22 Months

The most amazing thing so far about being a parent is observing how quickly your child can change. Over the summer I watched and marveled at how every day, as we walked up the stairs into our home, Matthew became more and more skillfull at making his way up the stairs, with less and less help from me. He went from crawling up the stairs to standing while holding both my hands, to using the rail and holding only one of my hands, and so on. Today he is almost worthy of handling it without supervision, much less needing to hold my hand, but I still try to help anyway. The same goes for eating cereal every morning for breakfast. He still opens wide like a hungry little bird, but he is gaining confidence over the spoon and asking for less help. I have to make a concerted effort to back away from the table and offer less help, so that he gains the right amount of confidence.  He is falling asleep at much more reliable intervals, looking sleepy the moment his head hits the Thomas the Train pillow, and calling "ni-nite" as we walk out of the room.  We found our window of opportunity and finally ditched the pacifier without much drama right around 20 months (hooray!!)

Matthew's love of all things cuddly and sweet is perhaps the most endearing thing about him at this particular age. He still has Teddy, whom he adores, but he doesn't have a particular preference for him so much as an overall need to give love to cute things. He has a little Alvin chipmunk doll from his weekend with Aunt Amy, a "Gary Bear" who saved the day at Aunt Sue's, a Pooh Bear from Mommy's guilt trip to Disneyland without him, and now he has Mommy's childhood Puppy, and they all make him squeal delightfully! He gives them kisses right on the mouth and then passes them along for kisses from anyone else within reach. He loves to play hide-and-seek with them, and bursts into a squeaky, celebratory laugh whenever he discovers them cuddling together on his Elmo chair in front of the TV. He also has generously imparted this affection on all family and even new friends, giving kisses right on the lips when it's time to say goodnight or bye-bye, and his hugs are squeezably snug, as he wraps his arms right around the neck with all the strength in his soul.

I'm not sure I can believe it could get any better than this.

Bouncing Toddler

Today I had to pick Matthew up at daycare a bit early. They called me and said he had woken up from a nap and was really inconsolable, pulling at his ear. It sounded to me like an ear infection, so I cancelled my dentist appointment and went to go pick him up. He was fine by the time I got there, playing happily with one of the teachers in a private room. But as soon as we got in the car he started screaming. Once we arrived at the doctor's office, he was once again perfectly fine, playing in the waiting room and pointing at everything and saying "Mama." The doctor checked out his ears and his lungs and she found nothing wrong with him; she said it was a "false alarm" and could be teething. Then she gave him his next two immunizations that were scheduled to be given a few weeks from now. Bless her for saving us the return visit. But of course the shots sent him wailing all over again. He's a tough cookie so he didn't cry for long, and by the time we got home, he was all smiles and play while Svaddka cleaned our house. I guess maybe this was Matthew's way of getting me back, since I had planned to use my day off to do a bunch of personal errands. I still accomplished a lot (conference call with my cousin about work, donated blood, oil change, laundry), but once I found myself in Matthew's room, watching him wield his toy guitar while bouncing and staring at his future rock star image in the mirror, I became truly grateful for the change in plans. The truth is, I am feeling more and more guilty for having him in day care, but especially on my Senior Fridays. Two weeks ago I kept him with me, and we went to Pretend City, and had an amazing day while it poured rain outside. So today I needed to do other things. I have a chipped molar that needs dental attention, but I'll just reschedule. My little guy is so much fun right now, and these days truly are numbered. One would think it would get easier to be apart from your baby as you return to work, but now that he is doing so much more than staring up at the sky and sleeping the day away, it is harder than ever to lose precious moments with him. He is walking independently and can do so even faster when I am not holding his hand. He can push himself on his dolphin ride-along toy. His favorite game is "I'm Gonna Getchu!" We played that the other night while crawling through a fort I created in the livingroom, complete with overturned chairs and big swooping blankets. He was squealing with excitement every time my head popped up from the cavernous maze. He loves to take my sunglasses from my face and wear them, or chew on them. He can say, in his own baby way, things like "bath time," "all done", and "dog." Every time he is lifted out of the car he starts pointing things out and asking questions (but the question is just a simple "ah?") He dances to just about any and all music, and he has his own signature moves. Jess calls it "Follow The Hand," and our friend Angela says it includes hints of "The Laurie Bounce." He really likes American Cheese, fig newtons, bananas and pretty much any citrus fruit. We are working really hard on vegetables, but so far the only easy ones are soy beans. We cuddle in our bed every morning while he has his bottle - one of only two bottles he usually has per day. He is doing really well with sippy cups and using a spoon, and this weekend we will practice regular cups. His teddy bear is his best friend and he probaby wouldn't sleep without him (and the binkie, unfortunately). He also loves to play with balls and do acrobatics on our oversized leather couch. I relish the weekends for trying new things with him and soaking up his early toddlerhood. He is very well behaved at restaurants still, so enjoy that while we can, right? He always wins over waitresses and can be occupied with books and small cars between bites of french fries - another food favorite. He waves at strangers and waves at Daddy when being carried off to bed for the night. He can also obey the command to blow kisses, although it looks more like he's trying to cram something slippery into his mouth. He doesn't yet give kisses to others, and hasn't been known to bite, but has been bitten twice at day care for stealing other kids' toys. I have lost count of how many teeth he has, and today at the doctor's he weighed in at over 27 lbs. I cannot wait to hear what he has to say once he learns how to use language to its fullest extent. I look forward to all of the firsts that are still before us: first haircut, first trip to Disneyland, first time on an airplane. Will he play guitar, or the drums, or will he want to sing? Will he be a good friend and have good judgment about his friends? Will he use as much of his big head as possible for making the right choices in life? I know that parenthood will get more and more challenging as life presents Matthew with all of its peaks and pitfalls, and I look forward to being a resource of wisdom and strength for him while he learns to find the same for himself.

Matthew's First Birthday

Happy Birthday, sweet baby!
I cannot believe how fast the year has gone. But I want you to know, I didn't waste one moment of it. I have been giving you love and making sure you have everything you need since the day you were born, one year ago today. And in return you have brought me the greatest joy I have ever known! What a wonderful baby you are, and I know you will grow into a fine young man!



You awoke in a great mood today! Right away I began letting you know that this was your special day, and that you'd be getting even more love and attention than usual. Your Daddy and I cleaned up the house and he fed you your breakfast while I went shopping for some party items. I came back with a bouquet of balloons, much to your joy! While you took a morning nap (a rare event these days), we decorated the dining room for our expected guests and the Guest of Honor (YOU!)






I stood you beside your growth chart today and was amazed to reflect on the fact that you have grown nearly 11 inches since you were born. You have added 1/3 to your height and more than tripled your weight! You are a very healthy, sturdy little man!





Your birthday cake was a banana cake, and it just happened to be sugar-free because that was the recipe I found online. My priority was in giving you bananas, which has been your favorite food since you began eating. As it turns out, the fact that the cake had no added sugar in it (except for the lite Cool Whip I put on top) was a blessing, because you shoved fist-fulls of it in your mouth! You weren't interested in the vanilla ice cream because it was so cold, but since you were so content sitting in your high chair with your face and hands covered in cake, I gave you a second helping!

























On hand to help celebrate this wonderful day was your Grandpa Dave, Grandma Laurie, Uncle Scott, and cousins Luke and Nate. We all wore party hats and played with your new toys, which included a wooden train set, a dump truck, and a set of books. We played all day and celebrated you into the evening, with a toast over dinner.


















I look forward to celebrating you all my life, my sweet baby boy!

Love,
Mama