New Year's Resolutions

Every year I make New Year's Resolutions. This year, I am going to make them and keep a copy of them with me at all times to track my progress.

1. Be the best mother/wife that I can be. Every day I grow to love and cherish my family more and more. I want Jeff and Matt to know how much I care about them every day.

2. Be more positive. I have slowly, but surely been working towards eliminating negative energy in my life.

3. Get back in pre-baby shape by June. Don't we all have this on our list?

4. Read two books/month. I love reading and want to branch out from my normal reading material.

5. Take one calculated risk per month. Eleanor Roosevelt said that you should do one thing that scares you every day. I don't know if I can do that each day, but I am going to do something that scares me once per month. Try a new fashion trend, join the "advanced" yoga class, do something outside of my comfort zone.

I am going to start with these five things. I hope by devoting time and energy to them, it will make me a better person. I want 2009 to be a year of transition and change for me. I will be embarking on a new career, it will be my first year if motherhood, and if all goes according to plan Jeff and I will find a house. Happy New Year Everyone!

Matthew 2 Months

Matthew had his two-month appointment yesterday. He is 13 lbs 8 oz. and 24" long! I cannot believe how fast he is growing. He is in the 70th percentile for height and weight. The doctor said and I quote, "He is a little angel and developing perfectly." Poor little guy received his vaccines. I almost cried with him later in the evening! His little legs were sore!

Matthew has also started smiling in response to Jeff or me talking to him. It is the most wonderful sight I have ever seen. Mr. Serious is transitioning to Mr. Smiles. I will post pictures soon! I left my camera at my parent's house. Stay tuned...

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Chaos

Wow...I have had one hell of a start to my week. I ran around running errands ALL morning and only managed to get ONE thing done...and what was that? I lost my cell phone. It is dead, so the liklihood of me finding it is very slim. Dang this baby brain...I think I might be officially losing my sharp edge. I spent the last hour packing. Jeff and I move on Saturday. I did not realize how overwhelmed I would feel. Ay yi yi.

Oh, and as I was just typing that...Matthew spit up ALL over. What a day, what a day.

Tale End of a Smile...

6 Weeks!!!

Look at how much my little baby has grown! He looks like a little boy! Matthew was weighed last Sunday at the hospital - 12 lbs! Whoa. He is such a good baby. He sleeps through the night - 11:00PM to 6:00AM and has started smiling! He is such a blessing in my life and I am the happiest mommy in the world!

Angels Watching Over Us

Yesterday, God gave our family a wakeup call. Jeff and I were in the truck with Matthew when we hit a patch of ice. The truck spun out of control, went in the ditch, and hit a bank covered in snow. I was unbuckled climbing in the backseat to comfort Matthew when we hit. I shielded him from the objects that flew in the air. When I opened my eyes, there was broken glass in my hair and my precious baby looking around as if the scene that surrounded him was perfectly normal. My heart sunk. I stirred him a little to make sure he was alright. Then, I closed my eyes and thanked God for keeping him safe.

Jeff and I walked away with a few bumps, large bruises, and scrapes. All in all, more emotionally bruised than physically. I cried tears of fear and joy as I climbed out of the truck. I rushed to Jeff and hugged him tight.

Whenever something like this happens, I look inside and ask myself what God is trying to teach me. So far I came up with this...

- To cherish each and every moment with my family. My boys deserve the best wife and mother in the world, and I am going to make sure that I am just that for them.

- Having a healthy, happy baby is a priveledge, not to be taken for granted. In the past 6 weeks, I have longed for a full night's sleep. Last night, I woke up with Matthew and enjoyed every second of it. Our night-time feedings are a blessing, not a chore. I get to wake up with him every night and that is something to be thankful for.

- The small things truly don't matter. At the hospital, I thought about the times during the weekend that I was not very nice to Jeff. I got upset, because he was a little slow to get moving Saturday morning...he cracked my workout DVD so I was irritated...all things that in the grand scheme of things do not matter. I vow to treat my husband with more tenderness every day. Jeff is a very loving and special man. He is not only my husband, but my very best friend. From now on, I am going to be someone who can laugh off the small things the way that Jeff does.

As I sit here with Matthew in my arms, I count my blessings and thank God over and over for keeping us safe. We had our guardian angels by our side, and I thank them too. I know that as time goes by, this memory will fade, but I am going to keep Matthew's tiny hospital anklet close by to remind me of this day...however terrible it was, because I know that it will remind me to treat my husband and my child as the precious gifts that they are each and every day of my life.

Tummy Time!

Update

Matthew has slept through the night THREE nights in a row! YEAH! Last night, he slept from 11:00PM to 7:00AM...mommy feels good today!

Matthew 5 1/2 Weeks

Matthew is now sleeping from the time we put him to bed until 5:15 AM, when Jeff gets up. He is also staying away for longer periods of time, which is really exciting for me! Every day we have "tummy time," so that Matthew's muscles will grow strong. It is so much fun see my little boy develop each week. I love motherhood!

Zzzzzz

Last night, Jeff informed me was going to be "THE" night. I smirked and told him that he thinks EVERY night is going to be "THE" night. To my surprise, it was! Matthew slept through the night!!! Although I am not fully convinced that this has become his new sleep pattern, it was really nice to get an uninterupted night's sleep.