loves the power cord to my computer. Yikes. I have to put it away whenever I'm not using it.

At 5 1/2 months old he started to army crawl. It appeared that he'd regular crawl at any second. Funny enough, like 2 days after he turned 7 months old he started to regular crawl. And this kid is fast! I guess I'll have to mop the floor on a regular basis now. LOL. He's still receiving breast milk as I pump twice a day now. He also eats about one jar of baby food a day. The rest of his diet is formula. I feel good that he received breast milk exclusively for many months but I just couldn't keep up the several pumping sessions a day.

If he'd only sleep through the night. It would be okay if it were just one time a night but it's not uncommon for him to wake 2-3 times a night to eat. I'm doing some sleep training with him currently. There's just no reason he can't sleep through the night. He's not underweight; he doesn't need to eat so frequently. He's in the 50th percentile for both height and weight. Not too shabby for being 4 weeks early!

Grabbing Shirt

I don't expect this post to be exciting for anyone but I just wanted to jot down that Corey's latest thing is that he grabs his shirt a lot. He's also "cooing" more and makes lots of facial expressions.

Very frustrated w/ myself for not reading Baby Wise a lot sooner, like when I was pregnant. Trying to read it now but so busy. This kiddo is running me raged w/ his lack of a sleeping schedule. Not bragging but it's obvious he's in love w/ his Momma. Tyler continues to be a good big brother and Rick and I are proud of him.

Still pumping five times a day, giving him breast milk exclusively. In fact, gotta jet, it's time to pump. It's always time to pump......

Ten Weeks Old

I wish I had more time to blog because there are many things going on in my family's life that are "blogworthy". Corey is now ten weeks old! As of this past Thursday he weighted exactly 11 lbs.! He's already grown out of that newborn "blob" phase into a baby who is quite alert and physically strong! Actually, he was pretty strong right from the get go. Tyler was the same way in that they were both able to lift their heads well from the time they were born. He also has the same 'thumb tuck' that Tyler did as a baby in which they tuck their thumbs between their index and middle finger. Rick's mom said that he did that as a baby, too.

I was doing some skin-to-skin contact with Corey tonight by cuddling him close to my chest. He was in a semi-upright position and I was surprised by how well he could arch his head, neck and back. I gaze into his eyes a lot. I absolutely love doing that. He has recently started to give me half smiles or he does this thing in which he kind of sticks his tongue out when he's happy.

His eyes track me if I move away from him. That started a week or two ago. He makes me feel like the most important person in the world. I suppose I am...to him. :-) He wants to be held A LOT! Tyler was not like that. Corey is quite different from Tyler as a baby. I'm positive that is because Tyler was a long-term NICU baby and simply did not have the option of being held all the time. I was head over heals in love with Tyler's baby phase however, I was okay with not being so close in proximity to him. Again, this I attribute to the NICU experience. Corey sleeps in bed with me (or Rick, depending on who's shift it is) because he's got quite an attachment to us. Truth be told, I love sleeping with Corey.

Tyler slept in the bassinet in the family room right off the bat. Again, I was completely attached to Tyler but I didn't feel an urgency to be near him all the time like I feel with Corey. I do not mean that in an unkind way. It's just that it was not an option for me to be physically near Tyler for long periods of time until he left the NICU. And then he was a bit independent right off the bat. He and I still needed each other but in a less urgent way, if that makes any sense. We were not co-dependent on each other. I do have very fond memories of sleeping with Tyler at nap time.

What continues to blow my mind is how much I feel like a new parent. I knew tons about Tyler before I even brought him home. But I just got to take Corey home less than 48 hours of giving birth to him! Holy cow!

I love having two sons. I love observing how Tyler acts around Corey. Ty is so loving toward him and is always concerned about him. It makes my heart want to break from too much joy. I love that my sons have each other. I love that my husband has two sons. My family is complete. When I think back it took us 2 1/2 years to get Corey!

Please, God, help me imprint all of these memories into my mind in hard copy! "Mommy brain" has a tendency of making me forget things.

Silly Ty Ty

Rick and Ty are getting ready to go out on the kayak. Tyler just asked, "The cat come out on the boat?" Rick and I laughed as we imagined the cat on the kayak.

Corey's 8 Week Portraits

I basically have no time to blog but here are some of Corey's 8 week portraits taken last Friday. :-)

One Month in Review - Part 2

Way to grow, Corey! At today's one month well visit his weight was 8 lbs. 5 oz. and his length was 20 1/2 inches. Both figures are in the 10-25% percentile. This means he's up 2 lbs 5 oz from his birth weight and has grown 2 1/2 inches. Dr. Smoak was very pleased. I told him the concerns I mentioned in the first segment of this post and as usual, he put my mind at ease. On the way out of the office there was a scale and I couldn't help but to hop on. Down another 10 lbs! I had lost all of the baby weight of 16 lbs. before leaving the hospital and the additional 10 lbs. must be a result of pumping milk and not having much time to eat.

A Month in Review

Corey turns one month old today! We go to see Dr. Smoak for the one month check up later today. When Corey was first born I thought, "Now my family is complete." There is much joy in my heart when I look at Rick with our two boys. Rick and I started off as a couple of mid-20 year-olds in a Charles Schwab stockbroker training class as friends who carpooled together. That was in 1998. Now we've been married for 8 1/2 years and have two children. We have a complete family.

This month has passed by at an astonishing pace and each day runs right into the next. There is no going to bed for several hours each night and beginning a new day the next. Actually, I feel like it's all one big Ground Hog Day. But this too shall pass, as the saying goes. I wouldn't change it. I'm tired but that's okay, Rick is so very, very helpful. He's more helpful than one can imagine and I am grateful for that.

Corey has gotten chubby cheeks and I've noticed eyelashes and eyebrows that have started to come in over the past week. He's a perfect, beautiful baby. He could be the next Gerber baby. Rick and I get worried about his excessive gas and his breathing sounds. My brain tells me that those two things are normal but my heart disagrees. I'll ask Dr. Smoak about those concerns.

I know I've thanked you over and over, Lord, but let me thank you again for my family and my newborn baby boy, Corey.

Breast Milk, Bottles and Boobies

Hi, My name is Jen and I'm a milking cow. Corey has not been able to latch on yet despite help from the L.C. in the hospital and two different trips to the L.C. at my pediatrician's office. Actually, he was able to extract a tiny bit of milk with the help of the L.C. and a nipple shield on our last trip. This was promising but we are going back in another week once Corey turns a month old. Everyone who's helped me try to get him to latch on has said that he has an immature suck, probably due to being four weeks early. Additionally, white males have the hardest time latching on. Isn't that interesting?

I have a close relationship with the breast pump I rented. I do not enjoy this relationship and am even coming to dislike it but I will say that it's working out well for Corey's sake. I pump six times a day religiously but can't manage more than that. At first I was happily surprised that it did not hurt. Well, it sure started to hurt about 14 days after beginning to pump. Now I cringe when it's time to turn on the pump. Ouch. I don't produce enough milk to solely feed that to Corey but at most I'm only giving him formula about 20% of the time. Pumping, bottle feeding and washing the pump parts and bottles takes up a large part of my life. Each day I want to give up but I don't because I figure if I've got the milk I'd be a fool not to pump it. Some gals don't produce enough milk as is the case with one of my good friends. She's going through that right now.

My prayer is that Corey will be mature enough to latch on soon, that we'll have a break through at next week's L.C. appointment. Also, at some point, if he does not latch on I won't be able to pump enough to give him what he needs. The percentage of formula vs. breast milk with shift. I'm not someone who hates formula but I feel like I really need to give Corey breast milk. Tyler only got my breast milk once. He was NPO (nothing by mouth) for several weeks and I simply stopped pumping. I had to take that off my plate given everything that was going on with him being in the NICU and my mom dying. I have absolutely nothing to feel guilty about however I will always wonder if Tyler didn't have as good a start had I pumped and put the milk in the freezer. Maybe I'm partially trying to make up for what Tyler didn't get by giving it to Corey?

Corey's Birth - The Arrival

As much as I detested the epidural from the time I received it (around 10:15am) until shortly before I started to push, I sure liked it once it was time to push. I thought it was interesting that I'd have gang buster type contractions but only feel them in the form of a small pressure. I don't know the exact time but it must have been around 2:50pm and I was told I was fully effaced and dilated to ten. Everyone took their places shortly after that and I was told it was time to push. It surprised me. I'm not sure why. After all, things had progressed in a rather textbook fashion all day and the next logical step was to actually deliver the baby. Whatever, I'd just to what they told me to do whether if fully registered in my mind or not.

I relied on Dr. Phillips to tell me when to push. It wasn't as foreign to push without being able to feel anything as I had figured it would be. As with Tyler's delivery, which was a natural delivery, the thing about pushing is the fact that you hold your breath. Everyone keeps saying. "Good job; keep pushing." But it's hard to hold your breath like that. Nonetheless, it wasn't that bad. I pushed seven or eight times. (I only pushed five times with Tyler.) I was extatic that I was able to reach down and touch Corey's head while he was coming out. He was born at 3:18pm on a Friday.

There was a moment of concern as Corey wasn't breathing. No crying when he was born and that's a cry you want to hear. Crying is good because it means the baby can breath. The nurses did whatever they had to do and he started to breath shortly after. And basically that's it. He was born. He wasn't a Corey yet. I didn't fully decide on his name until the next day. I still wanted to name him Ryan but I decided to name him Corey because that's what Rick wanted. Rick had put up with a lot during that pregnancy and I wanted to at least give him the name he most wanted.

Corey's Birth Story Part 2

I last left off at 7:00am on the day Corey was born. For Part 1 scroll down a tad.

7:00-10:00am Was checked and was still dilated to 3. Given Pitocin. Very uncomfortable and frustrated from not sleeping and not being able to move around due to the monitors. Contractions getting stronger. Asked if I wanted an epidural. As you know I struggled with this decision during my pregnancy. I almost automatically said, "Yes." I simply wasn't of the mindset to handle a natural labor and delivery. Besides, I already knew what natural childbirth was like and it didn't seem appealing on this particular day.

10:30am Nurse explained how I needed to position my body for insertion of epidural. She had me in a type of hugging position. I DID NOT LIKE THE WAY IT FELT when the doctor put the needle in my back. First I felt an awful and strange pain on the left side of my back, then the right, then my left ear rang and then I felt the pain on both of sides of my back equally. Rick laughed a little when I said my ear was ringing and I don't blame him. Who'd have thunk it?! During this the nurse is pretty much holding me up and hugging my tightly because she was afraid I'd move and/of faint. Once the needle was in and I didn't have to be totally still I threw up once and then again. The doctor said, "I have not even put the medication in yet." I think that was his way of saying, "Why the heck are you freaking out?" I told him my reaction was psychological and that I DREAD needles in my back let alone my SPINE.

This is where it got worse. Keep in mind, I knew very little about epidurals. I skipped that section of my pregnancy books. Once the medicine was in ONE of my legs went numb. I was told to give it a little time and that the medicine would spread to the other leg. It did. I HATED the way it all felt. Couldn't move my legs and my feet totally tingled. The nurse kept repositioning my legs but they had minds of their own. I told her I was no longer interested in the epidural and to ask the doctor to take everything out. She said, "Give it and hour to an hour and a half and the medicine will wear off a little bit."

Well, an interesting trade off it was. I could only feel my contractions a tiny, tiny bit (only a mild tightening in my abdomen) but I was no longer in control of my body. Ironically enough, I hardly felt the catheter the nurse inserted. Another huge fear or mine. I felt a pressure and that freaked me out. The nurse said to give in a moment and I wouldn't even feel that. She was right. I was hating life right about now because I WAS NOT IN CONTROL OF MY LOWER BODY. I know you're probably thinking, "Duh, Jen, that's what an epidural does," but again, I didn't know what to expect. After a few hours I actually willed my legs to move by using my hips. I was not going to let that epidural make me feel like an invalid!

Tried to fall asleep. No such luck. Tyler still slept and Rick slept on and off. I was very thirsty and hungry but you know how it does, no food or water allowed. I was totally grateful for my ice chips, though!

12:00pm My friend and adopted mom, Sharon, showed up and the three of us had a lovely conversation about all kinds of things.

1:00pm Tyler woke up. Shortly after that my friend Brigetta came to pick up Tyler. Rick and I appreciated that. The poor kid had been with us the entire time and a hospital room is not that exciting for a 4 year old. I was checked by Dr. Phillips and had dilated to 5. Not bad progress but not as much as I had hoped either. Sharon and I encouraged Rick to go get some lunch and he did. Poor guy, he need not dine solely on ice chips like I was.

Sharon could see that I was NOT RELAXED whatsoever. She did THE kindest thing for me. I couldn't believe she did this for me but she massaged me for over an hour. She rubbed my neck, shoulders, my entire back, my legs and even my feet - all with lotion. Only a mom would do that for you. Rick came back from lunch. Dr Phillips checked me again and I went from being dilated from 5 to 8 in only two hours. I am quite sure it was because Sharon helped me so much to relax.

More to come.

A Quick Corey Update

Holy cow! This week has FLOWN by more so than probably any other week in my life. I barely have time to eat let alone blog but I just have to say a few things. I'll have to continue the labor and delivery story another time.

Rick goes back to work tomorrow and I'm nervous.

My energy level is back with a vengince. My whole pregnancy I rested like bang busters and now I barely sit down except to pump. Meals are a luxury, when I take the time for them. Today I finally ate at 7pm with the exception of a banana and my coveted Iced Mocha (decaf, of course) from Starbucks. Ha, I've finally found a diet that will work. hee hee. Good thing for vitamins and drinking tons of water.

A lot of time this past was spent at the various doctors' offices Some for Corey and some for me. We went to the lactation once and will go back in 3 weeks when he's more mature. We went to the pediatitian twice for Corey; just standard procedure for a preemie. He's doing well, thank God. I had to go to the doctor twice for a LOVELY boil on my behind. Isn't that freakin' attractive? It developed while I was pregnant and Dr. Phillips (my OB) sliced and drained it. The darn thing came back hardcore very shorty after I gave birth and continued to get worse once I came home from the hospital. I couldn't sit down except for VERY slowly. Getting up was even more painful. To add to the fun, my swollen ankles and feet became worse after I gave birth and didn't start to subside until Thursday.

Anyway, I went to the OB practice where I saw a different doctor as Dr. Phillips wasn't available. (Dr. Phillips sliced and drained the boil/cyst/whatever it was back in February.) Dr. Demchek did not impress me and it was a total waste of time with the exception of the recommendation that I go to a surgeon. I did that on Friday and this awesome man named Dr. Les Webster totally helped me. He sliced it open and took a cyst-type thing out. It feels so much better. Doesn't this all make me sound oh-so sexy? So imagine me, my big honking boil and my big honking feet and ankles, can't stand or walk for too long and can't sit down! FUN! Those things have resolved themselves. YES!

Corey is wonderful. He's such a beautiful baby. I wish that I had more time to simply sit and gaze at him. I spend quite a bit of time each day pumping breast milk and carefully washing the pump parts! My milk has come in amazingly well. I don't mean to boast, really, but it's been wonderful. I pumped 14 ounces yesterday and 12 the day before!

Tyler loves Corey. I will need to write more about his topic later regarding Tyler, his adjustment to Corey and the adjustment Rick and I are going through with two kids as opposed to one. I LOVE the fact that I can say phrases like my kids or my sons. So much to write but it's time to pump. It's always time to pump. hee hee.

Corey's Birth Story Part 1

I don't think I can write all that I want to tonight as I should already be in bed. Here is part 1:

Thursday, March 11, 2010 Week 36 and 1 day along
9:30am - I had a routine ultrasound and OB appointment. Everything was fine. Not dialated and u/s measured the baby as weighing 6 lbs. 5 oz.

12:45pm - On way to Rick's office with Tyler for our baby shower given by co-workers. Felt a gush. Worried about water breaking and about the seat's interior of my brand new car! Called Rick and asked him to meet me in parking lot with towels. I was scared. Not as much fluid as it felt like. Went inside, called OB's office and they advised me to come back at 3:45pm for an evaluation. Fluid was totally clear which didn't make sense and I knew it wasn't urine. Proceeded with baby shower. Very sweet of his co-workers. Asked Rick to leave work with me and Ty. We all went home and I finished packing bags in case I'd be admitted to hospital. Me, Rick and Tyler went to OB.

3:45pm - Midwife checked me, did litmus test and looked at fluid sample under microscope. Water did not break but was dialated to 1. Not dialated at all at visit from the morning. Fluid I leaked is called leukorrhea which I'm familiar with but it didn't make sense that it was THAT much. Went home.

9:00pm - Watched The Office then drifted off to sleep.
10:00pm - 1:00am Had to keep getting up as more and more fluid was coming. Felt mild contractions. Perplexed. Called OB's on-call service. Spoke to nurse who had midwife Tina call me. Tina said I needed to come to the hospital so she could check me.

Friday, March 12, 2010
1:20am Woke Rick up, told him what was going on. He woke Tyler up. Grabbed my bags and drove to hospital.
2:00am Midwife Tina checked me, took one look and said, "Yes, honey, your water broke big time. You're dialated to 3. You'll be having this baby today. This is where things get really interesting. I said, "No, it's too early," and I began to hyperventilate. Tina and Rick tried to calm me down. I was too far gone with the hyperventalitation and I threw up and then passed out. I woke up and said, "I was just dreaming," but then realized what just happened and started to hyperventilate again as there were now several people in the room (Rick said things got quite worrisome when I passed out hence the need for extra help.)Tina became very serious with me. She said, "Jennifer, when you had this episode your baby's heart rate dropped significantly. I need for you to calm down, breathe deeply and slowly, so we can try to bring this baby's heart rate up. If not, you'll need an emergency C-section." Thank goodness I was able to concentrate on what she was telling me and was able to breath as she told me. Baby's rate came up to a healthy level.
2:30am Admitted to hospital and went to labor and delivery suite. Contractions stronger but totally tollerable. Tyler was actually wide awake all night! I was really uncomfortable because of the monitors around my tummy and the fact that I had to lay in a certain way. Only a tiny bit tired.
The three of us spent the rest of the night just hanging out.
7:00am Tyler fell asleep after being up since 1:30am! Rick tried to catch a cat nap.

Stay tuned for more....I need to go to bed!

Tips for my Nips

I wouldn't be me if I were not obsessing about something. I have crossed a few things off my "Items I Obsess About" list recently. I have resolved that I may or may not receive an epidural. That may not sound like a resolution but it is. It translates into that I will go as long as I can and while I hope not to need it, I will accept one if I'm in dire straits.

I also resolved the fact that we will send Tyler to church preschool next year as opposed to the Bright Beginnings program through CMS. I obsessed about that one for about three months. Each and every day, people! How did I come to my conclusions? I prayed. When, oh when will I just learn to stop obsessing and pray instead?

At the top of my obsession list currently is whether or not to nurse. Yes, I have prayed for guidance and for peace about whatever happens. God does want us to be idle either and just wait for an answer to pound us in the head. I've asked MANY people what their nursing experiences have been. I also sent out an e.mail to my gal pals asking them for advice. I've received many wonderful tips for my nips.

Honestly, who knows that's going to happen. I'll give it a shot. I have a breastfeeding book I'm going to get out and begin to read it tonight. I'll continue to pray. I have also sanitized bottles to be ready for formula, too. Whatever happens, I need to NOT obsess about it. I love feedback so if you've got it, give it. :-) Thanks for those who have already.

Sneaky!

Tyler did something this afternoon that Rick and I found to be a little bit disturbing. Rick was upstairs and I was resting my huge pregnancy ankles on the couch. Tyler was right behind me playing with his table hockey (AKA rod hockey) set. He plays with it for at least an hour each and every day. A bone of contention between the three of us is how Tyler plays with it. Rick insists that all of the hockey players stay on their rods where they belong. The players are hand painted and Tyler tends to be rough as some players' paint has chipped somewhat. My take on the situation is that Ty is 4 years old and we can't expect him to keep any toy in pristine condition. Ty's perspective is that he should be able to pull some of the players off of their rods and play with them in a more free-style way. However, he still keeps them on the actual game (or ice, whatever you'd call it).

If Rick sees the players off their rods he makes Tyler put them back on the rods. If I see the same thing, I don't do anything. Again, I think since it was Tyler's birthday gift he should be able to play as he wishes as long as he's not destroying them. I know, I should respect Rick's wishes. Bad wifey.

But get this! Tyler dropped one on the floor this afternoon. Not a huge deal. He picked it up and put it back on the game (or so I thought). To be honest, I was tired and didn't really care. A few moments later I heard Tyler go into the pen/pencil drawer. This was also just a few feet behind me. I figured he was grabbing a pencil to draw with. Wrong. About an hour later Rick was putting the game away so he could set the table for dinner while I cooked. He found a hockey player's head on the floor! It must have broken off when Ty dropped it. "Where's the rest of it, Ty?" Rick asked sternly. Ty didn't answer. We looked all around. Then I remembered something. I looked in that pen/pencil drawer and guess what I found....a hockey player's body. Tyler slyly hid it thinking we wouldn't know what happened. But duh, Tyler, you left the head on the floor.

Rick and I were disappointed. How did Tyler learn how to be sneaky like that? We can understand many things such as the way he'll act out before thinking. It's something we're working on. But the fundamental problem with what happened today was that it was a thought out plan, even if it only took him a moment to think it up. We explained that dropping a hockey player on the floor can be an honest mistake but to hide the broken player is very, very naughty. He received a spanking and he lost his privileges to play rod hockey for a week.

Trust me, reader, I realize that a lot worse could have happened. It's not the end of the world. But let me say this, it took me aback to see him being sneaky like that. It just reminds me that children are not born innocent and that certain ingrain personality characteristics need to be undone or unsocialized out of children. My goal is to undo these things for Tyler sooner as opposed to later. I suppose it is a long, long process. After all, I'm quite certain that people of all ages have traits that need to be undone. I certainly do!

It's Official

It's official. I have turned into one heck of a miserable pregnant woman. I like nothing about it, not even the kicking. I hate how tired I am. My ankles are HUGE, my nose is stuffed up (but thank you over-the-counter nasal spray even though I've used you so much you don't work well anymore), I always have some sort of pain in some part of my body, I use the restroom at least once an hour, I have little to no desire to do anything, my poor husband does well more than his fair share of everything, I can't bend over, I only have two pair of shoes that fit (and sort of at that) and the worst part is that I feel like this is never going to end.

Keep in mind that just because I loathe being pregnant it has nothing to do with the fact that I appreciate that God has blessed me and Rick with another child. I envy (but am not jealous of, there's a big difference) women who like being pregnant and have good pregnancies. Tyler's pregnancy wasn't so bad at all. I didn't particularily like it but I can't say I disliked it. The only thing that has kept me from going 100% crazy is that I repeat over and over, "I will feel so much better once I give birth." That's what happened with Tyler. In fact, I was on a hormonal high for a few days. You can't buy a better high than that. Granted, I had to hide my elation seeing that Tyler was in the NICU and my mom was in the ICE! It just goes to show you how much our bodies can be in total disagreement with our circumstances.

I feel a lot better now that I've vented.
"It will get better once I give birth."

Candy Land

Before I had Tyler there were specific things I wanted to do and not do as a mom. Some of which I've failed at. For example, he watches more TV than I would have envisioned. But one thing I would definitely score myself with high marks with is the amount of sugar Tyler has had over this life span. I was/am a bit of a sugar Nazi with Ty. Seeing that I have a weight problem and a sugar lust issue myself combined with the fact that sugar is so stinkin' bad for us Tyler's sugar intake is important to me. As a sidebar, I'm a bit of a hypocrite in that if I ate as well as Tyler did I'd lose a ton of weight. But I digress....

Halloween, 2009 was the first Halloween we let him eat any of his candy. It gave him a taste for sugar. He became under the impression that he should get a treat everyday. I hate you, Halloween. Then there's school. Uggg. One day last year I picked up Tyler from preschool and my eyes about popped out of my head. The kids were eating large cupcakes WITH a 100% sugar drink. His teachers could tell that I did not like that. It was someone's birthday and the child's parents brought in treats. Thanks a lot. Doesn't common sense tell a person that you bring in a healthy drink if you have a sugar treat or visa versa?

I was reminded of my hatred of sugar today when I picked up Tyler. It was someone's birthday and each child got a goody bag of one drink (granted it was 100% fruit juice), one yo-yo, three packs of Smarties, one bag of cookies and one package of sour gummy worms. Can you hear me sighing? I explained that he may have one treat today and one tomorrow.

Okay, people, I know I can't control his sugar intake forever. I know that he has to eat some sugar otherwise he'll go to the other extreme later in life. But as a parent I feel like I'm constantly fighting something. You should have seen me a few months ago when I all but yelled at the kid across the street because she pointed a play gun at me. Rick explained to her that even though a gun is fake you never point it at someone. Speaking of guns, that is something I'm even more of a Nazi about than sugar. In this day and age I feel VERY STRONGLY about play guns. Tyler will never, ever have one. Not even a super-soaker or a water gun. He will be taught to respect guns and Rick will take him to a shooting range. (No, we don't have a gun, don't worry.)

So what are you anal about? Not that you probably think I'm crazy....

Thay-at

There are two types of Southern accents: the endearing kind that is a pleasure to listen to and the kind that makes the speaker sound dumber than a sack of hammers. Unfortunately, Tyler is picking up some of the later. Mind you, my son is far from dumb but Rick and I are trying hard to correct some of the words that make him sound let's just say less than intelligent. Most of the words have an 'a' in them and are one syllable words that he's turning into two syllables such as: cay-at, thay-at. Just as I'm typing he said they-ar (instead of there).

I think he's getting his accent from his teacher in school (who is not dumb but who has a thick Southern accent) or one of his classmates (all who seem smart). I don't know what to do. I don't want to keep 'correcting' him because he's really not doing anything wrong. Who am I to say what is the right way of speaking vs. the wrong way of speaking? Our family may be a mixed bag when it comes to accents. Actually, Rick basically untrained his Long Island accent and you'd never know where he's from with the exception of a few words here and there. He doesn't have any type of accent. I'm from Ohio but grew up in Arizona, where people are from all over and we all just came to acquire a non-regional specific accent. For additional fun maybe the three of us should just develop an Australian accent and really throw people off.

Preschool Update

Some of you may have read my posts regarding the decision Rick and I will need to make as to where Tyler will go to school next year: Bright Beginnings through CMS or Church Preschool. I'm also expressed my worried feelings to some friends in person. I've prayed about this at least a few times.

Rick and I are 90% sure that we will place Tyler in Church Preschool. Signs here and there have been unfolding and I feel that God is speaking to us through these signs. The first light bulb moment was when we received thank you cards from his teachers for the meager Christmas candles we gave them. It wasn't the cards themselves that were a surprise but this was: one of his teachers wrote, "I love having you in class and I love you, Tyler." How sweet is that?!

The second sign was the fact that his preschool will now offer a four day a week program for four year old children. I spoke with the preschool director and all but begged her for a four day program as they currently offer three day programs. I felt like that was an answer to a specific prayer.

Tyler absolutely loves his classmates. I'm talking head over heals type of love. He speaks about them frequently. We bought a copy of the class picture and I put it in a frame for him to look at. In a typical Tyler fashion, he started using in as a lovey. He carried it around and went to bed with it. (Rick and I would go into his room after he would fall asleep to remove the picture from his grasp.)I guess he loved the picture too much because he broke the glass in the frame! Yikes, I'll need to find an alternative way to protect it.

I have a soft spot in my heart for Tyler's teachers and the preschool director. I think they are sweet, kind, warm, and lovely. More important than that, Tyler has progressed a lot more there than in the CMS program. Now reader, I have never been in denial about Tyler's "disabilities" but now I feel that the progress he's made strips away the label of having any disabilities. I think that some of the thing's he's now a tad behind on are a result of just needing to mature more. For example, he can't carry on a conversation to the extent that you (I) might think he should be able to for a four year old. Yet several people, including the church preschool teachers, have told me that there are plenty of "normal" four year olds who don't have conversations per se'.

Part of me wants to pull him out of the CMS preschool system now. Rick pointed out that as long as the CMS preschool isn't slowing him down than there really isn't a reason to pull him. Good point, Rick. A lot can change between now and May, when we need to tell CMS what our decision is. I'll be surprised if we change our minds and put him in CMS next year.

One Person's Theory

I think that companies, non-profit organizations, retail stores, and almost every other type of institution spend a good amount of time trying to avoid being sued. I immediately think of that whenever CMS closes down due to "inclement weather". Yesterday I would agree that we had rather severe weather in Charlotte that extended into today. But as the afternoon progressed, the ice melted off of the streets. "Surely kids will have school tomorrow," I thought around 5pm. Wrong. My child, who loves school, will have to miss out because CMS is afraid of being sued. The following is likely a scenario CMS is afraid of:

Someone might fall outside at a bus stop or outside of a school, which may or may not have anything to do with the weather. That person or their parents don't believe in the theory that things just happen in life sometimes and they decide to sue CMS instead. Their attorney's defense will be that CMS should have shut down in light of "inclement weather". Right, wrong or indifferent, CMS pays millions in a lawsuit. Whatever happened to personal responsibility?

It could be argued that I'm making a big deal out of one day of school missed. But you see, this is one example of a few spoiling it for the masses. I'm so tired of that. Maybe it's just that I'm not the suing type. I don't know. What I do know is that it's absurd to call off school the NIGHT BEFORE when we don't know what the weather will be like in the morning and even if they are basing it on the weather now, I hardly think a bit of melting snow warrants closures.

Corey Ryan

Corey Ryan is what we think we'll be naming our new addition. It's not set in stone but I think we're 90% sure. I already call him Baby Corey. Despite the fact that I complain on a daily basis about how crappy I feel the pregnancy is going well. That is a tad ironic, isn't it? How can a person feel so poorly and be doing well at the same time? Nonetheless, the way I see it I only have 11 weeks max left of feeling this way! I realize that I may have many sleepless (or near sleepless) days ahead of me once the baby is born but that surely seems better than feeling badly 24/7.

I go in to see Dr. Phillips every two weeks at this point and I saw him today. He said the baby is measuring exactly like he should be. I have very little fear about this baby being premature. Rick still gives me my shots once a week and I'll get to stop those we week 36 with the shot remaining in my body until week 37.

I'm excited to meet Corey. Rick and I will present Tyler with some new hockey cards the first time Tyler meets Corey. This will be our attempt to soften the blow of Tyler having to share his parents with another person! No, Tyler is NOT happy to be adding a baby to the family. However, if we say, "Look what baby Corey got you, Tyler, more hockey cards," Corey may be in Tyler's good graces from the very beginning. hee hee

Mr. Hockey Lover, Tyler

I'm convinced that hockey is most likely the first thing Tyler thinks about when he wakes up and the last thing he thinks about when he goes to bed. He accosts Rick first thing as Rick walks in the door from work to play hockey with him. He has a few hockey videos that he wants to watch over and over. He's got four hockey jerseys and one hockey t-shirt that he wears throughout the day, switching them just like any child would who loves to play dress up. He has a table hockey game that he plays with for long periods of time. It's also called a rod hockey set, the kind where you control the players with rods. Yet Tyler prefers to concentrate of a few players with the puck and commentate. It's so darn cute.

All he wanted for Christmas we hockey cards. We asked him several times, "Tyler, what would you like for Christmas?" "Hockey cards." "Anything besides hockey cards?" "I want hockey cards." And hockey cards he got! We added to his already generous collection of them. He's got a three ring binder with plastic sleeves full of them. We find random cards all over our house. It's just a normal thing around here. You just expect it.

Then there are the hockey 'pages'. Rick ordered him a hockey merchandise catalog and Tyler LOVES it. I should say 'them' because we've ordered about six catalogs over the past several months since Tyler loves them to the point of destruction. I find torn and/or crumpled pages here and there and have to throw them away when he isn't looking. He will use the catalog as a reference point. More about reference points later.

He knows the logos of each team and can read them with just the word, no logo. He loves it when Rick plays hockey outside with him (boo on the fact that it gets dark too quickly),inside in the family room or out the garage. He incorporates non-hockey items into his hockey game. For example, he'll take the top of his plastic snare drum and use it as the ice for a game for his little plastic hockey players. He'll also use random balls if he can't find his little pucks. I love watching him pretend which almost always includes a comentery by him. He poses different playing positions in the glass in our entertainment center. Obviously this cracks me and Rick up.

The reference points I mentioned earlier crack us up the most. It took us a few months to figure out what he was doing. He'd set up all these things very neatly and play hockey around them in the family room or the garage. Some things he uses are: hockey cards, pages out of the hockey catalog, empty game cases from Rick's XBox, jerseys folded neatly so the logo shows (he folds them), shoes, or other random things. One day, it occurred to Rick that Tyler was using these items to represent the goals, boundaries, and other players. And perhaps the funniest part of that is Tyler gets annoyed if anyone should move one of his reference point. For example, I sat down in a chair and my foot accidentially moved a book (that likely represented a goal net) and he came up to me, moved the book back into place and said, "No, Mommy, no."

Gosh, I'm sure I've got to be leaving some things out but that pretty much covers it. Tyler is a funny kid and I love his love of hockey and the ideosyncricities that come along with it.

New Years Resolutions

I just updated my FB status with this but also wanted to put in my blog.

"Here's my take on New Year's resolutions...if a person wants to make a change (or changes) in his/her life, isn't that change important enough to implement as soon as the change occurs to the person? For example: people vow to lose weight in the New Year but eat like pigs for the month of December."

I think that New Year's resolutions only set a person up for failure almost all of the time. I have experienced this first hand. Year after year my resolution was to lose weight (even when I only had a total of 10 lbs. to lose ((hard to believe, I know)) and I finally realized that losing weight along with any other change I wanted to make were more likely to be achieved right then and there. Why save up several for the New Year? Make small changes that matter now.