Author: Amanda

Big news – I got a new job! I transferred to a different department which allows me to work part time. Now I work a few hours in the morning and then spend the rest of the day with Tyson!

We took the little dude in for his 4 month checkup last week. He weighed in at a healthy 17 lbs – still topping the charts! Except for the residual cold symptoms (all 3 of us have been sick the last couple weeks), Tyson is doing great. He’s holding his head up, expanding his babbling vocabulary, and even lets out the occasional giggle.

We’ve had a roller coaster of weather recently. There have been gorgeous sunny days for us to take long walks and then so much snow it shut Atlanta down for a week! Personally I’m ready for the warm weather to stay – more trips to the park!

Here are some photos.

Things have just quieted down after the holidays and now we have a chance to catch everyone up on our adventures (here’s the photos).

We took our very first overnight road trip to Blairsville to see Maw Maw and Paw Paw. Man, does Tyson travel with a lot of baggage! Overall, I think he was a very good house guest.

The big day was here in Atlanta. We started with a nice quiet Christmas morning at home. Later we went over to G-mom’s for dinner, during which a Christmas miracle happened! We had our first white Christmas in Atlanta in 128 years! Just half an inch, but we’ll take it. I hope Tyson doesn’t expect this every year now.

After all that snow melted away (ha), we went to visit friends. Kayla napped while Tyson rocked out with the band (a.k.a. Sandi and I making fools of ourselves playing Rock Band)!

The folks from Philly made it down for a quick visit. They showered the little guy with gifts and us with essentials – booze and chocolate!

Speaking of booze, Travis and I did manage to stay up and ring in the new year with a glass of champagne. Of course we did go to bed immediately after.

Now the holidays are over and it’s back to work. Tyson just finished his first week of day care and we all survived, including me.

Happy 2011 everyone!

I can’t believe its December! I can’t believe Tyson is 8 weeks old! We’ve had a lot of visitors this past month – we managed to see ALL the grandparents during November (and that’s no easy task)!

We had a “Grandmother Thanksgiving” with Nana and G-mom. Nana deserves a round of applause for braving air travel for the first time in over 30 years AND doing so at the busiest time of the year…clearly she’d do anything to get her hands on that grandbaby.

Tyson seems to be growing every day. He’s quite good at lifting his (rather large) head up now during tummy time and he’s making all sorts of new happy noises (a nice change from just crying and pooting). I feel like next week he’ll be driving! Check it out:

• Tummy Time video
• Conversations with Tyson video
• November photos

Lots of “firsts” this past week…

• First time in the stroller: Tyson was skeptical in the beginning, but then decided he could nap outdoors as well as anywhere else.
• First Halloween: His first official holiday (we’re not counting Columbus Day). Looks like he’s going to have a sweet tooth!
• First time Trav got to play his drums: Definitely a hit.
• First visit from Kayla: Sandi and baby came over for the afternoon. She may be 3 days older, but he’s 5 pounds heavier!
• First adult outing (also first time wearing jeans without elastic waistband): Met Danielle for lunch and only called home to check in once.

Check out the pictures here!

Boy, are we tired! I guess sleep deprivation is the norm for new parents. And we definitley underestimated the amount of dirty diapers he could generate! We saw the pediatrician on Friday and his weight is up to 10.5 lbs (he had the typical drop in weight the first week, but he has bounced back with gusto). He has quite the ravenous appetite…he’s up to 5 ounces per feeding.

While Tyson is taking a quick nap, we thought we’d upload a few pictures from his second week.

First off, we want to thank everyone for their emails, phone calls, texts, cards, and visits! If we haven’t gotten back to you, please know your well wishes are much appreciated…we’ve just been a tad busy.

So here are the highly anticipated, often requested, sometimes demanded, MANY pictures of Tyson’s first week. We start off before he was born… and FYI, even though I had contractions for 17 hours, the doc did not make me attempt to push the big guy out (thank goodness!). Off to the c-section, which was a quick and surreal experience. Travis bravely watched the whole thing. 20 minutes and 20 staples in my stomach later, our little family was reunited in the recovery room. Over the next 5 days in the hospital, we had lots of family and friends come to visit. Tyson definitely enjoyed all the attention. The nurses told us repeatedly that he was the cutest baby they had ever seen – of course I believe them.

Finally on Tuesday, we were released into the real world (check out Tyson’s dapper going home outfit). So, we’ve spent the last few days adapting our schedules and adjusting the surroundings for the little guy. You might notice I look a bit tired, but we’re starting to figure things out! Oh, and the day we came home, Travis’ Wii drum set arrived. I ordered this for him LAST Christmas… and it shows up the day we bring a newborn home! I think it’s a sign Tyson is going to be a drummer like his daddy.

Showers have definitely been in the forecast lately! Thanks to all those who helped plan (Bridget, Sandi, Amie, Danielle, Carlye, Heather, and August) and all those who participated (you should’ve already received your beautifully hand written thank you note…my fingers are still bleeding). Check out a few of the photos.

Because of all our generous friends, family, and co-workers, the nursery is pretty much fully stocked and ready for our baby. Good thing, since we went to the doctor this morning and found out Cletus is in position and the launch sequence has begun! NO NEED TO PANIC – it will probably still be a few more weeks, but things are starting to happen. We’ll keep the blog updated as major things occur!

Long time, no update, huh? We’ve been busy – check out the progress in the nursery! It’s been painted and Travis obviously put a lot of work into the crib (thanks to G-mom for that contribution!). Now we are on the hunt for the perfect chair – you know, the kind that is so comfortable, you forget it’s 2 AM and you’re up with a screaming child. They make those, right?

Now that we have a place for Cletus to sleep, the next few weeks will be spent getting ourselves ready. We’ve got birthing classes, a hospital tour, pediatrician interviews, and most important – baby showers! I think Travis gets a little twitchy thinking about the amount of baby “stuff” that will soon invade every inch of the house.

We had a doc appointment a few days ago and found out Cletus is a bit of an overachiever – he’s growing ahead of schedule. They assured us that doesn’t mean he’ll make an early appearance, he’s just shaping up to be a big ole boy! We’ll have new pictures of him shortly – our 3D ultrasound is coming up. Check back soon (really)!

We’re getting into summer and man, it is hot! We’re both trying to squirrel away as many vacation days (and dollars) as we can, so we’ve been staying local. There’s been plenty to do here in ATL: art festivals, BBQs and outdoor concerts (all of which make me miss cold adult beverages). Carting around this extra weight in 95 degree weather is a work out! Many have asked if I’m showing now and the answer is most definitely YES (see picture).

Well, we’re over halfway there and it’s time to really start preparing. The room designated as the nursery-to-be has been cleaned out. (Step 1!) I think it’s already a nice shade of green (see picture again), but Travis will have none of that – there will be a fresh coat of paint on the walls for his boy! We’ve started the process of shopping around for furniture and such, but haven’t committed to anything yet. Some of those stores are a bit overwhelming.

Cletus has become very active the last few weeks – I can feel him kicking and moving around. It’s a strange new sensation. And not to be outdone, I will be engaging in my own new sensation – exercise. I start a pregnancy yoga class tomorrow. We’ll probably look like a bunch of zen beached whales. See, I’m already making sacrifices for this kid!

Happy Cinco de Mayo! Good news – it seems I’m finally over my morning sickness. Bad news – I’m not currently drinking a margarita. But speaking of margaritas, we (Cletus and I) went to the Jimmy Buffett concert last week. I haven’t missed a show since 1994! It was a little rainy and a lot cold, but we still had a great time! Trav designed these fab t-shirts for Sandi and I (she’s due 2 days after me). Check out the pictures here.

I’m officially in maternity clothes. I’m not really “showing”, but it got to the point where I couldn’t zip my britches up anymore. Luckily there seems to be a pretty decent selection of expandable pants available.

Next time I post, we’ll have big news!

I think the blog is a hit! We love all the comments, advice, and name suggestions (???). OK, let’s address this picture before we go any further. Saturday Trav and I attended a fundraiser called the Big Wig. I know some of you thought Trav grew his mullet out again, but no, it’s just a wig! (Feel free to comment on your memories of his long luscious locks.). Will Cletus have red hair? Who knows. There’s an awful lot of that Cherokee Indian blood on the Cook side.

You guys have a lot of opinions about potential names! We decided to put together a survey of the contenders. Vote away!

Now that we are parents to be, we understand the importance of forcing our stories and pictures of the most fantabulous child in the world on everyone. We might talk about ourselves occasionally too. Since we both reject the popular social networking outlets, Travis (being Travis) came up with a solution – a blog! So here we are – entry #1 – welcome!

The baby (aka Cletus, Mortimer, Little Travy) is due 10/10/10. Cool birthday if we can pull it off! Despite what the nicknames imply, we don’t know the sex yet, but we will soon: May 17th. Let the betting begin!

Here are the most recent ultrasound pics from April 5th.  He was quite active – rolling around, hiccupping, sticking his tongue out and generally being uncooperative. Already a trouble maker! My fav picture is the one with his arm above his head – he kinda looks like Mr. Potato Head!

Feel free to leave a comment and check back often for updates!