Mateus at 7 months....

Continues to look more and more like a little boy
Keeps growing more and more red hair on the top of his head
Has shown us that he has a pretty hardy appetite (he even ate peas!)
Now thinks that he can "feed himself (or just play) with a spoon
Is fascinated with Nala, reaches out to touch Nala, but has not yet learned what "gentle" means :-)
Has now felt the grass between his toes
Sits up unsupported
Gives us the biggest smiles and the loudest giggles that make our hearts melt over and over again

Cross Country Traveler

Mateus experienced a lot of "firsts" this past week....first airplane ride, first time in another state, first time in a pool, first National Park....and he was a trooper through it all!  Our travels did not go quite as smoothly as we had hoped as we spent a total of 7 hours in the Dallas airport on the way to Palm Springs and an extra 3 hours on our way back.  Joe and I definitely realized how much we took for granted for just "hanging out" between flights...there was no magazine reading or listening to music.  Instead there were lots of laps taken in the stroller, toys spread out everywhere, and anything we could do to entertain the little man.  Even a simple trip to the bathroom was extra effort to feed and change.  Here is Mateus getting comfortable on the first plane ride.  He was so interested in everything that he finally fell asleep in the last 30 minutes of the flight.

We had 3 full beautiful days in Palm Springs but it was HOT.  We realized that Mateus may just take after his Mom in his lack of tolerance for heat.  He definitely let us know when he had had enough of the sun (and his hat).  We enjoyed the pool each day (Mateus tolerated the water all the time and seemed to enjoy it some of the time), toured the area to see all the interesting architecture, and visited Joshua Tree National Park.  He is a family picture of the 3 of us taken at the highest elevation point.

Mateus enjoyed getting to meet and spend time with Uncle Charlie and Ken.  He found a new discovery of facial hair and enjoyed grabbing for it whenever he got the chance.

Before our trip, one of my biggest concerns was how Mateus would handle the time change.  Although I was always aware of East Coast time, I tried my best to follow Mateus's lead.  That meant that we were up between 5 and 6 west coast time and he was in bed by 5:30.  That left us house bound in the evenings but we were able to enjoy some nice meals and glasses of wine under the palm trees with the mountains in the background.
As we sat in the airport in Palm Springs waiting for our delayed flight, I quickly became aware of all the "trendy" travelers.  How does one look so put together when traveling?  I never felt that way pre-baby but by I became very aware of my "mommy" appearance- shirt untucked from a recent feeding, wet stains around my shoulders from drool, and some nice bags under my eyes to compliment my outfit.  But then I did have the best accessory in my red-headed side kick :-)
We enjoyed (and survived) our first traveling experience with baby...looking forward to many more to come (although we may stick to staying in the same time zone for a while).  Here are some more out takes from the week....

                                                 Hello Palm Springs!  Ready to go on the first day.

                                                              Modeling his bathing suit

                                         Dad thought Mateus needed a snake from Joshua Tree

                                                             The desert is hot! hot! hot!

                                         FINALLY fell asleep at the airport (but it was short lived)

I think we have a foodie on our hands

Mateus loves food!  And not just his baby food- he is infatuated with any and all food and/or drink in his visual field.  I hope his palate continues to be as open to new foods as it currently is.

                                                  Butternut Squash took a few days to like

                                                            Pears were an instant hit!

                                                              Love for avacado!
For the beginning fruits and veggies, I have been making the baby food.  It's taken me almost 7 years to really use and truly appreciate our food processor.  I've also discovered how as adults we are missing out on some good stuff. The other night I baked peaches and then put them in the food processor.  After a little taste test, I realized how good they would taste on vanilla ice cream :-)
Although I can say so far so good in both the making and eating of the food, I draw the line at making my own peas, green beans, or any other strange texture green vegetable.  The day Mateus tries peas I am really going to have to try and fake excitement for how good (bad!) they really are.  Hopefully he did not inherent my distaste for all vegetables as a child.
Here are a few other "Matues out takes" from the past 2 weeks......

                                                        Helping Daddy with the laundry

                                                   Attempted first swing ride (still to small)

                                                             Playing with his new toy

                                    No pants!  (He is not really standing but leaning against the couch)

Road Trippin', Real Food Eating....Just another day in the life of a 6 month old

Last weekend Mateus and I took a road trip to Philadelphia to visit with friends and to see Grandma T. and Aunt Sandy.  Mateus is the perfect road trip companion....He does not argue with my choice of music, sleeps until he needs to stretch his legs and then starts talking to me when he needs a break.  He was a trooper through it all.  We spent one night in 3 different places.  I have now become an expert of the put up and take down of the pack-n-play and for the most part Mateus just went with the flow.  It was a wonderful weekend to get to spend some quality time with some of my dearest friends and getting to see Mom and Aunt Sandy was an added bonus.  Here are some pictures from the weekend....

                                                Quinn sharing her eggs upon our arrival

                                                                The next generation!

                                           Cayden really enjoyed holding Mateus on his lap.

 Sydney was in from Seattle for 48 hours.  I haven't seen her in almost 2 years so we had lots of catching up to do!

                                         Mateus dressed up in his button down for all the girls.
  

This is the face I woke up to after his first night in the pack-n-play in a strange place.  I'd call the night a success.! 
Following our road trip and recovery, Mateus had his 6 month check-up at the pediatrician.  He now weighs 16.3 lbs- up 10 lbs from his birth weight!  We got the go ahead to start introducing food.  Needless to say he appears more than ready as he is so fascinated by any food or drink that makes its way in front of his visual field.  We started with sweet potatoes today and he welcomed them with open mouth!  He was also introduced to the sippy cup with water and apple juice mixed together.  He really enjoys chewing on the end of the cup and with help can drink down its contents.

Here are a few other excerpt pictures from the week......

                                                                       Piano Man

                            We are discovering that Mateus does not tolerate hats well......

                                             Grandma was giving him a ride in his box train

                                

Somehow half a year has flown by already!

I can't believe our little man is about to be 6 months old!  Time is definitely flying in our household!
Mateus at 6 months...
- Loves rediscovering his feet everyday
- Can sit up unassisted (with someone very close behind to catch him when he topples over)
- Has his 2 bottom teeth coming in
- Wants to put EVERYTHING in his mouth
- Loves his oatmeal cereal
- Is now fascinated (and distracted) by Nala every time she walks by
- Felt grass for the first time and loved it so much he kept going back for more
- Loves to "workout" in his jumper
- Continues to have the best easy going personality and wonderful smile :-)

                                                                      Lovin' his feet!

                                                       Matching pants and hair color :-)

                                                       Story time has now turned into this

                                                                        Outdoor play

Mateus has a tooth!

Mateus has his first tooth!  Joe discovered it yesterday.  He's been mouthing anything and everything for weeks no so we knew it was bound to appear sooner rather than later.
He's had a great week with his oatmeal cereal (we switched from the rice cereal) and he now "sits" for meals like a big boy and grunts and sputters cereal everywhere throughout the whole eating process.  Thank goodness he has such a nice selection of clothing for this age as between the cereal messes and new kind of poopy diapers, he rotates outfits often.
The nice weather this week has allowed them to get outside at daycare for walks and watching the big kids play.  We've been told that Mateus and his friend Fletcher hold hands during the walks but that sometimes Mateus isn't such a big fan of this social interaction and will instead try to eat Fletcher's hand.  And we wonder how germs get passed around!
Mateus also now has figured out how to move his legs in jumper.  Here he is getting his morning exercise.....

And a few more out takes from the week.....

                                                Aunt Sara introducing him to the big books!

Mateus at 5 months.....

Is needing less help to sit up by himself
Loves to stand up and gets a big smile on his face every time he does it
Loves bath time with Daddy
Found his feet!
Is finding more and more things to put in his mouth
Discovered the cats and will follow them with his eyes
Now weighs 15.5 lbs
Endured his first fever :-(
Still is no where near sleeping through the night despite mommy's wishes!
Continues to use his voice and have conversations. (see video)

Still likes to show us his many faces.....