Tyler's First Steps

Here is some video of Tyler's first unassisted steps on July 26th, 2011. Don't worry . . . he took some spills but no injuries or crying!

1 year old

Tyler is now one year old! Where has the year gone? It has just flown by and we have had so much fun watching our baby turn into a little boy. In fact, just this morning, Dave and I were looking at pictures of Ty and commenting how he looks nothing like he did when he was a baby. I know its been a while since I last updated the blog, so let me fill you in on what's been going on since my last post . . .
We celebrated our first Mother's and Father's Day in May and June. It was lots of fun and Tyler took good care of each of us on our special days. For Mother's Day, Grandpa Gerry and Grandma DeeDee came down for a visit. We had a wonderful weekend full of visits to the toy store and a lovely brunch on Mother's Day morning. For Father's Day, Uncle Brian was in town and Dave and him attended the US Open. They had a great time and we loved spending time with Uncle Brian by the pool and at the historic sites downtown.
In May, Grandma Ruzilla came down and spent some time with Tyler while Dave and I had a mini vacation in San Diego for a few days. Thanks Grandma Ruzilla!! When we returned, we headed down to Virginia Beach for the weekend. It was our first stay in a hotel and it was quite successful. It was nice to see some of our old neighbors and friends. We sure do miss everyone!
Of course we had a few trips up to New York including July 4th weekend. We had a fantastic time celebrating Tyler's First Birthday with family and friends. It was a hectic weekend as usual but so nice that we had the chance to see everyone.
On Ty's actual birthday, we had another party at our house with our friends and neighbors in Virginia. It was a hot day but everyone had a good time and Tyler had some more cake! He was not complaining!
And now we just returned from our first vacation. We went down to Florida with Grammy Eileen and Grandpa Ed and had a great time. It was filled with a lot of "firsts": first cab ride (to the airport) and first flight (Tyler did fantastic). We spent most of our time by the pool relaxing and swimming. Tyler even started taking his morning naps outside on a lounge chair so that we could continue to enjoy the morning sun. It was really fantastic and Tyler is a good traveler (must be all the practice he's had going up to NY).
So its been a busy few months (as those are just some of the highlights!). Other noteworthy things, Tyler began crawling on June 14th. Yes, at 11 months old! We thought for sure he would go right to walking, but he surprised us all. He now has 7 teeth total (4 on top, 3 on the bottom). He loves to dance to music and loves to ride his bike (thank you Grandpa Michael and Nana). Just this past week (July 26th), Tyler started walking! He is still a bit unsteady and often prefers to crawl since he knows he will eventually fall when he's walking but he is really getting the hang of it. He is totally obsessed with climbing stairs and splashing in Stella's water bowl (poor dog!). His last visit to the pediatrician went very well . . . he was 31 inches long and weighed 24 lbs. 6 oz.

HAPPY EASTER!

Like most, I broke my New Year's Resolution before the New Year really even began! I had said that I was going to be more diligent in updating the blog . . . well, it's over 3 months since that last post! Anyways . . .

Happy Easter Everyone! It is Easter Sunday and this is a picture we took this morning of Tyler on the swing at a playground right by our house. It's a beautiful day today and we just love being outside.

Ty is doing fantastic! He is a little over 9 months old. The stats from his last doctor's visit . . . 22 lbs. 4 oz., 30 inches long. He has two teeth on the bottom which are just so adorable. More are certainly on the way. In fact, you can see the two top ones making their way through his gums. They should be here soon. He is now eating everything and anything. Last night he tried some pasta for the first time. It was very yummy!!

Tyler loves playing with his toys. Although he is not crawling yet (something everyone tells us we should be thankful for), he really prefers to prop himself up on the furniture and stand tall. Like his mom, Tyler works best on a schedule and really is like clockwork when it comes to napping, eating and bedtime.

We are all looking forward to the beautiful spring weather and have a busy schedule ahead. As usual, we have lots of grandparents planning visits to see us and we start swim lessons and a music class this week. We are anxious to get Tyler in the swimming pool and interacting with some more children.

We miss you all very much and know we will see you all very soon on our next New York visit!

6 months - a half a year already!

Obviously it was a busy holiday season since its been about 6 weeks since I posted an update. We are all doing well and had a very Merry 1st Christmas with Tyler. 2010 was certainly an exciting year for us and we cannot wait to see all the fun and new things that come with 2011!

To start back up where I left off, Tyler did in fact start vegetables on December 11. His first veggie . . . sweet potatoes . . . which he LOVES! He also really enjoys butternut squash and carrots but would rather steer clear of avocados and green beans - we tried! :) Apparently it must be orange for him to eat it.

Just last week, Tyler had his 6 month checkup and we thought it was a good time to try some fruit. Banana is probably his food of choice. Tonight we are going to give apples a try - such exciting stuff, I know! ;)

Speaking of the doctor, Ty got a terrific report! He weighed in at 18 lbs., 14 oz. and 27.5 inches long. Really getting to be a BIG BOY!! With that report, we switched out the infant car seat that only goes up to 22 lbs. and installed the big kid seat. Actually, if you scroll down you will see Tyler in his new car seat for his first ride out to dinner last night.

Still no teeth but I swear they are on the way! Dave says that I have been saying that since October but I really mean it this time - they're getting close!

Christmas was fantastic and of course busy up in New York. We really enjoyed spending Tyler's first Christmas with everyone. He was completely spoiled and loves all his new toys (some great pictures below of him playing). We had a very mellow New Year's Eve. Dave and I enjoyed a nice dinner at home after Tyler went to sleep.

Tyler is all smiles these days and really lets out some good laughs. He is "talking" up a storm. The most significant development as of this week is that he can sit up alone completely unattended! It is amazing how in just a few days he went from teetering over after 20 seconds, to being able to sit up and play independently.

We have been staying in touch with a lot of people lately via Skype. So if anyone else has it, email us because we would love to "call" you! Grandpa Gerry thinks it fantastic - he Skypes everyday from the office and says its the best thing since sliced bread!

One of my New Year's Resolutions is to update the Blog more - hopefully I stick to it! We hope everyone is doing well and we hope to see you all real soon!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

With love and Best wishes,

Dave, Jackie, Tyler and Stella

Almost 5 Months

Its been ages since I updated the blog - I apologize to all. Here's the latest and greatest from the Fink household . . .

Tyler started on solid foods on November 19th. It was a very exciting Friday night here . . . Tyler first tried rice cereal. As you can see from the picture above, he now LOVES it and really enjoys his meals two times a day. He is still loving his bottles - certainly a good eater. This weekend we are hoping to try some vegetables - squash and sweet potatoes perhaps!

Also right before Thanksgiving, Tyler discovered that he can make raspberry noises with his mouth and really thinks this is hysterical. Really quite adorable except when he does it with a mouthful of cereal . . . quite the mess!

We headed up to New York early Thanksgiving morning and had a wonderful holiday. It was so terrific to see all our family and friends. Tyler, Stella and I were so lucky to be able to stay in NY for 11 days total. Thank you Grandma Ruzilla for being Tyler's nanny for the week! It was so nice not to rush to NY and rush back home. We finally felt like we were able to spend some quality time with everyone.

While in NY, Tyler learned to roll over from his back to his belly. He certainly was surprised when he accomplished that! He also loves to stand up and needs very little help when doing so supported by the couch. It really is his new favorite thing to do.

Other than that, we are all doing really well. Looking forward to the Christmas holiday and seeing everyone again real soon! Hugs and Kisses to All!!

Four Months Old!

Well time sure does fly by when you are having fun! Tyler turned 4 months old last Friday and he is SOOO much fun! I know that each month I praise how well he is doing, but both Dave and I see a remarkable change in Tyler. There are a ton more smiles, some really good giggles and really no crying at all! Either he has grown out of the "baby stage" or we have finally figured out what he wants, when he wants it. Whichever, its terrific!

Tyler has his 4 month checkup later this week so unfortunately I have no stats for you. My guess is that he is well over the 15 lb mark. He is eating and sleeping like a champ! As for big accomplishments, Tyler had his first weekend without Mom and Dad last weekend. Grammy Eileen and Grandpa Ed stayed with Ty in Virginia while Dave and I went to Boston for a friend's wedding. After a tearful goodbye on Friday afternoon (only for me!), we had a wonderful weekend and according to Grammy, Ty was an angel! I couldn't wait to get off the plane and see him and thankfully, he greeted me with a big smile. While it was great to have a weekend for just Dave and I, I am not planning any other trips anytime soon! :)

Tyler is really starting to enjoy his toys and is very interactive when playing - there are some great pictures below. He also is "talking" non-stop - wonder who he gets that from???

We are really looking forward to heading up to New York for Thanksgiving and hope to see you all then.