Game Day

Matty is getting ready for the big Mizzou/Illinois game today! Go Tigers!

Big Boy Haircut

I have been dreading this day for some time now, since Matty hates to be messed with by strangers...but his first official haircut actually went ok! We went to a cute hair salon specifically for kids. They had cute things to sit in, such as a fire truck, jeep, & airplane and fun things to watch on tv. I had to hold him during the actual haircut, and he did ok until the end when the lady brought out the electric clippers. Even though he usually likes electrical things, he didn't approve of the clippers on his neck. But he made it through! He even helped sweep up the floor afterwards. What a nice gesture!

On the Go

Matty had a busy weekend...he went shopping, out to dinner, and to the pool 2 times. Our next door neighbors had a brunch in their backyard for about 100 people, and he enjoyed running all around, playing with toys, and riding on the swings. He is such a busy guy, he didn't even notice that there was a monkey sticker on his back for a little while!

Touch a Truck

We took Matty to the Touch a Truck event today at the convention center. He had a blast! He ran all around and was able to get close to many different kinds of vehicles...a fire truck, motorcycle, race car, bomb squad van, and the biggest attraction of all...a huge combine. We ran after him for a whole hour and he had such a great time!

Terrible Twos

Well, the terrible twos have officially descended upon our house, and Matty isn't even supposed to turn 2 until September. This past week, he threw temper tantrums at Home Depot and also at Target. Both times were partly my fault, since I took him out of the cart and then tried to put him back in...he prefers to push the cart instead of riding in it. He gets pretty frustrated if he doesn't get his way, and he screams a lot more now than he used to. Also, we think that the dreaded 2-year molars are bugging him at night. He hasn't completely slept through a night in such a long time, and this weekend has been the worst. He continually wakes up and is basically inconsolable. Tonight, I'll try some baby ibuprofen to see if that helps. Other than the lack of sleep, the weekend seemed to speed by as usual. We went out to dinner last night and then went to my Grandpa's mass this morning. The heat seems to have broken a little bit too, which is definitely a plus!

Race for the Cure

Matty participated in his second Race for the Cure walk this morning. We drove downtown very early and met up with a few of Jeremy's co-workers. Then, the 1-mile walk began. It was already very steamy at 8am, but Matty enjoyed eating his goldfish crackers and watching the thousands of people all around us! We enjoyed walking for such a wonderful cause.

On a side note, a very pretty purple flower appeared in the pink rose bushes in our front yard yesterday. What a nice surprise!

TV

Matty loves to watch TV when he is eating his meals. However, when he is running around and playing, he prefers to be on the go instead of tied down. Some of his favorite shows include Dora, Spongebob, Sesame Street, and Scooby Doo. I asked him today who his favorite Sesame Street character was, and he said 'Elmo'.

Protective Guy

Lately, Matthew has enjoyed playing down in the storage room in the basement. All of his ride-on toys are there, as well as a bunch of balls and some trucks. He will happily stay in the room as long as one of us is with him...I don't mind being down there since it is probably the coolest room in the house right now. He also is fascinated with the air conditioner units that are on one side of the room. He will point to them, act concerned when they turn off, but he never walks too close to them. Just this weekend, Jeremy told him that he was going over to touch the air conditioners. Well, Matty did not want that to happen at all, so he physically blocked Jeremy from going any closer. Then, I told him that I wanted to touch them...and he immediately ran over and grabbed my legs, not letting me go. It is so funny to see a 3 foot tall guy protect his parents from the air conditioners! He must feel that he has a sense of duty to keep us all safe :)

200th Post

Hard to believe that this is my 200th post! Someday, I hope that Matty goes back and reads this blog about his childhood. He has had a good week so far. We had a nice visit with the food OT and the lead OT yesterday to discuss his developmental milestones. The lead OT had been to our house when Matty first came home from the hospital...he was only about 6 lbs and on oxygen. She was very thrilled to see him now! I also decided that I would go ahead and try to cut his hair, since it was getting very bushy on top. I think I did a pretty good job? Here are the before pics...

and here is the after!

New Teeth?

We have had a low key week so far...pool on Sunday (after the 3 thunderstorms blew through), gymnastics yesterday...and for the past 2 nights, Matty decided to wake up screaming every other hour throughout the night. Last night, he was up at 11:30, 1:00, 3:00, just to name a few times. I actually broke our new rule of letting him soothe himself, and rocked him back to sleep a couple of times due to his sobs. So, just as we drift off to sleep, his crying can be heard once again. We think that his 2-year molars are trying to come in, (the doc had noticed that his gums were puffy a couple of weeks ago). I sure hope these teeth hurry up and break through! I think I'll try to give him some pain medication before bed tonight. Other than that, he is still such a busy boy all the time! I think that it is almost time for a real haircut...his locks are getting pretty long and I don't think that I do a very good job. I heard of a salon where he could sit in a truck and watch movies during the haircut, but I still think that he would be afraid of the whole process. Maybe I'll break down and take him there next week.

Up and Down

Matty now loves to walk down the stairs all by himself. He says 'up and down' and goes for it. He's usually pretty good with holding on to the railing, but I am still paranoid about him falling. He has also finally started to enjoy watching cartoons. Every morning, he watches Dora and Spongebob. I got a pic of him sitting on the couch and contently watching one of his favorite shows today. On a side note, I just made a new milk shake concoction out of chocolate milk and yogurt. Since Matty went on strike against bottles, the only way I can get milk into him is to make milk shakes, which he eats with spoons. His food OT told me once that some little ones only like milk in bottles and water in sippy cups. Jeremy and I were never big milk drinkers, but I still want Matty to get milk, even if it has to be in disguise.

4th of July Weekend

Matty had a very busy 4th of July weekend. He was able to try out his new inflatable ring at the swimming pool on Saturday morning. Then, we went shopping and out to an italian dinner later in the day. He actually ate some chicken strips, french fries, and bread without any issues. On Sunday morning, we went to our neighborhood parade. A fire truck was there for all of the little kids to check out...Matty even got to sit inside! Then, we went to my parents' house for dinner. The little guy fell asleep before the fireworks. We also moved his toy room across the hall. I think he's used to it now, but at first, he kept bringing toys back into the old room!

Hittin' the Charts

Matty had his 2 year checkup today (a little bit past his 2nd birthday). He screamed the entire time, as usual. The nurse measured his height first, which came in at 34 inches. When she went over to the computer to type it in, she asked me if I had noticed him getting a lot taller lately, and I said yes. Then, she decided to remeasure him, since he grew a lot taller since the last visit. The 2nd measurement came in closer to 33 inches. He did not want to stand on the big boy scale, so he had to sit on the baby scale instead. He weighed in at 24 lbs 2 oz. The best news was that he was in the 11th percentile for height and finally made the chart for weight! He was only in the 6th percentile, but he is still being compared to babies who were born full-term in May '08. So, Matty (born May 26 at 1 lb 1 oz) is compared to a much larger baby born on May 1, for example. Oh well, at least he's on the chart and the doc seemed satisfied. He received the MMR shot finally, and then we were able to leave. I was so happy to hear that the next round of shots won't be until he is 4 or 5 years old!

On the Move

Matty had a busy weekend and enjoyed every minute. We took him to the pool on Saturday morning, then went out to dinner with my parents at Bravos that night. He tried calamari for the first time, which he decided to spit out (as expected). On Sunday morning, we met our friends Mike, Danica, and their twins at a park to play for a little while. It was getting really hot, so we went over to the Legends instead. We settled on the T-Rex Cafe, where the little ones enjoyed looking at all of the mechanical dinosaurs. It was pretty cute to see Matty, Marshall, & Roman all lined up in high chairs! You would never guess now that the 3 boys were such peanuts when they were born (Matty was their neighbor for awhile in the NICU). We had a fun morning but were pretty exhausted when we got home!

Lucky Boy

Matthew had a fun day on Friday hanging out with all of his Great Grandparents. The Sisels visited in the morning, and he saw his Nana in the afternoon. Even though Matty never had the chance to meet his Great Grandpa Bud, he often brings a picture of him to me and points to him while smiling. What a lucky boy to have so many admirers!