Matthew Turns Four

Wow....I have been pretty bad about keeping up with this blog lately.  I'll have to do a separate post on why later.  First, I want to document Matthew's 4th birthday!  We had initially planned on a Paw Patrol Pool Party for Matthew, but the weather turned a little too cold after a week of downpours.  Instead, we had a Paw Patrol party at Mike's work...Geyer Springs First Baptist Church!  It ended up working out perfectly!  There was a huge room for food, presents, and all of the kiddos to run around.  Plus, a new indoor play area that they all loved!

My favorite part of Matthew's party was his excited scream (aka "girly" scream") each time he opened a new present.  I have no idea where it came from, but it was pretty funny, and I have it video!  He is now the proud owner of the entire Paw Patrol town....at least it feels like it :-)  On his actual birthday, my sister and I took him to the zoo.  He was able to play in the new farm area which was really nice!  We then had a small pool party with the family.  Of course, he had more cake and got to open a few more presents.

Opening presents from Mommy, Daddy, and Bro before the party

Like always, here are some highlights from my little 4 year old!

~  You weigh 35.4 lbs (46th percentile) and are 3 feet, 5 inches tall (67th percentile)!

~  You LOVE Pre-K3!!!  You go Tuesday 8:30-11:30 and Thursday 8:30-2:30, and are always so excited to tell us about your day.  I love watching you learn and enjoy school!

~  Over the summer, you played soccer again.  Now, you are playing T-Ball!  We will continue to let you play both, or any other sport you want to try, until you need to choose 1-2 to focus on.  It's been fun seeing your athletic side come out over the last year.

~  Reading is still one of your favorite things to do, but you also love playing....any kind of playing!  Being outdoors, playing with cars/trucks/trains, Paw Patrol, Octonauts, Legos, Lightsaber "fights", and any kind of snack are your other faves. 

~  You want to help us with everything, and are so good when you do help!  The best part of this trait is seeing you start to help your friends or others outside of the family.  I pray that continues.

~  When we are in the car, you like to play "I Spy" and the "Animal Game".  You also like to have us tell you stories or try to make your Bro laugh.  This is also the best place for you to get in a nap :-)

~  I can tell your adventurous side is really coming out, but with many things you are still hesitant.  You still like to watch others when faced with a new task, and pretend you are shy around new people.  Those who know you, know that you love to be center of attention.

~ You still enjoy tagging along to your little brother's therapy sessions and doctor's appointments.  You've even started helping the therapists...you would make a great therapist or doctor one day!

~ We are still working on swimming without your floaties, but you are gaining more confidence.  You've been able to use the kick-board to kick around the pool without your floaties, so you're getting there.

We love you Matthew David Fleisher!!!!

 

Matthew's Pirate Party

I am WAY late on posting this, but I wanted to document Matthew's 3rd birthday party.  This year he had a pirate pool party and it was perfect!  I kept a close watch on the weather the whole week, and was worried that we'd have to postpone due to rain.  Thankfully, we only had to push it back an hour.  It poured right up till it was time to party and then the skies cleared!  Matthew and all of his little cousins/friends had a blast swimming, eating, and opening presents. 

This year, Matthew has really gotten into opening presents and it was hilarious to see him tear through each gift like a tornado.  I couldn't keep up with him.  Among the new clothes & shoes, Matthew also got several puzzles, board games, a stomp rocket, scooter, roller skates, dinosaurs, transformers, fire trucks & other cars, and books.  He was kept very busy playing with all of new toys in the weeks after his party!  I cannot thank all of our family and friends enough for making his birthday so special!

 Two Peas in a Pod!

 Can NOT believe these Crestwood babies are 3!

 Best group pic we could get :-)

3 Years Old

It's hard to believe, but Matthew is now 3 years old.  Life truly does go by so fast once you have kids - and it's so hard.  I love watching him grow and learn, but it all seems like it's going too fast.  Yes, these toddler years are hard and there are days that I'm beyond exhausted, but it is SO worth it!  Warning - this will be a long post :-)

~ You are 31.4 lbs (50th percentile) and just over 3 feet tall (60th percentile).  You're wearing 3T clothes and size 7.5-8 in shoes. 

~ You are about 99.5% potty trained.  You still have accidents during the night, but you're getting better!  I love seeing you run around in your "big boy" undies.

~ You are the very best big brother!  You have always loved your brother, Samuel, whether we were visiting him in the NICU or you're playing with him on the floor.  You love to make Samuel laugh and have started asking to hold him more often.  I can't wait to see the two of you playing more as you get older.

~ You played soccer for the first time this summer through the Arkansas Soccer Club and LOVED it!!!  I'm so excited that you're getting into sports.  Next up is Tee Ball at Burns Park!

~ Telling stories has become your favorite thing to do.  You crack your daddy and me up when you tell them.  It's fun to see your imagination/creativity develop through your stories.

~ You rarely take naps now, but still have a "rest time" in your room each afternoon.  I promise, you'll miss naps one day.

~ I'm planning to work with you more over the next few years on identifying your numbers and letters.  I'm in no big rush since you won't start Kindergarten for another 3 years, but you're ready to start.  You love it when you see an "M" - you say "that means Matthew"!

~ You like going to Sunday School at church.  You've just moved up to a new room and you now get to do worship in a big room with other kiddos.  You're not a fan of that part, but you like playing in the classroom.

~ You've had many firsts over the last year - rollercoaster, water ride, circus, magic show, baseball game, boat ride...love seeing you experience new things.

~ Some of your faves - swimming, playing outside (mowing, riding bike, scooter), reading books, cars, puzzles

I jumped on board with all of the other mommas and started a Birthday Interview with Matthew this year.  I found a "20 Questions" book online that will keep all of his interviews in one place.  It's set up so I ask him the same questions until he is 18.  Here we go...

What is your favorite color?  red & blue

What is your favorite toy?  puppy dog & tiger 

What is your favorite fruit?  peaches & pears

What is your favorite TV show?  Mickey Mouse Clubhouse & Chick and Friends

What if your favorite thing to eat for lunch?  chips

What is your favorite outfit?  night-night clothes

What is your favorite game?  baseball

What is your favorite snack?  cookies

What is your favorite animal?  giraffes & elephants

What is your favorite song?  Jesus Loves Me

What is your favorite book?  "God" - bible stories

Who is your best friend?  daddy & mommy

What is your favorite cereal?  "daddy's cereal" - Chocolate Mini Wheats

What is your favorite thing to do outside?  play soccer & throw Bella's frisbee

What is your favorite drink?  milk & water

What is your favorite holiday?  Halloween & birthday parties

What do you like to take to bed with you at night?  puppy dog

What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast?  muffins

What do you want for dinner on your birthday?  chocolate pudding cake

What do you want to be when you grow up?  fireman

Happy 3rd Birthday Matthew!  We love you and can't wait to see what plans God has in store for you!

March for Babies

In mid April, the March of Dimes organization held a March for Babies in order to celebrate and raise awareness of premature babies.  The Samuel Strong team did an AMAZING job, raising over $3,000 to help fund research geared toward preventing premature births.  Our team even won the Top Family Team award - woot woot!!!

It was such an amazing feeling to be surrounded by family and friends who were there to celebrate our micro-preemie, Samuel.  One of his primary nurses even drove almost 2 hours to be there with her mom and daughter!  While there, I was able to catch up with two fellow preemie moms.  It's so nice to be able to talk & celebrate with those who have experienced the NICU rollercoaster.  I am excited about our new annual adventure in honor of our Samuel.  Maybe next year, we can raise even more money!!!

Check out this amazing support group!!!  Samuel is one loved little dude :-)

 The boys sported their Superman shirts b/c the theme was Super heroes!

A little NICU reunion with our buddy Grady & his amazing momma!

Nurse Mandie - LOVE HER!

My friendlies & their littles on our walk

And....there was a fire truck for Matthew!

Matthew Update

I've been meaning to write a little update about Matthew, but time keeps getting away from me.  I feel so bad because I don't want it to seem like he's being left out.  I know this past year has been a major transition for him, and we work very hard to make sure he gets individual attention as much as possible.  I've read in multiple places about how bringing a special needs child into a family can affect everyone in the house.  This is especially true of any healthy siblings because they can begin to resent the special needs brother/sister.  Since reading this, I do my best to give Matthew lots of attention!

All that said, Matthew is such an amazing little guy!  I'm so very proud of him and how he has handled the many changes our family has had.  He has grown so much over the last several months and I'm loving seeing him learning something new every day!  Here are a few highlights of our sweet 2 year old...

~ You are right around 30 lbs and wearing 2T clothes.  You're about to transition to 3T tops, but you're still small in the legs.

~  We are still in the trenches of potty training with you.  You've come so far and have even asked to wear your big boy underwear a few times!  Our plan is to have more of a potty training "boot camp" this spring.  Right now, you're mainly just going in the potty to get an oreo :-)

~  You are an amazing big brother!  You love tickling and playing with Samuel.  He's just gotten to the point where you can make him laugh just by being in the room!  His face lights up when he hears you.  You get very concerned when Samuel cries and you want to help as much as you can - especially with poopy diapers.

~  You are Mr. Independent.  I hear "Me do it" constantly throughout the day and Lord help us if we start doing something you wanted to do on your own.  You are very quick to get onto us about it.  

~  You talk ALL THE TIME!!!  We are told often that your vocabulary is amazing for a 2 year old and I agree!  Some of my favorite quotes of yours are "that's me's", "no, no, it's later", "mommy/daddy come play with me", "i love you mommy", "it's okay bro" and so many more!  

~ You and Bella are still best friends!  You chase each other around and love to throw her soccer ball!  Your daddy has taught you how to keep Bella's frisbee on the trampoline to keep her entertained for a while.

~ Your fave things to do are build puzzles and play with your cars.  You especially like to line your cars up and take them around the house!  You've become much better at independent play which makes life easier with a baby.

~  You LOVE the TV and we plan to break this habit as soon as it gets warmer outside.  It's just been an easy thing to do with Samuel being on a short leash.  Your fave shoes are Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Thomas and Friends, and Veggie Tales.  

~ You love family movie night!  We can't order a pizza without you wanting to sit on a pallet on the floor while you eat and watch a movie.  Your fave movies have been Cars, Toy Story, & Madagascar.  It's hard to find ones that are appropriate because even Disney movies rated G or PG will have inappropriate language.

~  I'm hoping to get you signed up for tee-ball this fall, so this spring we will have you out practicing!  Oh, how I can't wait for little league ball & soccer!!!

~  You've started "reading" books to yourself and the inner teacher in me loves it!  

My favorite thing is hearing you sing "Jesus Loves Me" and saying your bedtime prayers.  It's amazing to hear those words come out of a small child.  It makes me think of just how special ALL of God's children are in His eyes!  I love you sweet Matthew!!!