Little sailor boy

Thanks, Grandma for my clothes!! Good thing Mommy went through the 9-12 months clothes - cause this is a 12 month size and it's almost too small for me.

Back to school

Today classes start back again. For me, this time of the year has more of a "New Year" feeling to it than January. Lord willing, we will always be on the academic year. Don't get me wrong, it's great having Mark more available during the summer months - but it's also wonderful to get back into somewhat of a routine.

At this stage with Matthew, it's definitely easier to do stuff now, too - that has given me a lot of encouragement. I have an overall optimistic outlook on this "year" - I'm thankful to God for that!

2028 Olympics

Track & Field

Note to self .........

Do not put white onsie on eight month old once he starts army crawling around your apartment!!

School spirit

One of the benefits of a small school - the freshmen get divided up and go to faculty and staff houses for dinner as a "get to know you" type of thing. This is the first year that we're hosting - up to 13 students.
I decided to get into the school spirit this year and make a wreath for our apt. I painted the letters and stars in metallic gold and purple.

Pool time!

Testing out the pool - Matthew looks quite comfy!



Getting accustomed :o) This is out on our balcony - it worked out really well. Thanks, Grandma and Grandpa!! I love it!

Eight months old

I'm eight months old today! It's been another busy month for me!
Let's see - I've eaten yogurt, turkey, peaches and apples - I do not like the turkey very much. I think that bananas and avocados are still the best. Since I've started on the Prevacid - Mommy and Daddy say I'm a whole new boy. They call me an eating machine.
I'm crawling all over the place :o) - getting into trouble, too :o( Cat paws and tails and electronics are so fascinating!! I can clap my hands and I stand with help. I can sit all by myself now, too! I like to dance to the music from my exersaucer-thing. Splashing in the pool and during my bath is fun!
I still have the four teeth. Mommy says that she can see my front upper teeth - they just don't seem to be making a move, yet.
I jabber - especially when I'm tired or wake up or happy that I'm eating.
I made two big trips this month!! I had fun in Dallas - I was in a pool for the first time. I slept really well in my playpen, although I didn't like to eat then. Indiana was lots of fun - even though the trip there was a bit rough. I loved meeting everyone and going places!! It took me a few days to get "back to normal" when we got home - just Mommy and Daddy can be a little boring ;o)
I do love Mommy and Daddy - I know they love me, too.

Matador

Back HOME in Indiana

We made it back yesterday late afternoon from Indiana. We had such a wonderful time! Apart from a few rough patches - which are to be expected - Matthew did great - esp. with all of the new friends and family he met.
There was only one major problem - it went too fast!
We didn't get to see everyone we were hoping to see - but we did see the vast majority - so we were pleased. God even allowed us a special treat - perfect weather. It was in the 80's for a high during the day for most of our time there.
I can't put all of the pictures that we took - so below is just a smattering.













The night before we left for Indiana - MTE decided to start crawling! He started clapping on his own while we were in IN. Grandma also noticed that he's doing a lot better at sitting unassisted and she's got him standing more(with assistance, of course).
The day we came back from Dallas, we got him to see one of his doctors - eating in Dallas was just excruciating. He was started on Prevacid and his eating has been sooooo much better since starting that!

Wednesday times

I don't think I mentioned what times on Wednesday would work for Matthew and me having friends over. How about anywhere between 9-3.

I'm hoping that Matthew will be on Eastern time by then --- you just never know :o) I look forward to seeing anyone who can make it!!

see you soon :o)

Dallas

So, here is Matthew's namesake - Uncle Matt. Mark and Matt are great friends! They hadn't seen each other in six years. I'm so thankful that they got a little bit of time to catch up and have a good talk. Below are Matt's wife, Marce, and daughter, Elizabeth. Our first night(Tuesday) we met them at one of the Cheesecake Factory restaurants. The crowd was unbelievable! We waited an hour and a half for a table - crazy to stay - I know. It was soooo hot - inside it was wall to wall people, outside is hot - but there was a little breeze. Once we got our bill, we realized why it was sooo busy. TCF was having a 30th anniversary special - $1.50/slice of cheesecake!!
Matthew was such a trooper - he was a great little traveller!




Our hotel was great - thank you, Priceline!! Probably the only time you'll see a picture of me in a swim suit - Once MTE figured out about splashing - he had a blast - he went in the pool two days!







We went to IKEA :o) Breakfast was only $1.99 - no, I couldn't eat all of that! What fun!!