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.

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!!