Monthly Update #40 ~ April 2009

 Of course, the biggest news of the past month is that Tyler is a big brother!  Tyler was so excited to meet his baby brother -- and it was love at first sight...

After the baby arrived, Tyler really seemed to grow up overnight.  Suddenly, he's such a big boy -- so big that he had to take care of a little business over dessert one evening.  Yes, he really was talking on Daddy's phone (to his cousin Gracie) and drinking coffee (mostly milk).

And Mama and Daddy laughed for about ten minutes straight after snapping this picture...

Tyler has been a great big brother so far.  He's a good helper and he especially loves to help change baby Oliver's diaper -- mostly so he can check out what's in there.  We're a bit potty-obsessed these days.  What can we say?  That's life with a three-year-old!

We took a family fishing trip to Coco and Papa's pond one Saturday morning, and Tyler caught his first fish!  Then he attemped to throw his fish back in the water but only made it into the mud at the edge of the pond.  Daddy had to help the poor fish along with the end of his fishing pole.  The fish did swim away, eventually...

Daddy got a new toy and Tyler has managed to take it over.  He knows how to work it all by himself and play the games and even knows how to switch games when he gets bored with one and wants to play another.  His favorite games are the "tuzzles" (that's Tyler-ese for "puzzles").

It's been so fun to watch Tyler and Oliver together these first few weeks and we know there will be lots more fun ahead.  With boys like these, how could there not be?

Monthly Update #38 ~ February 18, 2009

 Daddy and Tyler discovered a new Wii game called Carnival Games, and Tyler discovered he's pretty good at virtual skee ball.  He even (legitimately) beat Daddy a few times!

We still have accidents once in a while, but I think it's pretty safe to say that Tyler is potty trained!  (I also think it's pretty safe to assume that he'll regress some when the baby gets here, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it...)

Tyler wears big boy underwear every day and everywhere now and he even has some that are exactly like Daddy's big boy underwear.  He really is more proud than he looks in this picture -- and we're pretty proud of him, too!

Being eight months pregnant has made Mama pretty sluggish lately, so we've had a lot of cuddly Mondays and lazy Fridays -- and everything in between.  Sometimes even a rowdy three-year-old needs to stop and snuggle.

 We're down to the last few weeks before Tyler's baby brother or sister is born, and the future big brother seems excited about the new arrival.  He gives the baby hugs and kisses and has even felt the baby kick and hiccup a few times.

We just hope he stays this sweet when the baby actually gets here!

Monthly Update #37 ~ January 15, 2009

After a birthday bash and nine Christmases all packed into a few weeks, we're still recovering from December.  Some mornings, it's nice to be lazy and hang out in Mama and Daddy's bed with a snack, watching "Mama's show with the kids."  (To be fair, Mama was hanging up clothes while Tyler actually stayed in one place for more than a few minutes.)

We've had some unseasonably warm January days, and on one of these days, we spent the afternoon at the golf course.  Looks like we still need to work on the putting grip, but he did always get the ball in the hole after seven or eight putts.

Potty training has (possibly) turned a big corner.  It's been a rough couple of months, wondering if our kid would be wearing a pull-up under his graduation robe.  Finally, though, it seems like he's starting to figure it out.

No, we didn't take a picture of the first poop in the potty (you're welcome), but we did document the trip to get his much-anticipated ice cream cone reward.  He got to choose any kind of ice cream he wanted...

...and of course, he chose pink!

Happy 3rd birthday, Tyler Graham!

Monthly Update #35 ~ November 22, 2008

The almost three-year-old is starting to have strong opinions about what he wears, so we try to let him make choices about his wardrobe, within reason.  It's a constant debate in this house what exactly is the definition of "within reason."

Daddy got on a big pie-making kick for a few weeks and he had a very willing little helper.  Just a few more baking sessions and I think Tyler probably could have made one of Daddy's famous apple cherry pies all by himself.

Uncle D signed up for the National Guard and left for boot camp a few weeks ago.  This picture is for everyone who says to me, "That boy is ALL JAKE!"  Sorry, but I think he's got at least a little of the Sherbert family in him, too.

We had to make our second trip to the ER a few weeks ago when our little klutz tripped over his own feet and fell into the side of his bed.  He was tough as nails and barely cried while getting his stitches and loved showing them off to everyone when we went trick-or-treating that night.

At least he had a costume that went well with stitches.  We just told everyone that he was injured pulling some of his fellow firemen out of a burning building.

We're really working on potty training, and he's actually doing pretty well so far.  He uses the potty most of the time, but when you gotta go, you gotta go, right?

I made a trip down to Houston, so Tyler and Daddy had a boys' week, which included lots of eating out (although I had left a fridge full of food for them) and an afternoon of golfing.  Apparently, Jake ran out of tees at some point.

For an early birthday present, Tyler got his own computer, or 'puter as he calls it.  For now, his favorites are Elmo's World, Curious George and, of course, JakeAbby.com, but I'm sure he'll be learning programming and hacking into the Elmo games sooner rather than later.

Monthly Update #34 ~ October 8, 2008

Our friends Brian & Hannah are building a cob cottage, so a few weeks ago, Daddy and Tyler took a field trip out to Harrison Hollow and got a lesson in cobbing.  Yes, you really do mix the mud with your feet -- the perfect job for a two-year-old!

Who knew playing in the mud could be so productive?

Grandpa Palko came to visit us to escape Houston after Hurricane Ike.  Tyler loved having his great grandpa here to chat with and take on nature walks around the yard.

And of course, we had to get in a three generations photo op while Grandpa was here!

In preparation for being a big brother, Tyler has moved across the hall into his new big boy room.  The room still needs a lot of finishing touches (as you can see from the hastily hung curtain.)

As far as Tyler's concerned, he seems pretty happy with just the big boy bed for now.  And he's actually sleeping in his new bed, so that makes Mama and Daddy very happy, too.

Tyler was the ring bearer in Uncle John and Aunt Megan's ("Meggit," according to Tyler) wedding a couple of weeks ago.  He got to walk down the aisle with his cousins Emily and Charli and they all did a fabulous job walking down the aisle and looking adorable at the same time.

The kids had a blast at the PARTY! (as Tyler called the reception) after the wedding and they all danced the night away until way past bedtime.  Tyler was still going strong for the garter toss at about 10:30 PM.

This is where the garter goes, right, Dad?

As you might have noticed by now, we have a new website design (courtesy of Jake, of course).  We needed some updated pictures for the new design, so we had a little photo shoot a few days ago.  Here are a couple of our favorite shots...

We're lucky our child performs well in front of the camera!

Monthly Updates #32 & 33 ~ September 8, 2008

August slipped through the cracks, so here's a double update to catch us up...

CoCo switched schools this year and is now a counselor at Ada High School.  Tyler loves to go visit CoCo at her new school and ride the cougar.  Go Cougs, Class of 2024!

As you might imagine, Tyler's been used to having a camera in his face since he was born.  Recently, he's started picking up the camera himself and, with a little adult supervision, learning his first lessons in photography.  He's still got a lot to learn, but at least he's starting early!

Naptime usually goes off without a hitch around here, but there have been a few days, off and on, that have been frighteningly nap-free.  One day in particular, I heard him playing around and talking in his crib and when I checked the video monitor, I got a big surprise.  Needless to say, there was no nap that day.  Luckily, this has only happened the one time so far.

We took a quick trip down to Houston to visit family a couple of weeks ago and made a mini-vacation out of it.  We checked out the Downtown Aquarium and the Children's Museum and both were very entertaining, to the two-year-old and the parents.  More pictures of our adventures in Houston will be up soon on the Pictures page.

After a few days of using food coloring, we discovered Crayola Bath Tints and now our baths are much more fun and colorful.  Tyler chooses the color of his bath every night now and his usual favorites are blue or green, along with the occasional red and orange.  Daddy is just so proud that he hasn't requested pink or purple -- yet.

In case you still haven't heard the news, Tyler's going to be a big brother!  He doesn't have a clue what this actually means (and boy, is he going to be in for a shock when he figures out that it means more than just getting to paint a special shirt!) but he has been very helpful in announcing the news for us.

Sometimes it's nice to have a little mockingbird around when you need one.

Monthly Update #31 ~ July 12, 2008

It's getting harder to catch Tyler on camera these days.  When he sees the camera come out, sometimes this is all I see...

Of course, sometimes the silliness takes over and the real Tyler comes out...

Naked Tyler in concert is especially entertaining...

He was "working like Papa" in this one...

(Can't you tell from the hammer in his mouth and the pants on his head?)

And who doesn't love a little naked roller coaster ride?

Last year's Halloween costume made for the perfect Wednesday morning outfit...

And when the silliness wears off, then comes the sweetness...

"I gettin' all warm!"

Monthly Update #30 ~ June 16, 2008

Much to Tyler's delight (and much to the irritation of Mama's allergies), we've been spending lots of time outside lately.

We've had playdates at the park...

We've fed the fish in Nanna's koi pond...

We've gone swimming...

...and even gotten brave enough to jump!

We've colored on the driveway...

And played kickball in the front yard...

Of course, always the favorite, we've been driving "Tyler's JEEP!"

(and more impressive, we're actually learning to share the JEEP!)

We do still get a little confused sometimes about what season it is outside.  You try reasoning with a very determined toddler about why he doesn't need to wear a winter coat when it's 90 degrees outside.

Ahhh, life with a two-year-old!

Monthly Update #29 ~ May 20, 2008

Jill and Ana brought some exotic fruit from Texas the last time they came to visit.  Not surprisingly, Tyler gobbled up his first mango.  It is food, right?

Tyler also got some new wheels.  He's not quite coordinated enough (or tall enough) to pedal his new bicycle yet, but he does a pretty impressive job of pushing himself around, Fred Flintstone style!

One of Tyler's newest hobbies is singing.  (Click here for The Amazing Tyler in concert.)  He sings almost everything these days from an operatic version of "Neeeeeeed moooore buuuuutter!" at breakfast to serenading himself to sleep at night with one of his favorites "Jesus Loves Me" or "Happy Birthday!"

He's just starting to get the hang of the ABCs.  So far, it's "A...B...C...D...E...F...JEEP!"

 Mrs. Timney, what are you people teaching him at school?

Jake ordered hats with his business logo on them and got some kid sizes especially for all the little ones.  (Free advertising, right?)  When we first asked Tyler what his hat said, his answer was, "That say Tyler Cantrell!" 

We tried to get him to say "Cantrell Solutions," but he still doesn't quite have it straight.  Now he goes around telling everyone that his hat says "Tyler 'Lutions!"

So, maybe the free advertising didn't exactly work out like Jake planned...

Monthly Update #28 ~ April 8, 2008

A new restaurant opened up next door to Jake's new office, and it's become Tyler's favorite place to eat ever.  One morning, when I asked him what he wanted for breakfast (expecting to hear the usual "oatmeal!"), he yelled, "Go eat Boom-a-rangs!"

Besides breakfast, he loves their french fries and gravy.  When we go there for lunch or dinner, he always asks for "french fries and gravy and GRAVY!"  He has to throw that second gravy in there, in case we forget...

One lucky day, Tyler got to play at the park with Unc D & Asheeee and Unc John & Meggit.  He had lots of fun helping Asheeee catch Unc D coming down the slide...

... and having a little peanut picnic with Unc John and Meggit.

Tyler loves hanging out in our closet and discovered a pair of my boots a couple of weeks ago.  He can't really walk in them, but he loves to try them on and tell everyone about his "I've got great boots boots!"

Monthly Update #27 ~ March 8, 2008

It's both amazing and hilarious to hear Tyler speak in complete sentences, which he's doing more and more these days.  We understand most everything he says, but there are still some who need us to translate.

So, for everyone else, here are some of the most recent Tyler-isms plus translations -- and pictures, of course!

"Gee-tar!" = Guitar!

"Puppy icee!" = Pepsi icee!

"May-doh!" = Play-doh!

"Boon!" = Balloon!

"Good boy cup!" = Big boy cup!

"Oat-milk!" = Oatmeal!

"Paste paste!" = toothpaste!

"Elmo flippers!" = Elmo slippers!

"Chocolate mocha!" = Chocolate milk!

"Rooster Bunny" = Easter Bunny!

And as you can see from the second picture, Tyler was terrified of the bunny, just like he was of Santa Claus.  Thanks to "Miss Timiny" (Tiffany) for taking over the camera while I had a traumatized two-year-old wrapped around my neck.

Monthly Update #26 ~ February 8, 2008

 Playing Wii with Dada has been one of Tyler's favorite hobbies lately.  Although he only has about a 30-second attention span, he's getting pretty good at the "cow game," where he gets to ride a cow and knock over scarecrows.  It's no JEEP! but it'll have to do until it gets warmer outside.

Nana had surgery on her foot right after Christmas and Tyler immediately dubbed her new set of wheels "Nana's motorcycle."  He loves riding it, and luckily, it even fits more than one granchild on it!

Coco and Papa have started on their new house, and the first step is building a shop building (or "barn," as Tyler calls it).  He loves to go down and explore at the barn, and of course, to take nature walks with Coco.

Tyler is turning into quite the Mr. Fix It.  One day, he grabbed his tools and flipped the rollercoaster car over and announced he was "fixing it."  He must get that from his Papa because he definitely doesn't get it from his Daddy.

Jake is renovating a downtown building for his new office, and Dada's office is one of Tyler's favorite places to be.  He even got to make his mark on the office and put his handprints in the wall texturing.  Mostly, though, he just loves hanging out and walking through walls.

We cheered for the New York Giants during the Super Bowl.  Even though Tyler didn't get to stay up to see the dramatic upset at the end, he loved wearing his Giants gear (including the lovely and very lucky hat made by Auntie Kristin) and rooting for his team.  And of course, all the hotcorn he could eat certainly didn't hurt!

Tyler's been a bit obsessed with musical instruments of all sorts this past month, from playing the piano (pee-no) at Nana's and Aunt Janet's house to banging on the drums here at home.  Jake finally dug out his old bass guitar and Tyler loved it!  He's been begging to "play gee-tar Dada" again ever since.

With all the ups and downs (and way, way downs) of being two, sometimes we just need to let it all hang out and be silly.  And we're really good at that!

And last but certainly not least, back by popular demand, a repeat appearance of FROG MAN!  Serious FROG MAN! this time -- cheesy FROG MAN! is so last month.

Monthly Update #25 ~ January 8, 2008

Like a typical two-year-old, Tyler's had lots of highs and lows this past month.  Thankfully, in any given day, there are usually more highs than lows.  That's what keeps us from giving him away to the traveling gypsies.

High:  Driving his JEEP!

High:  Building living room forts (or forks, as Tyler calls them) with Daddy!

Low:  Getting his first big boy haircut...

High:  Painting Tyler originals to give as Christmas gifts!

High:  Rolling in the grass on sunny days!

Low:  Going to see Santa Claus...

(Tyler was actually very excited, until Mr. Claus got a little too close for comfort.  After that, he spent the rest of the time like this...)

High:  Playing in the snow!

High:  Putting on this new hooded towel and becoming one of the lesser-known superheroes, FROG MAN!

*** 24 Month Update ~ December 8, 2007 ***

A year ago today, our baby turned one,

A year later now and look at all he's done,

He walks, he talks, says please and thank you,

Gives kisses and hugs and throws temper tantrums, too,

The memories we've made, the sleep battles we've fought,

And through it all, we've learned a lot,

The duck goes quack quack, the train goes choo choo,

We can't believe our baby is two!

*** 23 Month Update ~ November 8, 2007 ***

Watching Daddy juggle is one of Tyler's favorite new hobbies.  He's very impressed by Daddy's mad juggling skills, and he tries his best to imitate him.  His best means that he holds a ball in each hand and alternately raises his arms up and down.  The funniest part is his big finale, where he throws both balls down and yells "Uh oh!"  Like father, like son.

Tyler dressed up as a lion for Halloween this year.  He was a New York Giant last year and an adorable, fluffy lion this year.  Take a wild guess at who chose his costume each year.  At least Mama finally got her little lion.  Daddy can have the rest of the Halloweens now.  This was totally worth it.

For as smart as he seems to be, Tyler just figured out about a week ago that he can sit down in the bathtub.  What a novel idea!  It's much more relaxing this way -- and also much easier to splash!

It's not quite a La-Z-Boy, but Tyler still loves his new red chair.  He also loves relaxing just like his Daddy -- feet propped up and no pants.

Last Friday morning, Tyler and I were playing on the back steps with Eddie, like we do at least a few times a week.  Tyler loves Eddie, and Eddie usually sticks to doing his best to avoid Tyler's curious little hands.  This day, though, Eddie took a sudden interest and playfully jumped up on Tyler as he stood on the top step.

The next few minutes were a blur, but I was at least coherent enough to tell the 911 operator that my baby had landed head-first on concrete.  The paramedics came and pronounced Tyler fine but said to watch him and bring him to the hospital if he started throwing up.  Fast forward to a few hours later, and we were headed to the ER with a vomiting child and a couple of panicking parents.

An IV, a CT scan, and a few hours later, we had our first concussion.  Luckily, he's still young enough that stickers can cure anything.

Now that everyone knows the whole story, here's our head injury adventure condensed into haiku form, via a haiku-a-thon contest on one of my favorite blogs, Looky Daddy:

*** 22 Month Update ~ October 8, 2007 ***

When Tyler started fighting taking baths, we introduced Blue Guy to make bathtime more fun.  It worked, and Tyler's really latched on to his new bathtime buddy.  He loves to give him kisses and make Blue Guy say "Hi Tyler!" (which actually sounds more like "Hi Tie-yay!" when he says it because our child apparently has a French accent).

Blue Guy even makes regular appearances outside the bathtub, and now anything that fits over Tyler's hand (washcloths, blankets, shoes...) gets kisses and a fun puppet voice.

Tyler's great grandpa from Houston came for a visit, and Grandpa Palko was always up for a nature walk around the yard or swinging at the park.  Ty loved spending time with "Paw Paw" and says he can come stay with us again anytime!

It all started with a tiny dab of ketchup one day for some potatoes, and it's grown into a full-blown addiction.  Now everything at every meal MUST BE DIPPED.  If we forget to put some sort of dipping sauce on his plate, Tyler demands "Diiiii-iiiiiippppp?"  (Did I mention we're also at the stage where one syllable words have turned into two -- and sometimes three -- syllables?)

The grossest adventures in dipping so far have been the bananas in ketchup and the strawberries in ranch dressing.  As long as he's happy, we'll just keep turning our heads and gagging in the other direction.

The newest Cantrell cousin arrived this month.  Baby Sam already draws quite a crowd, and he'll surely add lots of fun to the Cantrell chaos very soon!

Tyler's been learning so much at school.  He comes home singing the "Itsy Bitsy Spider" and "I'm Bringing Home a Baby Bumblebee," and last week at lunch, he counted to eleven as we sat and watched with our mouths hanging open.

Of course, he's also still learning a lot at home, like how to dunk Oreos, Daddy-style.  We teach him all the practical life skills, and we trust that his teachers will teach him the rest.

We had an out-of-town wedding to go to, so Tyler got to spend his first whole weekend with CoCo & PaPa.  From the pictures PaPa emailed, I think it's safe to say Tyler wasn't missing Mama and Dada nearly as much as we missed him.

We're just glad we didn't have to be the ones to clean him up all weekend.  It's nice to have a meal once in a while where someone isn't covered in ketchup.

*** 21 Month Update ~ September 8, 2007 ***

Tyler's cousin Ana came for a visit last month, and they got in lots of quality playtime together.  We do live in Ada, though, where the most exciting things to do include taking walks, swimming, and going to the park to chase the geese.  The chasee probably wasn't quite as amused as the chasers in this case.

Our little chatterbox is learning and repeating new words every day, which makes for some pretty entertaining conversations around our house.  Here's a list of some current Tyler translations:

Hewwoooooo (think Elmer Fudd) = Hello

peeeeeeease = please

Day is! = There it is!

wack wack = quack quack

be ba = zebra

mack uhhll = necklace

ope it = open

yight = light

poe = pillow

Memo = Nemo

Momo = Elmo

chee chees = grilled cheese

poo wee = smoothie

And then there are some words, such as sit, lotion, fork, frog, and Frank, that I won't translate here.  This is a family website, after all!

Luckily, the little motormouth does have other talents besides his embarassing flair for four-letter words.

We made one last weekend trip down to Texas to wrap up our summer of traveling.  We only got to stay one night at Hotel YaYa, but Tyler got his fill of facing down the waves, playing in the sand, discovering seaweed and just enjoying the beach one last time until next year.

 

Last week, Tyler had his first day of preschool.  He goes two days a week for two and a half hours a day.  It's just enough time for him to be around other kids and for Mama to take a shower and catch up on email.  He's been a little clingy and tearful right at first, but as soon as I'm out the door, he loves being a schoolboy!

*** 20 Month Update ~ August 8, 2007 ***

The funniest thing Tyler has learned this past month is how to smell.  He now uses his nose to smell (instead of using his mouth to taste while pretending to smell), and it's hilarous to watch him show off his newfound talent.  There's lots of squinting, scrunching and sniffing -- and lots of snickering on our part.

Besides smelling, Tyler is also mastering the art of catching a ball.  It takes a lot of concentration and he still misses a lot, but at least he's trying.  He may not be the next Willie Mays, but at least maybe he won't be the laughingstock of his gym class, either.

As you can probably tell from this month's update pictures, we've spent a lot of time in the pool lately.  It's been HOT here, so it's been very nice to cool off in Nana & Granddaddy's pool almost every afternoon.  Tyler discovered an even better way to cool off a few days ago when we broke out the water hose.  He took drinks, he sprayed himself and his daddy and just had a blast in general.  In other words, if you ever see Tyler with a water hose in his hand, stay out of range!

Tyler's lauguage has really taken off this past month.  Our little mockingbird will repeat anything now and has started spouting off lots of two- and three-syllable words.  It's bizarre to hear him talk like a real person, and it's especially bizarre to hear him start putting together sentences.  We're especially proud of one of his first sentences, which his daddy taught him.  While practicing their basketball skills, Jake seized the opportunity to start teaching his son how to trash talk.  Tyler now dunks the basketball and yells, "Eat it!"

On the other hand, we've also been working on manners and Tyler now knows please and thank you.  He'll also ask for help when he needs it instead of screaming, which is much nicer.  And he does a pretty good job of at least looking sweet most of the time, which helps us overlook the tantrums and the trash talk.

*** 19 Month Update ~ July 8, 2007 ***

The first thing Tyler always demands when he goes to see CoCo & Papa is a ride on the lawn mower.  Tyler calls it a "trac" (tractor) and he loves riding on the "trac" with his Papa.  It doesn't take much to keep these two happy!

Tyler has been asserting his indepence this month -- and by indpendence, I mean his new-found ability to say "no" to everything.  Our day goes something like this:  "Tyler, do you need a new diaper?"  "Nooooo."  "Tyler, do you want a drink?"  "Nooooo."  "Tyler, would you like a bite of this delicious ice cream sundae?"  "Nooooo."  It really is pretty cute still, but the day is coming soon when our little naysayer is going to have to learn to be a little more cooperative and a little less contrary.

Tyler also discovered the joys of corn on the cob this month.  It's his new favorite food, and Mama and Daddy like it because it keeps him so busy cleaning off every kernel that now we actually have time to finish our meals, too!

Since it finally stopped raining, we've been taking advantage of the warm weather and going swimming at Nana's pool almost every day.  Tyler was a little hesitant in the water at first...

...but after a little encouragement from Daddy, he discovered the pool can be lots of fun!

*** 18 Month Update ~ June 8, 2007 ***

Tyler's had several firsts this past month -- some of which he was happy about and some he wasn't so excited about.  His first haircut was one of the latter.  He still doesn't have much hair, so all it took was just a few snips in the back and over the ears, but that was all Tyler could take.  He made it, though.  No blood or scars even -- for Tyler or Randy!

Another first for Tyler was spending the night with CoCo and PaPa.  He was so excited (but not nearly as excited as CoCo and PaPa) and he didn't even have to call us in the middle of the night to come home!

Outside is still Tyler's favorite place to be.  He wakes up most mornings begging to go "side" and tries every door in the house until one of us finally wakes up enough to take him out to play.  Another of Tyler's favorite things is playing in the dirt.  He got his first sandbox, and that kiddie pool was the best $10 we ever spent!

Overnight trips and sandboxes were nothing, though, compared to Uncle John finally coming home from his year in Afghanistan.  We are all so happy to have John home, and Tyler's just excited to have someone else to play in the dirt with him!

We made our first trip of the summer to the beach, and Tyler loved it.  What's not to love -- he got to be outside in the biggest sandbox ever.  He was fearless in the water, too, so it looks like we'll be getting him his first life-jacket before our next beach trip.  Check out the Video page to see our little beach boy in action!

*** 17 Month Update ~ May 8, 2007 ***

This month, Tyler has learned the meaning of "in" and he's learned there are lots of fun places around here he can get in and play.  Boxes are good...

Laundry baskets work, too...

Swings are especially fun...

Of course, the Jeep is still the favorite place to be in and sleeping in the Jeep is even better...

Toy baskets work and are an excellect spot to catch up on reading...

And last but not least, he's finally made it in the big bathtub!

Look, Mom, a rock!

Playing with the trailer (which he was calling a "car")

Naked boy!

Trying to give Eddie a kiss (Eddie backed away when he realized what was going on)

Oh you want me to smell the flower!  He was trying to eat it...

Driving Mr. Tyler

One of Tyler's favorite new toys is Daddy's latest project, the Jeep.  Tyler loves to ride in the Jeep, and he especially loves to "drive" the Jeep.  No, he really wasn't posed for this picture.  He stepped up on the console to reach the shifter all by himself!

Happy 16 months to Tyler, who was way too fascinated with his Easter eggs this morning to look up for a picture!

*** 15 Month Update ~ March 8, 2007 ***

Tyler is getting better every day at walking.  He still sometimes gets ahead of himself and falls, but he comes from a pretty clumsy family, so that's not too much of a surprise.

Probably the biggest news of the last month is that Tyler is finally sleeping.  It only took us 14 months to figure it out!  We ended up having to let him cry it out (a.k.a. the Ferber method), and even though we didn't want to do it and it's hard to hear him cry, we know it's the best thing for all of us.  Sleep is good!

Now that he sleeps, he knows the meaning of "night night."  He actually asks to be put down for naps and bedtime now.  We're still amazed every time he does this.  We took a walk last week, and by the time we got to the end of the driveway (with lots of detours into the yard), Tyler was laying down on the cement and pleading to go "night night."

One of Tyler's favorite things to do is to show us his belly.  He's figured out that Mama and Daddy have bellies, too, so it's even more fun to pull up our shirts and shout, "Belly!"  This is especially fun when we're out in public.  At least he's only obsessed with bellies -- for the moment.

This month, Jake's really been working on getting Tyler to wear hats.  He's never been one to keep a hat on and usually rips them off as soon as he realizes there's one on his head.  They've made a lot of progress in the hat training -- maybe a little too much progress.  Now, everything's a hat to Tyler.  Food, toys, cups, books, pants, you name it, it can be a hat!

Besides hats, Tyler's also been very into animals lately.  He has a favorite farm book, and he can name most of the animals in it.  He can identify the horse (still his favorite), puppy, cow, cat, sheep and duck, and he knows what sound each animal makes.  The most surprising one has been the rooster (which he can't actually say, but he knows the sound.)  The first time he looked at the rooster and said, "Cock-a" (as in cock-a-doodle-doo), Jake and I both stared at each other with our mouths open.  What can I say?  We're easily impressed!

Another fun new trick Tyler does is "all done."  This is mostly used for when he's all done eating, but it also worked well to let me know when he was all done painting Daddy's birthday masterpiece.

Also, did I mention that sleep is good?  It gives us a lot more energy to enjoy moments like this...

...and faces like this.

*** Happy Valentine's Day! ~ February 14, 2007 ***

A Valentine's Day photo shoot with Tyler and his "Kiss Me" lion.  Tyler hopes you all have a very happy Valentine's Day!

*** 14 Month Update ~ February 8, 2007 ***

Tyler finally decided to join the ranks of the uprightly mobile.  That's right, he's officially walking!  Check out the video of a few of Tyler's first wobbly walking clips on the Video page!

And to prove just how talented he is, Tyler can even walk and hold his drumsticks at the same time.  He'll be walking and chewing gum any day now!

It seems like Tyler learns a new word (or two or three) every day.  He's turning into a little parrot and repeats, or at least tries to repeat, everything we say.  Sometimes he only gets the number of syllables right, but he gets his point across.

Some of Tyler's new words are:  uh oh (usually said before he drops his cup, pacifier or toy), box, go, hi, night night (although he obviously doesn't know the meaning of that one yet), and no no (he does know the meaning of that one, but chooses to ignore it sometimes).  He can also say car, hot, cold, Moe (as in the red-headed Doodlebop and Tyler's favorite by default because his name is the easiest to say), nose, eye, ear, mouth, banana, and apple.

His current favorite, though, is horse.  He wasn't so sure about his rocking horse when we first brought it out, but he's slowly warming up to it.  Now, if he sees it, that's all we hear for the next several minutes -- horse, horse, horse!

Tyler's learned to climb onto his riding toys all by himself.  He's just starting to figure out how to push them around with his feet, but he's not always the best at actually climbing on his toys the right way.  Who says you have to face forward anyway?

Tyler loves music and loves to bounce and dance whenever he hears music.  Some of his favorites are the Doodlebops, Dan Zanes and Jack Johnson.  Jack Johnson is the magic "sleep music" when we're in the car.  It doesn't work every time, but it does always at least calm him down long enough to listen for a few minutes -- and that few minutes is sometimes just long enough for him to pass out.

Tyler also loves to give kisses.  He gives big, open-mouthed, slobbery kisses whenever he's asked for one, and one of his favorite people to give kisses to is his Mamaw.

I think Mamaw likes getting kisses almost as much as Tyler likes giving them!

*** 13 Month Update ~ January 8, 2007 ***

Tyler is 13 months old!  He's had a busy past month, and with his birthday and Christmas back to back, he's now a pro at opening presents.  He loves all his fun birthday and Christmas gifts, and we're still working on finding places for all of them!

Our little babbler is really starting to talk.  At this point, it seems like a safe bet that he'll take after his daddy (certainly not his mom) in the talking department.  He can say lots of words now, including bye bye (his first word and still his favorite), mama and dada (he finally recognizes that we have names!), bath (another favorite), ball, duck, bear, fish, puppy, bread, more, Nana (Gammy is jealous of this one), Mamaw, and Papa.  He can get out the "t" sound when prompted, so it may not be long before he can say his own name!

Tyler is pretty close to walking, but for now, the closest he gets is standing by himself for several seconds.  He really wants to take off, but he's not quite ready yet.  As you can see, he's very proud of himself for his new standing abilities.  He loves clapping, and he's always ready to give himself a round of applause!

Tyler's in the process of getting several new teeth at the moment, which will bring his grand total up to either 6 or 8.  He's definitely getting 2 new ones on top and maybe 2 new ones on bottom, too.  We can't tell for sure yet, so we just keep slathering on the Orajel and pray for sleep!

Now that he's allowed to eat pretty much anything, Tyler loves mealtimes even more, if that's possible.  He loves food, and he inhales anything we put in front of him, usually using both hands to shovel in bites at the same time.  Some of his favorites are grilled cheese sandwiches, pasta, cheese, grapes, peas, and of course, Cheerios.  Really, though, he's just happy as long as we keep the food coming!

 

*** 12 Month Update ~ December 8, 2006 ***

What a difference a year makes...

*** 11 Month Update ~ November 8, 2006 ***

Tyler's had a sickly past month, with a couple of colds and then a couple of bouts with croup (a really scary-sounding cough that can develop from a cold).  Even through all the sickliness, though, our little guy still loves to eat.  The messier the food, the better!  (Yes, that's avocado above his eye and sweet potato smeared in his eyebrow -- and everywhere else.)

Tyler still loves to pull up on everything he can get his hands on, but he doesn't seem interested yet in trying to let go and stand by himself.  He did stand alone for a few seconds one time, but it seems he did that only for the photo op.  He's definitely our child if he's already taking advantage of photo ops!

One of Tyler's newest favorite toys is a push toy borrowed from his Nanna's house.  It moves a little faster than he can move his feet, though, so he needs some help to slow it down more to his speed.  Our little almost-toddler's not quite ready to walk yet, and that's okay because we're not ready for that yet, either!

The most noticeable difference of the last month is that Tyler has added two new top teeth to the two bottom ones he already had.  Double the teeth, double the fun!  I always thought that once he started getting teeth and lost that classic, toothless baby smile, he'd lose some of his cuteness, too, but now I think he looks pretty adorable even with teeth.

Part of our bedtime routine now is brushing our teeth, and Tyler loves to practice brushing his own teeth.  Sometimes he ends up using the wrong end of the toothbrush, but at least he's interested and he has a blast trying!

Tyler got to go to his first NBA game this past week.  Uncle Kevin & Aunt Kelli invited us to go, and we all had a great time watching all the excitement and cheering on the Hornets.  Tyler was a little wired afterward and didn't go to sleep until 11:00 that night, but it was worth it to watch him as he clapped along with everyone else every time the crowd cheered.  It looks like we definitely have a sports fan in the making!

*** 10 Month Update ~ October 8, 2006 ***

The biggest news of the past month is that Tyler finally has his first two teeth!  Everyone has been insisting that he "must be teething" for months now, so it's a bit of a relief to finally have these first two.  Of course, we know we've still got a whole mouthful to go, but he seems pretty happy just to have a couple for now.

He looks so cute and innocent with his two tiny, little teeth, doesn't he?  Don't let him fool you!  Tyler is enjoying experimenting with his very sharp new teeth, so "No biting!" has become a common expression in our house.  Let's just say nursing has become an adventure lately!

After lots of rounds of "pat-a-cake," Tyler figured out clapping.  (Ohhh, that's what they're trying to get me to do!  Why didn't they just say so?)  Now he claps all the time -- for diaper changes, when we're getting dressed, when we're eating dinner, anything that seems to deserve applause.

We still love to wave at people when we're saying good-bye, and now Tyler actually says "bye bye" while he's waving.  We're pretty sure he really understand the meaning of the words, but either way, it's a fun trick to show off!

Tyler had just started pulling up last month, but this month, he's pulling up on anything and everything that will hold his weight (and even some things that won't).  He especially loves to pull up on the shelves at the front of the new room, which of course, are full of framed pictures, candles and clocks, all things that Mama doesn't want him to get into.  The webcam is also up there, and it's one of Tyler's favorite toys.  If you're ever watching and you see complete darkness, carpet or an extreme close-up of a baby's face, say hello to Tyler!

One of the major perks of having teeth for Tyler is that he's gotten to start on some "real" foods.  He still eats some baby food, but he loves to feed himself soft pieces of sweet potatoes, carrots, avocados, green beans, peaches, pears, apples and green peas.  He hated baby food green peas, but he loves the real ones.  Go figure!

Self-feeding is much messier than spoon-feeding.  Quite a bit of whatever he's eating ends up in his high chair (and usually up his shorts and in his diaper and ...), but he has so much fun and it's so entertaining to watch him, it's worth the clean up effort.  Of course, it also makes for some pretty hilarious pictures!

At the end of last month's update, I said I'd come back and update about our 9 month check-up, but I never got a chance to do it.  Tyler weighed 15 lbs, 14 oz, which was not much of a gain from his 6 month weight.  Our Dr. wasn't too concerned yet, but he suggested we start feeding him a little more (and some more high-calorie foods) and come back for a weight check in one month.  We'll go back to check Tyler's weight gain this week sometime, and I promise to come back and update after that!

** Update: We had our weight check on October 10th and Tyler weighed 16 lbs, 8 oz.  Our Dr. was happy with that, so we're happy, too.  With the way Tyler eats, it's only a matter of time before it all finally catches up to him! **

Sleeping and napping have been a battle lately.  Tyler is a bit stubborn when it comes to going to sleep (and then staying asleep), so we've had some tough days and nights.  We're hanging in there, though.  We just keep telling him he's lucky he's so darn cute!

*** 9 Month Update ~ September 8, 2006 ***

Our little guy is 9 months old!  Tyler's getting much better at eating and actually getting food to his mouth.  His hand-eye coordination has definitely improved.  The Gerber puffs and Cheerios (which he loves!) make it to his mouth now instead of getting stuck on his hands and forgotten.  He's probably ready to start some finger foods, but his Mama's a little nervous about that because he still doesn't have any teeth.  We practice the chewing motion a lot with Cheerios, though, so I'm sure he'll be fine.

Tyler's been steadily sampling more new foods, and he's a great eater so far.  He's even tried a few tiny tastes of table food (potatoes, carrots, and squash), but he wasn't quite sure about the strange texture of non-pureed food.  The only food he's really turned his nose up at is peas.  His face was so awful but also so hilarious.  If only we could all make faces like that when we didn't like our food!

With his newfound mobility, Tyler has become a little more difficult to entertain.  Sure, he likes his toys, but his attention span is so short, we have to switch toys approximately every 30 seconds.  When he started really getting bored a couple of weeks ago, we started improvising.  Who knew there were such great toys in our kitchen cabinets?  Watch out, though, he can be dangerous with that spoon.  And downright deadly with a spatula!

One of Tyler's newest tricks is waving bye-bye.  Sometimes it takes him a minute to catch on, and other times, he waves long after the person we're waving at has left, but he can wave, and that's what matters, right?  Tyler's also crawling a lot better and faster these days and sometimes even up on all fours.  He's started trying to pull up on things, and if he finds something stable enough (like an overturned laundry basket held steady by Mama's foot), he can do it.  A little unsteady still, but he's getting there.  Also, it looks like we might have a climber on our hands!

We have our 9 month check-up on Monday, so we'll update this page with Tyler's 9 month stats (weight, length, etc.) next week.  We're hoping he'll show off and wave for the Dr., but we know he'll probably wait until the Dr.'s out the door before he decides to oblige.

We finally put our own camera down and had some professional pictures taken of Tyler last month.  Courtney Morehead did an awesome job on them, and we know Tyler will be very embarrassed by some of these pictures someday.  We're his parents, and that's our job, right?

Eating is another of Tyler's favorite things to do.  Since our last update, he's tried bananas, applesauce, squash and peaches.  Bananas caused lots of screaming very late at night, so those were removed from the menu for now.  Other than that, Tyler loves all his new foods!

Tyler's working very hard on perfecting his pincer grasp and getting in lots of practice trying to pick up Gerber fruit puffs (cereal-like snacks made to dissolve in baby's mouths).  Most of the time, the puffs get stuck to his hands or fingers instead of making it to his mouth, but he's getting there!  Mealtime is usually very messy with a moving target.  If you can't see it, that's applesauce on Tyler's nose -- and I'm sure there's a fruit puff stuck to his hand.

And rounding out Tyler's favorites this month is playing in the water.  A couple of weeks ago, he figured out how to splash in the bathtub, and since then, our nightly bath has been a lot more fun and a lot messier!  The look on his face when he splashes is hilarious -- first shocked and then so proud of himself.  Check it out for yourself on the Video page!

As he warms up to being in the water, playing in Nanna and Grandaddy's pool is a lot more fun now, too.  We went swimming a few days ago and our little waterbug had a blast splashing and squealing.  No need for toe sucking this time!

Tyler is getting closer every day to both crawling and sitting up by himself.  He can actually sit up on his own for quite awhile and is getting better at it every day.  The only time he really gets in trouble is when he lunges for a toy that's just out of reach and forgets he has to catch his balance to do that.  He is so close to crawling, it seems like he's going to take off any minute now.  He can get up on all fours and rock back and forth but hasn't figured out where to go from there yet.  We know he will soon, though, and then our lives will really change!

Our little traveler has been to the beach three times already.  He wasn't so sure about all the sand and waves, but we think he'll grow to love the beach when he can really get out there and play.  Tyler also got to get in the pool at Nanna and Grandaddy's house for the first time a couple of weeks ago.  He wasn't so sure about the water there, either, so to settle his anxiety, he turned to his toes.  Yes, he finally figured out how to get them to his mouth, and he loves to suck on them.  He must get that from his Gammy!

Tyler loves to spend time with his cousins whenever he gets the chance.  Gracie loves to give her little cousin lots of hugs and kisses, and Tyler loves to get them (as long as they're gentle hugs and kisses).  Major, Toren and Tyler are all just starting to notice each other.  It's so funny to watch them "play" together, and it's going to be complete chaos here in a few months with four little ones all going in different directions!

*** 6 Month Update ~ June 8, 2006 ***

I know I've said this before, but Tyler is more and more fun every day.  He's such a happy, playful baby, and he is loving his newfound ability to explore, touch and taste everything (and I do mean everything!) around him.  Who knew hands could be so useful?  Tyler likes to work off his excess energy by bouncing in his Jumperoo.  He's building up those leg muscles for when it's time to walk (which his Daddy is already practicing with him and which makes his Mommy very nervous).

Tyler's still working on getting his first two teeth.  It seems like they get closer to popping out every day, but they're being stubborn and giving him a little trouble.  To soothe his sore gums, Tyler gnaws on anything that comes near his mouth -- toys, books, his fingers, our fingers, our water bottles, you get the idea.  He's got a powerful bite, too, so when he does get teeth, we'll have to look out or we'll have holes gnawed in everything -- toys, books, his fingers, our fingers, our water bottles...

For his 6 month birthday, Tyler gets his first taste of rice cereal.  He has been very interested in our food and watching us eat for a while now, so I'm sure he'll be very excited that he's finally getting to eat some of his own.  We've been letting him get used to sitting in his high chair and practicing playing with a spoon and a sippy cup.  He needs some help with the sippy cup still, but he knows exactly what to do with the spoon!  After 6 months of watching us eat, it's no surprise!

Tyler had his 6 month check-up this week.  He weighed in at 15 lbs, 3.5 oz and was 26 7/8 inches long (10th percentile for weight and 75th percentile for height).  He had his first fever last week and wasn't feeling well, and we found out at his appointment that he has two ulcers in the back of his throat.  The Dr. said they just have to run their course, though, and after a few days of fussiness, the ulcers haven't seemed to bother Tyler too much.  Overall, he's still our happy, sunny baby!

*** 5 Month Update ~ May 8, 2006 ***

Happy 5 months to Tyler!  We got a little behind on our shots, so Tyler just got his 4 month vaccines last week.  We were all prepared for trauma and waterworks, but our tough guy didn't cry at all -- not a peep from him for all 3 shots.  The nurse was very impressed and said she'd never had a baby do that!  He's brave and manly!  (Yes, even manly enough to be wrapped in a pink blanket, for those who notice that sort of thing...)

Much to his mommy's delight, Tyler is discovering the joy of reading.  Right now, our little bookworm is more interested in trying to taste the books, but he also loves to have books read to him.  He especially loves a couple of pop-up books we have.  His eyes light up when the pictures pop out at him, and he's starting to reach out and want to touch the pages.  These books will be torn to shreds by curious little hands soon enough, so for now, we'll enjoy our books while they're all still in one piece!

Tyler still loves to play on the floor, and one of his new favorite toys is a floor mirror.  He loves to check out the baby in the mirror, and he always looks so amazed at the face looking back at him.  We're not sure if he realizes the baby in the mirror is actually himself, but if so, he thinks he's pretty darn amusing.  At least he's not lacking in self confidence!

Tyler is on new toy overload right now because Daddy has been busy (finally) putting together his exersaucer and jumperoo.  He is loving both of them!  Plus, it's built-in entertainment for us -- it's as much fun for us to watch him play as it is for him to play.  Who needs TV when we have Tyler?

*** 4 Month Update ~ April 8, 2006 ***

The cutest development of Tyler's fourth month was most definitely his giggle.  Of course, his sense of humor is still pretty immature, so what gets him giggling is usually a combination of goofy faces and silly noises.  Yes, we all look like idiots trying to get him to laugh, but when he does, it's worth every second of idiocy.

What Tyler does not find funny is having his fingernails clipped.  It has to be done, though, and the best solution we've found so far is distraction.  Sitting out on the front porch was the latest distraction that got the job done.

Tyler is really starting to get frustrated by his lack of mobility.  He can roll from his belly to his back, but has quickly figured out that he's not really going anywhere until he can get from his back to his belly.  He's working very hard on it, but he just can't quite get there yet.  It makes him very mad when he can't complete what seems to be such a simple task.  He is very, very cute when he gets mad.  I wonder if it makes him more mad that we're usually taking pictures of the whole thing?

Another new development (although not quite as much fun as the giggles) is the two little white spots on Tyler's bottom gums.  Gammy's been telling us for a while now that those are teeth, and this was confirmed by our pediatrician today.  Yes, Gammy, you were right!  Thankfully, the Dr. did say that breastfed babies who get teeth early can be taught not to bite when they eat.  Let's all hope so, for Mommy's sake!

Our little teether is having lots of fun chewing on everything he can get his hands on -- and he can definitely get his hands on just about everything now!  He's still working on the hand-eye coordination, but most anything he gets a grip on goes straight to his mouth these days.

We're finally starting to get on somewhat of a schedule (although still a very flexible one because, really, is there any other kind with a 4-month-old?)  Most days, Tyler takes 3 naps -- a morning one and 2 afternoon ones.  None of these naps last very long (maybe 30-45 minutes), but at least the morning nap gives Tyler's mama a chance to shower and get dressed.  It's amazing how much difference it makes just to not stay in pajamas all day long.  Naps are great!

Tyler had his 4 month check-up today and weighed in at 13 lbs, 9 oz and was 24 3/4 inches long (25th percentile for weight and 50th percentile for height).  The Dr. said everything looks good and that Tyler has "excellent muscle tone."  Must be all that time he spends practicing sitting up, standing up, and of course, the ever-popular tummy time!

*** 3 Month Update ~ March 8, 2006 ***

Tyler also likes playing on the floor on a blanket with toys surrounding him, but his real favorite place to play is on the changing pad part of the Pack & Play.  This is probably because we spend most of our time in our upstairs living room, which is sort of a cave.  We usually keep the lights pretty low, but when it's changing time, we flip on the flourescent light right above the changing area.

When the lights come on, Tyler's whole face lights up.  It's like he can finally see who we are and what we look like and this never ceases to amaze him.  He talks, coos and makes faces at us and we talk, coo and make faces right back at him.  Who knew diaper changes could be so much fun?

*** 9 Week Update ~ February 9, 2006 ***

Tyler turned 2 months old yesterday and 9 weeks old today -- we know, it doesn't seem to add up, but it's right, we promise!  He had his 2 month check up today and weighed in at 10 lbs, 8 oz and was 22 inches long.  He's in the 25th percentile for both height and weight, so he's still a bit of a peanut, but we know he'll catch up soon enough (especially with as often as he eats!)

Tyler is all smiles now and thinks his parents are the funniest people ever (except when we're changing his diaper)!  He's such a happy, mellow baby most of the time, and his personality is really starting to shine!

The other day, Daddy was in charge of getting Tyler dressed and surprised Mommy by putting him in the cutest outfit ever!  He looked like such a little boy in his overalls (a hand-me-down from his cousin Jonathan)!  Our little Ty is growing up so fast!

*** 7 Week Update ~ January 25, 2006 ***

Our not so little guy will be 7 weeks old tomorrow -- where has the time gone?  Oh that's right -- to feeding our not so little guy every 2 (and very ocassionally 3) hours around the clock!  Abby now only answers to the name "The Milk Lady."  Jake, on the other hand, is known as "The Diaper Guy," so it's a pretty good trade-off!

Tyler is doing great and obviously loves to eat.  We haven't had a Dr.'s ppointment since his 2 week check up (where he weighed 6 lbs, 11 oz), but we weighed him on a postage scale last week (at Jake's grandparents' house, not at the actual post office) and he weighed a whopping 8 lbs, 14 oz!  He started out in preemie sized clothes, but he's outgrown those and some of his newborn sized clothes are already getting pretty snug.  0-3 months, here we come!

Ty is just starting to show some interest in toys, and his favorite so far is his Spanish singing color alligator from Jill & Ana.  His first word will probably be "rojo" or "verde."  (That's "red" and "green" for all you non-Spanish speakers out there.)  Tyler tolerates tummy time pretty well, and he's getting really good at holding his head up.  I think if he had his way, he'd be sitting up and crawling by now -- if only those darn muscles would just cooperate!

We don't have any sort of routine yet (besides the eating every 2 hours), so we just eat and sleep whenever and wherever we happen to get hungry or sleepy.  Most of the time during the day and in the evenings, Ty ends up sleeping in Mommy or Daddy's arms.  Sometimes, if he's really good and asleep before we put him down, he'll nap in his swing for the odd 20 or 30 minutes.  This is nice because it gives us both hands free to do things like type updates and post new pictures.

I think that's all our news for now and that's a good thing because I hear some grunts and fusses coming from the swing.  Wait, did he just say "Milk Lady?"

I guess you could say he just wants to look good for the ladies.
(He's not really in a tanning bed, this is what light therapy looks like!)

Baby C watching his first football game with Daddy

Daddy and Baby C napping early in the morning

Abby, Jake and Baby C - The first family photo

Two proud Grandmas - Gammy and Nanna

"The Boys" - We have this same picture with all of the grandchildren so far!

Papa Joe with Baby C - Sounds kinda like a rap duo

Grandaddy Bob with Toren and Baby C

Abby and Baby C - First time she got to hold him

Jake and Baby C - Old pals by now!

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And baby makes four!  Jake & Abby are expecting a new addition, due to arrive around Christmas!  Below is the little one at our 24-week ultrasound.  It looks like baby's starting to run out of room, but he or she can still kick and jump around in there like nobody's business!

Jake keeps calling the baby a "he," while Abby always corrects him and calls the baby a "she."  It's really more of a joke between the two of us, but we'll find out who's right in December.  That's right, our baby is going to be a surprise -- many apologies to all those who only like to buy blue or pink.  You'll just have to settle for mostly green and yellow for now...  Or, as I keep assuring everyone, I'm sure our little boy wouldn't mind having some pink or purple things, and I'm sure our little girl will love the color blue, just like her mommy!

If you have any guesses on the sex or fun name suggestions, feel free to email us.  Be sure to check our news page often for updates on Baby Cantrell!  And be sure to check out the rest of Baby Cantrell's ultrasound pictures in the ultrasound gallery and keep track of Abby's growing belly in the belly gallery!

To hear Baby Cantrell's recording debut (otherwise known as a short clip of his or her heartbeat), click here!  Make sure you have your speakers turned up!

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