Matthew opening Christmas gifts at Home

Baby No 2 - 16 Weeks

Matthew first Starting to Walk

at 16 months...

Our Visit to Poppie and Gigi's Home

Matthew with his Great Grandma (My Dad's Mom)

Matthew with Poppie

Matthew Clapping because he likes when Football is on TV

Matthew with Gigi

Matthew with Whittney's Parents (MooMoo and Papa)

Matthew Sleeping in his Stroller at the Airport

Matthew's 1st Skyline experience - He Loved it!

Abby...

Making herself comfortable on Matthew's chair after he is in bed of course :)

15 Months - Favorites of Matthew

Thanksgiving - Video with Papa

Thanksgiving at Grandma and Papa's

Baby No 2 - 12 Weeks

Matthew at Basketball Game

Matthew waving to Cavman.  He likes him from far away, but not so sure when he is up close.  He is a little scary looking. 

Grammie made it to the game with us too.

Matthew has something to tell you!!

 Yes, in case you didn't get it by the picture of Matthew... see this picture below...

Yes, we are expecting again and are so very excited!  It is still early, so we could continue to use all prayers!  I will start to show belly pictures again soon.  My 12 Week appointment, ultrasound and early screening test is Tuesday, November 16th :)

CYFS Playgroup

Every couple Wednesdays a month, Matthew and I go volunteer for Child Youth and Family Services through Junior League of Charlottesville. We volunteer for a Hispanic trailer park community which Habitat for Humanity is going to soon renovate and build homes for these families. Matthew and I get to meet with the moms and kids of these families help teach them learning techniques such and fine motor development etc which they can bring back to their home to teach their children. Matthew and I enjoy our time and Matthew gets to play with kids of all ages (babies to pre-school age).

Matthew is 15 Month old TODAY!

Yesterday, Matthew and I went to a morning pajama playdate and Matthew enjoyed his time.  After we headed to Panera to get him a grilled cheese sandwich.  He was finishing it up in the car on the way home and all of a sudden I looked back in my rear view mirror and Matthew was lowering his sandwhich as he was closing his eyes to fall asleep.  He fell asleep eating his grilled cheese; I was laughing :)


Today, we went to his 15 Month Check-Up and here are his stats! :-)

23 lbs and 12 oz – just under 75%

31.25 inches – 75%

Head was still off the charts 

Even though Matthew is still not walking doc said no worries, he will do it in his time and definitely by his 18 month appointment.  He is just not the daredevil yet, but I am ok with that! Love my baby boy! :)

Everyday, we THANK GOD for such a beautiful healthy baby boy!  Being a mom is a miracle I cannot describe.  I so love my job of being a mom!  I love being Matthew's mom and Thank God too for this wonderful opportunity!  

Halloween

Wednesday, Investure, my previous employer, had their Halloween Party which they were so kind to invite me to!  Matthew and I attended and got to see all the cute kids.  Unfortunately, I was a little late on taking the photos so I only got Parrish, Clay and Emmy's baby girl, and Matthew which by that time they were almost out of their costumes.  Parrish will be ONE in December so only a few months younger than Matthew.  But they enjoyed their company.  We had fun and it was great to see my old co-workers too!  Hopefully I get some more pictures from others at the party which I should be able to post as well.  

Tonight, Ryan, Matthew and I all went to the Lawn at UVA and even though we didn't stand in line to trick-or-treat, we strolled around saw some friends, took it all in and Matthew did get a couple pieces of candy and crawled in the leaves on the grass for a bit too.  We did have fun; next year we will try the real trick-or-treating with Matthew since he should definitely be walking by then, ha :)  This walking thing is slowly becoming a joke for us now :) He is such a good crawler and can get anywhere just about so I guess he really doesn't know what he is missing :)

Monday and Tuesday's Happenings...

Yesterday, Matthew and I decided to try out the new Smith Aquatic and Fitness Center, a brand new Charlottesville City Facility.  They have a lazy river, zero entrance area, and slides for big kids and toddlers along with a lap pool.  I was very pleased and hope to go there more often!  Unfortunately we do not have pictures since it was just me and Matthew there alone, but here are some pics of it from their site.  

Today, I watch Chloe, Erin and Grant's daughter, all day since her sitter was unavailable today.  She was a great girl and a very good sharer with Matthew today.  Here are a few pictures of them.  Enjoy :)

Evan's 2nd Birthday

Sunday we attended Church and tried the nursery again with Matthew and of course he cried again.  We will keep trying.  The girls there are great!  We are very appreciative of them so we can listen hear and listen in church!  Then we went to Bodo's for some bagels yummy - Matthew likes his bagel too! Once we got home, I finished up wrapping Evan's Birthday gift and we headed to the party.  It was Matthew's nap time since it was at noon, but Matthew still played and ate some lunch. He was a trooper, but as you can see from the pictures he was exhausted and when we left the party, he fell asleep in the car on the way home.  He stayed asleep as I brought him upstairs to his crib and he slept from 2:45pm to 6pm!  Yay!  we love great sleep :)  Such a good sweet boy! 

Evan was a cutie at his party and loved Matthew - he would every now and then ask where Matthew was; so cute!

On Saturday after Matthew's nap, I took him to Safe Halloween on the Downtown Mall.  

                    a brief description - Free and open to the public - Games, Slides, Bounces, Pumpkin and 

                   Face Painting, Costume contest, prises and safe trick-or-treating on the downtown mall.

Matthew and I just really ended up strolling the mall in his stroller with him dressed in his costume and chatting with some CVille playgroup friends.  We borrowed a very cute Monkey costume for Matthew from a friend who used it for her daughter last year.  It has worked out perfect and is super cute on him.  

Pics of Matthew as a Monkey at home

Pics of Matthew and CVille Playgroup Friends on Downtown Mall

After the Safe Halloween which ended at 5pm we went to the car changed Matthew's outfit and drive straight to the football game.  UVA played Eastern Michigan at 6pm.  We made it in perfect timing to see the pregame stuff and Matthew got to see "Cavman" fly down on the field from the parachute.  We did not get pictures of that but we did get a few of Mr and Dad along with some of Matthew in the suite.  UVA did win and the suit was pretty empty, but lots of kids including the boss'  Matthew had fun with all the kids as you can see from the pics.  He lasted till 4th quarter what a trooper.  I think he had a very fun and full day!

Updates on Matthew...

1. Monday, October 18th - Matthew stood up and took 3 steps without any assistance.  However, he of course hasn't done it again since.  He still prefers crawling :)

2. Tuesday, October 19th - Matthew decided he wanted to talk and say a new word "uh-oh" he loves this word; he drops things just to say it.  He also did say yummy when he ate his yogart and his "hi" is pretty close to us saying hi :)  Maybe he will be a talker before a walker!  I am totally fine with that one! I would like to understand him before he takes off running, ha. 

Today, we had our first Halloween function with the CVille Playgroup at Greenleaf Park.  I didn't want Matthew to get his Halloween costume dirty yet, so he is instead in his pumpkin onesie to keep with the theme.  Below are a few pictures.  Hope you enjoy.  

Chi O Family Visit

On Sunday, my big sis, Jamie, and her 2nd baby boy, Avery, along with my little sis, Katie, all drove to visit me and Matthew here in Charlottesville.  We went to lunch and then hung out a little at my place.  Avery is is 4 months old and is a cutie.  He was fun to watch :)  Abby liked him too.  Then Matthew woke from his nap and they were able to meet him finally!  It was just a short day trip, but a nice time to visit!  Hopefully we can see each other more often and not so long next time! 

Visit with Sara, Chris and baby William

Last weekend, Matthew and I braved it and drove down to visit Sara! We survived the drive :)  I have to say it is rough driving alone with a little one.  Much easier and more pleasant when you have a helper with you! So we were able to see baby William!  He is a cutie for sure!  Was exactly one month old when we saw him and I still do not think he was over 7 lbs.  He was a cute little peanut! Loved hanging out with them! Matthew also loved it too.  Whenever Sara gets time to download her pictures, we can see how much Matthew loved their dog Marley.  Marley is like a horse size and Matthew was fearless when it came to him.  They were buddies.  He loved that Marley would lick him in the face and he loved laying on the floor next to Marley's big head :)  Matthew enjoyed his time and liked William's room especially his books and cd player.  Thank you Sara and Chris soo much for letting us crash at your place and visit your beautiful home!  Matthew really did enjoy his time as did I!  Hope we can see each other again soon!  

Harvest Festival at Carter's Mountain

Sunday we went to church in the morning and for the first time we tried the nursery for Matthew.  He lasted the whole time which was nice, so I could actually get the message at church.  However, he was crying and the lady was holding him when we picked him up.  But she did say Matthew did very well especially considering this is his first time and I am home with him all day.  We will keep trying!  

Later that afternoon after Matthew's nap, we went to the Harvest Festival at Carter's Mountain here in Charlottesville.  Matthew got to try and Apple donut for the first time and he and I both loved it!  I also got some yummy fresh apple cider from this apple orchard.  We also picked out a couple pumkins :)  It was a beautiful day, the pictures don't show it's best. 

Matthew 14 Months

Cannot believe our boy is already 14 Months old!  He is so much fun!  I have finally been able to get real tennis shoes  on his feet without him curling his toes in, so that has been fun.  It is nice he can wear his tennis shoes, but he still will not walk.  He really likes the fact he can crawl and climb everywhere he needs to go :)  Here he is playing in Abby's bed, good thing Abby doesn't care :) 

Last Weekend in September

Ryan's Parent's came to visit.  Matthew and Abby got to hang with Grandma and Papa.  Saturday there was a home UVA game and Matthew, Harriet and I met Ryan there.  Jim stayed in with Abby to keep her company!

Aruba Trip

Last week and weekend we were in Aruba, thanks to my mom for the wonderful opportunity!  This vacation was great!  We stayed in a timeshare which was two bedroom, living, dining and very nice full kitchen.  So we were able to make and eat all our breakfast and lunch there! 

Matthew was amazing and had a terrific time too!  He took his naps in his stroller just about everyday! We were able to invite friends, so Mike, Ashley and Noah all met us there for a few days.  Matthew and Noah I think enjoyed each others company too.  Noah just turned three, so he was trying to teach Matthew all the big boy things.  He was a cutie!  Hope you enjoy the pictures. 

Matthew 13 Months - can stand on his own!

Matthew can now stand on his own for a few seconds.  He is just practicing before he will start his walking/running :)  He gets so excited when he stands!  Here are some pictures and videos of him from this past week or so.  Enjoy!

Labor Day Weekend

We had a great Labor Day Weekend!  Friday, we went to Fridays After Five and Matthew got to see the UVA band up close and dance to some Beatles music with Owen and a new girlfriend we just met last weekend!  He and Owen were wearing the same outfit.  Suzanne got Matthew this outfit for his Birthday and she also got a matching one for Owen; sometimes I think they could pass for brothers.  So cute together :)  

Saturday, we went to the 6pm start UVA game and Matthew was a trooper considering his naps were mostly non-existent that day.  Matthew stayed in my lap, Ryan's lap or my carrier the whole time and never asked to get down to crawl!  I was so proud of him.  He enjoyed clapping for the team too when everyone else was.  He and I headed home to get him a little after the start of the third quarter.  Matthew could have probably stayed longer since he was well behaved, but we didn't want to push it since we knew we were driving Sunday morning.  He slept great that night.

Sunday, we left around 10am when Matthew was tired and ready for his morning nap.  He napped about the 1st hour in the car and then we stopped for lunch.  When we got to the Leesburg Outlets, Matthew was just so excited to be able to get out of the car.  It was a beautiful day to walk around there with him in the stroller.  towards the end of our browsing, Matthew wanted to be held, so Ryan held him some and then I put him in my carrier.  We walked into Gap and Matthew started dancing to the the background music and then passed out in my carrier :)  LOVED it :)  He was a great boy!  Not too much later we had to transfer him to the car and drive to visit Dave, Lisa and Dylan.  Matthew was so tired, he just stayed asleep from the carrier to the car seat and he slept the rest of the way to the Maloney's!  We got to the Maloney's and he immediately jumped in and played with Dylan.  Matthew and Dylan were immediately buds!  They are just about exactly a year apart (their birthdays are 2 days apart).  Dylan was so nice and so very good at sharing with Matthew.  I was seriously impressed!  We really enjoyed our time with the Maloney's!  We hope we can see them more often.  Matthew even had fun this morning with Dylan.  He played with one of Dylan's cars and Dylan rode his new bike.  Matthew then slept the whole entire 2.25 hours home! It was great!  THANKS again Dave and Lisa for the great hospitality and food :)  

We hope you all enjoy the fun pictures of the beautiful weekend!

Mattthew eating dinner after a Doctor's visit

Matthew had a fever today :(  No fun, but after his doctor's visit and all the pricking and blood draws, urine sample etc, he took a short nap and then decided he did want to eat dinner.  Here are some pictures.  Poor boy and hopefully it will turn into just a quick 24 hour thing.  At least he is happier in  these pictures!

Last Weekend in August

This past weekend we went to Fridays after Five and Matthew hung with Owen and met a little girl too.  Suzanne took some pictures, so I will have to get those from her.  Saturday we went to the pool which Matthew really loves the water.  He tries to crawl in the pool. ha.  Then we just grilled out at home.  Sunday we went to Church, then Matthew napped and we headed to the Polo Match at King Family Vineyard. After that we went home and grilled out again :)  We had a very nice weekend as a Family of 3.  Poor Abby, but it was just too hot to bring her.  Maybe later in September.  Hope you enjoy the few photos we took. 

Matthew's 12 Month Pictures

Matthew had his 12 Month Check up TODAY, and he was in the 75th percentile for height and weight.  He was 29.5 inches and 22 lbs and 10 oz.  And his head was off the charts, hopefully that is all smarts :)

Virginia Beach

Thanks to a wonderful generous donor Ryan works with, we were able to enjoy a trip to Virginia Beach again this year!  We stayed at his beautiful home just literally steps from the beach.  Matthew really had a great time too and he was happy to be able to go in the pool!  Last time he was there he was only 6 weeks old.  Now he is a crawler :)  He was very good this trip as he always is :)  We are so blessed everyday for our little miracle and all the blessings God provides us each and everyday!  We hope you enjoy the fun pictures we took while we were relaxing away from home!

Lake Norris in TN

So, the day after my Birthday, Ryan, Matthew and I all drove down to Lake Norris to see my Dad, Whittney, her parents and Jordan.  We really enjoyed our time, but did miss Sydney, Kendra and Kyle.  We stayed in a really nice condo off the Lake and my Dad rented a pontoon boat with a slide and a jet ski.  Thank you again Dad and Whittney for a great time with you all!  Matthew loved seeing you too!  And he and I loved our Birthday gifts so THANK YOU! Hope you enjoy the photos. 

A few photos with family

Matthew climbing the stairs for the first time!

Matthew's 1st Birthday and my 30th Birthday Weekend!!

Here are some pictures.  We have a little party with mostly family and a couple of friends.  It was a nice way to celebrate for Matthew!  Thank you everyone for making our birthdays so special and all the wonderful gifts!!!  Below are a few photos and videos of the events...

WOW, COUNTDOWN TIME!

I cannot believe it is almost August and more importantly, Matthew will be 1 on Monday, this year has flown by!  And I will be 30 on Tuesday!  I never thought 30 would come my way, but I will embrace it.  I am very excited for my 30's and so happy to see what 1 will bring for Matthew.  He has been an amazing and handsome blessing from God.  I just LOVE spending everyday with him!  He is such a great boy!

 Matthew is trying to use his sippy cup on his own, but it is the wrong way :)

Sara's Baby Shower Weekend

Last weekend Matthew and I went up to Wintergreen to stay the weekend at Christine and Dylan's Family Home.  It was so nice and perfect for this occasion.  Most of my Hokie Girls were able to make it.  Thank you Sara for having a baby so we can celebrate in this fashion and get together!  So much fun!  Hope everyone can enjoy some of the photos.  

A few more photos of Matthew at 11 Months

Poppie's Visit

My Dad came in town a couple days with Kyle to pack up his storage stuff and take Kyle's things to Cincinnati.  My brother, Kyle, will be starting law school at UC, so this way he now has all his things there with him for wherever he chooses to live.  While my Dad was here he was able to spend some time with Matthew.  It was nice since we have not seen him since Christmas.  Here are a few photos.  

Hodge's Lake House

Thank you to Meredith and Randy, we were able to see them, Skylar and Palmer up at their lake house.  We also got to meet some more great friends.  We really enjoyed our time and love any weekend we get to spend there with them!  

Some Pool tim with Dad

City of Charlottesville - Onesty Pool at Meade Park

Matthew's Visit with Great Grammie

Matthew is 11 Months TODAY!

We sat Matthew on our scale and he weighs in at 22 lbs.  It is crazy to believe he is almost 1 year old! Hope you enjoy the pictures. 

A few recent photos

Matthew is such a big boy, he now pulls himself up to the coffee tables and couch and he is crawling everywhere trying to get into all the fun stuff.  He loves the Hokie Pokie Elmo and always points to it for me to play him.  He has fun with Abby too and sharing his food with him.

Matthew's 1st Swim Lessons

Matthew took his first group of swim lessons with the city of Charlottesville.  He was in the starfish level one classs.  It was babies aged 6 months to 18 months.  They try and teach the babies how to kick, paddle, blow bubbles etc.  It is a fun class and really teaches the parents how to continue to teach their babies certain things for water safety.  Matthew and I have really enjoyed taking the class.  It was great the city provides them.  Below are a few pictures Ryan took when he watch us.  

Visit with Papa and Grandma

This past weekend we went to visit Ryan's dad and mom.  His dad just had quintuple bypass surgery and is out of the hospital home recovering for a few weeks.  Our visit with him was great and he seemed great and in such good spirits especially despite all he has been through.  I think Abby and Matthew made his weekend.  It was nice and relaxing as we got to see his brother Jay too.  Jay took us to his club pool too when Matthew got to swim there and below are some pictures taken that day.

A couple good videos of Matthew

Matthew is officially on the move...

FRIDAY, JUNE 18TH - Matthew started crawling! 

SATURDAY, JUNE 19TH - Matthew stood up in his crib after his morning nap, he has yet to pull himself up again in his bed, but I am sure it will happen many more times again soon. 

So, as you can see we had 2 BIG firsts this weekend from Matthew and he only continues to surprise us. He likes to take all the books off my book shelves which I do not mind since it is fun to watch him.  He gets to Abby's water bowls and starts splashing and then of course pouring the water out onto the carpet.  Then he likes to crawl to the windows and pull on the blinds, which means I just have to open the blinds.  

Father's Day Weekend

Friday, we enjoyed our time at Friday's After Five and got to see Grant, Erin and Chloe who I hadn't seen in forever, so it was so nice to see them!  Saturday evening we had a nice dinner gathering at Theresa and Derik's home; Matthew had fun and really enjoyed Theresa's full length mirror.  Sorry T for the finger prints.  Sunday, we went to the Pink Polo Match at King Family Vineyards.  It was a beautiful day to be there and we ran into some people we haven't seen in forever!  Hope you enjoy the photos.

More 10 month photos of Matthew taken with my phone all while visiting Mimi

Matthew in the tub

Brian and Ashlie's Wedding Weekend!

Brian and Ashlie's Wedding Weekend was amazing.  As Shannon said "it was a total dream wedding any girl would ever want!"  It started with a Bridal luncheon on Friday which Matthew enjoyed cause he got to eat Strawberries and make a mess.  Then we had the nice rehearsal dinner at the Hotel Zaza in Houston which was so beautiful.  Matthew took a nap right before the dinner and was a total trooper throughout the evening.  Bella and Bryn sat at our table, so Matthew was in heaven.  He loves Bella and Bryn and they even fed him some of his rice cereal.  Matthew gets so excited when he sees little kids.  Saturday we took Matthew to the hotel pool and of course all the girls who were there just flocked to him and loved him.  The wedding night, Matthew slept through the ceremony in his stroller at church and then during the reception he hung out in the kids room (which Bella and Bryn were there too).  The ladies in the kids room were amazing it was a ratio of many more sitters than kids.  they fed Matthew his dinner and played a little and then rocked him and walked him around in his stroller till he fell asleep.  Even though he still has his serious separation anxiety he was a pretty good trooper with these ladies.  We were very impressed.  Matthew slept great in the hotel as he slept through the night both nights and Sunday we had a luncheon too which Matthew attended as well.  At the luncheon it was a Mexican theme, so Matthew got to eat avocado (one of his favorites) and try a cheese enchilada which he loved!  Well hope you enjoy the photos. 

Matthew's first hop recorded by Mimi at Mimi's House...

Matthew can crawl backwards, but has not yet figured out forwards.  In this video he realized he can hop forwards instead of crawling one knee at a time.  It shocked us all, but of course he has not done this again since June 8th.  
 

In this video towards the end he moved one knee forward on his belly and then gave up.  He will get it soon :) 

The 3 of us United in Austin, TX :)