Two-year-old well visit
Chad took Tyler to see Dr. Alvis for what I assumed would be a quick, simple and routine well check. I stayed home with Grayson, so I could feed and keep him away from any potentially contagious bugs. We had no idea that the 2-year-old well check included hearing and vision tests. I was disappointed that I missed the appointment, because Tyler failed both tests. His "report card" from Dr. Alvis said that he failed vision on both eyes and has astigmatism. Chad assured me that we don't need to see the specialist, as Dr. Alvis said it would hopefully resolve before his third birthday. He also failed his hearing test on the right side. However, I'm not letting him use this excuse when he doesn't listen to mommy! We should be able to wait and retest next next year, unless we feel it's something that needs to be addressed immediately.
Here are his stats:
Weight: 26 lbs., 8 oz. and 30 percentile
Height: 35 in. and 66 percentile
Head circumference: 19 in. and 38 percentile
BMI: 15.21 kg and 12 percentile
Birthday celebration
When Tyler woke up in the morning, Chad and I rushed into his room--camera in hand--singing "happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you ..." Tyler loved it and immediately started dancing to the tune.
For breakfast, I made his favorite food, pancakes, shaped like the number two. This is also a little birthday tradition we started last year. Tyler ate like a big boy and played with us for the rest of the morning. We put him down for a nap a little early at 11:30 a.m., hoping he would get enough sleep before his big party. Of course, little boy was so excited he didn't go to sleep until 20 minutes before we left for Gymboree.
The birthday party at Gymboree Play and Music was incredibly fun. Tyler was joined by 19 of his closest buddies, doing train-themed activities and playing on the equipment. He was so adorable running around, laughing and hugging the Gymboree Play Leader. His favorite activity was the "Little Engine that Could." The toddlers walked up an inclined, soft structure, saying "I think I can, I think I can." When they got to the top, they shouted, "I know I can." And they jumped off the four-foot elevated surface. After about 45 minutes, we went into the party room for cake and ice cream. Tyler blew out his candles, sat at a long table with his friends and enjoyed his chocolate cake. Then, we headed back to the play area for parachute time, bubbles and a visit from Gymbo, the Gymboree clown.
Tyler fell asleep as soon as we got in the car, and he continued his nap for a couple hours after arriving back home. When he awoke, we had all his presents displayed on the fireplace. He paused to ask for more cake, then immediately ran over to start opening them. We were prepared to bribe him with the cake, but he actually enjoyed opening each and every present. Surprisingly, the cards were his favorite thing to open. He loves books, so I'm thinking it was an extension of that. He tore open each envelope, looked at the words and pictures and asked us to read it aloud. It was adorable!
We had planned to take Tyler out for a big dinner, but changed our mind, as bedtime was quickly approaching. Instead, I brought his favorite dinner home--bean burritos! After dinner, we took a picture by the oven clock at exactly 7:54 p.m., the time he was born two years prior. This is another annual tradition I hope to continue.
We did our normal nighttime routine with Tyler, and I think Chad and I both spent some extra time in his room, rocking and basking in the moment. Our little boy is growing up so quickly, and once again, I wish he had a pause button.
Overall, it was a wonderful day. There were a few little hiccups, which I'll list because I think it's funny to mention them. They were insignificant, and I'm sure no one noticed but me. Nonetheless ...
- Tyler had a bad hair day (I accidentally put too much gel in it, and I ended up washing it in the Gymboree bathroom moments before the party started).
-Tyler was exhausted, since he only napped for 20 minutes prior to the party.
-The cake was hideous. I totally ruined it by adding sprinkles in a stripped pattern. It wasn't a brilliant idea, but there was no turning back. Thankfully, it still tasted good.
-We forgot to serve the bottled water to the adults, and we ran out of ice cream.
I'm not a fan of the picture upload tool on Blogger, so here are the links to the pictures I've already uploaded on Facebook and Picassa:
Happy Birthday Tyler Aaron! Mommy, Daddy and baby brother Grayson love you very much!
