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.