Thank you for visiting my blog! If you are visiting because you have experienced a pregnancy or infant loss, let me say that I am so very sorry. I started this blog shortly after our Baby Grady was stillborn on November 12, 2008. Please visit the sidebar below called "Labels" to find the topic in which you are interested, or just read as your heart desires.

Monday, October 18, 2010

Matthew - 3 Months Old



I cannot believe this baby boy is already three months old! Time has absolutely flown since he has been born, especially in comparison to how each day of my pregnancy with him seemed like a year. No joke!

He officially turned three months on Saturday, October 16th. But, as usual, I'm late in posting about it. I still have the desire to take his picture with a sign in his crib on his monthly birthday, but when I went upstairs to find the card stock to print it on, I only found empty drawers. Only one culprit...Emma Grace. There's no telling where the card stock is. Probably in the kitchen or bathroom somewhere. Seriously. This is what is hanging in my pantry right this very minute.



Why?

Your guess is as good as mine, but I bet Emma Grace has a reason.

Anyway, this post isn't really about her putting things where they don't belong, now is it?

Ahem.

I tried to take this picture the night after his 3 month birthday. But as you can see, he really wasn't into it.



Matthew is growing by leaps and bounds! We go to the doctor on Thursday for a check up. I really don't know how much he weighs but he has definitely put on the pounds in the last month. He is quickly growing out of his 3 month clothes and is very close to being in 3-6 month clothes. He can still fit into size 1 diapers, but not for much longer. I hope he doesn't abandon them too soon because I have a few more packs to use that were gifts.

Seriously, could his cheeks be any bigger? I think he's storing up for winter!



This is his favorite thing to do...



He is eating 5 ounces every 2 1/2 to 3 hours. He would eat more if it was there! He's such a little butterball, and I love it! He still holds his breath but has definitely gotten better. I am so thankful! I can tell he's making progress and am hoping within another month that he won't hold his breath at all. He is still getting breastmilk in a bottle, but I'm probably going to have to supplement him with formula sooner than six months. I'm having a hard time keeping up with him, and my freezer supply is showing it!

He is starting to smile at us more which is super cute. I haven't been able to capture it in a picture because he's pretty random with it. He especially likes to smile at the picture over my sofa and the top of his changer, which is plain white! Too funny!

He is "talking" more, cooing and making all sorts of sounds. He grunts less, which is nice and conducive to sleep at night. Speaking of sleeping, he is doing great! He sleeps for 6-8 hours at a stretch. I don't get to sleep that much because I pump again before going to bed and get up in the middle of the night to pump, but I definitely feel like I can function better on the sleep I am getting at this point. I am trying to train him to nap in his crib during the day. He is still sleeping with me, but soon he will have to be a big boy and sleep in his own bed. :( I'm just not quite ready for that...

He absolutely loves to be held. His favorite position is on my shoulder while his bottom gets patted. Spoiled? Maybe!

He is drooling quite a bit. I know it's way too early for him to be cutting teeth, but the girls started drooling long before they actually got their first tooth. He loves to blow bubbles with his mouth. He has no clue as to what he's really doing, but it sure is cute to watch.

He loves music. We have a Baby Einstein mobile on his crib and he loves to listen to the music and watch it turn around. He loves to hear his little elephant while getting his diaper changed, and he loves for me to sing him to sleep at night.

Matthew does great in the car unless he's super hungry, and he does love his paci. They gave him the Soothie in the NICU. I recently tried to switch him to the Nuk, but he gags on it. Not while he's sucking it, but when he tries to spit it out. I wanted to switch him because you can't attach a paci holder to the Soothie. Oh well. We will just have to have lots of extras when his hits the floor! He has the cute habit of putting his hand on the paci right after it goes into his mouth. He wants to make sure it doesn't get away!




He has some cradle cap that is driving me crazy! It is caused from over-active oil glands and gets worse the more frequent you wash their hair. He doesn't get a bath very often, so I don't understand why his is so bad. Anyway, I tried to use a soft toothbrush on it last time he got bathed, but the toothbrush was pulling his fine baby hair out! YIKES! I stopped immediately because I didn't want him to be bald on the top of his head. He does have a bald spot on the back of his head, though, which is kinda cute.

He is starting to hold his head up better. He still has a ways to go before he can do it on his own, but he's making progress. He can tolerate tummy time for about 5-10 minutes, then he's done. And he lets me know it!

He is such a love and has many nicknames. My favorite for him right now is Punky (short for Punkin). He also gets called Chunky Punky, Little Man, Little Big Man, Mr. Matthew, Mr. Man, and Baby Love just to name a few. I'm sure I'm missing some.

His MRI was scheduled for this Thursday the 21st, but I decided to postpone it. He must be sedated for the procedure and stay for 12 hours after to be monitored. They called today to confirm everything, and I found out that he will be fully admitted to the hospital for that day. I thought he would just be monitored on an outpatient basis. Praise God Matthew shows no problematic signs or symptoms from his brain bleed. This is simply a follow-up to see if it is still there or gone. So, with some wise counsel from Suzanne (of course), I have decided to put it off a few more weeks until he doesn't have to stay so long afterwards. I am even considering having it done at a different hospital but have some research to do before making my decision.

Hope to be back soon!

Love,
Tonya

9 comments:

  1. That's great, Tonya!
    He is SUCH a cutie!
    I'm so glad y'all are doing well & he's so chubbily healthy =).

    Take care,
    Freya

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  2. Hi Tonya!
    I know you don't know me, but I've been reading your blog for a while and was so happy to hear that sweet Matthew was here!
    We struggle with the same pacifier issue thanks to the NICU, where my son spent his first six weeks of his life. I did figure out that I could loop a very small ponytail holder through the hole of the soothie pacifier and then attach it onto the pacifier holders. It's worked for us for 7 months now.

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  3. He's such a cutie! I love his chubby cheeks!! So glad to hear that he's been doing better with holding his breath while eating. I hope he outgrows that soon.
    Oh, the drool! Love it! It's a sign of good hydration! :)

    Miss you sweet friend.
    love,
    ebe

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  4. Oh my goodness, talk about beautiful cheeks... precious chubbiness there. Wow, he has filled out in his face so much since the last pics you shared... He is absolutely precious.

    Tonya, I want you to know that you are on my heart so much as we get close to the boys birthdays... praying for the Lord to comfort you as you juggle all the emotions you must be feeling with Matthew here but approaching Grady's birthday soon. Just wanted you to know you are in my prayers!

    I am still just so thankful that Matthew is here safe and sound,3 months later:) Keep us posted on the MRI plans... I have been praying about that and will continue to:)
    Love you friend!
    Sara

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  5. What a cutie! I love his precious cheeks too!

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  6. Tonya,
    Loved the pictures! I would love to see Archer and Matthew together - they are about the same size. Archer sneaks his hand right behind the soothie too. He is a paci-man, for sure.
    So good to think of you far away, doing the same thing I am - feeding, diapering, and loving on a hungry, happy little boy!
    love, Sherri

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  7. Tonya,
    You don't know me, but I follow your blog. I'm so happy for you that little Matthew is doing so well! Praise God!
    Just wanted to share that Soothie does make a pacifier attacher. You can probably find them at BabiesRUs. I also just found some cute attachers on Amazon that look like they will work with any brand of paci. In case the link below doesn't work, they're called Booginhead PaciGrip Pacifier Holder and they're about $5 plus shipping. :)

    http://www.amazon.com/BooginHead-Pacifier-Holder-Green-Stripe/dp/B001AG2BF0/ref=pd_bxgy_ba_img_c

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  8. MAM used to make a pacifier keeper that had velcro to hold the end on. I took the end for the MAM off, folded the velcro over, and it would fit right through the holes on the Soothie. I found them at target. I love reading your blog...thank you for sharing your story.

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  9. What a cutie! Squeeze those cheeks for me:)

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