Home For the Holidays

There's nothing like going home for the holidays.  And this year was extra special as Mateus was able to meet so many family members and spend an extended time at Grandma and Grandpa's house.  He spent some quality time with his cousin Nathan (they especially loved playing on the floor mat together) and napped on lots of shoulders.  All the festivities must have been tiring as most pictures of Mateus on Christmas Eve and Christmas day are of him sleeping.  Such a rough life for a 7 week old!
The drive across the state was a long one but for the most part Mateus was a trooper.  He did let us know when he had had enough of the car as he had some choice words (sounds) for us about 45 minutes from our house on the drive back.
2012 has been such a special year for us-it started out a little scary teaching me that as much as we want to think so, parents are not invincible.  So very grateful for a positive outcome and a healthy father! And then from experiencing pregnancy (with my sister right there with me) to travels in New England,  to family and friends coming together for 2 wonderful baby showers, to the experience and arrival of Mateus, I can't think of a better way to ring in 2013 than with our little man by our side.  Looking forward to a year of many firsts and many memories to share.
Happy New Year!

6 weeks old

Mateus is getting ready for his cross state drive and is excited to meet more of his family.  He had his first babysitter this week (thanks Aunt Sara!)  I went to my Christmas work party this past Thursday.  It was great to see everyone and to socialize with adults.  After 4 hours though I couldn't wait to get home to our little guy.  I can't believe we are at the halfway point of my maternity leave.  Trying to make the most of each day together.  Above are a few photos from the past few days.

A week of firsts

This was a week of firsts for Mateus.  After he hit the 1 month mark, I decided that it was time for both of us to get out of the house.  He had his 1 month check-up at the doctor where he weighed in at 9lbs 6 oz.  He gets an A+ in the feeding department :-)  Joe and I then took him out to lunch where he slept the whole time.
He also had his first trip to the mall and his first encounter with another baby.  The photo above is Lily, the daughter of friends of ours.  She is 3 months old and by looks of things has a thing for younger boys :-)  On Saturday, he went to his first Christmas party and seemed to enjoy being in a crowd.  He partied until almost 10 pm!
Mateus is learning to sleep for longer stretches at night and has gained some nice strength in his neck thanks to tummy time.  He continues to fight with reflux but is finally learning to keep his medicine down.  He has started to get added bonding time with Daddy as he was also introduced to the bottle and they now get to share a meal together.

At 1 month.......

You are starting to look at our faces
You are gaining strength in your neck and legs and try often to demonstrate just how strong you are
You make the most adorable face with your chin sticking out and your arms stretched over your head as you try and wake yourself up in the middle of the night to feed
You love to snuggle up into anyone's chest
You create the funniest faces by contorting your mouth in many different positions
You finally took a liking to the pacifier
You are starting to sleep at night for 3-4 hour stretches
You have yet to decide if you like bathtime
You are starting to enjoy the music and visuals on your tummy time mat
You have almost out grown your newborn diapers and clothes
You have introduced your Mom and Dad to a kind of love they didn't know they were missing until you were born.

4 weeks old

Much to Mom's dismay, Mateus has been an early riser on a number of occasions this week.