Mama O desperately wanted a video of this one! In case you didn't know, Matty's one smart cookie and doesn't like crawling around on the cold bathroom tile. So what do you do when you can't walk on your feet yet but want to get around? You improvise.
(Sorry for the "Blair Witch Project" camera work...small bathroom / moving target!)
The Tuesday after Matty's surgery came a much larger one in our family. Mom had her surgery to remove the tumor on her ureter. The surgery went well, though they were unable to remove all of the tumor as we'd been hoping. They also removed part of the small intestine, which we expected. Matty and I traveled to Winston Salem to be with Mom the day after her surgery, but we were there only a few hours when he spiked a 103.5 fever. The next morning, Hudson's pediatrician told us he had bronchitis, and the two of us loaded up the car and tearfully left Winston and headed home. We'd been told Mom would be able to go home by that weekend. But it wasn't until about 12 days later that she finally was released to Jennifer's house. Finally, now Mom is home again in Macon after being gone for a month. Though again Murphy's law couldn't let well enough alone and when Mom and Dad arrived home yesterday, it was to a flooded crawl space, 40 degree weather in April with no heat. What is this, sarcasm?
We did however have a great time celebrating Matty's 1st Birthday party a couple of weekends ago! Patsy and Craig were able to come and ring in the new year so to speak and tons of friends came over to watch Matty demolish his aptly named "smash cake" and shower him with presents! Thanks again to everyone who was able to come! We loved seeing everyone!
We were heartbroken that Mom couldn't come, since she was just released from the hospital that morning, but due to some fortunate timing, Daddy was able to come through Atlanta that afternoon and be there for part of the party! See sometimes things work out! And we put Craig to work hard while they were in town. Despite the nasty weather that weekend, Ben and Daddy O finalized a new solar installation for a new apartment clubhouse down by the airport. Georgia Solar: changing the world, one roof at a time!
Matty's actual birthday was unfortunately celebrated a mere few feet from his birthplace, at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. That day he spiked yet another record breaking fever of 104 and we were sent to the ER for a chest scan to be sure his infection had not developed into pneumonia. Thankfully it had not, but it also all meant that we'd not yet to move beyond the infection of the year. He just finished his 7th antibiotic and is seemingly feeling much better! Dr Sipp, his ENT, told us Tuesday that his ears are looking great now and are 100% infection free! Fingers crossed, we may have finally crossed to the other side!
This past weekend was great here in Atlanta. Perfect Spring weather finally and the Brownings took full advantage of it. We had a great pizza dinner on the square with the Hudgins' Saturday night. Then Sunday we tried out the city park nearby. It's a great park! And Matty loved the swing and the slide. I definitely think we will be frequent flyers there this Spring!
It's only 2PM and already today has been a whirlwind! 
Matty is doing just great and growing like a weed! He is becoming such a big boy as he approaches toddlerhood. Even in his face, I swear he is looking less like a baby and more like a little boy all the time. It's fascinating to watch, and well, his parents simply fall more deeply in love with him every day! We're still struggling to get his ear infections under control. He has been on 4 antibiotics since early December. We were told Thursday by the Pediatric ENT that his ears were still very infected and that tubes would be absolutely necessary. He believes Matty has a rare strain of ear infection that is antibiotic resistant. Ironically, I'd actually read about that a while ago and began to suspect myself. Matty's surgery (their word, not mine) is scheduled for March 9 and then hopefully this adventure will be behind us once and for all! Matty officially graduates from the Infant Room to the Wobbler Room on Monday! He's been transitioning for a few weeks, going a few hours a day and gradually increasing his time there. He gets to move up with 2 other classmates, one of whom, Patrick, is his little partner in crime! It's been a little adjustment for him, as he is very attached to his Bonding Teacher, Mrs. Webb. I'm attached to her too! She even told me when I gave her a ride home recently that she had requested to move up to be with Matty, but was told she couldn't at this time. We've been blessed to have such a wonderful teacher for him. But Wobblers will be great, he eats in the cafeteria with the other kids and now has a brand new room and brand new toys and things to explore!
So typical for the south that we've had no snow all winter and here on the first day of March, we have snow! When Matty woke from his (brief) morning nap, we looked outside to see the snow coming down! Big fat gorgeous flakes! We only stayed outside long enough to snap a few pictures...it was cold! 
And I just cannot close this latest update without showing off our newly painted kitchen! I'm as excited as I could be! You've seen our kitchen, it needed a little makeup quite badly. For as much time as we spend in there, it's been my least favorite room. I could easily keep my 30 year old oven and cabinets for years and years now that we've added a pop of color to the room! Amazing what a coat of paint can do!
