Matthew's 2nd Birthday

On October 19th, Matthew turned two.  Here's what his day entailed:

First things first, he opened (read: pulled a blanket off) his present from his parents.

Daddy chose to get him a race car track with six cars that gave him minutes of fun!

Later in the day we went to my parents house where he napped (God's gift) and then received an airplane and airport from my parents.  

The weather was a bit chilly but the rain held off for Matthew's party at Jewett Park Pavillion.  Many friends and family members came to play at the park and enjoy some cupcakes.  Matthew truly had a blast running around, going down slides, and opening presents.  The cupcakes, well, he ate some frosting and then left the rest of the work for his cousin.

Matthew's Biggest Birthday Playmate

Thea thoroughly enjoying the party.  And her nap.

"Um...why was I given a cupcake when there's a whole cake to be had?"
Picture courtesy of JMH

Matthew and his wingman

Picture courtesy JMH

After the party, we had tickle time, I mean dinner as a family.  Matthew's hot dog hit the floor after one bite so that was amazing.  All was redeemed though when he was given a pile of pickles.

It was a special and really fun day.

little sister, BIG BROTHER

Things around here have been insane in the membrane.  Insane in the brain.  And by that I mean, we started the Insanity work-out program about 6 weeks ago which eats up our evening time, unless I decide I can't because, well, I have a pile of pie in my hands.  So here's your update on some of the going-ons in our household.

We went to the doctor for both kiddos on Friday.  

Thea

6 month stats:

Weight: 13lbs, 3oz (10th %ile)

Heght: 25 1/4in (25-50th %ile)

Head circumference: 44cm (90th %ile)

Thea's weight is the same that it was at 4 months, which for those of you that study the weights of our children, will know that this is the same thing that happened with Matthew between months four and six, thus our doctor thinks its genetic.  Nonetheless, we will be bringing Thea back to the doctor in a month for a weight check.

What's new?  Thea is now sitting up for a couple of minutes at a time, before toppling over.  She started solids on Saturday and is loving it.  She loves being part of the family meal and is eating like a champ.  She's had rice and is now eating oatmeal.  I didn't miss how messy it is to feed a baby or how long it takes. She is talking (read: screaming because that's what we do in this home) a lot and is so happy.  Thea is now sleeping 10-12 hours a night...thank goodness!  Cry it out is not fun.  We got permission to let her really cry it out and the first night she cried on two separate occasions for 50 minutes.  That happened a few more times and after about a week (phew!) we had all survived and were better off.  She is bathing without the newborn mesh bath now; she lays down on her back in the tub and absolutely loves splashing water with her arms and legs.  So great to have a bathtub.  Thea regularly rolls over from her belly to her back and roll back to her side but has not yet rolled back to her tummy.  She has been more snugly over the past week and while it can be challenging to hold her all the time, it has definitely increased the bond and love that I have with her, thus my heart is grateful and full.

Matthew fed Thea her first bite of food

Matthew

2 year stats:

Weight: 29lbs, 15oz (50-75th %ile)

Height: 37 3/4in (off the charts tall)

Head circumference: 51cm (90-95th %ile)

The long and short, minus the short, of it is that Matthew is enormous.  He is on pace to be about 6'2" and is already 3/5 my height.  Not that I'm tall, but man, this kid and I are going to making eye contact while standing by like Monday.

What's new with the mister?  Matthew is really into puzzles and trucks these days and will never turn down a trip to the park.  He has settled into his toddler bed (had to do a couple nights of letting him cry it out for about 15 min which means we did cry it out with two kids over the course of two weeks) and actually runs to bed at naptime and bedtime.  Literally runs.  He is such a gift from God to us.  He loves to laugh and his laughter is full of joy.  He is so sweet and kind, except when he is stealing toys and hitting kids we just met (resulting in them falling down cement stairs).  He throws out trash he finds, puts his dishes in the sink (TGIplastic), hugs his sister, asks for kisses, closes our front door when leaving the house, and listens to directions so well.  Except that time he didn't and there was pile of star (read: salt-sized) pasta on the floor in our family room that kept resurfacing for like 5 weeks.  Matthew turns 2 tomorrow.  Wow.  Preschool starts on Monday.  Big week(end) ahead.

Celebrated Matthew's Birthday with the Schwartzes

Irony or Just Plain Mystifying?

Isn't it ironic? Nope, those are all coincidences.

What is ironic is what I saw in the car next to me while driving the other day: a passenger with oxygen tubes in her nose sitting next to a driver smoking.  With all of the windows closed.

Hide 'N Seek

(Matthew is hiding under the tree house in our family room)

Grandma: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9.*  Okay, here I come!  Is Matthew in the cabinets under the TV?

Matthew: Nooooo.

Grandma: Is he in the bathroom?

Matthew: Nooooo.

Grandma: Is he by the computer?

Matthew: Nope.

Grandma walks towards the tree house and Matthew is hysterically laughing.

Matthew: I see you!

Laughter among all abounds.

* My mom does know how to count but Matthew says "6, 9" every time someone counts.

Cry It Out, Part Deuce

When Thea was about 6 weeks old, she began sleeping 10-12 hours at a time at night. She did this at least 3-4 days a week and when she didn't she slept about 9 hours at a time. Let me also say that she is the easiest baby to grace this earth when it comes to going to sleep. Since birth, we have been able to put her down when she is tired and she goes right to sleep. Uh. May. Zing. 

Right before her 4 month appointment she had a few nights where she woke up every few hours (ie at 10:30pm, 12:30am, and/or 3am). The doctor said this could be indicative of a growth spurt if it happens from time to time but if it becomes a pattern...well, there is no reason for that. And from that point on, I think she has slept all night 3 times. She is now waking up every night between 1 and 2am. If I feed her, she goes right back to bed and sleeps till the morning. Although I'm tired, if she really needs to eat or snuggle or whatevs, I am more than happy to continue to provide for her. In fact, I consider it a blessing. That said, if we're waking up to have some fun, I was ready to leave this family get together a loooooonngggg time ago. 

Long story long, since no parent can seem to find the manual that can tell you exactly how to love and care for their child, cry it out has begun. Our doctor encouraged us to only allow her to cry for set periods of time based on her age. Welp, if anything can be said about Thea's personality based on cry it out, one might say she is persistent, confident, and an alpha (read: really, really uninterested in others ideas about how things should be handled). Have I mentioned that Mike has only awakened once while Thea has been crying? And that one time he woke up, he fell right back to sleep before she had stopped crying? Oh, to be a man. (Read: Mike has offered to bottle feed her numerous times, I just turned the offer down because I'm stupid, I mean, up anyway). 

The plan: more cry it out and if it continues to be useless, maybe add in a dream feed before I go to bed and see what happens. I mean, the possibilities are endless. I could abandon the family, Mike and I both can abandon the family, Mike and I can bring Matthew with us as we abandon the family, we could leave Thea at the firehouse, we could leave Thea at the hospital, we could leave Thea at Hobby Lobby. The world is our oyster.

"New" Bed

Matthew has never tried to climb out of his crib, although a couple of times I have caught him with one leg up in the ledge. In the last month or so, Matthew has been walking himself to bed rather than being carried. For these reasons (and the fact that Thea is still sleeping in a pack 'n play #secondchildsyndrome), we thought it was time to give a toddler bed a try. Here's what happened after songs were sung and the prayer was said:

Big Day!

The morning started this way:

Today Mike and I took Matthew to his preschool to meet his teachers, check out the room and to meet his fellow classmates and parents. 

Matthew was fantastic! He took to the teachers right away and played with just about everything in the room (including a Curious George doll he found hugged, said I love you to, and then immediately threw on the ground). 

Later in the day, Thea rolled over for the first time and as you can see was quite happy about it!

Great little Wednesday here.