Matthew at 6 Weeks

Weight: 12 lbs 10 oz (80th percentile)

Height: 22.5" (56th percentile)

Head Circumference: 15.4" (68th percentile)

What he likes: 
Matthew likes his paci, his swaddle, and sleeping. Other than that I'm not really sure. He's my solemn guy. Although he's very easy going, he has yet to crack his first smile. Not unusual or a concern according to his pediatrician, but it makes him seem more serious... and even mature somehow.

He does seem to like Clara. He tolerates quite a bit of her patting, hugs, kisses, rocking, trying to shove a paci in his mouth, and delighted screaming without protest. In fact, her presence can have a calming effect if he's fussy. His personality is definitely the perfect compliment to hers, just as is Mitch's. Now if she can only find a husband equally as mild-mannered, she'll have it made. :)

What he can do:
Make good eye contact and look somewhat in the direction of a noise. He can fall asleep in his crib by himself about half the time.

Other information:
I've quit eating most dairy for now because it seemed to bother him. Giving up cheese and ice cream has been sad... but not nearly so sad as seeing my baby cry in pain for two-three hours in a row of an evening.

Matthew is a quiet-natured baby. He doesn't coo or grunt or make many noises at all. We wouldn't even know he had a voice if it weren't for his occasional fussiness, specifically when he's tired, needs to burp, or has tummy discomfort.

Matthew is also still-natured. He does move his arms and legs around quite a bit throughout the day, and definitely when he's upset about something, but also spends plenty of time relaxed and and tranquil, moving his eyes back and forth to take in the environment while remaining totally at rest.

As I've mentioned before... he's awesome. It's fun getting to know him.

An Idealistic Fourth of July

We had a great Fourth of July. So, so much fun.

Some of Mitch's 2013 fireworks photography.

It all began on the 3rd, when we more or less happened upon the Twin Oaks Concert in the Park and Fireworks Festival. We were supposed to meet at the park for Bible Study, but instead enjoyed the festivities with our Bible Study group.

It was great to sit on picnic blankets, listen to music, eat snacks, and enjoy the company of some of our closest friends. Not to mention that we've all had babies within the past 3 months. Hannah (on the right) is our newest addition, at only 10 days old.

The guys played with the kids in an open field near our picnic blanket. I found this activity particularly humorous. The dads passed the ball back and forth by swinging the toddlers through the air.

Later that evening we watched a great fireworks display. Clara was adorable. She was kinda scared and kinda loved it, which resulted in her cuddling up close, wrapping her arms around my neck, and repeating, "Whoa! Fireworks! Aren't dey pretty?" over and over again (which she had heard me say). :) So cute. So fun.

Mitch was busy trying some new photography techniques, which turned out really cool.

The next morning we met together again for the Kirkwood Fourth of July Parade and were joined by Ryan, Crystal & Anna.

 It was awesome. Clara and Matthew experienced their first parade, we all got lots of candy, Mitch and Gordon shouted supportive yet hilarious comments to all the passing floats, eliciting some funny responses, and Kristi cheered loudly for everyone giving stuff away which landed us all lots of goodies (combined with the fact that we were sitting with two toddlers.)  :)

The Reddicks joined us back at our house where THEY cooked us a wonderful, grilled, all-american Fourth of July lunch, which was fabulous.

Later that evening we ventured downtown for Fair St. Louis. We set up a picnic at the City Garden and, after eating, put Clara in a swimsuit to run around the spray grounds.

The wet ground was very reflective.

It was all fun until Clara pooped in her swimsuit...

After a while we made our way to Kiener Plaza to watch the fireworks display. Why Kiener Plaza? Mitch was on a mission to get this shot:

Want to know how he did his fireworks photography this year? Check out his new photography blog post.

All in all it was an idealistic way to pass our Fourth of July holiday. The weather was perfect, the kids were fun, and the company was great. 

Taking the Plunge

...the plunge otherwise known as "potty training."

One morning a couple of weeks ago I tested the waters. Clara and I talked things over and then put her in "big-girl underwear" and played out the morning. We spent considerable time on the potty. Nonetheless by mid-day the score was Potty:0 House:6

So I put things on hold to spend time thinking it through some more.

Then, on Thursday, with Dora Potty Doll to aid us, we began again, this time with conviction. I elected to reward Clara with an M&M every 5-10 minutes she remained dry. The concept was effective, but by evening-time she had that wild, sugared-up, look in her eyes. However, the final score was Potty:4 House:5. I was exhausted from the effort of it all, but pleased with our partial success.

On Friday things seemed to click. Not only did she take initiative to put herself on the potty twice when she needed to go, she only had one accident all day. And I switched my reward to fruit snacks, which bore better results. 

Today we are three for three as of nap time.

I'm excited for the success we're having and hope it continues! She getting to be such a big girl! It makes me happy and sad at the same time.

Clara's potty set up.

Drinking plenty of juice to keep things "flowing."

Matthew: First Impressions

I first noticed it months before he was born. Matthew was a chill dude. His movements were gentle "re-situating wriggles," not the bruising, passionate kicks I'd experienced only two years prior.

My initial impression has yet to be discredited. His demeanor is relaxed, very much mirroring that of his father. He'll cross his little feet at the ankle (a happy accident no doubt), and quietly look around. So much like Mitch I have to laugh.

He's also the "less-vocal" type. Quite a contrast to baby Clara, and, again, quite similar to Daddy. When he's upset, he'll spend about 10 seconds scrunching up his face before the first actual "waaaa" errupts. And that sounds more like a spoken word than a true cry. If I can anticipate and address whatever is bothering him within those first several seconds, he never actually makes a peep.

Upon meeting him, many people say, "Wow! Those are some big hands! He's either going to be a tall guy or a piano player." To which I say, "Maybe he'll be both..." :)

He's content for the most part. The only struggle he's had is falling asleep. That becomes a fussy, messy process at night and nap times when he's so tired but can't quite get there on his own. I bounce him, give him a paci, rub his tummy, burp him, but refuse to put him all the way to sleep in those moments. I know I will pay for it later if I teach him to rely on me to get to sleep. However, we've started some good bedtime routines and are seeing improvement already.

Overall, he's awesome. We love him. He's a great fit to our family and SO sweet!

Reflections on Our First Weeks

After 3 weeks together as a family of four, all I can say is my "cuteness tank" is overflowing!  I don't think I could stand any more.

Matthew peeking out at the world.

Clara is absolutely adorable as "big girl," "big sister" two year old. Her hair is curlier than ever in this summer humidity, and she says and does so many charming and hilarious things.

Serving pizza at the Magic House

And Matthew is an awesome newborn: content, cute, sweet, and cuddly as all get out.

I am praising and thanking God for the overwhelming blessings He's given me in my amazing husband and these two precious little ones.

So far, in his first weeks of life, Matthew has:

• road-tripped to Eldon
• attended a wedding
• met all his cousins
• visited the zoo
• visited the Magic House
• visited the pool
• gone on multiple shopping outings
• gone out to lunch
• gone to Fritz's... twice
• and attended to two different churches

"my kids" and me :)

It's amazing how the life of a second born varies from that of a first born. By three weeks of age I believe the sum total of Clara's experiences were a lone trip to Target and a couple of walks around the subdivision. Matthew has taken everything in stride beautifully.

Clara had a bit of a rough transition. She had a 103.5 degree fever and Strep while we were in the hospital with Matthew, cut two back molars, and then got a mother who couldn't do much more than lay on the couch and recover all week instead of playing. What's more she was suddenly forced to share the lime light.

So for many reasons, Clara was an emotional mess for about a week, but now seems very pleased with her baby brother and very interested in seeing that his needs are met. She's a sweet big sister. It's heart-warming to watch her love on him and fun to include her as an eager "helper" in his care.

We've had lots of visitors, which has been awesome and a great distraction for Clara. All of her grandparents and cousins have been up to see her and her new brother, along with some of her aunts and uncles.

Clara and Matthew with their visitors!

Fun, fun!

 We've had a great introduction into our new reality. Here's hoping it continues to be so smooth!

Toddlers Are Funny

Some things Clara does that make me laugh:

• She gets out of bed at nap time, plays in her room until she decides she's ready to sleep, and finally slips her books out under her door before falling asleep right in front of it. One day she didn't have books available to her, so instead she took off her socks and shoved them under the door. It's like a little flag of surrender. Or maybe it's something fun to do that then removes all her entertainment so she succumbs to sleep.

• Clara seems to feel quite "bullied" by young babies who may reach for a toy she's playing with or pull on her in some way. She screams, pulls her toys in close, and runs to mommy, proceeding to climb on my lap and glare at the offending baby (who's happily toddling along, oblivious to the situation). It's a comical sight considering she's often far bigger than the "culprit."

• She loves "coloring," which more or less consists of handing mom or dad the crayon of her choice and commanding them to "draw tree"... over and over again, until we have pages and pages of trees in every color in Clara's personal notebook.

• When she gets in trouble, she tends to take it very seriously. As a result, she often spends time rehearsing what she's been told earlier that day. While we were driving a few days ago, I'm hearing the little voice in the backseat say, "Do not 'frow" it --milk! Don't do dat!" over and over again. Today I overheard her saying, "Look at me. Time out!" 

• When Clara wakes up in the morning she comes out of her room to find us. As soon as she sees me she gives me the brightest smile and the most affectionate, "Hey mom!" you can imagine. If she sees Mitch first, he gets an excited "Dad!" squeal. It's a great way to start off our day. It always makes me giggle.

So fun. :)

Conflicting Emotions

"Clara, do you know the meaning of 'confused?'" Mitch asked last week.

She had just spent 5 minutes whining about not wanting her oatmeal and being "all done," then proceeded to burst into tears when I finally removed it from her. Upon returning it (in confusion myself), she grabbed her spoon and dug in.

This type of scenario is common with Miss Clara. She has many conflicting emotions and will push for something, realizing the moment she gets it that she didn't actually want that after all... or maybe she did she later decides.

Like when she takes her shoes off in the car and then cries because ...her shoes are off.

Or yesterday when she got herself a yellow spoon at breakfast. I had already gotten her a blue spoon, but she really wanted the yellow one, so that was fine. Unfortunately she kept changing her mind. Eventually she was alternating bites with each spoon and at one point tried to take a bite using both.

Or today when we went outside to play, she wanted her jacket on, then off, then on, then off, then on. And when I finally made her decision for her in an effort to get us out the door, taking it away, she was quite genuinely upset about it.

I try to encourage and allow her to make her own decisions about things that don't really matter to me. I want to give her a sense of control and independence when I can, but sometimes it just gets ridiculous when she can't make up her mind.

Mitch likes to be funny and call her a "typical woman."

It makes me chuckle, because I know I'm the main woman he's referencing.

However, I think the root of the matter is that it's just SO hard to live with any decision when you're two!