Matthew's Moments

Jackson and Ethan's 1st 4th

2011-07-15T02:24:00.005-04:00

So Julie, Ethan and Jon all came down to visit us on the 4th of July. We had a great time going to the Homestead Motor Speedway's fireworks show.

Here are a few pictures of our outing.

The fireworks must have been so suspenseful that it was a nail biter!!! I love the look on Matthew's face here...he is in complete amazement!!!

Somehow Jackson's 1st 4th bib got all turned around. I love it when that happens with his bibs because I think he looks like a super hero =)

Introducing the future president of the United States of America!!!

Jon, Julie and Ethan, Jackson and me all getting ready for the fireworks to start.

Julie, Ethan and Jon

Nothing like the tired but amazed look on his face...I especially love the pink shaved ice stain (yes, I gave my 6 month old a few bites of my shaved ice)

Ethan...he loved the jumperoo!!!

Oh where...Oh where does the time go

2011-07-13T00:24:00.002-04:00

Jackson is already over 6 months old...in fact...Next Friday he will be 7 months old...ack!!! Where has all the time gone???

At 6 months Jackson is growing. He weighes right at 17 lbs and is 25 1/2 inches long. The length confuses me because that is how long he was at 5 months. Who knows...maybe he was laying funny one of the times and we didn't notice.

He is eating some solids...mostly orange veggies. Sweet Potatoes, Squash, and Carrots are his favorite. He didn't care for the green veggies that much. Maybe we will try again soon.

Here are some pictures of Jackson on his 6 month birthday.

Father's Day and playing catch up

2011-07-11T00:31:00.006-04:00

OK...so I have been trying to get this silly Father's Day blog posted for about a month now. For some reason...my pictures were not uploading to blogger so I was stuck without a post for a while. Father's day was awesome this year. We had so much fun just hanging out around the house and relaxing with daddy.

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Now for something completely different...Yes, I have turned into a hippy earth loving crazy nut...lol....I have completely switched to CLOTH DIAPERS with BOTH BOYS. I know I know it is as much of a shock to me as to many of you but now that I have I can't ever see putting disposibles on my boys again. Well, Matthew had a bad case of diaper rash today so I put him in disposibles because I didn't have any cloth diaper safe ointment. I love my cloth diapers and thats all I want to talk about.

Here are some pictures of my babies in cloth =)

That's it for tonight....I hope to get back up to date by tomorrow night.

Over the River (The Everglades) and through the Wood (Big Cypress National Forest)

2011-06-12T02:59:00.004-04:00

Last weekend we went to visit Opa and Mimi in Naples. Jackson and Matthew are both going to be water lovers as you can tell in these pictures.

This is Matthew at around 5 months old enjoying Opa and Mimi's swimming pool!!

This is Jackson around 5 months also having a blast with Daddy at the pool!!

Jackson is also starting to want to do EVERYTHING his big brother does. He loves watching Matthew play and I think he is eager to join in on the fun. Here he is playing with the Thomas the train set (with Daddy's help).

Matthew was very nice about sharing his toys (except for the Thomas train). Jackson got to play with Thomas about 5 seconds before Matthew wanted it back...at least Matthew shared even if it was only for 5 seconds.

My babies are growing up TOO FAST!!!!

Jackson's BFF

2011-06-06T00:04:00.006-04:00

So going to La Leche League meetings is great because you get to meet new moms that are also trying to exclusively breast feed. I met Julie back in January when she was still pregnant with Ethan...and at the last meeting Ethan and Jackson got to meet. Well, Ethan is about 2 months younger than Jackson but they seemed to 'hit it off'...or at least Ethan's mom and I did. We have since met for lunch and Ethan even got to come over to our house last week.

In between nursing, shopping and napping (Jackson didn't but Ethan did) we got these pictures.

I guess Jackson wanted to nurse some more....lol....at least he has a good latch!!!

I can't wait until the boys get together again!!! We had a blast!!!

Bedtime Stories

2011-06-02T01:24:00.004-04:00

When I was a kid the most memorable bedtime routine we had was reading a story. We had this big book of all kinds of crazy stories in it and I loved when my mom read one to me. I think these two boys love bedtime stories too.

The last two evenings have been a little crazy. I am teaching 2 summer courses through a local university. Music Appreciation and History of Jazz. Whew, I'm tired!!! The classes meet on Tuesday and Wednesday and it sure would be nice if there was at least 1 day in between them each week.

Jackson doesn't take bottles too easily yet...he is getting better but as soon as I come home he starts crying uncontrollably and will refuse the bottle if I'm around. I feel so bad because I can't even use the bathroom before he starts. Seth says that he does pretty good until I come home and he just goes insane when he sees me or hears my voice. I guess we have to get him ready to be without me before August when I officially start back to work.

Anyway, it's late and I'm tired. Have a good night ya'll!!!

Jackson 5.0

2011-05-27T20:52:00.005-04:00

Hi all...I can't believe that Jackson is already 5 months old but what is more mind boggling to me is that on Sunday Matthew will be 29 months old. My oh my how time truly flies!!!

Jackson now weighes 16 lbs and 9 oz....yes, my second child is a eater...if you remember my frustrations with trying to get Matthew to eat when he was 5 months old. Matthew only weighed about 12 lbs at 5 months so I would say we are on the right track with Jackson.

I am still exclusively breast feeding Jackson...he has not had any solids yet. Jackson is fitting into 9 month clothes but most of his close are still 6 month sizes.

Here are some pictures for your enjoyment!!!

Brotherly Love!!!

Matthew at 5 months and Jackson at 5 months!!! They look like twins don't they???

Alabama Adventures!!!

2011-05-24T23:23:00.006-04:00

Home made Ice Cream....YUMMMMMMOOOOO!!!

Swinging....weeeeeeeeee!!!!

Bath Time.......splish splash

The Bumpy Tractor....bump bump bump...budan buuudan

Bubbles!!! YEA!!!!!

Sitting with friends.....ahhhhh!!!

Helping Pop make Jackson laugh....priceless!!!!

New cousins....whoa don't drop me!!!!

Tickle Time....ha ha ha hehehehe ha ha ha!!!

Boys will be Boys!!!

Family time....nothin' like it!!!

Spending time in Alabama is lots of fun!!! Can't wait til we go back in the summer =)

I blinked and missed it

2011-05-23T00:03:00.004-04:00

So...I blinked sometime between today and April 22nd and totally missed Jackson's 4th month. I kept saying to myself that I would post his 4 month stats tomorrow night...pushing it off day by day until...boom...Jackson is 5 months old!!!

So lets first..tonight..focus on Jackson's stats at 4 months and then HOPEFULLY I will get around to posting about 5 months sometime before he turns 18 years old!

Jackson weighed 15 lbs 10 oz and was 24 1/2 inches long. I am sure he is much heavier and longer now but I was SOOOOO happy to see that he is gaining weight splendidly!!! He is still nursing anywhere from 6-10 times per day but he is taking a little longer in between each feeding. He still was having trouble turning from his front to his back and he HATES being on his stomach. In fact he hates it so much that he has developed a flat spot on the back of his head. He always likes to lay on his back. The doctor wants me to be doing some neck stretching exercises to help his muscles pull the plates back in the right spot. He absolutely hates those exercises and I feel like I am torturing him when we do them.

This month Jackson started noticing EVERYTHING his big brother is doing. Matthew really does pay attention to Jackson too though. In fact, Matthew will wipe spit up, sit Jackson back in his swing upright (if he falls to the side) and tickle and entertain him. We got the Bumbo seat out for Jackson to start using (I figured it couldn't hurt his flat head) and he was sliding to the side and Matthew came running in the kitchen screaming (very upset I might add) "Jackson's hurt!!! Jackson's hurt!!!" I love seeing how much they are starting to care about each other.

Happy 4 month birthday little Jackson!!!

Unkie Cot's Bumpy Tractor (a.k.a Uncle Scott)

2011-05-16T23:48:00.002-04:00

So we went to Alabama...and Matthew had a blast livin' it up with country life. We have this little book called "The Bumpy Tractor" and the guy driving the tractor in the book looks like my brother, Scott. So we read the book and when we got to Alabama introduced Matthew to the bumpy tractor. At first Matthew was afraid of the tractor because it made a loud noise...but we turned the tractor off and then he warmed up to it and actually sat on it by himself.

In the next few days, he actually did take a ride on the tractor but I didn't have my camera ready to take some pictures. Now all we hear about is the bumby trakter (imagine that said we a cute little 2 year old voice)

More on our trip tomorrow....

I gotta make a post, I know, I know

2011-05-16T01:47:00.002-04:00

O.K.....I got my new iPad and I am completely obsessed!!!!! I have tons of updates and starting tomorrow I promise that I will get busy updating on Jackson @ 4 months, trip to Alabama, Unkie Cot's bumpy tractor and fun @ nana's and pop's!!!!!

Stay tuned ;)

Love to all from my iPad!!!!!!

He is RISEN!!! Happy Easter!!!

2011-04-24T23:53:00.011-04:00

No talking tonight because I'm tired....so here are some pictures of our Easter weekend!!

Matthew's first Easter in 2009 and Jackson's in 2011!!

Happy Holy Week and Dance Party

2011-04-19T23:51:00.008-04:00

Have I mentioned that Jackson is growing up WAY TO FAST!!!

Although he HATES tummy time he is doing very well at holding his head up. I think he will be flipping from stomach to back on a regular basis soon. He has flipped once already but he hasn't done it again. I think it might have scared him because he looked completely shocked when he flipped himself over.

About a week ago Seth's brother Aaron and his friend Dael came to visit. I'm not exactly sure who was more excited for them to be here...me because they played with and kept Matthew occupied or Matthew because they play with and kept him occupied. Aaron had an iPad...which I seriously want now...and he downloaded all of these Elmo games and on one you could make your own monster with an option to make the monster dance to all of these silly songs. Well...Matthew, Aaron and Dael danced to these silly songs for what seemed to be an hour straight. I wish I had the time and energy to dedicate to Matthew but Jackson needs a lot of my time right now.

Finally, this past Sunday was Palm Sunday so in the spirit of the beginning of Holy Week I decided to put Jackson in his bunny hat for church.

I love my little bunny =)

Books I'm Reading

2011-04-14T23:27:00.006-04:00

Over at Kelly's Corner Blog she has people link on her page about different topics. I hardly ever participate but I felt inclined to do so this week.

This week on Show Us Your Life (SUYL) the topic is what books we are currently reading. Well, since I had Jackson back in December I have been extremely overwhelmed with taking care of both Matthew and Jackson. I never felt a lack of bond between Jackson and me but when he cries....my heart starts to race and I worry worry worry so much when he spits up all morning. (which is practically every morning)

I finally decided I might be suffering from some kind of Post-partum anxiety / depression. I ordered 3 books that are wonderful because they made me realize that I could have it much worse and I hope that sharing my story through this post might help someone else that is going through the same feelings that I have.

Here are the three books:

First of all...if you are suffering from any anxiety or depression after having a baby...don't wait to get help...just because there is a stigma on mental illness doesn't mean that it is something to be embarrassed about.

About 6 weeks after having Jackson, I started to freak out every time he would cry. My motto was...if he is crying then I am not doing my motherly duty and I am failing. To make matters worse...he spit up ALL THE TIME. Sometimes it seemed like he was spitting up more than I was feeding him. Because he liked to EAT ALL DAY...I just knew that he wasn't getting enough milk...especially since he was spitting up all the time. Every time he spit up it was like someone was hitting me in the stomach...sometimes it even made me sick at my stomach.

It was simple...I was failing him, whether it was something I ate or by sitting him down to gets some chores done or tend to Matthew. It seemed like as long as I was sitting and holding him he wouldn't spit up...but as soon as I put him down...up would come his entire meal (or only a small amount of it) but in my eyes he was spitting up A LOT. I felt so guilty having to sit him down to tend to Matthew...but I felt so guilty having to sit and feed Jackson when Matthew desperately needed a poopy diaper change or to eat lunch.

Then, the stress started getting to me and I started to feel LOTS of resentment toward Seth. He would never do what I thought he should do around the house. He would work...but unless it was something that I needed done I didn't see that he was doing anything. It got to the point about 2 weeks ago that when Matthew and Jackson were crying, I had a vision of throwing Jackson down to go tend to Matthew and I knew that I needed some help. It horrified me to have that thought go through my head and I know I would NEVER do anything like that. So I made an appointment to see a psychologist and she made me feel so much better.

Since I am breastfeeding we had to be careful with what medications I took...We decided to try the lowest dosage of Zoloft. So far it seems to be making me feel better but I think it could take up to 4 weeks for me to notice a big difference. She also prescribed BuSpar which is for anxiety but I am only supposed to take that as needed. So far I haven't needed it!!!

In the past week that I have been taking Zoloft I have not had one anxious thought of 'throwing Jackson down' THANK GOD. Now the next part of my therapy is to see a counselor about these issues so hopefully I don't have to take the Zoloft very long.

Please do not wait to get something like Post-partum depression or anxiety checked out. Even if your just feeling overwhelmed it can't hurt to see someone and talk through your concerns.

Then and now

2011-04-04T23:52:00.004-04:00

Here are a few pictures of me when I was a baby!!!!

Here are a few pictures of Jackson!!!!

I'm so proud he looks like me!!!

Save Miami-Dade County Public Schools

2011-04-01T01:26:00.000-04:00

My babies are growing up!!!

2011-03-31T23:54:00.003-04:00

Jackson!!!! Can you believe the difference???

and NOW he is sitting up in his bumbo seat....I just want to cry because he is getting so big!!!

MATTHEW!!! We tried letting him eat lunch at his Elmo table the other day...he didn't stay there but he looks sooooo big now!!!

I'm too depressed right now to continue writing....I want my little newborns back =(

Matthew and Sophie; Jackson's first swim

2011-03-26T22:52:00.009-04:00

Not much to say tonight.....just sharing some pictures of our day today =)

Opa, Matthew and cousin Sophie

Matthew and Sophie play well together....I just wish we lived closer together.

Sophie and her mamma....aka...Aunt Hayden

It was really hard to say goodbye...but it sure was cute =)

Here is Jackson...lovin' the swimming pool...layin' back and relaxin'

3 months of this little guy

2011-03-23T00:22:00.003-04:00

This little guy is 3 months old today!!! Our love for him gets stronger and stronger as the days and weeks go by...and my oh my how they are going by too fast!!!

Jackson....You are now 14 lbs 3 oz...and a whopping 23 1/2 inches long. You love to eat...but not from a bottle very well. You eat best by nursing (which makes me feel so happy that you need me so much =) I just know that one day you won't need me as much as you do right now so I cherish every moment we have together. I am so happy that GOD chose me to be your mommy!!!

Here is a comparison picture of Matthew and Jackson both when they were 3 months old.

Below are some pictures I took on Saturday evening of my two sweet boys....I can't believe how much I am blessed to be the mommy to two wonderful boys!!! I'm so lucky!!!

A Day Out With Thomas

2011-03-20T19:01:00.008-04:00

Yesterday we went to the Goldcoast Railroad Museum for "A Day Out With Thomas"!!! Matthew was sooooo excited!!!

Matthew and Jackson's great grandmother, grandmother and great uncle Warren are visiting this week. Matthew loves having all of this extra attention.

We saw Sir Topham Hatt....

We rode on Thomas and looked out the window...

Jackson enjoyed his ride too...actually Jackson slept for the whole ride but he still emjoyed the ride =)

All in all we all had fun...

Jack's Patty Day

2011-03-18T00:23:00.003-04:00

I realized that I never got ANY pictures of Matthew and his Mom's Lucky Charm St. Patty's shirt. He just might have to wear that shirt again. In fact, I might have to get both boys in the Patty's Day attire again just to get some of them together.

Here is my little man showing his serious side.

I can't get over how big his is getting already. He is a huge joy in our lives and now I can hardly remember not having him around.

A close up of that sweet little face...I think he is looking more and more like me =)

NOOOO!!!! Not the car seat!!!!

Here is Matthew and Jackson side by side on their 1st St. Patrick's Day!!! Now they are starting to look A LOT different to me.

I am so blessed =)

A Date and a Baptism

2011-03-13T23:59:00.006-04:00

Being a mom to 2 children so close in age....I have found that at times I want to pull my hair out and run screaming. It seems like every time I sit down to eat, Jackson starts crying as soon as I put the fork to my mouth. It is VERY frustrating so when we had the opportunity to visit Naples this weekend for Jackson's baptism we decided to dump...er...I mean leave the kids with Opa and Mimi while Seth and I had a nice dinner out.

Matthew was and is IN LOVE with his Opa and Mimi. Jackson seemed to be confused about where his mommy and daddy went....but he handled himself just fine.

After spending Saturday shopping til we dropped we had Jackson's baptism today.

Here are some pictures of our little guy =)

All in all, the boys behaved themselves very well this weekend. I am so proud of them!!!

Have a good evening!!!

Focusing Jackson

2011-03-11T01:15:00.005-05:00

So...right around 3 or 4 months with Matthew I remember he decided to stop eating without a huge struggle. I still don't know if it was because he was sick with the reflux or just distracted and sitting around nursing for 30 minutes was boring to him.

I am prepared with Jackson!!! I found on Etsy the cutest nursing necklaces from AikoArt

I really hope that it helps Jackson focus on eating. I can already tell that he is getting more distracting at feeding time. I can't wait until I get them and let Jackson try them out!!!

Jackson is now wearing 3-6 month clothing so I don't think he is hurting with his weight but I like to be proactive and knowing what happened with Matthew...I want to do everything in my power to keep that from happening to Jackson. We have got to keep him moving in the right direction.

Here are some pictures of Jackson showing he can do a push up!!

The last picture is him sporting his 3-6 month wardrobe!!!

This weekend is Jackson's baptism....I can't wait to share pictures with everyone!!!

Have a good night =)

My babies

2011-03-09T20:33:00.005-05:00

Here are some pictures from the last couple of days!!!

These are blue jeans that Matthew wore at 7 1/2 months....Jackson is only 2 1/2 months...See below for a picture of Matthew wearing th

United Teachers of Dade Picnic

2011-03-05T21:31:00.003-05:00

Today we went to the evil union's....I mean the United Teachers of Dade's annual picnic. It is one of the great ways that our TEACHER'S UNION pays tribute and shows appreciation for all of the hard work that teachers do throughout the year. Come to think of it...no wonder so many hard-working teachers love their unions so much...the union is usually the only organization that shows appreciation for what teachers do. Just to give you an idea of what all our union does...we offer professional development to teachers, paraprofessionals, and clerical staff throughout the year. These professional development opportunities give teachers more knowledge on how to become better teachers and for paraprofessionals to become highly qualified so they can move up into higher positions. In short, yes the union does offer protection to teachers but they also offer many opportunities for professional growth. The union IS NOT in the business to protect BAD teaching, they offer classes and professional development to help teachers who are not doing so well to get better.

Here are some pictures of today's events....

Highly paid...greedy teachers...YEAH RIGHT!!!

2011-03-03T23:47:00.006-05:00

OK...so I rarely get 'off topic' on my blog...but something has been bothering me about the recent protests in Wisconsin and now in other states. I mean really??? What is so wrong with teachers and other public workers wanting to be treated fairly??? I think these lawmakers that are wanting to do away with unions are verging on a Hitler philosophy...not to mention communism. If these crazy people would think for half a second about what they are doing they are taking away the freedoms of public servents....the public servents that are most important to making our society work (Teachers, Police, Fire Fighters...just to name a few). One more thing...I want to laugh in their faces when they (FOX news specifically) say that we are greedy and highly paid with lots of benefits. Yes, GOD forbid I have health insurance, but I still paid almost $2500.00 to have Jackson. Our district raised the rates and switched insurance companies on us since I had Matthew. I paid a $20.00 co-pay to have Matthew. So I don't understand whay they say we don't deserve to be paid for the work we do.

Anyway, I could go on and on about all of this but I wanted to leave you with some thoughts on how scary these crooked Tea Party idiots are being.

Pay close attention to the words in this quote...then look at who said it!!

"We must close union offices, confiscate their money and put their leaders in prison. We must reduce workers salaries and take away their right to strike." Adolf Hitler, May 2, 1933

All of this prompted me to GET ACTIVE with Matthew & Jackson this afternoon...J went to his first union protest today!!!!

Two months old....ALREADY!!

2011-02-26T23:27:00.004-05:00

When we had Matthew...everyone would tell me how the time was going to fly by and before I know it he would be 2 years old. I didn't believe them but looking back on it they were right. I do remember, however, that the first couple of months seemed to creep by so slowly. You see Matthew was a cryer....he cried all day long in pain with reflux and was very colicky. I spent most of the day at wits end and questioning everything I was doing. Most of the time I would cry right along with him. Looking back, I probably didn't feed him enough...I should have listened to his hunger signs but then again I didn't know what the heck I was doing because I was too stubborn to get any help from a lactation consultant or the La Leche League.

Since I learned (the hard way) that I didn't know it all...I decided to swallow my pride (this time around) and go to LLL meetings and now my SIL is studying to be a lactation consultant so I have a GREAT support group. Jackson's first two months have literally FLOWN by. I can't believe how much he has grown and changed. I miss him so much as a scrawny little guy and have almost forgotten the feeling of holding my little man for the first time. I wish I could rewind back to Dec. 22 just to do it all over again. He has been and is one of the sweetest, mild tempered little guys I have ever seen or been around. Now he is vaccinated and growing into a little man...oh so quickly.

Now Jackson is nursing 8-12 times per day...usually grazing or cluster feeding all afternoon about 3-4 days per week. He also like to eat/graze from 9 til 11 every night. I think he is mostly using me as a pacifier and is not getting milk the entire time but he loves the comfort =) I think he does overeat at times which leads him to throw up...but he is very healthy.

At the doctor he weighed 13 lbs 3 oz....he was 23 inches long.

That puts him in the 62nd percentile for weight and 31st for height. Matthew was much smaller at 2 months but it was before he lost interest in eating.

He is starting to track and follow with his eyes and he will smile back at me when I smile at him. We are still working on getting him to lift his head during tummy time...I am kinda bad about getting him on his tummy for tummy time on a daily basis. He kinda gets upset on his tummy (quite possibly because he overeats).

He loves going to church, hanging out with daddy, eating and has went to his first union meeting (a true Jimmy Hoffa in the making).

Here are some pictures of my little Jackson at 2 months...

Just for comparison...here is a side by side picture of Matthew at 2 months and Jackson at 2 months.

Jackson...you are so special to me and I can't wait for you to do all of your "firsts" but slow down a little....your growing up way too fast!!!

Snip..snip and the curls were gone

2011-02-20T16:35:00.004-05:00

Since Nana and Tia Kay Kay are visiting I decided to take Matthew to get his first haircut so they could be here for the event.

Here is the before shot...

Here are a few of the actual haircut... (note...he was NOT happy about this at all)

Here is the after shot... =( the curls are gone!!!

My new Valentine

2011-02-14T23:05:00.004-05:00

Even though he was grumpy...he is still a cutie pie.

I can't believe this is the same outfit that Matthew wore on his first Valentine's day.

Here is Matthew on Valentine's Day 2009.

Can you believe how much bigger Jackson is than Matthew was at around the same age?

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

Spit-up and more spit-up

2011-02-10T23:44:00.003-05:00

The last few days I have had flashbacks to Matthew and all of his spit-up and reflux problems. Jackson has been spitting up or throwing up A LOT since last Saturday. It got so bad yesterday that it was almost every meal. Luckily this afternoon he seemed to keep everything down. Tonight all he wanted to do was eat so he started spitting up bordering on throw-up again. I called the doctor but unfortunately I talked to the 'other' doctor at Dr. Goosby's practice and I do not necessarily trust this guy. He advised me to go to the emergency room and have an ultrasound done. He thinks that there could be something wrong with his stomach tightening up and the only treatment is SURGERY. I can't help but think that I am overreacting on the throw-up/spit-up situation. I don't want to ignore a problem but I also don't want to go and spend a long time in the emergency room with a less than 2 month old just to find out he is perfectly fine and then he gets some strange illness from being at the emergency room!!! Please pray that the vomiting will go away or at least get better so we can hold off until he gets his 2 month shots. I also would like to talk to Dr. Goosby about this situation and get a 2nd opinion.

In the mean time he is still eating VERY WELL and pooping and peeing so I know things are getting through his system.

On a happier note....here are a few pics from his 7 week photo shoot.

Happy Friday!!!

Fun Sunny Saturday Morning

2011-02-05T21:41:00.003-05:00

I think that we are about the only place in the United States that can say we had a nice warm Saturday!! In fact the last couple of days SCREAMS springtime in Miami =) We have had highs in the upper 70s and lower 80s and the lows have been in the 60s. I know, I know lucky me!!

Another reason I am lucky is I have the cutest, bestest, sweetest two boys in the whole wide world.

We got Jackson a play mat with a Toys R Us gift card and the boys had a photo shoot while playing this morning. Matthew seems to adore his little brother and he is SOOO proud to 'introduce' him to other people. We have been taking Matthew to his daycare every now and then and the first time I brought Jackson in he was so proud to announce his brother to all of his friends.

Here are my boys =)

Post of Pics

2011-02-04T00:03:00.003-05:00

My Boys!!!

Jackson Morris

2011-01-28T21:33:00.002-05:00

Jackson weighed in at 10 lbs 7 oz on Wednesday at his 1 month check-up. He has gained almost 3 pounds since his birth and grew from 20 inches to 21 and 1/2 inches. This exciting news leads me to my next rant. When he was born he was Coombs positive. This means that his blood type and mine were not compatable and he had a greater chance to be jaundice (which he never was). The nurses were absolutely persistant that I give him formula to flush out the first few poops...although he pooped like 6 times on the first day he didn't poop again until late in the afternoon on day two and they all got worried and everything. He was also having trouble peeing until he got home.

I never posted anything about this because I tried to rid my mind of all of the negativity I was getting around my insistance on breastfeeding. Anyway, by the end of the second day he had lost more than 10% of his birthweight which set off all kinds of alarms with the nurses and the doctor. I was forced to give him formula (all the while I was an hysterical mess because of the mania). To make matters worse, his doctor (who I absolutely LOVE) tried to get me to supplement with formula. He gave me some very bad advice about breastfeeding then finishing with a couple of ounces of formula. Luckily I didn't listen and now he weighes over 10 lbs. I am so proud that I stuck my ground and now Jackson is exclusively breastfeeding.

Hopefully by the end of the weekend I will have some new pictures posted.

One Month ALREADY!!!!

2011-01-23T00:15:00.004-05:00

This little guy is one month old today!!! I can't believe it has already been a month since we were sitting in the hospital waiting for the nurses to bring little Jackson to me. This is what he looked like at 1 day old...He has changed so much already.

I will be taking him to the doctor on Wednesday so I will have his stats then.

Just for comparison, here is a picture of Matthew Wayne at one month old!!!

3 weeks

2011-01-15T13:40:00.004-05:00

I can't believe that it has already been over 3 weeks since Jackson was born. With Matthew the first few weeks passed by so slowly but Jackson's first month seems to be flying by.

Since I am breastfeeding the doctor wants to check Jackson's weight more frequently because Matthew had such a hard time gaining weight. Last Wednesday he weighed 8 lbs 15.9 oz...which means he has gained a pound and a half since he was born. If you count the fact that he lost A LOT of weight in the hospital the first 3 days he has gained over 2 pounds from his lowest weight.

Here is a picture that is a side by side comparison of Matthew and Jackson at around the same age.

Me and my boys!!!

Smile!!!

2011-01-08T22:53:00.004-05:00

Jackson is growing and growing...last week I did another photo shoot with Jackson and Matthew. I think Jackson actually smiled at me!!!

Matthew is still doing great being a big brother!!! Although I am very nervous about being here all by myself with the boys next week when Seth goes back to work. Jackson loves to cluster feed and Matthew takes that opportunity to "act out" and see how much trouble he can get into. I think he is a tad jealous that I have to spend so much time with Jackson. He still shows lots of love towards Jackson.

Also, yesterday I actually fit into my pre-prego jeans!!! Yes, less than 3 weeks since giving birth.

Happy 2nd Birthday Matthew

2011-01-03T14:56:00.003-05:00

OK...So Dec. 29th passed me by and I completely forgot to blog about my little Matthew. Even though we had his party back at the beginning of the month...I still wanted to and meant to wish him a happy birthday on his actual birthday.

At 2 years old...Matthew loves ELMO and all things Seseme Street. He also has started to LOVE bananas and apples. He is in love with Jackson and seems to be adjusting very well to being a big brother.

He weighes right at 24 pounds and loves to play outside with his daddy.

Matthew Wayne!!! You are the love of my life and I can't wait to see what is going to happen next for you =)

Happy New Year

2011-01-02T21:38:00.004-05:00

Hi everyone,

My time to blog has been limited the last few days...due to a very hungry baby boy. Luckily, he is sleeping right now so I thought I would post a short update.

Jackson is doing great at night...knock on wood...he wakes about every 3 hours to eat which I am counting my blessings on that one. Matthew seems to be adjusting extremely well except for some terrible two's moments. He has developed a habit of putting his hands in his diaper and loosening it only to pee all over himself. It is rather frustrating but he is GREAT with Jackson.

Before I go tonight. I want to wish everyone a Happy New Year!!!

Here are some updated pictures of Jackson.

Jackson is here!!! Oh...and...Merry Christmas!!!

2010-12-26T22:34:00.004-05:00

I am going to be short and sweet tonight.

Jackson Morris Patterson
Dec. 22, 2010 @ 6:34 p.m.
7 pounds 10 ounces; 20 inches long

We hope everyone had a very MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Less than a day

2010-12-22T00:22:00.002-05:00

Hi everyone,

Please keep me in your prayers tomorrow...I will be going in for my C-Section around 6 pm. They may be able to get to me earlier and I hope so since I won't be able to eat ANYTHING past an early breakfast.

I need to go to bed now but I wanted to ask for your prayers for me to remain calm, cool and collected throughout the day.

By the next post...I will have a new little baby boy =)

Good night!!!

3 days left...but first things first!!!

2010-12-19T22:13:00.005-05:00

First of all...we have had a very busy couple of days!! Friday was my 29+ birthday. I'm sticking to 29 from now on =). Anyway, we went to Outback Steakhouse Friday evening and it was SOOOOOOO good. After Outback we came home and Seth had me a buttercream icing and white cake waiting for my boys to sing Happy Birthday to me...It was so nice.

Since Jackson is going to be born on Dec. 22 (just 3 days away!!!)...we decided to call up Santa and explain the situation so he came early this year.

Matthew was so excited to see his Elmo Table and wagon from Tia K K.

After we opened Christmas presents we visited Matthew and Jackson's peditrician to discuss Jackson's arrival on Wednesday. We love Dr. Goosby and he always seems to spend lots of time answering all of our silly questions and making sure we feel comfortable.

Then we came home and Matthew and I took a nap before we went to the airport to pick up my mom who is visiting for the birth of Jackson and to help out with Matthew. We are so so so so happy she is here...I feel more relaxed and able to rest with my mom here.

Hope all things are going well with the holiday season with you and your families!!! More to come later =)

Elmo's World

2010-12-11T23:32:00.004-05:00

So since I am having Jackson on Dec. 22nd!! (which is only 10 days away!!!!) We decided to have Matthew's birthday party today so I would still feel up to having friends and family over. His actual birthday is Dec. 29th but I will be busy on that date. =) Matthew is totally IN LOVE with Elmo so we decided to go with that theme for the party.

Here are some pictures of our awesome day!!!

Matthew my love!!! I can't believe that you are already almost 2 years old!!! I know you are going to be a wonderful big brother and I can't wait for you to meet your new little brother. Always remember that you will always have a special place in my heart and I will always LOVE you very much. I am so happy that you had such a special day today. I can't wait for many many more special days, just like this one!!!

VBAC is a no go

2010-12-09T23:19:00.002-05:00

Hi blog world (whoever reads this blog besides me =)

Just found out yesterday that our little Jackson is following in his brothers footsteps and decided he loves to hear his momma singing all day and has settled in breech position. The doctor estimated him weighing in at about 7 1/2 pounds (right now) so because of his size it is unlikely that he will be able to make the turn south.

Because of all of this we scheduled our C-section for Dec. 22 at 6 pm which means I will be spending Christmas in the hospital--ick. I will try and make the best of it though and I am sure that my family will make me feel Christmassy....Maybe Santa will be able to find us.

I am still trying to figure out what to do with Matthew...but I am sure the stars will align especially since my mom is coming to help out.

Pictures of holiday randomness will be later =)

Good night!!!

I feel like a beached whale

2010-12-04T22:38:00.003-05:00

The above picture is me at about full term with Matthew!!!

Here I am at 35 weeks with Jackson!!!

So...I am a 36 1/2 weeks pregnant and I feel like my body has been taken over by an alien!!! At any moment he will decide to literally pound into my bladder and I have problems holding 'it' in!!! Also, last night when I tried to turn over in bed, I pulled a muscle in my side and Seth thought I was falling out of bed with my gasp. I am so tired of feeling like he is constantly going to fall out. With all of these complaints, I do realize that I am extremely lucky to not have any problems with Gestational Diabetes or Pre-Eclampsia. Also, I have mixed emotions about having him here....after having Matthew I know how much work it is to take care of a newborn....so I guess I will try to enjoy my last few days of peacefulness :) before the craziness begins.

O Christmas Tree

2010-11-26T15:16:00.008-05:00

So...last Sunday we went to Lowe's and got our Christmas tree. Last year's tree was very shabby on one side and we didn't notice until we got home with it so I made 100% certain that our tree this year was spot on!!! I think I did a pretty good job!!

First...to pick out the tree.

Matthew REFUSED to look at the camera, he was too excited about the trees.

Luckily, my husband is a MUSCLE man...lol...and was able to get the tree off of the car and carry it in the house all by himself...since I shouldn't be lifting heavy items =). Matthew was so cute saying beep beep right behind Seth as he walked through the house holding our giant 7 foot tree. (BTW...I said that we would get a small tree this year..but after seeing this one...I couldn't resist)

Matthew thought that blowing on the lights would make them go off...he was mesmerized by the lights and would say oooooooo when Seth would plug them back in.

The finished product!!!!

Merry Christmas!!!

Pictureless but Thankful Thanksgiving

2010-11-25T22:39:00.002-05:00

So...I haven't felt much like taking pictures recently. Today I thought about it but just didn't take the time. We had a great day at home. I let Publix do all the work for Turkey day this year. I only have 5 weeks left in my pregnancy and I wasn't feeling up to traveling to Naples or cooking. Publix had a great deal for $40.00. A 7-10 pound turkey...dressing...mashed potatoes and gravy...cranberry sauce...and a cranberry apple cobbler. The turkey was great...but I still say that there is nothing like mamma's dressin' and grandma's mashed potatoes.

Matthew enjoyed the day and really liked the turkey. Tomorrow I hope to do some shopping (only not at 4 in the morning). I am going to wait until later in the day to go.

Saturday we are going to get the Christmas tree so hopefully I will have some pictures to share by the end of the weekend.

Happy Turkey Day everyone!!!

Halloween 2010

2010-10-31T22:12:00.004-04:00

Seth and I went to a conference in Orlando on Thursday and Matthew got to visit with his Opa and Mimi. Matthew, of course, was exceptionally well behaved, until we got back yesterday anyway. Then he started jumping on the couch and doing other forbidden things. We went trick or treating in Opa and Mimi's neighborhood tonight. This was Matthew's 2nd Halloween and he had a blast. Here are some pictures of our outing!!!

Here is Matthew at Halloween last year...

I can't wait til next year and we have little Jackson to take trick or treating too.

What a fun time of year.

Now...we're ready for Halloween

2010-10-23T18:39:00.010-04:00

Today we went to the pumpkin patch to pick out a pumpkin for Halloween.

Matthew liked this one!!!

Matthew threw this one!!!

Matthew liked the horse ride!!!

Now Matthew was just having a blast playing in the hay and looking at all of the pumpkins.

Here he is with mommy!!!

Here he is with daddy!!!

What a happy day!!!

Here is Matthew last year at the pumpkin patch...my oh my how he has changed!!!

Lazy Sunday

2010-10-10T22:01:00.003-04:00

So we got up and went to church this morning....it took about 10 minutes for someone to remind me of the Alabama loss to South Carolina yesterday. I have to admit....until this year I really didn't know that South Carolina actually had a football team...or at least a good one. Yesterday...SC showed that they could really play football while Alabama looked like a stinky high school team out on the field. I was very disappointed in our team, but I have to admit I knew they wouldn't win forever.

The sad part about our loss is that I finally got Matthew to say ROOOOLLL TIDE. He will roll his hands in the air while saying Rolllll and then give me high fives on Tide. We were just about to video and then Alabama lost so I'm just not in the spirit to try to get it on video until next weekend.

Today, Matthew was feeling much better by yesterday afternoon so after the game we went to Red Lobster which cheered us all up. They have a great Salmon and I loved loved loved it.

After church we came home. Matthew was being very photogenic so we took some pictures.

Here are some of his funny faces =)

Glowing & Growing

2010-10-08T22:13:00.004-04:00

For some reason, everyone has told me that I look different this week. Currently, I am 28 weeks and counting but this is the week that I feel like I am really starting to LOOK and FEEL prego.

Here are some pictures we took last weekend.

Mommy and Matthew (& Jackson too) ;)

Playing around outside.

Helping daddy get the grill ready

This weekend Matthew seems to have caught a stomach virus that I certainly hope I do not catch. At this point he can't even keep water or pedialyte down. I sent him to bed with no water or supper. You could tell that he was starving with thirst and I felt horrible not letting him drink anything but I know it will help him get better in the long run.

Hopefully by the end of the weekend Matthew will be feeling much better and I can post some more pictures of our weekend.

Matthew's Sunshine and Jackson's Honey

2010-10-03T22:45:00.004-04:00

My mom is just so talented. When Matthew was born she made him a quilt with the words to the song "You Are My Sunshine" on it. That song was/is a favorite of mine because my mom and grandmother would sing it to me when I was little so it was only natural that we incorporate that song into something of Matthew's.

Since we didn't want to do the same song for Jackson and I am using the bumblebee theme I decided to use the song "I'm Bringing Home A Baby Bumblebee" for Jackson. So my mom in all of her talent whipped up this beauty for her second grandson.

I can't wait for Jackson to get here so he can use it!!!

Swimming on a nice October afternoon

2010-10-02T23:59:00.006-04:00

The great thing about living in South Florida is the fact that you can go swimming pretty much all year. Today the high temperature was finally out of the 90's...so we decided to go to our pool for the afternoon. Matthew loves water and did great at the pool. He even went completely under (by accident), but he didn't even cry. He just coughed a little and giggled like he wanted to do it again. We had so much fun. Here are some pictures of the afternoon.

I'm Bringing Home A Baby Bumblebee

2010-09-19T00:21:00.003-04:00

We got the crib, bedding and other accessories for Jackson's room this week and today we spent the better part of the day putting the bed together (actually Seth did this part with help (more like hindrance) from Matthew. I decorated. We still have to find a dresser, mirror and buy some more accessories for the room but I think we are off to a good start.

I love the bumblebee theme!!! Adding the snails, frogs and dragonflies make it a little more boyish but I love the song "Bringing Home A Baby Bumblebee" and so does Matthew so we chose the bumblebee theme for Jackson.

I got creative!! I found these little bugs hanging on springs and decided to hang them from the ceiling. I am a master at crocheting but never finishing projects so I found where I had crocheted these little squares and decided to use them to hang at the ceiling where the little bugs were hanging. I have to make them more permanent but this is how they look right now. I got them at JoAnne fabrics this summer as part of a clearance sale. (they were like 1.00 each)

Here is the crib with the bedding on it. Behind the crib we have matching decals that just stick to the wall. It works great so we don't have to put a lot of holes in the wall because when he gets older I know he will want to change the decor.

This rocking chair was given to me by a very dear friend. We have a lighter color wood in Matthew's room so we put Seth's old rocking chair in Matthew's room. This darker color matches Jackson's darker wood much better. Behind the rocking chair are little honeycombs that we found at JoAnne fabrics for like 2.00 each at the same clearance sale.

I can't wait to bring home my baby bumblebee so he can see his room!!!

P in the Pot

2010-09-16T22:03:00.003-04:00

Thank God I am getting another little baby soon =) Matthew is just growing up WAY TOO FAST!!! Tonight he went Pee Pee in the pot for the very first time. I can't believe it...they say that it takes longer for boys but I have seen little girls that are older than Matthew that are still in diapers.

I am one proud mom tonight!!!

We got the crib and bedding this week so hopefully this weekend I will be able to post pictures of our little man's room!!!

Have a wonderful Friday everyone!!!

Jackson's Crib

2010-09-09T20:03:00.006-04:00

One thing I have been so lazy about is getting Jackson's room cleaned up and ready to set up the room. Today we decided to buy the crib online so pretty soon I will be forced to get everything ready. I found out that JCPenny and Target are having a huge baby sale and we got a great deal on a crib from Target.

We decided to go with a bumblebee theme for Jackson's room. One of Matthew's favorite songs is "Bringing Home A Baby Bumblebee" so I thought we would use that idea for Jackson's room. Here are some pictures of his bedding and other items I am registered for at Babies R Us.

Hopefully in the next week or so I will be able to post the pictures of Jackson's completed room =)

Happy Friday everyone!!!!

Matthew at 20 months and Jackson at 23 1/2 weeks

2010-09-07T21:23:00.003-04:00

Matthew is now 20 months old...I can't believe that in less than 4 months he will be 2 years old. The sad part is that I will be 2 years older too!!!

Here is a picture of Matthew at 20 months old.

Just for comparison...here is Matthew at 8 months old.

I can't believe how big he is getting. Wow, pretty soon I will have another baby just in time for Matthew to start getting out of the baby stage.

Here is Jackson at 23 1/2 weeks. (and me of course)

Back to School and Matthew is 19 months old

2010-08-08T23:14:00.003-04:00

I HATE back to school commercials. Even as a child I would have to run out of the room kicking and screaming to get away from the idea that the long wonderful summer of fun was coming to an end. Now it's worse. Last year, I was a little excited to go back to work because of the newness of Matthew getting to go to day care. Now, after spending all summer sleeping in (yes, Matthew sleeps until 9 or 9:30 most days) I am dreading the idea of getting up early.

Next week I am going to be going to a workshop on becoming a Steward Trainer. I am getting kinda excited about it because I will be around my union friends all week. To make things even better...Seth is going to!!! Matthew will be going back to Ms. Cookies tomorrow though. That is bitter sweet for me.

Matthew is now 19 months old. We took him to the beach for the first time a few weekends ago (I didn't take many pictures..because I realized that if I take all the pictures I lose out in all the fun). He loved going to the beach...he even got in his little toddler float and rode the waves with us. They were actually pretty big too. He just splashed and splashed and would even put the water in his mouth.

A few days later, he came down with this horrible fever. It lasted about 3 days on and off. Tylonal would always bring it down but after a nap he would always wake up hot. Then after the fever broke the next day he got this rash all over his body. I freaked out (of course) and we called the doctor. Luckily, the doctor knew what it was over the phone. He called it Roseola which is rarely contagious to adults. After the rash went away in a day or so he was back to normal.

On this past Thursday we took a trip to the zoo. Again I didn't take many pictures because I always miss out on things as the photographer. He loved the Lion. In fact he growled the rest of the night until he went to sleep. What a sweet memory for him.

Matthew is now sleeping in his toddler bed. We have to lock him in his room but he does go to sleep in his bed for the night without crying very much at all. I feel bad about locking him in but I am determined that we will have have our kids sleep in the bed with us. We have a 4 bedroom house for a reason. =)

Now I am looking forward to meeting our new little guy in December. Jackson Morris Patterson is actually due on Matthew's birthday Dec. 29. But since Matthew was a c-section I will have another with Jackson so I am assuming that he will be born about a week or so early.

Hopefully I will have pictures to share with you in the coming days. I am making a new goal to post once a week while I am back in school.

Have a great evening everyone!!!

Mt. Rainier, snow and me in flip flops (yes, my Florida was showing)

2010-07-23T22:56:00.011-04:00

OK...so nobody told me that there would still be snow on the ground in JULY on our trip to the mountains in Washington state. Honestly, I just didn't think about it that much. I just wanted room in my luggage for....I don't know....other things, other than bulky shoes.

Mt. Rainier was beautiful...but COOOOLLLLDDD (at a high temp of 53 it actually was kinda a spring like day for the mountain folk) ;) The first place we went in the park was called the Paradise Visitor Center. On a clear day you can see wonderful views of the glaciers and snow caps on the mountain...but we just saw fog. Luckily at the next stop...Sunrise Visitors Center...the fog had lifted and we saw a beautiful view of the mountain.

We also saw really old trees (that sprouted in the 1200s)...

Waterfalls...

Wildlife...

(OK..OK I am aware that the last picture is of a previously wild Panther...but isn't it beautiful)

and not to mention the beautiful scenery!!!

We were sad to leave the park...but it seems like everywhere you go in the Seattle/Tacoma area the mountains are following you. We looked in our rear view mirror at one point and there it was...chasing us away. It was a little scary to know that Mt. Rainier is an active volcano. If we heard or felt rumbling we were supposed to leave the park immediately. Luckily, we made it out...and the only rumbling I felt was the bumpy road that Seth was driving too fast on...just kidding Seth ;)

In the Twilight Zone

2010-07-22T23:06:00.010-04:00

Getting back to blogging. While we were in Seattle we decided to take a trip to the Olympic National Park. This place is about 95% wilderness and I can completely understand why. It is desolate in places. Wow, it is beautiful that we still have places that are wild and unexplored in America.

First of all we took a ferry boat to this small little town on the edge of the park called Port Angeles, WA. It is about 25 to 30 miles from the Canadian border. We got to our hotel around 6 pm, so we decided to head out and do some exploring of the town. You see in Washington it doesn't get dark until about 9:30 or 10:00 at night (which is already 12:30 or 1:00 am eastern time so I was kinda fascinated by this time change business) In Port Angeles, we went down to the docks area near the water and all of these stores has stuff about the Twilight series in them. You have to understand that since Matthew was born I don't have time to read much less go and get hooked on movies so I know little or nothing about all of the craziness surrounding the Twilight saga. We decided that we needed a break from Seafood (gasp) and got Mexican instead. Although this quaint little restaurant called Bella's something or others caught our eye. It was Italian and since I am pregnant Italian always gives me heartburn so we decided on Mexican instead. Anyway, Port Angeles is a creepy little sea town and EVERYONE looks so pale and different from the tan and Hispanic crowd I am used to in Miami. I just couldn't get the Twilight stuff out of my mind so when we got back to the hotel that night I searched Twilight on the Internet and OMG....Twilight was set in this part of Washington. We were actually going to drive through Forks, WA...where Bella (the main character) lives in the book. I also found out that in the book and movie the characters eat at that Bella's restaurant where we almost ate. Weird huh???

Above is a picture of Port Angeles...isn't it creepy???

Needless to say, I had weird dreams about Edward (the vampire) coming into our hotel room the entire night. I can't sleep in strange musty hotel rooms very well anyway so it was just a weird night.

Well, the next morning we (I, gladly) got up and headed out for our adventure. First off we went to Hurricane ridge where there was SNOW!!!

After all of that we headed to Forks. Which was now something more exciting and unusual for me.

The above pictures are taken at the "it spots" for TWI hards to go and have their pictures taken. I must say that it didn't really mean much to me but...it was a little exciting. We went into the Chamber of Commerce building and someone asked me if I was for Jacob or Edward. I looked at them like they had grown another head because I had no idea (now I have figured it out) what they were talking about. =) Along our drive, however, I did expect a ware wolf or vampire to jump out at any given moment. This place was creepy. And remember earlier how I talked about how everyone looked so pale...well, in Forks it was even more weird. I expected, at any given moment for someone to look at me and have red glowing eyes.

After we had lunch in Forks...went about 10 miles down the road to a cold weather rain forest (which was spooky considering we were in vampire and ware wolf country).

The last stop of our trip to the Olympic National Park was at the Pacific Ocean.

Although you would think that all of this was within about a 70 or 80 mile trek...well you would be wrong. From Port Angeles to Forks alone was about 60 miles or so. This trip was a LOOOOONG day. We finally made it back to Tacoma around 9:00 and when we went to eat at a restaurant they acted like they didn't want to serve us because they closed at 10 pm. We were pooped!!!

Tomorrow I will tell you all about our day trip to Mount Rainier National Park!!!

Seattle, WA

2010-07-09T00:23:00.005-04:00

So I am going to take a few minutes and blog about our trip to Seattle. Seth and I flew out for the American Federation of Teachers convention where we are delegates for our local union back in Miami, FL. It is bizzare to think that we come from about 200 miles from Cuba to about 200 miles (or less) from Canada. You can't go much farther across the US.

On our flight in I snapped these shots of Mount Ranier and the surrounding snow caps. We are going to take a tour of the area after our obligations to the convention is over so I will have more pictures at that time.

Meanwhile, Matthew is staying with my mom (his Nana) back in Alabama. I don't think he misses me much...you know...out of sight--out of mind. He did see a picture of me today and say momma...so at least he remembers me =). I miss him like crazy, but honestly it is a relief that he is not here because of all the walking we have to do and it feels like we are walking up hill both ways, except there is no snow...it has been in the upper 80s.

More to come soon....

Half birthday

2010-06-29T15:34:00.004-04:00

So today is Matthew's 1 year and 1/2 birthday. He went for his doctor's check up this afternoon and he has not had an ear infection for 3 months!!!! His ears were completely clear today...that makes mommy so happy. I am sure it makes Matthew happy too. He now weighs 21 lbs and 1 ounce...Dr. Goosby says he is perfect and ready to be a big brother. According to the doctor he should be saying around 20 words right now and by 2 years old he should be saying 50 words. Lets see...

He says...

ma-ma
da-da
na-na
pop
duck (and quacks)
cat (and meows)
dog (and woofs)
door
nose (and points to his nose or any nose)
ear (and points)
mouth (and points)
eye (and points)
water
bottle (although I think he is actually saying ba-ba)
baby
bear
clock
car
do that (which means he wants something to eat)
truck
cracker

I think there is more but all in all I think he is getting along pretty well.

Below are some pictures I took this morning. He even stood still and posed when I told him to in a couple of them. I can't believe he is getting so big.

Here are some pictures of Matthew one year ago today. It's hard to imagine that we have been in our house exactly 1 year now. We moved in on Matthew's 6 month birthday. These pictures are the last pictures we have of him in our condo. It was such a mess with moving that we had to put him in his bed to take the pictures.

These pictures are not from his actual 6 month birthday but they are some of my all time favorite. He has grown so much that I can hardly remember him not being able to walk or sit up on his own. Wow. What a difference a year makes!!!

I guess it's about time...

2010-06-28T23:40:00.003-04:00

So...I am going to be a mommy again!!! It's funny, but the due date is Dec. 29. Which is Matthew's birthday. I will have to have a C-section so I don't think he/she will be born on Matthew's birthday.

So here is our first picture of the new peanut. You can't tell much but I think he/she looks like me?? LOL

Not eating....again

2010-06-18T12:29:00.003-04:00

I feel like it is this time last summer!!! Matthew is again have problems with his eating habits. I can't seem to get him out of his constipation right now. From time to time he does have problems with the bathroom but usually Benefiber in his morning, afternoon, and evening bottles will help with that problem. Now I can't seem to get him moving again. Because he is having those problems now...he won't hardly eat anything. He seems hungry but he won't eat. I have tried chicken noodle soup, chicken nuggets (which he will eat sometimes), sandwiches, tomato soup, baby food: peas, squash, sweet potatoes and corn, mango, pears. Most of the time (unless it is french fries) he refuses it all. It makes me so mad and upset because I know that he eats all of that and more at Ms. Cookies house (his sitter while I am in school)!!!!!!!!!!

This was exactly how he was acting last summer...I thought that maybe he was over not eating, boy was I wrong. I feel like such a failure =(!!!!!!!

UGGGG....I'm sick!!!

2010-06-17T22:37:00.003-04:00

Hi everyone!!! Tonight is the first night in almost a week that I have felt like posting a blog because I have been very sick with a stupid cold. Unfortunately, there are no pictures to add right now because it's all I can do to keep my nose from running. I have found that it is possible to have a runny nose and a stuffy nose at the same time. YUCK!!

Luckily, Matthew hasn't seem to catch this awful cold yet.

He is growing up so fast!!! Just the other day I was talking to him over the phone (Seth had it on speaker phone) and I asked him to "Give momma a kiss" and I heard a little kissing sound over the phone. I almost drove off the road...he is really starting to understand what we are saying.

Now he can say:

Nose (while pointing to it)
Ear (while pointing to it...he does have trouble with the r sound at the end but he is working on it)
Duck..and he quacks
Cat...and he meows
ma ma
da da
do that (meaning he wants more food)
bye bye
shoe
sock

and many more...the other night he was reading his farm animal book and was going baaa baaa...I looked at the picture and sure enough there was a goat.

We are going back to the dermatologist now for his hemagiomia on his nose. They are now going to treat it was some creams and ointments. Hopefully this will work.

More later...I hope to be feeling better soon so I can take some awesome Father's Day Pictures.

BTW...Please pray for my SIL Casey

She recently found out she has a rare cancer. She will be finding out more information on Monday. Please pray that it hasn't spread and she will make a complete and full recovery!!!

OK. OK. 17 months

2010-06-10T22:09:00.005-04:00

I decided I better go ahead and post Matthew's 17 month information. I am sooooo behind on my blog, but tomorrow is the last teacher planning day so I am hoping to get caught up big time.

Here are some pictures I took on his 17 month birthday. I only got 3 before my camera battery died and I didn't charge it again until yesterday.

Here is our little angel at 17 months old...

This month he is talking and talking and talking but too bad we don't know what language he is speaking because we can't understand very much. I feel like I should know exactly what he is saying and the other day he looked at the perfect stranger and said, "bla be do ti sss toelds" and I swear she knew what he said. So I am beginning to think that he speaks perfect Spanish (since he stays with ladies who speak primarily Spanish all day) and we just don't know what he is saying. Another exciting milestone is the fact that now he will eat off of a plate without throwing the plate across the room. We can fix him a plate of food and he will sit there and eat off the plate. He has not been to the doctor since his 15 month appointment so I am not sure how much he weighs but I know he has gotten taller because he now can open doors. He hasn't shown ANY signs of an ear infection in at least 2 months so I hope he is growing out of that. Anyway, we hope to start trying milk or soy milk again this summer. Let's hope that he will tolerate that well. We are taking him to the dermatologist next Tuesday because his hemagiomia (I'm not sure I spelled that correctly) is growing back.

Now for comparison here is Matthew at 5 months old (1 year ago from the above pictures).

I love you Matthew Wayne =) Look at those lashes!!!!

...and then there were 5!!!

2010-06-02T12:08:00.002-04:00

....days that is. Of school (with kids) left =). We actually have to go through next Friday but Thursday and Friday of next week are planning days.

Maybe then I will be able to catch up on my picture taking and blogging so Tia Kay-Kay won't kill me.

Matthew is now 17 months so when I have/find the time I will post a few pictures and information about him.

I promise to get back on the wagon about my addiction to blogging soon!!!

As for now...I must get ready for my next class (shh..I know I am blogging at school..shame on me)

I'm Still Alive...I Promise

2010-05-17T21:04:00.006-04:00

This past weekend we went to Naples to visit Matthew's Opa and Mimi. Here are some pictures of him getting in the swimming pool with Daddy!!!

Hopefully this summer I can get caught up with my blogging. I am just so tired recently and don't have a lot of time to sit down and blog.

Matthew is 16 months old!!!

2010-05-02T00:24:00.005-04:00

Matthew turned 16 months yesterday, but he wasn't in a very good mood for taking pictures. He is getting harder and harder to catch on camera because he is so easily distracted with EVERYTHING around him.

Here are some pretty good ones from yesterday and today. Also, my BIL is visiting and he is enjoying getting to play with little Matthew. We are having a blast!!!

Here are some pictures to remind us how Matthew looked a year ago when he was only 4 months old =).

Mom and Tia visit

2010-05-01T14:53:00.004-04:00

Yes, I am still alive =) kind of??? I think??? I just have to keep pinching myself to see and yes, I am still here.

I CAN'T WAIT UNTIL SUMMER VACAY!!!! I got a little taste of what summer will be like last weekend when my mom and SIL visited. We went to Key Largo for dinner, went shopping at Bayside Marketplace in Miami, and then back to Key Largo at a great seafood resturaunt called Ballyhoo's on Sunday. The only downside was that Matthew wasn't feeling good on Saturday and he had a fever and was sick at his stomach.

Here are a few pictures of their visit.

This is how Matthew fell asleep in his carseat. I feel kinda bad about this picture since he was a little bit sick but I thought it was so cute!!!

The Fam at Bayside Marketplace!!!

I didn't take very many pictures last weekend because Matthew wasn't feeling well. Yesterday was his 16 month birthday so I will leave you with a picture of Matthew at 4 months old exactly 1 year ago!!!

More on his 16 month birthday later, I need to take some more pictures.

The Moffatts

2010-04-18T21:51:00.003-04:00

Matthew had a blast playing at Grandma Moffatt's house over the Easter weekend!!!

Matthew actually would make this toy work when no one else could. It was kinda funny!!!

Matthew and his Great Uncle Warren!!!

Matthew and Great Grandma Moffatt

Matthew and his grandma (Seth's mom)

ooooo...neat toy!!

It lights up...very nice!!!

Putting the Easter Eggs in the bucket!!

New Toy from the Akron Zoo

MAAWHAAAA!!! Going home...See you next time!!!

I'm Back

2010-04-17T23:41:00.005-04:00

The last couple of weeks have been horrible. A few posts ago I mentioned something about our Florida Legislature trying to put heavy restrictions and reform on public school teachers. The bill was passed through our Florida senate and then through the house of representatives and the left for Gov. Crist to sign or veto. Luckily he vetoed the bill!!! It has been a stressful couple of weeks so I took a break from my blog.

Now...I never posted Matthew's Easter egg experience on the blog so I will go ahead and post those pictures even though they are several weeks late.

Enjoy!!!

Matthew on his first Easter!!!

The Pope, Jane, and Matthew's twin cousin

2010-04-06T23:48:00.004-04:00

In Ohio this weekend we had the opportunity to meet with my flute professor, George Pope, from the University of Akron, where I did my masters of music in flute performance. Matthew, being the complete ham that he is, sat in his lap and behaved himself very well. We also had the opportunity to meet with the director of the flute choir and the other flute professor Jane Berkner. We had such a great time getting to see them...but in my haze of motherhood I forgot to get a picture that included Jane. I guess that motherhood is bringing the DUH out of me!!!

We also got to see Matthew's twin cousin. Yes, Matthew has a cousin that was born on the same day and only about 6 hours apart from Matthew. His name is Ben and he is a sweetie.

What a wonderful time getting to see these special people in our lives over the Easter weekend!!!

Trip to Ohio--The Akron Zoo

2010-04-05T23:28:00.004-04:00

For Easter, we went to Ohio. Matthew got to visit with his grandma, great-grandma and a slew of Aunts, Uncles and even a twin cousin and a Pope (stay tuned for more information on the Pope). Yes, Matthew has a 2nd cousin that was born on the same day as Matthew only about 6 hours apart.

Here are some pictures from the Zoo...more pictures to follow on the other parts of the trip.

Cousin Sophie's visit!!!!

2010-03-31T18:41:00.004-04:00

Yesterday we had some very special guests at our house. Matthew's Aunt Hayden, Uncle Duncan and cousin Sophie came to visit. Here are some pictures of all of the fun.

Here we are trying to get a picture of the two moms with the babies. Ahh...the joys of multi-tasking found in motherhood.

Between holding the squirming babies and trying to look at 3 cameras I don't think we ever got it all coordinated.

Thank you for visiting Aunt Hayden, Uncle Dunk, and Sophie. We hope you visit again very soon!!!

Another Ear Infection

2010-03-29T22:35:00.003-04:00

So I knew Matthew wasn't feeling well this past weekend...he had a runny nose and was coughing pretty bad. I wasn't that concerned since we had his 15 month appointment today so I decided to wait. Well, today we learned that he had ANOTHER EAR INFECTION!!!! He hasn't been pulling at his ear so I thought that maybe he had what I have and have been battling for the past month or so with this stupid cough.

In any event, he did grow in length but he lost about an ounce. I suspect that is because he hasn't been eating very well the last couple of days. Dr. Goosby gave him the antibiotic shot for 3 days in a row to help him feel better faster since we visit Ohio on Thursday to see Matthew's grandma, great-grandma, and great uncle.

Matthew at 15 months

Matthew at 3 months (1 year ago)

Have a great night!!!!!!!!!!!!

Last day to be 14 months

2010-03-28T23:31:00.005-04:00

Today was Matthew's last day as a 14 month old. Tomorrow we will go to the doctor for him to get his 15 month shots. Yes, I said 15 MONTHS!!!! I can't believe that this time a year ago he was only 3 months old....that seems like a month ago. In any event, I got some great pictures of him this afternoon. When you look at these pictures it is hard to believe that he has a pretty harsh cold.

I have started another blog called Miami Educators In Action to put all of the information about Miami educators and how we are fighting to save public education in the State of Florida since this blog is supposed to be about Matthew. Please check it out to find out about what is going on.

Check back tomorrow for Matthew's 15 month update!!!

A devestation and travisty in public education

2010-03-27T22:43:00.004-04:00

I have been on a hiatus the last week or so because of a very busy schedule. The state of Florida is raising an attack on teachers across the state. Our legislatures are trying to pass into law an education reform unlike any state has ever seen.

If passed into law (as the bill most likely will) teachers in the state of Florida will no longer be paid extra if they have a Masters, Specialists, or Doctorate in education.

Teachers will also not longer have the protection of the Professional Service Contract. If the students do not make learning gains that teacher can be fired without warning.

Teachers will also be paid based on the learning gains their students make. These learning gains will be based ONLY on the FCAT (the Florida Standardized Test)

I am honestly SOOOOO stressed out about this crazy bill. As part of my job as UTD (United Teachers of Dade) steward I have to keep everyone informed on this issue and it has been hard to sleep because this is going to affect not only Seth and me but all of my friends at school.

If I could ask all of my readers to do 2 things!!!

1. Pray, pray, pray that this injustice on teachers will not pass.

2. Call these numbers and people below and tell them that you Oppose House Bill 7189

Estaban Bovo--850-487-2197
Anitere Flores--850-488-2831
Erik Fresen--850-488-4092
Marcelo Llorente--850-488-5047
Carlos Lopez-Cantera--850-488-4208
J.C. Planas--850-488-3616
Juan Zapata--850-488-9550

You can also call the speaker of the house and say you oppose the bill. He is taking a list of those who oppose the bill and those who are for the bill.

Larry Cretul--850-488-1450 (Speaker of the house)

Thanks in advance if you call these numbers. It is really important that you urge the representatives to VOTE NO on House Bill 7189!!!!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!!

2010-03-17T16:28:00.002-04:00

What a sweet baby and a sweet way to wish you a Happy St. Patty's Day!!!!

This is Matthew 1 year ago today

I can't believe that he was ever that little!!!

Matthew's new piano

2010-03-14T23:49:00.005-04:00

I know...2 posts in 2 days...ya'll are gonna think I have way to much time on my hands. Not really, tomorrow night I start a new college class...Wednesday is choir, Thursday night is our UTD meeting...and Tuesday through Thursday is the run-off election for the UTD executive board of which Seth is running for one of the 6 positions for vice president of elementary schools. Not to mention that Tuesday and Wednesday is the continuation of FCAT for 5th grade and SATs for 1st and 2nd. We have 2 more weeks til spring break!!! Only two...I think we can make it.

Now on to the topic of the post. On Friday evening, we received a piano. My FIL and step-MIL have had a piano that they never really use that often and they decided to let us "store" it. It is actually my step-MIL's piano and will eventually be her daughter Hayden's. All we had to do is pay for the moving expenses to have it shipped from Naples to Homestead. I am so excited because I hope to start teaching piano lessons again and now I can teach out of my own house instead of going to peoples homes or having a music store take a percentage to use a room in their store.

Here are a couple of pictures of the piano. We need to get it tuned but other than that it is perfect!!!

I couldn't get my camera out without taking some pictures of this little man!!! Here he is becoming an expert at a sippy cup!!!

Have a great week everyone!!!

Matthew and a Picnic

2010-03-13T22:33:00.006-05:00

Today was the UTD (United Teachers of Dade) picnic. Matthew had a blast walking around...but in true form I forgot to take ANY pictures of that.

Here is Matthew, Seth and I with the Secretary/Treasurer of UTD.

Last year when we went to the UTD picnic, Matthew was only about 2 1/2 months old. We got a picture with him, Karen Aronowitz, and Artie Leichner our President and Vice-president.

Matthew was a trooper today. He was having a great time but around his typical naptime he kinda started to crash.

As you can see in the pictures above he was very tired!!! Then he got a second wind and wouldn't stop running around everywhere. Then we decided to get new cell phones (we had been needing to upgrade for some time now). AT&T was offering great deals on blackberries and phone service through UTD so we decided to upgrade and change from T-Mobile to AT&T.

Anyway, I am getting tired so I will go for now.

Where in the world I have been???

2010-03-11T22:56:00.003-05:00

Hi everyone,

I wish I could keep my promises...I can't find time to post pictures or even take any for that matter. Things have been crazy busy the past few weeks and I don't see it slowing down any time soon. Tomorrow I am taking the day off to go to the doctor to hopefully get rid of this stupid cough that has been plagueing me for a couple of weeks. We have some exciting things happening this weekend so hopefully I will find some time to blog about it.

HAND (Have A Nice Day)!!!

I hate the numbers 13, 23, not 33, 43, 53...you get the picture

2010-03-06T22:30:00.003-05:00

I just realized that I hate any number ending with three. The number three is great...in fact I kinda like that number, but put a number in front of three and it just looks funny. Tonight when I looked at my blog postings I realized that this is post 153 and just had to write something just to get the 3 off the end of the post number. I have never really felt strong about that before now so I wonder what is up.

One other thing I realized is that 33 is actually OK (I guess because I don't have a problem with the single 3). Maybe it is because the other three's numbers are prime numbers...because...come to think of it 63 is kinda ok too. Wow...I need some sleep.

Anyway, I have had the horrible cough for about a week now. I can't seem to shake this cold. To make matters worse...Matthew is getting a little cold now. Seth took him to see Dr. Goosby yesterday and the doc said his ears were CLEAR this time...yea!!!!! But he still has a little bit of a runny nose and is getting my stupid cough. At least his ears are clear for now though...I just knew for sure that he was getting another ear infection.

At the doctor he weighed in at 20 pounds 5.4 ounces!!!! He is getting very big now. I am so happy that he is finally catching up.

Sorry, no pictures tonight. I will post some new ones soon!!

Good Night!!!

A year later at 14 months....

2010-03-03T22:37:00.005-05:00

Look how little my baby boy was a year ago!!!

What a difference a year makes...

I love you Matthew Wayne!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Finally 14 Months post

2010-03-02T21:46:00.004-05:00

Yesterday Matthew turned 14 months old. Well...actually...he turned 14 months on Feb. 29...but since there wasn't a 29th of February we called yesterday his 14 month birthday. He is now officially walking...all...over...the...place and getting......into.....EVERYTHING!!!!! Right now he is weighing in at around 20 pounds and is about 29 inches tall. He is still eating baby food but we are slowly starting to give him some Gerber step up meals.

He has also developed a strange habit of putting his hand down his shirt a playing with his belly button....that is why the shirt is so stretched out around the neck.

Silly boy!!!

2010-02-21T22:47:00.004-05:00

Well...I have been bad about posting these last couple of weeks. My life has been very busy but hopefully after the next week or so things will calm down a bit and I will be able to post more regularly.

This weekend...my FIL and MIL cam to visit for the day on Saturday and we had a great visit. We went to Portofino (a pizza place near us) for lunch and then they had to get back to Naples. They had been to St. Thomas last week and flew out and back into Miami so they were very tired and needed to get back home.

On Friday...Matthew went back to the doctor for a check-up on the ears...and for now...his ears are clear so that means NO ENT Doctor right now!!! He has been in a much better mood recently and I hope that continues for a while.

This past week...he started walking more and more and now he pretty much walks anywhere he wants. That makes me happy!!! Everyone is telling me that now is when the hard part starts....I don't see it yet other than I have to watch him a little closer.

I almost forgot....Matthew is now saying 'Cracker' although it sounds a little like ka ka lol!!! We know it is cracker because he is actually pointing and asking for one at dinner and tonight while we were eating he came over and started saying Cracker...Cracker so we gave him one and he was happy!!! Our first verbal communication tell us what he wants...I am so proud!!!

Well I better get going for tonight. Enjoy the pictures and have a great week!!!

Dr. Patterson--It does run in the family =)

2010-02-15T22:30:00.003-05:00

I just had to have these PJs when I saw them on the hanger. Especially since Matthew's Uncle Aaron is right now a resident in psychiatry.

Have a great 4 day week!!!

Happy Valentine's Day and Mardi Gras Sunday

2010-02-14T23:44:00.004-05:00

This is what I got for Valentine's Day!!! Isn't it soooo pretty. Also, from Matthew I got the soundtrack to the Broadway musical "Wicked". It is coming to Miami in March and I kinda hope I get to go, but if I don't then at least I have the CD to listen to.

Here are some pictures of my youngest Valentine.

Today was also Mardi Gras Sunday at church. We had a Dixieland Jazz band there playing along with some really great African American Spirituals. Days like today make joining the choir very exciting. We got to dress in Mardi Gras colors and wear beads and crowns. After church they had a Cajun lunch (we didn't stay but it sure smelled good). Unfortunately we forgot the camera =( !!!!

Have a great President's Day!!!

Walking

2010-02-13T22:00:00.002-05:00

I am so excited tonight!!! Matthew is getting more and more comfortable walking in between Seth and I and tonight he was basically walking...yes, Tia...I said walking across the living room!!!

We are so happy that he is finally getting the hang of it.

Whew, we have had one hectic week...first of all...I have been fighting off Matthew's cold/ear infection. I don't think I am getting an ear infection but I do have yet another horrible cold.

Tonight we went to Outback...where else...If there is a special event then we go to Outback. It was so good and Matthew really knows how to behave himself at a restaurant.

Well..I am going to get back to watching the Olympics.

An Hour After All of That Happened!!!

2010-02-07T00:10:00.007-05:00

OK...so this week has been filled with one thing or another. I feel like just when I think that something else couldn't go wrong....it does. Well this week was one of those. To make matters worse...Matthew has an ear infection in BOTH EARS. He is not tolerating the change to whole milk very well...he is constipated...and today right in the middle of Cracker Barrel he threw-up (not just a little) his WHOLE lunch and breakfast with plenty of juice and milk to make it go EVERYWHERE. Needless to say...I couldn't even eat lunch after that happened. I was so embarrassed.

Can you believe that these pictures were taken just about an hour after all of that happened???

Now he seems fine...he is just not eating as much. I think that he might have some issues with milk. I guess I should call his GI doctor and see if he needs to be checked out for something like a milk allergy. He refused a bottle tonight and last night as well.

I guess we did get some good news this week. On Wednesday, Matthew weighed 19 pound and 10 ounces. So we are knocking on 20 pounds!!!!

Tonight we went to the United Teachers of Dade multicultural event. Matthew, even though he didn't have a good morning, loved the show. We had dancers, singers, and even a group of mimes perform. Matthew even started dancing like a Flamenco dancer at one point. The food was from all different types of cultures. We had lots of fun.

Big Boy Bath

2010-01-30T23:43:00.004-05:00

Tonight we decided to try Matthew in the regular bathtub since he seems to be quickly growing out of his little baby tub. It is bitter sweet to see him getting so big. I honestly can't even remember a time when I had to hold him supporting his head. Now he has to be REALLY tired before he will lie in my arms like a little bitty baby.

He seemed to really enjoy more space but I am not sure he realized that he was out of his little green tub. The little toys he is playing with are from our favorite BBQ restaurant Sonnys. They were giving away these little rubber duckies dressed like animals back a few months ago. We have the Zebraduckie, Tigerduckie, and several others. They are small and he loves to squirt the water out of them. I need to get him some more bath toys. I might look into that soon.

I thought I would start something new this year on my blog. On Matthew's 'month' birthday I am going to post a picture from 1 year ago and then side by side with a present picture so we can see how much he has changed.

Here is Matthew at 13 months

and here he is at 1 month

Can you believe how much he has changed??? I can't believe these pictures are of the same baby boy.

All Stripes AREN'T created equal!!! (thanks for the spelling correction mom)

2010-01-29T23:07:00.008-05:00

So today was my not so little boy's 13 month birthday. Although I resisted the urge to run to Dr. Goosby's office and get him weighed as I usually do on his month birthday, I do wonder what his weight might be. I feel that he is getting heavier and I know he looks A LOT bigger but I have been surprised at times when I got him weighed. I might have to take him after all because he seems to have a cough starting up.

Although Matthew is still eating baby food, he is beginning to eat more and more table food. He loves French fries, but I won't let him have some until he has had at least 1 veggie jar of baby food. He also loves crackers and the little puffs.

He has taken a few stumble steps and is getting more comfortable standing all by himself. I feel that he will be walking independently within the next month. Of course, I have thought that before and it didn't happen. He will do it in his own time and I have to have patience.

This morning Seth got Matthew dressed. Which btw...I am thankful for...however, this is how Matthew was dressed for the day.

Thank goodness he doesn't seem to notice about style and seems to be happy in his various stripes. I thought he looked so precious!!! Thank you daddy...for a wonderful laugh!!! and the lime green and white striped baby's first Easter socks from...yes, almost a year ago.

In the mean time...enjoy my 13 month old's photo shoot this afternoon.

Back Home

2010-01-25T23:00:00.002-05:00

We got home last night and I wasn't in the mood for blogging. Tonight I am tired as well but I wanted to let you know that I am planning on getting back on track this weekend. Give me a few days to get into the swing of things and I will be back on track.

In the mean time, enjoy my Valentine's day theme.

Dorothy Marie Hayes Berry (1925-2010)

2010-01-19T11:42:00.003-05:00

I love visiting Alabama with Matthew, but not under these circumstances. On this past Friday evening my grandmother who we all call "Granny" or "Nanny Dot" died. She was such a mild mannered, lovely lady and will be greatly missed. One of the hardest things I have ever had to deal with was being told over the phone that she was dieing. The last night of her life she was actually feeling pretty good and was able to talk to all of her family. I even heard her say how much she loved me over the phone before it was her time to go. Although I know she is in a much better place now it still hurts. I will go for now and hopefully give an update in a couple of days. Matthew and I are going to stay and visit for the rest of the week.

Far away from home

2010-01-14T22:49:00.003-05:00

When you move away from home...no one tells you all of the important and critical events that you miss. Sometimes I feel so selfish for leaving to pursue some big dream of becoming a concert flutist traveling all over the country...or at the least performing in some orchestra somewhere. At times like the present, I feel so guilty for trying to chase some stupid selfish dream and failing miserably to find myself teaching in the public school system and never playing my flute. (disclaimer: There is nothing wrong with being a public school teacher...it was just my fall back plan...you know...in case I didn't make it in my dream) Don't get me wrong...there are a few things that I enjoy about teaching...but again at times like this those 'things' are few and far between.

I guess the 'times like this' that I'm talking about is the fact that my grandmother 'granny' is critically ill about 13 hours away. Simply speaking my selfish failures are keeping me away right now. I am sad because I can't be there to help my momma and daddy out or sit at the hospital with her...or even get to talk to her just a little bit when she is awake and feeling up to it.

Please keep our family in your prayers at this time. Fortunately, my grandmother is not in pain (for the most part).

At least Matthew got to meet his great grandmother...I love the last picture. They are smiling at each other and it is so sweet.

Let's also say a prayer for the people of Haiti tonight.

WHAT!!!!

2010-01-12T23:13:00.002-05:00

I can't believe it...I didn't post ANYTHING about Alabama winning the National Championship game almost a week ago already???? What is wrong with me...I was so happy I forgot all about posting...I guess that maybe since I came down with the stomach flu the next night I just let it slip my mind.

I am sorry my Bama boys...Way to go and make this Bama girl transplanted in Miami proud.

Under the Weather

2010-01-10T22:12:00.004-05:00

So I haven't posted this weekend because I have been down an out with an awful stomach virus. Yuck. I haven't had one of those since I lived in Ohio like 6 years ago and I had forgotten how horrible it makes you feel. Luckily I only felt bad for about 24 hours and now I am back to normal.

On Friday, Matthew went for his 1 year check-up, yes, I just said 1 year...can you believe that my little baby has already gotten his 1 year shots!!! I really don't understand why he cries so much when we put him in the scale to get weighed. Maybe he just remembers the doctor and doesn't like it very much. To top it all off he has another ear infection or maybe the one he had back at Christmas time never went away completely.

Right now he weighs 18 pounds 12 ounces. He is 28 1/2 inches long. We are trying to start more toddler type baby food...although tonight he didn't seem to like the turkey, rice and veggies mix. We will keep working on that. Dr. Goosby said that we should start on cow's milk now. He likes to move on to 2% and skip whole milk. Has anyone else ever heard of starting 2% instead of whole milk at 1 year old?

Anyway, I will leave you all with some pictures of Matthew the other night in his Boston University attire. The other night we decided to take some pictures of Matthew in the shirt that Seth brought back from Boston about a month ago. Since Seth is getting his Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Boston University we have to be a teeny tiny fan. So enjoy the photos!!

Let's get it together boys!!!!

2010-01-07T21:02:00.002-05:00

Wow, we are just a few minutes into the Alabama vs. Texas game and Texas is already ahead and our quarter back McElroy still hasn't figured out that he can't throw and he has already been sacked 3 times. They are having some issues but I feel good about them pulling this off (hopefully).

Here we are ready for the game!!!

A sick little boy

2010-01-06T23:07:00.002-05:00

Whoa!!! That is what I said this afternoon when my seemingly happy-go-lucky...laughing at a lady he only sees once a week....never happy going to ANYONE if I am around (but was today)...crawling all over the house (of my piano student's)..........comes over to my knee and proceeds to puke his 2:30 snack and what seemed to be some of his 11:00 lunch all over me...their cow rug and freshly new hard wood flooring!!!!!! After he was done...he went back to laughing, jumping, playing and otherwise being his happy-go-lucky self. We thought that maybe he had just eaten too much at lunch or who know just got too excited so I tried to feed him some green beans because he was 'acting' hungry. So he ate a full 4 ounces in like 2 minutes...then about 2 minutes later...he puked the 4 ounces of green beans right up. I knew at that point that we had a sick little boy on our hands. I got some pedialyte and tonight he is doing much better. He has taken about 10 ounces of the pedialyte and about 3 ounces of formula. He still seemed to want something else so I tried a couple of crackers and some Gerber puffs. All of that has stayed down....so far. Maybe we are over the worst.

Sadly, I wasn't able to go to my first choir practice tonight. Also, I have to stay home from work with Matthew tomorrow and I don't really have very many sick days left.

On a happier note...tomorrow night is the National Championship Game between Texas and Alabama...There is only one thing to say to that!!! ROLL TIDE ROLL!!!!

Meeting Great Granddaddy Partain and praying for Granny

2010-01-05T22:42:00.003-05:00

Nearing the end of our trip to Alabama Matthew got to go to the nursing home to meet his Great Grandfather who I have always called "Granddaddy Partain". Although he has been out of our life for many years due to circumstances I will not go into on my blog, the past few years he has been sick and has ended up in a nursing home. So we have gotten back in touch with him. He, for some reason, always asks about me and when I will be up visiting. Of course he knew about Matthew so we all went to visit him.

It was so funny because I get really nervous when older people want to hold a baby. So before we dropped by to visit I asked mom what the plans would be if he wanted to hold Matthew. (In situations like this I like to be prepared on how to handle difficult moments) Mom assured me that he wouldn't want to hold Matthew. Low and behold the first thing he did was reach for Matthew...so me being completely unprepared I handed him off to Granddaddy. Mom held his hand while I held another and surprisingly Matthew didn't cry. (Thank GOD because the entire time Granddaddy Partain kept saying "He doesn't like me"...which I didn't understand at all because Matthew was sitting up on his lap like he was right a home. They even looked at each other and smiled at one point (see below). I was so happy we got to visit with him because I do not get to see him that often and I was very proud to have him meet Matthew.

After we stopped by to see him we dropped by to visit my grandmother "Granny" who is not doing very well lately. She has been having problems making blood platelets and some of the medication they have her on has made her sugar go extremely high. To make matters worse the doctors do not seem to know how to help her. Right now she is at home (where the temp is supposed to drop to 9 degrees tonight) and has a very confusing medication schedule. This is the short version of what has been going on since Thanksgiving week so please keep her in your prayers. Below is a picture of her, Matthew and me while we visited right after Christmas.

Please do not forget to pray that she will feel better soon. I think and hope she will be going to another doctor soon that can hopefully help figure out what all is going on.

Tomorrow night I will finish up telling about our Alabama trip.

Have a great night!!!

Birthday Boy

2010-01-04T20:19:00.006-05:00

So on Dec. 29, 2009 Matthew Wayne turned 1 year old. I can not believe that he is already 1 year old. As of Dec. 24th he weighed 18 pounds 8 ounces and was 27 1/2 inches long. Right now he is wanting to eat more and more table food and loves crackers. He has also eaten a few grilled cheese sandwiches when we eat out. Although he is not walking just yet he is showing some very positive signs and loves chasing the cats around the house by crawling after them. When he does start walking I feel very bad for the cats. Maybe Roxie will lose some much needed weight (and mommy too for that matter).

Anyway, his party was Dr. Seuss inspired and based on the book "Happy Birthday To You". Since the book wasn't one of Dr. Seuss's more popular one's it was very difficult to find any kind of decorations so we just made all kinds of posters and had the cake special made for him. The pictures below tell the story.