Matt's First Thanksgiving

Yesterday was Matt's first Thanksgiving. He's still too young to have any real awareness of the day, much less to have any seasonal treats like turkey, but he still enjoyed the day. Luckily we were able to stay home, so we didn't have to travel. We hosted Jon's youngest brother, whom Jon put to work helping in the kitchen while I took care of Matt. By the end of the day we all were tired; everyone slept well at night!

Week 3

Matt spent most of week 3 growing and growing. He's already at least 10 and a half pounds - and believe me we've noticed his increased weight carrying him around.

Thanks for the onesie, Nina! 

This hasn't been a very exciting week in terms of events, as Matt has mostly spent the week eating, sleeping, getting his diaper changed, and having some alert time.

We never get tired of the many different expressions Matt can make.

In his last ultrasound before his delivery, Matt struck a similar pose, with his (large!) hand across his face. The photo made a lot more sense when we saw the pose for ourselves.

We got permission at his last pediatrician's visit to start stretching out one of his night sessions to 4-5 hours at a time. Some nights he's obliged us with a little more sleep; others he has not.

Thanks, Jen T, for the warm outfit!

Thanks, Lisa, Denis, and Wesley, for the sports onesie swap!

Matt continues to change daily. He can move his fingers independently now and is much more expressive with his hands and even feet. In addition to "waah," "aah," and "eh," his repertoire of sounds now includes "goo," "ooh," and "gee." He also has quite the collection of grunts, snorts, and other similar sounds, many of which he breaks out when he's been put down in his crib. No one told us just how noisy a baby in the lighter stages of sleep can be, especially one who's wriggling out of his swaddle. (We have a little Houdini on our hands who can't wait to get his arms out of his swaddle.) Needless to say our house isn't so quiet these days.

Hand in hand

Like any new parents we love watching and looking at our little one. I've already posted about how Matt resembles Jon, but Matt also resembles me. He definitely has my hair (although I never had that much hair at his age), for example. But one of the most notable things Matt seems to have inherited are my hands, as you can see below.

The cat's thoughts on our new addition

Since people have asked how Penny, our cat, is dealing with the new human in the house, I thought I'd post about her reaction. Overall she has been good to him, mostly aloof. When we first brought Matt home, she give a sniff in his vicinity and walked away as soon as he started crying. She has not jumped in the crib, fortunately, although she's a bit miffed he's taken over the bassinet where she had been napping before I realized what she was doing. Now, several weeks in, she's still wary of Matt, but she's getting used to having him around, even if she still thinks he makes too much noise. She might be happier if she got as much attention and had as much lap time as she used to before the baby's arrival, but she's dealing with it.

Early on Penny seeks refuge in a box from baby gifts

Looking to distance herself from the screams coming from baby's bath time

A truce? Baby on one side of the couch, cat on the other side

By the way, the cat is horrified at the way we "pet" the baby. (In other words, don't even think about petting a cat the way you burp a baby!)

2 weeks

Happy 2-week birthday to Matt! Yes, I know it's a cliche, but it seems like it has been much longer and much sooner than that day two weeks ago when we first met our son.

Matt had a good check-up at the pediatrician today, weighing in at 9 lbs. 14 oz. (He'll hit 10 pounds even by mid-week, we think.) He displayed his nice, strong set of lungs for the NP, and he impressed her with his nice, strong muscles in his arms and legs. We knew he's a strong one: we've enjoyed seeing him flex his muscles more and more every day, extending his legs and moving his arms through a greater range of motion. He has grabbed a few things, still more accidentally than purposefully at this point, and he has kicked off hands during tummy time to propel himself a few inches and then a few more. We're amazed how much he grows and changes every day!

Week 2

During week 2 we’ve been getting to know our little one better and gaining confidence as new parents. Matt is a fairly easy-going baby; he will get fussy but quiets back down as soon as his needs (and most of the time those needs seem to be hunger-related!) are met. 

(Thanks to Ben and Dawn for the baby bath!)

 Even the cat is more comfortable having this new person around.

Matt has had an eventful week. On Tuesday he went back to the pediatrician to check on his weight, and he was just an ounce under his birth weight. Will he be 10 pounds by his two-week check-up? Stay tuned… Matt also had his first outing: we stopped by the Apple store on our way home to check out the new iPads. And Saturday he received his first visitors at home when some friends whose baby is just two weeks older than Matt came over. We suspect these two will get into a lot of trouble together when they get a little older!

Tummy time!

(Yes, I know it's a long time until the 4th of July, but this was the first clean outfit I found while fumbling in the dark. Someone has outgrown all newborn-sized clothes and is working on outgrowing his 3-month ones!)

Week 1

Matt's first week was a busy one for all of us.

We spent the first two nights in the hospital, where the nurses took good care of us.

Matt also received his first visitor, one of his uncles.

We headed home Wednesday afternoon.

The first night home was rough, so we were glad to have a home visit from a nurse on Thursday to check in on us and our little guy and his chubby cheeks.

Friday was Matt’s first trip to the pediatrician, and he did very well, already regaining some of the weight he had lost since birth. But first he had to pass inspection from the cat.

By Sunday he was ready for his first growth spurt.

Labor & Delivery

I went into labor on Sunday, November 3, and delivered Matthew on the afternoon of Monday, November 4. We have posted additional photos on our Flickr page, but here are a few highlights from the labor and delivery room.

Arrival time!

He's here!

First weigh in

Ready for his close-up

Like father, like son

I hope to post a week 1 update soon, but in the meantime here are some photos showing some of the ways Matt takes after his father.

Jon as a baby (left; photo courtesy of his parents) - Matt as a baby (right; just after his first bath)

One last nap before we head home from the hospital

Our big announcement!

Matthew Jonathan
Born November 4, 2013, at 2:25 PM
9 lbs. 7 oz., 22 inches

We are all doing well, if a bit tired. Matt is strong and healthy, with a pair of lungs to match.