"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...