Grandparent's Day

a long entry

My parents drove my brother down to college, and on the way back they stopped here to visit with their grandson. We didn't do too much, since they were only here for a couple days, but they got to hold Matthew and play with him and they both got him to laugh and giggle for them at different times. He enjoyed spending time with them as well. I was hoping he would nap and sleep well while they were here so they could see that I was doing a good job of parenting. Well, the naps were good, but going to sleep was a cry fest. And his gums were bothering him sometimes too, so that didn't help. All in all he was his normal, smiley, playful self. Grampa even cut his nails, and I don't think either of them got the pleasure of changing a messy diaper :)





Yeah, it was a long drive for Dad.


He went to Jared! (I have many topics to write about, so instead of separate entries, I am dividing them by bold titles in one post)

My favorite part of their visit would have to be Friday night. They babysat Matthew (which was their favorite part too), while Josh and I went out on a date. To those of you with children of any age or are about to have a baby, I cannot stress enough how important it is to have time alone with your spouse. Yes, once the baby is in bed you are alone together, but it's extra special to leave the baby with a sitter and venture into the real world while putting your parental responsibilities on hold for a couple hours. It gives you a chance to reconnect amidst life's everyday distractions. It's a necessary break that every couple needs to keep their relationship fresh. Josh and I went to the Cheesecake Factory and ate the Louisiana Chicken Pasta, which was spicy and tasty. For dessert, cause you just have to get dessert at that place, Josh got a traditional cheesecake with strawberry topping, but I had to peruse the menu before I settled on a choice. I remembered that last time I went I got some kind of chocolate cheesecake, but it was really rich and heavy, so I needed something a little lighter. Yeah, like gourmet cheesecake can be light. Anyway, I don't remember the name of it, but it had caramel, PB cups, Butterfinger, and I'm not sure what else, but it was a fabulous combination that I will most definitely get again the next time I go. The restaurant is in a plaza with lots of other stores, so we walked off our food a little bit and poked around in some of the stores. I was flipping through an Eddie Bauer magazine on the drive home and looked up and realized that we weren't headed home.

"Where're we going?"

"To Jared."

The jewelry store?? Curious and unexpected. "What for?"

"Just to look around."

"Ok." Trying to hide a growing smile on my face.

Josh wanted me to pick something out, and I didn't really know where to begin. The jeweler that helped us was very nice, and he helped me narrow down the choices. First we decided on white gold instead of yellow gold. We had seen some necklaces, but with a five-month old with grabby little hands, I knew that wouldn't be practical. The jeweler directed us to some bracelets, and I even tried some on, but they were kinda tight on my wrist, and bracelets don't come in lots of sizes like rings, so I was a little discouraged by that. Then I thought, what about earrings? I decided on a beautiful pair that were similar to my engagement ring. They are small hoops with baguette diamonds on either side of a round aquamarine stone, Matthew's birth stone. I tried to take a picture of them, but it didn't come out, and I couldn't find a picture on the Jared website, so you'll have to settle for the description only. I felt so special leaving the store. Josh just wanted to show me how much he loved me, and I had the biggest smile on my face. It reminded me of when we got engaged, cause that's how I felt then. They are the perfect earrings too, small enough that baby fingers can't get in the loop and pull them off. And I wanted something I could wear to church and not be limited because I hold Matthew. It was a wonderful night :)


My First Buckeye Game
Hi folks! Matthew here. I watched my first Buckeye game on Saturday. They played the week before, but I didn't get to see it cause I was visiting my cousin. I was glad that they won the game, but it didn't look like they would in the first half of the game. We were trailing the other team the whole time. But we pulled it off in the end, and Daddy was a happy camper. OSU really is a second-half team. I wish they wouldn't be like that though. It's nice to be ahead from the start so the fans can be assured they will win. Anyway, Mommy snapped a lot of pictures of me, so here they are!

There's me and Mommy! We are so cute together, don't you think?


I'm very excited about my first Buckeye game. O-H-I-O!!


Look at me! I can sit up with some help. Mommy and Daddy say I am getting so big.


Here I am on Daddy's lap trying to sit forward all by myself. I'm trying to get stronger so Mommy and Daddy will start feeding me baby food. Sometimes I stare at their food while they eat so they'll get the hint.


Isn't my Daddy silly? He's making me play peek-a-boo with Mommy.


See my finger? We're number one! We're number one!


Hi camera!


Ok ok, I'll smile for one last picture, Mommy. Does this onesie make my thighs look big? ;)



Drool Mania!
Ok, Matthew's had his turn. Now it's my time to write again. This kid has been drooling like crazy this past week and weekend. I wish those teeth would just break through and be done. The poor baby woke up last night screaming, which is very unusual for him. We gave him Tylenol and a cold teether from the frig, cause we figured the pain from his gums woke him up and that's why he was so upset. I've got some pictures here of drool glistening on his chin and cheeks. Hopefully you can see it.

See it there shining on his chin? Gross! :)


And here you can see it pooled on the right side of his face (the left side for you, since you're facing him).


He makes bubbles out of all this mess and spits while talking to himself.


Baby Boot Camp
I've done a bad thing without realizing. Matthew's never been good at falling asleep for bedtime or naptime. In the past I've tried to let him cry himself to sleep for naps, but when he goes too long, it's time for him to be hungry, so I feed him. I had decided a while back to feed him before naptime so that he couldn't use hunger as an excuse for going to sleep. Well, this has slowly turned into nursing him to sleep, and that goes for bedtime too. It doens't always work that way, but more often than not it does. So even though this kid doesn't take a pacifier, I have inadvertantly become his pacifier for sleep times. Now some people out there may think, well, he's still young and that's not a bad thing. Well, I think it is. I have deprived him of learning how to fall asleep on his own. It's one of the best and most important gifts you can give to your baby, and I've missed the boat up til now. And it's a hard boat to jump back into. But I know if I don't do it now, it will only get worse as he gets older. It's already a hard habit to break, and it will be even tougher when he's 10 or 11 months old and more set in his ways. And it would have been easier to do at 3 months old, but I waffled too much back then. I'd give in or not give this method a long enough try. What method, you ask? Crying himself to sleep. Such a cruelty, some may say. And trust me, by his cries I feel like the worst mother in the world. But Josh and I have been over this time and again. Every time we try to calm him down or otherwise interfere, we're only prolonging his dependence on us to fall asleep. We reinforce his habit of sucking on me to calm down. And he doesn't just cry, he screams and screams like there's no tomorrow. This is not to say that we just totally ignore him. The idea is that we go in to him every 15 minutes to assure him that we are here and that he's not alone. But no patting his butt or shushing him or letting him nurse. He's got to figure it out by himself, no matter how hard it is. A friend of mine at church said that when she took away the pacifier at 9 months, her boy screamed for 2 weeks at night. I have to prepare myself that it may take him just as long to self-soothe. The best way to do it is with my faithful partner, Josh. When I feel like waffling, he'll encourage me to stick to my guns. And when he wants to waffle, I'll be there for him. I know in the long run I'll be glad about this, but it's so hard in the midst of it. I think I need to write down about each day so I can see some progress and not get discouraged. Train up a child in the way he should go, right? This needs to be done now. I love Matthew so much, which is why I am doing this. Pray for me, will you? Even if you think I am totally wrong in my approach, pray for me anyway. I believe this is what the Lord would have me to do.