Picture Overload!

Life has been a little nuts since school started.

I am currently teaching Honor's English at Irving Middle School everyday and LOVING it!

This week I find out where I will be student teaching. I am pretty excited!

Now....

To get to the real reason you all even bother to read this blog:

This was Dax's first time holding a ladybug. He was really excited.

And then he squished it trying to share with mama.

We pretended to let it fly away. He was still happy.

He's pretty much the only reason I write this anyway.

I could, literally, talk any person's ear off bragging about this kid.

He is, without a doubt, my proudest accomplishment. He amazes me daily.

Especially lately, he has learned/is learning so much from Mrs. Kate at the Goose.

He knows the color yellow and the sign for yellow, as well as brown.

He can say the others with help.

He is on and off with shapes, but is pretty consistent with circle, oval, and square.

He will show me oval with his mouth, which is one of the tricks that Katie has taught him.

He loves animals and making animal sounds. Cow is "MMMM," sheep is "AAAAAAA," dog is "Uff, ruff, ruff," horse is "NNAAY," pig is a "sniff, sniff," duck is "QACK, QACK," and chicken is "AWK, AWK." His favorite sound to do is the cow. But his favorite animal is definitely the dog.

In fact, his favorite book to read right now is "Harry the Dirty Dog."

He LOVES it. We read it at least three times each morning.

He even says "Arry! Uff, uff!" It makes my heart melt just thinking about it.

Dax has also become quite the little clean freak lately.

He gets really excited to help me clean. This morning he decided to take over the mopping.

He mopped every floor in the house, including the carpeted floors.

He was very proud of himself and received much applause and high-fiving for his efforts.

His biggest pet peeve is opened doors or trash can lids. He will slam them shut defiantly if they are left open. One issue with all of this cleaning is that, even at daycare, toys and other objects left strewn about the floor WILL end up in the garbage.

There is a note about it at daycare:

Teachers,

Make sure to check garbages before emptying them. Daxton likes to throw things in the garbage. Toys, socks, shoes, jackets, etc...

Oh boy. Ryan and Katie say he gets it from me.

:)

Along with learning educational bits of information, Dax is learning all types of new tricks.

He receives lots of laughs for showing off his muscles!

He gets the biggest grin on his face and shouts "Um-oms!" whenever he flexes.

He even applauds himself for doing it.

His biggest obsession lately is "CHOOO-CHOOOOS!"

A family donated a $1,000 Thomas the Train set to Mother Goose a month ago and trains have found there way into Dax's heart.

He loves to roll them around on the ground and on his mama and shrill "Choo-choo!"

One problem: he is not good about sharing his trains. He's been caught a couple of times stealing trains from other kids at the Goose. But they all like him so much they just let him take them.

Dax has officially been declared the most popular kid at Mother Goose.

The kids love him. Almost too much at times.

But who can complain about their child being over-loved? By kids and teachers alike.

I am soo grateful to have him at Mother Goose.

Who else gets daily picture updates from their daycare provider?!

Thanks, Katie!

Under the blue Hurley jacket is Dax's Thomas the Train jacket he got from Grandma Tracey.

It's his favorite, of course.

And it broke last week, of course.

But, could we get rid of it? Of course not.

The zipper broke off, but when we tried to put another jacket on him would not have it.

He even likes to just walk around the house with his Thomas jacket on.

This was yesterday, the first snowfall of the winter.

When we looked outside and I told him about how it was cold he demanded his jackets and hat.

But felt pants were unnecessary.

He trounced around the house like this for an hour.

He can say nearly fifty different things these days, including people's names.

It amazes me.

One of his favorite things to do is pick up different pictures around the house and then point to the people in the pictures and say their names. Dada is his favorite person to find.

Cousin Hallee is his favorite person, period. Well, aside from me.

Which makes me feel like a million bucks!

I live for Fridays. Those are my only early days of the week.

I always rush from class to pick him up and then we come home and literally cuddle on the couch reading and playing and eating until Ryan comes home.

It's the best.

Then I get to spend the next two days doing the same thing!

It's the only thing that's getting me through the week and the mound of homework accompanied with weekdays.

Halloween was interesting this year.

Definitely not what I was hoping it would be.

But from his birthday, Easter, Fourth of July, and now Halloween I have learned to accept that I should have the lowest expectations for holiday behavior.

We wanted to paint a beard on Dax for Halloween because we were dressing him up at Paul Bunyan and we were going to paint Helen blue.

However, the beard was a disaster.

And Helen, the poor deaf dog, was not digging being painted.

So, instead, Dax was just another lumberjack.

Ryan and I felt bad because at the daycare Halloween party/parade he looked like he hadn't even dressed up.

He did have an axe that went with his costume.

However, he only liked to play with it and hold it for a couple of minutes. And then he would get bored.

He did enjoy "CHOP, CHOP!" chopping the walls and tables.

And his mama. He still likes chopping around the house.

Next year we have decided to go all out in order to make up for it.

Halloween was still fun, nonetheless.

After visiting my mom and Ryan's parents we came home.

Dax helped pass out candy.

He was the official lid holder for the candy jar, greeter of the trick-or-treaters, and door closer once the candy was handed out.

He loved seeing the kids. From Mother Goose he is convinced that every kid alive is around to play with him. He gets really excited whenever he sees a kid coming near him.

Even though it did not go according to my plan, Dax enjoyed Halloween and that's all that matters.

He is teaching me A LOT of lessons lately.

Such as patience.

The life of a toddler is filled with fits.

And, of course, from daycare he has picked up some pretty gnarly fit throwing techniques.

We are doing our best to kick those as quickly as possible.

C'est la vie of a parent, right?!

I wouldn't trade it, or him, for ANYTHING.

A Week of Firsts

Dax's 1st First of the Week: On Wednesday morning after I gave Dax his goodbye kiss and was walking to my car yelling "I love you Dax" he waved his limp little hand and shouted "La youuu!" I teared up on the spot. My baby finally said the words I have been so eager to hear, the words I utter to him at least one hundred times a day. While he says 'I love you' to me numerous times a day with a kiss, hug, cuddle, smile, or squeal of delight when he sees me after a long day away...nothing could ever compare to actually hearing him declare it. I cried the whole way to work. It was by far one of the most feel good moments I have experienced as a parent so far.

Dax's 2nd First of the Week: On Wednesday Dax tripped while running around outside of his great-grandma and Papa's house, resulting in his first skinned knee. According to the witnesses, he didn't even cry but stood up and kept on running around. That's my tough little man.

The 3rd First of the Week: Dax started coming to Mother Goose! It is only one day a week for a couple of hours, Thursday mornings, and will hopefully help him transition better once he starts coming full time on August 22nd.

The 4th First of the Week: This won't be happening until tomorrow evening, however, Ryan and I accidentally had a scheduling problem (his fault, not mine.) I have had a "girls' night" away from home planned for over a month, in which Dax was supposed to stay behind with his father, however, Ryan was unable to schedule his brother's out-of-town bachelor party until this weekend. Long story short, Dax will be having his first official sleepover this Saturday at Grandma Kathleen's. Now he has slept at other places before but always with mom and dad and he has even slept at home without mom and dad (but with Grandma Tracey instead) so it will be his first ever sleepover. I can't believe it!!!

My baby boy is growing up so fast!!!

Mr. Sandman

We took a little family trip to Ontario, California a couple of weeks ago.

Long story short: Dax loved the beach.

Book Smart

Beginning the day Ryan and I found out what gender our baby was going to be on Nov. 13th, 2009 I have been writing letters and collecting memorabilia about everything related to Dax. The letters are addressed to him and the artifacts range from a paper containing every family member's guess on his birth weight and height to his doctor visit growth charts to the first picture he and I ever colored.

Ultimately I plan on presenting these in scrapbook form to him and his future wife when they are expecting their first child- I also plan to do this for each of my children. I think it might be an unique way of providing advice and first hand insight on special moments shared between me and my babies that I won't be able to relate so well 20+ years later.

Up until this week I have simply been gathering the letters and artifacts in several boxes, kind of in chronological order, under my bed. Then, on Monday evening I decided to begin a venture in SCRAPBOOKING!

The kitchen was a disaster! Papers, pictures, scissors, books, plastic covers, glue, scraps, stickers, and boxes littered my kitchen table and stools until yesterday evening. I am not saying that I gave up on the scrapbook, but I realized that it will not be conquered in a week- as I initially thought- and it was a severe safety hazard for such things to be out in the open with that busybody toddler of mine. (We did keep the kitchen well cordoned off from his curious, grabby hands but it became too much of a battle.) Thus, the scrapbook materials were neatly and safely put away in their boxes and reappear each night as I continue my hand at scrapbooking!

A consistent theme each night as I dig through the pictures, letters, and artifacts is one of nostalgia. Don't get me wrong, I love my little family today and am still amazed by my son and his development. However, I miss my new, tiny, helpless baby. The one that would actually snuggle with me for hours, the one that depended on me for sustenance, the one whose eyes would grow wide and whose mouth would turn up each and every time I spoke or sung to him, and I also miss that little baby who was also willing to snuggle with his other family members.

Nowadays, Dax only snuggles with me when he is sick or drinking on his sippy, he won't eat anything I try to feed him- he has to rip it from my hand and feed himself- he still lights up every time he sees me in the morning and after work, however, he refuses to leave my side for a minimum of thirty minutes whenever we are around other people. I love that he is growing and becoming more and more capable of informing me on his desires and problems, however, I can tell that the toddler years are going to be tough around the Matthews' household. Wish me luck, both in the scrapbooking and toddler department.

The Current Weather in Idaho...

is really making me miss the Caribbean, it's just not right to go from swimming suits to sweaters in a matter of days.

But, I must admit, nothing beats being back at home with my favorite little person.

One Year

Just a point of reference of growth in this year, here is Dax's buddy Nixon and himself from last year and this year....thankfully, Katelin and I have gotten smaller.

April 25th, 2010

April 23rd, 2011

Dax's first birthdays brought about numerous emotions on my end....

Excitement at the milestone and upcoming adventures of having a one year old

(Here just waking up for the morning, with a big morning smile on his handsome little face)

Sadness over the loss of my sweet, immobile cuddle bug.

(At the hospital the morning after he was born)

Frustration at his unwillingness to partake in his birthday as I expected.

(Here he was more concerned with playing with wrapping paper and/or balloons to open his presents; thus, I was left with the chore, along with some help from adorable little Lilli)

And calmness when the event was over and I was able to come home and take a nap with, just like I used to.

(I've discontinued napping with him since he's been re-sleep trained and haven't wanted to jinx it; this picture is from when he was three months old....)

Of course, all things considered, the party was awesome. Dax was spoiled by so many friends and family members who love him. Sometimes, I honestly feel like he may be one of the most loved babies (toddlers) in the world. Not only does he have my biological family and Ryan's biological family creating a massive fan club for him, but all of the kids at the Goose absolutely adore him. And that is no exaggeration. Any baby that either the girls or boys play with or see is immediately deemed "Baby Dax." I have not heard a baby at the Goose named anything else since I was pregnant. In fact, while I was pregnant a group of four-year-old girls were always pregnant with their own baby Dax's (one mom even sent me a picture of her little girl stuffing pillows in her nightie to make a baby Dax.) We are truly blessed to have so many supportive people caring for our child.

The most important thing of all to me though, is the fact that my son is healthy.

He is strong.

(He is constantly moving furniture- earning him the nickname "Rambo"- is starting to actually kind of run and is beginning to master climbing...Oh joy.)

He is smart.

(Basically having mastered how to turn on all of his toys and our gadgets, babyproofing is beyond us at this point. The kid has figured out how to get into everything and does as he pleases, although he is disciplined for it.)

And he CAN be independent.

(Dax can easily go off and do his own thing, however, if he needs some love he'll run over climb into our laps or arms and suck his thumb while playing with either our ear or his. It's sweet.)

Nothing makes me more appreciative of my life than knowing that I have such a healthy and happy child.

Since his first birthday- less than a week ago- he has been talking up a storm as well. Before he would occasionally say things when he felt like it, but now the kid doesn't want to stop talking.

A couple of things he's been repeating over and over this week (to my true joy):

-"Hi!" attended with a wave/hand flap whenever he sees anyone, and I mean that literally (he knows "bye" too)

- "Whas'that?" at any point he sees, hears, or touches something or someone. It's my new favorite too. He's so curious.

- "No, no" if he doesn't like whatever you are doing; occasionally he'll exchange this for a "don't" as he pulls you away from what you are not supposed to be doing...pretty sure he got that one from me

- "Duh" for dog. His favorite thing, he gets so excited and flaps his wings like he's going to fly away whenever he sees one.

- He also claps and shouts "YAY" for nearly every accomplishment reached by himself and others, it's also the only way we can get him to look at the camera and smile.

He says more things, but not as consistently as he has been saying these this week (of course he has mastered "mama" and "dada" at this point in addition to several other basic words)

His 1 Year Check-Up is tomorrow, so I will be back on to update you on his percentiles. Not to mention with more pictures.

'Nighty-nite!

Happy First Birthday

to the greatest little man alive!!!

I sure love him!

50 Weeks!

I realized today that my bouncing baby boy is now 50 weeks old, only two weeks shy of being a one-year-old....don't worry, though, I didn't get emotional over this particular realization.

Things with the little guy are starting to become more and more interesting, he is tons of fun but becoming more and more work.

In addition to his improving conversational skills and coordination, he has developed a knack for throwing fits and getting into trouble... knowing exactly what he wants and expecting it to be given to him or done exactly how he wants it

and climbing on the furniture, including the ottoman that we've had specifically placed in front of our entertainment center to protect Ryan's gaming consoles.

He thinks he is quite funny for all of this as well. Admittedly, his gap-toothed smile and dazzling blue eyes help him get away with some of his trouble.

In addition to this quick Dax Chase update I am looking for advice...

Once upon a time, several months ago, Ryan and I were successful in sleep training Dax to put himself to sleep; however, after months of being watched by a different set of grandparents (before the wonderful retirement of my Grandma Candy and Papa who now consistently watch Dax) every couple of days this habit was quickly broken. While I do understand the joys of snuggling up with a baby as he sweetly drifts to sleep, I am also the person who deals with the downside of having a child who's self-soothing has been spoiled.

Ryan and I have finally become fed up with the nightly wake-up routines, although some nights are better than others things have been getting worse, and tonight marks the first night that Dax will begin his second round of sleep training. I am going solo on this first night due to the fact that Ryan is out of town for work and am slightly terrified of what is to come. I love Dax and hearing him cry is one of the things I've struggled with most since his birth...you can ask anyone about this and they will agree.

I know it's good for Dax to be able to put himself to sleep- especially since he has begun waking up around 5 or 6 every morning and I know that I can be a better mommy to him when I'm more well rested- however, I feel like a poor mother listening to him cry rather than rushing to his aid. Nearly everyone I've questioned concerning this issue has encouraged me to stay strong, that the crying becomes more manageable after only a couple of nights, but most of the scientific research pertains to two opposing schools of thought on the issue. And trust me, I've researched the crap out of the issue.

If anyone out there, the select few that even know this blog exists, has any words of encouragement or advice, they'd be greatly appreciated about now...

Don't worry, the little guy is not going to be completely abandoned tonight to fend for himself, I will check on him periodically as I have read to, however, he's going to be crying more than he's used to. Please wish me luck.

ABC's- Just for Lauren

One of my dear friends recently tagged me in a blog post to fill out some ABC's about myself, so here it goes:

ABC's BABY!
A. Age: 22...somedays I feel older and somedays I feel younger, depending on what I'm stuck doing for the day!

B. Bed size: Queen, this will be changing in the near future.

C. Chore you hate: Doing the dishes, I have to do them at least twice a day and I dread it!

D. Dogs: Dax loves them, but I don't love the mess that comes with them- especially the hair they leave all over the house.

E. Essential start to your day: Daxton Chase Matthews. He starts my day off right every morning.

F. Favorite Color: Purple and green!

G. Gold or silver: White gold. I've had a tendency to wear gold lately, however.

H. Height: 5' 1.5''

I. Instruments you play: None, but I have purchased a guitar in hopes of learning how to play....but that was a couple years ago.

J. Job title: Full-time mommy, full-time student, and part-time daycare employee.

K. Kids: Are my life. I love working with children! And, of course, my child is my entire world!

L. Live: Pocatello, Idaho

M. Mom's name: Tracey Michelle.

N. Nicknames: Lyndz and mama.

O. Overnight hospital stays: Senior year of high school when my intestines were dehydrated while I had the flu and when I gave birth to my most favorite person on April 23rd, 2010.

P. Pet peeve: Oh boy.....I have a few....people who park and take up two spots, people who ignore their children rather than properly parent them just because it's "easier" that way, skinny girls who announce that they are fat just to receive compliments on how skinny they are, Facebook drama, people who talk on their cellphones in the computer lab on campus or in any other quiet place, and I'll end there.

Q. Quote from a movie: First one that comes to my mind, "Have some humanity? Haven't you ever had a dream?" From Tangled, my most favorite of the new Disney movies.

R. Right or left handed: Righty.

S. Siblings: Logan, my seventeen year old 'bother.'

T. Time you wake up: Typically around 6:30 or 7:00, but I'm attempting to wake up earlier these days so that I can work out.

U. Underwear: My favorite style is the boy shorts from Victoria's Secret.

V. Vegetables you dislike: ALL! Ryan and I recently started a diet where all we can eat is meat, veggies, and beans for six straight days with a heavenly cheat day every seventh day (which we planned to be on Saturdays.) So far I am in misery, but it'll be worth it when ALL of the pregnancy weight is gone! I'm almost there!

W. What makes you run late: D-A-X-T-O-N. He's worth it!

X. X-rays you've had: Teeth, hand, and back. Teeth for dental visits, obviously. Hand after I crashed on my bicycle and it swelled to twice it's regular size in sixth grade. And my back in seventh grade after I experienced intense pain due to a pinched nerve.

Y. Yummy food you make: I don't really cook or bake, but when I try most things turn out right. Some of my favorites were a caramel cake I baked for Ryan's birthday a couple of years ago and a Crockpot roast I did about a month ago. They were delish!

Z. Zoo animal: Zoos make me sad, but I like giraffes. I wish I was tall!

11 Months!!

Today is Daxton's eleventh month anniversary!

I cried a little this morning when I realized this fact. I can't believe how big he is getting.

Everyone teases me whenever I hold him because he's longer than my torso. I'm pretty sure he'll be bigger than me before he enters junior high!

I couldn't be more proud of how big, strong, and intelligent he is!

He's figuring more and more out everyday!

He's learned that he is capable of moving furniture- more easily in our kitchen where we use a stool to block off our 'lazy susan.'

He has mastered turning my phone on after I have turned it off and handed it over to him to play with, he also puts the phone up to his ear and says "'ella" whenever I let him play with it.

He loves to play with doors right now and will close them on Ryan and I until we knock on the door and call "Hello" to him. Whenever he answers the door he will wave and say "Hi mama" or "Hi dada." Then he usually attempts to run away before we grab him up and tickle or love on him.

My wonderful husband taught him to point and shake his finger while saying "No, no, no!" He loves to use this on us whenever we try to tell him 'no.'

He loves Jack's Big Music Show and will clap along with the characters. He's even started trying to sing; I was singing him to sleep the other day for his morning nap and he started crooning along with me.

He's so sweet.

He also loves to help me do the laundry. He typically just messes up my nice and neat piles, but he's always so proud of himself. He really loves to snuggle up with the warmer laundry piles.

He also loves to pat on mine and Ryan's face whenever we cuddle with him. Although he can be very independent, whenever he needs some affection he'll run over and lay his head down on our shoulders and suck his thumb for 30 seconds before he runs off again!

We've allowed him to attempt to feed himself twice now, that may be something we wait a little longer on but it's super cute to watch him try.

He really loves to brush his teeth too.

He screams at me whenever I try to take that thing away. I'm trying to teach him that it is not a toy though, despite if he thinks it makes a wonderful drumming utensil.

He loves to dance. Especially to Kid Cudi. Whenever I turn on a Cudi song he will scream and bop along. He's a big fan of my dancing too. He applauds me every time we jig together.

There are so many amazing things that he does I don't think I could possibly describe every perfect aspect of him in any number of posts.

He's truly made me thankful for so many things.

First, I couldn't be any more appreciative of how healthy he is. He's developed mostly ahead of each milestone (especially the physical ones) and couldn't be anymore of a little boy! He's rough and tough, but also has a soft-side.

These past eleven months with him have taught me so much about the true value of life. He's simply splendid.

Bye-Bye Gaga

I have a confession to make:

Every once in awhile I tend to go through a mini-obsession with gossip magazines. I can go anywhere from 3-6 months without ever looking at one, but once I look at one I feel the need to look at them all and will buy about three at one time.

Now, I'm not proud of this. At all. But I am only human.

Yesterday, I found out just how much Dax dislikes these magazines.

I've been pretty good about keeping him away from our magazine rack/toilet paper holder. But the kid was determined and I decided to let him have some fun.

It has now become one of his favorite activities and I can't keep him away.

I don't think I'll be buying much more of these anytime soon.

Walking!!!

My remarkable little bundle of joy is officially walking!! He began Monday evening at my mom's house and has hardly stopped since!! He was still technically nine months old when he achieved this milestone! I had a teary mama moment following the big event!

As of today he is 10 months old!! His first birthday is only 60 days away and you can bet that I have already started planning. I have never been so excited for a birthday since I was a little kid. I already know what I'm going to buy him and everything!

In terms of his other recent accomplishments he is also clapping and waving hello and goodbye. He's not talking too much yet, which sometimes makes me nervous, but he is still one smart little fella!

Could you...

possibly end your day in any better way than snuggling up next to this??

If you think so, then I think there is something wrong with you. This dude can't be beat.

NINE MONTHS!

Dax is actually 9 1/2 months at this point, but we weren't able to schedule his nine month wellness check until today and it went very well! (Especially since this one did not involve him getting any shots!) His head, once again, measured in the 90th+ percentile- to which the doctor even argued that his big head was to contain his big brains- and his length was still in the 30th percentile and his weight in the 50th; overall, when each of his measurements were averaged together he is bigger than about 90% of the boys his age. The doctor was truly impressed by him!

He's getting smarter and smarter everyday! He has now mastered opening cupboards and seems to know exactly where everything goes, including the objects we try to hide. He has mastered not only walking along objects but walking in-between objects and taking a step or two on his own to get from one to another within very close distances.

He has taken a couple steps on his own without any help, but as soon as he realizes what he is doing he freaks himself out and plops down on his bum. He is also able to stand on his own as well, although he hasn't been practicing this new skill so much since he has discovered "power crawling." I swear I have never seen anything crawl as fast as he can!

A couple of his new favorite toys include empty pop bottles and the cardboard paper towel rolls. Let's just say that he occasionally likes to raid our little recycling bin and spends at least 30 minutes playing with these objects every time he does so.

His problem solving skills are really starting to mature. He's attempting new things to accomplish what he wants and is a very determined little bugger. One afternoon Ryan and I sat and watched him try to crawl between one of our kitchen chairs and the wall. There wasn't enough room for him to squeeze through on all fours so he stood up and attempted to squeeze through by pushing himself up against the wall- even with his head turned- and he even tried turning his head in the opposite direction before he plopped down, turned around, and pushed the chair out of his way.

Speaking of, now that he has discovered his ability to move furniture he has been using it on every piece of furniture that will shake when he pushes. He really enjoys shoving the kitchen chairs and our entry table around, along with his dresser which holds a stereo and large picture frame on top (not the best idea.)

Well, he simply is amazing and I could go on much longer bragging about him, but I think I'll give you a rest now! Hope you enjoyed this update!