Birthday Lunch

Today Tyler, Grandma Sandy and I met Daddy for lunch. We went to this local hambuger joint that Daddy really likes.

My two Birthday Boys

I LOVE Baby Hugs:)

Smash Cake!!

Today we did Tyler's smash cake. He was so funny. He would not take his eyes off that big cupcake. It was so hard to get a picture of him looking at the camera. However, I did manage to get ton of cute pictures. I was going to make a collage but I got way too many cute pictures to do that.


Click here to look at all of the pictures.

One Year Old!!!

I can't believe my baby boy is one year old today. Man time flies fast. Everyday we fall more and more in love with you. I didn't know it was possible to love someone as much as we love you. In this past month you have really grown up. You are exploring your world more and more. It seems like everyday you learn a new trick. You make your Mommy and Daddy so proud. Some of the things that you learned in this past month are:

1. Walking- You have been doing this for about a month now but lately you have gotten really good at it. You still crawl but you are now able to walk across the room on your own. You are also letting go of stuff and walking to other things.

2. Sign Language- They told me in daycare that you have gotten really good with signing so I decided to work with you more on it. Last Thursday I saw you sign your first sign, More.

3. Talking- You can now say high five. I really think you can say Ma. Sometimes you look at me at start saying MaMaMa. I even think you have said Dad once or twice. You also say Ahh BOO when we say Ahh Choo (fake sneeze).

4. You can give High Five- Daddy loves this trick. He thinks its the coolest thing ever.

5. You had your first taste of milk yesterday. We tried a sippy cup with half formula and half milk and you drank the whole thing very quickly. Hopefully this is a sign that getting rid of the bottle is not going to be a challenge but we shall see.

6. You have learned how to push the buttons on your toys to make them make music. You love to dance to the music. Its adorable to watch your little booty shake.

7. You have also learned to stick out your tongue when we stick ours out at you. Its really funny right now. I know we won't like this in a year or so but for now I will laugh at you when you do it.

8. I almost forgot. Teeth- You now have 10 teeth. The 4 middle top, 4 middle bottom and 2 top molars. You have cut 4 teeth in the past month. I hope you are done for a while. The molars are no fun.

I can't say enough about how proud you make your Mommy and Daddy. We have had a wonderful year with you. It has been so much fun watching you grow and learn and I know that there is only better stuff to come.

One Year Ago...

You were due to arrive on October 20^th, 2008, on Daddy’s birthday. Mommy was convinced that you were going to be late, but Daddy just knew that you were going to arrive on his birthday. I was doing everything possible to get you out of my belly. I couldn’t wait to finally meet you. The day before you were due, I walked all three floors of the Galleria with Mrs Sue. Then I made Daddy go eat dinner at Chili’s, because Mexican food is supposed to help start labor. After we returned home, Mommy was watching TV on the couch and Daddy was upstairs watching TV. About 7:45, Mommy felt a little pop and a gush of water. She ran to the bathroom and changed her underwear and more water came out. She just knew her water had broken. She screamed upstairs to Daddy, “My water just broke”. Daddy came running down stairs to see what was going on. At this time we were both surprisingly calm. We called the hospital, and they told us to come in to get checked out. I knew I was going be admitted and we were going to be having you on Daddy’s Birthday. This was Daddy’s dream since he found out I was pregnant.

After we gathered all of our belongings and everything we needed for your arrival, we headed to the hospital. The drive was surprisingly calm. I can’t believe how calm both Daddy and I both were. Once we got to the hospital, they had me change into a gown and they tested me to see if my water did in fact break. The test came back negative, but they could tell by looking in there that my bag of waters did rupture. At this point I was only dilated to about 1cm and I didn’t think I was having contractions. We were told that I was going to be given some sleeping medicine and they would start with the induction in the morning bright and early. Daddy decided to go home to take care of Sammy and Bailey for the night. Mommy tried to get some sleep but how could I sleep when I was so excited about you. Plus, her bag of waters kept leaking all night and they had to change the sheets several times. I think I might have gotten about 3 hours of sleep all night.

At about 6:30 in the morning, the nurses came into start the induction. The nurse said I was having contractions all night but I didn’t feel any of them. They inserted the IV and hooked up the bag of pitocin. Daddy arrived at the hospital around 7am. Not long after they started the pitocin, I really started to feel the contractions. Daddy tried to make Mommy do all the breathing techniques that they taught us in the birthing class, but that did not work out so well. Mommy was hurting so bad and the only thing that made her feel better was rocking in a rocking chair. One of the nurses came in around 9:30am to check me for progress. I was measuring 2-3 cm. I don’t know what this nurse did to me but after she checked me, my contractions started to really hurt. Mommy’s doctor was in training all day, so he couldn’t be there during this time. About 10am the on call doctor came in to check me out. At this time I was around 3cm. She could see that I was in so much pain that she ordered the epidural and got me a new nurse. I was so thankful I did not like the one that I had.

Waiting for the epidural was the longest 30 minutes of my life. I was in so much pain. The anesthesiologist arrived about 11am. I was really scared of the epidural. An epidural is when they stick a long needle in your spine to administer pain medicine. Within about 20 minutes of getting the epidural, all the pain went away. It was the best feeling in the world. I could finally relax a little. The nurse told Daddy and I to try to take a nap because we were going to have BIG afternoon ahead of us. Of course we laid there and tried to rest but how could we. We were way too excited about meeting our little man. At about 2pm the nurse came in and checked me again. This time I was at 6cm. She told us you would be coming any time; boy was she wrong.

At about 4pm my doctor, Dr Cowen, got out of his training and came to the hospital to check on me. I was still at 6cm. You were in the correct position in the birth canal but your face was facing the wrong way and it was causing me to stop progressing. Dr Cowen tried to turn you around in the birth canal, but you didn’t want to cooperate. He decided to give it a little more time. Around 5pm, I started to feel all the contractions again. This time the pain was all in my left hip. Boy did it hurt. They ordered me another epidural and told me to remember to push the button to release more medicine this time. After I got it, all the pain was gone once again. The second epidural made me really nauseas; I had to get a shot of medicine to stop the nausea.

At about 6pm Dr Cowen came back and checked on me. I was still at 6cm but you had slid further down in the birth canal. They could see your bright red hair!!! Dr Cowen used his fingers to stretch me out; he managed to get me to 9cm. It was almost time to push. About 30 min later, the nurse came in a checked me again. She said the magical words, “Its time to push!” I got so nervous and so excited at the same time. When I started to push it was around 6:45pm. If I only knew what I was about to go through, it’s a good thing you are so very worth it.

I pushed for the next hour and a half with Dr Cowen coming back to check on me periodically. You were stubborn; you did not want to come out. Daddy did a great job holding my leg and encouraging me to keep going. They had to put me on an oxygen mask in between pushes, to make sure you were getting enough air. At about 8pm Dr Cowen came back in to stay this time. He decided to use the vacuum on you. It’s a suction cup that attaches to your head, to help pull you out. Some how you managed to break the vacuum. You really didn’t want to come out. Before you broke the vacuum, he was able to pull you out a little bit more. During this time Mommy was getting really nauseous again, and they had to give her another shot of medicine. Another 45 minutes of pushing and every one wondering if you were ever going to come out. You finally made your grand entrance into the world.

With bright red hair and big blue eyes, you arrived on October 20^th, 2008, at 8:45pm. You weighed 8 pounds 9 ounces and were 20.5 inches. You were my big boy. Your first few minutes in the world were a little scary as you were not breathing properly. Your nose kept flaring like you were struggling for air. The nurses were able to get you breathing good for a few minutes, and I got to hold you. Then your nose started to flare again, so they had to take you to NICU.

They got Mommy all cleaned up and it was time for me to move to the recovery room. On my way back to the recovery room, they took me by NICU to see you. You were strapped to all kinds of machines so they could monitor you. The nurses in there said you were doing great and they would be releasing you in a couple of hours. When I got to my recovery room, Daddy left to go get me dinner. I hadn’t eaten since the previous day. After Daddy delivered my food, he sat with me for a few minutes and then went home to get some sleep and check on Sammy and Bailey.

Around 1 am you were released from NICU and they brought you to my room, so I could try feeding you. I had decided that I was going to try breastfeeding. At this time, you did not want to eat. I had to have one of the nurses come and help me. You ate for a few minutes but then you were ready to go back to sleep. They brought you to the nursery, so I could get some sleep.

The next morning, Daddy arrived at the hospital with breakfast. They brought you back to my room. At this point, you still did not have a name. Mommy and Daddy were undecided between Tyler and Jacob. The nurses told us we needed to decide now because they had to fill out all your paper work before we could be released. We decided on Tyler Jackson. Daddy wanted Tyler because your name would start with a T just like his.

That day we hung out in the room and got to know you. During the day you had several visitors: Mrs. Olga and Mr. Jason, Mrs. Cherrisa, Mrs. Dana and Mr. Rodney, Miss Amber and Mr. Steve. We had to spend one more night in the hospital before we were able to go home. You were doing okay with breastfeeding, I was praying that it would get easier. It finally did.

About 1pm the next day, you were finally on your way home. You were greeted by your two dogs Sammy and Bailey.

New Toys

Tyler is having so much fun playing with his new birthday toys. He got so many that I had to put some up for a later date. He loves this little house that we got him.

This one is blurry but its really cute

Lunch Time

It's lunch time in the Henderson household. Tyler is a mess when it comes to eating. To say this boy loves to eat is an understatement. There are very few things that he won't eat. I love the fact that he is a great eater. It makes my life so much easier. Plus I am hoping that he doesn't grow up to be a picky eater like his Mommy and Daddy. Today Tyler had green peas, yellow rice and some beef hotdogs. He loved it all and had so much fun shoving that rice in his mouth.

1st Birthday Party!!

It's party time:) Today we celebrated Tyler's First Birthday. I can't believe it has almost been a year. My baby boy is growing up so fast. We had a great party. Tyler celebrated with a bunch of his friends and his Grandma Sandy flew in just for his party. We had lots of yummy food and cake of course!! Tyler got tons of wonderful presents. He loves them all. He was so cute opening them. Every new toy he opened he wanted to play with right away. He didn't really understand that there were more to open but he will one day. He got so many great toys that I have to put some away for a later date.


To look at more picture at more pictures from Tyler's party click here.

Just For Fun

So I thought it would be really fun to get pictures of Tyler, Troy and I and compare them. I have to say that Tyler is great mix of both Troy and I. It looks like Tyler has Troy's nose, build and face shape but I think that he has my hair, eyes and mouth. I was able to get a hold of some pictures of Troy and I as a baby and I put them together with a pictures of Tyler. Its really cute to see some of the expressions that Tyler has in Troy and I's pictures.

PJs

I have finally found one piece of clothing that they make cuter for little boys. Clothing wise girls win in almost every category, except PJs. I love these new big boy PJs that Tyler is wearing they are so stinkin cute. Here is my little monkey before bed tonight.

Latest Obsession

Tyler seems to do things in spurts. He learns something new and he does it ALL the time. Then he forgets about it for a while and then he will do it again. Well, he is back to one of his old tricks. He has rediscovered his tongue. Its so cute. If you stick your tongue out at him, he will stick his back out at you. I know when he is like 2 or 3 this is going to be a bad thing. But for now its super cute or at least I think it is.

And here is just a random super cute picture of Tyler.

9 Teeth

Tyler has 9 teeth now. He cut the 9th one this past week. I can't believe how many teeth he has already. It seems like he cuts them all in spurts. He cut his first 6 between 6 and 7 months and didn't cut another one until 3 weeks ago. In the past 3 weeks he has cut 3 more teeth. So now he has the 4 middle top, the 4 middle bottom and one top molar. If you look closely at this picture you can see the 4 bottom teeth. You might have to click on it to make it bigger.

Pumpkin Patch

We took Tyler out to the Pumpkin Patch today. WOW was it a huge pumpkin patch. I thought it was just going to be a field of pumpkins but I was wrong. They had all kinds of things set up for the kids to do. They had hay rides, tractor rides, a hay maze, all kinds of bounce houses and all these wooden figures that you could put you head in and get your picture taken. I will definitely be taking Tyler every year. He is going to love this place when he gets a little older.

To look at more pictures from Tyler's first visit to the pumpkin patch click here.

Its Starting to Feel ALOT Like......

Christmas!!! I know its not really Christmas time yet but boy did it get really cold this weekend. Friday night it was freezing. I think it was about 50 degrees all day. So it was time to break out Tyler's winter PJs. And they are so CUTE!! I think they really helped Tyler sleep too. He slept until 8:45 on saturday morning. WOOHOO!! Mommy got to sleep in a little without being woken up by her favorite alarm clock.

Super Cute Video

My baby is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. On Friday I was able to teach him a new trick during bathtime (about 15 mins). He can know give high five and say what sounds like high five!!! I can't believe I was able to teach him this in only 15 mins. Daddy loves this new trick, he thinks its one of the coolest things Tyler does now. He just amazes me with how smart he is:)

Tonight we got a video of Tyler acting super cute. Then we were able to catch his new trick, almost at the end.

WOW!!

All I can say is teething SUCKS big time. In the past four days, Tyler has been refusing food, fussy all the time and just plain miserable. My poor baby. We actually didn't even know it was teething at first. It all started on Thursday after daycare. Tyler was very warm, so I took his temp and it was 102.9. I gave him some Tylenol and just kept an eye on him. About 30 min later, Tyler got really clingy and ended up falling asleep on my lap (not like him at all). He took a short nap and seemed to be feeling a little better. I was getting pretty worried about him. One of the kids in his daycare was diagnosed with Swine Flu, so I was praying this was not the start of that. I checked on him in the middle of the night and he was a little warm, so he got some more Tylenol. Checked on him in the morning and he was fine, his temp was down to 98. Then Friday night his temp spiked again, 102.5. Again he just got some more Tylenol and I kept an eye on him. He was acting fussy and not eating well but nothing that made me think he was really sick.

Then comes Saturday. The day that I love because I get to spend the whole day with my little guy and he was a BIG fussy mess. He was miserable the whole day. Just whining and crying (no temp) and he would hardly eat. About the only time he way happy was at the mall. On Sunday he does the same thing. But this time I felt in his mouth and guess what??? Another tooth. Thank god. Hopefully this means that I will have my happy wonderful baby back. So now his is still cutting his molar (its not all the way through the gum yet) and he is cutting one of his bottom incisors (I think). The bottom one is pretty much cut completely through, so hopefully his normal awesome personality will return soon:)

Bestfriends Forever!!!

Tyler was having so much fun playing with his BFF (Sammy) this afternoon. Sammy didn't really want to play but Tyler was trying his hardest to get him to. Tyler tried to bring Sammy his toy but Sammy didn't budge. So he went and got big dog, Sammy still didn't budge. Soooo......

Tyler went and got one of his toys and brought it to Sammy. To say thanks, Sammy gave Tyler a bunch of kisses. Aww... I know these two are going to love each other in the future:)