We have a walker!

Tonight Matt took his first steps. After about half a dozen tries, I managed to get one set of steps on video:

And he's off!

Week 47

Last week we stayed decently active. I was still recovering from being sick, so we weren't able to do much at the beginning and the end of the week, but we made it to the playground, went to library story time, attended a play group, and went for a walk in the woods.

Beep beep!

2 points for Matt!

Checking out the family nature area

Saturday, while I was busy, Jon and Matt explored the nearby mall and stadium. Matt got to try out a kayak.

Kayaks aren't very impressive on land, I'll grant him that.

On the way home we stopped at a yard sale where we found Matt his very own car (plus a few dinosaurs).

Wanna come for a ride?

Helping Daddy fix the wheel

Matt is very busy working on all of his skills. This week he has started zipping around with his push toy.

Come to Mommy!

See you later!

A little help here...

He is using his big hands more and more nimbly.

Here he is starting to try to figure out how to move shapes in and out of the sorter toys.

He has become very interested in his touch and feel books.

He had a good time playing with his stuffed bears

And his little cars, too.

Week 46

This week a couple of viruses visited us, a cold for Jon and a stomach bug for me. Luckily Matt - knock on wood - escaped both.

Monday we had a busy morning, with a moms' meeting for me followed immediately by a baby play group for Matt.

Playing with friends at two houses = one very tired baby

Tuesday Matt slept through our scheduled outing, but that afternoon he helped me deliver backpacks full of school supplies that my moms' group donated to a local school district.

He also "helped" me do laundry.

Wednesday we had another busy day: a walk and library story time in the morning, then a visit from friends in the afternoon. The two babies tried out our sandbox and swing set.

Thursday and Friday we had quieter days. We stopped by a playground on Thursday afternoon.

Swinging and crawling over the bridge

His favorite part of the playground's musical section was the xylophone, which he enjoyed playing.

Friday we were going to go to another playground, but after an errand or two it was clear Matt would rather hang out at home. Saturday I was sick, so Jon took care of Matt all day. We spent Sunday at home as well, playing with blocks.

Taking apart Jon's tower

This past week Matt started focusing on closing cabinets and drawers as well as putting objects into drawers and boxes. He even tried to close the baby gate on me when I was on the stairs, chuckling all the while! This one is trouble...

A few more pictures from the week:

 

More sandbox fun (have I mentioned that Matt enjoys his sandbox?)

Coming to get you!

Tonight's chef de cuisine, apparently

Matt increasingly only wants to feed himself and only eat what we're eating (especially if it comes from Jon's plate). Here he is feeding himself one of his favorites, avocado.

Week 45

I'm trying to squeeze in a post, so this one will be long on photos and short on words.

Last week the weather was much nicer than the very warm week before, so we started off by going for a walk.

I stopped to let Matt crawl around and explore.

Happiness is waving around not one but two sticks.

Tuesday we went for a hike in a local park organized by another moms' group. We saw some deer close up, but since we regularly see deer in our own yard that wasn't as exciting for us it was for others!

Matt checking out the playground swings but more interested in checking out what the other kids were doing

Wednesday was a busy one for us. We started off by going for a walk with a mom friend and her kid, and then we went to library story time.

The shaker egg is for shaking to the music, not snacking!

After story time, Matt had enough time for a nap while I readied the house for baby play group. It was a busy one! Matt crashed afterwards, and that nap was just enough to recharge him for more action.

Nothing to see here; just going through the pots and pans.

Thursday we met up with some people we know and their babies at a play space. We had gone there in the summer, and this time around it was definitely busier, mainly with young babies. Matt is so mobile, and he now throws things (which is fun when it's a ball, not fun with it's not), plus he is still working on his gentle touch. He's not going to be welcome much longer at play groups with little babies!

Is it done yet?

Cooking with his buddy

Hey, watch where you're going, buddy!

Hammer time!

Enjoying a quiet moment back at home after all of that activity

Friday was a day for us to catch up on some things, including sleep.

Matt's new favorite sleeping position (Don't worry: he can breathe, and he's not smothering himself, however it may look at first glance.)

Saturday we went to a grilling party hosted by some of Jon's friends. Matt took it upon himself to make a few improvements to their landscaping; the plant growing into their yard from the neighbors' was missing a few leaves by the time he was done.

Getting acquainted with the locals

Sunday we had a quiet day at home, doing a little work on projects and watching some sports. Well, "quiet" is not the most accurate adjective, as Matt was a bundle of energy and very vocal. He spent much of the day crawling around while making as much noise as he could.

I think you should be skeptical of the stories my mom tells about me!

Week 44

Another busy week flew by!

Monday was Labor Day, so Jon had the day off from work, although Matt kept him hard at work on his swing set. 

Inspecting the progress

Tuesday we went to the play space at the Y with one of our friends. Wednesday we joined my moms' club at the local coffeehouse and then went for a walk in the late afternoon with another friend. 

Hanging out in his stroller

Thursday I had a board meeting for my moms' club. Matt did a pretty good job of amusing himself with the other kids while we discussed business. Friday we joined my moms' club at a nearby playground before it got too hot; it was not a great week to be outdoors, sadly. Saturday Matt went to his first friend's birthday party. He was too small for the bouncy house, but he enjoyed the other highlight, a petting zoo. His favorite animal was the goat, maybe because the goat was the only animal who was happy to tolerate the not so gentle touch of an active infant.

Not so impressed with a real live bunny - the goat was definitely funnier!

Sunday we watched some football (Matt's hometown team onesies have lost their magic touch!) and let Matt play in his newly completed sandbox.

As you can see, Matt's new sandbox is also a big hit, just like his swing.

Whee!

In addition to playing outside, Matt has been busy mastering new skills. I forgot to post last week about Matt's ability to climb stairs. At the playground I let him try a few, and he did very well. When we got home, I let him try our main set of stairs, and he went right up. We haven't yet tried down, though.

On Friday morning Matt displayed in rapid succession a bunch of other new skills: pushing items over to stand on so he can get at hard to reach things (something he had been working toward all week - soon he's going to figure out how to reach doorknobs...), opening cabinets, opening drawers, and deliberately putting things back into containers and drawers (usually after taking them out and before taking them out one more time).

Nothing to see here... Just grabbing stuff off the table...

Look, this opens!

Someone kept himself happily occupied while I made dinner.

Hmm, what should we make?

A few more outdoor fun photos before I close:

Working on that standing by himself

Exploring the front yard and well