Family Visit

Hey all! I know it's been a while since I blogged. Things have been busy. Boy is that the understatement of the year! Did you know that a baby is a full-time job? Yeah, mommyhood doesn't come with breaks or vacations. Of course the load is lightened when daddy gets home and he can help out. And I know there are babysitters for the occasional evening out, but that still doesn't stop me from being a mother. Oh I'm not complaining, unless you count last night when I was trying to get the little booger to sleep. Overall I love being a mom, but I'm not without frustrations and difficulties. Little boys are not peaches and cream. Then again, I'm sure little girls aren't either.



Matthew is growing and changing every day. He slept through the night again--it was awesome!! Now could we have come consistency with that, please? He smiles so much more now, and he makes cute little baby noises. Josh or I will be talking to him, and you can see in his face that he wants to communicate. So we pause from our talking and wait for him to comment. His whole body wiggles and his mouth moves in all different directions until finally a small noise or coo comes out. Sometimes it's very melodic, like he's trying to sing. Oh, he's even laughed in his sleep once or twice. I can't wait until he does it when he's awake. He's gonna be so adorable! He loves to look at all sorts of things, and he's starting to "discover" his hands, as the books say. He brings them to his mouth and he'll suck on his fist or a finger or two. He's even managed to get his thumb in a couple times. He hardly ever complains when he's getting his diaper changed, unless he's really hungry. It's nice that he knows diaper-changing is a positive, hence no crying. Oh, there have been a couple mornings where he doesn't wake up crying. It's like he's patiently waiting for me to pick him up. And another time that he doesn't cry is bathtime. He only cried for the first tub bath we gave him. After that, he decided that he likes it. I think the warm water calms him down.



He's much better about getting strapped into his car seat. He used to cry, but now he likes it cause he knows he's going somewhere. And he's good in the car. He'll either sleep or just look around, all nice and content. So far he does not like the Baby Bjorn we have. He gets all mad when we try to carry him around in it. I'm thinking he'll like it when he's older and can face out while he's in it. But for now we'll keep trying.



Like all babies who've been put on their backs to sleep since the hospital, he hates tummy-time. And who can blame him with that heavy head? I need to be more consistent in putting him on his belly so he can develop the right muscles for rolling over and crawling and all that good stuff. He loves to lay on his back on the floor and just look at things. Yes, I use a blanket, I don't put him directly on the dirty carpet. What kind of a first-time mom do you think I am? :) He also likes to lay in his boppy on the couch next to me, and he likes to lay in his crib too. There's been a couple times where he'll be laying in there and just fall asleep on his own. Now why can't he do that at bedtime? That is the million dollar question :). Oh, he loves to hang out on the changing table too, so I'll pull up the rocking chair so he can see me, and I'll play with him or read him a story.



He still sleeps in our room at night. The pack and play we got has a bassinet part to it, so we've been using that. But if I remember correctly, it's only supposed to be used for 15 lbs. or lighter, which means he'll have to start sleeping in his crib at night. This morning I took him on the scale with me, and it said he is 14.5 lbs!!



Breastfeeding is going well, though I'm still sore. I'm going to attempt to pump this weekend for the first time. We want him to take a bottle so he can be babysat for longer time periods. He's not a pacifier kid, so I don't know if he'll like a bottle or not. He might be more interested, since food will be coming from it. I'm a little worried that I've waited too long and he'll reject it all together. But I also didn't want to try bottle-feeding too soon and mess up with nursing. If he never takes a bottle, then oh well, that's life. But it would be nice to have a break from feeding him once in a while.

Oh, I just looked at the title of my blog and realized that I haven't written anything about my family's visit yet! My dad, mom, and brother drove here and stayed at our apartment with us for about a week. We had a great time together, and they loved meeting their first grandson and nephew. It was nice to have all the extra hands to hold him or push the stroller or do the dishes. We didn't do too much, since Matthew is still so young. We visited the Creation Museum, but Matthew didn't cooperate very well. Then we ate out at a restaurant, and again, Matthew didn't like it. Josh and I think he gets overstimulated when he's out and about with lots of noise like that. We still managed to eat out some other nights, we just used the To-Go menus that many restaurants have now. It's great, cause you don't have to wait as long, and you don't have to tip :). We had an outing at the mall, and my mom helped me get set up when I had to nurse him. My sister did the same thing for me when she visited the week before. I'm really glad for their help, cause it's very hard to juggle a squirming, hungry baby while trying to keep the blanket draped just right. Don't wanna give anyone a show, you know? :) Eventually I'll get better at the whole nursing in public thing. Practice makes perfect, right? Anyway, here are some pics from my family's visit.


This is Uncle Pete holding his nephew for the first time. Why is he laughing? Because Matthew greeted him with a very loud noise from his diaper (hee hee).


Grandma holding Matthew for the first time.


This was Grandpa's favorite way to hold him. He'd hold his hands and gently sway him side to side--Matthew loved it.


He wasn't exactly in the mood for pictures or kisses.


Josh's sunglasses didn't stay on Matthew's face for very long, but I was able to snap a quick picture of it. This was outside the Creation Museum. They had a nice garden area and lots of picnic tables.


We had a baby dedication on Sunday for the little guy. I got him these little khaki pants and a plaid button-down shirt. What an adorable little man!


Josh and his family. Matthew is fortunate to have a set of grandparents and some aunts living nearby.