Third Month

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Mateo!

Another month has flown by and now you are three months old. You are just starting to develop your personality. You’re making such delightful cooing noises!! You do not like to be held for very long anymore; you’d rather be down on the floor playing in your overhead activity gym or pushing off our hands and sliding across the floor. You really enjoy that sliding thing, by the way. You are not quite ready to roll over, but boy are you starting to squirm at diaper time!!

Tummy time is not so bad either. We’re amazed at how long you can hold your head up, looking around at everything. It’s funny to see how quickly you move your head from side to side checking things out.

We are starting to get more intentional smiles from you and it is so beautiful to see. You also started sticking your tongue out for who knows why. When you’re older that will be rude, but for now it is cute. You’re sticking everything in your mouth and gumming all objects. You prefer cloth items to gum instead of hard or even soft plastic. You are not using the pacifier so much anymore, but you have kind of found your fingers to suck on.

We took you to Missouri over the Easter holiday. You are a great traveler! This trip was to introduce you to more family and on your Granny Lou’s side. You also got to meet a few of my friends and their little ones. We’ve got great pics! You were quite the little trooper and totally showed off your “sleeping through the night” skills which everyone was thankful for. ;o)

I have been on maternity leave with you this whole time and your dad was able to take two weeks off when you were born. You and I have been taking many trips out to lunch with him and several of our friends. Nap time has usually been during these lunches and now, finally, you are awake and checking things out. You have also been attending several of dad’s softball games; most of the time you’re asleep though.

It’s so sweet to see your dad snatch you up when he gets home from work for some playtime. You two have been doing some serious bonding at dinner time since he’s feeding you at night. OH! You moved to a 4-hr feeding schedule from a 3-hr schedule just a few days ago. I couldn’t believe how easy it was for you and you STILL slept through the night!!

This is the last day I have at home with you and it is a bit sad because I think you’re figuring out who I am now, or at least now I can see it. You’ve probably known who I am from the beginning.

Much love to you!!
Mommy and Daddy

“I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” – Psalm 139:14

Second Month

Fun With Raspberries

Irv is convinced this is a mean thing for me to do to Mateo, but I giggle every time I see this. Poor Mateo! What has he gotten himself into with parents like us?

This was taken on April 19, 2009.

My Buddy

Mateo and Mia are going to be good buddies. He's been eyeing her quite a bit these days. She'll come over and sniff him for a while and then suddenly she's gone, leaving Mateo to turn his head in every direction to find her. He's not into petting her yet, but that will soon change.

Sometimes she's really into whatever she smells on him and, if we don't stop her, she will lick and lick on him! Especially his hands....and you all know what a germ-a-phobe I am!!

Family Pics (1)

Mateo with his dad and Uncle Carlos.

Dad and Mateo

Mom and Mateo

Bath Time

Irv and I aren't likely to forget Mateo's first bath anytime soon, but the subsequent baths have gotten much more fun for Mateo (and us). He's so happy at bath time!! Of course, he doesn't like being cold after he gets out (who does?!).

When his hair is wet, it is so curly; however, it dries straight and I'm hopeful he'll have his dad's thick, wavy hair. He had more hair as a newborn, but we're confident it will grow back.

Second Month Stats

Growing like a weed! What will next month bring?

Date: April 2, 2009

Height: 23 3/4"

Weight: 11lbs 3.5 oz

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Second set of shots: DTaP and HIB

Second Month

Precious Mateo,

Now that we’ve had another month to get to know you and learn more about you, we are quickly able to discern what your cries mean. You are such a happy baby! You only cry, or fuss, when you are sleepy or hungry. Let me tell you . . . it is pretty easy to figure out the problem and get you fixed up right away.

When we put you down to sleep, you’ll cry for only a few minutes before falling asleep. Yes, we let you cry. It never lasts for very long and most of the time, you’ll go without your pacifier (aka “the pacification device”).

This has certainly been a month of “Firsts” for you and we’re positive there will be more of those to come. Let’s tell you all about it:

First Night in the Nursery (6wks) – We moved you out of our room (you were in a Pack-n-Play) and into your own room. You did very well and really enjoyed looking at the animals on the bumper pad in the crib. You just moved your head from side to side looking at the animals and vibrant colors. Your bedding is courtesy of Papa and Granny Lou.

First Noticeable Tears (6wks) – It was early morning and you were waking up, ready to eat. The monitor in our room had accidentally been turned down a bit too far and it took just a tad longer to get to you than usual. You were not a happy camper and neither was I. However, you settled right down once you started eating and all was well again. Lesson learned.

First Word (6 wks) – Dad and I were sitting on the couch. You were in Daddy’s lap and you were both chatting with one another. The next thing we heard was you saying, “okay”. We both looked at each other and said, “okay.” You had coincidentally put two sounds together pretty fast and it came out sounding just like “okay”.

First Road Trip (7wks) – We took you to Houston (3/13/2009 – 3/15/2009) to visit your Abuelo y Abuela Avila. It was a surprise visit for them and they were SO excited to see you! You slept for the whole drive down there and back w/o too much disruption to your normal routine. We were very impressed and plan to take you up to Missouri in April.

First Bottle (7wks) – Dad gave you your first bottle. You have been taking a pacifier really well (when necessary) and when the bottle came along you were pretty shocked that food came out of it. We did not record this look of yours, but got some video shortly afterwards. Of course, we have several pictures. Way to go, Mateo!! You’re on your way to establishing independence!

First Evening Alone w/ Dad (7wks) – A few girlfriends and I went to see a movie one evening and Daddy got to have some one-on-one time with you that night. You both did very well, as expected! On my way home I called to let your Dad know I was on my way home and he answered the phone with, “The baby’s fine.” (Btw, I have always called to let him know when I am on my way home if it is a late night. You’ll be learning to do this as well.)

First “Slept Through the Night” (6-8 wks) – You’ve been sleeping anywhere from 5-6 hrs a night, but last night (3/23/2009) you slept for 7.5 hrs. You’ve always been a good sleeper though!!

What a joy you are to us and the family! We are filled with anticipation of what the next month will bring. Stay tuned . . .

We love you, baby!!
Mommy and Daddy

First Month