January 1998

January 23: Sorry about the long delay with news of his trip. Everything went as well as it could have!!! We all had a great time. Other than not knowing where he was, Tyler slept great, ate well, and was generally in a wonderful mood. He traveled very well - he basically slept the entire trip up and back ;-). He continues to love to look at trees, so he really enjoyed the forest. He was able to meet several of the people who supported him from Sequoia! Other highlights included:

• His first sled ride.

• His first time touching snow. It did not snow while we were there, but there was plenty on the ground.

• His first trip to the Giant Sequoias in Grant's Grove. We expect to have several trips in the future ;-).

• His first Jr. Ranger badge. He was presented an honorary Jr. Ranger award by the Rangers ;-).

• His first time wearing a Ranger hat.

Even though we had oxygen available, we never had to use it. That was a huge relief for all of us.

He continues to grow and grow. He's up to 16+ lbs now. He's still a bit low, but during the last couple weeks, he's really showing some baby fat! Hard to believe we are so proud of someone getting fat ;-). He's also sleeping great through the night. We usually get at least 7 hours of sleep ourselves now. He talks more and more, we even hear the occasional 'dada.' I'm not really convinced that he knows what he is saying, but I am happy to accept that as my name!!

I am off for another conference this next week. This time it is in Florida. Donna is going to come join me for five (yes 5) days away from Tyler (Eeek)! Grandma and Grandpa from Sequoia are going to stay with him at our house. We are certain they will all do well.

I wanted to get this in before I left, but I need to run and pack. I'll also have to bury him in kisses to get my fix before I go...