Ten on Tuesday: Playing Catch-Up

1. A shot of me at 34 weeks:

2. After being put to bed one night, Tyler made his way back downstairs. As he got closer to Frank and I, we realized he was holding his belly. I asked him what was wrong and he said that he had a stomach ache. I, of course, thought that we had a sick kid on our hands. But nooooo, Tyler announced that his stomach hurt because “He was preganant and he had a baby is his belly”. And yes, pregnant was pronounced just like that!

3. After weeks and months of Tyler rubbing and talking to my belly, he was finally rewarded on June 1 with a faint kick by his Baby Brother. He was ecstatic and now tries to feel the kicks all the time. I have told him that his brother loves to kick in the wee hours of the morning (thanks, little one!). I have not had the heart to tell him that I am sure this will be the first of many brotherly kicks shared between siblings!

4. As my dad has become a connoisseur of Belgian beer, I decided to make it my mission to try as many nonalcoholic varieties of beer as possible during this 40 week stint I have going on. To count, I have tried approximately 7 different types and I must say that beer makers have come a long way in this department!

One night I was enjoying my drink by the fire outside and Tyler said “I want to be pregnant when I grow up so I can drink fake beer!”

5. In May we had a multi-family tag sale with our friends. After it ended and while cleaning up, Tyler and Olivia had snuck off to play. Or so we thought! I guess five is not too early to have your first love, because they made sure to seal the deal with a kiss behind the minivan! When questioned about their encounter, the two love birds ran off. A few days later in the car, I asked Tyler about it and he said that he and Livie were married because they kissed! I am cool with that; we will love my son’s in-laws!

6. At preschool for Father’s Day, the teachers asked the kids what they like to do with their dad’s. They then wrote each answer on a poster board next to the child’s name and hung it in the entry way for everyone to read. The day of this project, Frank picked Tyler up from school and called me on the way home to share his son’s answer with me. Frank told me to guess what Tyler said and I figured it was playing hockey, watching some kind of sport on television, or playing the Wii.

I was wrong.

Tyler told his teacher’s that he liked it when he and his dad “Watched the horse races together.”

7. A few weeks back, I was thrown a “Baby Sprinkle”. Frank and I explained to Tyler that when I was pregnant with him, I had a Baby Shower. He thought for a minute and said “Is that when the mommies get in the shower with their bellies and get all wet?”

8. Tyler and I recently took a Sibling Class at the hospital where I will be giving birth. Tyler was able to take a tour of the maternity ward, learn how to hold a newborn, and heard the rules about how to care for a small baby. During the tour, the nurses showed the kids in the class a newborn. Tyler was ecstatic. The facilitator of the class showed the kids the card attached to her bed and told them that the girls get pink cards and the boys get blue cards. This particular child was a girl and Tyler said “I’m not having one of them.”!

9. Frank and I have been talking about what Tyler’s next move will be in the world of hockey. He has been in Learn to Skate for the past two years and he could continue with it, but he already is in the advanced group. We finally decided that he is ready to play on a Mini Mite team and emailed the director for sign up information. After we heard back from him, we knew that Ty would be a go next year for practices and games (!).

One night during quite time, I told Tyler the good news, figuring he would be very excited. I told him that he will play on team in the Fall. He hung his head and looked at me with a sheepish look on his face. His response? “Really? I think I am going to cry, I am so happy.”

10. Over the past few weeks, out house has turned into the money pit.

The basement flooded when the water heater broke. Thanks to our neighbor and a friend, it was all repaired in a weekend.

Then a heavy downpour of rain seeped water back into the basement the next weekend and even sent it dripping in from the ceiling in the front of the house (still a mystery to us!).

Our AC Unit also decided that it needed a turn to leave a mark on the basement and it flooded as well. In order to stop the leak, we had to turn off the unit. The irony of it was that we had spent the morning taking the window screens out in preparation for the house to be painted the next day. So now we really had no air!

I will leave out the part about the plumber coming to fix the faucets that refused to be fully shut off and continue to drip, or the lawn tractor guy who came to repair the blades, or the fact that the dishwasher did not drain properly for a few days, or the fact that our crib has been recalled.

I am happy to announce that after these rough few weeks we are putting out lives back together and the money is flowing back into our bank accounts and not out!

Life is a Beach

There are so many things that I love about the summer. Barbecues, bonfires, spending time family and friends, traveling, and going to the beach or pool. I decided early on in the summer that a little pregnancy was not going to keep me from doing everything that I love during the summer.

After seeing the weather report for this past weekend, I decided that it was going to be a beach day. So exited! We packed lunch and snacks, plenty of water, toys, chairs, and off we went!

Despite the fact that it was a Saturday, we found a spot right off the water, and settled in. After looking around, there was one thing that we did not see-- clouds!
Tyler immediately took off for the water and Frank followed. After awhile, Tyler was on his own in the water and he did a great job, swimming, diving, and played.

Just to prove that I was on the beach, in a bathing suit.

We had a wonderful day. Came home with a bit of summer color, took time to eat ice cream from the snack shack on the beach, played in the sand, and swam in the ocean. The only problem? The hour plus drive to get there!

Spring Soccer

This Spring, Tyler also played soccer with Our Lady of Sacred Heart, the same team he played with in the Fall. Coach Joe was there to coach again, and Tyler hit the field this Spring with a mission: to play goal!

Last Fall, second game of the season, Tyler was in the goal and doing a great job. Until, that is, one fateful moment. An opposing player dribbled the ball down the field, took the shot on goal, and hit Tyler square in the face with the ball. My trooper of a kid was stunned for a split second, did not cry, gathered himself together, and assumed his position once more. When the quarter was over? Tyler took the red goalie shirt off never to wear it again. Or so we thought.

See that kid in red? That's right, Tyler! All set to play goal!

After spending a quarter in goal, it was time to take the field.

This season, Tyler's friend Olivia played with him as well. Between the two of them, they had 3 goals on the season. Growing up, I played soccer and I still do. At five-years-old, Tyler has two more goals than I have ever scored (which is none!).

Unfortunately, I was not able to snap any pictures at the last game of the season because of the downpour! The kids played until the thunder rumbled, and then everyone ran for cover! Everyone left their cars long enough to collect trophies and say thank you to Coach Joe for another wonderful season.

T-Ball

This Spring, Tyler was finally old enough to play T-Ball for the town of Wilbraham. After a few weeks of practice, it was time to play a game. Tyler was pumped to put on his hat, t-shirt, pants, and cleats. He even took some time to assume the fielding position for a quick pre-game shot to model his Friendly's Angels uniform:
After some quick warm-ups, it was time to start the game. Tyler's team was up at bat first, and the kids all lined up and waited their turns. Tyler, number 4, cheered on his teammates while he waited for his turn to bat.

My little slugger ready to "rip" the ball as he says.

And he's running! One thing about Tyler, he hustles at all times.

Waiting on second base:

After making it around the bases and waiting for his teammates to have their turn at bat, it was time to take the field. Tyler learned quickly that his favorite position was the pitchers mound. Why? Most of the balls that were hit went right through the area!

He had a great season and definitely has the making of an athlete. We had a great time watching him each weekend and at practice. I can't wait for next Spring!

The Making of A-Rod

This past weekend, Grandma came to town for my baby shower. She asked if we could go out and do something special for our new addition. I, of course, said yes. I had arranged earlier the previous week to keep Tyler home for the day and I had the day off, so on Monday, we headed out to the mall. When I was pregnant with Tyler, my mom and I build a bear for Tyler, complete with hockey uniform.

Tyler was so excited to learn about his special project. After all, what child doesn't love Build-A-Bear! After looking at the nursery, it was decided that we needed to go there since Baby Geno does not have any stuffed animals (how did that happen?).

Upon arrival, Tyler picked out a very soft bear. He even chose a lullaby recording to be inserted into the bears hand. We then had to go and stuff the bear. Tyler wanted to make sure that the bear was still soft for his brother.
He rubbed the heart to warm it and made a wish. The it was time to place the heart in the bear.

When our bear was sewen closed, it was time to make the decision of decisions! What should the bear wear?

Tyler looked all over the store for that perfect outfit. He looked at the Star Wars outfits, the baby clothing, the pajamas, and everything in between. After a bit, he finally found the perfect outfit for his brothers bear....

Took him to get dressed....

And what was the final result? A Yankee bear! Last up, it was time to name and complete the birth certificate for the new bear. Tyler thought and thought and thought and finally came up with A-Rod, after Alex Rodriguez of the New York Yankees. He did a wonderful job with the whole project! A great big brother in the making!

On the way home, Tyler asked where we were going to put A-Rod. I told him he could put the bear in the nursery and I mentioned that he could put in on the rocking chair, changing table, or the crib. Tyler's response? "We aren't supposed to put anything in the crib, mommy." All I can say is wow-- his brother is very lucky to have him as a big brother!

The last test for A-Rod? Snugglability. The outcome? He passed!

Graduation (sniff, sniff)

What can I say? An entire year has flown by since we walked Tyler through the doors of Green Valley Preschool, armed with Star Wars backpack and lunchbox. I knew at that time, at the other end of the year, kindergarten awaited, but time went on, and Frank and I recently found ourselves at Tyler's preschool graduation.


I have watched Tyler grow throughout the year. He has not only made great strides in the academic areas-- writing, spelling, and pre-reading, but also has grown socially, and matured into an awesome five-year-old. I find myself looking back over time and saying "WOW!". It is simply amazing at how kids grow.


Recently Tyler brought home his end of the year progress report. He excelled in every area and made improvement from his mid-year progress report. The areas needing improvement? Dramatic play and sharing in large groups. Frank and I decided like parents, like son.

This year, Tyler and Olivia were in the same school, Next year they will go their separate ways. They had great times together at school but were able to to do "boy things" and "girl things" when they wanted. They have grown up together and have really been great to watch together. The best stories that Tyler would come home with? He talked about how the girls (Olivia and her friends) would chase Tyler and his friends around the playground. Kind of scary that girls chasing boys starts in preschool!
After enjoying a potluck and barbecue, we all headed outside and waited for the ceremony to start. All the kids gathered into a circle and they sang songs they had worked on all year.

After they were done with songs, it was time to pass out diplomas. Here is Tyler accepting his:

Afterwards, Tyler posed for a picture with his friend, Cole.

AND, of course, one final one with another fellow graduate, Olivia:

We also had to take a picture with one of his teachers, Mrs. Fitzpatrick. She and Mrs. Torkington were his teachers in his class this year. He loved them both and they never had anything but good things to say about his behavior and progress.

Now it is time to enjoy the summer. I still remember our orientation at Green Valley. The teachers spoke about how their goal for the pre-kindergarten kids was to prepare them for kindergarten for the following year. The only thing they really forgot was to prepare the parents for what the next step would feel like!