Nana's Here

Our internet is running very slow so I will have to make a short post now and after it is fixed I can do a more detailed post.

Matthew is still having trouble with eating for long periods of time but Nana confirmed that there are 2 little teeth on the back side of his gum getting ready to come in. He had a great time playing with Nana.

More to come later...

Matthew is Five Months Old!!!!

What a beautiful day!!! Matthew did much better with his eating today and we put our final deposit on our house. I feel like I am on top of the world, then I remembered I go back to work on Monday morning...ick. A few teachers called this afternoon to let me in on the news and it sounds like I will have to 'hit the ground running' when I go back. At least it is only for a week, then back to blissfully enjoying my sweet little boy for the whole summer!!!

My mom said back in January that before I knew it I would be going back to work and Matthew would be 5 months old. I really didn't believe her because that seemed like a lifetime but it was a little quicker than I thought it would be. I am ready for the change but I know that it will not really change until August when school starts back for real.

Matthew had his regular photo session for his 'month' birthday with me this evening so I will share some of my favorites with you all. Unfortunately I couldn't get him to smile for the camera so he looks rather upset but he really was having fun (I think). Sometimes I feel like I am the paparazzi with my semi-professional camera but I can't help it...he is soooooooo cute.

Not So Good Eats!!!

Ok....so all the progress we made yesterday with eating went out the window today!!! Wow, I am so ready for that little tooth to make it's debut it isn't even funny anymore.

Anyway, we have tried Tylonal (that helps slightly), Baby Oral Gel didn't help at all. The first feeding of the day went great...we started at 9:00 and he ate until about 9:30 or so but the other feedings were shorter and less organized which drives me crazy. He ate at 12, 1:30 and 3 all for no more than 10 minutes or so. Then at 6:30 we had a huge fight (he didn't want to latch) finally he ate about 20 minutes total and we went for dinner. I took a bottle because I didn't think that he had eaten enough but he was quite and very well behaved a dinner. At around 9 we fed him the bottle (while I pumped) it seemed so much easier for him but he only ate 1.5 ounces of the bottle. So at 10:30 I tried to feed him some rice cereal and alternate with the breast and the left over ounce of the bottle...which started out OK..but after the rice cereal and one ounce of the bottle was gone he would not latch on at all. That is when I went to Walgreens to get the Baby Oral Gel. I got home and Matthew was asleep but I knew he needed to eat before I officially put him to bed. I picked him up from the play yard and he was very quite and happy so we changed him into PJs, gave him some Tylonal and Oral Gel then started to feed again. At first he really resisted but after 5 minutes or so he latched right on an ate for a total of 30 minutes.

I would love to just pump and give him the milk in a bottle but I cannot get a full meal out of pumping, unless it has been 4 or 5 hours since the last feeding. I hope someone has some advice for me!!!


On a more positive note, Matthew behaved himself very well today at my piano students house. Even though he has not eaten very well the last week or so he has been behaving himself very well. I just hope he is not the type of baby that is 'happy to starve' and not let me know if he is hungry. I also do not want to force feed him!!!

It has been raining like crazy here in Homestead the last few days. I guess it is officially rainy season. I also do not like the idea that there is already a tropical depression and it is not even hurricane season yet!!! Our new house does not need a hurricane to hit.

Well I better try and get some sleep. Please keep praying the Matthew's teething will not get in the way of him eating. I need serious encouragement because I am feeling very inadaquent these days. I still love being a mother to my little sweat pea!!!

Good Eats (May 27, 2009)

Today Matthew did a little bit better at his eating. Either he did better or I was more patient with him. Although I still see no tooth he ate for an hour solid tonight without crying. He also ate a ton of sweet potatoes for lunch. All in all it was a peaceful day at home. I am enjoying my last few days alone with Matthew before I go back to school next week.

Seth and Matthew were playing in his room tonight. Matthew was grabbing toys from Seth and giving them back to him. As soon as I walked in though Matthew stopped playing and started kicking his feet around and wouldn't take his eyes off of me. It was so cute. Here are some pictures of Matthew and his daddy!!!









Matthew's Nana comes on Saturday and we can't wait to see her again. Hopefully Matthew will not catch my cold before she gets here.

Have a great night everyone!!

Out of reach (May 26, 2009)

OK...I am starting to realize that I have to start putting things out of reach. Tonight we went to the new Longhorn Steakhouse in Homestead and the nice host gave Matthew a coloring book. I know he is not old enough to do the coloring and activities that the book offers but before I knew it he was grabbing at the book and trying to pick-up the cowboy on the cover...(I guess depth perception hasn't kicked in yet)...then he tried to grab a chicken firecracker thingy (our food) and then he tried to grab his silverware (the nice host giving him the kiddy silverware I didn't understand). In any event, he was very excited to be there and wanted to be totally involved with his surroundings. I know this will only get worse when he becomes mobile but it took me by surprise today.

No tooth yet, but oh my what a grumpy baby this afternoon. He wouldn't eat a bite from me...he wouldn't have any of that working to get something to eat. So I gave in and gave him a bottle (pumped breast milk) which was much easier for my little guy to handle. The last two feedings went great so I hope tomorrow will be better. I can tell that he is in alot of pain but that is just the life of a 5 month old baby. If he keeps up the grumpiness I think I am going to put a little baby oral gel on his gums, just so he can eat more and in less pain.

I got my house almost cleaned today. Thanks to my wonderful husband who looks more like a housewife scrubbing the ceiling fan for dust...our cleaning is going much better. I feel like I actually live in a house and not a garbage dump now. I feel more relaxed and see that things are coming together.

Have a great evening everyone!!!!

Memorial Day

Today I was thinking back on the last 5 months and seeing how time does truly fly by. Although I have cherished every minute with Matthew (the good and the bad) I can't believe he is almost 5 months old. Every moment with Matthew is truly a blessing and I am thankful that God gave me such a remarkable little boy. This evening Seth was playing with Matthew. He would move Matthew's legs in a kicking motion while he was shaking his head and making a funny noise. When Seth stopped, Matthew started kicking his legs around to get Seth to make that funny noise again. We were all laughing so hard I started crying. It was so sweet to see Matthew figure out how to get that same reaction from Seth over and over again. I can't wait for many more moments like that to come.

As for the eating situation...Matthew's appetite is going away. Sometimes it is all I can do to keep him eating for 15 minutes. I am trying to get 6-7 feedings in during the day but sometimes it is a fight to get all of them in. As for his solids, he is eating more and more of the sweet potatoes and rice cereal but he likes to pull his hand up and grab the spoon during the feeding (getting it all over me and him in the process). I am sure all of this will work its way out but I am so frustrated at times. The GI specialist wants to do an upper GI on him if he doesn't gain weight by next week and I really do not want to put Matthew through that process. Please be praying that he will eat more and longer. Another fear I have about this situation is that my milk supply might get lower if this continues.

I can't wait until this weekend!!! My mom is coming to visit on Saturday. She will get to spend alot of time with Matthew next week because I am going back to work for the last week of school. It is a short week, but I will be glad to get out of the house for a break for a couple of days. So this week Matthew and I will be spending our last week alone together. I am going to have to take ALOT of pictures.

Have a good evening everyone!!!

Whew...We're Tired (May 24, 2009)

Matthew must have been exhausted from our trip because he didn't wake up until 10:30 this morning. I was glad because I was tired too. We spent the day cleaning the house and I bought groceries tonight. Matthew's reflux was acting up some today so he was quite grumpy but took a couple of naps in the play yard. He is already asleep tonight so hopefully he can get back into his schedule easily. While we were in Ohio he got all turned around in his PeaPod sleeper (it looks like a miniture tent) and kinda got stuck and woke up screaming in the middle of the night the first night we were there. We ended up letting him sleep in the bed with us and he almost wiggled me off the King size bed. It was so cute because he wanted to snuggle close to me.

I forgot to mention in previous posts that we are buying a house!!! It has 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms, a 2 car garage and a very nice kitchen. We just signed our life away tonight when we got the mortgage papers. Although we feel VERY overwhelmed I am sure God will provide for us.

All in all our day was pretty uneventful. Hopefully I will have more to write about tomorrow.

Good Night!!!

Is there a doctor in the house??

YES!!! Matthew's uncle Aaron graduated from medical school on Friday evening!!! We are so proud of him. This summer Aaron will be moving to New York City to persue a residency in psychitry. Matthew did very well at the graduation but I did have to take him out a few times and we were too loud in the cry room so we got kicked out of there because he was crying too loud when we went in that room!!! Funny, you know your loud when they kick you out of the cry room. We did get to see Aaron get hooded and to hear the graduates cite the hypocratic oath which was very cool.

The weekend was stressful on Matthew because he is really teething now!!! I expect any morning now to wake up and see a little pearly white. He was very grumpy on the plane ride and the stewardess actully got some ice to put in his blanket to suck on...that helped alot!!!

In any event, we are all very tired so I am cutting this post short.

Have a good night and here is a picture of Aaron Patterson, M.D.

A day at home (May 20, 2009)

Today was a busy day that Matthew and I spent at home. Tomorrow we are going to Ohio to see Matthew's Uncle Aaron graduate from medical school. Honestly, I am going to be glad when this is over because it is so hard on Matthew to travel even though he behaves extremely well.






I had to wash and fold clothes for our trip today so I put Matthew in the boppy pillow and let him sit on the bed next to me. He looked so bored just sitting there so I went and got him a toy. I was very happy to see him playing with the toy so easily. His interest in the toy made me realize that I do not play with him enough. I am going to start putting playtime in our daily schedule so we can get out some of our toys and books.

Although I had a day at home...I don't feel like I got very much accomplished. Actually it never feels like I get much accomplished. If anyone has any advice on how to clean your house with a demanding 4 1-2 month old that DOESN'T TAKE NAPS!!! please let me know.

Wow, American Idol was awesome tonight. They had some really great performers and the idols that sang did a pretty good job. Although I love Steve Martin and his banjo playing...the singers who performed his song didn't do it justice. I think it is awesome that they included Steve Martin on the show so he can show off his other talent. My favorite part was at the end when Adam and Chris sang "We Are the Champions" with Queen. Adam was my favorite and I was sad to see Chris win...but I know Adam will be very successful with whatever he does. (I think he should join Queen as the new lead singer..he is the closest thing to Freddy Mercury that I have ever heard).

Matthew is still having some trouble eating. He just seems like he doesn't eat as long as he used to. Breastfeeding is both the best and worst experience of my life. It is the best because I feel like I can get closer to Matthew and recently I feel like we are really bonding even more...since he has started to use his hands more he will even lift my shirt like he wants to eat. That is the best feeling to be able to see his cognitive development right before my very eyes. He also uses his hands to knead if we are near the end of his feeding. On the other hand, when he unlatches and throws a fit I feel so rejected...and I take it personal. Also, if he spits up or throws up his food I feel like I am making him sick. Oh well, I know that he is getting all of the benefits from me and I am still very proud that I stuck it out through think and thin.

Mentioning this might jinks us but Matthew has not thrown up for 2 days straight now...only minor spit-ups. Please pray that it stays that way and he is finally keeping all of his food down.

I truly think it is official that Matthew is teething. Today he was drooling so much that he left a spot of spit on the bed (yes he took a nap tonight before the last feeding). I noticed that all day he kept crying and quickly putting his hands in his mouth. He would chew on my finger like that made his little gums feel better. I don't see a tooth emerging yet but he sure is cranky at times so it will be soon I think.

I better end for tonight. I might not get a chance to post for a few days since I will be on my trip. Pray for us that we make it to Ohio alright and Matthew handles the trip well.

Good Night!!!

Those Blue Eyes (May 19, 2009)

Look at those beautiful blue eyes. I took this picture this morning right after he ate and was really awake.

Today was a great day. Matthew slept until about 9:30 this morning so I got to sleep late too. Everyone tells me that I am getting spoiled with such a good sleeper. Right now I hear him in his room baby talking...it kinda sounds like he is talking himself to sleep.

Matthew actually took a 45 minute nap this afternoon...that never happens!!! He has been eating a little better except for one time this evening. I think he might be trying to out grow the boppy pillow because he ate fine when I just sat him in my lap without the pillow. He feels heavier to me so hopefully he has gained a few ounces. I would go buy a baby scale if I knew I wouldn't obsess over weighing him every hour.

Tonight was Seth's string concert at school. Matthew got to go and see his daddy work. The kids did great and there was around 150-200 people at the concert. Seth was very proud and the kids loved seeing him in his tuxedo. Matthew and I sat in the back of the auditorium and I gave him a bottle when he got wiggly.

Oh I forgot to mention that he ate some more sweet potatoes today and did great. He does try to grab the spoon from me with his left hand...I wonder if he will be left handed like his daddy???


Tomorrow is a busy day because I have to pack and get ready for our trip on Thursday. I better say good night to everyone. (This is an older picture of Matthew but I love it and wish he would never grow up...he is so much bigger now)

Matthew's home away from home (May 18, 2009)

Today was exciting. We went to visit the daycare center that Matthew will be going to in the fall when I go back to work. I am a teacher and many of the other teachers at my school suggested this lady that is no more than 2 minutes from the school. She was very nice and Matthew didn't cry at all when she held him. (He spit-up on me twice while we were there though). Man I am so tired of this reflux. Since I am breastfeeding I take it personally when he throws-up. In any event, I feel very comfortable with the people who will be taking care of him, although I still don't think that anyone could possibly take care of him as good as I do.

After visiting the daycare place we went to visit my school. The kids were having a MEGA-party so it was a good day to drop by and see everyone. I am actually starting to miss my job...as I pick my jaw up off the floor as I am typing this...I honestly mean it. Although I am going back to work for the last week of school (June 1-5) my mom will be watching him that week.

When we were out...I tried to feed Matthew a bottle of pumped breastmilk but he was grumpy and only took half of the bottle. After we got home, he ate 3 times until dinnertime...which was pretty much all afternoon. I think he is teething so sometimes he doesn't eat as much as others. As for the weight issues (mentioned in the previous post)...I hope he is getting enough to eat. He did eat alot of cereal tonight as well.

Tonight he just wanted to be held while we watched "Dancing with the Stars". He has started to laugh at my silly noises which is the cutest thing in the world. I am glad someone thinks I am funny.

He is sleeping soundly now and I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings.

Good Night

Up to date... May 18, 2009

Hello everyone!!!

Some mom's start their blog from the minute they find out they are pregnant. Others may begin when their precious child is born. I have chosen to start after my little guy is already 4 1/2 months old so I have many stories to get everyone up to date.

On December 29, 2008 Matthew Wayne Patterson was born at 1:51 p.m. His weight was 7 lbs 9 oz and was 18 3/4 inches long. At 37 weeks into my pregnancy we found out that he was breech so the doctor advised me to have a C-section. This terrified me because I went through the entire pregnancy not wanting a C-section. Matthew was born at 39 weeks so he was almost full term. I know there are many people who would disagree with this situation, however, I did not want to take a chance that Matthew would have problems during a regular birth and have to have an emergency C-section. We stayed in the hospital for 3 nights before we came home together. I know that we were very lucky to have such a healthy child after reading some of the other blogs on premature babies. The biggest and most surprising struggle for me was breastfeeding. Although every book I read said that babies needed to eat 8 to 12 times per day during the first few weeks that number didn't sink in until I actually had to do it that often. Man did it hurt and the nurses in the hospital were relentless but I persisted through the pain and my stubbornness and now 4 1/2 months later we are still breastfeeding and he has had NO FORMULA TO DATE...(I am so proud).

Matthew was born with a hemangiomia on his nose that was only a faint red mark at birth but by 1 month old it was bright red and raising up. We went to a dermatologist and has had laser treatments to shrink the birthmark. The doctor also put Matthew on a medicine called Propranolol that is usually used for high blood pressure problems but has recently been found to significantly shrink and reduce these types of birthmarks as well. (very quickly, I might add) In any event, the doctors told me the wrong dosage and Matthew became very groggy and even a little cold. That scared me to death until we got the dosage figured out...I kicked myself for weeks for not questioning the medication and dosage more, but who wouldn't in that situation. As you can see from the pictures the treatment is working.



Matthew at birth



Matthew at 1 month



Matthew at 2 months



Matthew at 3 months



Matthew at 4 months

Throughout the first month Matthew developed reflux. He was very uncomfortable until we put him on some medication. The first month was full of lots of crying. Although he was sleeping through the night at 6 weeks old I was very frustrated because he didn't take naps (and still don't) during the day. Everyone said that I should sleep when the baby sleeps but he didn't sleep during the day. Even though he was sleeping through the night I still couldn't sleep because I would worry that he would wake up as soon as I got to sleep.

His reflux still bothers him frequently. He has actually lost weight over the last month because of his spitting up (more like throwing up) but the doctor isn't too concerned because he looks extremely healthy. We will have him weighed again the first week in June so hopefully he will have gained at least a pound (hopefully more). We are also starting him on some solids (rice cereal and sweet potatoes) per the doctors request (both the pediatrician and GI specialist). Here are a couple of pictures of his first sweet potato encounter.






He doesn't look like he likes the new food very well but he is getting used to it as days go by. He loves rice cereal...tonight he threw a fit because the bowl was empty. Next time I will make a little bit more for him.

As for trips...Matthew has been to Alabama (from Florida) to visit my family. He and I flew up for Easter. I was very nervous flying with him but he did GREAT!!!

Then we went to Ohio for my grandmother-in-law's funeral. Luckily my husband was with us on this trip. He got to meet his cousin Benjamin who was born on the exact same day. They were so cute together...and looked like they could be brothers instead of 2nd cousins.

We have also visited my husbands father and stepmother a couple of times in Naples, FL (which is only about 2 hours away). On Thursday of this week we are traveling to Ohio again for my brother-in-law's graduation from medical school. So little Matthew Wayne will be well-traveled by his first birthday.

Our life, with Matthew, has changed dramatically but only for the better. He is truly a blessing in our life and I can't wait to see what the future has in store!!!

Below are some pictures of Matthew in all of his wonderful adventures...



Matthew's First Easter



Matthew and daddy on the airplane to Ohio



Matthew and mommy in Ohio



Matthew and mommy at Corkscrew Swamp on Mother's Day weekend



Matthew's first swim (he is trying to figure out what a waterfall is)