12 months of tyler aaron

Again, a little behind with the posts! Here are a couple new stats for Tyler on this big milestone month!

Doctor appointment
Height: 29 1/2 inches, 60th percentile
Weight: 20.8 pounds, 25th percentile
Head: 18 inches, 25th percentile

He's a finicky walker, some days he'll take off and walk 12-15 steps. Then, he won't try again for a day or two. He's been crawling since he was 7 months, so I'm wondering if that's just too much of a comfort zone.

Tyler hasn't really learned any new words, other than the "mabaaml" sound he makes which I think means milk or bite. 

Speaking of milk, we are completely weaned from the bottle. It was hard at first, but after two days, he figured it out. Within a week, we were packing away the bottles and not looking back. In the beginning, we were adding a little strawberry syrup (thanks for the suggestion Leanne) to his milk, but now he can drink it plain!

There aren't really that many new developments. My little guy is just growing up, getting more of a personality and having so much fun along the way!

modern simple giraffe party for my little guy

Here's the 1st birthday post, finally! As many of you know, I spent three months making nearly 60 projects for the space. I took my PR experience and put it to good use, making timelines, "marketing" plans and photo op spaces. It was so much fun! I tried to think of every element, from the homemade 5-foot-tall stuffed giraffe to the messy arrangement of the napkins.

Here are all the pictures:

http://s848.photobucket.com/albums/ab43/HeatherAnnMcKinney/Tyler%20Simple%20Giraffe%201st%20Birthday%20Party/

The day turned out perfectly. Tyler had so much fun with all his little buddies! A special thanks goes out to everyone who came to celebrate the big day! My little boy is 1, my goodness how time flies!

We're pregnant!

We wanted the kids to be close in age, and we are definitely getting our wish! We are blessed to have gotten pregnant the first month we tried! Baby No.2 will be about 19 months younger than Tyler. My due date is March 26, but we'll probably schedule a c-section a little early. Yay!

Happy First Birthday Tyler Aaron!

We just wanted to take a second and remember our sweet boy 12 months ago! I sure do love this little guy! Happy Birthday Tyler Aaron!

11 whole months and more

First of all, I wanted to share the amazing news we received at the specialist yesterday. They ran tests on the fluid they removed from Tyler's leg. And .... THERE WAS NO INFECTION AT ALL! The test came back completely negative for staph or any other type of infection. I honestly believe it's because of prayer; God healed our little boy!

Tyler celebrated his last month-old birthday! I can't believe I'll be saying he's "1 year old" in a few weeks! Here are his recent developments:

• He's not walking independently yet. In fact, I think he's losing all interest in the new skill. A couple weeks ago, he would practice taking steps. But now, he just quickly plops down and crawls away, when we practice. I think he's learned that crawling is more efficient at this point. 
• "TV" is the only new word he's learned, thanks DaDa. :)
• He still LOVES his books. He'll read to himself and point to the book basket when he wants us to read to him. 
• Musical instruments are still his favorite toys. He loves "shaking his shaker." We're ready for another semester of music class. 
• He's still very outgoing! He loves making new friends anytime we leave the house. Every place we go, he has to be the center of attention. And of course, he has to introduce himself to everyone he sees. And for those who are too far away, he just waves!
• He loves meat. In fact, I think I could feed him chicken, turkey and steak for every meal, and he'd be happy. Such a boy!
• Last night, he officially outgrew his 12-month clothes. He woke up an hour after going to sleep crying because he couldn't stretch out in his pajamas! They fit yesterday ... but not today! It's amazing to me that he gets that much taller overnight, literally!
• I think he's continuing to drop in weight percentages. He hasn't even gained a whole pound, since his 9-month check-up. Last week, he weighed 20 lbs. 8 oz. at the doctor. We'll find out how tall he is at our 12-month check in 4 weeks! 

about the infection

We've learned that Tyler is very prone to staph infections. He got a very normal bug bite (ant, spider ... not really sure) almost two weeks ago. It developed a hard, golf-ball size knot under the skin, and the red, tender area was spreading. Upon the advice of my mother-in-law, we took him to the doctor first thing this morning. Our pediatrician sent us straight to a specialist/pediatric surgeon and explained that he would need surgery to remove the infectious lump.

On the way to the specialist, God intervened.  See unexpected blessings

The pediatric surgeon was able to drain the mass without surgery! He used localized anesthesia that slightly numbed the affected area, made an inch-long incision and squeezed to release the infection. (I'll spare the gory details). As expected, Tyler cried fervently. However, I believe the pain was eased by our prayers. Within five minutes, Tyler was smiling and laughing at the nurses, who were very impressed by his quick recovery.

We have to go back on Thursday to have the area rechecked, but it looks like our little boy is healing perfectly!

unexpected blessings

Last Wednesday, I was driving to BabyGap to buy Tyler new summer clothes. On the way, I passed a church with a humble sign advertising free lunches for kids under 18. Three miles later, I realized exactly what this meant. It was summer vacation. There are kids in my own area who go hungry, when meals are not provided by the school. That broke my heart and convicted me. Here I was ... driving to buy my son more clothes when there are children who don't even have food! I mentioned it to Chad that evening, and he said we should definitely give to the ministry.

On Sunday, we tried a new church. The message was about using spiritual gifts, including the gift of giving. Again, my heart ached for these children who wake each morning with hunger pains and no pantry to open, no refrigerator to rummage through and no lunch box to fill.

Today, I left for the specialist several hours early in an effort to distract Tyler from the meals he had to skip before surgery (which is another blog post). I was driving down Rowlett Road, when I remembered that church. I made a u-turn and pulled into the parking lot. Tyler and I walked in through the tattered door and passed the giggling children running through the halls. We peeked around the corner and met the most gracious lady. I explained the incredible randomness of our visit and handed her a check.  She looked down with astonishment. I quickly apologized because it wasn't a large gift. She looked back at me and said that today they were praying for that exact amount! There were four children who wanted to go to summer camp. Their parents couldn't afford it, but the church promised they would be able to attend. However, they are a small, underprivileged church that was already over-extended in giving. They didn't know where the money would come from, but they trusted God to provide. Hours later ... God led Tyler and me to their door with the exact donation to sponsor summer camp for four children!

While we were there, we met the pastor and several other church leaders. They asked where we were heading, and I explained that Tyler will most likely need surgery today for his leg infection. They asked if they could pray over him. We gathered around, the pastor placed a hand on his leg, and we asked God for healing. With faith, we believed that he would be okay. And this afternoon, God used the doctor to heal Tyler without surgery ... just as we asked!

I'm inspired and filled with thankfulness.