First Snow!

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Originally uploaded by Tyler Lackey

Yes, we count flurries as full-blown snow here in the South!

By the time I found Ty's hooded sweatshirt, thick sweatpants, waterproof jacket and pants, socks and shoes, and mittens — not to mention my sweatshirt, jacket, shoes and the camera — it had almost quit snowing!

Tyler didn't pay any attention to the snow to begin with. But the mittens freaked him out a bit. (And they are really hard to put on a child who doesn't know what the word "thumb" means!)

By the time Brian got home the snow was really coming down and Tyler started noticing it. It was also sticking to the grass, so we had a great time. Tyler started trying to catch snowflakes, and Brian helped him catch them. Tyler then tried to eat them off his mittens!

To see more snow pictures, click here to visit our Flickr site.

No Cheery C's

I think Tyler knows the alphabet.

I just threw away four perfectly good Cheerios. Well, they weren't perfect. Each was shaped like a C rather than an O; therefore, Tyler would not eat them.

I probably should have pushed the issue. I can understand texture issues, but a Cheerio is a Cheerio. And it would probably be a very good lesson to learn that a half Cheerio tastes just like a whole Cheerio.

But he was so sweet: he handed each one to me with an adorable look of disdain.

I was so proud he handed them to me rather than throw them on the floor. In fact, he didn't throw a single Cheerio on the floor and he must've eaten a half a cup of Cheerios. So I figured today I would praise him for not throwing food on the floor. Maybe tomorrow I'll try to convince him a C tastes just as good as an O.

Still Counting

Some of you guys have asked if we're still counting when we put Tyler in "time-out." We are.

I do think it is working. Sometimes Tyler even listens the first time I tell him "no."

He has only touched my glasses once since last week when I put him in time-out three times for the serious offense of yanking my glasses off my face.

He had gotten into the habit of throwing things down the stairs every time I was putting detergent in the washing machine or flushing a dirty diaper. At first, my philosophy was, "At least he's not throwing it in the toilet as I'm flushing the dirty diaper." But when I was carrying 15 books and 3 laundry baskets back up the stairs at the end of the day (or worse, letting them stack up at the bottom of the stairs for days at a time), I realized what a bad habit it was.

Now we're down to about one book a day and the occasional laundry basket. Usually I hear the first book go down the stairs and I make Tyler sit for a count of 20. I can usually trust him for about 2 minutes while I finish whatever I'm doing.

We've seriously cut down on the throwing of toys. I wish I'd counted how many times I counted the day I made that a priority! Tyler loved to hoist heavy toys over the banister that separates the kitchen from the living room and over the gate that fences off the fireplace. He just likes to hear them crash on the other side. He still throws the occasional toy over, but it isn't constant. And a time-out or two convinces him to find something else to do.

He really tested me on the kitchen boundaries a couple of days ago, though. Before time-outs, I'd say, "The milk stays in the kitchen" as he'd walk toward the living room or the hall. He wouldn't even slow down. I'd grab the straw cup and use it to lead him back to the kitchen saying firmly, over and over, "The milk stays in the kitchen." He would turn and walk back out of the kitchen.

After a few time-outs, he started walking backward toward the "boundary" of the kitchen. I'd remind him "The milk stays in the kitchen." If he kept walking backward, I'd stand up and he'd run back into the kitchen. If I didn't offer the reminder fast enough, he'd turn and run as soon as he hit the boundary as if he were home free. I'd count through a time-out. We must have gone through this process for 20 minutes one afternoon.

Since then, I do still catch him in another room with his milk. I really think he might just forget. He is still a baby. But if I see him walking out of the kitchen and remind him, he usually comes right back. And a few times, he's set his milk on the floor and then walked out of the kitchen!

Now, for those of you who have kids that are about Tyler's age, let me assure you that he still throws his milk. He lays the cup on the side and rolls it around the kitchen. I find it on its side, leaking all over the floor. He often throws it down from the high chair.

And that reminds me, the high chair makes the time-out thing difficult. He's already sitting! But I hold his hands together and count so that he knows he's in trouble. Tonight, he wouldn't stop grabbing the tablecloth at the restaurant. We counted a few times and then Brian and I were able to eat our meal in relative peace while Tyler snacked on chips, with just a few reminders not to touch the tablecloth. At least the counting worked well enough that all the food stayed on the table. That hasn't always been the case when Tyler gets too close to a tablecloth!

GI Specialist

We had an appointment with the pediatric gastroenterologist today. The doctor and his nurse took a full history of Tyler's spitting up and gagging problems while Tyler ran circles around the exam room.

The doctor seems inclined to believe Tyler's problems are behavioral and that the occupational therapy will help. He mentioned putting Tyler on medicine for reflux. However, once we clarified that Tyler does not throw up or spit up if we avoid the foods that we know cause him to gag, he said that reflux is probably not the problem.

Just to rule out the possibility of some physical problem, such as a narrow esophagus, the doctor wants us to set up appointments for two tests:

The first one will involve X-rays of Tyler's upper GI tract. We should be able to schedule this one within a few weeks.

The second is called an OPMS (or Oropharyngeal Motility Study or Barium Swallow Study). For more information on this test, click here and here. This test is done by a radiologist and a therapist who specializes in feeding issues. This test may take months to schedule. Sigh. Maybe the therapy will solve all of Tyler's problems before we even schedule this test.

Depending on the results of these two tests, Tyler may have to undergo an endoscopy, where they put a camera down his throat. However, the doctor does not seem to think this test will be necessary.

Counting Out Discipline

I've started putting Tyler in "time-out."

I never thought "time-out" would work on a young child. I earnestly believed Tyler would pay attention to me when I popped his hand and told him to stop playing with the trash can. When he laughed in my face, I was shocked. I tried popping his hand harder. It only upset him if he was very tired. Otherwise, he didn't pay me much attention.

But how do you get a 16-month-old child to sit still for a time-out?! Well, I started counting. The first day, I made him sit down and he cried while I held his hands and counted to 20. The second day, he just stared at me while I counted to 20. The third day, I didn't even have to hold his hands and he knew that he could get up when I said "twenty."

Last night, Brian and I decided that it is time to put a stop to the throwing of toys. The next time Tyler threw a toy over the gate at the fireplace, I said, "No, don't throw your toys." He immediately picked up another toy and walked to the gate. He threw it as I was saying, "No." So I made him sit down and I counted to 20. He picked up another toy and walked to the gate. I said, "No, don't throw" and took a step toward him. He walked off in the other direction as if he wouldn't even think of throwing a toy.

About 10 minutes later, he walked behind the sofa (where I couldn't see him) and threw a toy over the gate. As soon as I heard the toy hit the floor, I jumped up and said, "NO, don't throw your toys." He looked at me and promptly sat down, waiting for me to count to 20.

[For those of you that see this as a sign the method is not working, please know that I can now wear my glasses and Tyler doesn't even touch them. He pulled them off my face three times on Tuesday and we counted through a time-out each time. That was all it took. I call that success!]

Weight Check

We went this morning for Tyler's weight check. (Remember, he'd lost 4 oz. at his 15-month checkup, which was one month ago.)

He gained 1 pound and 1 ounce in the last 34 days. That is half an ounce per day! The doctor was thrilled with his progress. I was a little concerned we'd been overdoing the supplements (adding heavy cream to his milk, adding Carnation instant breakfast to his milk, giving him regular juice instead of diluting it with water, and adding Polycose to his baby food three times a day) but his doctor said he's right on track and to keep doing everything the same. Tyler's weight is just above the 25th percentile.

I wish they'd checked his height. I know he's grown in the last month. Just this past week we've had to start locking the buttons on the ice and water dispensers on the refrigerator!

The doctor and Tyler's occupational therapist, who is helping with his feeding difficulties, have recommended that we see at gastrointestinal specialist because Tyler was gagging and throwing up liquids like Motrin and yogurt when he was sick last week. From what I understand, they will look to see if there is anything physically wrong with his stomach and his throat/esophagus. I'll keep y'all posted on that.

And now, do you want to see the cutest little belly ever?



Isn't he precious?! He didn't do it for this video, but sometimes, he'll yank his shirt back down. We'll ask "Where'd it go?" and he'll lift his shirt back up and grin like he's a magician making his belly button appear and disappear!

First Haircut!

Before:



















During (at Snip-its, a place just for kids' haircuts):























After: