All About Matthew

It's hard to believe that my baby boy is almost 22 months old. And get this, 2 months from now I'll be planning for his 2nd birthday party! Sheesh, do I really have a 2 year old? Well, he certainly acts like it sometimes :). I'm referring to the terrible, tantrum part of being 2. Most of the time he is his sweet self, helping me out with sissy and playing on his own when I can't be with him. I don't know that he's really been jealous of his sister, but when he wakes up from his nap and I can't cuddle with him on the couch, let's just say he's not in the best mood when that happens. So yes, there are times when he definitely wants his mommy and insists that I put sissy in the swing or the carseat, but he's also really stepped up to the big brother position.

Hanging out with sis

Dude, give me some space.

He tries to play with her. He brings her toys and shakes them in front of her face. He copies anything we do, so we have to be careful how we play with her. For instance, if we are touching her nose as a game, we have to tell him that only mommy and daddy can touch her nose. He tries to cover her with a blanket, which he does so over her face. So I have to keep reminding him to cover her feet and legs only. We don't put anything over sissy's face. (said in Mommy Voice). He's pretty gentle with her, but again, constant reminders are necessary. He can get carried away when he's being playful, which is totally understandable. He's still so young, but yet at the same time he seems to have grown up overnight in some ways.

The cutest Buckeye fans by far.


Part of that could be because he is walking so well lately, and of his own accord. He's now much more willing to walk. A lot of it is just reminding him to do it. He's so used to crawling everywhere, you know? And he's starting to put his arms down by his sides like a real big boy, instead of holding them out for balance like most new walkers do. His PT (physical therapy) is going well. I'm learning new ways to strengthen his legs and such. His ankle braces are in, but the lady who would fit him is home sick, so we'll be doing that next week.

Totally excited about the impending hotdogs coming his way.

As I said before, he's a good little helper. He likes to clean, either by using the little vacuum we have, or wiping his tray with a wet paper towel. He asks to clean in the nursery at church too, when the ladies start wiping down the toys at the end of the service. They usually give him a baby wipe or a tissue so he can clean. He's very good at making a mess all over the house. You can tell where he's been just by observing the toys and where they are scattered. He gives us issues sometimes when we want him to clean up. But I've been working on him cleaning up as he goes along so it's not too daunting at the end of the day. For instance, he's got blocks and legos and tools and play food, but as he wants to move on to each activity, I have him clean up the previous one.

His favorite foods are chicken nuggets, hot dogs, cookies, and pop-tarts, and he loves to dip things in ketchup or tartar sauce. He dipped a cracker in ketchup just today, and he'll ask for ketchup or cheese on his veggies. Hey, at least he's eating them. He's been particular and picky about fruit and veggies in the past, which I think contributes to the constipation issues he's had. But now that he's better at eating those, his digestive system is a little more regular. Which will be good when potty-training comes along. Whoa, that's sooner than I realize, I think.

He's a little copycat, saying things we say, and singing along to songs he knows. He was very sad when the radio wasn't playing Christmas songs anymore. He got so familiar with them and even had some favorites. But he loves Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Special Agent Oso on Disney Channel. He learned the word "tip-toe" from Mickey this week and has been saying it everyday. Another new phrase from him: slam dunk, as he throws a ball up in the air.

This is one of my mixing bowls he put on his head. I think he looks like a storm trooper from Star Wars.

And yet another new thing he says: "Daddy/Mommy, where are you?" I couldn't believe he said a full sentence like that when I first heard him say it. It's amazing how fast kids can learn. He even makes jokes on his own. He does something silly or says something that's the wrong answer on purpose, and then he'll laugh about it.

Oh, we had a decent snowfall recently, so Matthew got to play in it with Daddy, which he loved.

Trying to take off his hat.

Posing with Daddy.





He's recently graduated to his big boy bed. He actually requested to sleep in it one night, the night before we were gonna put him in it. And he's loved it ever since :)
By the way, the walls came decorated like this, the others being green, blue, and red. All we had to do was add the furniture.

Yay! Story time!

Well, that's what Matthew's been up to lately. Coming soon, Esther's update...