Happy New Year & Shout Outs

Lori, Ty and I just want to take a moment to wish all of our friends and family a Happy and Healthy New Year filled with Love and Goodwill.

We also wanted to give shout outs to a few of our friends who are enjoying exciting times in their lives.

To the Kipe family in South Carolina... you might be far away from us here in Pennsylvania, but you are never out of our thoughts. We wish you the best with your new born baby girl Abbi and her older sister Layna. Congrats!!! You have a beautiful family! We love you guys and can't wait to see you in the spring!

To the Bowersox Family... congrats on your big news of starting a family!!! We are soooo happy for you guys and wish you the best of luck when Baby Bowersox comes into the world sometime around July 4th! We love you and remember, if you ever need a helping hand, we are here for you!

And finally to the Penn State Football Team... GO STATE, BEAT USC!! :-)

Happy New Year to All!!!

A Joyful Christmas for the Smith Family

Christmas was bitter sweet for us this year, but overall very joyful. Bitter because of the recent loss of my father and the anniversary of Lori's father's death on Christmas day. Sweet because we were able to celebrate Christmas with many members of both of our families. Joyful because it was our first Christmas with our little guy.

Christmas Eve began on a good note with my mom deciding she was coming out for dinner and an overnight stay with us. She has been sick with ear and sinus infections, but after a visit with her doctor and him convincing her that she was not contagious, she decided to join us. Great News! We had our Christmas with her that evening since Christmas morning would be kinda crazy for us preparing to go to visit both side of Lori's family as we do each Christmas.

Ty made out excellent with clothes coming from Nan Smith. After the last few days, Ty pretty much has enough of clothes to last him through the winter thanks everyone including Nan.

Christmas morning arrived and we hustled to get food made for our visits and get Ty ready to go... I was always told that taking a child somewhere meant taking everything but the kitchen sink. I never believed it until Christmas morning. We were going to two places for pretty much 7 hours and it felt like we were packing for a weekend get away. As you can see, Ty was all dressed up for the occassion!


We went to Lori's Aunt Tracey's for a wonderful lunch and shared a few hours with that side of the family. Ty again made out well with a few toys and a gift card or two for more clothes/toys. Ty did very well and even took a much needed nap as you can see below. I love his cute little Santa bib.

Around 3, it was time to pack up and head to Lori's Grandparents for the rest of the day. There we exchanged gifts and had another delicious dinner. Ty again made out like a bandit with Toys galore and even a few more outfits for the coming months. Ty was a good boy until about the 6 o'clock hour when he became pretty fussy and was about ready to end his big day. We packed up the car and home we went. Ty took his bottle and was out like a light.

On Friday, I had to work... I know, Ho Hum... but Lori's mom was coming into town and Lori's brother was hosting more family members for lunch and our Christmas with her. Ty's big gift from Grandma Straley was the coolest toy and one everyone is at least aware about from news reports... Talking Elmo. Let's just say, dad has had more fun with it then Ty thus far! :-) That thing is so cute! I was able to skip out of work for a few hours to enjoy lunch with everyone.

So all in all our Christmas was joyful but busy. Ty did a great job going from place to place and has been quite a sleeper the past few nights. He is learning how to hold things and grab at his toys. He is becoming more responsive to people and loves to gabber. I have to say, when he smiles, his entire face lights up with joy, along with mommy and daddy's!

Lori and I just want to thank everyone for the Christmas gifts for Ty and to us. As you can see by the picture below, Ty will not need any new toys until he turns one!! :-)

Merry Christmas To All....

We just want to wish all of our family and friends a very Merry Christmas!

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...