Ugg!

So my husband has informed me I don't blog enough anymore.  Ok, ok...that's not exactly what he said, but that was the message that got across.  I told him I don't have anything to say and he insists I do.  So, for now I'll try and fill some randoms in and maybe, just maybe, I'll let him have a guest spot and HE can blog for me, since he apparently has so much to say.

About Matthew--

-he's fully recovered from his surgery. He goes back to Portland for official follow-up in early January, but it's really like nothing happened.  Really.  A tiny little scar, but no biggie.  This boy got a very private area cut open and needed only one dose of pain medicine, and only 2 or so of motrin. 

-he's always been a bit slower at picking up words, but he's starting to talk a little more.  He follows me around the house and when I walk around a corner I am always greeted with a cheery "hi".  His new thing is, when we're playing in his room, he'll pretend to leave and pull the door closed behind him.  He tries to tell me "bye, see you later."  It comes out "bye, seeyasee."  He does it over and over and over.  It is *literally* the cutest thing ever.

-his mouth exploded with teeth recently.  He had 8 teeth for the longest time- 4 on top, 4 on bottom.  In the last 2 weeks he's added 5-6 more and there are 2 about to pop through the gums.  Not surprisingly, it made him a wee bit irritable for a few days last week (and by wee bit I mean I wanted to rip my hair out and sit in a corner with my fingers in my ears singing "la la la").  Anyway, it's weird to see so many teeth.

-he gives awesome kisses.  And if told "give kisses" he will do it over and over. I love making him perform like this.

-he's started learning body parts, and I have in turn, continued to make him perform.  He knows at least 10 of them, but my favorite are:  nose--"where's your nose?"...instead of pointing to it, he gives a few sniffles and scrunches up his nose.  eyes--"where's your eye?"....blink, blink, blink.  fingers--"where's your fingers?"--he gives the cutest little wiggle of his fingers.

-he is a dancing machine.  DANCING MACHINE I tell you.  He loves to dance. 

-He's become a picky eater.  It had to happen sometime.  He used to be so easy going about food, and has definitely decided he has preferences- a good thing, no?  It took some getting used to, but now that we fully realize this child is not going to stave himself, we just go with the flow.  Do I *wish* he'd eat vegetables? Sure.  Do I force them down his throat?  No way.  (I did, however, fool him once again--score two for the mommy. I made a delicious spinach quiche for a brunch we were attending. He gobbled the stuff up--as if it didn't have 3 or 4 cups of spinach--and onions!--in it. ha ha ha.)

-He's getting so big! Really he is! Most of the time he looks like a "kid", instead of a "baby".  He still wears a lot of his 12 month clothes, but just this week we broke out some 18 month clothes that actually fit him pretty well.  Well, I mean the waist is still a bit baggy and sometimes I have to roll up the pants leg...but you know, they fit.  :-)

About us--

-been busy getting ready for Christmas.  We'll be staying here at home and enjoying a quiet holiday together.  I love this little family of mine.  Have I mentioned how blessed I am? I am. For real.

-already planning some trips for the new year.  Matthew and I will be going to Florida to visit my parents in February.  In addition--I have two very awesome fantastic friends, Rose and Erika, who will be flying down from Philly for a few days.  Erika is bringing her boy Zane (he's about 8 months younger than Matthew, if I'm doing the math right in my head.  And since math was always my worst subject, remember I could be off by 2 or more months).  I am excited about every part of this trip.  Seeing my girlfriends, FINALLY meeting Zane, and seeing our boys play together.  I could go on and on about how surreal life is sometimes...one second I'm in Baltimore with these ladies by my side, living the social life (aka barhopping)...the next second I *blink* and here we all are in much different places in our lives.  Erika and I have kids! What?!?!?

-Mike continues to do amazingly well recovering from his heart surgery.  He has found getting back to real life makes it difficult to do his walking and exercise, but is working on making sure he gets it done every day.  I am in disbelief at how well he has recovered.

See--I had NOTHING to say.