Compromise

Merriam-Webster defines Compromise as a settlement of differences by consent reached by mutual concessions.

Well that is exactly what my brother-in-law, Ryan, and I have done. We have come to a compromise on Sports Teams for Ty. :-) Although someday Ty will be able to make up his own mind, for now, he will be rooting for specific sports teams respectively chosen by Ryan and I!

Of course I have chosen the Redskins for Football... surprise! Ryan has chosen the Yankees for Baseball. Ho Hum... I do not quite agree with it... but it was a compromise! ;-) What can I say?

Below is a photo of Ty in his attire along with Ryan and I.

P.S. The Redskins Snow Suit, believe it or not, I wore as a child some 30 years ago. :-) My mom preserved it along with several other pieces of clothing from my childhood. How cool is that?

2 Month Checkup & Sleeping

Well today was Ty's 2 month checkup, the first one with shots and one Lori and I were somewhat dreading. To say that Ty did a good job is an understatement.

He smiled and cooed for both the doctor and nurse, which they both enjoyed! He weighed in at 12 pounds 2 ounces and is now 22 and 1/2 inches long. Everything checked out and he seems to be a healthy growing boy! Ty did cry during his shots but only for about three minutes and that was it... such a good boy!

Since we have brought Ty home he has been an excellent night sleeper. He does not get awake in the middle of the night screaming and only squawks a few times to wake mom or dad for a bottle. If we put him to bed around 8 he normally sleeps for at least 7 hours until for his first feeding of the night. He has awoke a few times around midnight and slept as long as 5 am. Normally he is awake around 3:30 and then again around 5:30/6 and then up for his normal 8 am feeding. I believe he sleeps so well at night because he is not much of a napper during the day.

As for everything else, well the Smith household is doing well. We are all decorated for Christmas and Ty seems to have an attraction for the lights on the tree. Now we just need Santa to stop by! :-)

Below is a new picture of Ty showing off his clothes gifted by daddy's company, Global Data Consultants. Isn't he just cute?? :-)

A Tough Week

As some of you may or may not know, my dad (Shaun's Dad) has been battling cancer for over 11 years. Since I graduated High School my dad's medical condition has been a roller coaster. He has beat several different types of cancer and has been one of the strongest and most determined people I have ever seen fighting the disease. But last 3 months have been grueling for him, my mom, who was always by his side, and the rest of our family.

This past Monday morning my father finally gave in and passed away at the age of 61.

It was hard to see him leave us, probably one of the hardest things I have ever had to deal with in my life. But really and truly he is in a better place. He no longer has to get stuck with needles, sit in the doctor's office to get chemotherapy or take so many pills just to stay alive. He will no longer have to get CT scans, biopsies or radiation treatments. His last days were filled with family and friends visiting and my mom and I by his side.

I am thankful for many things in my life and one of those is my dad. He loved me more than I will ever know... and I loved him the same. He taught me so many life lessons including how to be a good son, husband and father. I am also grateful that he was able to see his grandson, Ty, albeit for exactly the first two months of Ty's life.

Ty will not remember his grandfather crying his eyes out the first time he held him nor will he remember his grandfather's laugh when Ty cooed. Ty will only have pictures of his grandfather and the stories I tell. But my family and I do have those memories and they are all so very special.

I thank the good Lord above for giving my mom and I such a special man. I also know that he is watching over all of us with a big smile and there to help guide us until we see him in heaven.

I love you dad... I always will!

An Renewed Sense of Confidence & Smiles

Last weekend I kept Ty on two different occasions while mommy went out to do some grocery shopping and run errands. Both times Ty was a good boy and has given me a renewed sense of confidence in baby sitting. I am gaining confidence in taking care of Ty while mommy is gone and that surely makes me feel like I am accomplishing something. :-)

Ty is growing quickly (physically and emotionally) and is developing some ham hocks for legs. In fact his legs are big enough around that my thumb is about an inch away from touching my middle finger. When we brought him home, I did the same test and my thumb overlapped my middle finger to just above my finger nail, so you can get an idea of how he is growing. I think he might be an offensive or defensive linemen but not quite sure the exact position yet. :-)


Ty is cooing and smiling more often and his emotions turn quite quickly sometimes. One minute he could have a beat red face and screaming like mad, the next minute smiling and laughing. He really enjoys when mommy sings the ABC song and often begins smiling and laughing before she makes it to H or I.

His favorite places in the house has become his bouncy chair and his changing table in his room. Before Ty was born, Lori and I had decided not to get a bouncy chair since we had a swing. Well, we were given one at Lori's Baby Shower at work and we figured we would use it a little bit. let's just say that chair has been a blessing because Ty loves it.


I have to say that Lori is doing a great job at being a stay at home mom and I think she is starting to enjoy it. She is getting into a pretty good rhythm of doing chores around the house, taking care of Ty and ensuring her husband is happy with a nicely cooked dinner when he comes home from work. I am not sure how I am going to react when she goes back to work and I come home to thawed out meat on the kitchen counter! :-) But for the next month or so I am going to enjoy it while it lasts.

Ty is happy, mommy is happy and that makes daddy happy!

Adventuring Out With Mommy

Shaun has been doing a great job on keeping our blog updated. I thought it was about time that I share an update.

Motherhood is great! Yes, it can be tough at times but I would not change it for the world. Ty is so much fun even though he is only 6 weeks old. I love the coo's and the smiles that he gives us. I look forward to that every morning when he finishes his bottle and takes a poop. He seems as though he is the most happiest at that time. I wonder why?! As Shaun has mentioned in a previous post about changing Ty's formula, yes, he has been totally different. No more gas pains! Thank goodness!! Now we just have to deal with the "fighting sleep" fussiness. Boy, does he get mad when he is tired. I often wonder why babies decide to cry instead of just falling asleep. It would be so much easier on them and not to mention on mommy and daddy. I think I have made more laps through the house now then I have before Ty arrived. Whatever works, right?

Ty and I adventured to the mall for the first time on Monday. I thought since it was such a nice day out that we would get out of the house for a bit. Ty decided to have a meltdown as soon as I pulled out of the driveway. What do I do....let him cry until we get to the mall parking lot or pull over to see what is wrong? Well, I had to pull in to the Fayetteville School because he was just going balistic. Usually he is pretty good in the car but for some reason he was not at that time. Needless to say he slept pretty much the whole time we were at the mall. I was not complaining at all. He was a good boy.

Today was voting day. I wanted to make sure I voted before Shaun got home because I felt that it would be very crowded at that time. So, I made the decision that Ty would join me. Well, we had another meltdown again and this time I had to drive around to get him calmed down. The driving lasted about 10 minutes because I was sure he had fallen asleep. I pulled into the church parking lot and needless to say he was not asleep. I put him in the stroller and told him to be a good little boy. I was hoping that the lines were not too long. Of course row P through Z was the longest of them all and that was the line we needed to be in. Ty was a good little boy as we stood in line and was getting a lot of attention. I loved it when someone asked me if he was a boy or girl. Come on!! When I told the women my name and they gave me my ballot, Ty decided that he waited in line long enough and decided to cry. Nothing I could do then so I left everyone hear how good he is at showing off his lungs while I was in the booth. Needless to say he was mad pretty much the whole way home.

Tomorrow is my 6 week checkup. I can not believe it has been 6 weeks. Time is definately flying by. I could not even imagine if I had to go back to work on Monday. That would have been my first day back if I had not decided to take extra time. I will return to work on January 5th. That day will be here before I know it. I can not believe we are now in November. I am enjoying my time with my baby boy. He truly is a blessing. He amazes me every minute of every day.

Chocolate Overdose

Ty got dressed this morning and decided to get into the Halloween Candy. He ODed, but thankfully he is doing well! :-)

Just Kidding about the OD, but the picture says it all. Click to see a larger view! Hopefully later today we will get a smile from him while he is in his outfit. But Lori and I could not wait to post this one of him!

Going Away, Photographer, Faces, Playtime & Tummy Time

Last Saturday Night Lori and I went away for a few hours and left Ty with the baby sitter for the first time. It turned out to be a good evening for Lori's Aunt Tracey who came to the house and took care of Ty. We were gone for about 4 hours and Lori called once an hour to check up and see how our boy was doing. I was impressed that it wasn't more often because Lori was kinda nervous leaving Ty with someone else other then me! Tracey took care of him and he was soundly sleeping when we arrived home around 10:15. Tracey said he was a little fussy at times but overall was a good boy.

Ty is changing everyday and since changing his formula about 2 weeks ago we can see a big difference in him. He does not have the amount of gas as he did before and is sleeping great at night. We have been trying to put him in his bassinet around 9:30 after his last bottle and he has been sleeping till 3 or 3:30 AM before waking for another bottle and diaper change. He does fuss quite a bit in the evening but that is because he does not like taking long naps during the day and likes to fight sleep. But once he is asleep, he is out for quite a while!

I have to say, Lori is becoming quite the photographer. I have a pretty nice digital camera and she never wanted to touch it before we had Ty. One evening a few weeks back, I gave her a quick overview and since then she is turning into an artist. :-) It seems like everyday day I come home and have to look at the camera to see the photos she has taken! She is getting the "eye" and is becoming pretty good. She has taken the top four photos on the right column of our blog and three of the photos in this post.

Ty is starting to show us signs of his personality and show faces. His frown is something to giggle at...

And his smile... well you just have to see it! :-) Lori was able to catch a smile yesterday while Ty was playing in the clothes basket! He was laughing and cooing the whole time.

Ty has also been enjoying his activity gym. At this point, 20 minutes is about the extent of his play time but we have been able to get a few coos and smiles out of him while he looks at the different toys dangling around him.

And then there is tummy time... although it is only for a few minutes, Ty seems to enjoy his tummy time. Lori decided to give him some tummy time since he has been trying to pick his head up more often when we are trying to burp him. So far, it is working out quite well.


Tomorrow is Halloween and that bring Trick and Treaters to our front door. Hopefully, Ty is a good boy and cooperates with mommy and daddy and allows us to take a few photos of him in his cute little outfit. We did not get costume this year since he is so little, but he will be dressed for the occasion! Will post photos sometime over the weekend! :-) Till then...

One Month Old, Checkup & Other News

Yesterday was Ty's one month birthday! It is hard to believe that a month has gone by so fast, but it has. He has come a long way in a month. He now occasionally gives mom and dad a smile or a coo and is beginning to show some personality. I am trying to catch a smile with the camera but I seem to miss every time! I am sure I will get one sooner or later!

Last week we decided to switch Ty from Similac Advanced to Parents Choice (Wal-Mart brand) Gentle Formula. The big difference between the two is that the proteins in the Gentle formula are broken down into smaller amounts so that it is easier for Ty to digest. We decided to make the change after Ty was experiencing a lot of gas and tummy aches. After eating you could just hear his stomach rolling around trying to digest the formula which led to fussiness. Since we have changed last Saturday, Ty seems to be more content after feedings and is not having the tummy aches.

Last Saturday I decided to give my second try of baby sitting without Lori being around. She went to a birthday party for her little cousin while I stayed home and baby sat. And I thought the first time was hard?!?! Let's just say I cried "mercy" and called mommy to come home after one hour and 45 minutes of straight crying. No matter what I did, Ty just would not calm down. Within 20 minutes of Lori walking in the door, Ty was calm, cool and collected. Guess he just needed mommy! :-( Oh well, I am not about to give up! I will give another shot soon!



Today was Ty's one month checkup. He weighed in at a healthy 9 pounds 15 ounces and is still 21 inches long. Since our last visit 24 days ago, Ty has gained about 47 ounces, almost 2 ounces a day. Dr. Colli was impressed with Ty's weight gain and said that he is obviously getting the nutrition he needs and appears to be a happy baby. That is because Ty was a very good boy today during his visit, with the exception of peeing all over the nurse while she was weighing him in and taking his temperature!! Dr. Colli gave Ty a clean bill of health and also approved of our switch to a different formula.

As for Lori and I ...

Lori is healing well and is making strides in her recovery each day. She is doing laundry on a routine basis and even did a bit of lite cleaning around the house. In two weeks she visits the doctor for her six week postpartum appointment. At that point the doc should pretty much release her and allow her to get back to a normal life. *wink* House work! *wink* She is doing an excellent job as a new mom. She has had her moments too and does get a little anxious and teary eyed when Ty will not relax, but for the most part, she is doing excellent. I enjoy hearing her sing to Ty and coo with him and giggle when he does something funny.

I am doing well too. I am learning something new everyday, or at least it seems that way. I have learned to cope with the crying and fussiness, with the exception of last Saturday, and I think I am making strides as a new dad. I try to help as much as I can around the house and with Ty in the evenings just to try and take some load off of Lori and allow her to relax. But there are times, I can not do what mommy can and just have to sit back and let her take charge. The best thing about being a new dad is just coming home, being able to give Lori a hug and kiss and seeing that adorable boy of mine. That is special....

Busy Autumn Weekend

Before all the Saturday morning chores began, Ty got his first tub bath. I think it was more exciting for Lori and I then it was for Ty. He cried a little, enjoyed the sound of the running water and then cried even more when he was being dried off. As I said to Lori, it will be rough for a while... then there will be the day we won't be able to get him out of the tub.

Following the tub bath I went out to finish cleaning up flower beds and to mow the lawn. I then went to the local hardware store to pick up a few fall mums and a couple of pumpkins to decorate the front porch.

Once all the chores were complete, it was time to get cleaned up and try to get a few family photos outside. One of those photos made the cut and is now on the right side of the screen. We managed to get those in before Ty began to fuss at us for taking his binky away every time a photo was about to be snapped.

We then hopped into the car and stopped by the candy store in Chambersburg to surprise Nan Smith. After leaving the store we went to visit with Pap Smith. Pap enjoyed the company for a few hours, even the occasional crying and fussiness from Ty. Shortly after Nan got home we packed up, picked up dinner at Subway and made our way home to relax.

Following dinner, Ty and I sat down to relax and watch the NASCAR race and the Penn State game. Even though Ty feel asleep on my chest, I greatly enjoyed the bonding time.

Sunday marked the first day Lori was allowed to drive again since having her c-section and giving birth to Ty. She took advantage of it by letting me baby sit, while she went to the mall to get her nails done and do a little shopping.

As mentioned in a previous post, this was something that I was very worried about since I have no alone experience with children much less a newborn. Of course Lori reassured me that I would be fine and that Ty would most likely nap most of the time anyways, so I had nothing to worry about. I think she was setting me up!

Here was my first 3 hours alone with my newborn son....

As soon as the garage door was down and Lori was out of the driveway, Ty woke up from his cat nap and began fussing. I changed him, fed him, burped him and he was still crying. I walked him, patted him, bounced him... still fussing. This little guy has some gas. Ok, let's try Milicon (gas relief for babies). No... did not work.

Went outside and walked around for a while... ahhh, silence. Yes, he is sleeping.... Awesome!

Walked back into the house and closed the door... darn it, it woke him up and he is fussing again. Sat down at the computer and Googled something like "water running sound." Found a good sound that lasted for about a minute and could be repeated. Listened to that for about 15 minutes until it appeared he had fallen asleep. "Yes, I succeeded. This isn't so bad," I said to myself with a big smile on my face.

10 minutes later he began fussing again! Geez, what am I doing wrong?!? So I changed him again, fed him some more and burped him again. Walked him around inside and out and still fussing. Sat down on my Lay-Z-Boy chair and cuddled him up against my chest and patted his butt for what seemed like an eternity. Ahhh, silence. He finally fell asleep. Must have been tired from all the crying. OK, I can get back to watching the Redskins embarrass themselves against the winless Rams.

Then mommy came home... and for the most part, the rest of the evening went pretty well. For Lori, it was good to get out and get some fresh air on her own time without Ty or me hanging around. I believe it helped her quite a bit and I was glad I could help her rejuvenate while I was pulling my hair out.

On the other hand, I guess the good Lord above was testing me. In the end, I am glad he did... because I think I handled my first test pretty well. But all my frustration did not come without a price. This morning I noticed I have a few more gray hairs on my head. I am sure they won't be the last ones Ty gives me! :-) Hope everyone enjoyed the weekend!

Learning Curve...

I am told that as a parent your learning curve begins before birth and continues to grow for the rest of your life. Well Lori and I are two and a half weeks into that curve and I think we are doing pretty well.

Ty is becoming a pretty good little boy and Lori and I are doing pretty well as new parents. Since our first night home when Ty had a rough night, we have dramatically improved. We are learning that what makes Ty happy also makes us happy. We are also learning he is our new boss and we follow his schedule, not our own. For me that has been the hardest thing because I am such a stickler on time and schedules.

Here are a few things we have learned over the past 2 1/2 weeks:

He loves to be held close and his butt patted. He loves to be changed after eating rather than before. He loves to fall asleep when he is just about done his bottle. He loves to cuddle his head underneath our neck. He loves to have his hands up near his face, even when he is being swaddled.

Oh and one other thing... Lori and I are in love with our son, Ty. I think we are going to keep him! :-)

Ty is doing very well. He is sleeping pretty well through the night in his bassinet next to our bed, only usually awaking twice to feed. We are trying to start somewhat of a schedule with him at night and so far it seems to be working out pretty well. He is eating well and often. He is also making lots of dirty diapers!

During the work day I usually try to check in with Lori at least once to see how her day is going and to see how Ty is doing. The other day I called and she says "Honey, I'm kinda worried... he has not pooped all day and that is unusual for him." My reply, "Oh I am sure he is fine, he is just waiting for daddy to walk through the door." Well, believe it or not, as I pull into the driveway Ty dirties his diaper just in time for daddy to change. He dirtied three other diapers that evening... all for daddy! :-)

Overall the household is doing very well, although it needs cleaned pretty bad and that is on my Friday evening agenda.

Lori is recuperating quicker then I thought she would. She not only is doing a great job with Ty but is beginning to do light chores around the house such as laundry and cooking dinner. She is even getting up at night to feed Ty so I can sleep, which I greatly appreciate. She is getting back to her old self, but I believe she is getting a bit of cabin fever and needs some time out of the house. This weekend she will be able to drive again and I believe she is looking forward to that.

I am doing well too. I am trying to adjust to a new routine in the evenings. I used to come home, eat dinner, get things ready for the next day, maybe do a few chores and then retreat to my Man Cave in the basement for the rest of the evening. Now I try to come home from work and get settled quickly so I can take Ty off Lori's hands for a few hours while she showers and relaxes a bit without the little one in her arms. It has been an adjustment but one that has come with ease and understanding.

We are hoping for a nice weekend weather wise to get out of the house for a while. Take a ride with Ty, visit some family and enjoy a nice fall day. We are also hoping to take a few new photos of Ty, possibly outside and even try to snap a few family portraits. If we do, I am sure we will be posting some on here for everyone to see. For now, take a look on the right side of the page for a few new pics. Hope this finds everyone doing well!