I used to get embarrassed to think about what Carina's parents would think if they heard how fond Tyler is of their daughter. So when her mom called yesterday to say they told Carina she could choose what to do for her birthday and she chose to have Tyler come over and play--over going to Disneyland--I was relieved to hear the similar embarrassment in her voice.

Last week, Tyler was sick with his second bought with diarrhea in the past month so I brought him into my work so I could get some things done. He thought this was so cool going to Mommy's work. He was pretty shy when my coworkers approached him and did the old trick where he turns his head away from them thinking they'll leave him alone if he doesn't look at them. It didn't work and most people were able to get him out of his shell. He did a good job at coloring at a desk while I did a little work. I don't have a large office space, maybe 15 sq feet or so and boy did he make a huge mess in that tiny space. We went to visit Uncle Mike and Tyler played shy-guy with him too. Mike wasn't able to get Tyler out of his shell. But of course, after we left work all Tyler could talk about was how he went to Mommy's work and saw Uncle Mike.

Tyler has made it to many Kings games this season and is becoming a very loyal fan. Heck, he can even pronounce Peja Stojakovic clearly. You've got to hear it to believe it. As the announcer at the games calls out the name of the player who makes a basket, Tyler repeats the name, loudly. He also knows exactly when to cheer for defense and when to yell "Booo! Miss it" except he keeps saying "Boooo! Mason" which probably makes more sense to him since at the Lakers game he was screaming "Boooo Shaq!" Silly boy.

Tyler is experiencing some big emotions lately. He is doing a good job of expressing them, which I think is key to preventing him from being too confused. With these emotions, he's been stamping his feet, throwing his arms down at his side, grunting a loud grrrrr, and more. He tries crossing his arms but apparently his arms are too short to cross the way adults do. I think it is key to help him identify his feelings so he is in touch with them, so I say things like "You are frustrated. It is frustrating when we don't get what we want." Dada, on the other hand, says to Tyler "Put on your happy face." Yet another reason why children need two parents in the home. Balance.

Yesterday, Tyler was having one of these frustrating moments. Here's how it went:
Tyler (whining): I wanna watch Elmopalooza
Mama: I'm sorry, I don't understand you when you whine.
Tyler (forcing a happy face): Can I please watch Elmopalooza?
Mama: Oh buddy I wish we could watch Elmopalooza but Gavin broke our DVD player. Remember when he was playing with it and not listening to my words? He broke it.
Tyler (throwing his arms down by his side): Grrrrr. I want Elmopalooza. Put it on the DVD Mama.
Mama: I can see you are frustrated because you want to watch Elmopalooza and we can't because the DVD player doesn't work.
Tyler (stomping his feet): I'm NOT FRUS TRA TED!
Really?! I never would have guessed. A few minutes go by as I walked out of the room. Tyler tracks down Dada asking him for Elmopalooza. Dada explains we have to buy a new DVD player because Gavin broke ours.
Tyler: Mama put Elmopalooza on the DVD. It's not broken.
Mama: Tyler, I am so sorry the DVD player is broken but we can't watch Elmopalooza without it. Darn.
Tyler: You need to go buy a new DVD.
Mama: Tyler, we're not rich.
Tyler (stomping his feet and lowering his voice an octave): YES! WE! ARE! RICH!
At least these emotions are far more entertaining than those terrible temper tantrums he used to have.

Tyler had a great Christmas. He helped me light up our front yard so Santa would be able to find our house. He jumped for joy when Dada brought home a 12 foot high inflatable Frosty the Snowman. He got Santa at the mall to say the loudest Ho Ho HO I've ever heard. He opened so many presents and gift after gift, enthusiastically declared "I got a box," only to be even more surprised when we explained there's something in the box. He is so potty trained it's amazing. He's even staying dry some nights. It's so nice not to have to buy diapers every 2 weeks. At daycare they moved him into the three's classroom where he is learning to write letters, count objects, and share nicely. He's learning about feelings and when I tell him he can't have something he tells me I hurt his feelings. Breaks my heart. He is so sweet to Gavin and is a really good and empathetic brother. This is so reassuring to me and I hope and pray their fondness of each other lasts forever.