Another first...rice cereal

I give up trying to play catch up with the blog posts, so I'm just going to jump back in. The latest news...Tyler is now on rice cereal! It's been a little over a week since the first attempt and he's doing great - gobbles it right up.



I know it doesn't seem so in this picture, but we do get most of it in his mouth.



Tyler thinks he's grown, and tries to grab the spoon to feed himself. It's a little bit of a battle, and requires deep concentration and focus.

Jet setter

Tyler turned 3 months old on October 2. Let the games begin! We took Tyler on his first flight, Jet Blue from Long Beach to Oakland, to visit our friends in Northern California. This was a great first trip - the flight was short (Tyler was an angel) and our friends have kids, which means they have all the gear. We packed light and headed up on a Friday afternoon. We had a great time - thanks to the Cecchins for hosting, and for all those who came to visit while we were up. Beck and I have made a trip to Oakland every September/October since we started dating in 2001. It looks like the tradition will continue...as a family.

2 month check-up

Two months marks another trip to the doctor and unfortunately, Tyler's first round of shots. He was a champ - cried for about 10 seconds after getting poked and spiked a fever that night. I watched over him like the paranoid, first-time mother that I am.

Stats:
Length: 23 1/2 inches (60th percentile)
Weight: 9 lbs. 13 oz. (7th percentile)
Head: 38 1/2 cm (15th percentile)

Tyler dropped a bit on his weight curve, so the doctor asked me to work on beefing him up and to return in 3 weeks for a weigh-in. It was at this time that he was sleeping longer stretches during the day and at night, therefore skipping a meal or two. She advised that we wake him from his nap...I did that once and decided that was a bad idea. I've tried a few things to ensure he eats enough throughout the day.

First trip to the beach

Thanks to a visit from Heather and Niko, and a beach day planned by Jen, Tyler had his first beach experience on Sept. 1. I was a typical first time mom - concerned about the sun, the wind and the tiny particles of sand blowing on his little face. We stayed long enough for me to feed him and visit with the girls for about 10 minutes before I packed up and headed home. I consider this a success!

An international affair

My fabulous friend Kate and her new son Luke made an impromptu visit to Southern California all the way from England! We had a great time introducing the boys to each other...I think they really enjoyed themselves. I miss you Kate!

Take a closer look

This scenario will never get old...Tyler asleep in Beck's arms. Even better, Beck asleep with Tyler asleep in his arms. Check out Tyler's pacifier trick.

My first "mom's group"

I am really behind on my blog posts...so here we go with trying to catch up.

Once I got the green light to exercise again (mid-August), I joined the local StrollerStrides group. I thought it would be a great way to get out of the house and to enjoy summer (my favorite time of year). I started when Beck went back to work, so it was a good transition into being on my own with Tyler, and getting out and about with a baby in tow. Each class lasts for 1 hour, combining cardio, conditioning and toning exercises with nursery rhymes at various intervals, to get the kids involved. Tyler sleeps through half of class. Slacker.

Generations

After battling illness and poor health for a number of years, my Grandmother is now at peace. She passed away a couple of weeks ago, leaving quite a legacy behind...5 children, 15 grandchildren and 9 great-grandchildren. We had the great fortune of getting everyone together for an impromptu family reunion at my mom's house. What a wonderful celebration - it was beautiful to see and be a part of the family my Grandmother began so many years ago. And now as a mother myself, it was fun to see Tyler with all of this cousins (the great grandchildren).

"The lip"

Minutes after being born, Tyler poked out his bottom lip and made the face that I knew would forever melt my heart. He finds a way to work this into his daily routine, and it gets me every time! Yes, you heard me. I'm a total sucker.

Tyler's First MLB Game

It was going to happen sooner or later, so why not the day before Tyler's 1 month birthday...

Before Beck spent summers coaching for the Cape Cod Baseball League, he spent one summer with the Great Lakes League coaching the Stark County Terriers. One of his pitchers, Burke Badenhop, now plays for the Florida Marlins and was in San Diego this past weekend. So, we headed down to Petco Park for Tyler's first baseball game.

What a great day! Tyler slept through the entire game - with a feeding break during the 7th and 8th innings. Of course Burke pitched during those 2 innings, but fortunately Beck was able to see him and we visited for a few minutes after the game.

The hospitality at Petco Park was top notch. Members of the staff were drawn to the tiny baby in Beck's arms and showered him with a San Diego Padres hat, "my first visit to Petco Park" button, temporary tattoos and a back-office where I was able to feed Tyler in peace. They didn't even mind that we were there to see a Marlins player.

Concert in the Park

I realize that getting out of the house with a baby will require quite a bit of practice. I also know that socializing with the rest of the world is good for my sanity. So, we packed a picnic dinner (confession: we picked up sandwiches from Subway), and headed to Summer Concerts in the Park. We made it out of the house nearly on time, complete with Tyler filling his diaper as we backed out of the garage. Fortunately, the new car has plenty of room for impromptu diaper changes.

The little guy slept through the Beatles cover band while we enjoyed a couple hours of fresh air, family and friends. A special thanks to Traci for the great idea!

First doctor visit

Tyler had his 2-week pediatrician appointment on July 19. I was especially eager to reach this milestone to ensure he was gaining the appropriate amount of weight, and to ensure we were still on a healthy track since leaving the hospital. I'm the mother so I get to brag - he was an angel! He did not make a single squeek during the entire visit, making it quite easy for the nurse and doctor to go through their checklists.

Stats (doctor said to take these with a grain of salt at only 2 weeks old)
- Weight 8 lbs 10 oz (slightly below average, to be expected because he's exclusively breastfed)
- Length 21 1/4 inches (slightly above average at about 60th percentile)
- Head size slightly below average

A quick note about his weight. At delivery, Tyler weighed 7 lbs. 0 ounces. That night in the nursery, they documented his weight at 7 lbs. 5.5 ounces. Of course, babies do not gain weight in the hospital. It seems as though the scale in the delivery room was not properly calibrated and he was probably closer to 7 lbs. 6 ounces at birth. He left the hospital at 7 lbs. 1 ounce, so the good news is that he has gained 1 lb. 5 ounces in his first 2 weeks. Good eater!

Weighing in


Measuring up (Will he be tall like Daddy?)



How's my heart, doctor?

Strike a pose

As first-time parents, we often find ourselves saying "Oh, look how cute! Tyler is (insert anything here)." And of course, we digitally capture many of these moments. I assume we will eventually cut back on the number of pictures we take of Tyler hanging out at the house. Until then, we'll continue to snap away and share them with our friends!

Westside!


Long day...


It's tough being a baby


The thinker


Chillaxin'


Enough with the paparazzi, already!

Bath time

I am happy to report that Tyler loves his baths. He's now graduated from sponge baths to regular baths and he enjoys both. Yesterday, he actually fell asleep during his hair wash! As I try to catch up on blogging, here are a few pictures from his baths over the last 3 weeks.

First bath at home

Gammie gives Tyler a bath

First bath in the baby tub

Introducing Tyler Christopher Beck

Tyler Christopher made his grand entrance on July 2nd at 5:03 AM. He weighed 7 lbs, 0 ounces and measured at 20 1/2 inches long.

After breezing past the June 27 due date, the doctor scheduled my induction for Friday, July 2 - with plans to "check-in" Thursday night to get things moving with dilation before starting Pitocin Friday morning. I was already experiencing mild contractions upon arrival, so the doctor ordered Pitocin beginning around 9:45 PM expecting we'd be on track to deliver some time Friday afternoon/evening.

The Pitocin really kicked in and contractions were getting stronger, but not consistent enough to warrant the epidural. At around 1:30 AM, the nurse offered something to "take the edge off." As soon as she walked into the room with the meds, my water broke and it was epidural time. Lucky for me, this was also when my mom arrived.

I got the epidural around 1:45 AM, at which point I was 6 cm dilated. About 90 minutes later, I was 8 cm. By 3:30 AM, I as 10 cm and we started pushing. My doctor was in shock when she got the wake-up call...she really wasn't expecting to see me until later in the day. Apparently Tyler and I had other plans.

Words cannot express the love we felt for our beautiful baby boy at that moment. Here are some photos of those first few moments...

Baby Beck's 1st (and hopefully last!) eviction notice

June 27 has come and gone. Before things get too out of control (a.k.a. the baby gets any bigger), the doctor is going to induce labor on Friday morning (July 2). We'll check in Thursday evening to get some things moving along, with Pitocin starting around 9 AM Friday. Happy thoughts and prayers for a quick and smooth labor. Stay tuned!

At 40 weeks, a car is born

We've made it to our due date...and Baby Beck has decided it's not time for his big debut. In our ongoing preparation for our little guy, we decided it was time for a new car. I love it and now we are really set to bring the baby home!

Photo shoot

Since Baby Beck has decided to stay put for a little longer, we were able to squeeze in an impromptu photo shoot, compliments of long-time family friend, Daryl (thank you Daryl!). We had a lot of fun - here are a few of my favorites.

Beck, the carpenter

Part of baby prep was the crib assembly. Beck did an excellent job, no "leftover" parts, and we're pretty confident it will hold up under the weight of the baby. The crib was a gift from my Mom and Tony - we love it! I would post pictures of the changing table/dresser assembly, but Beck did that while I was away one day, which was a nice surprise.