Matthew Montage

Matthew is 4 months old today! I am biting my tongue to not say how I can't believe how time has flown (but I can't help it).

I don't feel like there have been monumental changes in the last month - he is stronger and is completely upright on his own now, he loves to sit up on your lap and now his new favorite game is pushing up to standing...he goes up and down and laughs each time he stands.

Today was his check up and he received a good report. His stats were:

• Weight - 14 lb 2 oz (I was surprised he only gained 2 lbs in the last 2 mos...he seems like he has gotten much heavier and roly-polier!)
  
• Height - 24 in

He is still drinking 6 oz 5 times a day but I think we are ready to start migrating to a 4 hr schedule...we'll see. Sleeping is still going beautifully at night - he wants to be in his crib no later than 7:30 and I (sadly) have to actually wake him up most weekday mornings around 7 to get him ready (weekends he sleeps until at least 7:30). Daycare has totally screwed up his daytime sleep and I have had to just let it go, knowing that it is only for one more week...we will get it back together, I know it. But since I know he is used to sleeping very little during the day, I know we can make it the 4 hr stretch!

I didn't think he had made much progress with his tummy time work, so I mentioned to the pediatrician today that I thought he wasn't lifting himself as much as he should and showed no signs of rolling over...so she tested him out and wouldn't you know it, he did a full push up and flipped over! Made mommy look like a fool! :) Granted his doc gave him a little head start on the rolling (so I can't claim he did it himself yet) but she was please that he was using his momentum to roll. So, looks like we just need some more practice!

Bumbo

Last week we did a lot of this...
...watching Andy Roddick and other pro players play in a US Open Series tourney in the ATL. It was ridiculously hot but we had a great time watching these guys play.

And for fun at home, we brought out the Bumbo! Matthew loves sitting in it...I think he likes the view and the feeling of independence sitting on his own. He has also started to hold things on his own.
The Bumbo is getting a lot of use these days. Any one else have a 3 yr old that still fits in a Bumbo seat?? Didn't think so. Of course Nate wants it to be his now...he even asks to sit in it at the dinner table instead of his booster seat.

Matthew's fingers are also getting a lot of use these days...he typically has four fingers in his mouth at one time. I thought he was going to be a thumb sucker but now I think he is just going to be a finger chewer!

So, the "fun changes" that I referred to in the last post might only be exciting for us...but I am happy to say that our routine is completely changing in 2 weeks. Since I won't be working in the near future (and don't know how long my hiatus will be), yet wanted to keep Nate in school, I thought it best to go ahead and enroll him in a 4 day pre-school so that he could start at the beginning of the school year. But since I will still be working for a few more months, we decided the best option was to hire a nanny in the interim to help me get Nate to and from school and to watch Matthew during the day. So we spent last week interviewing nannies and I am happy to announce that we made an offer to one, she accepted and will be starting in a couple of weeks! I think this arrangement will work out so much better for all of us - Nate will have normal school hours (9:30 - 1:30) and Matthew will get one on one attention. So, that's our fun news...hopefully the boys adjust well to the changes!

Picture Post

I feel like we have been busier than even usual lately...nothing terribly exciting going on, just lots to do and I find myself exhausted by the time I actually sit down in the evening. I have lots of things that are worthy of posting about, and often draft topics in my head, but when I sit down to start I lose steam. So, to ensure that I don't neglect the blog altogether in this current tired state, I thought I would at least put a few pics up until I get my energy back to write more! We have some fun changes coming up that I hope to share soon...but until then, here are some pics of the Cox boys...Aunt Julie came in to town last weekend with the girls and, as usual, they had lots of fun together.

We took them to the Sprayground...Nate has come a long way since last year when he would only timidly walk through the water...now he runs in circles around the park. He only slowed down once when he collided with another kid.

My sweet Bubby....

This was one morning while Matthew was laying in my bed...Nate brought him some "coffee".

Quick funny before I go...a couple of nights ago Michael was reading Nate books before bed and when he was done he turned the lamp off and laid with Nate for a minute. I guess he overstayed his welcome because Nate leaned over and gave him a kiss on the forehead and said "You go to Mommy's bed now Daddy".