My Motherhood Journal - Matthew Christopher » Recent Journal Entries » AboutMyBaby - online baby scrapbooks, photo albums, videos, birth and pregnancy announcements

Most Recent

Fri, Dec 9, 2005 3:00 PM
Just a couple of cute things I've observed Matt doing recently...

- His "crazy" face when he's either really excited or really frustrated.
- Putting his wooden blocks inside Daddy's baseball cap.
- Playing in the "tunnel" part of the cat's scratching post... I swear he gets more use out of that thing than they do!
- Pushing all of his wooden blocks into the corner between the wall and the TV armoire and playing with them in the corner.
- Pointing at things of interest and saying "oooooo"
- Standing up in his highchair (grrr) and then laughing when I tell him 'no'.
- When I say "How big is Matthew?" he throws his hands up over his head and grins as I say, "Sooo big!"
- Looking so proud of himself as he walks behind his push toy.
- Taking all the cheerios, peas, carrots, cheese on his tray and putting them one by one inside a bowl, then lifting the bowl to look inside and dumping everything out onto his lap.

Comments:

Add a comment:

Name: Email:
Comment:

Notify me of scrapbook updates
Mon, Nov 7, 2005 5:16 AM
My Sunny little man! He's so HAPPY!! We're realizing how incredibly lucky we are. This kid has not a shy bone in his body. I'll be pushing his stroller at the mall or supermarket or on a walk, and we'll pass someone and they'll start smiling and laughing, so I'll look down at Matt and there he is, grinning ear to ear at everyone who passes. So endearing!

Let's see... a lot has happened over the last couple of weeks. He said his first word!! In the past, he's mimicked sounds and I thought he was saying words, but I think it was just wishful thinking because he wouldn't actually put an sound to an object, know what I mean?

So, was his first word Mama?? Noooo... Was it Dada?? Nooooooooooo!! It's DUCK! He takes after his father, what can I say? I wasn't convinced he has really been saying it, but we were at my mother's yesterday and we pointed to a duck toy and said, "What's this?" and he clearly said "Guck." LOLOL!! Of course, if you point to a sock and say "What's this?" he says "Guck," and when you point to a block and ask what it is, he says... you guessed it, "Guck!" But, hey, he's close, right? And sometimes, if you point to Yogi or Sadie, he says "Deedee." :) He's a genius, I swear.

He has SIX teeth all the way through right now, and two that have just popped through the gums, totalling EIGHT teeth altogether! WOW! I managed to get a picture of the pearly whites this morning, but he has mango and apple all over his face, too. Ew. I'll try to get a clean-face picture and post it soon. In the mean-time you can see them on the new video I posted of him laughing hysterically when I say "Matthew Christopher!" Don't know why that's so funny...

He's sleeping through the night... I mean REALLY sleeping through the night! He used to wake up at 4:30 AM for a bottle, but would go back to sleep until around 7:00 AM. Starting about two weeks ago, he's been sleeping from 7-7:30 PM 'till about 6-6:30 AM. Sometimes even later! A couple of times he slept until 7:45!! The first time he did that I had to go into his room to make sure he was still breathing! Knock on wood that he keeps it up, of course.

The only problem is that when he DOES sleep right through, he wakes up soaked through his diaper and PJ's the next morning. We switched to a larger sized diaper and one that's designed for night-time, but he's still soaked through a couple of times. I'm going to try another brand once we use these.

He's eating a lot better. My Hero, Andy, gave me a recipe for "baby" meatballs that she makes for her son Alex. Matt really likes them! They're the size of a robin's egg and they're made with hamburg, whole-wheat Ritz cracker crumbs, and shredded carrots. They're super easy to make and a pound of hamburger makes enough for a couple of weeks (I freeze batches to keep them fresh).

I've also forced myself to relax on how much he eats on a daily basis. I bought a book called "Super Baby Food" that explains portion sizes and nutrition, and Matt's right on track. And if all he wants to eat for veggies is peas and carrots (bite sized) and pureed sweet potatoes, well, at least he eats those, right? I'll eventually try to introduce more variety, but for now, he's fine.

What cracks me up is that although he won't eat any meat except hamburger, and will only eat peas, carrots and sweet potatoes... he'll eat spinach (ew!) and I also caught him munching on a piece of cat food the other day!!! That still has me shaking my head. He must take after his mother, who, legend has it, was caught eating a worm when she was 6 months old! :-P

He was a duck for Halloween (of course) and he was adorable, if I do say so myself. I took him out into the front yard and took lots and lots of pictures. People were stopping their cars on the corner of my street and commenting on how adorable he was. I happened to agree wholeheartedly. :) Mark took him to a couple of neighbors' houses, just for fun.

We baby-proofed the back half of our house, giving him access to the family room, hallway and kitchen. We gated off the living room and dining room (and the stairs, of course). He's having a blast crawling back and forth up and down the hallway, chasing the cats.

Don't forget, I posted a couple of new videos of him, check them out. :)

Comments:

Add a comment:

Name: Email:
Comment:

Notify me of scrapbook updates
Mon, Oct 17, 2005 8:39 AM
Make that FIVE teeth coming in all at the same time! I was just playing with Matt and noticed his right front tooth is about to pop through, too. :-O There is that tell-tale little blister! No wonder the kid has been cranky!!

Comments:

Add a comment:

Name: Email:
Comment:

Notify me of scrapbook updates
Mon, Oct 17, 2005 8:18 AM
Matt had his 9 month well-baby visit on Friday. He's doing great! Check out his stats above. He's 39th %ile weight, 59th %ile height for his age. :) Guess there was no reason to worry about how much he's eating! He had some blood taken and got a flu shot, which he handled really well, but promptly got revenge on Lindsay at the office by throwing up bananas and cereal all over her scrubs! ;) Sorry Lindsay! Dr. Harris said he's doing great and gave me a prescription for some flouride drops, since there is no flouride in the town water.

Poor Matt, though... he's cutting at least 4 - yes 4 - teeth at the same time. Last week his two eye teeth (!) came in at the same time (his front teeth are still just bumps under his gums), and over the weekend his bottom tooth to the right of the central incisors popped through. And I think the one on the other side is about to break through as well! With no two front teeth, Matt's going to look like a jack-o-lantern for Halloween! LOL!

He's starting to exert his independence, too. Who knew a baby at 9 months old could throw a temper tantrum?? Yet that's what Matt does everytime you pull him away from something that he's not supposed to touch, or is dangerous to him, everytime I change his diaper or get him dressed or undressed. It's frustrating as all get out! I think he's too young for any kind of time-out or anything like that, so for now I'm just correcting him in a firm *not yelling - No, Matthew, don't touch* tone and trying to distract him with something else.

Changing his diaper and getting him dressed is the hardest thing right now. He arches his back when you try to lay him on his changing table, and promptly tries to roll over or stand up the entire time. What should take 5 minutes often takes 15! I really can't wait for this stage to be over!!

He's so friendly and happy, otherwise, so I guess I shouldn't complain! Everyone is always saying what a good/sweet/happy/friendly baby he is. Makes me so proud!! :)

LOL!! I have to laugh... right now he's blowing raspberries on my leg.

Comments:

Add a comment:

Name: Email:
Comment:

Notify me of scrapbook updates
Sat, Oct 8, 2005 6:32 PM
Over the last couple of days, Matt has started standing without holding on to anything for a few seconds at a time! And only if he doesn't realize he's not holding on to anything. LOL!! I posted a small video of him doing it a few minutes ago. :)

Comments:

Add a comment:

Name: Email:
Comment:

Notify me of scrapbook updates
Tue, Oct 4, 2005 8:43 AM
Matt's favorite things:
-Waffles
-Bananas
-Cheerios
-Water in his sippy cup
-His small plastic blocks (that Jonathan & Ryan gave him)
-His Incrediblock by Fisher Price
-His Gumball machine with the peek-a-rounds
-Stacking cups
-Keys (just don't let him hit the lock button!!!)
-His taggy blanket
-His teddy bear blanket
-Sweet potatoes
-His Daddy (he gets SO excited when he sees Mark)
-Bath time
-His rubber ducky
-Singing 'the wheels on the bus' (especially "the wipers on the bus go swish swish swish!")
-Uncle Pete
-Chasing the kitties
-Moose A. Moose
-Anything that he can take things out/put things back in... like putting blocks in a bucket, or taking toys in and out of his toybox.
-Singing the Barney song ('I love you, you love me...") when he's half-asleep.
-Trying to get to Mommy's laptop.
-Giving big ol' wet sloppy "kisses"
-Grabbing glasses
-Swings

Comments:

Add a comment:

Name: Email:
Comment:

Notify me of scrapbook updates
Thu, Sep 29, 2005 12:56 PM
It has been one of those weeks... :( Thank God Matt survived it! I'm serious! I can't believe I'm about to admit all of this, but for the sake of accurate record keeping, here goes (don't hate me everyone!)...

It started last Tuesday when Matt rolled off the changing table in the split second I turned to put his diaper in the Diaper Champ. Then, on Friday, while I was at work, Matt managed to climb the side of the crib and fell out, landing flat on his face and getting a nice bruise on this nose - it scared Mark to death! Then, Monday night, he fell and bit his lip (it only bled for a second, but still!). Tuesday night, Matt swallowed a piece of the foil bag from a bag of Gold Fish crackers (still trying to figure out how he got a hold of that one!) and choked and ended up throwing up his dinner. THANK GOD he was okay!! Finally, last night I went to my parents for dinner and as we were walking out to the car, I let Matt hold onto the keys, like I usually do, but he must have hit the lock button on the keyless entry fob and I threw the keys on the front seat and shut the door - locking him and the keys in the car. I had to call the police to come let him out, and it took them 15 minutes to get there - all the while my dad and neighbor were trying to use a coat hanger to get the door unlocked and I was trying to calm Matt down who was crying hysterically. When it rains, it pours!

Through all of this, Matt is fine (besides the bruise on his nose and the cut lip). But I'm scarred for life. I feel like I'm about to go crazy over here. I'm terrified about what's going to happen next and over this last week I've felt my confidence as a good mother plummet. People keep telling me that things like this happen, but it's emotionally draining when it all happens in one week! Sigh... Calgon, take me away!!

I added a picture of Matt at 8 months, and a video of his first hair cut (on September 18).

Comments:

Add a comment:

Name: Email:
Comment:

Notify me of scrapbook updates
Sun, Sep 11, 2005 9:00 AM
Okay... I'm a horrible record keeper! LOL!! Let's see... since my last post... Matt cut another tooth. About a week after the first popped through. :) He's started pulling himself up on furniture, scaring me half to death! The first time he pulled up in his crib was on August 23rd. I had just put him down for a nap and I walked back it and there he was, looking all proud of himself! I have a video and a picture that I'll post. :) Also, during that week, I had put him down for another nap and I could hear him "talking" in there so I went in to check, and there was Yogi (the tuxedo cat) in his crib. He had fur all over his face and hands, and Yogi's fur was wet!! EW!! Needless to say, I try to shut the door to his room when he's sleeping whenever possible now!

He's figured out how to get himself up and down from a standing position without killing himself, thank God! He has gotten quite a few bumps and bruises in the process of learning, though. The most memorable ones were the big ol' scratch on his head from falling on a heat register, and the bruise on his cheek he got this past week when he fell against the corner of the recliner chair.

He's crawling on hands and knees more and more now. The first time he did that for more than a few steps was last Saturday, September 3rd. He can also kind of shimmy his way around a toy standing up. Isn't that called cruising?

The only problem with him knowing how to stand is that it completely ruined his nighttime sleep. Before, I'd give him a bottle, sing some songs and/or read a book, give him his pacifier and put him in his crib around 7:00 PM. I might have had to rub his back or scratch his head, but generally he was asleep with 5-10 minutes. He'd sleep from 7 to about 4:30 AM, at which time I'd give him another bottle and he'd go back to sleep with no problems until 7 AM. Well, these last couple of weeks have been really bad... as soon as I'd put him down, he'd stand up again, and again, and again. Some nights it was taking over an hour to get him to sleep. Then he'd wake up every 1/2 hour to an hour starting at midnight 'till around 3 or so. We tried feeding him, Tylenol, gas drops, rocking... nothing seemed to work. Mark and I, and especially Matt were all exhausted, all the time.

You know me, I was adamantly against letting him "CIO" (cry it out), but honestly, I was at my wit's end one day, and just let him cry for 5 minutes at a time. He fell asleep after 15 minutes of this (with me checking on him every 5 minutes). That worked for about a week, although he was still waking up at night.

Then, on Friday night, he woke up at 10:00 and was up for 2 hours, crying as soon as I put him down in the crib. Finally, I let Mark talk me into just letting him fuss it out. We had done everything for him, and I think he was just really over-tired. After the longest 1/2 hour of my life, me sobbing the whole time, he went to sleep on his own without his pacifier. And slept soundly until his typical 4:30 AM feeding. Last night we did the same thing, only this time I put him in his crib at 7:00, he fussed for 20 minutes and fell asleep - woke up at 10 and 12 - but only fussed (half asleep) for less than 5 minutes each time - and fell back to sleep on his own!!! YAY! So we all woke up feeling rested. The bags are gone from under Matt's eyes! Needless to say, although I still feel horrible about it, CIO works in some cases.

He can pick up finger foods such as green beans, peas, carrots, cubed pears, apples & bananas, cheerios, Gerber fruit "puffs", etc. using the pincher grasp. :) I just noticed that today. It's so cute.

Last night he pushed himself into a sitting position from a crawling position. Previously, he could only sit if you put him that way, or if he lowered himself down from standing.

Oh, and I SWEAR he said "kitty" the other day. He looked at the kitty and said "dee dee." LOL! Mark thinks it's a coincidence, but I think he's a genius! LOL!

One more thing... the other day I got Matt up for a nap and did my usual "smother him with kisses." I looked at him and said, "Give mumma kisses, Matt." He grabbed my cheeks and pulled me down for a big ol' slobbery, open-mouthed baby kiss. Oh, times like that make it so incredibly worth it to be a mom!

I lied, one MORE thing... Matt got his first pair of shoes last weekend... an adorable little pair of sneakers. My mom bought them for him, and he looks so cute with them on. He has big ol' feet, though. Size 3 1/2, which typically fits 9-12 month olds. :) I can't believe that he's 8 months old already. I'm starting to think about what I want to do for his birthday party. Isn't it nuts?

Comments:

Add a comment:

Name: Email:
Comment:

Notify me of scrapbook updates
Sun, Aug 21, 2005 4:12 PM
A week full of firsts!!

Matt's first week staying at the beach... We were at the cottage from last Saturday until Friday. He slept in the pack n' play and did GREAT!! That beach air must have really tuckered him out, too, because he was asleep most nights at 6:30!

He also started really pulling himself up on his knees at the beach, too, on a magazine rack/end table in the living room. I think he saw Nora doing it and, not to be outdone, decided to do it himself! LOL!!

He said "Mama" this past week... Mama almost bawled!! LOL! He only says it so far when he's tired or cranky and wants me to pick him up, so I'm not sure, but I think he really means it when he says it!

On Thursday, we noticed that he has a TOOTH!! For some reason, that really got to me! I can't stop looking at it!! It's the cutest little thing... the bottom middle tooth on the right. He said Mama and I was happy, I saw the tooth and got all emotional and sentimental! Go figure! Mark, Monique and I are the only ones who've seen it so far. Every time someone tries to look at it, he sticks his tongue out. :)

Saturday night, Mark and I went to a wedding, so Matt stayed with Memere & Pepere (my parents) in his first over-night stay. He was fine... I wasn't. I don't think he missed me at all! :( It was so funny, he's stayed with babysitters many, many times, but for some reason, five minutes after he left with my parents I was already missing him like crazy! I couldn't wait to get home to him this afternoon. :)

Whew! All these things happening all at once! I can't believe how big he's getting!!

One more thing... off topic but not really... Jackie is having a little GIRL!!!! I am SO SO SO excited for her and Ryan. She's due January 6th (the day before Matt's birthday). They are going to be awesome parents, this little girl is going to be drop-dead gorgeous, and we are all planning a 2030 wedding! hehe!!

Comments:

Add a comment:

Name: Email:
Comment:

Notify me of scrapbook updates
Tue, Aug 9, 2005 8:00 AM
Matt actually pulled himself up on this play block we have (with all the little wooden toys that you can push along a wire, know what I'm talking about? They usually have them at Doctors' offices). I was holding him, but he was basically standing on his own, I was just there in case he lost his balance! :-D

I'm about to add a video of him creeping and another of him eating a fruit 'puff.' :)

Comments:

Add a comment:

Name: Email:
Comment:

Notify me of scrapbook updates