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.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

HAPPY HALLOWEEN ALL! Tyler was obviously a green dragon for his first Halloween. His big sister Stella was also a green dragon and there are some pictures below of the two of them together. I was hoping to get a fantastic picture of the two of them for a Christmas card, but neither of them would cooperate - below is the best I could get! Oh well!

Tyler had a great Halloween. He went to a party in our community with all of his new friends (there are babies all over the place around here now!) and he even marched in a parade around the neighborhood ("march" meaning he was carried). It was all very cute! There was a three way tie for best costume and "Tyler the Dragon" was among them - he took the prize in the baby category. Dave and I could not be prouder! ;) After about an hour, he had enough of the hot outfit.

Maybe next year, he will be ready to go trick or treating!

Another Great Weekend in New York!

We made a trip up to New York this past weekend which was of course jammed packed with events. Besides having a high school friend's wedding to attend on Saturday afternoon (thank you Grandma Dee Dee for watching Ty!), we had my cousin Chrissy's engagement party as well as Tyler's baptism. It was great since we were able to spend time with family both Saturday evening and then Sunday afternoon after the christening. We would like to thank everyone for coming to the church and celebrating afterwards with Dave, Tyler and I. We had a wonderful time and it was a special day for our family - we are so happy that we were able to share it with all of you. A special thanks to Tyler's godparents, Uncle Brian and Aunt Michelle. You guys are terrific and Tyler loves you both very much!

Tyler hit 15 weeks today. Since most of you who follow this blog just saw him this past weekend, I really do not need to tell you how big he has gotten. He is smiling all the time, making tons of noises and is really fun to play with. Although we are not sure, we think Tyler may be starting the teething process. He basically has his hands in his mouth all the time and would rather gnaw on his pacifier than suck on it. We'll see what happens!

While exhausted after our weekend, we are already looking forward to our next New York visit. See you all again at Thanksgiving time!

12 Weeks Already!

We have made it to another big benchmark - 12 weeks old! We can now officially say that Tyler is three months old. And the little guy is just doing fantastic! He has so much to say these days and the smiles are much more frequent. He is able to truly interact with us and is starting to enjoy more of his toys - this week he has begun to like his activity mat and swing. As you can see from the picture above of him sitting in his bumbo seat and another picture below of Tyler on his belly, he is really getting good at holding his head up. He likes to look around and take in all of his surroundings.

So in the past two weeks since I last updated the blog, quite a lot has gone on. We made it up to New York last weekend for a hectic visit. Dave and I attended the wedding of our good friends Craig and Michaela while Dave's mom babysat Tyler. It went very well -Grandma Ruzilla and Tyler had a fabulous time and Dave and I really enjoyed our first true night out! Although time was limited, we were able to visit with each set of grandparents and great-grandma Fink.

This weekend, Tyler attended his first college football game at Gettysburg College - just an hour and a half drive away and where Dave went to school for his freshman and sophomore years. It was a beautiful fall day and we enjoyed walking around the quaint town and having lunch. Tyler really enjoyed the football game and just being outside on the beautiful campus.

Today Tyler sported his Mark Sanchez Jets jersey (as you can see above), courtsey of Grandpa Gerry of course! We watched the game as a family and cheered the Jets to victory! J-E-T-S, Jets, Jets, Jets!!

Week 10

We have hit another milestone - double digit weeks! Tyler continues to surprise us every day with new developments. Each day is new and exciting for us. He had his two month old check up and he is doing really well. He now weighs 12 lbs 8 oz and is 23.5 inches long. Our little guy is growing fast! The doctor was very happy with his progress and he is due back in November.

Ty also continues to sleep through the night which thrills his mom and dad every single time! As you can see by the last picture, he is smiling a whole lot and really starting to interact and respond to our attempts at entertainment. He makes many different noises and him and I have conversations all day long together. It really is so much fun!

Today, Tyler rolled from his belly to his back for the first time. At first I thought it was accidental or that when I sat down on the couch next to him, that I pushed the cushion down, helping him to roll over. But when he did it two more times today, I realized he was truly doing it on his own. It was very exciting for both Dave and I to witness.

We will continue to keep you posted on Tyler's developments and milestones. We hope everyone is doing well and we love and miss you all very much!!

2 Months Old!

It's September 12th which means two things in our home . . . 1. It's Tyler's 2 month birthday and 2. It's football season! As you can see, Tyler is all set for the Sunday games!

We have had an adventurous two months with Tyler. We are excited to say he continues to sleep through the night (usually 11+ hours!). As you can see in the picture above, Tyler is now smiling on his own and doing it pretty often. He is also making a lot of new sounds. It is great for him to finally have another mode of communication other than crying.

Tyler is also awake a lot more during the day which is fantastic and super fun although, both Dave and I are usually exhausted come bedtime with all the entertaining we have to do all day long! In fact, Tyler is getting less fussy during the day - he has seemed to replace some of the crying with smiling!!

It is a rainy day here in Arlington, the perfect day for Tyler's first Sunday football viewing!!

8 Weeks Old (almost)!!

Tomorrow Tyler turns 8 weeks old. Quite the milestone for our little man. So much has happened since we last posted. Most notably is that Tyler started sleeping through the night at 6 weeks and 4 days old (just one day after his Dad's birthday and truly the best birthday present he could give him at this point!)!!! Both Dave and I hope that this sleeping pattern is here to stay. I read somewhere that it takes 3 days to create a habit. Well, Tyler has been sleeping like this for over a week and a half so the habit should be fairly ingrained, or so we hope!! The little guy last feeds between 8 and 9 and, on most mornings, we are waking him up at 7:30 to start the day. Unbelievable and simply outstanding!!

Tyler has also become much more interactive. He smiles on his own (and not just from gas) and makes cute little noises (yes, noises other than crying!). He intently watches our facial expressions and tries to mimic them - he can even stick his tongue out after watching us do it. But what Tyler loves most is to be on the go . . . hmmm . . . wonder where he got that from? As long as we are out walking or in the car, he is a very happy baby. In fact, Tyler could be very fussy inside the house, but once you take him outside, he is immediately content. So needless to say, we have been dining al fresco nightly and walking all over town! Thank goodness for the sunny weather, we are not sure what we will do when we have a rainy day!

The other big news on our end is that I went back to work at the 6 week mark. I am very grateful that I work from home and get to see Tyler throughout the day. We are also very fortunate to have found a wonderful nanny to care for Ty. So far, we are all adjusting well to our new schedules.

Lastly, Dave has been at his new job for over a month and all is going really well. He enjoys the subject matter and everyone he works with. This past week, Dave begun his last semester at Georgetown! He will finish his LL.M. degree in December and he promises he is done with school (we'll see how long that lasts!).

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DADDY!

Dear Daddy,

Happy Birthday Daddy! I am so happy you are my dad and you are doing a great job. I hope all your birthday wishes come true.

Love, Ty (and Mommy and Stella too!)

6 Weeks Old

Tyler turned six weeks old today. Truly unbelievable. He has had a very exciting week or so. First, his Grandpa Michael and Nanna Kathryn were down for a visit. It was wonderful to see them and Tyler had his first brunch experience.

Grandpa Gerry and Uncle Brian also came to town this past week. Tyler had a great time with them and saw Georgetown for the very first time. He also went shopping with Grandpa Gerry for what else but watches. I guess its never to early to look at Rolex watches with his Grandpa! Finally, we all went out for a fantastic steak dinner at the Capital Grille. At first I thought we were nuts bringing a 5 week old to the Capital Grille in downtown DC. However, it was a great success! Plus, I did not care after a few sips of my first dirty martini since October! Tyler was a perfect gentleman and did not make a peep during dinner. Just like his mom, he loves a good dinner out!

Finally, Grandma Eileen and Grandpa Ed came into town. In fact, Grandma Eileen is helping us out this week until our nanny starts next week. Today was my first day back to work and Grandma Eileen's first day on the job. The day went well for all parties and Tyler is very excited to have the time with his Grandma and Grandpa. Although it feels good to get back to work in some respects, I certainly do miss spending the entire day with Ty. But both Tyler and I are adjusting to this new stage.

As for Tyler's pediatrician update, he was in last Tuesday. He now weighs in at 10 lbs. 10 oz. - I told you he likes to eat like his mom! He also has grown 2 inches since birth. We knew those feety pajamas were getting tight! So everything is going well and he is definitely a growing boy!

Tyler checking out a monkey in his new chair!

Happy Birthday Tyler!!

Today is Tyler's one month birthday! WOW has the time flown by, yet I feel like he has been a part of our family and our lives forever. Our little man is getting bigger and I cannot believe how much his face changes and alertness grows each day.

This week we said goodbye to all his newborn sized clothes. They are packed away and we are delving into the 0-3 month items already. This coming Tuesday we are back to the pediatrician to see how much weight he has put on and how much longer he is. He certainly has stretched quite a bit and Dave is convinced he will be over 6 feet tall!

Without jinxing ourselves, Tyler is officially over his first cold. Having the sniffles was no fun for any of us but we are glad that is behind us! Our sleep habits are pretty much the same, but we had a wonderful surprise last Monday night when Tyler slept for six and a half hours straight! It was wonderful to get six hours of continuous sleep and I truly felt energized. Unfortunately we have not had a repeat performance of that night . . . yet . . . but I am keeping my fingers crossed!

Tyler's Newborn Photo Session

We are so lucky to have a wonderful friend who is a very talented photographer, Shey. Shey specializes in newborn photography (she also photographed Dave and I in Georgetown for a maternity photo session when I was 35 weeks pregnant and that was fantastic as well!). We are so grateful that she did a complete newborn photo session with Tyler on July 23, 2010, when he was just 11 days old. The pictures are absolutely amazing and Shey captured the beauty of our son that I thought only Dave and I could see through our eyes. We hope you enjoy the pictures as much as we do. Please check out more of Shey's work at www.sheymarinphotography.com and if you are in the DC metro area and need an incredible photographer, please keep Shey in mind!

Three Weeks Old!

So my girlfirend Shey, who by the way is an amazing photographer and has a precious new baby of her own, Heath, told me that things really get better at the three week mark. Well, Tyler is three weeks old today and I have to say, we are running pretty smoothly. He is definitely into a nighttime routine, waking 2 times in the middle of the night, but it is manageable and we are getting our own system down.

The obstacle we have faced this week: Tyler's first cold. He has been suffering from some nasal congestion for the last 36 hours but it seems to be getting better already and he has no fever. So it just has to run its course. Both Dave and I have sore throats so its a family thing. Only Stella seems to be feeling well! Other then some midday crankiness and more sleeping then usual, he is doing fine and building up his immune system.

Not only is today Tyler's three week birthday, but it is also Dave's first day back to work and his first day at his new job. From the brief report we received at lunchtime, everything is going well and Dave is excited about this new chapter in his career.

Tyler's First Trip to New York

We just returned from a quick and hectic trip to New York. Tyler was a trooper sleeping the entire way to and from NY, only waking once to eat some breakfast. We saw as many people as possible in the 42 hours that we were on Long Island. Tyler was lucky to have so many visitors, it was so wonderful to see everyone. We are so sorry if we did not see any of you but promise to make an effort to see everyone else on our next trip up in September.

On this trip, Tyler meet all of his Aunts and Uncles for the very first time. He also spent some quality time with all his grandparents, some who had not seen him since he left the hospital. All could not believe how big he has gotten and how much he has changed already in just two weeks. Tyler had two very special visits scheduled: he meet his great grandmother Fink and also his great, great aunt Oie. Both women are such important members of our families and we could not wait to introduce them to our son. Tyler is very fortunate to have them in his life.

With all the running around and company, we really enjoyed some down time. Tyler went for his first swim with his Dad. Although he did not like the cool pool water at first, once he was in and moving around, he really enjoyed it. He also loved playing with his two big cousins, Jake and Joey. Jake promises to teach Tyler how to play sports and video games and Joey cannot believe that Tyler does not eat pizza and only has milk at every meal!

We want to thank everyone that spent some time with us. We love you all and are blessed to have such incredible families and friends. Looking forward to seeing you all again soon!

Two Weeks Old!!!!!

Happy Two Week Birthday Tyler! We cannot believe how fast the time has gone by. Sure, we are a little tired and have a bit of cabin fever (its been too hot to really venture outside), but the last two weeks have been incredible and the best time of our lives. We look forward to each day with Tyler and are so excited about the future.



Today, Tyler turned two weeks old and had his second visit with the pediatrician. She was VERY happy with his progress and our little man now weighs in at 9 lbs!! He certainly has inherited his mom's appetite! We have also gotten into a "routine", or as much of a routine as we could hope for. Tyler goes to sleep between 9 and 10pm and is up around 1am and again at 5am for a feeding. Then he sleeps until about 8:30am and the day begins. We consider ourselves lucky that at least he is consistent with his pattern and times.



Both Dave and I have been so fortunate to have some time off to spend with Tyler. We plan to really enjoy our last week all together before Dave returns to work on Monday. I am sure Tyler is going to miss hanging out with his Dad during the day and I know I am going to miss having Dave around to help change diapers!

First Family Dinner - heading to our favorite Thai Restaurant