Matthew's Birthday Party

We celebrated Matthew's first birthday today with a party at our house. We had beautiful weather and a full house. We are truly very lucky to have such a wonderful family and friends. At first Matthew was very overwhelmed by the people and he wasn't very social or active. He had just woken up from a nap and was a bit cranky. After a short time he softened up and was himself. He enjoyed the company of his friends and family. Lindsay and Brady traveled here from Farmington Hills, Uncle Brian, Aunt Cara and Cousin Maia traveled here from Ann Arbor, Great Uncle Bruce and Great Aunt Joene traveled here from Jackson, Abby and Brad traveled here from Grand Rapids and Gary, Blair and Henry traveled here from Milwaukee! Matthew had many more friends travel to our house that live in town as well. It just shows that he is loved and so many people care about him.

Of course we let him have cake! I tried my hand at baking and after a few tries, I was able to make him a cake. It wasn't decorated that nice, but it was baked with lots of love. Matthew took no prisoners when eating either, he dove right into the cake with both hands. He was a mess after and got a short rinse in the tub.

After all our guests left and we cleaned up, Matthew had his sugar rush! He was into everything and climbing over the dogs like they were mice. He was laughing and giggling and crawling a mile a minute. So, we had to give Matthew a real bath to calm him down. After his bath and lotion massage, he got his bedtime bottle and passed right out for the night. I still can't believe that he is one (well on Tuesday)! Everyone always told me that they years will fly by and boy were they right! We have been though a lot in the past year and had our ups and downs, but the love we have for Matthew is unbelievable. No matter what mood we are in, he puts a smile on our face. I can only imagine what this year will bring us. Just to put his development into perspective, aside from the cruising on the furniture and babbling, Matthew took his first nap at daycare with the big kids. They sleep on the floor in the family room on their mats with their blankets and pillows. He has moved out of the pack and play/crib room and in with the big kids. Deah said that on Friday he was just all smiles when they put him down with the other kids and went right to sleep almost as if he knew it was an accomplishment and an achievement for him!

In other news, I have eight days of school left for the year before I get to stay at home with him for the summer. He will still continue to go to Deah's one day a week. On those days, I will volunteer at our school's summer reading enrichment program in the mornings. It will also give me some time to get some things done on my own if needed. It will also help Matthew to stay in a routine so he won't forget Deah over the summer and make the transition in August much easier on us all, including Deah!

We want to thank everyone who took the time out of their day to come and celebrate with us! We love each and everyone of you! Enjoy the video of Matthew eating his cake (sorry, it's a bit long) and to see more photos from the party, visit our photo site. Enjoy!

Memorial Day Weekend

Ryan left Friday afternoon for a fishing trip up north, so Matthew and I spent the weekend together and got a lot done! Matthew, Ann and I went flower and plant shopping on Saturday. From being out in the sun and fresh air, Matthew came home and took a four hour nap. Just enough time for me to do all my planting and small landscaping. We had dinner last night at Grandma and Grandpa Genisio's. We were also busy getting things ready for Matthew's first birthday next weekend!

Ryan came home today with lots of fishing photos. He had a wonderful time fishing and relaxing on the many lakes they visited. Over the course of two days, he and Brian Ettwein fished for over 24 hours! Some of the lakes they fished were Lake Arcadia, Crystal Lake, Lime Lake, and Platt Lake. The weather was chilly and much colder than it was here, but they still had a good time. They couldn't go fishing in Grand Traverse Bay because the water temperature was only 39 degrees (too cold to bass fish).

Matthew is now working on his balance and is starting to test his limits. He continues to cruise on the furniture and switch from the table to the couch to his toys regularly, but now he is testing himself by letting go and standing for a short time before falling down. He likes to "walk" with me more while I hold his arms or torso. He is also loving the obstacle course of Norm and Ojala! He climbs all over the two of them and laughs the whole time. He especially likes playing with Norm's tail. He wags it right in Matthew's face and he thinks that is the funniest thing in the world. Since getting his tubes a month ago, he has changed into a whole new child!

We hope everyone had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend! Enjoy the photos of Ryan's fishing trip!

Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure

Matthew participated in his first ever breast cancer walk yesterday. We did the 5K Saturday morning along with Ann and Heidi. We walked with Heidi's mother-in-law and her team. Her mother-in-law, Nancy is a two time survivor and is currently battling her third round. I worked with Nancy my first year at Lake Center as well. It was a beautiful day for the event and we had a great time. Matthew enjoyed the cheerleaders and waving police officers that we saw along our journey through downtown Kalamazoo. Each time they cheered or clapped, his had a huge smile and was clapping too. We usually do the Making Strides for Breast Cancer Walk in Portage, but we will now add this one to our yearly walk-a-thons! Who knows...maybe we will run the course next year?

Happy Mother's Day!

We started this weekend with a fun filled day at the park enjoying the sunshine and the geese. Ryan had to work yesterday, so Matthew and I went with Grandma Genisio to Milham Park. Today we had a nice breakfast at home as a family and then went to Grandma Reslock's for an early dinner to celebrate Mother's Day. Tonight we will just relax and enjoy the pitter patter of the rain on the windows.

Looking back to where we were just last year is amazing! On mother's day last year I was having a baby shower and we had just been approved for our new house. We were busy getting things in order to move and welcome Matthew into our lives. We had no idea what the year would bring, we could only imagine. Matthew is such a wonderful little man and we love him dearly. We cherish every moment we have with him from when we wake up in the morning and have breakfast to his bedtime bath, story and bottle. We love the crazy weekend bed head and lounge in our pajamas. I never knew how I would feel on Mother's Day before. I honestly thought of it as another Hallmark holiday, but now that I am a mom, I have a new found feeling toward the day. I know I don't need a special calendar day to know that my role as Matthew's mommy is so important, but for some reason the term Mother's Day makes me a bit emotional. I am a mother to a wonderful soul that looks up to me and watches my every move.

With that being said, Happy Mother's Day to Grandma Debi, Grandma Julie, Grandma Phyllis, Great-Grandma Vivian, Great-Grandma Marjorie, Great-Grandma Duffy, Great-Grandma Betty, and Aunt Cara!

ENT follow-up

Matthew and I just got home from his follow-up with the audiologist and ENT. His hearing is already better than before his tubes. He is hearing 10 decibels more than before. The doctor said his balance will get better and we should see him cruising more often on the furniture and tables, which we have in the past two weeks. He will also start babbling more as he can now hear what we are saying to him clearly and he can try to mimic the sounds. We are very happy of this news! We don't have to return for six months unless he has an infection. Keep your fingers crossed that they will do their job and the ear infections are a thing of the past!

In other news, Matthew now has five teeth! I noticed that his right top lateral incisor popped through sometime in the past week or so. Before long we Matthew have a whole new look to him!

Eleven Months!

Matthew is eleven months today! He was just recently weighed at the doctor's office this week and he is 19 pounds 7 ounces, so hopefully he will be 20 pounds by next month. He is starting to fit into twelve months clothes now too, so there might be some hope for him to be average size. He had a bout of croup earlier in the week with a high fever, so I was off for a day and a half with him until he was well enough to go back to Deah's. Surprisingly the croup only disrupted one night's sleep and other than that he only had the cough when he woke up in the morning or a nap. It is breaking up and starting to clear up and should be gone in a few days. I also take him to the doctor Monday to have a check up for his tubes. Thankfully I had banked over 220 hours of sick pay at work to cover all the days I have needed off the be a mom.

We spend this beautiful Saturday at the park for the Kalamazoo Humane Society's Dog Walk. We went with Heidi, Jack, Ann, Greg, Grandma Genisio and the dogs Charlie, Sadee, Molly, Norm and Ojala. We also saw Grandma and Grandpa Reslock while we were there! Matthew attended last year in my belly and we have been going for about five years now. They have all sorts of fun things for the family and pets. There are obstacle courses, contests, dancing dogs, obedience shows, MSU's Zeke the Wonder Dog, dog jumping dogs, vendors and free stuff, photographs and a nice walk on the trail. There are literally thousands of dogs there and it isso much fun to see them all. Matthew stayed in his wagon while we handled Norm and Ojala. Ojala got to see her old mommy, Beth (her CCI trainer) and her old obedience trainer at the walk as well as her old CCI dog friends and trainers. She was very happy to see them! Matthew enjoyed the dogs as well. We spend about three hours there and once Matthew got in the truck, he was out and slept for three hours! He was pooped! We look forward to the coming years when Matthew can participate more. Click here to see more photos from this year's Dog Walk!