6 Months Old!

This little turkey is 6 months old! He is 18 pounds, loving food and has a smile for anyone who makes eye contact with him. He loves his family and excitedly waves his hands and squeels after his nap when someone goes to get him up or someone he knows comes through the door. He is a social and friendly baby everywhere we go.

Ben is very proud of how quickly he has met all his milestones and take credit for helping him learn so much (he read a baby development chart when he was born and was very strict about his tummy time regime!).

Matthews first food was avacodo, followed by carrots, sweet potato, squash and now he is eating most everything except grains. He loves baby food pouches and will eat two at one meal. He is on a pretty good schedule with a short nap in the morning followed by a 2 hour nap in the afternoon and then bedtime at 7. He wakes once in the night and then otherwise is up with a smile at 7am.

He still doesn't love his carseat but is tolerating being in the car a little more now. We will switch him to a bigger seat in the spring and hopefully he will be a bit happier in the car.

We love this little guy with his adorable grin and silly laugh and fat little knees soooo much! How lucky we are to have our little Matty-baby in our family!

December

December is such a busy month! For so many years I have tried to simplify and prioritize but this year...I gave up the fight. Christmas season is chaotic and busy and sometimes stressful and overwhelming with the amount of commitments and fun activities to pack into four short weeks. But without the distractions I suspect we would be much more aware of the long dark and cold days. There are worse things that having too many fun things to do that is for sure! We had lots of fun celebrating Grampas birthday with a parade (the kids of course think the town they live in throws a parade for Grampa every year in his honor...it may be the Christmas parade ...the verdict is pending on that one...). Elizabeth and Jacob enjoyed a little chef's class at our local grocery store where they made Christmas treats, we went to a Christmas light event with Grammie and Grandad and got to visit with Onnika and Greyson. We made cookies, had delicious Christmas dinners, ate too much and enjoyed some time off with Daddy. A few days before Christmas we put an offer on a house and were anxiously awaiting its acceptance. We found out shortly after Christmas that we go it! Christmas morning was busy and exciting and the kids were all spoiled! Everyone got just about everything they wished for and another Christmas is over! Whew!

It is HERE!

After a very mild early November the kids were counting down the days until snow! We were fortunate to have the warm temperatures as we were moving to our rental house. Conveniently enough the rental is only 4 houses away from our old house so we could walk everything across the street (in t shirts!). We are renting while we look for the house we want so we can buy and can take our time doing it. A few light flurries had the kids dressing in head to toe winter gear. Jake got a bit of a surprise when he misjudged his foot wear and stepped in a pile of snow with barefeet in his crocs. I think he will remember boots next time!
The snow is covering the street and trees tonight and it hard to deny how beautiful it is. The first and last snowfall of the season are my favorite:)

5 Months

Matthew is 5 months old already. What a boy! He is just the best little guy. We love every inch of him...those rolly thighs, dimpled elbows, gummy smile, soft brown hair, stinky little toes (he has the sweatiest feet!).
He has a belly laugh that we will go to great efforts to get out of him but generally he is quick to laugh...especially if there is a raspberry kiss headed to his tummy. He is giving kisses...big gooey slobbery awesome face dive kisses and is sleeping well now that he can roll over on his stomach to sleep. He sits on his own now and is interested in his toys. Everything goes into his mouth but no teeth yet! He has started to eat a few foods as he is nearing 6 months. Avocado and sweet potato are so far a big hit. He puts them in his own mouth, tries to chew and swallows so he seems ready and enthusiastic. So far no one is a picky eater...far from it! These kids LOVE to eat...and he seems to have been encouraged by watching their enthusiasm. Every time he takes a bite of anything he grins around the table at everyone, so pleased with his big self! I have a feeling, based on his growth curve so far that appatite is not going anywhere! I put him in a 12-18 month outfit recently that barely fit! He weighs close to 18 pounds and is very long.

We are just crazy about this sweet baby! How lucky we are that he is ours!

Miss Ella

Queen Elsa Elizabeth Annabella Joy as she prefers to be called is growing up so fast. She is such a delightful girl and makes us laugh every day! She loves her ballet class, her brothers, who she calls her sweeties and everything princess. She is also tough and bossy, a kind helper and a good friend.
Recently she was talking sternly to Ben about something as he was not listening to her and said - ELIZABETH ANNABELLA JOY! YOU LISTEN TO ME! he laughed and said - But Ella! That is not my name! And she shrugged and said...ya but I dont know YOUR whole name!
Ella loves to play Mommy, in which she imitates everything I do. It is so funny to see how she perceives me and how she remembers all the smallest details of things I do that I dont even realize until I am watching her. If I invite her to help me grocery shop it is the highlight of her week! We sure love this little cupcake!

4 Month Sibling Comparison

I had a little photo shoot with Matthew today to document his 4th month and was curious how he compared to his siblings. I see each of them in him but also his own little something! Whatever it is, its working! 

 Benjamin

 Jacob

 Elizabeth

Matthew

4 Months Old

What a happy little man our Matthew is! He is always ready with a smile and loves to laugh. He has a deep belly laugh and conveniently very ticklish armpits! He loves to be worn in his carrier and will fall asleep nearly instantly. He is beginning to sit on his own and can roll easily from stomach to back. He is still working on back to front which is convenient for me because I can lay him down and know he will be in relatively the same spot when I return...but not for long. He is determined to get on the move and keep up with the kids around him! Admittedly and unapologeticly  I  am babying this little boy of mine and plan on keeping it up as long as he will allow it. I am in no hurry for the next milestone this time as it is so easy to do with a baby. While each is exciting I know too well how fast it all passes. Savoring where is at right this minute is an enjoyable way to celebrate him...and celebrated he is! I didn't realize the interest the kids had in each of his new developments, no matter how minor. I learned quickly however when I put him in an excersaucer for the first time to see if he could hold himself up in it. Ben walked in and was appalled that he was not informed. "You are suppose to TELL me!". Whoops! He certainly has a loyal and enthusiastic cheerleader squad.