A Year Ago...

...I didn't know what the word "labor" really meant.

...I didn't know I would meet my goal of nursing you for a year.

...I didn't know I was taking for granted how long and easy you slept.

...I didn't know how much we were gonna love you.

Happy Birthday, Matthew Keith!

April 13th *Edit*

What's the deal with April 13th? If you say it's the day after Easter, you would be correct. If you say it's two days before taxes are due, you would be correct again. For our family, it has a little more significance, for it is the day we close on our house. Yes, a house! This is the good news I had mentioned in a previous post.

(This is the edited part. Josh wanted me to put up a nicer picture of the house)

We found this house in January, and it was the first one we looked at. We visited a couple more, but deep inside we knew this was perfect for us. It looks gray in the picture, but it's actually light blue, and it sits on a cul-de-sac in a lovely neighborhood. It has 4 bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths, and a spacious kitchen. The fenced yard is spacious and even has a playset from the previous owners. They kept the house in good condition, though we plan on painting some walls to add to our style. Which brings up an interesting point. We're not completely sure what "our" style is. We never painted wall in the apartment, and we've never had a house to call our own. Josh says it will take time for us to grow into and develop a style, and I think he's right. I do have tons of ideas though.

It has a partially finished basement. The only part not finished is where the washer and dryer would go. There's even a rough-in for a bathroom down there, if we ever wanted a potty in the lower level. It has a 2-car garage, a white mailbox, and we are so ready to move in.



Josh took the picture above when he was there for the inspection last week. Do you remember me talking about the Matthew keychain hanging from the fan in one of the rooms? Well, there it is, dangling in what will probably be Matthew's toddler room when he graduates from the crib. Once we are living there I will be more than happy to take more pictures for you guys to see the different rooms.

So I mentioned we had an inspection done last week, and the results were good. There were only a handful of minor fixes, which Josh can accomplish. The appraisal will take place sometime this week. We chosen an insurance company, and our loan officer is going to lock us in at a good rate. In fact, he's probably already done it by now.

Things are moving along, and we are so excited. We've signed some papers already, but it still won't feel real until they hand us the key. I haven't even packed anything yet. Partially cause I want to have Matthew's party before I begin boxing things, and partially because thinking about packing up our entire lives is overwhelming. I wouldn't know where to begin!

I'll leave you for now. Matthew has been awake from his nap for about 20 minutes now, and he's been patient long enough. Oh, I don't think I've told you guys yet, but he's been able to sit up from a laying down position for a couple days now. Just one more sign that he's growing up !

More Pictures (Whadya Expect?)

My quirky-faced child.

Reading books, his favorite thing to do currently. Seriously, I'll set him by his toys, and he'll bypass them all just to get into his books. I wonder if we'll have a scholar on our hands.

Guess who noticed the camera ;)

Somebody found Daddy's headphones. These are for when he goes shooting (Josh, not Matthew), but they also can work when Matthew is crying in the middle of the night and won't go back to sleep, like last night, for instance.

Raise your hand if you were awake for 3 1/2 hours last night... Matthew's parents most definitely fit into that category. Last night Matthew woke up at 1am and didn't fall back asleep until 4:30. Josh and I tag-teamed, which would explain why we are both sleep-walking around today. We tried it all, a fresh diaper, the temp of the room, the temp of his forehead, letting him cry himself to sleep, rocking him to sleep. He wasn't sick, he wasn't teething. He'd fall asleep in our arms, but once we put him down and left the room, he'd start to cry all over again, and we were back to square one. Finally we gave him Tylenol to make him drowsy and I nursed him to fill his tummy and make him sleepy, and only then did we have success. It's one thing to have a newborn keep you up all night. It's expected, and you're used to the few hours of sleep you're living on. But when an almost one-year-old won't sleep, it gets you frustrated and angry and unbelievable worn-out. Thankfully it's not a common occurence, but I very much wish it wouldn't happen at all.

Ok, onto more pictures...

Enjoying his new music table. It was a Christmas gift from my mom, but I didn't open it right away cause the age on it said 1+. I thought he'd have to stand by it to play with it, but when Josh assembled it, we found it was short enough that he could sit and have fun. It's got a piano that he likes to play.

Um, I don't have words for this one.

Camera shy? Yeah, right.

Some favorites

Being goofy with a straw at Bob Evans one morning. They have the best breakfast ever!

Another goofy one. Look at that long tongue!

Mommy and Matthew playing together.

Current family picture. Our friend Janelle snapped this for us at church one Sunday morning.

I saved the best for last...I just love his expression in this photo.

Swing Time

(Warning: I realized that I've put up hardly any of his 11-month old pictures, so I've got a bunch in the second half of this post. I'll add the rest in another post. Enjoy!)

What my boy's been up to lately...

--Crawling and walking is not synonymous with mobility. Even as I write this, I have to keep checking on where Matthew is. First I saw two little legs sticking out from the bathroom doorway, and then I saw little feet kicking around just outside our bedroom door. Yeah, this kid is fast when it comes to his curiosity. And when I do find him and he's about to touch something that's off limits, he starts trying to get there faster before I pick him up with the biggest smile on his face. He must think it's a game or something.

--He's just blossomed socially this week it seems. Usually at church when I pick him up from the nursery, he's hesitant to leave my arms, even for Josh, because he was just reunited with me. But the other night he was reaching out for anyone to hold him, even if they weren't asking for him. I've made trips to the store and post office, and he charms anyone who'll talk to him. Smiling, reaching for their hand, acting goofy. What a flirt ;)

--Right now he's going through a "I hate bathtime" phase. We thought since we'd give him his bath right before bedtime that he was so tired he didn't want to enjoy it, but for his last bath we did it earlier, and he still cried. Not full-fledged crying, but this concerned whimper with apprehension etching his face. The real crying comes when we pour water over his head. I remember when he loved baths, and I look forward to when that day rears its lovely head once again.

--A few months ago we went through a phase where he'd make that squinty face when I'd ask him to smile. Well, it's back, and it looks even nastier/cuter with his new teeth displayed. You'll see it in some pictures below. Just wait.

--He loves his bookshelf, and he'll take specific books out for Josh or me to read to him. Sometimes he'll sit in our laps and eagerly turn pages. Other times he and I will lay on our bellies side by side and enjoy the book that way. And when I'm too busy to read it with him, he'll flip through it all by himself. He looks so grown-up when he does that.

--When Matthew was barefoot one time, Josh asked him where his socks were, and he immediately reached for his toes. I guess he knows where his socks are supposed to be.

--More on feet. I can say to Matthew, "Eat your toes!" and he'll stick one of his adorable piggies in his mouth.

--I can say to him, "Tickle Mommy!" and he'll tickle the closest body part, whether it's my belly or my arm :)

--Oh, he also gives kisses when we ask for them.

--Yesterday I started singing "If You're Happy and You Know It", and Matthew started clapping his hands. I must sing that song a lot to him.

--He walks when he's holding onto our fingers, but I don't have it on video yet. But I have pictures of lots of other things!!

Blanket fun

I think he looks like his cousin Olyvia in this picture

Sideways, but looking cute as he peeks over the blanket

There's that handsome face I love so much!

Wearing blue, but not feeling blue

Playing with a Christmas gift from Aunt Beka

Mommy, I know where my hair is!

Hey, pass me the camera. I wanna get this shot before I lose the light.

A face only a mother could love

Here's the weird face I was telling you about.

Much better

And there it is again.

Aw, so sweet!

The Playground

Matthew's first time on the swings (well, it's actually the second time, since I forgot to bring the camera the first time)

Cute picture with Daddy.

Mommy had to get in on the action too.

Not too sure about the slide.

Daddy, can we go back on the swings?

But this time, you hold me.

That's all I've got for now. Stay tuned for more cute pictures and some good news...(no, we're not pregnant) ;)

New Phone

I got a new phone yesterday! Every 2 years we get to update our phones if we want to, and Josh and I picked one out for me that wouldn't cost us anything. Here it is closed...

And here it is open...

It's not a flip-phone, it slides, which is really cool. So I like it, and Matthew likes that he can now play with my old phone. We handed it to him last night, and he had the biggest grin on his face as he pressed the keys and watched it light up and make noise.

Well, I guess that's all I have for now. We're still waiting to hear about the house. They've accepted our offer, but we haven't seen official paperwork. It's not like we are up against an ending lease or we're getting kicked out of our apartment, so most of the time we don't mind waiting. It just gives us more time to save money and prevents us from moving while it's still cold outside. Maybe once spring rears it's lovely head, there will also be a change in our location!