Birthday Party at Daycare

Matthew had a birthday party at Northway CDC on Friday. They ate pizza and cupcakes and sang Happy Birthday to Matthew. He had a good day.

Happy 60th birthday Grandpa Snider

This week Matthew got up several times in the middle of the night.  Normally, Matthew sleeps from 8pm - 6:30am but this week he woke up at midnight a couple of times and then again at 4am and then 5am.  We were racking our brains trying to figure out what was wrong.  We thought he could be hungry because he has been eating different foods at daycare (as opposed to baby food) and we wonder how many bites actually make it in his stomach.  The other thought was that it was from an ear ache.  It's times like these when we wish he could just tell us what is wrong.  We suspect it was teething pain because another molar is cutting through his gums on the top left.  He already has a molar on the bottom right and that was a painful breakthrough, too.

This weekend we went to Lakeway just outside of Austin to celebrate Grandpa Snider's 60th birthday.  Matthew swam in the pool and loved it even though the water was a little cold.  He enjoyed all the attention from the Snider family - Uncle Mike, Aunt Lori, and Grandpa and Grandma.  We had a nice view of Lake Travis from our room and Matthew watched and pointed at the speed boats.  

Week of Transition

We took this picture while walking in our neighborhood.  The weekend was rainy and cold so this may be the last time Matthew wears a jacket.

Last week was a week of transition for Matthew.  He started a new daycare on Monday at Northway Baptist Church.  He is the youngest in the class and he enjoys watching the bigger kids play and run around.  He is not walking yet.  He participates with the arts and crafts and he made a beautiful handprint collage.  

Ms. Monica and Ms. Jessica have been working with Matthew to get him on the toddler schedule. This includes drinking juice out of the sippy cup, eating real food versus baby food, and eating more snacks throughout the day.  He has made significant progress.  Last week, he drank half breast milk and half whole milk out of the bottles at daycare.  Then on the weekend, I gave him whole milk and he drank it.  I was very impressed that he drank it because normally I breast-feed him.  He will be 1 year old next week and I am happy and sad to wean him off.  It is hard to believe that I made it a whole year!  We will have a small celebration for Matthew's birthday next weekend and I will certainly celebrate the breast-feeding accomplishment.  Matthew has been breast-fed from the beginning without any formula.  That wasn't my goal but it just happened that way.  

He is getting so big.  I swear he grew overnight.  I know we are not supposed to give him a bottle to go to sleep but I figured one thing at a time.  Let me wean him first and then we will worry about the bottle.  I tried the sippy cup with milk and that didn't work.  Gosh, I remember when he was half this size.

 

Happy St Patrick's Day

Last week at Childrens Courtyard

Matthew's new thing is pointing. He likes to jibber and then point at something, usually Rusty. Here he is pointing at daddy and daddy is pointing back.

We went out to dinner on Saturday night to Shin sei and Matthew was happy as a clam. He was a little fussy this weekend from a sinus cold and his teeth cutting through the gums, but he was happy at dinner. We were glad to have a nice night out.

This was Matthew's last week at the Children's Courtyard. The staff will surely miss him. When I picked him up on Friday, Ms Sharon started to cry because she has grown so attached to him. She has a passion for infants and Matthew loved her!

Ms. Sharon with Amelia, Matthew, Kalei, and Dylan

Baby shower 1 year ago

It's hard to believe that at this time last year I was waiting for Matthew to arrive. It seems like he has been around a lot longer than that! Maybe all the days and nights during the first 6 months make it feel like double the time.

I had a wonderful baby shower at Kristy Bowen's place. The weather was perfect and I had such a fun time. The hostesses were fabulous (especially Lori) and served sprinkles cupcakes - the fancy bakery from beverly hills.

11 months old

Matthew is 11 months old now. He is eating solid foods pretty well. We gave him a pickle when we went to Snuffer's this weekend and he liked it. He also tried a piece of bread and did pretty well. He also ate a banana for the first time. I peeled it and took a bite and then he took a baby bite. He just copies whatever we do. That's a scary thought for Andy so he is trying to watch his language around him.

At the Children's Courtyard (Matthew's daycare) they moved the older kids out of his classroom and moved them into the pre-toddler classroom. Now Matthew is the oldest in his class and I think he gets a little bored without Dylan and Kalei since he has been with them from the beginning. He has one more week in his classroom and then we are switching daycares to Northway Baptist church near our house. The age group will be 1 to 2 years old. Matthew will definitely be challenged. I checked it out on Friday and I am excited to have him learn in a faith-based program. He will also be closer to the house so Andy can help out more. I'm really excited about that. But I'm sure I will be sad because I will not be able to see him on my lunch hours like I have been doing.

I know Ms. Sharon is sad to see Matthew go but she is glad that he stayed in her classroom all the way until he was ready to graduate to the 1-year old classroom. He is not walking yet but I am sure he will be in a couple of weeks. He is getting his balance better when walking and holding onto things.

This is Matthew's first art project at his first day at the Children's Courtyard - 3 months old. I remember seeing him at lunch and wondering why he had blue paint on his toenails.