Rainy Week

It's definitely spring with all of the rain! Poor Stan has been scared of the thunder, as usual. We have had a semi-busy week. Yesterday, our Parents as Teachers friend visited and tested Matty for his yearly assessment. He did great! He stood up and held on to his Exersaucer without leaning into it, he threatened to crawl, sat up on his own, picked up two small blocks simultaneously, and then picked up Cheerios with his thumb and forefinger. We were so happy for him. Today, we ran up to Babies R Us and bought a few new summer outfits. I also bought some puffs for him to try, but I think I got the wrong kind. They are supposed to dissolve on your tongue...I tried one myself and that wasn't the case. So, I will keep looking. I'm a little too timid for him to try eating small things right now since he only has 2.5 teeth! Then, another thunderstorm rolled in. I had Matty sleeping on my lap, and Stan sitting on my knees shaking like a leaf! Here is a pic of Matty attempting to crawl.

Fun Dinner

On Saturday night, we met my parents and Grandma at Nick & Jake's for dinner. Matty had a great time, even though it was past his bedtime! We enjoyed watching the Royals game & the NFL draft. Mizzou was the only Big 12 school to have 2 players selected in the first round!

Sitting Pretty

Today, my Mom and I took Matty to a couple of shops. He decided to have a fountain spit up on the way, and we had to turn around to change his clothes. This is about the 5th time that he has had a massive spit up in the car...we heard that the rear facing car seats are at an awkward angle that causes the little ones to spit up more, and it is definitely true in Matty's case. But he had a good time at the shops after that. The big news is that Matty has been sitting up all by himself this past week! Here he is showing off for the camera.

House Visit

Today, we picked up my Grandma Flo and went to see my sister Ashlei's new home. It is a very nice house! Matty was a little unsure of his surroundings at first, but then he had fun playing with Ashlei, Nana Flo and Grammie Sharon. Ash's dog Winston was very interested in Matty...mostly because he kept spitting up, but I'm not completely sure!

Here is a pic from the weekend, where Matty was helping his Daddy ice his sore knee.

Petting Zoo

The weather was beautiful today, so we took Matty to the petting zoo. He had a fun time and especially liked the goats. When he gets a bit bigger, he will be able to ride the miniature tractors and play on the swings and slides.

New Pics

Matty had a rough night of sleep...we think that he is teething again, perhaps the 2 uppers this time. But all in all, he was in a pretty good mood today. He keeps getting closer to crawling!

Easter

We had a very nice Easter, even though it was rainy and chilly. I started getting Matty ready for church about half an hour early, and it took the entire time to finally get him in his little white Easter suit. Every time I would put him in a new onesie, he would spit up, so I had to start the whole process over again. Finally, he was ready to go, and he looked adorable! We were almost to church when he decided to reflux and have a fountain spit up! Yuck! I thought that I had caught most of it in his blanket, but when we got to church, I discovered that it was all over the seat of his pants. I wrapped a blanket around him and hoped for the best. Then, we heard the family behind us cough a few times, so we decided to move away from my family to the far side of the church. Matty enjoyed watching people for awhile, but I had to take him out once he turned fussy. We went to my parents' house for an early dinner and had a great time.

Opening Day & More

I was able to attend the Royals opening day game on Friday with my Dad, brother, sister & friend. The weather was very windy & chilly during our tailgate, but the food was great! The bbq shrimp & artichoke dip were the best.

Sluggerrr even decided to visit our row. Here he is with Ash & me (yes, I'm in his armpit):

Meanwhile, back at home, Matty enjoyed a fun afternoon with his Grammie Sharon & Nana Flo. Thanks so much for taking care of him! He tried a sippy cup for the first time, and we were also able to get a money shot of his teeth for the first time:

Yum

I have tried several times to snap a picture of Matty's two lower teeth, but he doesn't cooperate. He loves to put all of his toys into his mouth...this is due in part to teething, but we also learned that this is how little guys find out about the objects around them.

Has Spring Returned?

Today, the weather was finally a bit warmer, so we ventured out to Target to look for some new bibs. I have been bib hunting for awhile now, since Matty goes through about 8 a day. The ones we like at Babies R Us have been sold out, so I found a couple new ones at Target. Then, we were able to take a quick walk this afternoon. In the meantime, I had to wash my down comforter cover AGAIN because Matty decided to spit up on it this morning. That thing is such a pain to put back together! Here is Matty posing on the clean comforter...I told him that we want to keep it that way for awhile!

Out With the Old

The piles of Matty's old clothes were starting to pile up pretty high in his closet, so I finally bought a large crate to pack them away. As I was sorting through everything today, I was shocked when I got down to the preemie clothes. They were so so so tiny! I remember it like it was just yesterday that those clothes were too big on the little guy...it really made me realize how far he has come since last summer. We are so thankful that he has turned into such a big boy!

Here was Matty wearing the little green preemie outfit (Aug 21):














And here is Matty today, next to the same green outfit:

Fun with Grandmas

Today was a very busy day! Matty met with his Parents as Teacher facilitator, Amy...and he put on quite a show! Then, we went with Grandmas Kathy, Sharon, and Flo to Panera for lunch. Just as we were pulling into our parking spot, Matty decided to reflux and fountain out all of his lunch. So, we turned around, went back home, and got him a new outfit. Once we returned to the restaurant, he was fine and had a good time looking around at all of the people. He especially liked the shiny mustard packets!
Matty has been having so much fun with his 3 grandmas this week. What a lucky boy to be the center of their attention!

Elite 8

Yea! Mizzou beat Memphis last night and is now headed to the Elite 8! Jeremy's team (Pitt) is also going, so should be interesting...what are the odds that both of our teams would make it?!?

Busy Day

Today was super busy! We were early for Matty's pediatrician appt, so we stopped by the NICU to say hello. We were able to chat with Charlotte, Susan, Missy, Igor, Amy, Clarissa, Kelli, Cindy, Larry, Tammy, Mary, Cassie (I hope I'm not forgetting anyone!) When Matthew was a patient in the NICU, I often saw families returning with their babies to visit, and I remember wishing for the day that we could be in that position, and today was that day! It brought back memories when we spoke with a new mom who had just had 1 lb 9 oz baby, and she knew that they were in for a long road...my Mom did tell her about Matty's story, which seemed to make her feel better. We are so thankful for all of the nurses, doctors, and respiratory therapists who helped Matty through his stay. One of the nurses told us that it is seeing graduates return that helps her go to work everyday. Then, we had to go next door for Matty to receive his last Synagis shot...hard to believe that he has received a total of 6! He weighed in at almost 13 lbs 10 oz. After a quick baby jog, we went to my Grandma Flo's house to visit her bridge group. Then, we tried to go to Town Center, but had to turn around when Matty decided to have a fountain spit up. Oh well, we know that he is helping to keep the detergent companies in business! I think that we are both tired, but are very excited to watch Mizzou play Memphis tonight. Go Tigers!

March Madness

Go Tigers! We enjoyed watching the Mizzou/Marquette game at my parents' house on Sunday. It was a very close game and Matty is so happy that the Tigers made it to the Sweet 16 this year!

Matty has been holding on to objects and standing up on his own! He also enjoys smiling at his Elmo doll, and decided that Elmo's nose tastes pretty good. It is funny how much taller Matty is than Elmo now!

Happy St. Pat's Day

Wow, the temp was around 80 degrees today! First, we went for a nice long jog this morning, and then we met our friends Blair and Lily at the park. Matty loved all of the attention, but wasn't sure about the swing. He may need to grow a bit more before he fits!

Stan wishes everyone a Happy St. Pat's Day!

Baby Jogging

I decided to take advantage of the beautiful weather today and try out the new baby jogger. Matty loved it! He immediately fell asleep and we had a nice trip around the Regency Lake and through our neighborhood. Whoever invented the baby jogger is a genius!

Great Weekend

Yea! Mizzou won the Big 12 tournament on Saturday evening! We watched the first half of the game in the Sunset Grill bar, and Matty behaved himself for the most part. We were the only family there wearing MU clothes however! Then, we watched the second half at home and are so thrilled for the Tigers!
On Sunday, the weather was nicer, so we took a long stroller walk through the neighborhood. Matty slept the entire time of course! Then, my sister Ashlei called and said that they had just brought a baby Shih Tzu home! We ran right over to meet him, and he is adorable! The little guy was chasing Stan all over the place. Here are a few of Winston's first pictures:

Hanging Out

Thanks to Grammie Sharon for snapping some new pics today! The entire "photo session" is posted on her Grammie's Tales blog site. Here are a few of my favorites!

Gifts

Here are some new photos! Matty received some Disney World goodies from his Gr/Gr Sherman, and a beautiful pillow from my Mom's friend, Toby. What a lucky boy!