More About Matthew

He's just as cute as ever these days. Like there was any doubt about that ;). He's so "talkative" lately. He's become real noisy as he practices different pitches on his vocal chords. He sighs really loud, and he vocalizes after he yawns. Even after he's done a crying spell he'll talk loudly like he's complaining to us and letting us know that he didn't like something. He moves his mouth like he's trying to mimic what we are saying. I love how he watches our mouths so intently. And he's even screeched a couple times, which is so adorable. Of course once he really learns how to scream for fun, I'm sure it won't be so cute to me. You know the kid in the back of the church that's screaming cause he loves the sound of his own voice? Yeah, that'll be my kid eventually. Well, I suppose that's any kid at some point. They all love hearing their own voices. Hey, free amusement, right? In the morning after I've fed him, he's usually content to stay in his crib and talk to himself.



He still doesn't love being on his belly, but if I hit it just right, like when he's in a good mood, I'll roll him onto his belly, and he'll stay like that for several minutes just talking or smiling at a toy nearby. Then once he decides he's had enough of that, he rolls over. I've been trying to encourage him to roll onto his belly by himself, but he's not there yet. I'll put a toy just out of reach or I'll be near him and tell him to come closer to mommy and stuff like that. Sometimes he'll put one leg back like he's going to push himself over, so the concept is slowly developing. I think his head is just too darn heavy for him. You know how most babies will lift their head and look up when they are tummy down? Well, he only lifts his long enough to turn it to the other side, not to see what's in front of him. We've been carrying him upright over our shoulder when we are moving him to the changing table or carseat so that he's forced to strengthen his neck. We're also hoping that by being up on our shoulders he'll catch on that he can see things from a different way and that he'll try it on the floor.



I saw him reaching for a toy hanging above him today. He hasn't done much in the reaching department, but as his arms get more coordinated with his hands, I'll be seeing more of that. He's almost three months old, folks! Can you believe it? It doesn't seem possible.



Naps and bedtime are still a struggle. We've gotta let him cry for a little bit, and sometimes I feel bad about that, but then I remind myself that some babies need to cry to settle down. Then we jump in and pat his butt and shush him. We used to get frustrated that we have to do this and that he doesn't always respond to it, but I read in a book that babies are so young and they need help settling down and falling asleep. Which completely makes sense, if you ask me. In the womb they never had a bedtime or naptime, they just slept when they were tired. And now that they are out there are four limbs and a heavy head thrashing about and not knowing what to do with themselves. Trust me, I can still get frustrated at times, but looking at it this way helps put it in perspective. He's not going to need me patting his butt forever come nighttime, but for now it's ok. There's a lady at my church that talks about raising and taking care of her kids as her reasonable service. And that's so true. God gave us this child to take care of, but He never promised it would be easy. We have to work at it, just like we have to work hard at anything in life. If it came easy, then it wouldn't be so rewarding later on down the road.



Matthew has also taken to sucking or chewing anything that comes near his mouth. He's got this stuffed ducky that's partially a little soft blanket and partially a ducky head with wings, and when you lay it on his chest he'll bring his arms together and up to his mouth so he can chew on the beak or a wing. But most of the time he prefers his hands. He sucks on his fist mostly, but sometimes we'll see just a couple fingers in there, but not a thumb. He also sucks on his wrist with a loud smacking noise.



Oh yeah, when we place him on his boppy, he likes to stretch his body out and lean his head way back so he can look upside down at whatever's over there, such as his daddy in the above picture.



This is Matthew on the changing table looking out the window in the morning. I guess it might look kinda weird with the sun making stripes on his face, but I love his expression in this shot. Oh, one more update I don't think I've mentioned yet. He does not poop for every diaper anymore! At about two months old we started to see the number go down, and now he'll have two or three poopy diapers a day, sometimes four, but sometimes only one! I love those days. Ok, that's all I have to say about my son's bowel movements :). On that note, have a great day!