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.
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