Good thing February is the shortest month....

...because at least one of us has been sick every day this month--literally! We started the month with Tyler getting sick with RSV. He recovered quickly, within a week, but then Mike and I both got colds or upper respiratory infections that lasted about two weeks. I actually lost my voice from it and still don't feel 100%. Now Mike has come down with the flu for the second time this year (we both had it in January). So Tyler is spending another weekend with his Grandma and Grandpa Ellsworth in attempt to keep him healthy! I really hope March brings better health for all of us!

Yummy Yummy!

More firsts for Tyler!! First time sitting in his high chair and first bites of solid foods. The doctor told us to feed Tyler cereal when he's hungry so he'll be more apt to take it but he doesn't know our little guy very well. Anyone who knows Tyler knows he doesn't mess around when it comes to mealtime (the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, if you you know what I mean!) so our first attempt didn't go very well! Instead of swallowing, he just cried and let the cereal run out of his mouth. So we've now figured out that he needs his bottle first, then the cereal and it's going much better! Here are some pictures from the first unsuccessful feeding to tonight's very successful feeding! Enjoy!

First picture of Tyler in his high chair--not happy

Tyler's first bite of cereal--what you don't see is the scream that followed

Second attempt--Getting a little happier, smiling at Daddy

Tonight--Tyler says "Feed me or I'll eat this bib!"

"What?!"

"Here's a bite!"

"Whoa, that's good stuff!"

"Yummy Yummy!"

On a different note, Mike has been very busy and involved with work. He was busy all last month interviewing potential candidates to fill two teller positions and has spent a good part of this month training them. He had the credit union's annual meeting Saturday afternoon (that's where he went all jazzed up in the picture below). Tonight he is at a conference here in Bloomington and in March he'll be going to Chicago for another conference. I'm having a hard time keeping track of him these days!

My hubba hubba hubby!

Happy Four-Month Birthday Tyler!

Happy four-month birthday to you
Happy four-month birthday to you
Happy four-month birthday dear Tyler
Happy four-month birthday to you!

Many more birthdays to you
Many more birthdays to you
Many more birthdays dear Tyler
Many more birthdays to you!

Wow! Where does time go? Tyler is already 4-months old! Memories of being on bed rest in September seem so long forgotten yet still so vivid in my mind. When I look back at pictures of him from the early days or when I see a newborn baby, it's so hard to fathom that he was ever that teeny-tiny!

Tyler has really changed a lot this month, both physically and developmentally. We took Tyler to his 4-month well-baby check-up today and were shocked to hear he weighs 15 lbs even (placing him in the 50th percentile) and is 24 1/2 inches long (placing him in the 45th percentile)! His pediatrician said you wouldn't even know he was a preemie because he's all caught to where he should be! The formula just doesn’t seem to be cutting it anymore for Tyler (he wants to eat 6-8 ounces every 3 or 4 hours) so the doctor gave the okay to start giving him cereal. We are anxious to see how he does with a spoon! We'll be sure to have the camera out for his first real meal! Developmentally, we’ve really enjoyed watching Tyler hit many milestones this month. He has now discovered that he has hands and that he can explore his world and learn with them. He is putting his hands together, putting them in his mouth and grasping objects placed in his hands. He has also started reaching out for things he wants to hold. Tyler has finally started to enjoy his tummy time, which led to his first time rolling over on January 27th. We also got to enjoy his first time sleeping through the night on January 31st with a repeat on February 15th. He continues to smile and laugh constantly when we're being silly with him or for no reason at all. From a speech pathologist's standpoint, I am pleased to say he has started vocalizing some consonant sounds (/b/, /m/ , and /n/ mostly) and he's starting to string them together with vowel sounds to make some beautiful baby babble! He is also gurgling and blowing raspberries to express his delight!

I've been posting more pictures this month so I don't have many to share today. I have been saving this one to share because it's my favorite from the month! I have this picture on the bulletin board right above my desk at work. When I look into Tyler's big blue eyes, I feel like he's saying "Hurry up and finish your work Mom, so you can come play with me!" I just love it!

Exersaucers are Awesome!!

We put Tyler in his Exersaucer for the first time today! (Thanks again Great Uncle Terry and Aunt Michelle!) He did great...he held his head up really well and he was grabbing at all the things to play with. He entertained himself for at least 20 minutes before he got tired. He had some really cute expressions and luckily we caught some of them with the camera. Enjoy!

"Whoa, this is cool!"

"Yea, I'm lovin' it!"

"Oh no, a camera!"

He looks like such a big boy!!

"I'm ready to take off walking soon!"

Happy Valentines Day!

We spent Tyler's first Valentines day with his Grandma and Grandpa Ellsworth and his Great Grandma Burnett, visiting with them in Morris. We arrived around noon for lunch and stayed through dinner. Grandma Ellsworth made a yummy lasagna for the occasion. Tyler had fun seeing his Great Grandma Burnett, who he hasn't seen since Christmas. She was amazed with how much he's changed in those two and a half months. Grandma and Grandpa Ellsworth enjoyed playing with Tyler as always.

Mike and Tyler surprised me with an early Valentines day gift this year. Last weekend they gave me a new watch and a pink sapphire necklace!

On the mend...

We are pleased to report that Tyler seems to be feeling MUCH better these last two days. Grandma and Grandpa Breclaw stayed at home with him yesterday and today and they said he was a perfect angel (isn’t that what grandparents always say though!?). Both days he slept all morning, woke up to eat and then took a long afternoon nap too. Best of all, he’s sleeping better at night too (although he’s waking up one time to eat around 2 am—bummer!). We have started weaning his off the breathing treatments by extending the length of time between them. He’s been tolerating it well and only needs a treatment every 8-12 hours now. We know he’s feeling better because he’s smiling a lot more and he seems more interested in play. Tyler’s daycare teacher, Ms. Rose, called us Monday night to check up on how he’s doing and to tell us they miss him. We think he’ll be ready to go to daycare tomorrow so we’re going to give it a try.
Here are some pictures from the last week.......

Tyler sleeping in his "potato sack"

Tyler loves his teddy bear

He even sleeps with him

Enjoying this unusually warm mid-February weather

Such a big boy!

Grandpa and Tyler

Grandma and Tyler

Tyler Update

Here's the scoop on Tyler's condition since I blogged last....
I stayed home with Tyler Wednesday and he pretty much slept the whole day (which was really nice because that meant I slept too). My father-in-law John offered to stay with Tyler Thursday and Friday so I could go back to work. I hated to leave him but he was doing pretty well. So we took John up on his generous offer and I worked a half-day Thursday. Friday morning we went to Tyler's follow-up appointment. Our regular pediatrician was on vacation so we saw one of his associates. He said he felt that Tyler was responding to the breathing treatments because he was coughing a lot afterwards. He couldn't really tell us how long Tyler would need the breathing treatments but it could be for another week or two, depending on how much he's coughing and wheezing. Then he also prescribed a steriod to help with the wheezing. Tyler will take that for 5 days. He seems to be feeling better because he's more awake but unfortunately that means he's crabby because he still doesn't feel good. He had slept through the night for 5 consecutive nights but that streak has unfortunately ended! He can't go back to day care until he is symptom-free (no coughing, wheezing, snotty sneezes) so my mom and dad are planning to come Sunday and stay with Tyler for Monday and Tuesday if needed. We are going to celebrate my mom's 63rd birthday while they are here (her birthday is February 23rd). We are hoping Tyler will have a speedy recovery and will be back to his normal self in no time!

Sad Stuff

I took Tyler to the doctor yesterday for what I thought was a cold but turns out he tested positive for RSV, an upper respiratory infection. Luckily we caught it in the early stages so his symptoms are not severe thus he did not have to be hospitalized. Still, he came home with a nebulizer and has to inhale medication every 4 hours. It's so hard to see him sick and not be able to do anything for him. I am obviously staying home from work to take care of him. He goes back to the doctor on Friday to determine if he can start weaning off the breathing treatments. Keep us in your prayers for a speedy recovery!

Too Much Good Stuff

This has been a pretty awesome week for Tyler! It started on Tuesday when Tyler rolled over for the first time! He was enjoying some tummy time after I got him home from day care and I was telling him when he rolls over for the first time that I wanted him to do it at home rather than at day care. Then all of a sudden--boom, he rolled over! I was so excited! So I rolled him back and then--bam, he did it again. He did it a total of 3 times Tuesday but it was all before Dad got home from work. Mike was disappointed that he missed Tyler's first time rolling over. So we put him on his tummy for tummy time every day since hoping he would do it again for Dad. Dad finally got to see him do it again today and we were both really excited!

Tyler had another huge first last night. He slept through the night!!! He ate at 5 pm and laid down for the night at 8. Usually he gets up around 1 am to eat but he slept through his feeding and didn't wake up until 5 am! I woke up at 2 am and realized he missed his feeding. I checked on him and he was sleeping like an angel so I let him sleep. Unfortunately though I woke up just about every half hour and wondered if he would get up soon. So Tyler slept through the night but Mom did not. Hopefully he'll make a habit out of sleeping through the night.

We experienced a heat wave in central Illinois yesterday, temperatures actually got above freezing, so we decided to take advantage and get some pictures of Tyler in his snow suit. We weren't out for very long and he wasn't really too thrilled but here they are.......
All bundled up in his snowsuit (thanks Great Grandma Burnett)!

Mommy and Tyler enjoying the snow

Daddy and Tyler in the back yard