Matthew meets his Gainesville Family

We made a trip to St. Augustine to spend time with our "Gainesville Family", a name we adopted when referring to our dear friends we met during our time at UF. We made a pinky swear on New Years 2004 that we would always be together for the important things in our lives like holidays, family milestones, and special occasions. Alex and I love these guys like family and have enjoyed seeing their young kids grow over the years. This was their turn to meet Matthew for the first time and we got to see Ben turn 3!

Matthew did very well on the 3 hour drive there and on the way home too. He slept the whole way both ways except he woke up about 30 minutes before the trip ended each way. Not too bad. On Saturday we went to the park to play frisbee with a group that Jen and Milo found. These were your typical ultimate players; tall, lanky, great throws. We both played really well and had some awesome plays. I played about the best I ever have. I'm sure it helped that all I had to do pretty much was throw and these guys took care of the rest. Matthew slept most of the time at the park, but Jaime entertained Matthew when he woke midway through the game.

On Sunday we went to the St. Augustine Beach splash park for Ben's birthday. This was Matthew's first trip to the beach, but unfortunately he slept through the whole thing and we never actually made it to the sand! We will get our first family beach photo another time. The kids played in the splash park and then we made our way to a festival that was nearby to eat lunch and we found a dunk tank, which the kids convinced Alex to go into. All the kids dunked him by pushing the target after honest attempts, but once I stepped up hubby was toast. I dunked him.... bullseye, and right as he was mouthing off!

We went to get some ice cream and Italian ices for Ben's birthday and then headed back home for some more of Milo's good cooking. Zac and Joshua had school the next day so when it was story time they wanted to read to Matthew before going to bed. Too cute.

Jen and Milo had early mornings so Alex and I walked with Matthew and took Zac to his neighborhood school. My first experience on the parental side of a school morning and my first experience as a school walker. I enjoyed both!

I can't believe I didn't get a picture of the whole group, kids and all. I guess we'll have to make another trip in the near future. I did get a picture of these twins, with matching bed head!

Mr. Big Stuff

Alex and I are so impressed with Matthew this week and the physical changes he's making. He seems to have discovered his feet and really likes that he can kick things and push things with his feet. We did lots of legs kicks with him, mostly to work on getting gas out of his tummy but it seems to have made his legs strong. We help hold him but he is really determined to stand and even pushes up to stand when starting in a squat position. Alex even puts a box in front of him when he is lying on his back and when weighted down with toys he pushes it with his feet: a baby leg press!

We bought a little toy that has some pads in it that when pressed make noise, like a bit of a foot piano. He really likes to stomp on it. When I tried to put his hands on it he was still kicking his legs in mid air and was mad that he wasn't hearing his music!

He is also getting better head and trunk control. He likes to sit like a big boy and see the things in the room. A few times he held himself in a sit for a very brief few seconds before falling to one side. He has started rolling over from tummy to back. I'll say he is three-fourths able. We position him with his legs and hips down and put him on one shoulder so he is laying sideways. He knows to kick his leg over and push with his arm to flip over. He might never go from back to tummy. He hates to be face down on the mat so I'm not sure he has much motivation...yet. Maybe when we he is ready to be mobile.

Matthew also has discovered himself in the mirror. I sat him in front of it yesterday and he was curious but eventually he started smiling at "that baby in the mirror" and even was talking to himself. It was adorable the first time he did it and I was laughing so hard. I wish I had my camera and that there were other people around to see him with this discovery for the first time. Also in front of the mirror he was kicking his feet and pressing against the mirror and was so proud of himself. He even smiled at himself when he stood there for a while.

Bath time has become even more fun. He kicks up a storm and when we added some toys to the bath last night he kicked those rubber duckies all over the place. Alex put a shampoo bottle in front of him and he very determinedly pushed it with his feet: a bath leg press!

Matthew meets more family

We went to Raleigh for 5 days to stay with Aunt Lori, Uncle Dave, and cousin Noah. Granna and Jackie were also in town and we saw Uncle Marc and Aunt Amber for the first time in nearly 2 years! We also met up with Uncle George and Aunt Kelly a few times over the weekend.

Matthew did a great job on his first two flights. He was awake when we were walking through the airport and was so interested in all he saw as we walked through the terminal and went to the front of the line for security. He flew for free on my lap and slept most of the time on the plane, so he didn't get to meet the pilot or get wings this time. I found it amusing when my tall husband took Matthew to the tiny airplane bathroom to change a diaper. Fifteen minutes later they emerged and I asked Alex how he fit in there and he said it was tight, and changed Matthew while holding him upright. I would have paid good money to see how that diaper change went down.

We spent most of our days kinda like we do here. Sleeping and eating a lot, going for a few walks, doing exercises and tummy time, and just spending quality time with family. One day we went to a park and spent a few hours throwing the frisbee, and Matthew slept through the whole thing. Matthew adjusted well for being out of his element and slept well into the night throughout the trip. He was slightly fussier than he has been normally, but all in all, had a great trip.

Here are some cute pictures of Matthew and Noah together. Lori's friend Susan, who is an amateur photographer was kind enough to come over on our last day and take some pictures with her nice camera. I can't wait to see what she captured.

Amber and Marc brought us some ADORABLE clothes. When Matthew is a 6-9 month old baby (or a 4-5 month old baby the way he's growing) he will be very well dressed!

Our return flight was insane. I'll make a long story short. Our flight that was scheduled to leave NC at 8:00pm was delayed due to bad weather in the northeast until 9:30, then 11:00, then 11:50, then 12:15, then 1:00, then 1:10, and we finally took off at 1:35am and landed in Tampa a little after 3:00. Thankfully the flight was not completely full so we were able to keep Matthew is his car seat on the plane. Matthew slept through the whole thing following his bath time and woke up to make smiles at me while we were waiting at baggage claim. We got home at 4:00 and Alex went to work two hours later, and never slept because he wasn't sure he'd wake up. I was nervous for him to drive an hour to work that morning, but he made it there and made it through the shift, and we are back to normal at home now.

All in all a nice trip, and I can't wait to see everyone again whenever that may be. I am really excited to see Noah again because I know from experiencing Matthew that he will be so different and such a big boy the next time I see him. And I can't wait to see Lori again because she is a great mom!

Mr. Matt is 2 months old!

My sweet little baby is growing like a weed. We love him more and more each day and find that he is constantly making us laugh, even if we can only make him laugh sometimes! He went to the Dr. today for his two month check up and first round of immunizations. He now weighs 12lb 6oz (75th), is 22.5 in long (50th) and has a head circumference of 15in (25th). He checks out healthy as a horse. In fact, the pediatrician even called him perfect today.

So how has this month been... well it is a tale of two halves. The first half of this month Matthew was a very uncomfortable and cranky baby. He had really bad gas pains, was only happy for a few minutes following feeds and then he would cry unless daddy or I did some major magic. He slept well at least, but usually only if we did something tricky to get him to fall asleep... like take a walk in the stroller or carry him in the baby bjorn or drive somewhere.

But in the last two weeks we have a whole new baby. First we discovered Gripe Water which is like a magic herbal remedy in a bottle. Matthew was able to sleep at night without constantly grunting and pulling up his legs in pain. He is happier when awake and doesn't require such trickery to keep happy. Also his digestive system is maturing and he is taking less gripe water each day. He sleeps in longer stretches at night and in the last 3 days has began taking real naps in a real crib without props to fall asleep. We just lay him down at the first sight of tiredness and he may complain a little bit but quickly settles in and falls asleep. We are better able to keep our 3 hour feed, play, sleep schedule. Matthew also has learned to take a bottle from his daddy which is rewarding for Alex and gives me a feeling of relief that-- when ready-- I'll be able to leave him with people. He also will take the pacifier at times which helps settle him down when he is getting fussy. Matthew has been content when we leave the house. We have been on several playdates, trips to the mall and other stores, out to eat, and to the ultimate frisbee field. Matthew is getting strong. He holds his head up, does baby sit-ups and little push-ups, and tracks interesting things around the room with his eyes. He has even started smiling and cooing, something I was desperately waiting for so that I would know my baby is gaining a sense of comfort about himself and his world. His smiles are the highlight of my mornings!

Here are some of his cutest shots from his second month.

Hanging at the frisbee field, sleeping the whole time

Checking out the clouds during our evening walks

All ready for Chelsea's baby shower

Hanging with the teacher babies; Anthony, Cohen, and Jack

My heart is so full

We were overjoyed when Lori called at 3:27 in the morning to tell me she was headed to the hospital to have her baby boy. Later in the morning on August 1, 2011 my sweet sis and her husband, Dave, welcomed Noah David Tyus into the world and added one more sweet boy to the family. He weighed 8 pounds 13 oz and was 21 inches long. He is adorable and I am so overjoyed that Matthew has a cousin. We pray each night for Aunt Lori and our baby cousin and we are so blessed that he made it into this world happy and healthy and that Lori had a smooth delivery.

We will fly to North Carolina in exactly two weeks and I can hardly wait for each day to pass. I am so happy for my sister because I know how much of a sweet and precious blessing a new baby is and I am so excited to see her because this is a life experience that must be shared with a sister, especially one as great as mine.