Ah, another year, another turkey!  The Chattanooga folks came down to join us – Uncle John, Aunt Sarah, Cousin Laura and Beau.  Tyson warmed up to everyone in no time.  We filled ourselves with good company and the classic “brown mushy foods” of Thanksgiving (quote from Laura – love it). The next morning, Tyson couldn’t wait to play with his new train and eat another John roll!  Check out the photos and sweet yoga moves here.  Alright, time to put the tree up!

So here’s the deal – Tyson thinks I’M the lady in the Starbucks logo. Any time he sees it – on a sign, on a cup, in a store – he points and says “Mommy!”.  And that is where our costumes derived from…I was the lady in the Starbucks logo, Travis was a barista, and Tyson was a cup of coffee.  Ok, well, he was supposed to be a cup of coffee, but he refused to wear his costume.  Good thing he’s cute. You might notice the big scab on his nose – he took bad spill earlier this week at daycare.  That did not slow him down! He really got in to Halloween this year – he would hold his bag open and say “trick-treat-please!”

Check out the photos!

This post is full of random stuff from late summer/early fall.  We took a trip up to Blairsville. Highlights:  Paw Paw let Tyson play one of his guitars, they shared their love of fruit, and Tyson went on his first boat ride at Uncle Tommy’s (check out the before and after photos). We had one last trip to the beach right before Labor Day with G-mom. Highlights: not crowded but the pool bar was still open, Tyson had his first swim lesson, and he liked to “walk the dogs” on the beach. Missourians came to visit (Nana, Aunt Erin, and JP). Highlights: Legoland, movie time every night after the little dude was asleep, and Nana having to buy a new car to make it back home. Tyson’s 2nd birthday! Highlights: visiting Tanglewood Farms (a petting zoo full of miniature farm animals), watching mommy chase a pumpkin down a hill that Tyson kicked over (“go go pumpkin!” he shouted), and lots of pizza and cake!

And here is a side note for my college friends: to this day, my favorite cup is one I got at my very first Field Day party freshman year. On October 3rd, that cup turned 20 years old!

Check out all the pictures here.

Well, since kids are back in school and Labor Day is around the corner, guess we better send out our summer pictures! Tyson has had a few more “firsts”: first trip to a winery, first roller derby bout, and first lobster! For some reason his baby book does not list these milestones…guess I’ll just write them in the margin. Hope everyone had a great summer.  We’re going to squeeze one more beach trip in before the fall/holiday madness is upon us!

Feels like we were just taking down holiday decorations and now we’re getting ready for a beach vacation! Winter and Spring went by fast. Tyson has been honing his toddler skills: RUNNING, talking (current favorite word – “NO”, close second – “bee”), mastering his iPad games, and becoming a playground expert. Tyson recently started a new daycare called the Clifton School and it’s on Emory University’s campus. Pretty sure that means an automatic spot in either their medical school or law school. Of course we’ll let him choose! When I picked him up after his first day there, the teacher said “boy, he’s a good eater!!”. Yes, yes he is. He’s already been on his first field trip…to a field….literally! As usual, Travis has been documenting everything with his new camera. Here are the photos and a couple videos: Dancing | Bubbles

Whew! Getting to January feels like finishing a marathon (as if I would know). We were busy busy, but enjoyed it all – Thanksgiving, the Pink Pig, Tyson’s first trip to a casino, seeing the lights at the botanical gardens, and of course lots of visits with family and friends. Tyson’s walking skills have been improving daily, which adds adventure to any event. It definitely impacted our decorating.  We decided it was easiest just to put a baby gate around the tree (for its own safety). We called it our “tree in captivity”. Opening presents was fun – his birthday was the trial run – now he’s a pro. We thought a great gift would be one of those remote controlled flying fish. Tyson loves balloons and Travis likes remote control thingies, so this was the perfect combo. Well it was much bigger and more complicated than we anticipated. Like many parents, we were up till midnight assembling (it required referencing a YouTube video and several glasses of spiked eggnog). The next morning Tyson was very suspicious of the giant orange fish staring at him. When we made it “swim” over his head – it was official – he was terrified. George (that’s what we named it) is now deflated in the garage, waiting for his comeback. I’d say his favorite new toy is his tent…he can break a sweat playing in that thing. The dogs like it too. Since it’s been so long since our last post, you know we’ve got a zillion pictures – enjoy!

As we sit here eating candy corn, trying to think of clever words to type for the blog, we just decided to say… enjoy the photos! 

Hard to believe the little dude is 1! We started off the day with a birthday breakfast at Waffle House. Then daddy attempted to put together Tyson’s new car (thanks Grandpop!), but due to more parts than anticipated and Tyson’s “help”, the project had to be put off for another time. After lunch and a good nap, he was ready for the party. A good time was had by all! I think Tyson loved each and every one of his gifts. He was very cautious with his cake…taking his time and only using a couple fingers to swipe some icing. I know many were expecting a big mess, but he was relatively tame! After all the family and friends departed, we finished cleaning up and removing toys from their packaging (wow – you truly need tools to bust through some of that packaging – one toy was literally screwed to the box!). It was a great day. Enjoy the photos!

P.S. Thanks Ali, Beth, and Jen for our additional surprise birthday party on Monday!

Tyson has been a very busy boy over the past two months. First, he discovered the efficiency of crawling on all fours versus the army-crawl. Then, with the aid of a walker and Mommy, he has figured out how to walk on two legs. During it all, we made our way to Seabrook, SC and Point Pleasant, NJ for some fun in the sun. Here are the videos and photos …

Video – Crawling

Video – Walking

Video – Talking (sort of)

Photos

Tyson had his first haircut today!  It really was getting long and he had been mistaken for a girl a few too many times (even when wearing a blue outfit with tools all over it – really?).  He got to sit in a cool antique toy car while getting his locks snipped.  Now he definitely looks like a little boy!  I decided to get my hair cut too – it’s been awhile (like, since Tyson was born).  My hair had gotten so long that Travis suggested I donate it to Locks of Love – they make wigs for kids with cancer.  So, mom and I headed down to our friend Stephen’s salon where I had 11 inches chopped off!

Check out our before, during and after photos.

Well, anyone who has met Patti knows she is outgoing (to say the least!). So when a milestone birthday comes around, she has a milestone party. Family and friends gathered at Tommy and Nikki’s new lake house for the festivities. Dad and his friend James provided the entertainment, but the grandkids couldn’t resist stepping up to the mic too.

Enjoy the photos…

Recently we had a visit from the Missouri crew – my sister Erin, her husband Chris, and the three boys: Devin, Elizhah, and Jeremiah. It was great to see everyone, but especially fun to watch all the kids playing together. This was the first time Tyson met his cousins from Missouri, and Jake stayed overnight to join the fun. It was a pretty rowdy bunch! We managed to fit in a visit to the Georgia Aquarium, the Stone Mountain Laser Show, a trip to the park, and countless hours of playing RockBand!

As always, it seems like the time goes by too fast and everyone has to say their goodbyes, but here are some photos of the time we enjoyed spending with you all.

1st tooth!  Tyson has his first chomper.  He dealt with it pretty well – he was fussy one afternoon and the next morning it popped out!  19 more to go…

2nd foods!  He’s advanced from baby food to table food.  If it were up to me, he’d get pureed sweet potatoes and cheerios until he’s 5.  But we need to move on, according to friends, doctors, and day care.  He seems to enjoy this new evolution…

3rd quarter numbers! He just had his 9 month doc visit and here are the latest stats:  20.8 lbs and 29 inches long.  His weight seems to be plateauing a bit, probably because he’s working out (by army crawling at lightning speed around the house).

4th of July!  We had a great weekend celebrating Independence Day – cookouts, pools and parades!

Check out the photos and these videos: Ear Inspection, Airplane, Army Crawl

The little dude just turned 7 months old!  He’s crossed the 20 lbs mark and is putting away that baby food (no teeth yet). We’ve had a busy spring, so instead of listing out every adventure, I’ll let the pictures do the talking.

I’ve been feeling a little sentimental lately – maybe it’s because I had my first mother’s day (waited a long time for that!) or maybe it’s because I watched Eat, Pray, Love again the other night – but I just wanted to say how thankful I am to be surrounded by such fantastic family and friends.

My favorite things (according to Tyson):

1. Rolling over to get out of Tummy Time – video
2. Hanging out with family and friends
3. Sitting in the high chair (not too sure about eating yet) – video
4. Jumperoo – the greatest invention of all time!
5. My feet

Here are the pictures to prove it.

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 and a quick video.

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.

Hi everyone, we are still in the hospital and slated to leave on Tuesday. We promise to then post a huge array of pictures, but here is one to hold you over and let you know the family is doing fine.

Born today, 10/8/10 at 5:25 PM, weighing in at a whopping 10.2 lbs and 22″ long, we would like to introduce everyone to Tyson Edward Cook! Thankfully the doctors decided a c-section would be his official exit strategy. And yes, that is a healthy head of red hair folks. The family is doing well, albeit slightly exhausted. Stay tuned for more details, and of course, photos. But for now, good-night!

Amanda’s doctor decided earlier this week to induce labor (because the baby is big, while Amanda is small). So we are now at the hospital, in our room, watching Jeopardy! Overall Amanda is doing fine, although she is a bit uncomfortable. The mid-wife said her first exam “was perfect” – whatever that means. I’m just observing from the sidelines and doing my best to stay out of the way. In two more hours she gets to eat something, and we’ll be watching the Braves in Game-1 of the NLDS. What a great day this is shaping up to be!

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!

Yesterday Amanda and I caught the first glimpses of our son with a 3D ultrasound. I’ll let the pictures and short video do most of the talking, but I have to say it appears he picked up most of my rugged good looks, including the bald head. Just ten short weeks left until he makes his big début!

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!

Apparently our intuitions were correct from the start when we picked Cletus the Fetus for a nickname. As a proud father-to-be, I have no problem telling the world that my son was ready and waiting for inspection at 9:30 sharp this morning. The ultrasound tech squirted that blue-goo on Amanda’s belly, and before she could even get the words “it’s a … ” out of her mouth, we both knew! Let’s just say he had positioned himself perfectly for his … um … close-up (don’t worry, those photos are not included in the slideshow). I am convinced he knew what our purpose was for visiting the doc today and wanted to remove any uncertainty on the matter.

We are both thrilled, as you might have guessed. Naturally we would have been happy either way, but I have to admit I feel an immense amount of pride knowing that the Cook family name will continue on. Amanda was leaning toward a boy anyway (only one princess per household, you know).

Now what? Well, Amanda wasted no time and already started knitting a baby blanket. And of course, finding a proper name is on the agenda now that the field has been narrowed by 50%. True, we have many wonderful options to choose from already, but I suppose we should do our due diligence and see if we can top Cletus/Mortimer/Horace/etc (no offense folks).

Whatever his name ends up being, he certainly is active and seems to enjoy hanging-out upside down. Check out the ultrasound pictures and see for yourself!

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!