Christmas Traditions

I am going to start getting back in the habit of shorter more frequent entries to keep out of town family and friends up to date on us. First trimester fatigue and keeping up with a 13 month old definitely threw me for a loop the last few months. This year I've been thinking more intentionally about what I want our Holiday traditions to be starting with Christmas. Matthew is more aware this year and absolutely more active than this time last year:

We decorated VERY differently this year due to our little walker. We didn't place out the breakable knick knacks. The main tree downstairs is now for the most part now full of soft non breakable ornaments and it's only decorated above his reach.

This next picture was a very common occurrence the first few days we had it fully decorated and we decided it wasn't worth fighting every day. Especially once Matthew uumm... passed a bead from an ornament. It was scary at first to think what might have happened had the bead been bigger and now funny since all is all right. There are enough non negotiable no-no's, adding more around the holidays just wasn't worth it for us. It's a short period of time to have a half decorated tree and it's funny to us. We have one in our bedroom that's all cute and matchy and no touch, the door can be shut so that's how we handled that.

There are so many fun things to do around this year. I really want to go simple so I can enjoy meaningful time with my family. The search has been on to find activities that are reflective of our values, age appropriate and fun. I've been checking out other blogs, talking with people and doing some googling around.

So far this year we have been reading our Christmas book:

Playing with our favorite birthday find telling the story of the birth of Jesus:

and listening to the Christmas Message station through our satellite with the screen off through out the day. Mommy randomly starts singing and dancing with Matthew. One of my favorite memories as a child was all 4 of us kids dancing around to my dad's stereo with my parents.

We attended one Christmas party as a family (if anyone from the Class party has a picture of all the kids taken that night I would really like a copy, I can't believe I forgot my camera!) and another one where mommy and daddy got a night out to themselves.

Mommy and Daddy activities were sending out Christmas cards and watching Christmas movies. We addressed slowly a bit each night after Matthew went to bed while watching a Christmas show. Here is our Christmas picture 2010:

We also do weekly Christmas movie nights. Daddy's favorites are Elf and Die Hard. Mommy's are It's a Wonderful Life and The Nativity Story.

I've heard many wonderful examples of how several families manage the greed that can come with the season. We don't really have to deal with that this year but we intentionally just chose two well thought out gifts for Matthew and one for each other. Our small groups at our church adopt a family and we correspond with our Compassion Child.

Still to come prior to the actual holiday: We hope to go through and look at lights some place close to home before Christmas since Matthew is front facing in his car seat now. We are looking forward to our church's Candlelight service.

In the years to come I hope to build on these traditions as we focus on the birth of Christ. I look forward to next year when he can draw, color and can play with his new sibling :-)) By the way we find out gender mid January. Ok, this is much longer than I planned, I hear Matthew waking from his nap but I feel like I haven't blogged anything personal in a while. I hope everyone is truly enjoying this time of year. It really is a time when more people chose to act on the selfless giving and unconditional love of Christ. It really is wonderful to experience.

Thanksgiving

It's not Christmas yet, so I can do a post about Thanksgiving still with out an apology. I took exactly one picture that day because I was just so tired. The picture cut off half the person's head, so no pictures of that day to post here.

We drove out to spend some time with my side of the family. We ate turkey and all the trimmings, plenty gluten free too :-). My sister had to actually work on Thanksgiving, but the three of us still dropped by to see her on our way our of town. I got to spend some time with my wonderful younger brother and sister in law. I also saw nieces, nephews, parents and left with a stomach full of my mom's wonderful cooking.

Here's Matthew checking out the ornaments on the tree that we put up the day after Thanksgiving.

Helping mommy and daddy decorate:

One Year Photo Shoot

Here are our favorites!

This first one we have in an 8 by 10 in his room

This is in the entry way in an 8 by 10

This one with the scripture "For I know the plans I have for you..." is in a 10 by 13 in the upstairs hallway.

Hey Buddy, Did you Hear?

I've been feeling good just to get the monthly updates of Matthew's growth on here the last couple of months. I'm surviving nap to nap, trying to give my little guy as much fun mom as I can muster up being nauseous and really tired. First trimester is almost over, it's all worth it in June 2011.

Our little walker

Tonight playing after dinner :-)) First time daddy got to see

1 Year old!!

Sleep:

He sleeps 12 hours at night from 7pm to 7 am For most of the month he was still taking 2 long naps averaging 1 and a half to 2 hours each. He is still taking two naps a day. I'll hang on to both as long as he'll let me :-).

Clothes:

He is in 12 months. Shoe size is 4 wide (we rarely wear them). Size 3 diapers. We'll get updated stats on Monday when he goes in for his 12 month check up/ shots. At nine months they were weight 21.12 pounds (60th percentile) height 29.6 inches (90th percentile). Head circumference 18 1/2 inches.

Food:

He eats four times a day. He's now on all table foods. We cut up all his food in to incredibly small soft portions. We changed to the plastic bibs with the pouch to catch all the food that he looses grip of on the way from the tray to his mouth. Prefers to feed himself rather than us feeding him. Two more teeth came in this month. He now has six teeth- top four front and bottom teeth. He enjoys putting the toothbrush in his mouth every morning.

Meal one-6 oz bottle after breakfast

Meal two- 6 oz sippy cup after snack

Meal three-6 oz sippy cup after lunch
Meal four- dinner followed by his nighttime 8 oz bottle

We are now on style #4 for sippy cups. We seem to be making more progress to weaning him off the bottle with the style I bought this morning (hope that doesn't jinx it writing it). Styles #1 and #2 were variations of the hard plastic tops and were a no go. Even the brightly colored decorations with his name did not tempt him. Third kind had a softer silicone top and worked for about a week but then I think as he settled in to that style, his enthusiasm was caving in the tops. We found a hard lid with just the silicone sippy. We are up to him taking liquid from the cup twice a day so it's definite progress.

Socially:

Very curious about objects but shy with new adults or those he didn't see regularly. He relaxes within about 10 minutes if the person persists. When it's new children, he's fine right off the bat. Words: dada and dadee, mumbles for an extended period of time as though he's holding his end of a conversation. Waves bye-bye

Developmentally:

Crawling up the stairs.

Any progress on getting down the stairs when he started going head first were promptly halted when he can go feet first, we'll help him further.

He will stand alone momentarily. Getting up and down with out holding anything for support

Rolls a ball (not necessarily back to us) when we roll it to him.

He started clapping on his own and he'll high five me
Cruises the furniture pretty fast independently.
Big boy crawls anywhere he wants to go. Pretty much permanent red knees these days. He moves fast!
Successfully mimics our facial expression, sticking tongue out, especially the super cheesy grin
Still puts most new things in the mouth, maybe a little less than he used to.

Will give something up when asked to with out tears (yeaaa). Starting to see some resistance, opinions are forming.
Constantly on the move, doesn't sit still long unless eating.
He crawls over to where we are standing and scale our calves putting his arms up to be picked up. REALLY hard to resist.
He can get in to the bathroom/ kitchen drawers. Thankfully he's too short to actually get his hand up in to the them. the lower cabinets are safety locked.

We are working on concepts like hot/ cold. Up/ down. Labeling things. Asking preferences.

Starting to see a little (not consistent by any means) progress with baby sign language. Will do more :-)

Matthew highlight:
First 3 steps

trunk-or treat at church

pumpkin patch

First birthday party!

(Not sure what's wrong with the formatting or picture placement, sometimes blogger just acts funky) I got it posted on the day, so I'm happy :-)

October Pics

11 months

Sleep:

He sleeps 12 hours at night from 7pm to 7 am For most of the month he was still taking 2 long naps averaging 1 and a half to 2 hours each. The last few days, he seems to be phasing out his morning nap himself. He's quiet in his crib for all of 15 to 20 minutes... so we get up play, eat and he's back down at about 11:30-12:00 pm for a couple of hours.

Clothes:
He is all in 12 months now. Shoe size is 4 wide. Size 3 diapers. The last stats are from his 9 month visit which can't still be the case. But they were weight 21.12 pounds (60th percentile) height 29.6 inches (90th percentile). Head circumference 18 1/2 inches. We'll see the dr next month and get updates. Just started wearing shoes really starting on Sunday mornings.

Food:
He eats four times a day. He's now on all table foods. We cut up all his food in to incredibly small soft portions. We changed to the plastic bibs with the pouch to catch all the food that he looses grip of on the way from the tray to his mouth. Prefers to feed himself rather than us feeding him. He still has four teeth- top two front and bottom teeth. Brushes his teeth every morning with mommy or daddy.

Meal one- 6 oz bottle with cut up blueberry muffin,or pancake
Meal two- 6 oz bottle with steamed broccoli and peas
Meal three-6 oz bottle with applesauce or yogurt melts.
Meal four- whatever we are having for dinner followed by his nighttime 8 oz bottle

Socially:
Very curious about objects but shy with new adults or those he didn't see regularly. He relaxes within about 10 minutes. When it's new children, he's fine right off the bat. Words: dada and dadee, mumbles for an extended period of time as though he's holding his end of a conversation.

Developmentally:

Crawling up the stairs.

He just started in the last couple of days to sit and try to scoot down the stairs. It's definitely a funny work in progress.

He will stand alone momentarily.

Rolls a ball (not necessarily back to us) when we roll it to him.

He started clapping on his own and he'll high five me
Cruises the furniture pretty fast independently.
Big boy crawls anywhere he wants to go. Pretty much permanent red knees these days
Successfully mimics our facial expression, sticking tongue out, especially the super cheesy grin
Still puts most new things in the mouth, maybe a little less than he used to.

Will give something up when asked to with out tears (yeaaa)
Constantly on the move, doesn't sit still long unless eating.
There is no doubt when he wants to be picked up now as he will crawl over to where we are standing and scale our calves.
He can get in to the bathroom/ kitchen drawers. Thankfully he's too short to actually get his hand up in to the them.

We are working on concepts like hot/ cold. Up/ down. Labeling things. Asking preferences.

Matthew highlight:
First Hair cut

Mommy/ Daddy Highlights:

Started our first small group with a mobile little guy with 6 other little ones, lots of fun!
Daddy went to a Promise Keepers event

Mommy started helping with Matthew's class during Bible Class time on Sunday mornings

In October we are looking forward to dressing up for trunk or treats and fall festivals, going to a pumpkin patch and Matthew's first birthday party :-)

September Pics

Just a few more days of being 10 months old, we are going to enjoy every second :-)

Ode to Mothers

I got this from my friend Erica, had to post!

excerpt from Out Of The Spin Cycle: Devotions to Lighten Your Mother Load
Prologue
A (Fairly Lame) Ode to Mothers

An ode to the marvelous woman called “Mother”
Though not one of us is exactly like another.
From the second we’re born to the minute we die
Our preferences are as limitless as stars in the sky.

We might have been perfectly gracious before
But childbirth entered us in the Mommy War.
Rather than letting everyone else be
We criticize parenting that isn’t exactly like . . . me.

So once and for all let me put this to rest
None of us owns the title of “best.”
Natural childbirth does not make you a hippy
Epidurals are not just for women who want to feel trippy.

In a bathtub with a doula or in a hospital bed
We all got a baby with limbs and a head.
Nursing is great if nothing goes wrong
But some nipples turn inward and refuse to play along.

This is a choice for each mom–it’s her route
So it’s just A + B and everyone else can C their way out.
Schedules and timers do not make you cruel
Feeding on demand does not make you a fool.

In the nursery with a monitor or in the family bed
Every chick gets to pick where her baby lays his head.
If I see one more mom roll her eyes at “organic . . .”
“Partially hydrogenated” throws some of us into panic.

But neither judge Sonic burgers and fries
Some of us just want to enjoy food before we die.
Preschool, home school, public, or Montessori
Listen, my friends, and I’ll tell you a story:

Two moms differed on favorite school trends
Their kids turned out pretty much the same. The end.
If a girl gets the title of “mom” accidentally
The worst thing we can do is treat her judgmentally.

How about some love, some help, some advice?
She needs our love and we shouldn’t think twice.
Discipline through various methods will prevail
Look, we’re all just trying to keep our kids out of jail.

These things are just preferences, not right or wrong
What matters more is teaching our kids to get along–
To love and to share, to speak gently and kind,
To obey so that mom won’t go out of her mind.

Showing them Jesus is our common ground
Teaching them how he can always be found.
He’s present in public school and Waldorf (so trendy)
He’s over at Whole Foods but also at Wendy’s.

Jesus never cared about these sorts of things
It’s our hearts that he wants and the worship we bring.
It’s time for us moms to declare a truce
Regardless if we buy Capri Sun or 100 percent juice.

My way is not your way, and your way isn’t mine
But both of our kids will turn out just fine.
Rather than judging and looking down our noses
Let’s enjoy the common ground motherhood poses.

As believers, we all love the same good Lord
We all have children who tell us “I’m bored.”
We all need more sleep than these tiny five hours
Most of us struggle to find time for a shower.

We haven’t been to the bathroom alone in an age
Our mothers have all told us, “Relax, this is just a stage.”
We all love our babies so much we could die
We’d take a bullet for each one without batting an eye.

Though we are different, we’re in the same tribe
Motherhood requires a similar vibe–
Love and affection, sacrifice and grace
Laughter, which keeps the whole mechanism in place.

Though different, by the grace of God, I suspect:
ALL our children will rise up and call us ... collect.

She looks well to how things go in her household. ... Her children rise up and call her blessed. Proverbs 31:27—28 AMP

First Haircut

Today we went to a great baby and child friendly place where Matthew received his first haircut. His hair was over his ears and I was constantly tucking it behind so he wouldn't look shaggy.

The event started off with a great shirt. The huge grinned I was aiming to receive from daddy was accomplished. He's a big Star Wars fan. Matthew has also been doing a few dry runs at home with shoes. Here we are waiting our turn:

He was fine for about 30 seconds adjusting to being strapped in to the chair and looking around. Then she started spraying and touching his hair. Apprehension starts...
He gets REALLY curious and keeps looking back at Ms LaQuanna. First the sippy cup was given as a possible distraction...
Then bubbles started to be blown....
Success.... hair cut went off with a hitch after that. It was worth being pretty light headed by the end for mommy. Daddy was manning the camera and video.
All done, you made it Matthew :-)

bye-bye hair
Here he was getting ready for a bath right when we got home to get all the stray hairs off of him.
So happy!

Little keep sake of hair
Momentos for the scrapbook:

I teared up, because first he's so handsome with a clean cut look and second that he's a handsome 'boy' not baby. It's a next stage moment and I'm glad we made it special.

Happy Birthday Lisa

This is my gift to you Lisa on what would have been your 40th birthday. I miss and love you. It's a song I heard on the Emmy Awards a few weeks ago by Jewel called "The Shape of You"

September settles softly
Leaves are starting to fall
I recall the last time you were here
Your laughter a melody that lingers still

Chorus : There's a hole in my heart
and I carry it where ever I go
like a treasure that travels with me down every road
There's this longing, lonesome ending
kinda bitter, kinda sweet
There's a hole in my heart in the shape of you

Time stealing swiftly
As children having children of their own
And around life's merry go round goes and
There you are wanting what you cannot hold

CHORUS

Even though my heart aches there's a smile on my face
Just like a window to heaven
There's a light shining through

CHORUS
There's a hole in my heart (3x)
in the shape of you

Things that Push

There are things that can be pushed from the crawling position. The car is definitely his favorite:



Those that can be pushed from the vertical position:







He really enjoys being pushed too. Mainly by daddy....

10 months

Matthew has reached double digit months :-) It just warms my heart to watch him grow and learn every day. It takes so many more tries to get the monthly fun pictures now. I'm going to throw a couple of the 'off' shots in here just for laughs.

(Most toys these days get pushed around like they are a car, his plate is no exception)

Sleep:
He sleeps 12 hours at night from 7pm to 7 am He has arrived at 2 long naps averaging 1 and a half to 2 hours each. Just in the last week I think he's started having sad baby dreams where he cries in his sleep. Mommy no like :-( Thankfully it's for less than a minute and he calms himself down without waking up, but... mommy still no like :-( He also not only doesn't require any rocking, will protest if we try. He gets himself down much quicker.

(This is his 'my the monkey's hair is tasty' pose)

Clothes: (no changes)
His pants are 6-9 months and his shirts and onesies are 12 months. Shoe size is 4. He does have sweet little pudgy feet so he needs wide width. Size 3 diapers. He's weighs 21.12 pounds which is in the 60th percentile and his height is 29.6 inches which is in the 90th percentile. His head circumference is 18 1/2 inches.
(This is his 'my the monkey's arm is tasty' pose)

Food:
He eats four times a day. He's eating one less meal a day going 4 hours in between meals due to to the introduction of some table foods. His little system is breaking down some age appropriate foods cut in to incredibly small soft portions. On the 25th he had the least of mommy milk so that's the other reason he's dropped a bottle, that formula sure does fill him up.
Meal one- 5-6 oz bottle with rice cereal and fruit.
Meal two-veggies and 5-6 oz bottle.
Meal three- stage 3 dinner (chicken, meat or turkey) 6 oz bottle.
Meal four- nighttime 5-6 oz bottle
He has four teeth as of the 28th. He added his top two front teeth.
(This is his 'my the monkey's leg is tasty' pose)

Socially:
Very curious about everything. He is understanding more quickly with our set 'no-no's. What's working for him is shaking our head, saying no no no and moving him back from the nono. Last month it was taking 7 times for it to stick. Now it's maybe once a couple times a day. (yeaaaa) He giggles at games at exaggerated expressions and funny noises and sounds. He also likes when daddy 'gets some baby neck' He's pretty cautious, still and quiet around new people. We had quite a few visits from older kids this last month with the Atchison twins and cousins as well as the England and Wilson children who are so kind and gentle with 'baby Matthew'. Matthew watches their every move. It's sooo sweet. Billy and I have both heard him say dada which was his first word on the 5th . When I was out of the house, Billy heard mama. I hear ni ni pretty frequently (night night). Babbles when he wants our attention and will get louder until we respond to him. He also started the transition out of the infant class at church. Another sign of growing up :-)


('You're going to need to much faster than that mommy' pose)

Developmentally:

REALLY enjoys crawling up the stairs still, makes it in half the time.
He still has no idea how to climb down the stairs, it's pretty funny and scary at the same time.
He started clapping on his own and he'll high five me
Cruises the furniture pretty fast independently.
Big boy crawls anywhere he wants to go. Pretty much permanent red knees these days
Tries to mimic our facial expression, sticking tongue out, etc...
Everything goes in the mouth
'Happy spitter' phase is now behind us :-))
He smiles and sits still for any finger play song game like patty cake, twinkle little star, abc's, Jesus Love Me, Wise Man, Father Abraham, Lord's Army, pretty much any song sung to him.
Will stand very briefly on his own with out holding on to anything.
There is no doubt when he wants to be picked up now as he will crawl over to where we are standing and scale our calves.
He can get in to the cabinets on his own so we found out to our shock on the 20th. We installed cabinet locks which are only minimally slowing him down.

Matthew highlight:
Baby Dedication


(Again with the pushing the plate around, this time right side up)


Mommy/ Daddy Highlights:
Mommy went to Women of Faith
Jill's baby shower, Michael's birthday party

Daddy helped us and it took less than a minute to get both poses :-)


In September we are looking forward to Matthew's first haircut among other things :-)