Tucker Weekly

15 weeks! This is going by SO fast! With every week, Tucker gets more fun and interactive...I wish all of you could see how fun he is instead of just reading about it...but this will have to do!

This week, he has:
-rolled over twice!
-started reaching for things
-started grabbing toys and trying to hold onto them
-still been making a ton of noises and his latest one sounds like Tarzan!
-been holding his head up pretty high when lying on his belly
-been standing up for long periods of time when we hold him up on our lap-his legs are getting so strong!
-laughed! Tonight I was playing peek-a-boo with him, which he has never quite "gotten" before, and he was loving it! Once he got the idea of the game, he gave me a good cackle...PRECIOUS!
-continued to grow and grow! i bought SIZE 3 diapers today! i know, its crazy...but he's starting to "show crack" in the size 2 and well, ya know, we don't want that :) We don't grow em' small around here!

We have such a sweet boy...he's so content when he's awake and he's really a great sleeper! He's staying awake for longer stints, which is fun and hopefully we'll start going a little longer between feedings in the next few weeks!

Our friends Rebecca and Luke came to visit yesterday...I can remember Luke being as small as Tucker! Scary how quickly they grow...can't wait for Tucker to be big enough to keep up with Luke! We love you guys!

L.O.S.T.

We are SO EXCITED for the season premiere of LOST on Wednesday! Will Jack and Kate make it? Did Jin really die? What happened to Loc? And what was that name they were calling him again? We are officially addicted. We never watched it until this past summer when we decided to catch up on all the DVDS. I won't even tell you how fast we watched them. We watched Season 4 on DVD in December when it came out to get ready for Season 5...and it's here! If you don't watch this show, you're saving yourself from a addicting, puzzling, entertaining show!

Here's a sneak preview...

"The Wendy's Incident"

We did it! We left Missouri yesterday morning at 8 am (central time) and got home last night at 10 pm! What a trip! 1,325.6 miles to be exact! It was the dreaded drive home and it actually wasn't too bad... Tucker hung in there as good as any 3 month old could...he wasn't even that fussy, just anxious to get out of the car seat position. Just this week it seemed like he was trying to sit up more so you could tell he wasn't loving being reclined in his seat.

"The Wendy's Incident" would be referring to our stop in the Wendy's parking lot for me to feed and change Tucker. This resulted in Tucker and myself having to change clothes! Lots of POOP people! Why does this only happen when you're in the car, in a weird feeding position, with a change of clothes hard to reach in a suitcase, and your husband inside ordering your lunch? The irony is that the other time we had this same scene, we were on a road trip, in a Wendy's parking lot! So, that will be our coined phrase for a really bad diaper and we seriously might consider not stopping at another Wendy's when needing to change Tucker!
We're so thankful to be home...we ALL slept great last night in our own beds. Looks like Charlotte's going to get some snow tonight, so we'll keep you posted on that!

New Places, New Faces...

Well, we have packed a lot into 3 days! Or should I say, packed a lot of people into the last few days! Since we have been in Missouri, Tucker has met too many new people to count! Pretty much every relative Brad has lives here, so the line of people to meet Tucker has been long! With all the new faces and constant attention, Tucker has been quite the trooper! We're learning more and more that he doesn't love to be held for too long, so as long as we give him time to lay down, stretch out and kick a little, he seems to stay in a pretty good mood. The most exciting thing happened today...
TUCKER ROLLED OVER!!! I'm pretty sure he's not supposed to be able to do that yet, but his legs have some extra meat on them, so I think they helped him get some leverage! It was so much fun to watch and hopefully I can get him to do it again soon so we can catch it on video! Our boy's growing fast! Enjoy this slide show of the many pictures of relatives and friends in Missouri!

On the Road Again...

Well, I'm sitting on a couch in Missouri, which means we survived our road trip! Yesterday, we packed up the car, once again, to take our longest trip yet with Tucker... Most of Brad's family live in Missouri and everyone but his parents had yet to meet Tucker so we had lots of people waiting for us to visit! We (or I) have definitely been a little anxious about how he would do in the car for that long, but he really did pretty well. We had lots of great stops along the way yesterday and today which broke up our trip a lot! We first stopped in Knoxville yesterday to see our friends Laura and Frank. It was such a treat becuase they just had their second boy 4 weeks ago and I was so excited to meet little George! Even though he's just 2 months younger than Tucker, they seemed so much different in size!

After visiting with the Leonards, we went to our friends Hannah and Will's house to spend the night. It was great to catch up with Hannah and as you can see, there was lots of Tennessee pride in their house...couldn't resist the picture with the "T" pillow that was so much bigger than Tucker!


This morning, we started off the day with a bang when I locked the keys in our car! I've never done that in the 4 years that I've had my car and of course it would happen when we're out of town and trying to get on the road! But we had a great experience with roadside assitance and got on the road to make our way to Nashville. It snowed almost the entire drive! We stopped for lunch to visit with the Purifoy's. Michael and Brad were college roommates and we always love when we get to see them and their boys! It's so funny how so many of our friends have BOYS!
Leaving nashville, we had about 4 hours to go and needless to say, they were the longest and toughest hours. Tucker was so ready to get out of the car seat and that I wanted to get out of the car is an understatement. I'll admit it, I don't really do well on long road trips... But we made it and Tucker is sound asleep and will be glad to be back in his routine tomorrow I'm sure! We'll be visiting with lots of family and probably staying in doors most of the time due to the freezing temperatures... tonight the wind chill is supposed to be -5 degrees!

Tucker Weekly

What a week we have had! Tucker was 14 weeks yesterday and our road trip has made me a little late on the update! More on the trip later... I keep thinking it will get to a point where I won't have enough to share in a weekly update, but so far, Tucker really is changing so much each week and it's so much fun! We have kept him really busy this week...here are some things he's been up to:
--he's talking A LOT...he loves looking at you in the face and trying to make the same noises you're making at him and as of the last few days he's started making some new squealing noises
--he's started sitting in his bumpo seat which helps him sit up pretty well on his own (we'll make sure to post a picture of that soon)!
--he went to the mountains and to 4 NEW states as of today on our road trip--Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois, and Missouri!
--he's still blowing lots of bubbles and drooling a little more
--he's getting stronger on his legs--he can stay standing for a good while when we're holding him up on our lap
--he's been a TROOPER through lots of car time!

Tucker's in for an exciting weekend of being with Grandma and Grandpa (Brad's parents) as well as meeting lots of other aunts, uncles, great grandparents, cousins... he will get lots of love and for sure! Stay tuned for pictures from our weekend in Missouri!

Favorite Baby Items

Well, after 3 months of being in the baby world, I'm certainly no expert, but it doesn't take long to figure out what works, what doesn't, and what you absolutely can't leave home without! So, to all you moms/future moms out there or people that want to give gifts to moms, here are some of our favorite things!

The Miracle Blanket
This is not called the "miracle" blanket for no reason! This swaddling blanket, AKA straight jacket, keeps Tucker perfectly swaddled and snug as a bug. The material is like that of T-shirt sheets so it moves and stretches easily and is very difficult for him to maneuver out of. Another bonus to this blanket is that their feet go into a pocket at the bottom and you can take their feet out of it without unswaddling the rest of them--this is GREAT for transferring them into a car seat or the swing without removing the blanket! We LOVE this blanket so much that we might swaddle Tucker till he's 5! For you locals, here is a list of stores in the Charlotte area that you can find them and of course, you can purchase it online.

Sleep Positioner by Boppy

There are some bad sleep positioners out there... we bought 3 before we found one that worked! This one by Boppy is great. It feels like memory foam, which makes for a very soft surface for your little one (especially in the first few weeks that Tucker was in the pack and play that doesn't have a so soft surface). It is inclined, which can be helpful for reflux but also just a more comfortable position for them. The two "bumpers" on it have strong velcro that keeps them in place--that was the major fault of other sleep positioners we tried--and this is perfect for positioning them on their side, which Tucker has loved! The cover can be easily removed to wash. One great thing about using a sleep positioner is that it doesn't matter where we lay Tucker down because he's only used to the positioner--not the crib, pack and play, etc. So, it has made him very versatile with traveling, being at friend's houses, etc. Don't waste your money on any other sleep positioner!

Baby Einstein Play Mat

Lying on this mat is Tucker's favorite time of the day! I'm sure there are other play mats out there similar to this one, but what makes this one stand apart from some is the star at the top that lights up and plays music. Tucker is captivated by the lights and while he's lying there he can't stop kicking (I like to say dancing) to the music! There are also great toys hanging down that he's just started to grab for. Finally, this play mat folds up great and is easy to travel with. We have taken it with us on our last few trips and it is a great activity no matter where we are!

The BOB

Dear BOB, oh how we love thee. This stroller is awesome! I will preface the rest by saying that this stroller isn't the cheapest one on the block, but so far, I would say it's worth the money. We really wanted a stroller that would last for a few kids. And we also made the decision not to get a "regular stroller" but instead the BOB and the "snap and go", so that made us feel a little better about a nicer jog stroller. A few great things about it:
-The front wheel can be locked into place or it can be a swivel wheel (most strollers are one or the other)
-There is an infant car seat adapter--you can lock the car seat into this stroller whereas most jog strollers don't have this option and can't hold a baby until they're several months old since they have to lay down in it--you do have to purchase this seperately
-There is a windshield you can pull over the top to keep the cold or wind out
-The wheels can make it on any surface--road, mountains, beach (looking forward to trying that!)
-It comes in really fun colors, like this orange and brown one--of course the color we chose :)
We purchased ours at REI and since we have a store here, that will be convenient if we ever have a problem with it!
Happy BOBing!

There are probably a few more things I could put on this list, but these are the top products I would recommend with confidence!
If you have questions or other suggestions to add, leave a comment! I have definitely found that the best resource I have is all of my other mommy friends!