Tyler's Report Card

Before I file it away, I thought I'd share Tyler's most recent progress report. His school does them every 6 months, even for the babies! They also have parent teacher conferences.

This report is 5 pages long and has categories with subcategories and developmental activities listed for each subcategory that are graded A for almost always, E for emerging and N for needs attention. Tyler gets mostly As with a few Es scattered in there. (Tyler can't walk forward and backwards on an 8 foot line yet... I guess we'll have to wait a little longer for a successful sobriety test!)

Here are the main categories and his teacher's comments:

1. Cognitive - Tyler is very inquisitive and wants to know the hows and whys of the world around him.
2. Language - Tyler's verbal skills are well developed, he can carry on a conversation about things he has done or will do.
3. Self - Tyler is very self aware, he is proud of himself when he accomplishes tasks.
4. Social/Emotional Development - Tyler engages in cooperative pay with his peers. He is still developing self-control and needs to be reminded of the appropriate ways to express excitement or frustration. Our classroom rules seem to help him remember.
5. Science - Tyler enjoys sensory activities. He is also enjoying our color songs and learning the colors in Spanish.
6. Math - Tyler recognizes his numbers and is able to count objects in correspondence to the number he sees.
7. Gross Motor - Tyler enjoys our gross-motor skill activities, he has a high energy level and he has the coordination to successfully participate and get that energy released.
8. Fine Motor - Tyler is still developing his fine-motor skills, he sometimes gets frustrated with holding scissors and cutting, but we will be working on strengthening the pincer group which will make such tasks easier.

I think the report describes Tyler well. Reading it made me smile.

Overall I am pleased with the school and think it is a good place for my boys to be. They have a good balance of care and learning. Even play time has purpose without making it too structured. When I picked Tyler up before lunch earlier this week I got to see what happens during that time. The room is quite large and there were children grouped around the room doing different things. A few were playing on their own, a few were doing an art project with a teacher, a few were using play dough with a teacher and a few were playing in the water table that had been filled with snow. It was not just a free for all. When Tyler first started at the center I was concerned that he would have more nurturing in a home environment. But, I think we made the right choice. There are usually 3 teachers in Tyler's room and I believe they all genuinely care for the children. Each teacher is actively engaged in the day. I am also more comfortable knowing there is more than one adult. It's a check and balance system. And, they put up with my daily calls!

He Sent Flowers!

Yesterday was my first day back to work and everything went ok. I got up at 5:15am, and Dan got up shortly after. We each took a kid and managed to walk out of the house at 6:55am! I'm worried about what is going to happen when I get lazy and don't have everything lined up the night before. Hopefully we'll get more effecient over time and things will work out.

We both went to drop the boys off and it was less emotional than I thought it was going to be. I know that they're in a great place so that helps. Tyler has been at the same school since he was 12 weeks and the woman in the infant room was the same woman who cared for Tyler. That helped a lot! We were only there for about 15 minutes. Even Tyler was cooperative. When we drop him off at 7am he gets to spend some time in the older classroom. Since he hasn't been there early for 12 weeks it was a treat to get to go to that room... I'm sure the novelty will wear off soon enough, but it was a relief yesterday!

As I drove out of the parking lot and saw Ryan through the window I got a little misty eyed, but no tears actually fell so I'm proud of myself. I cranked the radio up, shook myself off and headed to work. Luckily they didn't play "Remember When" so I held it together the rest of the way in. I spent my whole day deleting and scanning my 700 e-mails! Actually, I thought there would be more e-mail, but my team was kind and stopped cc'ing me while I was off. I made it through all 700, so now I just have to go back and respond to those that need it. That will take some time.

At about 11am flowers arrived from Dan. How sweet! I had no idea he had done that and it was such a nice surprise.


I only called to check on the boys 3 times. Ryan had a good day. He drank 3 bottles, slept, enjoyed the swing and the play mat. Tyler had a couple of breakdowns, but he recovered quickly. By 1pm he had been to visit "his baby" three times. I am so glad they're together.


Dan also had a good day. A few months ago he wrote an article (for a somewhat obscure magazine that I'd never heard of) and yesterday he brought home a copy. He's published! I'm so proud of him. In 2004 his car was featured in a more popular magazine with the cover shot and a 6 page spread, but this one is special because he wrote the majority of the article. There's also pictures of one of his cars and you can catch of glimpse of him driving! I try not to put identifying information on the blog so I'm not going to share the magazine names, but do a google search on Dan and you'll find the 2004 article. I haven't found the most recent article yet. Hopefully we can find the magazine in the stores somewhere.


Here is Tyler with an empty oatmeal container... anything can be a toy and usually things like this grab his attention better than expensive toys. He was doing "tricks" all evening. Here he is balancing the oatmeal container between his feet.

Then he would drop the container and catch it again!

Ta Da!

Finally, here is Ryan after his first day of school. He survived just fine! I was prepared to come home this time and have him smell differently. That was hard with Tyler because I didn't expect it and it made me really sad. Who would think of scent issues?? It's not a bad smell, just different. It's got to be their laundry detergent or cleaning supplies. He's still my baby. We spent most of the evening cuddled up together on the couch.

Watch Your Mouth

Sometimes there are lessons that take a few failures to learn. I'm not sure if this one is ever going to sink in for me. Tyler is a sponge that hears and remembers absolutely everything and you never know when it is going to come back to haunt you... it could be months later!

A couple of weeks ago I was sitting on the couch and Tyler was playing with his dress up clothes in the foyer. All of a sudden the lego bin fell out of the closet and legos scattered all over the floor. I said "that did NOT just happen!" Tyler looked at me and with this "Oh my gosh" look on his face said "yes, yes it did mama" in his best older than my years voice. Well... fast forward two weeks to yesterday. I was getting out his dvd player for some much needed Thomas videos when something fell out of the cabinet. Tyler looks at me and says "that did NOT just happen!" Ha!

At least that was fairly minor. Back a few months ago before Ryan's arrival I was in the kitchen and Tyler came in to announce "mama, you ticked me!" What??? So I asked him what he said and he repeated it for me. I think I had told him he couldn't watch cartoons or denied him some chocolate... something he wasn't happy about. At the time I didn't know where he got that from. It took me a few days, but I eventually caught myself telling Dan that something ticked me off. Oops! I didn't realize that was one of my signature phrases. I've worked hard not to use it and I haven't heard it come out of Tyler's mouth recently so hopefully no major harm was done.

Here a picture of Ryan and Daddy hanging out in the chair last night.



And here is what it looks like when Tyler is coming at you for a "face hug." He loves to press his face into your face as hard as he can. Ouch! He got a kick out of this picture.


Sometimes Ryan is so interested in seeing everything around him that his head gets swinging back and forth so fast that I'm afraid he's going to hurt himself. Usually he laying on his back or sitting in his chair, but sometimes he does it while he'd being held and that head can be dangerous! The poor kid has worn the hair off the back of his head. I had to take a picture so I'll always remember what it looked like.

This was a rough morning so I'm giving myself and Ryan a break. It was my intention to drop Tyler off, run to CVS for something quick, stop in to Target for a gift, go to JC Penney to pick up Ryan's 3 month pictures, nurse him somewhere, grab a quick lunch, pick Tyler up and then go to the bounce house. I'm exhausted just thinking about it. 3 minutes before we had to leave to drop Tyler off at school I finally admitted to myself that it wasn't going to happen. I didn't have everything together that I needed to bring with us for our adventure and Ryan had a really dirty diaper. As I was cleaning the mess, Ryan decided to let me know how disatisfied he was by soaking me enough that I needed a full outfit change. Grrrr! Things snowballed from there. So here I am sitting on the couch resigned to letting some things go. I don't need the CVS trip today, I did my gift shopping on-line, we'll nurse and eat lunch at home and I may still try to get the pictures before picking Tyler up. In the meantime, guess what... it's laundry time, again!

How come nobody told me that the life of a mom involves interesting bathroom incidents (I'll spare the details), really gross laundry, pulling boogies out of noses, getting thrown up on, and lots of other lovely things that I never could have imagined? And it always happens when I've got a plan!

Lets hope we got the chaos out of our system so that tomorrow morning will be somewhat smooth.

One more day

I go back to work on Friday. I can't believe it's already been 12 weeks! Overall I think I'm ready.
I've got enough meatballs in the freezer to have one meal each week until it's time to get the grill out (the grill might have to come out in March, but it still counts!), I froze a couple of lasagna's, I tried out some new crock pot meals and have list of simple meals so hopefully we'll have decent meals every night.

Laundry could be an issue, but as long as I can get a couple of loads done mid-week it shouldn't be too bad to catch up on the weekend.

Pumping has gone really well. We had a milk avalanche over the weekend when Dan opened the freezer (oops) so we did some organizing and counted them. I've got 70 bags! I was hoping I had 50. Woo Hoo!

Sleep is actually happening. Ryan has been sleeping 7 hours at a stretch somewhat regularly and the last two nights he slept 8 hours straight! Unfortunately Tyler was up at 1am last night, but I'm hoping that was a fluke.

It's snowing outside today so I'm not running around trying to cram in as much fun for Ty as possible. It's nice to have a day at home even though it wasn't my plan. Tomorrow we're meeting friends at the Bounce House and I'm sure I'll spend the evening running around setting everything up so Friday morning is as smooth as possible. Hopefully I'll have some time to pick up Ryan's 3 month pictures so I can bring one with me to work. If not, I can sign into the blog to see my boys!

I love this picture. Tyler and Ryan enjoy being with each other. The smiles that Ryan gives Tyler are bigger and more frequent than those he gives anyone else. And Tyler always wants to be with Ryan. Tyler gets a little too excited sometimes and we have to remind him to be gentle, but overall he does well. We'll see what happens when Ryan is big enough to take Tyler's toys... In this picture they're getting ready for their bedtime story. Ty was so excited that Ryan was in his bed. Ryan was excited as well.

We found some time this morning to try on the outfits for Ryan's baptism. Here is a sneak peak.

There is also a little bonnet that goes with the gown.

I hope Ryan doesn't get too mad at me about the gown. I don't like the little suits and this is the only time I'll get to put one of my children in a "dress." Sorry Ry!

Tyler went to church with me the weekend before last and during mass he said "Mama, what was I on when I was bapertised." Too funny! The people in the pew behind us thought it was funny as well. I told him he was on the altar and that satisfied him. Tyler doesn't mispronounce words very often. I still miss "baddoon" instead of balloon. The only other one I remember is how he pronounced car. He had a strong boston accent... caaaa!

Resemblance?

It's really interesting to me to hear what people think about who each child looks like. Most of the time the person thinks the child looks like whomever that person knows the best. I guess that is natural. Almost without exception we hear that the boys look like each other. Personally, I can see a resemblance, but I think they are very different. Maybe it is because they have such different personalities. I think it is time for a test. Can you identify Tyler & Ryan? I did my best to take similar pictures. They are about the same age in these pictures.

Picture #1

Picture #2

Picture #3

Picture #4

Answer: #1 is Ryan, #2 & #3 are Tyler, and #4 is Ryan. Easy test, huh?

I think Tyler looks more like me (although I can see Dan in Tyler) and Ryan looks more like Dan . They are both beautiful boys!

Life at our house is a lot healthier this week than last. Everyone is either fully recovered or almost there and so far I haven't gotten sick. I'm hoping it stays that way as I return to work on Friday.

During my time off I have done my best to keep Tyler active. I'm hoping he remembers this time together. Last week was a particularly busy week. We went to an open play area, to my work (where he had a blast... he asked if we could go back the next day...), to a bounce house, out to lunch, had a play date at home... I was tired at the end of that week so today we're taking a day off to do absolutely nothing (except laundry and grocery shopping). This coming week we've got another play date set up, having friends for dinner, we're going to a childrens museum, hoping to go to the outlets, plus get to all the things I haven't done yet on my list (yeah, right!). Maybe if I can keep us busy enough I won't dwell on never having this time with my boys again.

Can you tell who is who in this picture? Ha!

Tyler Tyler Tyler

This has been a rough week at our house. Everyone is sick except Mommy (and I hope it stays that way). Tyler woke up early Thursday morning screaming that his ear hurt and the doctor confirmed an ear infection. This is very disappointing as Tyler made it through last winter without one. Poor Ryan is all stuffed up and has a terrible choking cough. The doctor recommended saline drops so I'll be torturing my baby later this morning.

But, through it all Ty is still providing plenty of entertainment...

Thursday after the doctor appointment Tyler asked to watch cartoons and instead of answering him, I grabbed the remote intending to find something that he would like. Tyler wasn't satisfied with that response so he asked in his very adult voice, "do you suppose Mama?" That kid cracks me up.

Last night he got into his dress up bin and Batman graced up with his presence. For some reason Batman had a cowboy hat on for a while?? Buzz Lightyear visited us next. He had a blast running through the house with his "wings" telling us what to say and how to react to him. "Buzz, how did you get here?" "What did you do with Tyler?" "Do we need a super hero?"



To infinity and beyond...

He then became a train engineer and had an awful time fixing the engine with his "adjustable wrench." But, he got it fixed and then it was time to hand out the tickets. Finally our tickets were punched and it was time to ride the train according to his "pocket watch."

I've got my tools, I'll have it going in a jiffy.

Two thumbs up... we're good to go!

All Aboard the Tyler Express! What a hoot!

He was so cute that Daddy couldn't resist taking him to the movies this morning even though he still feels terrible. I hope they're having a good time watching Horton Hears a Who.

Two Months

Ryan is two months old and growing fast. We had his doctors appointment yesterday and he is exactly 14 pounds. He gained a full 4 pounds in one month! At this age Tyler was 12 pounds and I thought he was big! Ryan is in the 50th percentile for height at 23 inches and the 90th percentile for weight. Wow!

Ryan is much more interactive now. We get smiles regularly and he's starting to make noises. I think I heard a laugh this weekend. I love watching him watching us walk around the room. He turns his head all the way around to keep an eye on whomever caught his attention. Usually it is Tyler he's watching. They are getting along well. Tyler has informed me on multiple occasions that Ryan's smiles are his and I think he's right. Ryan loves his big brother.

Here are some pictures from the last week. I finally got a picture of me and my boys! They're going to think I was never around because I'm not in many pictures. Hopefully they'll realize that I'm behind the camera!

And one of Daddy and his boys. Tyler insisted on wearing his racing outfit. Unfortunately he's grown out of the top so I think this was the last time he'll get to wear it. He's going to be crushed.

Here's a few of our big baby!

Ryan is not always in this chair. I put him in here when he's doing something cute so I can get a picture.

See, here he is on the floor!

And, on the floor again in a different room. This picture reminds me of Tyler at this age.

And, finally the brothers together.

Happy New Year!

So far so good for 2009! We rung in the new year with a house full of friends... what could be better? The kids had a great time running around. Tyler learned how to slide down the stairs on his belly. He ended up with quite the rug burn, but he's determined to do it again!

On the first we bundled up the boys and headed to Niagara Falls for nachos at the Hard Rock. Yummy! They've got the best nachos with real cheese, beans and just enough salt. I can't wait to go back for more.

We also took our annual family picture in front of the tree. We never actually finished decorating it, so I minimized the amount of tree in the picture... I didn't want to document the lack of a star on top... oops! Next year I'll do a better job.

This morning I had a dentist appointment first thing (what was I thinking?) and actually left the house for an hour by myself! I had forgotten how nice it is to pick my own music and turn it up loud. Ryan took it easy on Daddy and didn't need to eat while I was gone. Maybe next time I'll go for 2 hours.

Ryan is eight weeks old today and officially in 3 to 6 month clothes. I can't believe it! He's porking up really well. And... last night he slept 6 hours and he slept 7 hours each of the two previous nights... Yippy! Now I just have to go to bed when he does and I'll be in great shape. I hope this lasts.

Here's Ryan in overalls! Aren't they adorable?

This picture is minutes old. He loves his chair.

This is the best smile I've caught. Unfortunately the blanket got in the way.