Josh with his new push toy

Well...Josh has certainly gotten more independent - which I am thrilled about. The only bad thing is, he is now crawling over the entire house instead of sticking right with me. I don't miss the climbing all over my legs and being unable to move as I'm cooking, but having to drop the spoon and run to investigate what he's gotten himself into is not so fun. I was trying to get all the prep done during his nap - but I've been way too exhausted with the twins - so that's Mommy's nap time too :).

His other new thing is cruising everywhere - along the couch, the cabinets, the entertainment center...using the chairs as push toys. I can't tell you how many times I've been in the kitchen and I peek my head around the corner to check on him and my kitchen chairs are now in the middle of the living room :). The Lassetters were kind enough to let us borrow a push toy for my cruising boy. I think he's enjoying it...what do you think?

Josh May Not Have to Choose

Yesterday we went in for our first ultrasound. It was so exciting to get a chance to see Josh's sibling...or so we thought. We ended up with the surprise of our lives. We'd like to announce an extremely terrifying but exciting thing...In early May, or before, we will get to introduce you all to not one but TWO new Lytles. I must confess - when the doctor first said - are you ready? It's twins...I didn't even watch the ultrasound anymore - I was SO shocked. We have no twins in the family. So, we're the first! But, children are a blessing from the Lord - so we are doubly blessed.

For all those who were teasing about twins, we have every intention of calling in those offers of help. With three under 18 months, it will be a challenge, but a wonderful one. We are so excited, and feel so blessed that God would give us three children in such a short period of time.

Crawling, Moving, and House Readying

Whew! I can't believe it's been so long since I've done a post! These last few weeks have been insane! They started with a trip up to my mother-in-law's to help her pack. Leah and Georgia made the trip with us which was a HUGE blessing! The kids were able to entertain each other and we were able to get a lot done. And...Josh got tired of trying to keep up with Georgia doing his army crawl, and so he officially started to crawl! HOWEVER...that happened while we were away - so when I got home - YIKES! My house was not ready for a child that was that mobile!

Then followed several days of extreme nausea where I laid on the couch and tried not to move while Josh played. One day we even went over to Auntie Leah's so Josh could play with Georgia and Mommy could get a break. Then, we went up to help with the actual move. Josh got to stay with his Aunt Nay Nay, Uncle Eric, Katy, and Kaylin. He had a ball! They just played and played.

After the move, I've been working on getting the house cleaned out so that Josh can play in most rooms and getting the furniture out of the new baby's room that we don't use anymore. I have ENORMOUS bags of goodwill things that will be headed over there soon. So...I've been super, super busy...hopefully, things will slow down and I'll be able to post regularly again. Below are a couple of cute pictures.

The first one is proof of the crawler! And the second is Josh as the cowboy playing on his new horse from Aunt Nay Nay and Uncle Eric. Thanks guys!

" I Do EVERYTHING with Gusto!"

Josh was born with an opinion about everything. And the things he likes to do - he does with gusto! :) (Thank you to Uncle Nathan for this original statement after feeding our son waffles :)) There is definitely no gray areas for him. He either loves it or he hates it. He's either thrilled with life, or hating it. So, here's a few of the things he likes!

Bath Time!!! Yippeee!

How much water can I splash out of the tub?


I LOVE my bath!!!


And my duckie makes it all that much more fun!


Be dainty about eating - ME??? NEVER!!!! The ENTIRE pear goes into my mouth Mom and Dad - I'll sort it out later! How much can I cram in there...maybe a little more - come on!


Guys - where's some more?


Check me out! Up on the tub - over to the chair, back on the floor, up on the tub, back to the chair, and I'm gone again! Let's MOVE!

Friends, Neighbors, and Visitors from out of Town

Matt and I are so blessed by the friends and family that we have. Yesterday was so precious to us with all of the congratulations that were offered. It was a perfect day :). I just want to list out for you so you can rejoice with us at the greatness of friends.

First, we talked to our wonderful family who were thrilled with our news...and then, lo and behold (after a phone call) there was a knock at my door, and Leah came over to congratulate us in person. By the way, she and Georgia also cast their vote for a girl for the new Lytle baby. So, we'll see if God took her vote into consideration :). Then, after that, Lauren from our small group called to congratulate me and went shopping for meals with me for Matt while I'm gone next week. Then, she took Josh so that Matt and I could celebrate our new addition. There's nothing better than church family. Thank you SO much Lauren it was WONDERFUL!

Then, I got to talk to Kelly and Mary Kathryn from my small group and rejoice with them, and then, I got to talk to my friend Jen and revel in the impending arrival of their little one Connor and celebrate our new addition as well. Then, the evening was rounded off with a wonderful visit from Stephanie (also in our small group) for a great night of just spending time together.

I am constantly amazed by how blessed we are with our friends and family. I am also so thankful for our small group - what would we do without you guys??? Anyway, I'm just overwhelmed and excited about all the upcoming things that our life will hold.

Today was also a phenomenal day. I've been trying to build a relationship with our neighbors without much success. But this morning I went for a walk at just the right time and was able to spend over an hour with Laura and Isaac. Isaac is three and Josh just thinks he's amazing because he can walk, run, and do all the things Josh can't :). Then, I got to spend about 15 minutes talking to Patil and Om, two of our other next door neighbors. This was a major breakthrough because I've tried talking to Patil's wife, but she does not speak English, so it's only gone so far. But, Patil is thrilled that he can actually understand me (it helps to know how to speak English to someone when it's their second language (thank you for 2 1/2 years overseas!)). So, he's all excited because he hadn't tried to talk to us because he figured that he wouldn't be able to understand us, like the rest of the fast-talking Americans! So, that's a MAJOR breakthrough there!

Then, my best friend since 3rd grade came over with her son. They live near Charlotte, so it was wonderful to see them. I had the most wonderful time with her. So relaxing and fabulous. It was so great to catch up. So...all of this to say - our lives right now couldn't be better, and I just had to share the blessings of the Lord with you all. Praise the Lord. He is good!

Josh needs your help making a decision

So, Mommy and Daddy told me that I was going to get a new toy...but, I had to pick which one I wanted. I can't make up my mind. Would you help me? This is WAY TOO IMPORTANT A DECISION to make alone! Help please!!!


Here are my two options...


Mommy and Daddy say that if I get this one, I'll get to be her protector. What do you think? It makes me feel like a man!



But...this one will play with bugs with me, defend the fort, etc.

Hmm...How am I ever going to decide???


Why can't I have BOTH Mommy and Daddy???!!!! You're SO cruel! I want BOTH! And 9 months??? Are you kidding me???

Note from Karen...just in case you missed it :) - We'll be expecting the arrival of another little Lytle around the end of May. Yikes!

Fall is FINALLY here!

So...my son wore jeans yesterday! I'm finally going to be able to start putting to good use all of those adorable jeans that have just sat idly in the drawer - my son must have at least 10 pair :). Then, I couldn't resist - he was about to outgrow this outfit from Mimi and so, I put it on him for small group last night (don't worry - he didn't wear the jacket out - I have no desire to cause my son a heat stroke). Isn't he adorable?

4:30 in the Morning and Eating by Myself

So, this morning Josh decided that the day should begin at 4:30 a.m. Matt and I disagreed, and we left him in his crib until 6:30. When I walked in there he was sitting up in his crib, hollering up a storm, and playing with not one, not two, not three, but four pacifiers. "Mom, I told you I was up, and these pacifiers are NO FUN! Get me out of here!"

A couple of days ago, my husband found my son's face adorable during mealtime. Check out the shots he took.


What's up Dad? Can't you see I'm in the middle of something here?


Eating is SERIOUS business


Now, that's what I'm talking about...Give me some more!

Every Man Needs a Tool Box

So, every man needs a toolbox. I saw this at Target, and decided it was time for my son's initiation into manhood with his very first toolbox. The other reason I decided to get this is because we started independent play time today. There's a great book that I just read that we plan on implementing some ideas from. It's called Creative Family Times. It's only 60 pages long, but it has some great ideas. It was recommended to me by my co-teacher at North Wake. She's an AMAZING woman. She has 6 kids 8 and under, and her children are so wonderful. They are all so well-behaved, well-adjusted, social, etc. Talk about amazing. So, I asked her for some advice because Josh would wail everytime I left the room - we're talking extreme separation anxiety. And ignoring it wasn't getting any better. She recommended the book, and it teaches how to begin with 10 minutes a day of independent playtime that builds to 30-60 minutes of "sit" time for your two-four year olds. She said that she did it with all but one of her children, and that child she had to go back and reteach. Basically, she realized that with 6 kids, they needed to learn to play independently as well as together, so this is a way to build to that.

So, in preparation for his first 10-minute independent play time, I decided a new toy and cheerios were in order. He did GREAT! He played for 15 minutes by himself in the pack-n-play (so that he would be safe), and Mommy got some things done, and Josh was fine. I went back in after 15 minutes and scooped up an adorable and happy baby. We've also started working on not rewarding the "fuss/whine cry" with attention or "rescue" from Mommy or Daddy. Talk about hard, but we worked for the entire morning on it (trying for both Mommy and Josh), but after his nap, he did great. He had remembered, and instead of working himself up into a full-fledged fit, I would tell him "Josh, no" in a calm voice and he'd stop and get back to playing. Hopefully, this trend will continue...I'll keep you posted!

Fun with Ceiling Fan

Josh has a favorite new game. We discovered it while standing under the ceiling fan in his room. Upon seeing the chain(s) hanging from the fan, he decided to try to grab it. It didn't become a game until he tried to catch it again after he let go (and it started swinging). He found out that it's harder to hit and grab a moving target and loved every minute of it.

I would encourage him every time he grabbed the chain. This meant that whenever he grabbed the chain (or at least made contact), he would look to me for approval. This quickly turned to a laugh-fest for Josh. I don't know when I've ever seen him laugh so much at one time without being tickled (and even being tickled). As it would happen, I was able to film some of the action with my phone (which explains the bad resolution). This may qualify as the cutest thing ever. Enjoy.

Teeth and Movement

Josh has FOUR teeth broken through, and two more that are going to break through in the next few days. So, in an attempt to be good parents, we do the teeth brushing routine every morning...and when we remember...before bed :).

And just a little more proof of movement...he's still not officially crawling, but that's because he's convinced he can walk (see his attempt to stand upright on his own - 2nd picture). He's out of control!

A few new things I've been up to...

First of all, I had to switch this to a private blog, so I tried to send invitations out to everyone I could think of, but if there's someone I left off - just have them e-mail me, and I'll put them on the approved list :)...but onto more fun stuff...

Both of Josh's grandmother's had birthdays since the last time I posted. Check out their presents...well, these weren't the finished products, but those are on the other computer - so I thought I'd give you an idea :).




And proof that "love is in the air"...Georgia was crawling by Josh today and he pulled her down into his lap (we're going to have to talk about appropriate displays of affection) :)


But, I love her mom...


...and she loves ME!


...Yes, son...but, you're still a little too young...

Hope you're all doing great!

Shaving with Daddy

So, can I just say how blessed I am to have such a wonderful husband? Matt LOVES being with his son. From the moment he walks in the door after work until 7 (when Mommy takes over so Daddy can write his dissertation), it's Josh and Daddy time. And in the mornings, Matt gets him up changes his diaper before handing him off to me. Then, after he's done eating, it's back to Daddy to get dressed and get ready for the day (Mommy picks out the outfit - I think that Matt will agree the few times Daddy has done it - it has been disastrous (at least in Mommy's eyes :)).

So, here's just one of their morning activities...I love coming in after my shower and seeing my two "men" shaving away :). It's ADORABLE. Yep - he's going to be a Daddy's boy - and I LOVE that! I wouldn't trade it for the world.


Where's Daddy, Where's Daddy?



There he is!!!



Shaving With Daddy

Losing the Third Nap

I'm sure every new mom goes through this (many even sooner than we are), but Josh is losing his third nap. While this is great because he's growing up, sleeping through the night consistently, etc, this makes for not so fun evenings. He wakes up from his 2nd nap between 2 and 3, and I start counting the hours until 8 o'clock when he can go down. He does pretty well until about 6 o'clock, and then - boom - he reaches that point of no return. So, we feed, go for a walk (unless it's hot as the blazes, which is has been lately), and he spends a lot of time on Mommy's hip until - ahhh...7 rolls around and the nighttime routine begins - bottle, bath, massage, books, prayer and into bed. I'm sitting here after the routine and thinking - oh, blessed silence :). I will say this - we are blessed with a wonderful baby that goes straight down without any problems. Thank you Secrets of the Baby Whisperer for all the great tips on bedtime routines.

For those new moms out there - I highly recommend it. Like all books, there are parts we didn't do and then there were parts we loved. When we would reach the end of our rope early on, we'd go in desperation and look up whatever the problem was - and sure enough (in most things), we'd try her method - and it worked. My favorite for those first few weeks was the charts on how a baby cries and what their body does when they have different needs.

Well, that's enough for tonight. Here's a shot my husband took earlier tonight of our sleepy little boy.

My First Biscuit

One of our favorite foods in the Lytle household is my Grandaddy's biscuit. Now, Josh has had a pinch here and there, but tonight we decided that he was big enough to get his OWN biscuit - check out the results!


My Montage 7/22/07

Welcome to our Blog!

Okay - so everyone else has had a blog for FOREVER! And I enjoy reading everyone else's so much, I thought we'd start our own. Josh is now 6 months old. Can you believe it? I can't. These last few months have been the best months of our lives. It's amazing how something so small can not only transform your life - but enrich it in so many ways. So, anyway - here's a few pics for those of you who really come to the blogs to see all the cute new pictures :).


If you look in this one, you can see his two teeth!


On a different note - to answer everyone's questions :). He has started scooting like crazy. He can do a pretty mean army crawl. And anything that Georgia Finn can do, he is convinced that he can do as well (I try to tell him that she's three months older - but he tells me that it doesn't matter). Unfortunately, that means that her coordinated efforts are copied by - "let me fall flat on my face as I attempt to copy you" - ah me - the joys of the mother of a rambunctious little boy :). His new attempt to copy is that Georgia can go from sitting up to on her belly scooting, and he thinks he should be able to do the same. Unfortunately, he can't figure out how to get his legs underneath him and instead ends up flopped on the floor screaming. He'll get there eventually!

Well, that's all for today!