Who says you need a Delorean to turn back time?

Ok folks, I've finally opened the vault! Here are some oldies but goodies from the Matty video file I finally got around to working with over break. Enjoy!

Our little lion at Halloween. He's not been this still since, even in his sleep.



For some reason Mom and Dad are trying to teach Matty to crawl. Can someone please tell me why we did that again?

Once again a mother predicts the future, not that I did anything about it.

Happy New Year!

Merry belated Christmas and a very happy 2009! I am sorry it's been a while since my last post. I was fortunate enough to have had the last two full weeks off of work and well, I've just been relishing every moment Matty and I've had together! As was obvious when I picked him up today from school and Mrs Webb was quick to tell me how Matty was rather clingy today. Oops.

Matty's first Christmas was nothing short of a spectacle! The presents, my god, the presents! Santa was quite generous this year as was the rest of his family and friends. We have one very lucky boy on our hands and believe me, we know it. Mama O and Daddy O rolled into Atlanta in their over-packed sleigh on Christmas Eve and we had the most wonderful visit! Matty received an awesome all-terrain Radio Flyer wagon! He's ready to take to the wilderness in this thing! Santa brought him a great Fisher Price jungle activity center that is so entertaining, it simply never gets old! And well a huge assortment of toys and wonderful gifts he has enjoyed so much ever since! We've finally set up the sun room to be Matty's play area complete with foam mat and all his toys and DVDs. It's so fun, it's practically Pee Wee's Playhouse! (That just aged me didn't it?)

Fun Christmas pics!

The rest of our Christmas break was spent just hanging out together, some days we didn't even leave the house. It was heaven. It started with Mimi and Bop coming for the weekend and our Atlanta Family Christmas which was wonderful. Matty got to have a nice play date with his cousin Ansley. We definitely need to do that some more! We got to spend New Year's Even with our good friends at Adam and Layce's and had so much fun! The little ones weren't up to ring in the New Year (thank goodness!) But they enjoyed their time together nonetheless and the grown-ups did too.

Matty also turned 9 months old last week! He is pulling up to stand like it's nobody's business. He is extremely comfortable with that, and I fear that letting go is only a matter of time. He is eating more and more new foods. I made him a recipe from my new Baby Food Cookbook that I got from Patsy for Christmas. And well, how do I say this nicely, he threw up. Patsy, I'm sure it wasn't the book...it tasted good to me! Perhaps it's that Matty's been battling an ear infection again that frankly has Ben and I scratching our heads. He is on his 2nd antibiotic this month and still is very symptomatic. I am running the risk of getting his file flagged under "crazy mother" but with another fever again today, I think another call is in order. Seriously, shouldn't we have some fever-free weeks?

The break was simply a joy. With the exception of a loss in my circle of friends that I wouldn't feel right not mentioning. Julie Hix, who some of you may have heard me refer to as "Fluffy", lost her tedious and courageous five-year battle with Ovarian cancer on December 28, two days shy of her 42nd birthday. She was truly a one-in-a-million person, a joy, a bright spot in all of our lives. Hilarious, generous, optimistic, accepting, and genuine; she will be missed by the many, many, many lives she touched. I was just lucky to be one.

More Fun with the Video Camera!

Just a few second long glimpse into the humor of feeding an infant.

Now, I fully concede that this could purely be my imagination. However, I swear he says "kitty" when he sees Shadow enter the room.

You be the judge.

It's Beginning to Look a Lot like Christmas!

Well Christmas is officially in the air! The house is a wreck and there's something allocated to every free moment on the calendar! But it's so exciting counting the down the days and knowing what a special first Christmas we'll have as a family. No matter how many Christmases we all experience, there is something so magical about this time of year, and going through it with our son now makes it even more wonderful. I so look forward to seeing it all through his eyes in years to come and remembering what is was like when it was brand new to us, too.

Matty certainly seems to be enjoying the new eye candy around the house! The wooden "Merry Christmas" train from my childhood came out yesterday and he was all about it! I can see us clocking many miles around the house, someone pulling and Matty trailing behind! And "Tumbling Santa" was an especially huge hit! The wooden toy that Bop handcrafted for me when I was little is such a unique toy, and so simple, but mesmerizing at the same time! We all could watch Santa tumbling down that ladder over and over again! Matty and Ben placed the first ornament, a Waterford choo choo train Patsy gave us to commemorate his first Christmas, on the tree last night. The house is really starting to come together and we're excited it's almost time to start our celebrating!

Matty's school has been very busy since Thanksgiving. Us Room Mothers have been busy planning a surprise Teacher Appreciation dinner for all the teachers at DCA. The dinner was Tuesday and I have to say, they were very surprised and the evening was a huge success. These women are truly amazing, and genuinely love these kids, and every mother there was proud to serve them our homemade dinner to try to thank them for all they do for our children. The Christmas Program is this afternoon as well as a Bake Sale we've been putting together. I am so excited about the Program, all the children are in it, yes, including the infant room...they have even been rehearsing for the past couple of weeks! I can't wait to see it come together, it's all a big surprise! Our neighborhood had their Christmas party Sunday evening, which I also helped out with (yes, I know, I need to start saying no!) We got the chance to get to know our new next door neighbors and it was funny to learn that the wife went to Stratford, our rival high school, and also graduated in '95! Small world! I think we're going to enjoy having them as neighbors!

Last weekend was Davis MacIsaac's first birthday party! It was so fun to get together and celebrate Matty's little friend! I can't believe he is already 1 and that Jake and Matty will be there before we know it! Davis gave all the children Santa hats with their names on them! They are so cute and I must say rather toasty warm, I've worn Matty's on more than one occasion. I might need to don in again this weekend, as I roll up my sleeves and start the holiday baking. If anyone has ever seen me in the kitchen, wish Ben and Matty good luck.

Matty is pulling up well now and enjoying the new things that he now has access to. His father's wallet for instance. Getting an early start on going through that one. And we're trying all sorts of new finger foods. He loves wagon wheels and puffs, but we're still getting used to Cheerios. The baked potato did NOT go over well when I made another attempt this week. I mean Oscar worthy, full on gagging at my cooking. I thought I had years before I had to worry about that. We're getting used to the tastes and textures of ripe pear and cheese cubes. All in a day's work for an 8 month old.