Busy Week of Bumbos and Balding...

Week 15 was a pretty busy week.  I was not the stay-at-home cat that I normally am.  I think I need to start taking Ty out more and more on errands.  I know my mother thinks that I stay in way too much, but Ty and I have fun playing house together!  We have a good routine going, so it is hard for me to let go sometimes and do something out of the norm.  I have discovered that I am severely obsessive compulsive.  I always knew that I was a little bit OCD, but having Tyson has taken it to a new level.  I think it is because I can not control what Tyson does.  He wakes up when he wants, he sleeps when he wants, and plays when he wants.  I can't force him to do a thing!  So I think that I become more obsessed and controlling about the things that I CAN control - which #1 is the neatness of my home.  Like right now, for example, I have Heath's video games neatly stacked beside a bookshelf in my family room (I can't fit them in the bookshelf unfortunately) and one game is crooked and just about ready to fall off of the stack.  I am fighting the urge right now to go and fix it.  Seriously, what is wrong with me?  I have a real problem.  But I guess I could have worse problems, right?

I really make daily lists!

I think I should give you an update on Tyson's nursing dilemma.  Well, last Friday was the worst off all the days.  I was so "obsessed" (there's that word again) with making sure that he was getting a "full" nursing session (30 minutes) that it took me 2 hours to get that done.  And, of course, that was with me fighting with Ty most of the time.  Let me just tell you, that took all of the fun out of nursing.  I was starting to dread every time Tyson needed to eat.  But after doing some more research on Google, I think I know what is going on.  I think Ty really has gotten more efficient at nursing and his time to nurse has been whittled down to about half of what it used to be.  He will nurse for about 7 minutes on the left side and about 10 minutes on the right side - when it used to be about 15 minutes each side.  (The right is definitely his favorite)  The entire time he is nursing, he is getting a ton of milk.  For all of you, past and present who nursed their kids, he doing "suck, swallow, suck swallow" continually, so I know he is really is getting a lot.  I have just given up on fighting with him to take more.  After he appears done, I burp him and then offer each side again and sometimes he takes it for 1-2 more minutes and sometimes he is just done.  I have been watching his output and he is supposed to be having 3 "good poops" a day and he normally has about 5, so I think he is getting enough.  The thing that was throwing me for a loop was the first morning feeding of the day.  He would do his regular nursing time of 30 minutes total and I couldn't figure out why.  But I think it is because he has gone 9 hours without eating and his tank is on "dead E."  My milk supply is still there but I am pumping before I go to bed, just to make sure it doesn't dwindle.  So Tyson and I are both happier that I'm done forcing the issue.

Nursing Tyson and Reeses wants in on the action!

Last Friday, I noticed that Ty is becoming more deliberate with his movements, especially with his hands.  I mean, I know that I have mentioned that he is grabbing things and sucking on his fists, but this was different.  Last Friday, I was lying down on the floor with Tyson while he was on his playmat.  It was the cutest thing.  He had his right hand (unfortunately) in a fist and brought it back behind his head, took aim, and hit one of the bugs on his playmat.  He did that a few times over and over.  He really was aiming and trying to make his fist hit the bug.  The cute thing was some of the times, he missed, but then some of the times it made contact!  It was so cool to see the wheels turning in his head and his concentration!

Look at him hugging Mr. Elephant so hard!  And trying to suck his sweatshirt (=

Last Sabbath I had to work.  I seriously do not remember if it was busy or not.  I guess that is what happens when you become a mom.  The things that were really important to you at one time just do not matter anymore.  Work is work.  And it usually is busy.  I know that it was terrible driving on Saturday night and Sunday morning due to freezing rain.  What did I tell you about the days I work?  It is always bad weather!!!!  But something did happen to me last Sabbath at work that gave me chills.  I saw my friend, Denise, for the first time since I had been back to work.  Denise is the ultrasound tech that discovered that I had low amniotic fluid.  She found the low fluid and 9 days later, I had Tyson because of it.  When I saw Denise, I told her how I would always be grateful to her for finding the low fluid and that I felt she saved Tyson's life.  What she said next just shocked me.  She said that she had just came from the "Mom's Place" (the OB unit) and had just done an ultrasound of a fetal demise that was 37 weeks old and they thought that the baby died because of low amniotic fluid that they did not know about.  I could not believe it.  That could have been me.  That could have been Tyson.  I had Tyson 36 weeks 6 days - just about 37 weeks.  If Denise had not tried to do a 3D ultrasound for Heath and I, we would have never known about the fluid.  The whole thing was unreal to me.  All I can say is that I am so thankful to God that Tyson was spared.  I will be thankful for my whole life!

I can not imagine my life without him

Sunday brought another 12 hour shift at CMC.  Tyson got to spend the day with Grammy and Great Grammy (Norma) while Daddy went ice-fishing.  I am happy to report that Heath did much better in the kitchen last weekend!  I think writing the blog about it might have helped him along!  I was excited for two reasons to rush home on Sunday night.  #1 was, of course, seeing Tyson.  #2 was watching the Superbowl, which I had started recording.  Well, #1 turned out to be a bust because he was very overtired and screamed for a couple of hours when I got home.  What a nice homecoming present for me!  I was super tired myself from the weekend, so I did not have much patience in me, I'm afraid to say.  Tyson headed to bed and after a bit of fussing got some much needed sleep.  That is when I turned to #2.  I was psyched when the Steelers lost.  I know Corey mentioned it in her blog but I felt the exact same way she did.  If Roethlisberger would have gotten 3 rings and put himself in "Brady's class", it would have driven me crazy.  He is not in Brady's league at all. He shouldn't even try.  Don't get me started on what happened in the off-season, I'm just strictly talking about football here.  Anyway, due to my tiredness, I slept through a lot of the 3rd quarter, I'm afraid.  I don't think the commercials were all that, but I did get a laugh out of Christina Aguilera botching the anthem.

  He calms down when I put both hands on his face - look at him grabbing my arm!

Monday is my grocery shopping day.  I usually go after supper when Heath can watch Tyson.  I really don't do it totally for convenience, but I'm always afraid that I will not be able to fit all the groceries in the cart with Tyson taking up the majority of the cart in his car seat.  But I decided to brave it because I wanted to go to a couple of the outlet stores for Tyson, since I had a gift card.  Ty did great!  He fussed in the beginning, then pooped his pants, took a nap, and woke up just in time for the grocery store.  It is fun to watch him with his wide eyes taking everything in.  I really do need to keep taking him.  I think it is a good learning experience!

Learning how to use the Ipad

Monday night Tyson got a "Bumbo."  One of Heath's co-workers gave it to him, because his son was done using it.  This was great because they are about $50 at Walmart.  It is the cutest thing ever. It is an infant chair made in South Africa.  I had never heard of it until Uncle Kevin and Aunt Sherrie showed me pictures of cousin Zasha in her purple one.  Well, Tyson got a blue one and it is so cool.  It holds him up so he is sitting up on his own.  He looks like a little man!  It is really good for his neck development, but I'm only keeping him in it for a couple of minutes at a time.  He does the bobble-head thing and I don't want to be accused of shaken-baby-syndrome because he has shaken his brain around too much in the chair!  Monday night Mom and Dad stopped by to see Tyson for a few minutes.  Earlier in the day I had come across some pictures when Tyson was about 4 weeks old.  I finally realized what my mom has been telling me.  Tyson is going bald.  He is losing his hair.  I was in denial but I came to terms with it, when I saw all of his luscious locks at 1 month old.  Where has it all gone?  We were joking with my dad that now they look more alike than ever with the matching hairlines!

Loving his new Bumbo

Matching hairlines with Poppy!

Tuesday was quite the day.  First of all, Tyson and I headed down with my mother to her Aunt Estelle's funeral.  Tyson's first trip to Massachusetts!  It took us about 3 hours and Tyson slept the whole way there with no problem.  In fact he slept most of the day.  He woke up for the funeral, just in time to be a bit restless on Noni's lap. But he did well and did not make a peep.  Then we had to drive about 10 minutes to Aunt Estelle's house where the reception would be.  He fell back asleep for the 10 minute drive.  I kept him sleeping in his car seat by the fireplace while I got some food.  It was craziest thing ever.  Everyone was talking about how much Tyson looked like my cousin Tiffany's son, Sam.  Sam was born 2 weeks before Tyson and they do look alike!  My cousin, Janet, was not sure if Sam was there, but she really wanted to see both babies together.  Well, I was standing by a chair (in viewing distance of Tyson) when Janet went over to Tyson and said, "Alison, Sam IS here!  Doesn't he look like Tyson?"  I started laughing and laughing and had to tell Janet that she was actually looking at Tyson!  Sam was not there but I did see a picture of him and they do look alike.  Sam has redder hair, but otherwise, they have the same big blue eyes and a similar nose and mouth!  It would have been cute to see them together.  Well, Mom woke Tyson up to "show him off" and I was concerned that he would not sleep in the car on the way back!  I did not have anything to worry about and he did sleep all the way home.  We (Kelly, Steve, Aunt Sherrie, Mom, & I) stopped at Mimi's grave on the way home.  We knew that the cemetery would not be plowed out but when was I going to be that close again?  We put boots on and trudged to her grave.  We kept sinking in the snow and Aunt Sherrie fell over and couldn't get up!  At least it lightened the mood.  I can't believe that it has almost been a year.  Unbelievable.  I miss her very much and wish she could have met Tyson.

One of my favorite pictures of Mimi

Something happened when we were driving back from MA on Tuesday afternoon.  I called Heath to check in and he said, "We need to discuss something at home."  He sounded cryptic, so I fished for what it possibly could be.  And then he couldn't take it anymore and just came out with it.  In May, Heath, Tyson, and I are going to China!!!!!!  Over the summer, Heath had won Employee of the Quarter at Vutek.  It came with a cash bonus and also put Heath's name in for an all-expense paid conference to China for the entire family.  I was super excited with that possibility but then I completely forgot about it.  But Heath was told on Tuesday that he was chosen.  It wasn't even that we got our names picked out of a hat - the general manager decided who was going to win it!  So we don't know any details at all yet about it, human resources is supposed to be giving Heath the info soon.  Well, when Heath told me about it on the phone, I proceeded to hyperventilate and got lightheaded.  Not a great thing when you are driving precious cargo!  That has never happened to me before.  I had to get off the phone to concentrate on my breathing and to avoid getting into an accident!  I am over the moon excited.  I have always wanted to go to Asia and would never have ever gone because of the money.  Heath had said that maybe we would not go anywhere this spring, but I had been secretly looking at cheap cruises to try to entice him - but now that is no longer necessary!  I'm not only getting out of NH but getting out of the country!  It will be a trip of a lifetime but too bad Tyson will not remember it!

I hope we get to see it!

Wednesday was a busy day.  My main goal for the day was to change out all of Tyson's clothes.  I put away all of his newborn clothes (sad) and put his 0-3 months and 3-6 month clothes in his closet and drawers.  I just figured out that Ty fits some of the 3 month clothing.  Like Carters does not have 0-3 months, only newborn and then 3 months.  That was quite a job!  But it is all organized and I look forward to dressing him each day because I love putting outfits together!  Thursday was his first day in overalls.  He looked adorable.  I was determined that Heath would get home from work and see him in his overalls (Heath loves them), but of course he had a blow out in his first pair of overalls.  He made it with his second pair, though!

Newborn pants that had to go - look at the junk in the trunk!

Pic taken by Daddy - he didn't notice that Ty lost a sock!

Wednesday at 12:55 pm came the birth of the latest cousin, Acadia Belle!  Shawn & Camille had their baby girl and all went well.  I am so bummed that it happened now because Heath is all tied up in his annual fishing derby with his family this weekend.  So now we can't go up to Bangor for 2 more weeks because I work next weekend.  I can't wait to see her!  She looks beautiful from the pictures that we have seen.  Here is a pirated picture from Shawn's Facebook page! (=

Wednesday night we went to CMC to see Heath's grandmother, Norma, who had a cardiac cath and a stent placed.  She got through it with flying colors and looked great!  We spent some time visiting and then went to our favorite mexican restaurant with Sonia, Adam, and Paula.  Tyson was a perfect angel but showed us his devil side on the ride home.  In a rare instance, Ty screamed the entire trip home.  Adam was riding in back with him and tried everything possible and Ty still screamed non-stop.  He started cooing and smiling as soon as we took him out of his car seat when we got home, so what do you think that was about?  Unreal.  Even playing the radio at volume 24 did nothing to silence his screams. 

Thursday proved to be another busy day with me trying to give the house a thorough cleaning in between Ty duty.  It got done and there is nothing like a clean house!  Shannon came over in the morning and we took a break during lunchtime to meet my mother at the Diner.  Good eating ensued and we found out that Tyson loves Jeopardy!  Tyson started fussing at the end of the meal and, for some reason, Mom started singing the Jeopardy song to Tyson and he started laughing and cooing.  Mom would stop and Ty would start crying again, then she would start Jeopardy again and he was all grins.  It was so cute.

Self-portrait by Shan

Getting Jeopardy sung to him!

That's about all for now!  There is a video game that is calling me to move it and I must give in!

 Looking a bit tired...

I know his eyes are closed, but doesn't he look so happy?

Loving his mobile

He really looks bald here!!!!

Looking at something he likes!

Sorting laundry with mom