April 1998

One Year Old!!!

Well, we made it an entire year! What a thing to celebrate. Considering all the chances, the operations, the risks, and just normal child rearing, we couldn't be more happy. He is proving to be such a joy for us all. He continues to be one of the 'happy' babies. With such an addicting smile, he knows how to get the attention of those around him. I would go so far to say that he is a flirt. He will stare at people until they look back and smile at him. It's fun to see the faces of people as he does this. We'll be walking down an aisle at the store and he'll start his flirting. They just can't help but smile at him, then they look at us with an adoring smile. He will continue to be a handful. Another favorite place for him is in the backyard in his swing. We have never seen him so happy. The first time we put him in it and gave him a push, he let out this howl of delight (it's usually good for at least 20 mins ;-). He loves to be outside.

He recently decided to start crawling! One day, he said to himself "I'm tired of waiting for these tall people to get me what I want, so I think I'll get it myself." It's funny to watch, it's almost as if he thinks, "I see that toy over there, and if I do that wiggle thing, I'll make it over to get it..." We're also able to help him walk. We just hold his hands out in front of him and he does all the rest. You forget quickly how much easier it is to watch a kid who is not mobile. You can just place them in the middle of a pile of toys and not worry about electrical cords, trash cans, heavy books, tables, and all the other things that seem to interest them. Now we have to watch him much closer.

Bath time is also a new thing for us. He seems to like them, except when we have to pour water over his head. This is not fun for him! We found a little hat we use to keep his face and ears from getting wet, it is one of the most useful $1.98 we have spent recently. Occasionally (actually only once or twice) he has taken a bath with his girlfriend Megan. He just has to show off ;-) One little bit of good news is his weight gain (as you can see). He now weighs almost 20 pounds! Eating is not something we worry about as much. We've been letting him eat more and more 'real' food with us recently. As all kids do, he loves grated cheese. I do have a question though, how did anyone manage to raise a child before Cheerios were invented?? These little babies are the most useful food item I can imagine. They aren't bad for him, he likes them, and it takes him 15 to 20 mins to eat them (and he's happy). If you notice, all good things seem to run about 20 mins ;-)

We have continued to take him out to the San Diego Zoo and Wild Animal Park. Our friends tell us that he will become an animal lover like his mom and dad, I tend to agree. He really does seem to enjoy watching the animals. At home, he'll spend time watching the birds at our feeder. You can even say "look at the birdies," and he will instantly look out the window. At some point, mom's efforts to get a puppy for him may win out...

About a month ago, he learned how to clap. Once, at the elephant show, he saw the crowd clapping, so he decided to join in!! What a smart kid ;-) One thing you might notice, he occasionally will sleep someplace other than his crib. We've also found this to be quite handy... It allows us to have a few minutes together outside the house.

Speaking of sleeping, he's rather trustworthy to sleep at least 10 hours straight at night. He is also taking two naps per day, each about 1.5 hours. Part of our nighttime ritual is reading books. He loves it. If you take him into his room and sit on the rocker, he will push himself over to see the bookshelf. He won't stop until you pick up a book and read it with him. He will even turn the pages (with a little help). Tyler is also a good cuddler. This is most important after a long day, or when Grandma and Grandpa come for a visit. He still seems to do best with mom or dad putting him down, but he is getting better. He definitely loves his Grandma and Grandpa though. They spoil him much more than mom or dad ;-)

Finally, the big day came. I'm getting goose bumps just typing this. What an important day in our lives. Tyler made it to his first birthday!! Since he is such a crowd lover, he fully enjoyed the 100 or so people that came to his party (yup, we hosted a little more that one hundred people). We really didn't get to talk to most of the people there (that whole hosting thing...), but everyone seemed to have a nice time. Tyler had his first taste of birthday cake (actually, just the icing, he didn't really dig in too much - too many people to look and smile at). What a great day. There have been so many people who have shared friendship, kindness, compassion, even food with us over the past year. This was our way of saying "thanks" to as many as we could. I'm sure we missed several people, but we want everyone to know how much we appreciated their support.

Thanks, from all of us

He got his first little wagon at the party (from his girlfriend Megan). He was so happy, he had to share ;-) Our house is now full of wonderful things for him from all of his friends. Again, thanks...