Matthew is Potty Trained!

We are excited to say that Matthew is potty trained! He was a little hesitant to wear the "big boy underwear" because he would have accidents. But his teacher at school insisted that he was ready for it so we brought 5 pairs of underwear and pants to school with him last Monday - Nov 8th. He had several accidents but his confidence improved throughout the week with no accidents by the end of the week.

Ms. Leah, his teacher, would take him to the potty every 30 minutes. After a couple of days, Matthew started telling Ms. Leah when he needed to go. He gets an M&M every time he goes so he is super motivated to get "M's" as he calls it. Over the weekend, Matthew continued to use the potty and wear the underwear most of the time. We were shocked and pleasantly surprised when he pooped on the potty because he usually requests to do that in a diaper away from attention.

When we would go out to restaurants over the weekend, we would take Matthew to the potty right away and then as soon as we got home. He is doing very well. We just hope that this continues after baby arrives.

On Friday, I went to my doctor and my labor is progressing. I am 2.5 cm dilated, the baby has dropped from -2 to -1 position and I am 40% effaced. The doctor still predicts that the baby will be born this week. We spent most of the weekend getting ready and doing chores that we know we will not get to afterwards. I put a pink cover on Matthew's old car seat and made sure that the safety belt was tightened for a baby. The room is ready with the exception of a name on the wall - Andy and I still haven't decided on that just yet.

Matthew had fun over the weekend. I took him to the YMCA pool on Saturday. He doesn't swim as well as he did a couple of months ago. He didn't want to wear his googles and fetch things from the bottom of the pool and he didn't want to swim on his own too much. He can still swim -it's just a confidence issue. Nonetheless, he enjoyed the pool. Afterwards, he shared one of his gummy bears with a girl in the locker room. He only had 2 left and I was surprised that he gave one away. It was a yellow one and I commented how it matched her dress. After he did it, he says "we will have to tell Daddy". We saw Andy a few minutes later and Matthew had a story to tell "Daddy, [pause] I share yellow [pause] Sophia [pause] match her dress". He had to really think about what he was saying.

He loves to sing "Happy Birthday" and imitate the pirates from the Backyardigan cartoons - "Don't ever touch the boot!" he says with a stern look. He has a grumpy face that he will imitate sometimes on demand and then we try to get him to smile by saying "Don't you smile" and he smiles really big. He also talks about the ghost cartoon where Tyrone wears a sheet and says "Boo". Andy put the blanket on and acted like a ghost and Matthew thought it was fun at first and then got scared. The other day he says "Daddy, you was a ghost and scared me". His words are getting better every day. It's so fun to hear the things that come out of his mouth.

He wanted to keep watching videos over the weekend so I tried to come up with a couple of games to entertain him. I hid easter eggs around the living room that were filled with dried cherries and raisins. He loved it! Last night, he requested to play this game again. "I play puzzle, you hide, want to?" So cute. We also played a match game with some puzzle pieces and then playdoh after that. We went to eat frozen yogurt on Sunday and Matthew was dancing and smiling.

After church, we decided to drive around the neighborhood to look at a particular house and Matthew realized we took a different turn and says "Daddy, where are we going?" He doesn't miss a beat!

Preparing for baby

On Friday, I went to the doctor and found out that my labor is progressing. Even the doctor was surprised. I am 1.5 cm dilated and 80% effaced. The doctor predicts that I may have the baby within the next 2 weeks! This is big news since my due date is early December and we thought we had a month before the new arrival. Matthew is talking about the baby - "baby in mama's belly". He kissed my belly the other night because he wanted to kiss baby. I talked about how baby will cry and we need to sing lullabies. He seemed onboard with this idea and kept repeating it later - "sing lullabies to baby".

We went out to eat over the weekend because we know that it may be a while before we can enjoy such luxuries later. Matthew did very well. He is learning table manners at school and asks "may I please have more". We picked up a few items from Pottery Barn Kids and on the way there Matthew told me that he wanted to give me a hug and a kiss when we stopped the car. Of course, Matthew has his moments with temper tantrums but he is happy most of the time.

Happy Halloween

We had a busy week with Halloween festivities. On Tuesday night, Matthew went to the senior citizen home with me for a halloween party with the residents. I also took Rusty in costume and the seniors loved both of them. My office decorated cubicles for the kids on Thursday so Matthew came up and enjoyed getting candy there. On Friday, Matthew had a party at his school with a parade and then Andy picked him up somewhat early for a party in his office. Matthew was a pirate and he would say "Grrrrr, matey". Everyone thought it was the cutest thing.

I picked up Nana from the airport on Friday so when I came home, Matthew had a big smile when he saw her. We made Nana's fried chicken for dinner and enjoyed the home cookin'. Papa and Nanna (my parents) came into town around 10:30pm and Matthew was so excited to see them that he waited on the stairs for them to come in the door. It was way past his bedtime. He was so happy to have all the company.

Over the weekend, we spent lots of time focusing on getting the nursery ready. Papa was hanging curtains and getting closets organized in Matthew's room so I could clean out the clothes to make room for baby's. Nana and Nanna went through all of Matthew's old clothes to see if there were any gender neutral clothes to keep. Then we separated them into baskets labeled with the sizes. The baby bedding came in the mail on Friday so I was excited to open it up and get it in the room. We washed and ironed it and I have to say that it looks great. It's going to be fun to have a little girl around here.

On Sunday, we went to a halloween party in our neighborhood. Matthew jumped in the bounce house and enjoyed the swing. He saw his friend, Arden. He played some games and decorated a cookie with sprinkles. They served pizza with juice boxes. After the party, we went trick-or-treating on the street. Matthew really enjoyed it this year. It didn't take long for him to figure out how to get candy. He would say "I want trick or treat" and then when they gave him candy he would say "Grrrr". He would say "one more house" and tell me "mama, come on".

School pictures for fall

Race for the Cure

Taylor and Andy carrying the kiddos

Arden didn't like Ronald

It was another busy weekend at the Bruce household. Andy went to Washington DC for work this week so I had my hands full with Matthew and our other kid, Rusty. I was glad when Andy came back on Friday. After work on Friday, we ate dinner at Cantino Laredo and enjoyed going out to dinner because we know it will only be a matter of time when it will be more difficult with 2 kids. The Texas Rangers have been playing very well so Andy was excited to watch them on tv at the restaurant.

On Saturday, we woke up early to walk in the Komen Race for the Cure. There were 21,000 people there. Arden and Matthew rode in the stroller while Andy and Taylor took turns pushing them. It took us 1 hour and 45 minutes to walk the 5K because of the crowds. At first, Matthew and Arden didn't want to sit in the stroller but as soon as everyone started moving, they were ready for the ride. I brought a DVD video and we pulled that out when they got bored. But there was so much for them to see that they did well in the stroller for a while. They were singing songs and even playing peek a boo with each other. After the walk, we ate lunch in the mall. This restaurant was in the courtyard so Matthew and Arden could run around - they loved it. They were having so much fun together. Once we made it home, we took our 2-hour naps because everyone was exhausted.

We went out for pizza Saturday night and enjoyed watching the Rangers game at the restaurant. Matthew was in the best mood and he was so happy to just hang out with mommy and daddy.

We went to church on Sunday and he cried a little when we dropped him off at the nursery but later he told us he had fun there. We drove out to Flower Mound in the afternoon to go to a pumpkin patch with a mom's church group. But we couldn't find the group and it was crowded, hot, and dusty. Matthew was moody because he took a nap on the way out there and he wasn't quite rested when we got there. We decided to leave and head home. As soon as we came home, we all took showers and washed our dusty clothes. We drove by our old house out there since we were in the area and we talked about how we like our neighborhood much better.

Fall weekend -Football tailgate, Concert, and pumpkin patch

SMU Tailgate with Arden

Picking out a pumpkin

Pumpkin patch

The weather is cooling off and Fall is finally here in Texas. I had a dr's appointment on Friday so I was able to pick up Matthew earlier than usual. We stopped by a few stores on our way home and Matthew enjoyed the halloween store. I was surprised that the scary sales people didn't phase him. We made it home but Matthew was just about to blow a fuse when we pulled up into the driveway. I bribed him with a cookie from our purse and a few other treats but his patience had reached the limit and he was ready to eat. Lately he only cares to eat peanut butter and jelly. He says "how about peanut butter and jelly". He climbs up on the counter and wants to do everything himself - get the bread out of the bag, spread the peanut butter and then jelly, and put the two pieces of bread together. He will climb down from the counter and then carry his plate to the table.

Andy went to workout Saturday morning so Matthew and I just hung out around the house. Matthew woke up right before Andy left so he was happy to see him. We played with his puzzle match game that matches the spanish colors with objects of the same color. Matthew surprised us by saying all of his colors in english and spanish. Andy and I didn't even know that!

At 11am, we headed to our neighbor's 3rd birthday party where they had a bounce house. Matthew was moody and shy and didn't want to get into the bounce house at first. Andy ended up getting inside there with him and then Matthew warmed up to the idea. Matthew climbed on the hammock and ended up falling off with a minor bump on the head. The black eye was still there from the prior week. This didn't help his mood. After the cake, Matthew was more willing to walk around on his own and play with a ball. He didn't talk much at the party but later he would say "happy birthday Samantha".

We took our usual 2-hour nap and then headed to the SMU tailgate. Matthew rode on Andy's shoulders. He played with Arden and threw the football around. Arden gave him some biscuit and Matthew ended up chomping on her finger in the process. She cried a little but Matthew would not say he was sorry. He still talks about that incident.

Ana Paula came over to babysit shortly after. Andy and I changed clothes quickly and then headed to the Cattle Barron's ball at Southfork ranch. We listened to Jack Ingram in concert and enjoyed the food. We decided to cut out early because we knew that Matthew would get us up early the next morning so we missed the performance by Alan Jackson. It was a good decision because Matthew was up around 6:00am on Sunday. Andy yelled "go back to bed, Matthew, it's too early" and that seemed to work for 30 more minutes.

Andy's allergies were bothering him and he was feeling ill throughout the night so I offered to get up and tend to Matthew and let Andy sleep in. Matthew and I went to breakfast to get out of the house. Matthew was in the best mood and just talking up a storm. All the wait staff commented on him. He was asking the waitress her name... he wasn't shy at all! We took a walk and then took Rusty to the park. Several months ago we went to the park and we ate peanut butter crackers while sitting at the picnic table. Matthew asked for peanut butter crackers again when we saw that same picnic table. I was amazed that he would remember that.

Around 10am, Andy joined us at the park. By this point, I felt like we had a full day of activities! We played around the house and then took our naps shortly afterwards. We headed to the pumpkin patch near our house. Matthew picked out a couple of pumpkins and we put them on our porch. I also bought a fall wreath for the door. Matthew and I made a pumpkin with construction paper during our arts and crafts time. He was really proud of his artwork and showed it to daddy.

Talkative Matthew

Matthew using playdoh for the Bruce family: Mama, Daddy, Matthew, Rusty

Matthew's "happy face"

Matthew is talking more and more these days. His teachers are teaching him manners so he will say "May I please have some more" and "thank you" and "you're welcome". He is quite amusing with some of the things that he says. Anytime I come into the house with a bag, Matthew asks "Mama, what you got?" He will talk about his friends at school and tell us a few words about his day. When I come home in the evenings he tells me to "take off shoes, mama" to make sure I am going to stay a while.

For Oct 2nd weekend, we enjoyed the cooler weather. I took Matthew to the Galleria to play in the play area because he was jumping on our furniture at home. The Red River Rivalry was in town so the mall was decorated with UT and OU balloons and they had a drum line playing in the mall, too. Matthew enjoyed that. I was hoping to get his picture made in the mall but the picture place was closed. I was a little productive at the mall and bought hand soap from Bath and Body Works to last us 4-5 months! You can tell that I am going through a nesting phase right now.

Matthew took a late nap on Saturday and didn't wake up until 6pm. He woke up grumpy and fussy - just the opposite from his usual mood after a nap. We put him in the Yukon and headed to dinner. He was throwing a temper tantrum to even get into the car and he was yelling and crying nearly the entire ride. Andy and I both debated on turning around and just eating at home. We couldn't figure out why he was being so difficult. Once we made it to the BBQ restaurant, Andy put Matthew on his shoulders and that seemed to calm him down. We ordered the food and once Matthew got the food in his belly, he was the happiest toddler. I guess that was the problem. He loves corn and he ate grilled cheese and some of the pulled pork. He doesn't like chicken but he likes pork. After dinner we treated ourselves to frozen yogurt. Matthew was dancing to the music in the yogurt shop. His mood was so different from before.

We went to church on Sunday and Matthew cried when we dropped him off at the nursery. This was the first time he did that in a long time. He has been crying when we drop him off at school in the mornings, too. But as soon as we leave, he is playing and "having fun with friends". He is always in the best mood when we pick him up from school so we know he enjoys it. Plus, they have a tumbling hour at school that Matthew really likes on Tuesdays.

We let Matthew play on the playground after church and he enjoyed that. We bought tamales from a church fundraiser and headed home. As soon as we arrived at the house, Matthew wanted to play outside. He was on his tricycle on the deck and I asked if he wanted me to move it to the ground so that he could ride it there. He liked the idea and when he tried to get off the tricycle, he lost his balance and fell down the deck steps - hitting his head on the edge of one of the steps. I was standing right there but just couldn't catch him in time. When I picked him up, I noticed a little bump on his temple and scratch. We put ice on it right away. The next day it looked worse as the bruising started to show more - it was a black eye. At school, he liked the attention and told his teachers "look at my shiner". He told them the story about falling off his bicycle and onto the steps.

Matthew "helped mama" make pumpkin muffins. He enjoyed mixing the bowl and cracking the eggs. In the evening, we delivered some to the neighbors and Matthew enjoyed that, too. At night, he likes to read books to me. He says "mama, listen". He can read Goodnight moon, Shake a Leg, Potty book, Polar bear, and Barnyard Dance. He has almost every word memorized. Sometimes he likes for me to read and he will say "mama, talk". The bedtime routine is his favorite time of the day. He takes a leisurely bath and then does a little tumbling on the guest bed in his room. After that, he reads stories and then I finally get him into bed around 9:30pm. We start the routine at 8pm!