Smiles and phrases

Matthew has been smiling for about a month now, but I'm finally catching a few with the camera. This is the face I usually get when I get the camera out.

And this is the pretty smile we see quite often now. You can't really tell, but he has dimples on both cheeks. Love it! 

And the things out of a two year old's mouth can be very entertaining.  Some of his favorite phrases these days:

• "MOVE Woof-Woof!" (what he calls Shadow now). Apparently she gets in his way often.
• "I DID IT!!!".  Anytime he does anything by himself
• "BLUE!!"  As in, "Mason, what color is the grass?".  We are really working on colors, but for some reason, the answer is always 'blue'.  I'm starting to worry that he is color blind.
• "Put baby down".  I hear this whenever Mason wants something while I'm holding the baby.

Here are a few pictures of my sweet boys.  Mason continues to be a great big brother, although he can get a little rough, so we have to keep a close eye.  I can already see them rough-housing in the very near future. And, yes, Mason desperately needs a haircut.
 

Little fish and the tadpole

Mason is definitely our little fish.  He loves being in the water and especially loves visiting the lake because we spend a lot of time in the pool.  He starts requesting the 'pool' from the minute he wakes up (which is usually much earlier than at home).  I'm amazed at how much his swimming improves each time he's in the water.  We finally found a good floatation device that helps him swim independently (with an adult very close by of course).  He has no fear and loves jumping off the side of the pool.  We'll probably do formal swim lessons in the fall, but for now he's doing pretty good on his own!

Here is Mason jumping to Grandpa Dee.  I have a great video of him and Breanna jumping together, but I'm having trouble getting it loaded to the blog.

And swimming with Uncle Lamar.  He's swimming all by himself with the help of his little swimmies.

Here is Mason and daddy going to the Chamblee Fourth of July carnival.  We ate ice cream and rode the Thomas train.  They had bouncy houses, but Mason decided he didn't want to jump.

And our little tadpole Matthew is 2 months old!  The time is flying by!  Everyone told me that 2 months was a big milestone and he really is sleeping much better and starting to smile and 'talk' to us.  I haven't been quick enough with the camera to catch a smile yet, so this is the best I could do.  His 2 month checkup went well and he is almost 13 lbs.  We love you little chunk - please don't grow up too fast!

Mason's Birthday Party

We recently had a small birthday party for Mason at a local park.  The theme was 'Have a Ball', which Mason loved!  The kids played with balls in the air conditioned recreation room and a few even braved the extreme heat to enjoy the playground.  Mason understood that the party was for him and he was so excited when we sang 'Happy Birthday' to him.  It was a great day and we're so happy that our friends and family were there to celebrate with us!

And his big gift from mommy and daddy - a train table!  It is a big hit!

Daddy's Day

It's a little late, but just a quick post for the best daddy on his first father's day with two adorable little boys.  We had a nice weekend at the lake with my parents and I tried to let Chris sleep in and relax as much as possible.  I think life with two has been more of an adjustment for Chris than it has for me, but he is doing great and has really stepped up to help out even more than he already did.

Bedtime Routine

Since this is kind of an online baby book for my boys, I want to document those quirky little things that make us laugh now and we are likely to forget about later.  I mentioned before that Mason has a few obsessive-compulsive tendencies.  His bedtime routine is a great example of this.  We set a bedtime routine early on (bath, book, bed) and Mason has always been a very good sleeper.  Over time, he has expanded on this and now expects certain things to be the exact same way every night before he will consider laying down to sleep.  See the picture below and allow me to explain.

1. He plays his crib aquarium/soother several times before he falls asleep and anytime he wakes overnight (thank you Julie for this amazing baby gift!).
2. Shadow stuffed animal and panda bear (cut from the picture) must be sitting in the left corner of the crib (if either of these fall over, he will yell 'uh-oh' until someone comes and fixes them).
3. Sippy cup of water must be in the right corner of the crib.
4. He must have AT LEAST 2 books in the crib.  He'd take every single one if we let him.
5. He must have his 'blah-blah' knitted lovey that he chews on (it's in his left hand in the picture).
6. And finally, his blanket.  His feet and arms must be covered completely and if any escape, it will also cause an 'uh-oh' cry for help.

It's that simple!  Follow these steps and he will be asleep in no time!

Letter to my two year old

Mason is two years old!  Where has the time gone?  We waited so long for you and you were our little miracle when you arrived.  We see more of your personality every day and I am so proud of the little boy you are becoming.  You are so much fun to be around and you never ever sit still unless you are asleep or strapped into your carseat.  You are very social and love going to school every day to play with your friends and teachers.  You are very smart and I am amazed at how quickly you are learning new things.  You are also very affectionate and love to give hugs and kisses, although I can hardly get you to cuddle with me anymore.  You love Elmo, Little Einstein's, puzzles, books, animals, BALLS and keeping your toys neat and put away (kind of an obsession right now).  You are very stubborn (just like mom and dad) and you do not like it when you don't get your way.  We're working on that :-).  You'd stay outside all day long if we let you - especially swimming or playing on your water table.  I am so proud of the big brother you are to Matthew and I can't wait to see you both grow up together.  I am so blessed to be your mommy! 

Happy Birthday sweet baby boy - we love you so much!!

One Month Old

I cannot believe that a whole month has gone by since Matthew was born.  Time is flying by and I wish it would slow down!  He weighed in at 10 lbs, 1 oz at his doctor's appointment yesterday.  He's eating very well.  Unfortunately, he's not sleeping very well at all.  We finally got some medicine for the reflux, so hopefully it will start working soon.

Here's my sweet boy on his one month birthday.  So in love with this little guy (even at 3 am).