First time at the zoo!

We went to the zoo yesterday with Aunt Lori, Noah, and Granna. We knew the boys would be a little young to enjoy the zoo, but figured they would like being outdoors, walking around and looking at people, and interacting with a few animals up close. After morning naps we went to the zoo and spent most of the afternoon there.

We got there a little bit before Lori, Noah, and Granna and spent our time with the monkeys, which Matthew wasn't too crazy about, but he did wave to them. Then we went to the petting zoo, which was really cute. Matthew was by far the youngest child in there, but Alex was so sweet with him, showing Matthew how to pet the goats and getting a little too close to the Llama. Alex was warned about the spitting, and when he got too close to her food she tried to spit, but I think they hay she was eating gave her a dry mouth because there wasn't much behind her spit. We found a quiet goat away from the other animals and I started petting him. When I touched his ear he twitched it and turned to us, which Matthew thought was really funny (because we did it about 20 times). He had fun touching the goats's ear, and I'm glad he didn't decide to take a bite out of Matthew.





After lunch we met everyone else at the fountains. Matthew wasn't crazy about it. He loves water, but doesn't like the cold on his skin. Noah was really cute in the fountains. I know that by next year and after that the fountains will be the highlight of the zoo day.



We went to see the Florida animals, including the manatees. Matthew stood at the aquarium glass, a little hesitant to trust the glass to hold him up. He is so cute! We spent quite a lot of time just walking around and seeing birds, bears, penguins. When we got to the African animals we really had the best time. We got to feed a giraffe a lettuce leaf. It had a long, blue, swirly tongue which it wrapped around the leaf and pulled it into its mouth. The boys liked seeing the giraffe, and Aunt Lori and I really had a good time. I told Alex he had to try too because it was so cute, and when he took Matthew he let him hold the lettuce while the giraffe took it from his hand. So cute! After this Matthew was about spent, and took a short nap in the stroller while we walked around some more.


When we got home Matthew decided he hadn't had enough animals for the day so we decided to feed the ducks in the pond behind the house. Matthew was more interested in the chuck-it than the ducklings, but I had fun with them.

Spring Break!

The week I have had circled on the calendar since I went back to work is finally here. I waited with so much anticipation for the week we could spend with Matthew, and Aunt Lori and Noah's 2 week homecoming. Unfortunately, Matthew has had a rough couple of days. He is teething right now, getting his top middle teeth. He spent the first 4 nights of Spring Break waking up at 2:00am and screaming for an hour and a half until he finally passed back out, and has been a little clingy and cranky during the days. So the week I was hoping would recharge and rejuvenated me made me more tired than when I worked. But tired and home with Matthew is better than alert and at work... any day! Thankfully he has gone back to sleeping through the night and we have had so fun days with family. Here are a few pictures of the boys playing around the house.





We went to a park in Granna's neighborhood. We played on the swings and found some fun bell toys that the boys enjoyed. We found a nice bench swing under a shade tree overlooking a pond-- with an alligator in it. He minded his own business so we were ok.





Aunt Lori and I took the boys to the beach, but we went to Fort Desoto this time, hoping the longer drive would make for a better nap and this beach would have fewer Spring Breakers and related traffic. We were right on both accounts. The boys enjoyed the beach and playing in the sand. We went to the water, which had really gently crashing waves, but Matthew is still hesitant about cool water. He knows bath temperature water and isn't sure about cooling off yet. We will work on that for the summer. We didn't stay for too long, but it was a nice day and worth the trip. We found a shady, grassy patch on our way back to the car, and changed the boys before heading home. They liked this the best out of the whole trip. We stripped them and they were so cute all naked and perky with a fresh breeze ticking their little bums.

9 months = Big Boy territory

Wow, I can hardly believe I am writing about Matthew's latest and that he is 9 months old already. I am even more surprised that several people have already asked me about Matthew's birthday party plans, and told me that 3 months is not that far away. Actually the countdown to Matthew's birthday coincides with the end of the school year and I do know that once spring break hits, summer is just around the corner.

Well Matthew has probably made some of his biggest accomplishments this month, and many of them all in about a week's time. Matthew is a mobile boy now, which has made him shed that "baby-ness" I so love, but has me excited for life with my kid! Here is what you are up to this month sweetie:

You have been crawling for most of this month. Your babysitter, Mrs. Edie, worked with you a lot and in an effort to keep up with your buddies you learned this pretty quickly.

In the same day you started crawling, you learned to sit yourself up. You have been sitting for months but this month, you were actually capable of getting yourself into that position from any other.

About 3 days after you started crawling you learned to pull yourself up on furniture. This is now your favorite way to play, but sometimes you get stuck up high and are too scared to come down for a new toy.

Your sleep has been inconsistent this month. For about a week you woke up every night and stood in your crib and then cried because you couldn’t get back down. You practiced crawling and standing in the middle of the night, which mommy did not enjoy.

You sprouted two adorable little teeth on your bottom gums. You were a little annoyed by the first round of teething, but this week you are working on your top teeth and are having a miserable time. You wake up at night in a lot of pain, and it is hard for me to soothe you. You have even been cranky during the day and have had trouble settling for naps, which is not normal for you. You have wanted to be held a lot and I know we are both looking forward to you being back to your old self.

Mrs. Edie taught you how to wave. It is the cutest thing ever. You see someone waving and look at your hand, as if telling it what is about to do, then you wave your arm up and down from the shoulder, with your arm stiff at the elbow. So adorable! You do it at appropriate times too, as someone is coming or going. You even wave to Maggie. Mrs. Edie also says you clap too, but I have only seen this a few times. Waving is much more fun right now.

You are repeating some simple words. You say “Hi” and “ Mom”, not to be confused with “Mmmmm”, which is what you repeat over and over at meal time. So adorable! Just last week you started saying “dada”, and you continue to say “Maggie“, or your version, “MaGGGee“.

You learned what “no” means, and you DO NOT LIKE IT. You tested me when I told you “no” as you reached for an unsecured phone jack cover. Once you knew not to touch it you tested cause and effect 5 times to see if when you reached for it you would be told no. I did tell you know each time, and you cried louder and louder each time.

Your cute peaceful back sleep with your hands folded behind your head has been exchanged for tummy sleeping, side sleeping, and in general moving around to every inch of the crib during sleep, including standing in the corner of the crib closest to the door. Your Great Aunt Anne bought us a video monitor so it has been fun for us to watch you move all over the crib at night.

You are eating a wide variety of foods and foods with more texture. You have added meats this month, including chicken and ground turkey, and dairy like yogurt and cottage cheese. You have had some new foods like broccoli, barley, brown rice, blueberries, and you drink water from a cup. You have had some flavor in your foods in some new spices, like garlic and cinnamon. I made some pasta, mixed with chicken and a little marinara which we will try this week. If you don’t like it I’ll eat it. I thought it was pretty good.

We went to the doctor and you checked out perfectly. Still have been healthy as a horse. You weigh 21lbs 3oz (75th percentile), are 29.5 inches tall (90th percentile) and have a 18cm head (90th percentile). You are a cute little sprout!

Weekend getaway to NC

Aunt Lori said that they were going to be doing a baby dedication at church for Noah. It was a ceremony for families to bring their young children to the church and for close friends and family to gather and pray for each child while the parents made commitments to raise their child in a christian home. Lori said they were going to use a stand-in family since everyone is out of town. Well, I met this stand-in family, who were as sweet as they could be, but I told Lori that when family is to be there, no stand-in is required in my place. So Matthew and I booked the cheapest flight ever to NC and left on a Friday afternoon and came back Sunday mid-day. It was a quick trip, but was so nice to see Lori and Noah, even if just for a weekend, and I needed a break from everything here, especially work!

Matthew was great on the plane. As a crawler now, he was really wanting to move around, but for a boy who had to sit on my lap for almost 2 hours he did quite well. I brought plenty of puffs to entertain him with, nursed him, fed him, tried to show him new toys. He thought it was fun to crawl up my shoulder and pull himself up over the seat to play peek-a-boo with the ladies behind us. His favorite part of the ride was the turbulence on landing, which he laughed through like it was a roller coaster. I was playing serious mind games not to vomit. I have not done really well on flights lately. I must be getting old!

On Saturday we wanted to make the most of our day, and even though it was cold we headed outside. Lori and Dave and I went to a frisbee golf course, which is really a nice way to enjoy a walk, be outside, and throw a frisbee at the same time. We bundled the boys up in hats, jackets, and blankets and hit the course. It started out nice and flat, with some grass and pine needles for a nice ride for the stroller. But after about 4 of the 18 holes it became very steep and full of stones. There was no more pushing of the strollers, instead we had to carry them, then put the down to throw and chat, then pick them up again. I'm sure to all the NC State students there we must have looked like fogies trying to hang onto our youths, but we had a great time. Dave says he beat me by one stroke, but his score-keeping was questionable.




Later that night, Tio George and Kelly came by to see Matthew. They played with him for a bit, then helped with dinner and Matthew's bath. They stayed after the babies went to sleep and we played a fun game of wits and wagers. Funny story- When Matthew was in the bathtub he started making his "I'm about to poop face", and not really knowing what to do, I picked him up, spun him around to the toilet and let his little tushy hang over. A few grunts later and there was a nice poo in the potty. My little baby, at 8 months- using the potty. I was so excited, and can't believe I didn't get a picture. He looked so satisfied, like he knew he did a big boy thing.

So you can stand now too?

Well Matthew has just been pleased as punch with all his new found skills. In one weekend he learned to crawl, sit himself up, and pull up to his knees. Less than a week later he learned to pull himself up to stand. His favorite time to practice standing? Every night at 3:00am for a week. And when I went in to check on him he was unable to lie himself down but then I helped him down and told him it was night time. This did not make him happy. So after hearing his protest for an hour and a half, which only subsided when held, he finally was back asleep. Some friends told me it was a phase and I was wondering how long this phase would last. It probably didn't help Matthew's night time sleep that he his first 3 teeth were all coming in at the same time.

This week Matthew has gone back to sleeping through the night but now he is all over the place. He used to sleep so peacefully on his back with his hands laced behind his head. Now he is on his tummy, on his side, butt up in the air, face jammed in the corner of the crib. My Aunt Anne bought us a video monitor, which has been great for spying on him in the night. He moves all over the crib, rolls constantly, but doesn't wake up or if he does has been really good at putting himself back to sleep. He is getting so big so fast.

Matthew has been pulling up all day now. He has been crawling for a few weeks and that seems like old news. Now he is all about standing. I will say it is much cuter when he does it as his morning greeting rather than a middle of the night showcase of his talents.

Here he is after standing himself up in the morning. This is how he greeted his daddy, who was home with him on this day.

And here he is standing up at his babysitter's house. I think he looks so tall in this picture.

Matthew on the move

Matthew is officially a crawling boy now. I went back and looked at my post from the first time I claimed Matthew to be "Mobile Matthew", and that was December 19. Well it has been almost 2 months since Matthew was up on our fours looking like he was crawling until now, when he actually has been able to go anywhere.


He has been army crawling for a few weeks now and used that to get around a small area where his toys were. Matthew's babysitter, Mrs. Edie says everyday when I pick him up that he got a little mad at her when she made him work on his crawling. Over the last 3 or 4 days he has really gotten close, moving a couple steps, but today was the real deal. When I first put him on the floor this morning while I got ready for church he was all over my room. In an instant he was in my closet, and in the laundry basket, and sticking his little fingers in the door jam! It was as if he went to bed not full grasping the idea, and when he woke up he had figured it out. I told the ladies in the church nursery that he started crawling today and they confirmed when I picked him up that he was on the move.

Alex wasn't here for Matthew's first distance crawls today. He was working, but we were able to face time with our new iphones so Alex could see Matthew crawl, and Matthew laughs and laughs at the phone when daddy makes his funny faces. It is as if Matthew were in the same room with Alex. Amazing what technology does for us these days.

All this crawling must have worn him out, but despite being obviously tired he took a short morning nap. I decided to bundle Matthew in warm clothes and his hat, and a new jacket which he is now nearly big enough for and it is actually cold enough for, and tucked a blanket over his legs and we were off with Maggie to a nearby park. We played on the swings, and rode down the slide together, laughed at mmmmGeeee when she chased after tennis balls, and then had a carrots, green beans, and peaches lunch.


After the park I knew he was ready to nap so he went right down at 2:30 and I decided to do the same. He was up 45 minutes later, which is not the hour and a half I was hoping for. I went up to settle him back down and he was PISSED! My guess is he was tired and maybe beat from all that crawling but was unable to go back to sleep. So after rocking him in my chair for a few minutes did little to calm him down I nursed him and he fell asleep. I decided I'd just sleep right there in the glider with him, and we both had the sweetest nap, with Matthew just cozied up in my lap, his little legs wrapped around me and his arm behind my back. The next thing I knew it was 5:00. We finished the evening with some more crawling and I attempted to get pictures and video. This meant when he finally crossed the room to get after his elusive toy, I had to put him right back where he started to get more shots. This is the problem with a small house!

8 months old now

These are your official 8 months photos. You are not crazy about wardrobe changes and you're not that excited about your official month birthday fireman stickers, so this month was a Jammies photo shoot with daddy.


Matthew seems more and more like a boy everyday. He is so full of life and energy, and wants to constantly try new challenges and explore the things around him. He is such a happy boy, always smiling and laughing. He has settled into his new routine better than I could have imagined. He sleeps through the night on a consistent basis. When he wakes up in the morning before I have to go to work we have the most special moments. We nurse together and then he falls back asleep on me for a few minutes before I lay him back down for an hour while I get ready for work. Everyday it breaks my heart to pluck my peacefully sleeping baby from his crib and strap him into the carseat. But he never complains and when we see his babysitter, Mrs. Edie, he is all smiles and is ready to start his day. Some days he stays with her until 4:00, but on days when Alex is home he usually picks Matthew up after lunchtime and they have a boys day together. Some days when Alex is home in the morning I let Matthew sleep in and then he hangs with daddy in the morning, before going to the babysitter around lunchtime. Mrs. Edie has really been an answer to prayer. We have Matthew spending the day with someone who is sweet, nurturing, and caring and someone who we trust is keeping him safe and helping him to enjoy his days.

So here is what you are up to this month, my sweet boy:

You think sitting up and sitting still is for babies-- you are determined to plop down and get on the move. You have taken a few small crawl steps in addition to your army man crawls. You get a little frustrated now that you know mobility is an option you have not quite mastered. Soon enough, my love.

You are very vocal and have tried to say a few words. You imitate "Hi" and try to say "Maggie" which sounds like "mmmGeee". You squeal in excitement, and sometimes out of frustration, but you rarely cry and usually not for more than a few minutes.

You like to play with certain toys and you love to dump your toy baskets over and pull out the toys one by one. You try to put everything into your mouth still, but you have much better control of the things you put into your hand.

Your gums are starting to bug you a bit, but you haven't had more than a few fussy moments here and there. You gum your thumb or hand if your mouth hurts. No teeth yet, and I'm not sure they are really on their way any time soon.

Your favorite outdoor activity is the beach. We have been lots of times and you love to play in the sand. It makes me picture what a cool boy you'll be someday, playing outside and gettin' messy. You can entertain yourself for quite some time, and when you have had enough you just take a little snooze on the beach.

You are very curious about animals. Obviously, you love Maggie, but you were wanting to play with Bonnie's cats when she watched you last week.

You are an eating machine. You make me feel so good when you say "mmmmm" to every bite of the food I make for you. It takes a while to make all your meals, but you love what I make and that makes me feel like a good mommy, Lately you have been eating peaches, mangoes, pears, watermelon, a sweet potato and apple mix, carrots, squash and zucchini, a mixed veggie of sweet potato, green beans, and red pepper, and brown rice and pasta. We tried avocado again, no luck. We have tried letting you feed yourself, but you aren't quite ready yet. You did eat a Baby MumMum this week and gobbled that up pretty quickly.

You are growing bigger and stronger by the day. I haven't weighed you but I know you are well over 20 pounds already. You have been so healthy and I can't believe I am going to actually say this out loud (or write it down) for fear of jinxing it, but I have to for memory's sake-- you haven't been sick yet! I think you have your daddy's ridiculous immune system. Once you got a little sniffle, but I ran the humidifier and you never got sick.

You sleep like a champ. Two naps a day for about 3 hours total, and then you go to bed at 7:30 and sleep until I get you up just before 7:00, or if left to sleep in will sleep until 8:30! What a good boy!

Here are some pictures of you in your 8th month:






We have had two situations come up this month that have really made me stop and count my blessings. A little girl we know of who bravely battled cancer a few years ago has relapsed and it is so scary for her and her family these days. When you look at your baby it gives you such a feeling of hope and promise for so many possibilities and you feel so complete with your child in your life that you wonder how you could ever go on living if something happened to your baby. And so we pray for Bella, and I hold you a little tighter each night when we pray together. And then a girl I went to middle school, church, and high school with (although I had lost touch with her and hadn't spoken to her in years) passed away in her sleep this week, just out of the blue. You can't even believe a young woman so full of life and good health could just go to bed one night with her husband and son in the same house and not wake up. It makes me cherish every day I have with you and daddy, and I know that we are never promised tomorrow. It makes me know how truly blessed I am to have such an incredible family.