Look who's talking

We finally "turned the car seat around" for Matthew.  As soon as he reached 1 yrs old and 20 lbs, you can put them in a forward facing car seat.  We were sort of slow to get the new one installed in the car.  

Matthew is starting to talk more.  His favorite word is "ah-oh".  He will say it 5 times in a row just to say it.  Sometimes he drops things just so he can say it.  It's really cute.  

The other word that he likes to say is "sit".  He points with one finger at Rusty and says "it".  I guess we tell Rusty to sit a lot and he mimics us.  Rusty doesn't really know what Matthew is saying so he doesn't mind him.  

 I heard another word this week - banana.  We give him a banana every morning.  He says lots of other words but these are the only ones that I could make out.  

 

Happy Mother's Day

Today is mother's day and Matthew was fortunate to spend it with "Nanna" Grandma Snider, and "Nawnaw" Great Grandma Harrod. Matthew was a trouper all weekend because his naps and bedtime routine were not on schedule.

On Friday, we had our first parent-teacher conference at the daycare. Ms Jessica told us that Matthew's favorite song is Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star. She told us that he is making progress on eating real food (he reverted back to baby food for a stint but just this week he is eating more real food). He still takes a bottle and so we are working on that area. Ms. Jessica told us that Matthew takes the toys and puts them away vs crying like the other kids - we were very proud of this one. She also mentioned that he took his first baby steps on Friday while trying to give Preston a high five. The steps were tiny but it was a big accomplishment and proved he was mentally prepared to walk.

After the parent-teacher conference, we picked up Nawnaw fromt he airport and Nanna and Grandpa Snider and Uncle Mike drove into town about the same time. Matthew was tired and took a little nap and then woke up to all the family. We went to Fernandos for tex-mex and Matthew stayed up past his bedtime. He ate chips, chicken enchiladas, rice, beans, and corn tortillas.

On Saturday, the girls went to the mall with Matthew while the guys played golf. It was a nice treat for me to shop while Nanna and Nawnaw watched Matthew. There was an area with a couch in the middle of the mall and Matthew was down on the rug playing with other kids and enjoying being out of the stroller for a while. We took some pictures with Matthew and then while we were reviewing them, he took a couple of tiny baby steps. We were thrilled with excitement. He stopped after we made some noise.

Once we got home, Grandpa held his arms out for Matthew to come to him and then moved back and Matthew took his first steps (3-4 big steps in a row). He did it several times before he decided that he didn't want to do that anymore. We went to Pappadeaux's for dinner and stayed out way past Matthew's bedtime. He ate crawfish, shrimp, potatoes, corn, and dirty rice.

On Sunday, we went to Babe's chicken. We certainly ate well this weekend. Matthew's nap was interrupted but he did pretty good. He was dancing to the hookey pookey song and eating chicken, potatoes, corn, and green beans.

Matthew gave me a nice Mother's Day card with his signature and drawing. It contained a couple of gift cards to Chili's in there, too. I had to post it because it was so sweet.

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms and a special wish to Grandma Durkin and Grandma Bruce.

Pictures from Studio One to One

We took these pictures on Feb 1st at Studio One to One in the Galleria.  We are a little slow with getting the pictures out.  Matthew was 10 months old at the time and now he is 13 months old.  

Just a swingin'

Matthew loves to swing in the swing.  We walk down to the park near our house after daycare/work to get outside and swing a little before bathtime.  He gets a little fussy in the evenings because he is tired but if we take him for a walk, he gets relaxed and doesn't fuss.  We usually put on the Backyardagan's and mama does a little dance to get him in good spirits.  

No walking news yet.  He likes to 'bridge' between the couch and the coffee table.  Andy separated them so he would have to take a step and he will do it and then lunge into the couch.  He will not do the same to get back to the coffee table.  He will just crawl.  He can walk, he just doesn't know he can.

So close to walking on his own

Matthew's balance has definitely improved and he likes to stand up and walk while holding onto things but he still does not take any steps on his own.  He likes to hold on to you and weave in and out between your legs.  Last week he was pushing chairs around at the daycare and just moving all over the place.  We finally started baby proofing - we added cabinet locks to our kitchen cabinets.  The next step is to block off the stairs and then add a net or fence around the pool.

He is developing a personality and so far it seems that he is happy-go-lucky.  He will wake up in the morning crying but after that he doesn't cry the rest of the day.  He likes to listen to songs and he sings all the time!  He also dances to most music, especially the backyardagan's theme song. 

Grandma and Grandpa Bruce gave him a teddy bear for his birthday and Matthew loves to dance to the music.  

He is taking his first steps

Matthew is taking his first steps without holding onto anything. Andy calls it "bridging" because he is sort of bridging between one stationary object and another. He will hold on to the coffee table and then take a step toward the chair and then he will hold on to the chair. The past couple of nights I have seen him try to move his feet but then his body doesn't go with him and he falls down with a plop with his whole body falling down like a straight board - no crying but a little surprised as to what happened. It's like his brain is telling his feet to move but the coordination isn't happening. I will have to post a video.

Spring in Texas

April in Texas is always nice because the weather is usually in the 70's with some rain showers that produce beautiful flowers.  Andy & I went for a walk this weekend and it felt so humid and everything was so lush it reminded us of the rain forest in Hana (Hawaii).  On our street, there are some azaleas that only bloom this time of year and they are so full of color.   

We decided to follow the Texas spring tradition by taking a picture in the bluebonnets.  Nevermind that neither one of us are originally from Texas.  I had to buy a new camera since I left mine on the plane last weekend.  Afterwards, we ate dinner at Saltgrass Steakhouse.  Matthew ate some potatoes, veggies, bread, and a little bit of baby food.  He prefers to eat real food, especially if it comes off our plate.  

He is real close to walking on his own.  He has good balance but he likes to hold on to things.  We tried to get him to walk to us without holding on but he refused.  I bet he will start walking by the end of this week.