Jaundice

Our poor little Luke got diagnosed with a slight case of jaundice.  On the day that we were to be released (10-7-14), the nursery nurse informed me that Luke's jaundice level was at 95% and he most likely would NOT be going home.  I was super bummed to hear this because we were so ready to bust out of the hospital.  They told me that if that was the case, I would be staying in my room as a guest and not a patient until his release.  Dr. Fullmer, our pediatrician, stopped in a little later and told me that Luke was looking well and that he would release him to go home but we would need to take bili-lights with us and use them overnight.  While waiting to be released Luke spent a good couple of hours on the lights at the hospital.  We were told that the bili-light would be delivered to our house but as we were leaving the hospital the company providing them called and said the didn't deliver to our town so we would need to go to Lindon to pick them up.  Talk about a pain in the neck.  We were ready to go home, to get Tyke and be home under our roof as a family of four!  The last thing we wanted to do was drive thirty minutes north to pick up lights before heading home.

We got the lights, which were in the shape of a "blanket" and headed home.  Instead of being able to hold baby Luke we had to strip him down to his diaper and wrap him up in lights.  This "blanket" was about as wide and long as Luke so it didn't really cover much area.   We were able to wrap it around his belly and that's all that got covered.

On Wednesday (10/8/14) after having Luke on lights for 24 hours, we took him to his pediatrician for a visit and a foot poke to check his bili-rubin.  Luke had gained a few ounces of his birth weight back and checked out great.  We were sent home and called a couple of hours later with bad news that his levels had gone up.  And so Luke had to spend another 24 hours on the lights and had to have another doctors visit with another foot poke.  His poor little feet were bruised purple from being so picked on.

Thursday's visit (10/9/14) Dr. Fullmer wasn't in, so we got to meet with Dr. Miller.  He was confused as to why we were only given a light blanket and not the the suitcase lights.  After checking Luke's levels again, and seeing that his numbers had gone up again(!) (which was normal for Luke where he was born nearly three weeks early), he ordered us the suit case and sent us on our way.  We hung around in Payson waiting for the final word from the doctors office of whether the lights would really be delivered or not so we stripped Luke down to his diaper and layed him in the sunlight.  That night around 8 p.m. the lights were delivered and we immediately stuck Luke on them, covering his belly with the blanket so that he would be getting as covered as possible.

Friday (10/10/14) we met with Dr. Fullmer and he apologized for not getting us the suitcase lights to begin with.  He pointed out that Luke's coloring looked really good and that he seemed active which was a good sign.  Luke had his poor foot poked yet again and we were sent on our way.  We anxiously awaited Dr. Fullmer's phone call and really hoped and prayed it would be good news.  The day before, Luke's levels had been over a 17.  Anything close to a 20 meant a possible hospital stay and we were nervous that that was where we were headed.  Dr. Fullmer called around 6 p.m. that night and gave us the good news!  Luke's levels had dropped to a 14.7!  Because he had dropped nearly three points the doctor told us we wouldn't need to come back in for another foot poke, yay!  He told us to keep Luke on the lights until Sunday night and then we could be done with them!

By Sunday night Luke was looking great and he was loving being snuggled by anyone that would hold him!  We're so glad to be done with the lights!!  Yay for no more jaundice!!

Birthday!

Our little guy decided to make his big debut a few days early!  I had been commenting to nearly everyone that I would be okay with it if baby boy Long decided to come a few days early.  I was miserable!  I was huge and exhausted and just plain tired of being pregnant.  

At our weekly doctor visit with Dr. Nance I was dilated to a 1 and 75% thinned.  Dr. Nance said that if he was a betting man we'd be back the next week for another doctors appointment.  Chad got excited and asked if he dared go elk hunting that weekend.  Dr. Nance looked at him funny and said, "probably not."  

On Saturday while we were on our bi-weekly grocery shopping trip we ran into Dr. Nance at Costco.  He asked how we were doing and how I was feeling.  "No baby yet huh?"  Nope... He then told us, "well, don't have it tonight." and smiled.  I told him and his wife not to worry because I was just sure this little guy was going to be as stubborn as Tyke was and most likely come days late, just because I was so ready to be done.  We got our shopping done and called it a day.  

Chad and I were both tired from chasing Tyke around the stores.  After getting groceries put away and comfy clothes put on we settled down for the night to watch movies.  Tyke was still being wild and he got in trouble with me when he rammed his big Tonka dump truck into my knee, not once but three times!  After the third time he got a time out.  Chad took him to talk to him and Tyke fell right to sleep.  He tends to get mean when he's tired.  I felt bad that Tyke had fallen asleep without he and I having a little talk and making up.  I hate going to bed with hard feelings, even though I know Tyke doesn't know the difference yet.  

Chad and Tyke were snuggled on the couch and I had my feet kicked up in the recliner.  I had just dozed off when I felt a strange pinch down low and two gushes of fluid.  I gasped and sat straight up, scaring Chad half to death.  He jumped right up and asked what was wrong.  I sat there for a second trying to decided if I had been dreaming, if I had just peed my pants, or if my water had just broke!  I told him, "I don't think I just peed my pants!  You better go grab me a towel!"  He ran to get me a towel and I just sat there.  I still wasn't sure if I was dreaming or not.  I eventually got brave enough to move and stood up to go to the bathroom and check.  Sure enough, my water had broken!  It was around 11:45 p.m.  

My first instinct was to call my sister Stephanie to see what she thought (she's the only sister that's been through the water breaking experience) but when I noticed the time I decided against it and called my mom instead.  I told her what I thought but that I wasn't sure (my biggest fear would be to arrive at the hospital just to be told I had peed my pants).  She told me to call the hospital and see what they thought and then call her back.  I called up to Mountain View Hospital and told them what had happened but that I wasn't having any pain at all.  They advised me to come and get checked out anyway.  And so we scrambled to pack bags and any last minute items, I called my mom to meet us at the freeway to take Tyke, and we headed north.  

Before leaving the house I had a complete breakdown.  I cried and cried because I was not ready for this to be happening right now!  Not so soon!  I wasn't ready to leave my baby Tyke for his first sleep over.  I was upset that I would be dropping him off in the middle of the night without getting to say goodbye and without having our talk about our fight.  I cried the whole way to Mona, and then I cried even harder when we loaded Tyke up in my mom's car and left him.  It was honestly the hardest goodbye I've ever had to do even though I knew he was in good hands and it would only be a few hours before seeing him again.  

We got on the freeway and officially headed to the hospital around 12:30 a.m.  The entire ride to Payson I cried on and off and could not shut up.  I talked Chad's ear off.  I went from being excited and happy to complete breakdown all in one breath.  Chad drove like a mad man and I kept telling him to slow down, we had plenty of time.  He wouldn't listen though.  I was surprised how calm I was (besides my crying) and that I still had no pains.  He was freaked out that we were going to have a baby on the side of the road.  We got to the hospital in record time and checked in through the emergency room.  The entire time they were asking me questions to check us in I was standing in an odd position making them think I was in pain.  I wasn't, I just didn't like the feeling of the water leaking.  

By 1:30 a.m. we were finally admitted into labor and delivery and they had me change into a gown and get into bed.  We got the monitors put on the baby and then the nurse checked me.  Sure enough, my water had broken and I was dilated to a two!  We were here to stay until this baby boy got here!  I had an IV put in that took five tries before the nurses were finally successful (I bruised bad from each and every attempt too!).  After getting a bag of fluid in my body and two bags of antibiotics (I had tested positive for Strep B) Dr. Nance ordered that I be started on the pit to get things moving along faster.  

Around 3:30 a.m. I was started on pitocin.  After about a half an hour I started to finally feel some contractions.  At 4:00 a.m. Dr. Nance ordered the nurses to put internal monitors on the baby because the monitors on my belly just weren't cutting it.  The nurses advised that it would be more comfortable for me to have them inserted if I had my epidural in and asked if I was ready for it.  I definitely was!  I'm no wimp but my pains were getting more and more frequent and stronger by the minute.  I was scared to death that I would miss my window of opportunity to have my epidural and I knew I wouldn't be able to have this kid naturally.  (I know I could have, women do it all the time, but not this one!)  The nurses called anestesia to order my epidural and around 5:00 a.m. it was in and I was feeling good.  It was nice to only have to feel contractions for less than an hour.  My right leg went completely numb but my left leg never did and I was able to move it.  This epidural was a bit more painful to get than my epidural with Tyke.  I was dilated to a five by now.  I was really surprised at how fast things were moving along this round, it was nice!

Around 8 a.m. the nurses shift changed and my new nurse came in to check on me.  I was dilated to a 7, 100% thinned and the baby had moved down lower.  The nurse decided that it was time to prep the room and get everything out and ready.  At this point Chad started to look a little nervous and made the comment that things were starting to get real!  Within thirty minutes I was at an 8, and about ten minutes after that Dr. Nance showed up and started checking me.  I was at a nine and he said he'd be back in a few minutes to get this baby here.  

At 9:03 a.m. the room filled up with help and it was go time!  I can honestly say that this labor and delivery went so much smoother and less painful than Tyke's!  I was able to hold my breath to the count of ten, watch what was going on, talk and laugh with the doctor and staff, and push with no problem.  Within four sets of pushing our little guy was here!  Luke Chad Long arrived at 9:16 a.m weighing in at 6 pounds 12 ounces and measuring 20 1/2 inches long!  Chad was able to cut the cord this time (with Tyke he wasn't able to because it was wrapped around his neck).  The nurses took Luke and cleaned him up before bringing him to me for some skin to skin time.  I was in love!  Another beautiful little boy added to our little family!  

I was able to enjoy skin to skin time for quite a while before I finally let Chad have a turn at holding our cute little guy.  It was nice having time to be just the three of us before visitors started coming.  We spent quite a while in the labor and delivery room loving on our little Luke before the nurses came in to help get me moved and take Luke for his check up and first bath.  

While Chad and Luke headed to the nursery for that, I got moved to my room.  I felt so good I could have walked if the nurses would have let me.  I didn't hurt at all, a big difference from when I had Tyke.  I spent quite a while in my new room before Chad and Luke showed up.

I had requested that Tyke be Luke's first visitor and he was, thanks to Aunt Jenny and Nana!  Tyke was pretty excited about his new little brother, a reaction I wasn't quite expecting.  I expected him to be jealous and weery of Luke but he just loved him!  It was so cute watching him interact with his new little buddy!

We had quite a few visitors for the next couple of hours/days.  Even with all of the visitors we were able to spend quite a bit of time to ourselves which was nice.  Chad's plans were to stay at the hospital with Luke and I but we decided it would be best if he went home at night to be with Tyke, which turned out to be a good thing.  Tyke came and visited as much as possible which I loved, but he definitely got bored quickly.  Luckily he had lots of people to come and entertain him and take him for rides.  It was a good hospital experience all around but we were ready to get home and be a family of four under one roof.  It was hard having us split up like we were.  

 

We were scheduled to be released on Tuesday!  Dr. Nance showed up in my room super early that morning, somewhere between 5 & 5:30 a.m. and told me I could go home and he'd get the paper work started.  I text Chad to let him know we'd be able to go home that morning.  A couple of hours later Luke was brought in and the nurse informed me that his jaundice levels were pretty high and that she was pretty sure he would have to stay another night and be put on the lights.  Luke spent the morning on the lights in the nursery while I got our things packed up and ready to go.  Luckily Dr. Fullmer released him that afternoon with orders for us to have him on lights at home.  We were all discharged from the hospital by noon!  Instead of getting to go home we had to take a detour to Lindon to pick up the lights for Luke.  

We made a quick stop at Grandma Cheryl's house to pick up Tyke and headed home!  It felt so good to be home and to have our little family of four under one roof finally!  We love our little Luke so much and we're so thankful that he's ours!  He completes our family!  Life is good!

36 Weeks!

Yay!!!  We're officially 36 weeks this week and so ready for this journey to be over!  Only 4 weeks to go until we get to meet our new baby boy!  I start visiting Dr. Nance weekly starting Tuesday morning.  He's betting that I won't go into labor early with this little guy either (Tyke was 3 days past due date and came one day before I was scheduled to be induced).  It's so crazy to me how fast this pregnancy has gone!  This round has been a lot easier on me but at the same time I feel like it's been harder.  I have Tyke to chase around now instead of relaxing and trying to get comfortable.  I'm huge and sore everywhere!  I have cankles and can't stand for long periods of time.  I've got a good waddle going on when I walk.  I have a hard time catching my breath, I get exhausted super easy, and my stomach has no more stretch to give I swear.  I've been having braxton hicks daily and sometimes they're a little painful.  This baby is running out of room and he let's me know so!  Some of his movements take my breath away and make me flinch because they hurt.  I'm nervous that he's going to be HUGE compared to what Tyke was.  Being on a high dose of prednisone (which is why I have felt so great this round) has got me worried that this little guy won't be so little.  I guess we'll see...  We have a few things to finish up at home to feel really prepared for our baby boy.  We have the car seat cleaned and ready to go and just need to pack for all three, I mean four, of us (I have mine and baby's stuff together, just need to get it in a bag).  Hurry up October 24th!!!  Or sooner, I'd be just fine with that! =)

Pumpkins!

Daddy and Tyke cleaned out the garden the other day.  We failed this year at using most of our veggies that we grew.  Between work and not feeling good our poor garden got neglected.  It still produced plenty for us, but there was plenty of waste too.  We enjoyed zucchini, squash, spaghetti squash, peas, tomatoes, jalapenos and onions!  And to finish it all off Tyke got himself fifteen pumpkins, off of one plant!  He had so much fun helping his Daddy play in the dirt and load the pumpkins up in his wagon.  A lot of them were too heavy for him to handle but sure did try his hardest to move them.  

After loading up the wagon Chad pulled it around to the front of the house so we could do a little fall decorating, shocking, I know!  Without even having to be asked Tyke went to the back of the wagon and pushed, helping his Daddy out.  He sure got a little workout doing so!  He was darn proud of himself for the work he had done and so were we!  

Puzzles

Our little guy is smart!  Anything we try to teach him he picks right up on.  He may not do or say it right but he sure tries his hardest!  Aunt Jenny bought Tyke a few wooden puzzles a while ago.  We have been slackers and haven't gotten them out as much as we should.  We finally did the other night just to see how Tyke would do.  Well, he hasn't got the hang of it yet but he sure tries hard to make those little wooden piece hook together.  He has been spending lots of time concentrating on them and trying his hardest to make them work.  Last night he came into our bedroom super excited yelling for me, "Mom! Mom! Mom!"  I asked him what and he threw his hands in the air and exclaimed, "Tada!!"  grabbed my hand and took me into his bedroom.  He pointed at the puzzle and looked at me with the biggest, proudest grin on his face!  He hadn't put it together but he had managed to fit 5 or 6 pieces together and was so excited to show off his hard work.  It made me smile and tear up a little bit.  I'm proud of my boy!  I'm proud that he tries so hard to makes things work.  I'm proud that he gets so excited and proud of himself.  And I'm happy that he comes and gets me and Chad to show us just what he has done!  Life is good!

Routines

I need to write this down before it's forgotten.  I'm always telling my mom and sisters stories about Tyke, some are funny and some are frustrating.  My mom always tells me, "Write it down because before you know it he'll be done doing that and you'll forget."  It's true!  I miss my little guy telling me, "Eva!" is his sassy tone.  I didn't think I would, but I do.  There are other things too but I honestly can't remember them.  It's both sad and fun watching Tyke grow and learn so fast!  Tyke is a funny little guy.  He has a mind of his own and does things the way HE wants to do them.  He has a few little routines that he's done for a while now but they're slowly changing into new ones.

Every morning, without fail, he leans over me and whispers, "Mom, mom, mom" while tapping me on the shoulder.  As soon as I answer he lays his head down on my arm and says, "Mil?" (milk?)  I get up to go and get him some milk and he immediately dives into his Daddy's arms to snuggle and wait for me to come back.  As soon as I hand him his sippy, he takes three or four big gulps before coming up for air and saying, "Dank you!" and then goes back to drinking his milk.  After he's somewhat satisfied he'll stop drinking and point to the TV and say, "Toons?"  And we turn on some cartoons to watch while we get ready for the day.  He no longer puts up a fight while getting dressed and in fact tries to help us out.  He decides which arms and legs go in first, and which foot gets socks first.  After dressing him he makes sure that all of the doors are shut and then he carries his diaper out to the garbage and throws it away.  For breakfast (and sometimes dinner too) he always requests, "waffles!"  While we wait for his waffle, we make him some chocolate milk and he helps us put his shoes on.  As soon as every thing's ready to go he gives me a hug and kiss and he and his Daddy head out the door to Grandma's house.  

When we get home from work/baby sitters, the first thing Tyke does is to run in the house, grab his pool noodle horse and go around flipping on all of the lights and the ceiling fan.  He has to do this, and he proudly does, before he will play with his toys. 

When it's getting close to dinner time he helps me out in the kitchen.  He's usually right in the way, nearly tripping me, but he loves the action.  He's constantly saying my name, "Mom, mom, mom, mom!" and then telling me that the stove is, "Hoooootttttaaaaa!!!!" (hot) and shakes his hands in the air saying, "Ow, ow, ow."  He's never been burned before, I guess we've just taught him well that hot = ouch.  Once dinner is done and I start dishing up plates he tries so hard to take his clothes off. (We always strip him down to his diaper for meals, it's easier on the clothes that way even though he doesn't make very big messes with food).  After we take of his clothes he runs over to his highchair and tries to climb it.  We put him in and he's ready to go!  Of course he doesn't eat dinner very well lately, he's turned into a picky eater again, but I know it's just a phase.  Once HE'S done with dinner he cleans up and hands us his plate and sippy cup saying, "All don!"  He's very persistent and will keep repeating himself until we take his plate away.  He can't stand to have it sitting in front of him.  If we don't take it, he starts throwing food at us.  Little goof ball!

At night time before he gets bathed, I always ask him if he needs to go potty.  We strip him down naked and tell him to sit on his chair.  Before he can do so he has to shut the bedroom door, the bathroom door, the toilet lid, open his potty chair, goof off for a few minutes and then he finally sits down and goes potty.  As soon as he's done he dumps the dish in the toilet, flushes it, puts things back together, closes the lids and then tries his hardest to climb in the tub.

It's fun watching our little man be so independent and in such a routine that he doesn't skip a beat!

20 Months Old

Our big boy is 20 months old today!  It really is mind blowing how fast the months are flying by and how fast and big our little Tyke is growing.  This kid keeps us on our toes!  He's full of life and sass and happiness.

Tyke's little personality is exploding lately.  He is such a little goof ball and tries hard to make us laugh.  He's wild and has so much energy.  He's trying really hard to learn how to jump.  He practices jumping on the couches and his bed.  He also tries jumping off of the steps and logs outside.  He scares me half to death with his bravery!  He's pretty darn cute to watch tough.  He crouches down, springs up really fast, and then just steps off of the steps.  Eventually he's going to get it figured out.  For now though he's a bit clumsy about it and he's got the bruises to prove it.

Tyke loves to introduce Chad and I to each other, constantly!  He just gets so excited when we are all together after a long day at work.  He'll tap Chad on the shoulder and repeat "dad, dad, dad!" until Chad says "what?"  Then he'll point at me and tell him "momma!" with a big grin on his face.  As soon as Chad has been introduced to me, it's my turn to be introduced to him.  "Mom, mom, mom!"  "What?"  "Dadda!"  and this little ritual is repeated at least three to four times before he'll move onto something else.  And then, randomly throughout the rest of the day he'll start re-introducing us.  It's adorable!
  
Tyke is always babbling something.  Most of the time we can understand him but there are a few long phrases he says that have us confused.  He talks really well for his age and people are always impressed when they find out he's only 20 months old.  I think that his height and speech throw people off.  He looks and acts older than he really is.  Tyke communicates really well and lets us know what he does and doesn't want.  He's always requesting "mil hah hah" (milk, hop hop), aka chocolate milk, which is his favorite.  He even opens the pantry door and points to the chocolate milk mix.  If he doesn't want milk then he'll request "wa-wa" (water).  He will not drink something he doesn't want, if we get him the wrong thing he'll let us know until we dump it out and get it right.  Tyke is getting really good at saying words starting with the letter P.  I'm not sure how we got on this kick but his new words are: pinch, purple, push and pee.  He likes to pinch while saying the word pinch in a questioning tone, like he's asking if it's OK?  I'll tell him ouch and he'll immediately let got and say, "mom, mom, mom, dar-o!" (Dar-o is sorry in his language).  He is constantly climbing in his truck and asking us to push him.  He thinks that's the neatest thing ever and both Chad and I get exhausted with it.  Tyke can identify the color purple.  It all started two weeks ago when we went shopping and at one store the shopping carts were bright purple.  I told him they were purple and ever since then he points out that color whenever he sees it.  He's a smart little thing!  And his favorite word is pee.  He's constantly telling us he has to go pee.  Most of the time he really does but usually he's just teasing us.  Potty training, when we really get serious about it, might be totally exhausting with this kid!  Other words/phrases he says lately (that my preggo brain can think of...): no, no no!, ew, mom, dad (which have to be repeated three times before he'll tell us what he has to say), Gamma, Bampa, Nanna, Way (Quade), Eegon (Teagon), Way-Way (Waylon), Bowda (Bowdee), choo choo (he loves trains), ka-coon (raccoon),  eeze (please), fla (flag), and whoo hoo!  Anytime he gets excited about getting to see someone he throws his arms in the air screams "whoo hoo!"  It's adorable.

Tyke can identify quite a few of his body parts now.  We haven't really practiced much with him but somehow he just knows.  He can identify by saying and point to his: nose, eyes, ears, mouth, hair, belly button, knee, toes, elbow and fingers!  He can also identify his back but only when he's in the tub or getting lotioned up after bath time.  He likes to lay on his belly in the tub and pretend likes he's swimming.  As soon as I start soaping him up he says, "mom, back!" and points at his back.  When it's lotion time he always immediately flips over to his belly and points at his back while saying, "mom, back!"  He holds so still while I rub lotion on his back and give him a little back massage.  Chad says he's spoiled but that's OK.  It's nice that the little stinker will hold still for two seconds.

Tyke likes to be in charge of what he eats.  For the most part we let him decide what he wants.  Occasionally we just dish him up whatever we feel like which doesn't really work too well in our favor.  The kid loves cheese and will gobble macaroni and cheese, grilled cheese sandwiches and cheese quesadillas right down.  The only problem is if he eats to much cheese it results in him waking up the middle of the night throwing up.  Tyke is getting to the point now where he refuses to use a "baby" spoon or fork and has to have the real deal like us.  He does really well with it too!  He also is very persistent on getting to use the salt and pepper shakers.  He will throw the biggest fit if we don't let him use them.  It's getting to the point where we have to hide them from him and be sneaky about flavoring our food without him seeing.  Tyke doesn't miss a thing!

Tyke has a few new "obsessions" that he likes.  He will zone out if a football game is on, even if it's just a commercial he stops dead in his tracks and zones in on it.  Speaking of football, the boy can throw the ball really well and practices daily.  He will entertain himself for quite sometime throwing it over the couches and then running around to find it and throw it again.  He's also started "hiking" the ball, which we're not really sure where he learned that, unless it's from watching the games.  Tyke also really likes the actress Jennie Garth.  I have no idea why, but every time a commercial comes on with her on it he goes running to the TV set and just stares at her.  It's pretty funny.  Tyke's other obsession, that's been going on for a while now, is trains.  He likes playing with them, watching cartoons on them, and hearing them drive through town and he lets us know.  He'll pat us on the arm and say, "mom, mom, mom, (or dad, dad, dad), choo choo!"  While throwing his arms in the air like his honking the horn.

Sometimes we think Tyke has hit the terrible two's (we have been for a while now) and others we wonder if he's got a little teenager attitude in him.  He's starting to get really good at throwing fits now and can cry on the spot if he wants to.  He's stubborn.  He likes to tease.  He will do something like steal one of our pillows, or eat a chocolate chip without sharing and look at us, shakes his head from side to side and smile while saying, "Ha! Ha!"  It's adorable!!  He argues.  He has a mean punch!  He's sassy with his conversations.  He's starting to throw toys if he gets mad at us.  And he has got a hot little head when it comes to his temper and things not working out his way (he might have a little Grandpa Terry in him haha).  Even with all of that attitude though he is such a sweetheart!  He likes to cuddle and snuggle.  He gives us kisses and hugs.  He makes sure I have a blanket on my lap when we're sitting on the couch.  He shares his food with his Daddy.  And he's man of the house by making sure that things are taken care of.  He makes sure that all of the doors are closed before we leave the house in the mornings and he makes sure to turn on all of the lights and the ceiling fan when we get home in the afternoons.  He also lets us know that we need to go and check the mail by telling us "mayo" and pointing at the front door.  He loves doing chores (for now) and is the best helper!

Tyke is currently wearing size 18 month-24 month clothes and some 2T.  The 18 month shirts are getting to be a bit tight and we'll be retiring them soon.  He likes to help get himself dressed now.  Tyke's in a size 7 shoe!  And he doesn't have much growing room left in them.  We just recently moved Tyke up to size 5 diapers.  And our little guys still only has twelve teeth.  His canine teeth look like all four of them are getting close to popping through but nothing yet.  He did have one cut through in August, but a couple of days later it had disappeared.  I have no clue what Tyke weighs now but he is starting to get solid!  I also have no clue how tall he is now but he can no longer run underneath the counters without banging his poor little head, and height wise he hits me at the hips.  He's growing up too fast!

Happy 20 months little guy!  We sure do love you!!

Labor Day Weekend 2014

We had a great Labor Day weekend!  We camped, once again, with the Kay & Sutherland clan.  We had quite the crowd this year (not as big as last year but still fun).  Tyke had a blast playing with so many other little people.  He hung out close to cousins Kayson and Swasey.  Cousins Joey and Whitlee were so good to keep all of the little munchkins entertained.  They took them on walks, wagon rides and played games with them nearly the entire time.  It was fun seeing so many little kiddos playing together, another generation of the Kay's/Sutherland's.  These two families have been camping together for as long as anyone can remember!  

Saturday was full of yummy food and fun.  We did potluck breakfast with everyone and for dinner we cooked our own meat and brought potluck to the table again.  We ate so much food that day it was ridiculous!  Tyke did well to chow down on the yummy stuff everyone had prepared.  His favorites were: at breakfast the french toast and hash browns, and at dinner the jello salads and corn on the cob.  He thought he was so cool sitting at the table with his little friends.  Uncle Rick gave Tyke a horse ride and he thought that was pretty cool too.  

Sunday morning we got up and ventured out to the camp fire to hang out for a while.  Chad eventually started breakfast for us but not before Tyke helped himself to Lisa and Stephanie's grub.  They had just sat their families down for breakfast and Tyke climbed right up on the bench between Joey and Whitlee and fixed himself a plate of pancakes.  The little beggar!  He ate them and then left, leaving us all laughing.  Our breakfast was done and we went to sit with Uncle Drew and Aunt Char.  Tyke had his own little plate of food his Daddy had dished up for him but it didn't stop him from helping himself to Drew and Char's food too.  So for breakfast that day he had pancakes, an egg and cheese burrito, and french toast.  I couldn't believe how much he ate!  After breakfast Chad cleaned up most of our camp gear and left to go help on an elk hunt down south.  Tyke and I hung out at camp until nearly 4 p.m. and then we loaded up the car and headed home.  We had planned on staying the night up the canyon but Tyke had started to sound a little croupy and wheezy and I was afraid he was getting sick again.  I didn't want to be in the mountains, unprepared, if he did.  So we called it a weekend and went home.  I gave him a vapor bath and that helped a lot.  By the next morning he was good as new!

I'm so glad we got to camp with the gang again this year.  All in all it was a great weekend and our little guy never stopped playing.  There was never a dull moment and always tons of yummy food and good conversation.  We are so lucky!

Overnight Getaway

 For a while now we have talked about taking Tyke to the zoo.  We had hoped to go in the spring time, before I was way pregnant and miserable but life got too busy and we kept putting it off.  As summer winded down and cherry season ended I told Chad that we needed a little weekend getaway BAD!  He agreed!  And so, I booked us a room in Salt Lake (which is kind of lame considering it's only an hours drive away) and we took Friday off from work.  We were loaded and gone by 10 a.m.  Tyke napped the entire drive which was probably a good thing.  He was well rested and ready to run once we got to the zoo.  We arrived just before noon and checked out all of the animals.  We only missed one building in our adventure but that's OK.  Tyke loved the zoo!

The leopard wanted him for lunch (it was eery how he looked at Tyke and none of the other kids, he seriously wanted to grab him!), and the gorilla freaked Tyke out.  He was sitting right at the window watching the kids and being so calm.  Tyke eventually warmed up and waved at him.  We finished off our zoo experience with a little train ride that was the highlight of Tyke's day!  As soon as our ride was over the rain started up and we left for our hotel.  Our timing couldn't have been better!

We stayed at the Little America.  Our room wasn't all that great but it did the job.  It rained so hard the rest of the day and night.  We enjoyed relaxing and napping with the sliding door open so we could enjoy the cool breeze and rain storm.  Around 5:30 p.m. we decided to go and find some dinner.  We ate at Tucanos at the Gateway.  Tyke has never ate better than he did that night.  He ate and ate and ate and tried so many different things (no chicken hearts for him though, nice try Daddy!) but he really chowed down on pasta in Alfredo sauce, mashed potatoes, and watermelon.  He even ate a little bit of meat that was brought by our table.  Chad and I were done eating long before Tyke was.  We sat at our table an extra twenty to thirty minutes while he finished up his meal.  We were both impressed!

The next morning we wasted no time getting out of Salt Lake.  We stopped at a Village Inn for breakfast, and once again Tyke pigged out on his meal.  Afterwards we headed to Riverton to the Holman Family Reunion.  We bought tickets for the Ruby's Raffle and Tyke won big!  He won treats galore, a coloring book and crayons, a mini basketball, Nemo go-fish cards, and a Mickey Mouse story book!  After the raffle was over it was time to get serious and win some money.  A tarp was layed out with a big pile of sawdust on it.  Underneath all of that sawdust was candy and $100 in quarters!  Tyke killed it and walked away with two small bags full of candy and quarters ($23.50 to be exact!).  

After the reunion we worked our way home stopping at a few places to shop and doing some grocery shopping as well.  It was a much needed little vacay but we were so glad to be back home!

Salamander!

Chad was mowing the lawn tonight and somehow managed to see a salamander struggling in the grass.  He was within inches of running it over.  He came in the house and got us to come and see.  Tyke was pretty excited about it until I put it in his hand and then he started to freak out a little bit.  I was afraid he was going to squish it like a bug (because he likes squishing bugs) but he was fairly gentle with it.  We put the salamander in a cup of water and sat it where he could do what he wanted.  When we checked on him later he was gone.  

Millers Flat

We were able to squeeze another camping trip in before summer ends.  Chris and Danielle invited us to camp with them up Fairview canyon in Millers Flat.  We had a great time and and ate some really yummy food (as always!).  We were able to get a little bit of fishing in even though we never caught anything (we've had no luck at all all summer with the fishing).  Tyke had a blast having his own fishing pole to play in the water with.  He thought it was fun to try and play swords with me and my pole.  He had so much playing his little heart out the entire weekend.  He played in the dirt, played with the remote control car, and got really brave/adventurous with riding his bike.  He made motorcycle sounds while driving through every hole he could find.  We had a great time and we're glad we were able to go!  We'll probably only get one more trip in this year before the baby arrives, summer is winding down and so is this Momma!

19 Months Old

Our little guy is 19 months old now!  He is getting quite the little personality and has turned into a sassy little toddler overnight, I swear!  He's still a sweetheart but he definitely has a naughty, sassy side.

Tyke does really well at entertaining himself.  He loves to play with his toys and he loves it even more when he has friends to play with.  He plays well with others for the most part but he's starting to turn into a little bully.  If someone else has what he wants he will go after it and fight for it.  We're trying our hardest to teach him to share and take turns but it's hard when he has so much competition and they bully him here and there too.  Tyke loves playing with his trucks, tractors, farm animals and trains.  He is so obsessed with trains lately!  He also spends a lot of time riding his Strider bike around the house and yard.  He loves that things and he is getting more and more brave at how he rides it.  He loves making motorcycle noises (which I'm guessing he learned from playing motorcycle games on his Daddy's phone) and "revving" the engine before plowing into the couches or cupboards.  He hits them so hard his back tire pops off the ground a good six inches or so!  He then backs up and does it again, repeatedly.  It's quite entertaining to watch but he is almost a little too wild for this Momma to handle watching!  He's wild and gets goofy while riding and will eventually "crash" his bike and fall off, very dramatically.  He lays his bike down, sits down on it, says "ohhh" and then tips back and rolls across the floor until he's done "falling off".  It's so funny to watch!  Tyke is definitely a little character!

Tyke has started to hold my hand a lot lately.  He will climb up on the couch, or wherever I'm sitting, and grab my hand, intertwine his fingers in mine, and sit and hold my hand.  He'll keep looking up at me and smiling.  The other night he even came over to me while I was cooking dinner and grabbed my hand and held it while leaning his head against my leg for a hug.  It totally melts this Momma's heart!!!  I can't get enough of it!

Our little guy KNOWS how to get our attention.  He will repeat "mom" or "dad" a hundred times if he has too!  He will stay stuck on repeat, no matter how many times we say "what?" until we look him in the eye and say "what" at the same time.  Sometimes he will even pat our shoulders at the same time.  Smart little stinker!  He's constantly calling out for us to watch him do a new trick or to point out something of interest to him.  He's captain obvious when it comes to a lot of things but it's adorable and we love that he thinks his little world is important enough to share with us.  I'll bet we hear our names call a few hundred times a day!  It never gets old for him, but for us, well... Seriously though, we love it!

Tyke's vocabulary continues to grow.  He tries his hardest to repeat things when we ask him too, most of the time with success.  There are a few things he says and does that we have no idea where he learned them but I'm sure it's from hanging out with all of his cousins.  A few new words/phrases are: "ba" (bath), "bed" (for night night time the "d" is silent when he says it), "fla" (flag, he gets so excited every time he sees the American flag), "pee" (when he has to go potty), "moo-eee" (when he wants us to play a movie in the car, which is every time we go for a ride, no matter how short or long), "dar-ee" (sorry, which he says instantly when we say "ow"), "Dare-O" (Darian), "ugh-ta" (when he insists on us taking something he's offering), "hop-hop" (for chocolate milk because of the bunny on the container.  He even tries to jump but never quite gets his feet off the ground).  "MINE!" is a favorite, he says it with attitude and he hides the item behind his back with a little scowl on his face. "Daaaaa-Ah! (Dad, when he's in trouble, which is often), and my least favorite new word is "Eva!" (Ever=whatever)  He says it with such sass when we get after him for hitting or kicking, etc.  We tell him "No Tyke, that's not nice!" and he swats his hands at us while saying "Eva!"  It's so hard not to laugh sometimes but oh my is it irritating.  He's a stubborn little thing when it comes to disciplining him and we're at a loss with what to do?  He either laughs at us or gives us the "Eva!" attitude.  

Roni-man understands commands and usually listens really well and does them too.  He almost always questions us before diving into his "chores" with a simple: "Yeah?!"  He says it with a smile on his face and in his voice.  Once we reply "yeah" he gets right to work!  When we tell him it's time for dinner he tries to take off his shirt and then tries to climb his high chair.  He still needs lots of help with that.  When we tell him to grab his sippy cup from the other room he runs right to it and brings it right back to us.  He helps me fold laundry by handing me one piece at a time out of the laundry basket, he usually goes too fast for me to keep up and he lets me know it!  He helps make the beds by handing us pillows and/or trying to lift the blankets up to us.  He helps pick up his toys.  He uses his pool noodle horse (a silly little toy we bought at the Pioneer Day celebration and he loves it!) to flip on all of the lights in the house and the ceiling fans.  He is really proud about that task that he can do!  If the fan is already on he gets upset with us because that's his job now!  He can fold his arms (it surprised us the first time he did this because we had never taught him to fold his arms before, not sure who taught him?).  Tyke will turn on the surround sound and bring us the remote control to turn on the TV so he can watch his cartoons.  He thinks he's such a big boy and has to help with nearly everything that we do!  He's always at his Daddy's heels following him around and being his shadow.  We love it!

Tyke has been going pee in the potty for a week now and he does great.  He still has his wet diapers, and he doesn't potty train while at the sitters, but at home he definitely lets us know when he needs to go and if he wants to or not.  He'll come up to us and say, "mom/dad, pee!" and grab himself.  We'll ask if he needs to go and he'll either run to the bathroom and let us help him go or he'll very sternly tell us "no!"  For the most part though, he goes and he does great at it!  He knows the routine and when he's done will dump his potty into the toilet, flush it and then we wash his hands.  He's so smart!!  Other bathroom duties he's good at is getting his bath ready, he loves to check the water temp for us, and brushing his teeth.  The boy LOVES to brush his teeth and we sometimes use it as bribery to get him to do things.

Tyke is growing up so fast!  He is tall and skinny and when he stands next to me his little head is right at my hips.  I have no idea how this happened so fast?!  He's tall enough now that he barely clears the counters in the kitchen so we need to start blocking them so he won't bonk his head when wildly running past.  Tyke is slowly moving into 24 month clothing now, mainly in the jammies department.  He wears 18-24 month jeans and most are floods on him.  He's just so tall!  His t-shirts are starting to get snug which means it's time for this mommy to do some shopping!  Tyke's shoe size is between a 6 and 7 now.  And he's still in size 4 diapers.  He still only has twelve teeth for now.  I sometimes think I can see new ones coming to the surface but he doesn't let me get a good enough look to know for sure.

We sure love our little guy and are having a blast watching him grow and learn each and every day!