Holiday photo shoot

We had a photographer come to the house today to take family pictures for the holidays, which also coincides with Matthew's upcoming Half Birthday. She was great, aside from being a little late. I had Matthew's nap and feed all timed out for maximum smiley time but since she was a little late getting started he was not super smiley after about half way through, which is ok because we got some cute and serious looks that way. There are so many awesome pictures. I don't know how we are going to narrow down our selection for this years Christmas card.

I was worried about the house being too small or the lighting being bad but she brought all her own stuff and built a little photo studio right in the living room and lit it all perfectly. She even edited all the pictures right here in the house when she was done shooting and we had our viewing and all the pictures on disc by the time she left.

Here are some of the best shots. Lesson learned for the rookie mama: don't try too many costume changes. Lesson hopefully learned for the rookie daddy: It's ok to be a silly, laughing goof in front of the photographer to get good smiles (He was a little shy).

I feel so blessed that we have the means to do this. Matthew grows so quickly and has such precious expressions that I know I will treasure these in the years to come. We are so happy these days and I think these pictures captured that beautifully.

Not just a mommy, a wife too

I will admit it. My cooking has been horrible lately. Well, that's not entirely true. My cooking skills are fine, but I have not been cooking dinners in a very long time. It started back when Alex was in Paramedic school and was gone nearly every night, and now that he is gone a lot of nights working at the fire station I have found myself in a rut, just so out of the habit of making dinners. So what have we been eating for the last 2 years? Well we have prepared food but it certainly has not been interesting food or well rounded meals. Sandwiches, cereal, eating out, or our go-to meal; pasta of all sorts. Stuffed peppers and fajitas are about as exotic as it's been lately.

Now that we are well into the swing of things with Matthew and we are both home more in the evenings I have decided to do my part a make good dinners for us, only I need new recipes because I am so bored of all my same stuff. My cousin sent me an email for a recipe exchange which I was excited about, but I have not had one reply from any of my friends.

About as month ago our friend Jaime, who knows how much we love her kids, sent us a fundraiser from her daughter's school for magazine subscriptions. Since we are suckers and always give for the kids' fundraisers I decided to get a subscription to a cooking magazine (got Alex a fitness magazine subscription- hey, he can be a hunky husband too). It came last week and we sat down together and went through the whole thing and pulled out about 6-7 new recipes that look easy, good, and healthy. We made a shopping list and I got all the ingredients needed, and a lot of it is different stuff from what I normally make. And veggies- we are back to eating lots of veggies!

I'm really excited to do this for us, and I think it will be good for Alex and I to sit down to a nice meal and talk and have some nice time together as a family. After all, we do finally have a table to eat at after 4 years of marriage.

Here is what I made tonight, my first meal from my Cooking Light magazine. Shrimp, avocado, and grapefruit salad (but I used oranges). I even made my own dressing! I think it looks a lot like the picture! It was really good, nice and light, healthy and different!

Matthew was busy being a squirmy wormy while we ate. If he isn't careful I might just eat him up for dinner!

Peaceful cuddles

After Matthew's bath tonight I was just holding him and talking to Alex and all of a sudden I felt Matthew go limp into a pile of sleeping baby. He hasn't fallen asleep on my chest in months and I loved holding him this way until Alex told me I had to put him to bed.

I've read and been told that many times as your child grows things will happen for the last time before you know they are the last time. I so loved when Matthew was a newborn and he found such comfort cuddled into my chest, his head buried close to my heart. With every day that passes he becomes a big boy and wants to climb on me or paw at my face and hair, and even if he is being calm his height has mostly outgrown my chest if I am holding him. We still have plenty of quiet moments together but those are mostly when we are nursing or saying our prayers at night. He will rest his head on my shoulder, but no feeling in the world can compare to having your baby rest peacefully on your chest, perhaps because that is how we first met. I don't remember when the last time he did this was, but I thought it was past for me. I enjoyed these moments tonight and if this was the last time at least I got this sweet picture to capture the moment.

Matthew the musical baby

Here is Matthew's first piano recital. He is quite impressive!

New Camera

Here are some of our first pictures taken with our Canon Rebel T3. I'm sure once we learn how to really use it we will capture some sweet expressions. The color is so crisp!

Matthew has started biting his bottom lip this week and making an "mmmm" sound. I think he is trying to say mama, but I'm not sure many people agree with me.

First Thanksgiving with our little Butterball

I have found that nothing makes me feel more blessed than when I am sitting quietly with Matthew at the end of the day. I just look at every inch of his sweet body when he is curled up with me for his last feed of the day. As I stroke his hair and take in his sweet smell I am in disbelief that I have everything in life I ever wanted. Holding your baby makes you feel like you are the most blessed person on the planet and you wonder how you ever got to be so lucky. These are the blessing we continue to count every day, but especially on this holiday:

• Thankful for a happy, growing baby, who enjoys his days and sleeps well at night
• Thankful for my time off from work, which allows me to see how much Matthew grows and changes from week to week, in addition to loving on him all day
• Thankful for Matthew's good health and growth and all that he is learning to do each day
• Thankful for good health for all of our family, including us and our parents and brothers and sisters.
• Thankful for a great daddy for my son, a man who is creative and loving in his play with Matthew and a daddy who will help Matthew grow into a man of great integrity and character
• Thankful for a husband who works hard for us, provides for our family, and will someday show our son the value of hard work, dedication, and responsibility.
• Thankful for good jobs for both of us, jobs that allow us to provide for our family but also jobs that give us a lot of time off to be together and spend time with Matthew
• Thankful for a wonderful extended family who loves us so much. Thankful for giving and selfless grandparents and aunts and uncles who are so good to Matthew and to us.
• Thankful for my mom being so close and having her here when I need her as my mom and when I need her as Matthew's grandmother. Thankful for her big heart and how wonderfully enthusiastic she is to help take care of Matthew.
• Thankful for a safe and comfortable home, when so many people have struggled to stay in their homes.
• Thankful for good friends who treat us like family. Friends who are considerate and selfless and remind us how to enjoy life with laughter.
• Thankful for our freedoms that so many have fought and paid for both in the past and in the present.
• Thankful for our church and the comfort and peace I feel when my husband and I listen to sermons together, and for a church that takes good care of Matthew for us while we are there.

We went to Boca Raton to celebrate all the blessings for which we are so thankful this year. All of Matthew's Moran aunts and uncles (or tios and tias as they are called on this side of the family) and his Grandparents were happy to welcome him home for a nice family get-together. Matthew's MamaAdina had prepared a wonderful little home away from home for Matthew and for us. She had the master bedroom set up for us to use, complete with a full-sized crib for Matthew and a chair for me to nurse him in, and the adjoining bathroom had a changing pad and bath tub to use so we had all the comforts of home. Everyone was happy to hold and play with Matthew, play with his toys with him and read to him, take him outside and on walks, and pretty much love on him all they wanted!

We had a nice meal with not only a turkey, but pork and fish too. Rachel and I worked on some side dishes and desserts and Adina added a few of her Peruvian-spin Thanksgiving dishes too. We played games at night after Matthew went to bed and even made it out to go bowling one night while MamaAdina and Tia Suzy babysat with Matthew.

On Thursday late at night daddy went out to Best Buy to fight the Black Friday crazies in search of a nice DSLR camera so we can get some great pictures of our fast-moving little cutie. He found a great deal and was lucky to get a camera with just what we were looking for. We recently bought a camera but decided we wanted to upgrade so we can get some really quality shots of Matthew, especially since he often moves too quickly for us to get him with the camera we have now. It takes great pictures if he is sitting still. In addition to our new camera, Grandpa Neno bought us a video camera, which has a lot of cool features, including being waterproof and a "Share" button for quick uploads to Facebook or YouTube.

On Friday we went to have Moran Family portraits taken. We got some really nice shots of the whole family, and a couple of Matthew by himself too.

Interacting with Daddy

Matthew has been so expressive lately. It is fun to see the wheels turning in his head when he watches things happen or when he has his conversations with his daddy. Here is video of the boys playing with trucks. Notice Matthew is sitting up, a new trick mastered within the last few weeks, and is tracking fast moving objects with his eyes and ears.

This video is of the boys laughing together. Matthew loves to imitate his daddy, and pretty much thinks he is the funniest thing on earth.

Matthew and friends

We have had a bunch of visits with friends over the last few days. We went to see our buddy Wade Fenton and his daddy Bobby to watch a Gator game. It was dreadfully awful. We squeaked out a meaningless win in a pathetic season. At least the babies we cute and entertaining.

On Friday Devon and the kids had the day off from school/work so we went to Lettuce Lake Park. It was a gorgeous day and we all had a picnic lunch-- well Matthew had a boobie lunch-- then he had a great time watching all the kids on the playground. I remember very fondly spending LOTS of time there as a kid, and I know Matthew will have tons of fun some day on the playground and walking the boardwalk along the river.

Then on Saturday, Jocilyn came over to hang out with Matthew in between naps. He was all smiles for her and showed off his newest trick, sitting up. She danced for him and he was impressed with how she moved. He laughed when I stood him up on his changing table. He was taller than her and felt like a big man.

Later that day Granna came over to watch Matthew so I could go watch one of my students in her cheerleading competition. They enjoyed one of Matthew's new favorite activities, reading. He loves it! He likes to hold the books and turn the pages. I think he wants to flip the pages quicker than we can read the words. He also showed off his jumping skills for Granna in his jumperoo.

Matthew, my "gift from God"

Matthew is such a blessing. I must pinch myself 20 times a day in awe of how in love I am, what a gift from God he is to us. We went to church again today, and Matthew went to the nursery during the service which was nice because I was able to focus on the sermon and not distracted by his every move. This was the first time we left him with someone other than one of his grandmas, and I only checked the pager they gave me every few minutes to make sure the blinking light was still green and not red.

I am so glad we went. Every time I hear our pastor's sermon he always speaks right to my heart. Matthew is such a happy baby these days. His life is simple, he loves his parents and we love him, he is well cared for and has a safe and happy home. I see the innocent joy and peace in his expressions and I can't help but know that he will experience hurt and heartache at some point in his life. As his mom I want to do everything to keep him from anything that robs his joy or crushes his spirit, and I never want him to know pain. I know that is unrealistic and I know my heart will break for him some day, probably many days.

The sermon today was on John 16:31, I have told you all of this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world. Pastor Matthew said that even knowing God does not mean we will go through life in a bubble protected from trials and heartache, but that when we do go through trials He will be there with us, and in us. I can take heart in that, and know that one of my most important jobs as a mom is to raise my Matthew to know the Lord so he can have peace in a world that will often beat him down, and that he can overcome anything in knowing his Savior walks with him.

We had a nice day with our little family today after church. Matthew went on a walk and played with his daddy and then watched some football with his mommy. Here's a picture of Matthew and his new favorite past time, banging away on the computer.

Longboat Key with our Cousins

Our family including Granna went to Longboat Key for the first time with Matthew. He got to see his Great Aunt Anne for the third time, and got to meet his second cousins, Logan and Griffin, who are my cousin Deb's kids. It is so much fun seeing our family grow, one that used to be so small and full of girls is now getting bigger and bigger and has added 4 boys in the last 2 years.

My cousin Deb is such a good mom. She has been a very big support to me during the last few months and has given me lots of advice and encouraging words when I needed them in Matthew's first few months. It was good to see her and give her a big hug! The boys had plenty of toys to entertain themselves with. It was a beautiful day and we had a very relaxing time down there, as always. Somehow all three boys took naps at the exact same time and slept for at least 2 hours, while the adults had lunch and caught up.

After naps we sat out back on the canal and then went to the beach for the sunset. There were too many clouds for a nice sunset but it was beautiful as always and I am reminded of how incredible the beach is when it is cool and how great the sand feels under your feet in the winter time. We got some great pictures and Matthew was in happy spirits for his first trip to see the Florida white stuff.

Today was a big day for us. Matthew sat up for extended periods of time without using his hands for support. He was so cute, holding his arms out for balance. He's getting so big, one day at a time.

Big boy is 5 months old

My sweetie is 5 months already. I can't believe how the time has flown, especially the last 2 months. I crack up at Matthew and all his smiles and funny antics. It is a little glimpse at the boy he will be before I know it. I can hear his laugh, I can hear his voice coming through his gurgles and coos. He has become a very content and happy baby, and he is full of love. He gets so excited when he sees his daddy come home from work, and my heart melts every time I see them interact together. Alex has become such a good daddy, and it is very apparent to me that being an awesome daddy is a responsibility he takes very seriously. Alex is so creative with his play with Matthew and Matthew just eats him up.

Here is what you are up to this month, my precious boy:

• Improving your strength- steadier on your legs and more control of your truck
• Rolling over both ways, but more from tummy to back still
• Like to jump and dance, you think this is so funny
• Very interested in music and toys that light up and make sounds
• Like to look at books for the first time, even turn the pages
• Are using your hands to grab and hold toys, you jam everything in your mouth
• Have started trying to sit up, you do this very well supported and use your own hands to help hold you up.
• Napping has become a breeze. You fall asleep quickly, enjoy the peace of your crib, and are napping longer than last month. Down to 2 naps per day
• You are an efficient eater, and now have about 5 meals a day- still just breast milk, although you sucked on my apple last week
• You give kisses, the open mouth kind
• You are ticklish on your neck, ribs, toes, and when I blow raspberries on your tummy
• You are back to sleeping through the night- 7:30 to 5:30 for a feed, then back to sleep until 8:30ish
• You have started taking an interest in Maggie, you smile at her and even try to get her attention by banging around
• You stay awake on walks now, look around at things in the neighborhood and entertain yourself with toys
• Are on a very nice schedule, which has led to consistent naps and a happy baby, but are flexible when we leave the house too
• You are well behaved when we go out to run errands or go to eat
• Have a lot of blond hair and everyone says how much you look like your mommy-- I think you have your daddy's sweet heart though.

Here are some pictures of my sweet love from this month

Wait... I thought we gained an hour?

I've heard my friends with kids complain about moving the clocks forward and back for years so I knew there was something to it. When I talked to my neighbor (a mom to be) yesterday morning we mentioned it, but I brushed it off saying I think spring forward is worse cause the babies lose an hour.

Let me take an aside here to mention that within the past week and a half or so we adjusted Matthew's schedule a bit. Since he doesn't need to eat every 3 hours anymore I was able to move his first daytime feed back an hour, which moved his naps back an hour, which by bedtime meant that he took two good naps during the day instead of the short hold-him-over nap at 6:00 because he just couldn't quite stay up until my 7:00-imposed bath and 7:30 bedtime. He has been awesome since then. He sails through the day and it only frustrates me slightly that it took me 5 months to get my poor baby on a schedule that actually works with his rhythms rather than my clock. He goes down for naps in seconds now, naps for hours instead of the 30 min max he was doing before, and is back to sleeping through the night consistently. He feeds well and is likely less bloated since I'm not cramming my boob in his ever-willing mouth every 3 hours. I have built in time for showers, chores, cooking, and even reading this week. It has been heavenly.

Back to the time change... I put Matthew down at 7:30 like always, went out like a light. We had a pretty big Sunday planned- church, with a first-time trip to the baby nursery for Matthew, and then lunch and Bucs game with my best teacher friend and her family in the afternoon. I figured with the extra hour I was gaining in sleep I would read a little bit in my book, The Help, which is just as good as everyone said and I can hardly put it down. I went to bed at nearly 11:00, which is pretty late for me these days. I woke at the new 3:00, with the sudden realization that we wouldn't really get an extra hour of sleep, but that after his 12 hour stretch Matthew would be up an hour earlier- and therefore back to that horrid schedule I just adjusted. The perfect 9:30 church service to end at 10:30 which coincides with his nap would now be a 9:30 nap he would never take a church, and he would likely be messed up when we went to Janice's at 12:30. I figured he would need that third nap again and I had no idea how to fix it.

Right then I heard him wake up to a clock that said 3:00, him thinking it was 4:00. That 4:00 hour is usually my cutoff time to give his first feed of the day, any earlier and he will likely wake up again before his normal between 8-8:30 time. I decided I would try to get him to go back to sleep and I wouldn't feed him until our clock said 5:00, which to him is 6:00 and generally later than he usually goes. I wasn't sure if he would be game for this plan. After about 10 minutes he went back to sleep and I raced down to the computer and googled "babies and time change" only to find a wealth of depressing advice.... "my kids are messed up for a week when we move the clocks... gaining an hour just means up an hour earlier... put them to bed an hour later... no, put them to bed an hour earlier (for clocks back?, yes)... start modifying the schedule a week in advance (whoops).... move the bed time 15 minutes each night for a week... forward or back? yes and yes... go cold turkey." Crap!

I guess cold turkey was the advice I had. I felt somewhat confident that if I could hold him off until 5:00 to eat that he would sleep another 3 hours, not realizing the difference in the hour, just its relation to the two up times. I tossed and turned now realizing that if he were going to be up at his new 7:00 time, I needed to be up even earlier to shower and get ready for church, but instead I stayed up late to read my book, did internet research at 3:00, did make that 5:00 feed, but felt tired despite this coveted extra hour of sleep!

To my surprise I woke up at the new 8:15 (his internal clock's 9:15) and he hadn't made a peep. The stupid squawking sandhill cranes were going at it and woke me up. I now realized church was out of the question as I didn't have time to shower and feed Matthew regardless, and Alex texted me that his relief at work was coming in late meaning he would be late for church. Not a great day to try for church. I went in to check on Matthew and there he was, happy and content, awake and smiling at me while grabbing his feet. BLESS THOSE room darkening shades! He did it, my precious baby didn't even notice the time change, and all I did was fret over a bunch of stuff in the middle of the night that didn't even happen- an inherited curse from my mom.

We are still on schedule for today, like clockwork. I hope this means we took care of that hour in one night instead of gradually. Didn't make it to church but we're off to see the Heidens.

P.S. when driving home from the Heidens at 6:00 Matthew decided to fall asleep thanks to the early darkness. Whoops- 3 naps today. Prayers for tonight.

Beautiful fall day for the park

We have had a really nice few days recently. Matthew has settled into a really nice routine and is going down for naps easily and sleeping well. He is happy when he is up and sticking to this new schedule has helped us get a lot of things done around the house. Alex had today off and it was an absolutely beautiful day outside, a slight cool front and about 65 degrees and sunny and breezy. We didn't want to do too much or go too far from home with Matthew sleeping so well with his naps these days so we went to a park in our neighborhood that never has anyone there. It's on a lake, really beautiful, and has a wide open area to throw the frisbee and Maggie can run around off leash and no one will bother us. Matthew sat in his stroller while we threw, and then we put him on the grass on his mat for some tummy time. Later we went to the swings and Maggie was laughing it up on the slide. It's been a while since she has been to the park and she really loved it. While we took some pictures on the dock, she went in the lake up to her elbows. We all had a nice time and I think we should make it a weekly outing as long as the weather is this nice.

Here are some pictures of our fun day outside.