All the Sun For You

A mom, two boys, a husband, and a whole lot of adventure!

Category Archives: Matthew


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Milestones Make Me Sad

There have been tears tonight. Matthew is no longer a baby – he is walking. Not taking steps… But walking. We’re in a hotel and he took to exploring the room via just his feet. I am really sad 😦

He is also clearly understanding, “no,” and that makes me happy! He now stops what he’s doing about 80% of the time when you tell him to stop. Oh, so very happy!!!! 🙂

And he also went bowling for the first time, which made him sad. Too noisy! He scored a 7… In just one frame. Not too bad. I scored 55 after 7 frames. I’m a bad bowler! 😦

And finally, tomorrow is our 5th anniversary. This makes me very, VERY happy 🙂


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Splish Splash!

I think we have a swimmer on our hands!  I took Matthew to the pool for the first time today – and he loved it!  I wasn’t sure how he would take to it because he likes his baby pool I got for the yard, but he likes to be OUTSIDE it and leaning over the edge and splashing his toys around.  He loves his baths, so I was hopeful that with the pool being indoors, that it would be similar.

I went with a friend and she brought a floaty thing for him – and he liked that quite a bit.  But once he got comfortable, he wanted out of that thing and in the water!  My friend’s little girl will be 2 in August, so she’s a big kid compared to Matthew.  Everything she did – he wanted to do – including going down the slide.  I was very hesitant but my friend said that the gal who teaches the baby swimming class will put 6-month old babies down the slide – so we did it.  He loved it – but I didn’t like not having him in my arms so he only did it once  😉

We went to the deep end (of the kiddie pool – so my shoulders were still exposed) and he tried to get away from me several times.  He let me put him on his back, dunk him completely in the water (loved that!!!), put his face in so he could blow bubbles, splash him, and the big thing that he did was jump off the edge of the pool into my arms.  Holy smokes – everyone – this kid has nerves of steel!  I am not even elaborating here – my friend was shocked by his nerves.  He would stand there on the edge holding my hands, then put his hands above his head (“so big” style), and then grab my fingers and jump to me!  And if I put him on the wall seated, he would jump to me without holding onto my fingers.

It was a success!  There was not a single moment of tears, panic, etc.  When we started, he hung on pretty tight and nibbled my shoulder (I’m realizing that that’s his soothing mechanism which I should stop before it gets to be a problem – but it’s so darned cute!) but that was very short-lived.

We will do this weekly.  I had a ball!  We were in the water for an hour and a half.  And can I just say – I LOVED hanging out with my friend and her daughter!  They are going to join us each week which is very exciting for us.  I really needed the adult interaction!

We head up north in a couple days and they have an indoor pool, so I’m off to buy a new bathing suit on Friday.  The one I have is pinned up on the sides and the bottoms almost fall off when I get out of the water.  It does the job when we’re in the hot tub, but it’s not good for moving around in a real pool.  I HATE spending money on bathing suits (they are so expensive and I’m not secure in my shape and size) but I will do this for the boy.

The one problem we had was getting ready at the beginning and then redressing at the end.  There is no place to put your baby, so I had to literally put him in my duffel bag with stuff all around him to keep him in one spot while I changed.  We made it work, but it was concerning given that the entire dressing area was concrete.  After yesterday’s big event, I’m a little cautious.

Matthew had an unexpected play date then when he woke up from his afternoon nap.  His very first friend, Hailey, came over and they played like crazy!  They hugged, chased, and pummeled each other for well over an hour.  Matthew was exhausted after she left, and that was just an hour and a half after waking up from his nap.  Good times!

B asked if I took photos at the pool.  My response?  “Are you freaking crazy?!  There was no way I could take photos!”  He will get to see Matthew in his pool action come Sunday or Monday.  YAY!  He’s going to LOVE it!


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Nightmares Are Made of This Stuff

I had a rough morning.  A really, REALLY rough morning.  Here is why:

I let Matthew have a lot of freedom and when I’m brushing my teeth in the morning, I let him cruise around the bathroom.  I watch him constantly, but he has full access to the joint because we haven’t baby-proofed it yet.  I have setup one specific drawer for him to get into, but all the ones he can reach have been cleared out of anything dangerous.  Today, he was standing up, digging through one of my drawers (the one with the maxi pads – he loves that drawer!) and he stood unsupported as he clapped his hands.  Fine.  No biggie.  Then… then… he started to dance and threw his head back – and I watched in horror as he fell flat back into the wall behind him, smacking the back of his head on the wall and crashing flat-backed on the floor.  Holy hell.  I will probably have nightmares about this moment for the rest of my freaking life!

I am not an alarmist – when Matthew falls, I usually pause and wait to see how he reacts and then try to calm him if he’s upset.  Not this time.  Oh no!  I gasped, and swore as I dashed to him (I was only 2 feet away but it felt like 100 yards), and I started to cry as I picked him up.  He was a wreck – wailing – HYSTERICAL.  I was in a panic and thought that this is exactly the type of freak accident that can really harm (or kill) a baby.  I kissed him and immediately went to nurse him – knowing full well that if that didn’t calm him down, that I’d be calling B up from his office in the basement and we’d be going to the ER.  I NEVER think this way.  I NEVER make a big deal out of injuries of any sort – or injuries to anybody.  This was different – I knew that this could very easily be a big deal.

But it wasn’t.  He calmed down and bounced back quickly (not as quickly as normal though).  I did not.  B came up later and asked how the morning was (he hadn’t heard a thing down in his office) and I just started to cry and could hardly form the words to tell him about it.

Oh yes – this one will stick with me FOREVER.  Watching it happen (it felt like slow-motion) was horrifying.  I am so grateful that he is OK.

You can be sure that I did not let this poor child sleep for quite a while after it happened.  By the time I would let him nap, he was over-tired and needed lots of help falling asleep.  I was very happy to oblige him!  When he woke up, I took him to his favorite place (Chip.otle) for guacamole!

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A Show For Daddy

I need to record this before I forget. Matthew finally let B in on the walking thing yesterday (Saturday) – just 13 days after I got to see him in action. He has not taken more than 2 steps at a time since I posted on the 13th, but he has progressively gotten more confident with his standing and will even bend down to get things without needing support now. He’ll throw his head back to drink from his sippy while standing unsupported, but he would not walk more than two steps – and he has not done it for B to see.

Until now!

Today he was standing at his truck, and B was sitting on the floor and called him. And he just walked on over! I got to see too and counted steps, of course, and there were 4 without a doubt!!!! And they were effortless. Quite the show for Daddy. 😉

I am SO glad B got to see this!


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First Medal!

So something happened today that B and I viewed rather differently.  Matthew got his first medal.  I did not know he’d be getting a medal today at the gym – but he did, and it was cute, and thank God my friend was there with a camera!  It was absolutely adorable, but I didn’t think it was that huge of a deal.

So there we were at dinner tonight (I insist that we go out at least once a week for a nice dinner so that Matthew keeps his manners!), and I tell B, “oh, hey, Matthew got a medal today at the Litt.le Gym.”  He stopped eating and looked up at me with a stunned look, and asked, “what for?”  I explained that next week is his last class as a Little Bug so they decided to give them medals like they do with the big kids.  I just kept eating my dinner, not making a big deal of it.  B asked, “so if he’s not a Bug anymore, what will he be?”  “A Little Bird,” I replied without looking up.  There was some silence so I looked up and he had this look on his face that I can’t really describe.  He said he wished he could have been there, and I assured him that I did not know that this was happening this week (I really didn’t.  The other mother knew because her other kids go there and they told her about it earlier this week.  That’s why she had her camera.).  With that, he turned to Matthew and promised to never miss another event in his life.

How sweet is that?

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“Hello, Lover!”

I was on vacation over the weekend – which was a long weekend for us – and had no internet connectivity.  This was painful for me only when nursing Matthew or rocking him before a nap, because that’s when I usually get caught up on my blog reading.  When I got home, I had 52 new posts in my reader.  WOW!  I got caught up last night and am ready to do some writing myself!

Our trip was fantastic!  We went up to Wisconsin where we rented a nice, large cabin that has enough room for at least 6 adults.  I don’t share space well (not well at all, actually) so if we share a cabin with anyone else, it must have a bedroom for each couple because I just can’t handle the whole, “I’ll crash on the floor or sofa,” approach to travel.  I am too old for that.  HA!  Actually, I think I’ve always been too old for that.  We had 5 adults and Matthew – and it was perfect!  Matthew slept pretty well considering he was in a new place.  The first night was rough, the second one was not, and then the third was rough again because we moved to a different bedroom so it would be quieter for him.  He napped on schedule for at least an hour each time while we were there, and fell right back into his routine here at home.

We just hung out – and cooked.  Boy, did we cook!  The kitchen is fully, FULLY stocked with every pan, utensil, and gadget you can think of so all we have to do when we get there is go to the grocery store and settle in.  We sat around and chatted, shopped in town, soaked in the private hot tub, and took Matthew for walks.  It was great!

I needed this trip.  I seriously needed it.  I’m not one to get the travel itch but I was ready and needing to get away.  I can’t even say why I needed to get away, but I did and it felt so good to hit the road.  We hit the road again in less than two weeks to go to another favorite place and that will be fun!

Here are some photos from our trip!  Nothing but sunshine, fun, and friends!

   

 

 

 

So… I’ve been working on Matthew’s birthday.  I’m a little embarrassed that I’m so into this, but what the hell – he’s my baby who I fought tooth and nail for and I’m going to celebrate him!  His birthday is pretty much on my mind 24/7 – and I’ve rethought the cake, the cupcake toppers, and some of the decorations.  All of this has been “rethunk” for the better.  I’ve made things easier.  Much, much easier.  I don’t want to stress myself out to the point that I don’t enjoy his party once it gets here, so I’ve simplified some things.

For those of you keeping track, I am on my third cake idea and I think I’ve settled on the design.  I better have, because I made the cake topper tonight!  When I got done, I literally said out loud, “hello, lover!”  * I am so happy with how it turned out!  Take a look (and yes, that is my staging foam cake that is to scale (circumference only – not height!)):

I have contacted a gal on Etsy to custom create some tulle pom poms that I’ll put all around the perimeter of the first cake tier.  I hope she’ll do them for me!  She is also going to make tulle cupcake toppers for me and maybe a little tulle banner thing-y to put above the topper.  We’ll see.  That may be too much.  I am a firm believer that “less is more” (I do NOT get this from my mother.  Her mantra is “more is more.”  HA!).

So I am going to make the infamous tissue pom poms that you see all over Pinterest and Etsy.  I tried it out tonight and it is easy peasy – so I added it to the list of things to do.  They will be hung from the entry chandelier and also placed on the mantle.

I got the proofs of Matthew’s birthday invitation photos.  The gals are working on the design now, but here is a preview.  This is not the one we’ll select because he’s not smiling, which is too bad because I just LOVE the angle and setting of the shot!  I want to do this same type of image for my sister’s and my business and put all of our kids in the photo.  This is a photo of my computer screen, so it’s not good, but you get the idea.  This was taken by my good friend, Denise, from White Linen Photography:

Here is the shirt I got done for Matthew’s big day.  I love it!  Again – thank you to Etsy – this time Heather Lynde at Lullaby Loft:

Once I’m done with this birthday party, I get to plan my friend’s baby shower!  I have her party all planned out up in my head and just need to execute it with the help of 3 other friends.  I love this stuff!

* If you’re a fan of “Sex and the City,” then you know where this came from  😉


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It Happened

Matthew poo-ed in the tub tonight. I about died. All I knew to do was scream for B. I have bath toys to wash tomorrow… On Mother’s Day. Ha!!!!!!

To all of you who think your kid may be the ONE kid who will never do this. Um… Good luck with that! A dream was shattered tonight, Ladies! Ha! Ha! Ha!


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New Milestone!

It’s been a long time since I posted more than once in a day – but I have a milestone to record!

Matthew has been walking a lot this week just holding one of our hands.  He used to insist on holding both hands, but this all changed this past week.  I think he’s realized he can move faster if he holds just one hand.  At baby gym yesterday, he would stand unsupported on the mats for at least 5 seconds, over and over again (he does the same thing in the tub, surprisingly).  Everyone at baby gym insisted he’d be walking early.  I insisted that he’s way too cautious for that.

He made me eat my words today!

We were at my friend’s daughter’s soccer practice and Matthew was hanging onto my pant leg with one hand – and then he suddenly let go and took off.  He only took two steps – but he did it again and again!  I was told by the other mothers that this counts as his first steps (I still won’t say he’s walking, because he isn’t).  I cannot believe it.  Where did my cautious little boy go?

He won’t do it now that we’re home.  It took a puppy and a bunch of girls on a soccer field who he desperately wanted to play with to entice him to try.  We’ll take him to a busy park tomorrow (one with a dog park!) to see if he’ll do it for Daddy!  (B missed it – he’s out of town for the night for a much deserved beer-making class!)

Of course he did this just 3 hours after I bought him a little push toy so he can walk around the house without being limited to only places he can get to by cruising the furniture.  😉


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Fool Me Twice

Sleep – it’s the topic that dominated my blog for a couple of weeks and now?  Now we don’t really even think about it.  I nurse Matthew to sleep at bedtime and before each nap and then I put him down.  Instead of worry about when he’ll wake up again, I move onto other things, fun things, MY things.

Sure, I always wonder when he’ll wake up, because he’s still not a 10-12 hour sleeper.  But I don’t let it consume me like I used to.  I used to sit up until midnight or 1:00 AM just KNOWING that he’d be up again soon (so why bother going to sleep?).  I’m now going to bed around 11:00, and it’s wonderful!

We still have our struggles.  Matthew used to get up any time between 6 and 7 (and that was perfect!), but now after a pretty rotten cold, he is getting up in the 5:00 hour and this morning, he was up at 4:20 (GASP!).  I didn’t even try to get him to go back to sleep today – I just picked him up and brought him to our bed.  Problem solved!  I have hope and confidence that tomorrow will be back to normal – or close to it.  In the old days, I’d be stressing about this ONE morning possibly wrecking everything.  HA!

Naps are way better than they were.  I’ve worked in story time before each nap and that seems to help.  When he pushes the book away, I know he’s ready to settle in so that’s what we do.  I’m transferring him to the crib after just 10-20 minutes now (if it’s up to 20 minutes, it’s because I’m reading blogs on my phone and am comfy with my baby) and he’ll usually sleep for at least another hour.

I just cannot believe that we went from the disaster we were living to this very predictable sleeping and napping schedule.  We get two solid naps in each day and they’re usually 1-2 hours in length each.  Matthew is also waking up from his naps so well.  He woke up today and I didn’t even know it.  I turned on the video monitor just to check on him because it had been almost 2 hours and there he was, sitting up in his crib, playing with his Boo and babbling to himself.  No crying.  No freak-out.  He woke up happy and entertained himself.  Now – if we could only get him to wake up in the mornings this way!

We are the furthest thing from being the poster children for the Ferber method or sleep training in general, but I’m pleased with what we’ve accomplished.  I know that the crux of our problem was age and stage.  We waited too long to start helping him sleep, and Matthew was able to stand up in the crib (but couldn’t get down) and protest for as long as his legs would hold him (and that was proven to be more than 70 minutes one night).  Given the whole standing up issue – we should have helped him sleep earlier, or put it off until he could get himself back down.  Oh, the lessons we learn!

The next baby will be introduced to sleep training starting at 4 months.  Fool me once, shame on you.  Fool me twice?  No – it isn’t going to happen!

The Many Ways That Matthew Gets His Sleep:

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