Two Peas in a Pod

These days, Matthew and Caroline are best buddies. They interact so much now, and Caroline always has to be wherever Matthew is. They love to:

play together on the floor...Caroline entertains Matthew for long periods of time

 sit in chairs together

 tickle each other

 hold hands (Matthew's face is like "Really, mom? Do I HAVE to hold her hand?")

 and the number one thing they currently like to do together is read...well Caroline likes to "read" to Matthew, he just likes to try to take the book away from her

look at my little man ;-)

Caroline also loves to get right in Matthew's face and laugh hysterically. Sometimes he thinks this is funny...sometimes not so much:

giving each other kisses is another favorite thing...just two peas in a pod

I pray everyday for Caroline and Matthew's relationship. I hope they become the very best of friends!! It's so neat to watch their relationship grow as Matthew gets older. I bet sibling squabbles are right around the corner :-) 

5 & 6 Months

My BABY boy is half a year old! I cannot believe it! How in the world did that happen?!? Time is flying by WAY too fast this time around. I LOVE 6 months. Matt and I agree it's our favorite "infant age". April was a crazy month for us, and I completely forgot Matthew's 5 month post. So I'm combining his 5 & 6 month post this time. Here is a little about Matthew at 6 months old/what he has been up to the past 2 months:
6 MONTH STATS:
Weight: 17 pounds, 5 ounces (50th%)
Height: 27 inches (55th%)
Head circumference: 17 inches (53rd%)
This is so weird to me but ALL of Matthew's 6 month measurements are the exact same as Caroline's when she was 6 months old!!!

(I love this pic...I feel like I can kinda tell what he's going to look like when he's a "big boy"):

•  Matthew is still a SUPER smiley baby...all it takes is a glance and Matthew breaks into his big smile that completely lights up his face complete with his two sweet dimples (the right one is still bigger :-)
• Just like big sister, he's not a big "laugher" but Caroline can always get a big chuckle out of him; we get him to laugh mainly by tickling him on his sides

•  Matthew's personality seems quite similar to Caroline's so far (in fact, her 6 month post describes Matthew perfectly)...he is VERY observant and just likes to sit back and watch the world around him, he startles very easily and seems quite sensitive, he's quiet out in public but very loud at home, he is incredibly sweet and quite the cuddler, most of the time he is just a content and happy baby boy!
• My FAVORITE thing he does right now is plant big, open-mouth kisses on our faces when we say "give us kisses". It's just precious and I'll post a video of it soon.
• He has been sitting up really well for the past month...he always wants to be sitting so he can see everything going on around him. He does NOT usually want to play on his back or tummy.
• The rare moment he plays on his back, he'll grab his feet now and play with them or try to stick them in his mouth. He loves his feet! 
• Since he has been sitting up, we've started teaching him a few signs (milk, eat, all done & more). He seems to understand 'milk' and 'eat' but has no clue about the other two

Always has that thumb in his mouth :-)

•  We started solids about a week ago! Matthew loves his oatmeal and eats two BIG bowls a day...one in the morning and at night.
• We're starting baby food as soon as I can get to the store to buy some ;-)

•  Matthew doesn't babble yet...he coos, screams/squeals and growls a lot but no babbling.
• He rolls over a lot from tummy to back but not back to tummy. He has never really spent any time on his back. We noticed his head getting a flat spot when he was around 2 months old (I think it was from sleeping in the swing so much). We didn't want to repeat this so we bought an Angel monitor and started putting him on his tummy to sleep. Our pediatrician said, because of that, Matthew might not roll from back to tummy for awhile.
• The drooling, oh the drooling. Matthew drools more than any baby I've ever seen. Caroline never drooled, even when teething, so this is a whole new thing for me. And I must be honest, I'm not a fan and it completely grosses me out. Matthew has to constantly be wearing a bib or he'll soak through an outfit in two minutes. I change him about 10 times a day because of the drool. If it's related to teething, I hope those teeth start coming in soon, although I'm loving his gummy smile.



Major loves: his lovie puppy that he now sleeps with, Caroline, the shape sorter toy, anything he can put in his mouth, sucking his thumb, his jumper, cuddling with me before bed at night (okay, this is MY major love :-), "wrestling" and doing "Superman" with Matt, watching Caroline play, baths, being held, going on walks, sitting outside (his major fav right now), playing with the pages of books, giving kisses, playing with his feet

Major dislikes: being overtired and not getting to sleep in his crib, his bottle or oatmeal if it's not warm enough, being put in his carseat (he just hates those straps), strangers, loud noises, shots (duh!), when I take my phone or the remote out of his sneaky hands...I know, I'm such a mean mom ;-)

Love those baby-blues:

Constantly has his fingers or thumb in his mouth:

The signature smile:

 

Can't get enough...

...of this curly-haired girl with her big, brown eyes AND

this semi-bald, baby boy with his big, blue eyes!!

Bee Humble: Caroline's First Dance Recital

 Recently, Caroline had her very FIRST dance recital. It was incredibly exciting. I had been waiting for that moment for three years. Just kidding...sort of ;-) Caroline's dance was called "Bee Humble" so of course her costume was an adorable little bee. The recital was held at the McFarlin Auditorium at SMU...on a BIG stage. We weren't allowed to take any pictures or video inside the auditorium because they had a professional photographer and videographer taking care of that. So as soon as I get the professional pics and video, I'll post it (well, at least the pics and I'll try to figure out the video). Anyway, here are the pics I took during the rehearsal that morning and then at the recital.
Caroline being "posed" for her portrait:

 Sitting outside the auditorium with her sweet friend, Avery, after dress rehearsal:

Ready to go! We were told to put makeup on our little bees. Um, they didn't have to tell me twice. It was just thrilling. For both of us. Caroline kept saying..."I just can't believe I'm getting to wear your makeup, mommy"

 Some of Caroline's fan club...Daddy, brother & PopPop

 Doesn't Matthew look so excited to be at his sis' dance recital?!?

 Some more fans...Aunt Jean, my mom and Nannie (who always looks so regal :-) Missing from the pic is my brother...who was running late but made it just in time, and Mimi, who was on a mission trip in Africa:

 Watching Caroline on stage. Matthew did great and was very quiet during the whole recital. He had a look of bewilderment on his face the whole time, ha:

I have to take a moment here to say how proud I am of Caroline. No way in a million years did I ever think she would actually go out on that BIG stage and dance. I thought she would refuse to walk out or, at best, stand up there and cry the whole time. Caroline's dance was first so she (and all of her little classmates) had to stand up on stage behind the big red curtain and wait for the introductions to be made. My heart was pounding when that curtain opened up, and I didn't know what I would see Caroline doing (if she had even made it up on the stage :-) Well, she sure did prove us wrong!! The dress rehearsal must have made her feel right at home. She danced her little heart out and just smiled so big the whole time. She really had a blast and has asked many times since the recital "when do I get to do my recital again". We were all shocked and proud. Go Caroline!
Sitting in Yaya's lap watching the "big girls" dance:

 Clapping for the other girls...Caroline LOVED watching the other dances. She watched all of the girls on stage with wide eyes and kept yelling out "yay" when they would do something "pretty":

 Getting some flowers from her fans right after her dance. So exciting!

 Some family shots after the recital:

 

We were all starving after the recital so we headed to Macaroni Grill (one of Nannie's favorites) to eat:

Putting bunny ears on our bee :-)

Caroline, we are so proud of you and the fantastic job you did at your first dance recital. We can't wait to watch you dance on the big stage again next year!! We love you!! 

Happy Mother's Day!!

Happy Mother's Day to my mom and mother-in-law!! I am so blessed to have two wonderful moms in my life, and I love you both so much. To Caroline and Matthew, thank you for giving me the joy of knowing what it is to be a mommy. I am so thankful for both of you, and love getting to be your mommy everyday. I love you both more than you will ever know.

What a difference a year makes!! On Mother's Day last year I was 12 weeks pregnant and didn't know if we were having a baby boy or girl. Never in a million years could I have guessed that this precious baby boy would be mine. Oh, how I love him!!