5 Months

Can time please slow down?  Matthew is 5 months old and doing so many adorable and new things!  Oh how I want to soak all of this time up before he is out of this baby stage.  I still cry when I have to drop him off at daycare because I'd much rather spend my day with him.  He is learning and growing so fast that I don't want to miss anything.  I never thought I'd want to be a stay-at-home mom, but that is truly what my heart desires now.  I've found a way that I could be a work-from-home mom, but I'm still doing some research before making a final decision.  It's been amazing to see how the Lord keeps opening that door every so slightly.  I hope and pray I can do a post about that one day soon, but for now I want to focus on my amazing little boy and all that he has been up to.

~  We don't go to the doctor again until you're 6 months old, but you are approximately 17 lbs and 26ish inches long.

~  You are now in size 2 diapers even though they are a little big.  I have officially put away all of your 0-3 month clothes (tear).  You are wearing 3-6 and 6 month clothing.  You are almost too long for some of your 6 month outifts.

~  Your eating schedule hasn't changed much.  You are still taking a bottle every 4-4.5 hours, but you've started only eating about 7-8 oz.  You are eating 1 serving of vegetables almost every day.  So far, you have tried green beans, sweet peas, and squash.  It seems that squash is your favorite - or you have just gotten the hang of the whole spoon feeding thing :-)  Like with your bottle, you like to help mommy and daddy as we bring the spoon to your mouth.  We've found it helpful to let you play with a spoon while we feed you.  You like to put the spoon in your mouth, throw it on the floor, pass it from hand to hand, and tap in on your Bumbo tray.

~ You've had more bouts with illness this month.  You had another stomach bug, so we gave you Pedialyte to help settle your tummy.  Luckily, this didn't last very long.  Now, you've got a bit of a cold.  You are congested, running a higher temp (99.8), and have a terrible sounding cough.  It keeps mommy up at night and I want to pull the car over every time you cough in the car.  Because of the congestion, you have thrown up a few times after your bottle.  You had your first true projectile vomiting episode today (TMI?).  We're hoping the Children's Benadryl will help dry you up.

~ You are able to sit for a few seconds on your own before falling over.  It shouldn't be long before you get the hang of it :-)  You like to sit on your playmat and play with your hanging toys in a different way.  You also like to sit and play with the musical bumblebee.  Other times, you would rather stand up and bounce or walk around.

~ When you are on your tummy you try so hard to crawl by getting your knees under your hips and pulling yourself forward with your hands.  Right now, you get frustrated quickly so you either roll over or just put your head down in defeat.  You'll figure it out soon, I'm sure.

~ You are now sleeping in your crib at night!  The transition was much easier on you, than on mommy.  I had daddy set up an air mattress on your floor in case I wanted to sleep in your room.  Mommy is able to sleep easier knowing I have the video monitor on my nightstand and the Angel Care system monitoring your breathing/movement.  The only times mommy or daddy have to check on you is to put your paci in or just to watch you sleep :-)

~ You play with your feet ALL THE TIME!  They are either in your mouth, in your hands, or kicking in the air.  You have realized that your feet and legs are amazing things that do fun things.  It's so funny to watch you kick like crazy when you're excited.  When you're standing, you even like to stare down at your feet to just see what they are up to.

~ You are learning and practicing new sounds.  You said "Oh ma" one day, so I'm crossing my fingers that that turns into "Mama" soon.  You love hearing new sounds and seeing what causes them (vacuum, birds, toys, etc).

~ You are starting to play with your bath toys.  We'll give you one of the sports squirty things and you play with it the whole time.  You have also figured out the art of splashing in the water.

~ Everything goes in your mouth - feet, hands/fingers, bib, burp cloth, rattles, books, bath toys, playmat toys, etc.  If you can't get something in your mouth, you are not a happy camper.  This typically happens in your exersaucer or on your playmat.

~ You've almost mastered putting your paci in your mouth on your own. 

I feel so blessed to have such a happy little boy!  Your smile and laugh melts my heart every time.  My absolute favorite thing right now is after you've finished your late night bottle and I am just holding you.  You stare at my hand and analyze my face.  I love when you start playing with my face with your hands - you smile so big!  It's such a sweet time before you go to bed.  Mommy loves you and is so very thankful for you.

A little conversation with his monkey

5 Years!

Mike and I celebrated our 5 year anniversary yesterday!  My how time flies.  We kept our celebration simple with lunch and a couple's massage in Hot Springs.  It was nice to be able to get away just the 2 of us for while - I did miss my little boy though.  I've been browsing through old pictures of us, and it is amazing how young we look.  Five years, apparently, does a lot to a person's appearance :-)  I wonder what another 5 years will do???  I am so very blessed to have married my best friend!  He is an amazing friend, husband, and father - thank you Lord for placing such a wonderful man in my life!

 Right after Mike proposed 8-6-07

 engagement picture

 January 12, 2008

 I love this picture!

 The start of our reception aboard the Arkansas Queen Riverboat

My new favorite pic - when we became a family of 3 and I got to experience seeing Mike as a daddy :-)

M's First Christmas & NYE

We have had a lot of firsts over the past few weeks - first Christmas, first snow, and first NYE!  Leading up to Christmas we took Matthew to see Santa.  We didn't want to endure the long lines at the mall, so we took advantage of our local Lion's Club Pancake Breakfast.  We went to the community center and were able to have a delicious breakfast AND get Matthew's picture with Santa.  While we saved time, I do wish the Santa had been one with an authentic beard - the pic makes him look a little creepy (sorry Santa).

Matthew also got to see his first Christmas Light display over break.  We took him through the Burns Park Christmas Light display with my parents.  Mike and I took turns holding him in the backseat while pointing out the lights and characters.  He, surprisingly, really like it.  He was in awe of the lights and movement.  I can't wait to take him around town next year to look at more lights - and to the house in Sherwood that famously covers their lawn in inflatable Christmas characters.

On Christmas Eve, we stopped by my Great Aunt Shirley's house for some dessert and family time.  After we got home, we opened our gifts as our new family of 3.  Of course, Matthew was more interested in the wrapping paper than anything else.  I can't wait until next year when he will be more active in his gift opening.

 With his gifts from mommy and daddy - doesn't he look thrilled :-)

On Christmas morning, we woke up early and traveled to my parents house.  Before opening gifts we had our traditional Christmas brunch - yummy!  Matthew was so cute with his new toys.  He especially liked the musical ball my mom got him.  After a quick lunch we then traveled to Conway for the Fleisher Christmas.  We apparently wore Matthew out that morning because he slept through the whole Fleisher Christmas.  When he did wake up, we were able to get a few cousin pictures with Alli.  We had to leave early because of the winter weather.  We were greeted by a house with no power once we got home.  Our entire town was out of power - crazy!  Because of this, we packed up Matthew and Bella and braved the sleet/slush in order to stay with my parents.  Praise the Lord they never lost power!  We ended up having to stay with them for 2 nights.  That Thursday, we left for Illinois to see the rest of the Fleisher family.  We drove 10.5 hours there and came back Sunday.  It was so great to see everyone and celebrate Christmas with them as well.  It was also special because it was their first time to meet Matthew!

 I love my little family

 playing with his musical ball from his Emie

 He fell asleep in his great grandmothers arms - precious!

 Having fun with Emie and Pop

 Such as happy boy

 Matthew's gift from his Uncle Jim - can you guess what it is???

Sweet cousins :-)

After unpacking and going through all of Matthew's gifts, it was very evident that he is very loved and maybe a little spoiled :-)  Now we've had to rearrange/organize his nursery to make room for all of his new things.

With all of our travels, winter weather, and not being in the comforts of our own home, Matthew's first NYE was very low key.  We all went to bed early and had an early dinner at my parents house the next day.  Poor buddy was still a little out of sorts after so much traveling.

I hope everyone has a blessed 2013!  Ours is starting of blessed because we get to spend it with this little guy :-) 

4 Months

My sweet boy turned 4 months old on Christmas Eve.  We've been so busy with Christmas celebrations and traveling that I haven't had time to post his stats.  He is getting so big and doing so many new things - I love it!!  It's amazing how much and how fast babies learn.  Before I know it, Matthew will be crawling, walking, talking in full sentences, and getting into everything.  I am cherishing each day with my baby boy before those milestones come and I am busy chasing him around :-)  Matthew was not in the mood for pictures during his 4 month photo shoot.  While we didn't get any smiles, they still make me smile/laugh.  He is so wiggly nowadays that he is not a fan of sitting still.

~ We went to the doctor on NYE for your 4 month appointment.  You weigh 16 lbs 3 oz (71st percentile) and you are 25 3/8 inches tall (62nd percentile).  Your head now measures 16.5 inches (36th percentile).  The doctor says you are perfectly healthy which is the best news a mommy can hear.

~  You are still wearing size 1 diapers, but know you will move to size 2 soon.  You are wearing a mix of 0-3 month, 3 month, and 3-6 month clothes depending on the brand.  I have packed away all of your warm weather 0-3 month clothes and have stocked up on cold weather 3-6 month clothes.

~ You are still taking a bottle every 4-4.5 hours (7:30, noon, 4:30, 9:00).  Each bottle has 9 oz of formula - sometimes you down it in 10 minutes, while other times you leave an ounce or two.  We've started putting a tablespoon of rice cereal in your morning and evening bottle.  This helps with your spitting up.

~ The doctor gave us the okay to start you on solid foods!  We started feeding you green beans and will introduce a new food each week.  You're still not sure about how to swallow using a spoon, but I know you'll get the hang of it.  We are planning to make your baby food using the Magic Baby Bullet.  Let the pureeing begin!

~ You took your first trip out of state right after Christmas.  We drove 10.5 hours to visit family in Illinois and you were a trooper.  We were worried that you would sleep so much in the car that you wouldn't sleep much at night, but you proved us wrong.  You still slept 10-11 hours each night!  You were sick of your carseat on the trip back, so you were more fussy.  All in all, you did a great job and everyone was so happy to get to meet you for the first time.

~ You are still talking up a storm.  There have been a few times that it's sounded like you've said a word, but we aren't sure.  You learned how to spit with your tongue (don't know what that sound is called) around Christmas, and it is your new favorite sound to make.  It cracks mommy and daddy up!  You're also getting better at mimicking the sounds that we make.  I can't wait to hear your first word!

~ Bella, our dog, is still the one thing that can make you gut laugh.  Mommy and daddy tickle and kiss your cheeks to make you laugh, but you definitely laugh hardest when you watch Bella play.

~ You are still working on sitting up on your own.  While I'm holding you, you will lean forward and sit up on your own for several seconds.  You now love to sit on the floor in between my legs and play with toys.  Just yesterday, you were sitting up basically on your own playing with your new dog toy.

~ You are starting to lunge forward after sitting up for a while.  You do this especially if there is a toy sitting just out of your reach.  You lean forward and get on all fours before going down to your stomach.

~ You rolled over from your back to your tummy for the first time on the 27th (right after arriving in Illinois).  You've only done it once, but get close every time you try.  Once you've got it down, I know you will be rolling everywhere since you are a pro at rolling from your tummy to your back.

~ You had a great first Christmas (will post about this soon).  You liked playing with the wrapping paper, and love all your new toys.

~ Some of your favorite toys are your caterpillar rattle, Fisher Price Laugh & Learn Puppy, musical ball, and you are starting to like your entertainer more and more.  Your favorite book is the Pet Tails book because you love to grab the tails.  

~ You've watched your first Baby Einstein video and seem to like it.  You are very curious about the world around you, so I think you will really love learning about the different animals.  We are planning to take you to the zoo as soon as the weather gets nicer.

~ You are a very happy baby, but you are most happy in the morning and when we are carrying you around the house.  You rarely let us just sit and hold you.  We have done many laps around the house talking to you and showing you new things.

~ Your hands are still finding their way to your mouth.  You even started sucking your thumb.  We were thinking you were in the early stages of teething with how much you were sucking on your hands/fingers, but we aren't 100% sure yet.

2012 was a great year because you came into our lives.  I can't wait to see all of the new things you learn to do in 2013.  I am beyond blessed to be your mommy and I thank the Lord every day for you.

He was pretty much done at this point :-)