I finally have a few moments to write a new blog. It has been awhile. I probably should be using these few moments of peace and quiet to work on Matthew’s scrapbook or better yet I should be cleaning something. But I figured I would attempt to start a new blog. Nothing incredibly exciting is going on in our little corner of the world. But I figured I would share a little of our lives and some pictures.
The holidays were wonderful. Every holiday now has new meaning with a little one. Thanksgiving was very special; spending time with our extended family, letting Matthew try a lot of home cooked foods, being together, counting all our many blessings. It was everything a holiday should be.
We got to spend some time with Brian’s extended family just before Christmas. The reason for our gathering was very sad. But it was still nice to see them all and have some of them finally meet Matthew. It was nice to sit and reminisce with them about Cathy. I know they all miss her very much.
Christmas was bittersweet for us – Matthew’s first Christmas and our first Christmas without Brian’s mom, Cathy. Christmas has always been special to me. This holiday is probably my favorite one of all. It celebrates a little baby, the ultimate gift. I understand the value of that gift more now than ever before. I have always enjoyed the traditions my family has for Christmas. Those traditions took on a whole new meaning sharing them with Matthew this year. Our family’s Christmas is incredibly hectic, and sometimes a little stressful, with all the running around crammed in to one day. I know as Matthew grows, the traditions will have to change a little. I have so many fond memories of Christmases spent with my family. I hope when Matthew is my age, he will look back fondly on his Christmases growing up.
This first Christmas of his, was pretty amazing. He is finally getting over his stranger anxiety, so he got to actually enjoy being with everyone. And he got so many toys. (Next year maybe we won’t buy as many toys since everyone else will buy him toys.)
He loves to play so all the toys will eventually get used. We will rotate them in and out so that he doesn’t get bored. My dad and granddaddy built him and my nephew these really amazing rocking Harleys.
Now Matthew has a rocking toy built by each grandpa. (Grandpa Gene built him a rocking horse when he was just a couple of months old.) I am so thankful that Matthew has such talented grandpas. These toys will mean something to him as he grows up. And he can pass them onto his children one day. That means more than any store bought toy. We had to cut our trip short because of a snowstorm on Christmas night. But even cutting the trip short and running around like crazy, we still had such a wonderful holiday.
We are still adjusting to Cathy being gone. We are trying to settle her affairs. It is hard to believe she’s been gone for just over a month now. I still catch myself getting ready to ask Brian if he has talked to his mom this week. He found an old voicemail of her that was saved on his phone the other day. It was a sad day, because we know there won’t be anymore messages. The message wasn’t remarkable. It just said that she was sorry she had missed his call earlier and for him to call her back. But finding it caught him off guard and reminded him of all that he has lost.
Matthew is growing like crazy (but not crazy enough as far as the doctors are concerned. He’s in like the 2nd percentile in length and like the 10th percentile in weight. His doctor ordered a bunch of tests to make sure everything is OK. We go next week to Duke to rule out one last ailment. We aren’t worried. He is going to be small like his parents.) He crawls everywhere and is just beginning to enjoy the fun of the chase.
He loves to play with everything he can get his little hands on. And you can’t leave him alone for too long, or he will definitely find something he shouldn’t mess with. He likes to get into things.
He befriended a neighborhood kitty. She sits on the porch and he squeals at her. It is cute.
He took 2 unassisted steps yesterday. I cried tears of happiness that my little boy has accomplished something so wonderful and also tears of sadness that my little boy is growing up so fast. He has so much personality. He likes to “read” books himself. He loves music and crawls while bobbing his head to the beat. He loves to feed himself (aka make a mess). I don’t understand why he can find the smallest speck of dirt that I missed while sweeping and get it to his mouth, but the garden peas on his high chair tray manage to get mashed in his hair. He chatters away, especially when he is tired. No real words yet, but I know it’s just a matter of time. I try to savor every moment. Brian and I were talking about how sweet and wonderful some of our everyday moments as a family are and how sad it is that in a few months we won’t remember that particular moment. I guess in a way it is a blessing to have so many wonderful moments, that we won’t remember a particular instant on an ordinary afternoon. I guess that’s partly why I do this blog, as irregular as it is, as a way to capture some of the wonder of our ordinary days.
