Almost the Season

Since my free time has drastically decreased, I decided to start decorating for Christmas a little early, knowing that it will probably take 2 weeks to complete the entire task. Yesterday, I hung the outside lights, the garland on the railing, and had Matty help me with the smaller Christmas tree in the living room. He is very interested in the tree, especially the ornaments. He thinks that the round ones are all balls that he can play with. I have told him that we just wave to the tree instead of touching it, but...while we were eating dinner last night, I heard a crash...he had pulled over the entire tree! Here is Zach, sporting one of his new Christmas suits. He seems pretty happy too!

2 Months

Zach had his 2 month checkup yesterday...he weighed in at 11 lbs 14 oz, so he gained 2 lbs this past month. He was in the 39% for weight and 44% for length. He was supposed to receive 4 shots, but we opted for the revised shot schedule...so, he only had to get 2 shots. He was pretty fussy all afternoon, due to a sore thigh I assume! Matty has been busy playing in the leaves, listening to music on his CD player, and reading books. He also had a a great parents as teachers visit on Tuesday. He can name about 10 body parts, and we were told that he is exceeding expectations...it is good if a 2 year old can name only 3! Great job Matty! Here is another comparison...little Matty at about 1.5 months adjusted, and Zach at 2 months, wearing the little monster suit:

Zachary's Baptism

Zachary was baptized on Saturday evening. Surprisingly, both boys were very good during mass and during the baptism ceremony. It seemed like just yesterday that Matty was being baptized! How time flies. We then went to my parents' house for a yummy Italian dinner. Of course, Matty had fun playing with everyone there! It was a lovely evening.

Hanging Out

Today, we went to visit Jeremy at work. Matty enjoyed saying hello to many of Jeremy's co-workers. My Mom snapped some nice pics of the boys today, so I am high-jacking a couple. It is so hard to get the 2 guys together, and I think we have a successful shot!

Special Month

November is Prematurity Awareness Month. We are so blessed that our miracle boy is a thriving 2-year old now despite his rocky start at life. 1 in 8 babies is born too soon, which is a staggering statistic! Matty was born 15 weeks early and weighed only 1 lb 1 oz, and had only about a 30% chance at survival, so we are so thankful for the care he received during his 108 days in the NICU. His very first picture is shown below, along with a picture of him when he was about 4 lbs. The March of Dimes has a great website where you can read more at: http://www.marchofdimes.com/prematurityawareness.html

Shopping

I took Matty to Town Center on Saturday afternoon to do some shopping. Since I have to split my time between the 2 boys now, I felt that we should spend some special time together. We started out at Barnes & Noble...he had a blast running around and trying to select the perfect new book. He chose between Elmo, Dora, train books...but the final decision was a fire engine book with wheels. We went to the bath & body works store next to buy some new soaps. Every time we would smell a new soap, he would say 'mmmmm'. We finished up at Macy's, where I had to exchange an outfit for Zach. Even though he enjoyed riding up the escalator, he was getting a little antsy...running through the aisles and hiding in the clothing racks. Oh well, he had fun. On a side note, Zach has found his fingers and hands...he loves chewing!

8 Weeks

Zach is now 8 1/2 weeks old. I can't believe how fast time has flown! He is growing into such a big boy. It was always a struggle to give Matty a bottle when he was small, but Zach loves to eat. He loves the play yard, just like his older brother. The little outfit he is wearing below is actually a 6 month size! Yikes. I took Matty for his 2nd official haircut today at the kids' hair salon. He started out in the purple car, but started to cry when the haircut began. I had to hold him on my lap, and by the end, I was covered in hair! Oh well, he looks so cute now and his shaggy 'do is gone.

Trick or Treat

Halloween evening was very fun. Matty dressed up in his Nemo suit and went around to several neighbors. Zach stayed home because it was a little chilly outside. The boys looked pretty cute in their orange costumes!

Autumn Days

Autumn is my favorite season by far. I love the crisp weather, fall colors, Halloween & Thanksgiving decorations. The pic below is a view from our back deck, how pretty! The little guys are both doing great. They are keeping me on my toes, therefore I don't have as much time to blog anymore. We let Zach try sleeping in his own room for the first time last night, which went ok. He still gets up a lot during the night, and it felt strange not having him in the room with us. I worry that when he cries in the night, Matty will hear him and wake up too, since their rooms are pretty close to each other, but it went alright. I have found several good tv shows that are on during the night (Golden Girls, Cheers), so at least I have something to watch while I feed him. The fall weather also brings coat season. The guys have some pretty cute jackets to wear, as seen below. You'll notice that Matty has a couple of boo boos on his face...he tripped over a basketball last Sunday, poor guy! He doesn't seem to mind though, and they are getting better each day.

Game Day

Mizzou hosted its first College Game Day show this morning, which was amazing! The campus looked beautiful and Tiger fans showed up in droves to support their team. Matty helped celebrate by wearing his jersey and helping his Dad hang our new flag! Hope our team can beat OU tonight!

6 Weeks Old

We have had a busy week here, since Jeremy has been out of town. Luckily, my Mom has helped me in the evenings with putting Matty to bed, since that is typically Zach's fussy time. Zach turned 6 weeks old on Tuesday. He is growing more alert, and looks very interested whenever anyone speaks to him. He is also getting better with his neck control. I am thinking that he will be able to roll over before we know it! Matty is still full of energy. We were able to take another trip to the petting zoo this week. He ran all over the place and was enamored with the tops of the jack-o-lanterns...he didn't want to put them down! He also sampled his first fast food dinner...chicken nuggets with fries. I haven't fed him fast food yet, but he really did seem to like it. Surprisingly, he didn't seem to like the vanilla shake very much. Here are some pics from this week! I also ventured out with them to a couple of stores by myself. Zach likes sitting in the baby carrier, and Matty rides in the cart. It isn't the easiest task in the world, but at least I know that I am able to get out and about with both boys!

Octoberfest

Saturday began with the boys watching tv together, and then playing outside in the front yard. Then, we dressed them in their Halloween costumes and went down the street to our neighborhood's Octoberfest party. It was quite a large event...hayrides, games, a band, food, drink, a fire truck...Matty was having a ball running all around and exploring. After we ate, Zach desperately needed a diaper change, so Jeremy took him home and I stayed to chase Matty around. We kept waiting for the raffles to be drawn...it got later and later and pretty dark. I knew that Matty still had to eat more for dinner and he was getting pretty tired, but I decided to continue waiting. Finally, they started calling winners. As I was chasing Matty around, I kept an eye on my tickets. To my surprise, they called one of my numbers for the grand prize...a week's stay at a condo in Florida! Wow, too bad that we only have 1 year to redeem this...would be hard to travel wth the boys or leave them at home. But we had a great time at the party, and Matty made a great Nemo!

1 Month Checkup

Zach had his 1 month checkup today at the pediatrician's office. To my complete surprise, he weighed in at 9 lbs 14 oz (43rd percentile)! This was over a 3 lb gain in just 4 weeks and a couple of days. He is now 21.5 inches long (47th percentile). I knew that the little guy had gotten bigger, but I was thinking that he was only around 8 lbs right now. His doc said that he was doing really well, and he only had to get 1 shot. However, next time, he is due for 4 SHOTS. I am not kidding. I remember when Matty was 2 months old in the NICU, and he had to receive 4 shots all at once. 2 nurses came in and gave him the shots all at once so that he only had to feel pain 1 time. Zach's doc agreed to split the 4 shots in half, but I had to sign a waiver that I agreed to this. I know that vaccinations are important, but it seems like the little ones have to recieve so many shots when they are so small. Anyhow, we are so thankful that Zach is doing well! Here are some pics of the guys from this afternoon: