The Babies are Announced, Tongue-Finding & Stomach Sleeping

Week 30

I keep having things to do on Fridays and so I can't get the blog out on time!  Sorry!  Last Friday started Tyson's 30th week with a wicked busy day.  I killed myself packing to get out of the house by 4:15 pm.  We were only going to my parents overnight, but somehow it was still a major production.  Ty and I were going to meet Heath at work to save time (since it is on the way), but I don't know if it hurt me or helped me.  I really missed Heath lugging everything out to the car!  Anyways, we headed to Devin & Leigh's house for Devin's 30th birthday party!  What an old man!  One of the most exciting things ever was going to happen as soon as we got there.  We would find out the sex to both Devin & Leigh and Shannon & Sean's babies!  They both had their ultrasounds that afternoon and was waiting to tell us (immediate family) in person!  I couldn't stand the anticipation, but it was revealed that Devin & Leigh are having a boy and Shannon & Sean are having a girl!  Yea!  I'm super excited.  Very exciting time in our family.  My mom and I gave them a little gift for their respective babies and you should have seen Shannon's face!  She had utter shock written all over her face and said, "How did you know?  How did you do this?"  She couldn't seem to put it together that I had bought 2 girls outfits and 2 boys outfits and just packed the gift bags in the car when I knew the results!  She didn't get it for awhile, either!  It was pretty funny.  I did get a unisex outfit, just in case, but I didn't have to use it thankfully, because it was hideous.  (Best one I could find at Carters)  Well, we had a great get together and then went to my parents.  I was worried that Ty hadn't slept in his travel pack n' play in awhile and I was wondering how he would do.  He did pretty well, but he did wake up a few times during the night.  He is such a restless sleeper and travels all over his crib at night.  That doesn't work too well in a tiny pack n' play.  He kept hitting the sides of it and it would wake him up!

Devin is in his 3rd decade!

The babies are coming!

Ty was up at 6 AM on Sabbath morning, but we caved and brought him to bed with us.  That always does the trick!  We took him to Sabbath School at Conway for the first time and Heath came in with us!  It was good for Heath to see how much he enjoys it.  Of course we were late to it - the chronic tardiness has not improved at all!  One cute thing happened during church.  Ty was due for a nap, so I cuddled him in my arms, like normal, but then I attempted to get him to lie on the floor on a blanket and it worked!  Of course it was only for his 30 minute power nap!  After church we went to my parents for lunch.  It was just after lunch that Tyson discovered his tongue.  He started sticking his tongue out and would not stop! I tried to take a bunch of pictures of him in the afternoon and in everyone he had his tongue out!  At first I was worried that he was having an allergic reaction and his tongue was swollen, but no - he just thinks that his tongue is awesome and wants to show everyone!  This went on for the entire week, non-stop - but I think I finally see some improvement.  We were going to go home on Saturday night, but then we just didn't.  I really wanted to watch the Bruins with Devin & Shannon... so we ended up staying.  Unfortunately, the Bruins choked, but it was nice to get Tyson to bed on time.

Lounging on the bathroom floor getting ready for church

Ty having a blast in Sabbath School

The tongue!!!

Ready for a nap with Daddy

Ty got very excited about the popcorn popping

Shan & Mia had a little trouble with the popcorn and it went everywhere!

Sunday was Ty's official 7 month birthday!  I can't even believe how fast time is flying!  Well, on Sunday we packed up and tried to get home at a decent time.  We did stop to see Norma & Paul (Heath's grandparents) on the way home, since we hadn't seen them in awhile.  It was great to see them and they were overjoyed to see Ty.  Heath spent the afternoon doing yard work, while I unpacked all of our weekend gear. One thing Ty has been doing lately that I have forgotten to mention has to do with his swing.  He will grab the little bear or the stars that make up the mobile on the swing and hold onto them until the mobile gets stuck, and the gears start grinding and makes this loud noise.  He has figured out that HE is actually making the noise happen and he gets so excited.  I always yell, "Tyson!  You are going to break it!  No!"  And he grins and grins and grins...every time he hears the grinding!  It is pretty cute, but I'm telling you, our future children will not be able to enjoy this swing because he is going to break it soon.  Shannon & Sean came over Sunday afternoon/early evening and we went to the new mexican restaurant.  It was very good again and Ty stayed in his carseat the whole time!  Good boy!

Sitting with Daddy at Norma & Paul's

Monday morning I had to go to work for computer training for an update on our system that is coming up.  It was only for 3 hours and we got out an hour early, so that was good.  My mom was able to watch Tyson.  Two funny things happened while I was gone.  First of all, she was nice and made our bed for us.  She had gone downstairs and about 15 minutes later she came back up into the bedroom and noticed a bump at the bottom of the bed.  She had made the bed with Snickers in it!  The second thing that happened was that Ty peed all over my mom while she was changing him!  She hadn't been covering the winkie during diaper changes and it finally caught up with her!  Monday afternoon after I got back, Ty and I went couponing.  We got $36.94 dollars worth of stuff for $1.64 at CVS and got $25.75 dollars worth of stuff for $3.48 at Walgreens.  The highlights were 5 free nail polishes and free contact solution!  Monday night, we got out the bath toys for Ty for the first time (I don't know what we were waiting for) and Ty went hysterical.  I wish I could get the video on here, but he just was laughing uncontrollably.  Cutest thing ever.

I forgot to say this - he is about done with the bouncer because he is going to flip it over!

Tuesday Heath found Tyson sleeping on his stomach.  That was scary, especially since I have a suffocation phobia, but I just have to let it go.  I can't keep him off his stomach if he wants it.  At 11:30 we went to the library group, but I forgot my camera, so I didn't get any pictures.  Ty had a good time with the songs and there were even more kids there.  It was at the group that the other moms reassured me that their kids did the tongue thing when they first found their tongues.  That made me feel better!  What didn't make me feel better was that Tuesday was the first day that Ty refused to nurse for 2 out of 4 sessions.  Not good.

Oh but he can't seem to get enough of his bottles!  He really holds them himself, until the end - he can't seem to lift it up high enough!

Wednesday I worked and nothing to report, so I'll move onto Thursday.  Ty was up at 6AM, on his stomach again but with his arm up and trying to crawl.  What in the world?  Shannon and Mom came over in the morning and we had a mini-girls day.  The highlight of Ty's day was getting to have yogurt for the first time.  He loved it from the beginning and he hasn't had a reaction!  Whoo hoo!  I was so worried.  Thursday night we went to the OG with Adam and did errands.  Ty fell asleep in the car on the way home and I was able to get him from his carseat to his crib without waking up when we got home!  That was incredible!

Adam brought over sunglasses from Sonia and Ty didn't mind them at all!

They couldn't really stay up on his nose, though!

With Mama at the OG!

And that about sums it up!  Talk to you next week!

Major Steps, Pear Allergy, Sleep Sack, Library, and Weight Gain!

Week 29

Friday started week 29 off with a major milestone.  Ty is taking multiple steps in a row, while holding onto our hands.  I'm talking like 6 or 7 steps at a time!  He is getting to be such a big boy.  It's very impressive!  Of course whenever I try to get him to do it with an audience (to show him off) he just looks at the puppies and stands there!  That should teach me to be humble!  Friday afternoon Ty and I headed to VIP to get our oil changed.  No matter what I do, no matter how hard I try, I can not be on time to anything anymore with Tyson.  I plan it all out, but all my planning goes out the window, because Ty will always take a few more minutes than I estimate eating, or will always poop his pants - right when we are needing to leave.  Anyways, I was running around like a crazy person trying to get to VIP on time (I hate being late).  I was 5 minutes late.  I ran into the store and proceeded to wait at the service counter.  Now this has happened many times before - where no one waits on you for forever.  There were like 5 workers that kept walking past me, because that was not their assigned area.  I timed it and finally the "service guy" came to me after 7 minutes of standing there.  I told him that I was the 4 o'clock Subaru and he said, "Oh, someone just called and asked if they could have an appointment for tires and I told them OK because the 4 o'clock appointment never showed up."  He stared at me like I was just going to apologize and turn around and leave.  I stood my ground and said, "I was 5 minutes late and I have been standing here for 7 minutes waiting for someone to wait on me."  He gave me a bunch of attitude but when I would not apologize and he realized that I was not going to leave without my oil change, he barked, "Fine, but we'll get to it when we can.  And because of time constraints, I won't be able to fit in our 12 point courtesy inspection."  I could have jumped for joy at that!  At least he wouldn't be trying to upsell me something on our car! Oh, I was so mad!

Ty is shocked at the service at VIP too!

Sabbath I worked and Heath and Ty went to church in Saco, Maine with Grammy and Uncle Adam.  I don't know what came over me, but at lunchtime at work, I had an overwhelming sense of missing Ty that was powerful.  I had to call Heath immediately and find out what Ty was doing.  Heath had to tell me that Ty had been sitting on the floor at church playing when he smacked his head on the floor.  I just about killed Heath - I told him, "Just because he is doing great at sitting up does not mean he doesn't have accidents!"  The feeling to kill Heath did not stop there.  Heath had the gall to say that he thought Ty was eating "way too much" food.  Well,  I figured out what the real problem was.  Because of vacation and everything, Heath has not fed Ty his solid foods in weeks.  He has no idea how much food he has been eating and it does take about 1 hour and 15 minutes to feed Ty.  I might have insinuated that Heath was being lazy.  But seriously, I just about died.  Tyson is 6 months old and underweight at 12 pounds!  It's not like he is a tubby or anything!  Well, I reiterated what Ty needed to be eating and even told Heath that if he still acted hungry to offer another ounce of formula.  Heath could not believe what I was saying!  And low and behold when I got home from work, Heath sheepishly admitted that for supper Ty needed the extra ounce of formula!  Amazingly I swallowed my "I told you so."  The unfortunate thing on Saturday night was that Ty got another allergy.  He was covered in a rash again.  At first I was freaking out that it was the soy formula - but he had been on that for a full week without any problems.  But I had started pears on Thursday.  It was the same time frame with the formula allergy.  A Thursday to Saturday!  Weird.  So Ty got a few doses of Benadryl over the next couple of days and it disappeared, so it had to be the pears, since obviously he is still having the soy formula.

See how he can topple over so easy!

Sunday I worked again and Heath and Ty had their day at home.  The one thing to note about Sunday was that we packed away Tyson's swaddle for good.  We had been half-swaddling (with his arms out) for about a week and we decided to try the sleep sack.  No problem at all.  I had been dreading this moment for awhile.  I thought that there would be a lot of drama to get rid of the swaddle - but it was seamless!

Monday was couponing day.  In my haste to get out the door at a certain time (so I could get back before Ty's next feeding), I forgot my "pharmacy money."  When you buy certain items, you get a voucher to use on your next purchase.  I had $5 worth of vouchers at CVS and $18 worth of vouchers for Rite Aid and they were going to expire within a few days.  So I just went to the grocery store and Walgreens (I did not have any vouchers to use this week).  Then I roped Heath into going with me after work.  I sweetened the deal with going to Dairy Queen (his favorite).  Heath has been a bit skeptical about the couponing process.  So he got to see it first hand.  He couldn't help but be impressed when we got $41 worth of things at Rite Aid for $5.  I asked him what he thought after he went and he said, "It was fair."  In Heath-talk, that means that it was incredible!  On a sadder note, Monday night was the first night that Tyson completely refused to nurse.  He has been giving me more and more attitude with nursing.  I knew that this would happen.  If he wanted bottles all the time after getting them only twice a week, imagine what would happen when he gets them 4 times a day!  Well, it's happening.  I'm hoping that we can keep the nursing up.  I'm trying really hard!

Ready to hit the stores and get some bargains!

Tuesday started with a new tradition for Ty and I.  We went to the Gilford library for song/story time.  Jill Harlow had invited us and it was very nice.  It was great to see them and all the kids were so cute.  It is a super nice library and they have a nice section of toys.  It was a great time and Ty seemed to love it.  We'll see how it goes this next week.  Ty was due to eat lunch at 1:30, so we left the library at 1:00 and Ty fell asleep within 5 minutes.  And he stayed asleep in his car seat for 1.5 hours.  It was one of those rare long naps and I savored it!  Ty started squash for the first time on Tuesday and loved it.  Tuesday night, Heath brought home a "jumperaroo" from the friend that gave us the bumbo.  I'm telling you, we owe him a lot!  Well, even though Ty was tired, he seemed to like the jumper, so I took that as a good sign.

"Socializing" with the other kids!

Playing with the toys at the library and "talking" to mom about how cool it is!

Wednesday, I worked of course and I was told by my mother on the phone that Tyson was going crazy in his jumperaroo.  I didn't get to see it until Thursday, but oh my goodness.  He goes beserk!!!!  He jumps so fast and furious, I'm afraid that he will break the cables!  It's so funny, he jumps like crazy in this seat - but if I put him in the doorway jumper, he still just swings around on it and doesn't get that he can jump in that too!

Super excited about his new jumper!

Crouched down and ready to jump!

So Thursday, was Tyson's weight check.  I was so proud of him.  He gained a whole pound in 2 weeks!  He was 13 pounds and 6 oz.  He is still off the growth chart (at 0 percentile) but the doctor was very happy and does not think she needs to see us again until his 9 month visit.  I was so relieved!  She said to start tofu and yogurt within the next week, so I'll be doing that this week.  The only thing that is still a bit worrying is his allergies.  If he does have an allergy to yogurt, then I have to call her and she is going to refer us to an allergiest.  Let's hope that it doesn't have to come to that!  Mom came with me to the appointment and we did some shopping afterwards.  Then on Thursday night we went to the OG and did errands.  Adam came with us too and stayed the night.  Fun and busy week!

Getting fatter - look at the belly!

Have a great week!

Soy, Sitting up For Real, and Swaddling No More!

Let me start out by saying I have no new pictures this week.  This is the first time that I have not taken pictures of my son for a whole week!  That is horrible.  But my camera's battery is acting up -  I keep charging it and it says "replace battery pack."  I need to get this taken care of pronto - but here are some more shots of Ty on our cruise.

Last Friday started Ty's 28th week.  Friday morning I wrote the lengthy blog from last week, while Ty took his AM nap.  His AM naps are pretty much gone, I can't remember if I've mentioned that yet or not.  Sometimes he will be sleepy after eating breakfast and sleep for an hour to an hour and a half.  But lately it has just been Fridays and Wednesdays, because I wake Ty up early on Wednesday to nurse before leaving for work and Fridays he takes a nap because Thursdays is our night out and he gets to bed late and, therefore always wakes up early.  Otherwise he doesn't nap - he might need a quick power nap at about 11:30 or 12:00, but that's it.  You would think that it would translate into a longer afternoon nap, but that just isn't the case.  A few times, he will surprise me and sleep 1.5 hours, but most of the time it is his usual 30-45 minutes.   There is never anything different in our routine on the days that he sleeps longer that I could keep doing!  The other highlights of Friday is that we hit up Dairy Queen when Heath got home from work.  And it officially is black fly season - they were out like crazy!  Just another thing to worry about with Tyson!

 I guess we couldn't take him outside like this right now - in black fly season!

Sabbath morning Tyson woke up covered in a rash all over his chest, belly, and back.  I knew it was going to happen and here it was!  It was the exact same time frame as when I started the formula the first time.  Both times I started the formula on a Thursday and by Sabbath morning, he had broken out.  I gave him Benadryl before we went to church, and unlike the last time he got it, he did not get sleepy.  Benadryl sometimes has a paradoxical effect on some kids and makes them hyper instead of sleepy.  It seems like it could be the case with Ty.  The first time he got it was before the plane ride - but that was like 4:30 in the AM - so he was probably tired because it was the middle of the night!  Anyways, we went to church in Laconia and Adam and Sonia met us there.  It was Mother's Day weekend and there was like 6 other people there.  It was a ghost town!  Then we came home, had lunch, and then Heath had to go to Walmart on Sabbath to get Ty soy formula.  He missed one meal without extra formula and I didn't want him to miss two!  We decided to stick with Similac and tried their soy formula.  I was worried (imagine that) about a couple of things.  First of all, I had read that soy has a different flavor (and a terrible smell) and he had loved the taste of the milk-based formula, so I was afraid that he would hate it.  But he loved it right from the first taste!  The second thing I was worried about was "What happens if he is allergic to soy?"  I can tell you, I would much rather Ty have an allergy to dairy than soy.  If I couldn't give him any vege meats I would have to cook meat for him!  I don't know how to cook meat!  And I really don't want to be giving my son dead animals.  But thank goodness, it has been almost a week and no sign of any soy allergy - so that is great!  Sonia told me that all of her kids (obviously Heath included) had an allergy to milk-based formula and had to go to soy formula and none of them have a dairy allergy.  So I am encouraged!  One thing he started doing on Sabbath afternoon was almost creeping on the floor.  We got him to stay on his belly for awhile and Adam put pressure on his feet (so he would have something to push against) and he moved all over the family room floor!  He moved so much that he got a rug burn on the left side of his cheek!  Very impressive - I've been helping him "practice" this during the week.  Anyways, Saturday night Heath and I rented 2 movies from Redbox ("The King's Speech" and "Fair Game") and we both fell asleep during the first one and didn't see either one! (We did end up watching them a couple of days later - they were both good)

 No allergy to peas - they are all over his face!

Sunday was my first Mother's Day.  I got a lovely card from Ty.  Heath helped Ty sign his name and everything!  At about 11:30, we met my parents at their place and took my mother to breakfast (lunch for me).  I got Ty to fall asleep in my arms while we ate, so that was good.  Then we headed back to do some work.  Well, it was Ty duty for me and Heath had to change the brakes on the Accord.  Sean came over in the afternoon to visit and that was nice.  Reeses had a near-death experience courtesy of Shelby.  Shelby was running full speed at Reeses, but for some reason, when she got to Reeses she darted right around her at the last second.  I was able to rescue Reeses and get her inside, without getting knocked over by Shelby, which was good since I was holding Ty at the time!  Sunday night, Ty "took" me to Mother's Day dinner at a new authentic mexican restaurant about 10 minutes from our house!  It was fantastic and we are so excited - since mexican is our favorite and the nearest authentic mexican restaurant is 45 minutes away.  Now I'm just going to be holding my breath, scared that it won't make it and it will close!

 Not great lighting - but a shot of a mother who loves her son like crazy!

Monday is usually my couponing day, but I didn't do it for 2 reasons.  First of all, there just weren't any good deals out there this week.  But also I didn't go because we were having a "Girls' Day" with Shannon and my mom in Manchester.  Sorry, Ty - but you are included in the "Girls Day."  I can't seem to rename it even though Tyson is always part of these days!  We went to lunch at our original mexican restaurant in Manchester (I could eat mexican every meal) and met Aunt Sherrie there.  She was driving up from Boston, where she had met Jonathan and his choir.  We had a very nice visit and Ty went crazy for Aunt Sherrie.  Not only was he grinning and grinning at her - but she picked him up and started either kissing or "eating" his ears and he was laughing hysterically.  It was the cutest thing!  Aunt Sherrie continued up to Vermont and we went to a few stores shopping.  Then we brought Shannon to the airport, who is going to Florida for a wedding.  And that pretty much sums up Monday.

On another special day out - in Antigua on our cruise!

Tuesday was grocery day and the thing that became clear was that Tyson has mastered sitting up!   I mean he can still have his "accidents" and topple over backwards or to the side, but for most of the time - he just sits there perfectly.  When he does get off balance, he corrects himself!  What I good boy!  I am so proud of him!  So I got a taste of being a single mother on Tuesday evening.  Heath had a business dinner with a couple of managers.  Usually Heath gives Ty his bath, while I get out his PJ's, lotion, towel, new diaper etc. and get his bottle ready.  But it was just me running around trying to get Ty in bed on time.  And wouldn't you know it, as I was carrying a naked Ty down the stairs to his bath - he peed all over me and the floor!  Fun times!

Sitting up on the cruise, but still needing a hand to support him!

Wednesday I worked and Ty had a great day with Noni and Poppy.  Poppy always comes over to visit with Ty when he gets off of work.  My dad actually told me on the phone, "What is wrong with Tyson?  He is so happy.  He wasn't cranky once today!"  And it's true, he has been abnormally happy lately.  Heath and I were joking saying, "It must be the formula.  What is this the first time he has been full in his life?"  Wednesday night, Heath put Tyson to bed in the swaddle but with his arms free.  Ty has been waking up every morning busted out of the swaddle.  So we decided to give it a go!  And the first night, he slept the entire night without waking up once!  Not even to need the binky!  That has not happened in months!  I hope it continues!

How he sleeps out of the swaddle!

Yesterday I did a full cleaning of the house.  It had been a month and really needed it.  I sat down with Ty in the morning and told him that it would be a rough day for him. I told him that Mommy could not play with him all day, that he needed to entertain himself, that Mommy needed to clean.  But despite the talking to, he was hysterical all day (what was I saying about him being happy?).  He just cried non-stop.  I kept changing his "stations" and toys to no avail.  We tried the bumbo, the boppy, the swing, just lying on the floor, sitting up on the floor, the jumper - you name it, I did it - but he just wanted me to hold him!  My Jehovah's Witness friend came for our weekly Bible study and I had a whole speech prepared.  I was going to tell her that she was not going to covert me, I would not change my beliefs, and because I think she is such a good person I don't want to waste her time.  But then she came to my door with a present - a juicer that she does not use anymore (we had been talking about making baby food, she thought it was a food processor at first....long story).  There was no way I could tell her now!  So seriously, I just don't know what to do.  I have really gotten myself in a pickle from being too nice.  Anyways, Heath got home and Adam came over and we had our weekly night out.  We kept it local this week and went to the new mexican restaurant again (it was still there!).  I know, I know, mexican food 3 days in a week!  But it is so good!  Before we left for the restaurant, Heath was putting Ty in the car seat and I couldn't find his binky.  I ended up getting an old one and putting it on another binky strap that we have and taking that with us.  Well, when we got home the binky I had lost was staring us in the face!  The dogs had gotten it and chewed it into a million pieces, along with the binky strap.  They knew they were bad and went directly underneathe the couch.  They have so much nervous energy now - when we take Ty with us everywhere and they don't get to go!  Poor babies.  Anyway, Ty slept again the whole night with his arms unswaddled, but because he got to bed late... he was up at 5AM this AM!!!!!

 On a happier day!  At the beach in Barbados!

And that concludes the week.  Have a good one!

Formula, First Plane Ride & Swim, & Far Too Skinny!

Oh my word - I can never let this happen again!  This being trying to sum up 3 weeks in one blog posting!  The good thing is that I didn't write notes again on my Ipad, so it's all from memory!  Of course a ton of things happened, so let's get you filled in!

Week 25 started out on Friday 4/15 with Shannon's birthday!  Shannon, Noni, Ty and I headed to Concord for a day of fun.  Mostly we just went to the OG for lunch and then Shannon and I went to a movie, while Noni and Ty went back to "The Fairway" (Noni & Poppy's townhouse).  Shannon and I saw "Soul Surfer" and it was excellent.  I have no time to go on about that movie, so we will continue.  We had a great family gathering at The Fairway for Shannon's birthday and everyone was there (except Mia).  One of the big things that happened that night was I bit the bullet and gave Ty a suppository, since he had been constipated for 3 days.  And within about a hour, he was no longer constipated!  He didn't mind the suppository at all, so that was good.

 One of Shannon's birthday cakes!  We had many desserts!

 The three "sisters!"  Can you believe they're both Prego?

 Enjoying some time with Daddy

I worked the weekend and went couponing again on Monday.  It is truly addictive and I am totally loving it now.  The highlights of things that I got were buy 1 get 1 free Jet Dry's and granola bars (the kind that I eat every morning), Pediacare Infant Tylenol for .99, and Edge shaving gel for .27!  After couponing, Ty and I got a visit from Mia and Jack who were staying over with Noni and Poppy for a couple of nights on their spring break.

 The cousins!

Practicing sitting up, wearing Jack's hat!

Loving the new stroller that Grammy got!

Tuesday, the green bean trial was over (eating it for 4 days to check for allergies, before starting the next food), so I could start oatmeal.  I switched from rice cereal to oatmeal, hoping that it would help his constipation and it has!  He will still pass a "pebble" or two a day, but then usually has a big poop once a day.  Much better than going every 2-3 days with the rice cereal!

Wednesday I worked and that is when the drama started.  I swear, I was drinking normally, but all of a sudden, I had hardly any milk out when I pumped at work.  I pumped 3 times and was getting out barely an ounce with each time pumping.  I freaked out.  We were leaving for our cruise in 2 days.  Tyson is a skinny boy and does not have any reserves to lose.  So on Thursday, I called the pediatrician and she agreed that I would need to supplement formula while I was working on my milk supply.  I told her that we were going on a cruise and asked if I should bring 2 different kind of formulas, in case he had a reaction.  She said "no" - because allergic reactions to formula are rare and usually it takes a week to figure out if that specific formula will work for Ty.  I had samples of formula that the pediatrician had given me when Ty was just born that we never used, so the pediatrician said we could use that type.  After quite a bit of tears and feeling like I had failed my son, I gave him the formula, after nursing him.  I couldn't help but feeling a bit satisfied that he didn't like it!  He did take it better the second time, though.  By Thursday night, I wondered why I had felt so strongly against formula.  I just think lactation specialists drill it into you that formula is the enemy, like it is poison or something - so when you are faced with having to do it - you feel horrible!  But I told myself that it was for the best for Tyson.  And it's not like he is a newborn anymore.  He is 6 months old and is having regular baby food now.  He has had prune juice to drink, so I just thought of it as something new to drink!  Anyways, Thursday night we went to the OG with Shannon, Sean, and Adam and then did some more last minute shopping. Adam took the puppies home with him that night and that is always sad.  The house is always so quiet without them!  On Thursday night, when I was changing Ty into his PJ's I thought that he might have a rash on his belly, but he had been having a screaming fit, so I was thinking that  he was splotchy from crying.  But in the morning it was gone.

"What rash?  I'm perfectly fine!"

Friday, started week 26 with Ty's official 6 month birthday!  Heath was home because work had declared it "Spring Break" (instead of Good Friday, I guess).  It was perfect because we were packing up to leave on the cruise that night.  Keith and Sonia arrived and we left about 8:45 pm.  Our flight was at 11:59 pm!  Ty did great on his first plane ride!  We were worried about his ears, but we just forced the binky in his mouth on take off and landing and he did great.  He had just a few minutes of crying with the initial descent, but that was it!  He slept most of the time.  We arrived in San Juan at about 4:00 am.  We got a taxi and went to our hotel.  We had found a Marriott Courtyard for $99, only a couple miles from the pier.  We got to sleep at about 5:30 am but only slept until about 1000 because Ty woke up hysterical.  Not really sure what that was about, but the whole night was quite abnormal, obviously, so we got to give him a break!  We got a "late check out" (by 1 hour, how generous) and left at 1:00 pm.  We could board the ship at 2:00 pm, so we headed over there.  I was psyched, since we didn't sail until 8:00 pm - so I thought that was pretty good.  On Saturday, I figured out that my fears were realized and Ty appeared to have a reaction to the formula.  I should have listened to my gut!  He got a rash on his belly and back.  I felt like I had no choice but to stop the formula.  Corey told me about these herbal supplements to take to help with the milk supply, so I continued taking them and hoped for the best.  Ty seemed to do fine with his nursing, so that was good.

Getting ready for his first plane ride!

 Dead to the world in the motel after his first plane ride!

 1st night in the dining room - still exhausted after all the traveling!

Our ship was the Celebrity Summit and it was very nice.  We had never been on Celebrity before.  We liked it - the buffet was the best we have ever had, but the dining room options for vegetarians was not great.  So I'm not going to go day-by-day with a full report but give you an overall feeling.  Having Tyson on the cruise was great!  We were not sure how it would be, being the seasoned cruisers that we are, but we loved it!  We only went to one show (with Ty sleeping in my arms), but we didn't seem to mind it too much.  He is at such a great age, because he is so curious and loves to look at everything and everyone!  He was just wide-eyed with awe at everything!  He was an absolute rock star on the cruise.  The thought never crossed my mind that anything like this would happen, but it was unreal.  Every time we would get off the ship all the workers at the check-out would say, "Tyson!  We have been waiting for you all morning!  We were wondering when you would get off the ship!"  He would flash his great smile and they would all just ooh and aah over him.  Our assistant waiter and bar attendant would, seriously, hang out at our dinner table almost the whole meal-time, playing with Tyson.  The formal nights when we had him dressed up in his suit, forget about it - you couldn't walk anywhere.  Everyone would come up to us and talk to Tyson and just drool over him.  Heath saw people taking pictures of him from across the room.  It was a zoo.  But it was a blast.  We went to 5 islands in 5 days and it was super busy.  On St. Thomas, we went on a semi-submarine and looked at all the fish and then went to "Coral World" (a small marine park).  Ty just loved it.  On St. Maarten, we rented 4 wheelers and that was a blast.  Sonia went in the morning with the boys and then I went in the afternoon while Sonia took care of Tyson.  Unfortunately, Heath got sun poisoning, being out in the sun all day, and had nausea and a horrible headache that night.  We took a taxi tour of the island at Antigua, and Sonia baby-sat Ty while Keith, Heath, and I went zip-lining in St. Lucia.  We had never done it and it was a blast.  The only petrifying moment was when they had a "surprise" on the tour and dropped us 70 feet out of a tree.  It is like repelling - a guy on the ground had the rope and dropped us, but it wasn't a controlled, slow repel - like against a rockwall - it was a straight drop.  It was scary and I never would have done it, if the chance was given to me - but there was no other way down, so we had to do it!  OK, on Barbados we went to the beach and Ty went swimming for the first time.  He was due for a nap and tired, so we didn't get much reaction from him, except for falling asleep in Heath's arms while in the ocean!! (=  It was so cute.  One near disaster was that we left his Bumbo in the taxi cab when we got dropped off at the beach.  (We used the Bumbo non-stop all cruise long).  I wasn't totally freaking out because the same taxi driver was coming back to get us in a couple of hours - but it was so nice, because he came back to give it to us within 20 minutes!  And those are the highlights!  Oh, one more thing I have to mention is the dining room.  Ty was a champ for the first 5 nights, but on the last 2 nights, he started to understand his situation.  As soon as we got to our table, he would start crying.  I think he came to realize that we would be "stuck there" for the next hour and a half and he was not pleased!  Overall, a great time - except I got a monster cold on Monday and gave it to everyone, including my Ty Guy,  We are all still sick now!

Flirting with our bar maid

 Our assistant waiter who especially loved Ty

 Ty rockin' his suit

 

 St. Thomas - semi-submarine - Ty loved it!

 What a hunk!  Enjoying St. Maarten

 Ty didn't get much out of the tour of Antigua!

 Zip-lining in St. Lucia

 Asleep in the ocean in Barbados!

 Continued to sleep on the beach!  Doesn't he look like a little king?

 Starting to get fussy while sitting at his throne at the dinner table!

We got home on Sunday afternoon - I was completely freaked that Ty would have a horrible time with his cold and flying but he did great.  We gave him Tylenol and a dose of Benadryl (I read that an antihistamine could help with the ears) and he did great.  I had more trouble with my ears than Ty did!  We got home early enough that I was able to completely unpack everything and have my house in tip-top shape before going to bed at midnight!  One thing I forgot to mention was that Ty slept with us the entire trip long.  The ship provided a "crib" for us, but of course, the "crib" was actually a pack n' play - and one that was full-sized that does not have the top part.  Ty has never slept on the bottom of a pack n' play before, so he was scared of it!  He would go to sleep at his bedtime of 8:30 or 8:45 and would sleep until about 11 pm - but then he would wake up screaming and would not go back to sleep, unless he was in bed with us!  I was worried that he would not sleep in his crib again at home, but that was definitely not the case!  He slept a whopping 13 hours on Sunday night with no problem and it continued this week!

 Pretty pleased with himself that he managed to sleep with us all week!

 Cuddling, trying to get him to take a nap

Monday, Ty and I went couponing at the pharmacies and then stocked up at the grocery store.  The deals to mention were buy 1 get 1 free Gatorade (Heath loves Gatorade), buy 1 get 2 free Thomas English muffins, and I got 2 Gillette Profusion Glide Power razors for .99 each!  Oh, and I "made" $2.00 at Rite Aid by buying 2 Revlon "beauty tools" at 40% off and getting $4 back to spend on my next purchase.  I ended up getting a nail file and tweezers and made out in the positive of $2.00!  That was great!  Noni and Poppy came over Monday night to see Tyson - Noni said that she missed him so much that she had to pull up the blog to look at pictures of him!

 Drink it in, Noni - an official picture of Ty!

Tuesday I did all of our laundry and walked at the outlets with Ty.  He ended up sleeping for 30 minutes while we were walking but then fell asleep on the drive home (only 5 minutes away) and stayed asleep in his car seat for another hour!

Wednesday I went back to work.  It was hard after being with Ty non-stop for 2 weeks to have to leave him again!  Ty, not feeling well from his cold, slept a lot during the day for Noni - but then would not sleep on Wednesday night.  I swear he has a tooth coming in for sure, now!  There a small white speck on his bottom gum and he has had a low grade temperature of 100.3-100.7.  I think that is why he didn't sleep - because he is sick, I brought him in bed with us to at least get a few hours sleep.  When he is better, that is going to be OVER!

Yesterday, Ty had his 6 month doctor's appointment.  She thinks he is doing great.  He is hitting all of his developmental milestones.  He is just about sitting up (he does it for awhile, but then loses his balance and topples over), he is "talking" up a storm, and grabbing and holding everything in sight.  But she is now officially concerned about his weight.  His height and head circumference is at the 30th percentile, but he dropped below the 3rd percentile in weight.  He is 12 pounds 6 oz.  Of course, he had the biggest blow-out ever right when we got to the office, so that poop was probably half a pound!  So the supplementation is back on.  She says that my milk is not meeting his caloric needs for some reason - it could be a supply problem, it could be that I give "skim milk" instead of more fatty milk, it could be a bunch of things.  She wants to have me try the same formula again, because maybe the rash was a fluke and something else. If he gets it back, then we will have to switch to a soy formula.  I am concerned that this will mean he will have a dairy allergy (because the formula is a milk-based), and she said it did not definitely mean that, but it could.  I'm so hoping that is not going to be the case!  Anyways, I'm going to continue to nurse as usual but then give him a bottle of formula after - and then give him his solids.  I did it when we got home from the office and the whole feeding session took an hour and a half!  Oh my!  But it is worth it to get him fattened up!  I am definitely over my being against formula, because I was really stressing myself out that he seemed not be gaining weight and that he was not eating enough - so this will just help my peace of mind.  He took to the formula with no problems yesterday and, so far, no rash, so we'll keep our fingers crossed.  We go back in 2 weeks for a weight check, so we'll see!

He does look pretty skinny here - but still happy!

OK, now we are caught up and hopefully I will never have to do a 3 week recap again.  And you all will never have to read one either!