I'm a Big Kid Boy Now!

Matthew got his first haircut yesterday. He was instantly transformed from looking like a little baby to a big boy. Amazing what a difference just a few snips here and there can make.

Before:


During:



After:


And just a cute picture of how he uses his mouth as a third hand...


And a cute picture of just him...


Oh how he melts my heart!!!

Love,
Tonya

Matthew - 18 Months

I absolutely cannot believe our sweet Matthew is 18 months old today! It absolutely doesn't seem possible! Unfortunately, I can't post any real recent pictures because our camera is broken again. Grrrr! :/ But, I'll update you anyway.

He is very, very delayed which breaks my heart. There are certainly worse things in life, but it's very hard to see babies much younger than him doing so much more. And it's harder to see him want to do things that he physically can't do yet.

Physically he is progressing but very slowly. We still go to physical therapy every other week. We had been going every week until this week, but he seems to have hit a "wall". I continue to help him at home every day. He finally can get himself from laying down to a sitting position by pushing up with his left hand, but not his right. He still army crawls but has started to sporadically crawl on his hands and knees like normal. He pulls up on things pretty easily but always with his left foot in the lead and his right to follow. He cruises around the furniture and can walk behind a push toy. His right leg doesn't always cooperate and follow as it should, so I have to help it a little. We have some new tape to tape his leg so it is turned inward to help some when walking. He has just started to let go of things and stand for a couple of seconds before falling. He continues to prefer his left hand and mainly only uses his right when he has to. I do occasionally enforce some "forced use" therapy where I hold his left hand down and make him use his right. This does not make him happy!

We see the neurologist again in March. He had wanted Matthew's right heel to be evaluated by a pediatric orthopedic surgeon, so we have an appointment at Emory for that in February. He isn't saying he will have to have a heel-lengthening surgery. He just wants a baseline for future reference.

He isn't saying any true words yet...at least that we can understand. He jabbers all the time and converses back and forth with us. It does seem like he says "Hi" at times and "OK" but nothing definitive. At times it sounds like he says "Ummm" before he jabbers his language which is really cute. He says "Dadadada", "Mamamama" and "Babababa" but not appropriately. I think he calls Jessica "Guh" but again, we aren't sure. Emma Grace says her name from him is "Eh". He understands some simple commands which is encouraging. He knows where his most prized "lovie" is when I ask him, and he shares his pretend creations from the kitchen when I ask if I can have some. If I tell him to put a block in a box (for example) he can do that, too. His wheels are turning, and I continue to pray that he is neurologically and mentally intact. We just don't know the extent of the damage of that brain bleed, and we won't until he gets older.

Speaking of his head, Matthew was very sick at his 18 month well-check on January 16th, so it ended up being more of a sick visit instead. They did all his measurements and it didn't seem that his head grew at all since his 15 month check up. I measured it myself and it was bigger, but the pediatrician wants to measure his head every month for a while to be sure. I will know for sure about where his head plots and how much it has grown when we see the neurologist in March.

At 18 months, our little man weighed 25 lbs, 2 oz (40%), he was 32 1/2 in long (60%) and his head was 18 3/4 in (45%). Just three days prior to this visit he weighed 26 lbs but had lost a pound because of his sickness over that weekend. Also, when I measured his head, I got 19 1/4 inches. Who knows what's right or wrong and how much he weighs now! He is wearing 18-24 month clothes and size 4 diapers.

As for eating, he has all his teeth that he should have at this point, but he still struggles a bit. He doesn't like to eat veggies very well, so I'm very thankful for the veggie pouches that he will eat. He loves them and that's one way I can get some greens in him. He loves carrots if they are cooked in a roast and occasionally, if he's in the mood, he will eat some steamed carrots and peas. He gags on most everything else. :( At least he loves fruit with his favorites being bananas, strawberries, apples, and grapes. He likes mandarin oranges and pears on occasion, too. He would eat pizza or grilled cheese at every meal if I would let him. But, I don't, of course. He loves taco meat, avocados, black beans and spaghetti. Yogurt is a mainstay of his diet, too. He has just started to show interest in utensils, so I usually give him a spoon or a "spork" while he is eating. He puts food on it and takes the food back off to eat it. It's a start! Mostly he just loves to play with it and shove it in his mouth. The great news is that he is bottle free! He had his last bottle a couple of weeks ago. I was very sad to pack them up but elated to be done with them at the same time. He's really getting to be a big boy.

He goes in spurts with his sleeping. The last few nights have been great again with him going to bed around 7:30 and getting up between 6 and 7. He was getting up at 5am for a while which did not make this momma too happy. I'm not a morning person! He is still taking two naps, but I think he's about to switch to just one. That's a transition that I'm not looking forward to!

He has such a funny little personality! He loves to clap for himself over just about everything. He has the biggest smile that just melts my heart. He loves to play peek-a-boo and show you how big he is by raising his arms. However, he sometimes covers his ears instead of putting his arms up. I have no idea why! He has started showing his temper and voicing his opinion more loudly than ever. He has learned to arch his back and go limp when he doesn't get his way. He is very inquisitive as to any little change he sees or noise he hears. He likes to put things in something and take them back out, and he likes to pretend he's drawing or writing with a closed marker and some paper. He also loves to pull all the books all the shelves or the plastic containers out of the cabinets. He cries and pitches a fit for anything electronic, especially the girls' iPods and Jessica's iPhone. He still loves to play with the kitchen and loves to read books. His favorite books are "10 Little Ladybugs", "Wheels on the Bus" and "Five Little Monkeys". He tolerates "Goodnight Moon" but it's not his favorite. He loves to crawl into a room, close the door and play peek-a-boo. But he does not like it when he closes himself in! He loves to cuddle, especially when he's going to bed and waking up. He snsuggles into me and tucks his arms between us. And his open mouth kisses are still slobbery sweet...never can have too many of those! :)

Here are some of my favorite pictures of him from Christmas at 17 months old.


And, yes, he desperately needs his first hair cut SOON!

We love this little guy more than words can say! He makes our hearts happy and completely full of joy!

Love,
Tonya

Happy New Year, 2012!

Happy New Year my long lost friends! I miss you...really, I do! I have such great intentions to blog. I just don't make the time to do it. Obviously. And I apologize for that. Especially to readers like my Aunt Barbara, who reads this to keep up with our family. So, in honor of the new year, I will do a little catching up for all of you...and myself, too.

***We have had a GREAT break for Christmas. I have totally enjoyed our whole family being home. Gib goes back to work tomorrow; the girls go back Tuesday. Matthew and I will be lonely for sure. I'm not sure what, if anything, is going on with Jessica and her friends, but she hasn't asked to do much at all over break. She spent two nights with a friend and had another over one night, but that's it. I have totally enjoyed having her home. I'm sure things will change once school starts back.

We were going to go to Colorado this past week, but we decided to wait until our break in February. Plane tickets were way too expensive and are way cheaper if we wait. Gib's brother, Arthur, recently bought a house on a ski resort (Copper Mountain) in Colorado, and we're going to go check it out. Should be fun! I can't tell you how absolutely wonderful it is to have reconciled with Arthur after not really speaking for four years. Feels like the family is "back together"! I'm not sure we will ever be as close as we once were, but it just feels great to be in touch again.

The girls have gotten along exceptionally well this Christmas break. They have shared and spent some great time together. Jessica hardly ever uses her room upstairs; she mainly sleeps with Emma Grace. They really need a bunk bed. But don't tell them I said that! :)

***Matthew continues to blossom every day. His personality is so funny, and he is such a love! He absolutely melts my heart when I pick him up, and he lays his head on my shoulder. He has developed a temper, though. Gone is the laid back baby I once knew. Here is the baby who pitches a fit when he doesn't get what he wants...and I wouldn't have it any other way! I need to do an update on just him VERY soon.

***I'm reading "The Help". Emma Grace gave it to me for Christmas. I have a hard time putting it down. I really wanted to read the book before seeing the movie because that's just the way I prefer it. I'm almost done, but it feels like these last 100 pages or so are taking me the longest to get through.

I'm turning over a new leaf tomorrow, and I'm blogging about it for accountability. I'm starting South Beach diet tomorrow and am committed to exercising regularly. I did South Beach before I got pregnant with Grady and lost about 15 lbs. I like the way it works and think it's a healthy approach to weight loss. I turn 4o this September, and I'm determined to run a half marathon before then. And, I would love to wear a bikini to the pool this summer! :) Gib's mother made the mistake of saying "You can't run" to me at Gib's 40th birthday dinner. That just added fuel to my fire!

I'm also going to be looking for a nursing job this year. I really need the extra money, but more than that, I need something to call my own. Gib never makes me feel like the paycheck he receives is his...always "ours". But, I've worked since I was 14 and only recently have I not been earning an income of any type. I taught childbirth, breastfeeding and infant safety/cpr classes until Grady died, and then I continued to work at the preschool. I need something. I am starting my own support group for perinatal loss in one week, but I'm not getting paid. The funding for my salary has not come in, so I'm doing that on a volunteer basis. I'm also determined to get better at using coupons. I may not get a lot of free stuff like the "extreme couponers" do, but at least I will be saving money!

***I apologize for no pictures tonight. I'm tired and don't feel like waiting on them to load. One of my goals for 2012 is to blog more, not only for you my readers/friends but for memories for my family.

Happy New Year! See you soon!

Love,
Tonya

Santa Visit, 2011

One of my favorite local stores had Santa and Mrs. Clause visit last weekend for photos and a special time with the kids. To my GREAT surprise, Matthew didn't cry! He didn't smile either, but he didn't cry. I was amazed!

Here he is checking out Santa before his turn.


Emma Grace looked thrilled, huh? She sat this way the whole time she was talking to him with a little smirk on her face.


Jessica was somewhat big for Santa's lap, but she sat there and told him what she wanted. It didn't seem to bother her one bit to be surrounded by children many years younger than her. (It seems crazy to write that..."many years younger"...she is growing up so fast!)


Matthew was very interested in Mrs. Clause for their group picture, and no matter how hard I tried, he wasn't taking his eyes off of her!


And while we're talking about Christmas, here's a picture of my favorite little Rudolph. She and Jessica had a "make over" session with make up and a little face paint. Love it!


Hope to be back sooner than later!

Love,
Tonya

Matthew. 12 - 15 Months.

Never, ever did I imagine that I would be this far behind on my blog. Seriously?!? Where does the time go?!?


Sweet Matthew is now 15 1/2 months old. I cannot tell you what a love he is. He is just a lot little spoiled and brings such joy to our family. I will do my best to make this post as easy to read and follow as I try to play catch-up on our little man.

~12 Months~

*He celebrated his first birthday in the Bahamas, which I posted about right here. It was a great celebration with great memories for sure.

*We also had a birthday party here at home on July 23, 2011. I want to post all about it, but here are some pictures from that day.


*He was still eating a great variety of pureed fruits and veggies, with the only real "solid" food being Gerber Lil' Crunchies. He was still on formula, getting five bottles a day, while learning to drink water from a sippy cup.

*Right before we left for the Bahamas he decided to start army crawling. So much for containing him on vacation! He had a great time perusing around our hotel suite on his belly.


*He was still sleeping great! Two naps a day, totaling 3-4 hours and 10 - 11 hours at night.

*At his 12 month well-check, he weighed 23 lbs. 8.5 oz (65th%); was 24 3/4 in. (50%) and his head was 18 1/2 in (70%). He was wearing mostly 12 month, but some 18 months, clothes.

~13 Months~

*This is the only picture I have of him alone for the month of August.


*I really can't think of anything huge that happened at this age for him except that we continued to try new foods and get better with the sippy cup. We also worked on physical therapy stuff, trying to crawl on his hands/knees and start pulling up.

*On September 3rd, he pulled himself up on the sofa, which I blogged about here. He was 13 1/2 months old. It was such a huge accomplishment for him! And just like my post said, I cried. I was SO proud of him!

~14 Months~


*September 19, 2011. Supposed to be napping but pulled himself up in his crib for the first time instead.


*I wrote the following in a "Tidbits" post, and I'm so thankful I did. It really is hard to remember...

--He has mastered pulling up and is learning to get himself back down. He is learning to wave and immediately claps for himself after he does it. He is cutting his molars, and the bottom two have broken the skin. He loves to eat and feed himself...I'm happy to report that he's doing well with that. He also loves his sippy cup, and I hope to have him off the bottle soon. He army crawls fast as lightning and climbed the stairs the other day with very little help. So happy and thankful for his progress. Still a long way to go, but thankful for how far he has come.

*These were taken on my birthday, September 10. This is one of our favorite expressions he makes.


~15 Months~

*Well, 15 1/2 months now to be exact, but that's okay. We're caught up as best we can be!!!

*At his 15 month well-check, Matthew weighed 24 lbs. 3 oz (40%), he was 31 1/2 inches long (65%) and his head was 18 3/4 inches ( 65%). He had dropped some in his weight but had gained in his length. He works so incredibly hard to do what he does, I think he just burns a lot of calories. He is a great eater, though! He's down to two bottles a day, one in the morning and one at bedtime...I'm hoping to have him strictly on a sippy cup soon. He loves whole milk and would drink it all day if I would let him...which I don't!

*He now has his upper and bottom molars and is actually cutting his "eye" teeth...poor baby. He's such a trooper!

*He has learned to give me hugs. They melt my heart! I call them "sweet love" when he gives them to me. When he puts his head on my left shoulder, he just hugs. When he puts his head on my right shoulder, he pats my back or arm. He will go from one side to the other. And if I had my way about it, they would be never-ending!

*He also gives kisses...selectively...when he wants to. They are the open-mouth, slobbery kind. Is there any other? Love them!

*He has some shoes that he's not real fond of. They are white high tops from Stride Rite. They didn't come in brown or navy, and his therapist really wanted the support of the high tops. He does feel more stable in them and will actually take a few steps when holding onto a push toy or our hands. He still can't stand alone, and he has a long way to go before he walks.

*He absolutely adores both of his sisters, but he's particularly drawn to Jessica. I think it's because she's a bit bigger than Emma Grace, but who knows. He will almost jump out of my arms to get to her. Sweet!


*Matthew and Emma Grace will often play a game of give-and-take in the car. Their seats are next to each other, and they will pass a toy or book or his lovie back and forth. They both giggle and smile the whole time. Music to my ears!

*He loves to play the grunting game with his Daddy. Maybe I should call it the yelling game. They go back and forth and often get louder as they go. And, of course, he loves to rough house with him, too.

*I can't pinpoint a for sure first word from him yet. He says something that sounds like "good". Gib heard him say "uh oh" the other night. He will sporadically say "Mama" and "Dada" but not intentionally enough to call it a first word. He does mumble and jabber all the time, though, so I think it won't be too long before he starts saying something we can understand. He loves to shake his head "no" and has started saying "uh uh" while doing it if he doesn't want something. He understands a few questions like, "Where is Buddy?" and "Give it to Mommy".

*He loves to play with our kitchen set, but the unfortunate thing is that he has pulled it onto himself a couple of times. Since he doesn't get down gracefully from standing, he sometimes forgets to let go of what he's holding onto when he plops on his bottom. He loves to open and close the microwave door and take things in and out of it.


*He loves to crawl to the TV, pull himself up and bang on it...not good!


*His other favorite toy is Emma Grace's pink Barbie jeep. He rolls that thing all over the house, army crawling after it.

*His favorite things to eat these days are bananas, blueberry waffles, grilled cheese, grapes, applesauce, yogurt, and fruit/veggie pouches. He isn't too fond of green veggies these days, so I get those organic veggie pouches to get some of those vitamins in him. He can take or leave a sweet potato. Gags on broccoli and green beans. Loves pizza and some mexican dishes. And loves to feed his leftovers to Buddy (who just so happens to hang out under his highchair at meal time!). His all-time favorite snack is Gerber Lil' Crunchies, Veggie Dip flavor. He LOVES them!

*These were taken on his 15 Month Birthday.

*I couldn't resist a naked baby shot. He will hate me for these one day, I'm sure!


*For Halloween this year, he was sick. :( He had a cold and later in the week developed croup. He dressed up in a hand-me-down Honey Pot costume from his sisters. He was already in his jammies here and went to bed straight after pictures. Maybe next year he will get to go Trick-or-Treating with his sisters.


That's all I can think of for now. I started this post a while ago and am just finishing and posting it on November 10, 2011. He will be 16 months old in just a few days. I seriously gotta get better at finding time to blog! Thanks for reading and God bless!

Love,
Tonya