Saturday, March 21, 2009

Just Ten Minutes

I'm full of blog ideas lately, aren't I? :)

So tonight I was in the bathtub thinking about how I used to daydream during the day about taking my bath at night. I love baths and it was one of the biggest things I missed while being pregnant. See I love boiling hot baths and that's on the no-no list when you're pregnant. Since I thought it would be a tease to take a bath but not have it be a hot one I just decided to take showers. Well then I had a c-section so it was even longer before baths were allowed again.

Saturday nights were the best baths though. It was the night I'd scrub my feet and use a face mask and just pamper myself. I'd stay in there a good 30 minutes just reading and relaxing.

Nowadays I don't have time to daydream about baths. I'm too busy playing and cleaning up and making meals and putting the little one down for naps.

And while I still do my Saturday night pampering, I don't really have 30 minutes anymore. It's more like ten.

My bubble baths and foot scrubs and face masks have now been replaced by five different baby soaps and a funny looking pelican pitcher. Elmo stares back at me from the faucet and little plastic bath toys float in my space that I'm just too tired to pick up.

It's still a favorite part of my day, time to give myself and relax and think about the day that has passed and also about what tomorrow will bring.

I listen to Matt as he dresses Matthew, telling him they're a part of a pit crew to see how fast he can get him dressed. I listen to him feed him his last bottle and sing to him songs he doesn't think I hear him singing. I relish in the sounds of a daddy and son spending a little bit of time together before the day is done. While I enjoy my time to myself, I enjoy even more giving Matt a little bit of time to be the one Matthew needs most...if only for ten minutes.


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An Addendum to This Morning's Post...

Matthew's top right front tooth is almost through. So that explains why he didn't go to sleep. It's his normal operating procedure for a tooth. You'd think after three we'd remember that.

A Long Night

Last night Matthew had a "he's lucky he's cute" night. We lowered his crib mattress due to his new skill of pulling up on his knees which is the gateway to pulling up to a standing position. In moving the mattress we realized he had access to the outlet behind his crib. We are going out today to rectify that situation so we had him stay in our room last night in his bassinette.

He took an hour long nap as we made our way home last night and was wide awake when we got here. So sleep was something not on his agenda. We put him in the swing and he played there pleasantly until we went to bed at 11. He got himself pretty twisted in the swing. Luckily he was belted in.

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We went up to bed at 11. I put him in the bassinette, laying down, covered him up and handed him his paci and his puppy. I turned to face Matt to say prayers and say goodnight and turn back over and am greeted by this:

Hi Mom!
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He's lucky he's cute!!
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We brought him into bed with us to try and get him to calm down and he just wasn't having it. Finally at 12:30 it dawned on us that we could move the crib from the wall and he wouldn't be near the outlet. Matt put him in there and shut the door and he fell right asleep.

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Unfortnately it didn't last too long and he was back up in 15 minutes. He was miserably tired and we wondered if his teeth hurt him so we gave him motrin. Then wondered if he was hungry so fed him a bottle. Finally at 1:30 he fell asleep for the night.

At 7:00 he was up again and I turned over to see him up on his knees surveying the contents of my nightstand where he spied one of his toys. He snatched it down and laid back down and went back to sleep until 8.

Again, I say...he's lucky he's cute!

Friday, March 20, 2009

Where's Matthew?

Where's Matthew???

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Peek-a-boo!!

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Where could Matthew be?

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PEEK-A-BOO!!

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Tuesday, March 17, 2009

When Irish Eyes Are Smiling

May your blessings outnumber
The shamrocks that grow,
And may trouble avoid you
Wherever you go.

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Thursday, March 12, 2009

All Grown Up

I was playing with Matthew today and had my camera by me, as always, so I can take some pictures of how he plays now. Sitting up and in full control of himself. No more wobbling, no more pillow around him to steady himself. Just him on the floor. Reaching for toys and knocking down block towers as quickly as I could build them.

I took a picture of him and the instant I saw it I stopped in my tracks. He didn't look like a baby anymore. He looked like a little boy sitting there. It's made me contemplate so much since then. Where has all the time gone since he was born? Have I done my best to raise him right? Cuddled him enough? Read him enough stories? Done the right things? Am I a good mommy to him?

When he was first born and I was still in the hospital after we would send him back to the nursery I remember feeling the overwhelming urge to just run away. I questioned what the heck we had done and wondered if we were capable of the responsibility that comes with raising a child. Every morning in the light of day when I would see his face everything was fine again. And I hated that I ever even had those thoughts. Those post-partum hormones really do wreak havoc on your psyche.

Now I can't imagine ever living without him. He is my whole world and has healed my heart in ways he will never understand.

But the time is going fast. And he's quickly going from baby to little boy. And while a huge part of me is excited to see all the developments that are coming up a little part of me mourns the little baby that is leaving me.

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Monday, March 9, 2009

8 Months Already!

How about an 8 month update!

Matthew at 8 months old is just showing more and more personality every day. I think he's going to be a little daredevil. Saturday in Target Matt was weaving the cart all around and it was cracking him up. Then today I was running with him in the cart back to the car and he was laughing so hard.

Mobility wise he's not crawling yet but definitely doesn't let that stop him. He gets everywhere he thinks he needs to go. His favorite place is the cat door and wherever Matt's shoes are

His favorite song is "skidamarinkydinkydink" I sing it too him all the time and everytime I start to sing it he gets a huge smile on his face. He also loves "Jesus Loves Me" and tonight when we were saying prayers with him I would say "who else do we want God to bless" after I had named everyone in our family and he would just make random noises as if to answer me

When he gets excited he opens and closes both hands really fast. It's so cute and a sign of him being pleased with whatever is going on at the time.

He's a great eater but as I've previosly mentioned, with the exception of breakfast there is no more baby food. It's a challenge to make sure he's getting good food but food he can have but I enjoy figuring out what he can have and introducing him to new things. His current favorites include grilled cheese, cantelope, broccoli, green beans and graham crackers. He's starting to figure out the sippy cup thing. More often than not he's surprised when something comes out of it, but it's all practice.

Watching him grow and change every day is just an amazing adventure and the most fulfilling thing I've ever done. This boy fills my heart with so much love and joy that I just don't know what to do with it all. He's only been here 8 months but I don't know how I ever lived without him.

THEN
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NOW
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Monday, March 2, 2009

Matthew and the Snowy Day

On a cold late winter day Matthew's mommy said to him, "Matthew, it's snowing outside! Do you see it?"

Matthew, being 7 days shy of 8 months wasn't much interested in the white blanket that had appeared outside his door. Despite his disinterest he found himself repeatedly rolling to the door to see what was going on out there.

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He saw all kinds of fun things outside his door. Men with shovels moving the snow and kitties fighting for the same view. He even got to try and chew on daddy's shoes that were left by the door! It was pretty fun.

Mommy told Matthew that when daddy got home we would get all bundled up to go outside and see this stuff she called "snow" up close. Daddy came home and they got him dressed in his cool blue train snow suit and outside they went!

Daddy stood him up next to the piles of snow the man had made earlier and Matthew was so excited that he fell face forward into it. But he's a big boy and didn't cry! In fact he thought it was rather funny.

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Mommy sat Matthew down next to the big pile to show him one day just how little he was.

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It was very windy and the wind bothered Matthew so mommy and daddy said it was time to go inside for dinner. But Matthew had a good time in the snow! Daddy said next year he would get him a sled and take him for a ride on it! Matthew can't wait to find out what a sled is!

-The End.