Matt turns the big 32!

Happy 32nd Birthday, Matty or Babe or Daddy! For Matty's birthday, we met his parents at the Old Spaghetti Factory on the Portland waterfront for lunch. It is such a beautiful atmosphere and delicious food! We showered him with gifts, including snacks and a magazine for his upcoming plane flight, a bottle of our favorite Framboise Lambic beer, a talking & singing birthday card with Benz's recorded voice, homemade mini cupcakes and the piece d'resistance....two tickets to the Price is Right game show in Vegas! We all headed over to the new multi-million dollar aerial tram. It was a fun ride that took us to the top of the OHSU hospital, which allows you to overlook the whole city. Benz got a real kick out of it until he found out the operator was out of stickers and threw a tantrum on the way out. Everyone looked at us with worried expressions, thinking it must be a real scary ride!

Benz says the funniest things...JULY 2008

1. 7/2/08- Benz showed his first sign of regression after the baby joined our family... we were at the Ludlows’ for dinner and he had an accident in his pants 3 different times, asking Ms. Traci to change his diaper (even though he was clearly wearing big boy underwear). We told him that he needs to show his baby brother how to use the potty like a big boy and we haven’t seen any more problems as of now.

2. 7/8/08- Boston was smiling at us and Benz told Daddy & I separately that “you a good Mommy” and “he like you, you good Daddy.”

3. 7/11/08- Benz went over and kissed Boston on the head this morning and said “I no like baby in your tummy. Like him out better. Want him to stay ever and ever!”

4. 7/11/08- I took both boys shopping at Winco for the first time together; Benz insisted on having his own cart and was helping me pick things out and put them into the cart. I asked him to get a jar of jelly and he was playing around with it and I warned him to just put it in the cart before he dropped it….and sure enough, CRASH! Glass shattered all across the floor. Benz started crying and ran over to me and said “me no want to go to jail, Mama!” He kept saying sorry over and over again and I told him it would be OK and he seemed relieved. A few days later he couldn’t wait to tell anyone who would listen to his story: “me no jail cause me say sorry”

5. One day at lunch Benz looked around the kitchen and asked me if I built this house. I said, "Yes, Babe and I built it together before you were born." He said "Oh when I was in heaven? Cool House. Thanks, Mama."

Benz says the funniest things...JUNE 2008

1. imaginary play- Benz likes to bring his farm animals, zookeeper, fair animals and fair keeper wherever we go and even talks to them while playing or driving in the car. One night he even wanted us to set a place at the table for the zookeeper!

2. When asked what he wants to be when he grows up, Benz says: “too many things”: a zookeeper, garbage man, dump truck guy, police man, fire man, & ambulance guy.

3. One night after we came home from the hospital, Grandma P. was putting him to bed and he told her that the baby’s umbilical cord looked yucky. He asked her in so many words why Boston has that and if we all have belly buttons? Then he proceeded to ask her why we all have arms and eyes and legs and bottoms and ears….

4. Another night he lifted up his shirt and showed Gma P. his nipples and say these “bookies is where milk comes from.”

5. Before picking up a friend, Ms. Joann, Benz asked Gpa P. if she was white or black...not sure where that came from!

6. Going up the hill by our house with Babe, Benz looked tired and stopped peddling and told Matt that his “bike just ran out of gas.”

7. 6/24/08- I had curled my hair before we headed to the hospital on Boston's birth day and Benz made a point to stop and say with a grat big genuine smile: “Oh, pretty hair, Mommy!”

Getting to know you...my heart belongs to Boston

It has been so fun getting to know you over the past 12 days! We are really starting to see your temperament and your likes and dislikes. My nickname for you is “pumpkin pie.” You have been smiling and making little giggly noises from almost day one. In fact, we have a picture of me holding you when we were still in the OR and you had a big smile on your face! You absolutely hate getting your diaper changed and always get all worked up into a screaming fit whenever we change you. As soon as you are done, you calm down again and everything is peachy keen. You have been such a relaxed baby with a calming, soothing effect. You have been sleeping well; I nurse you, change your diaper, wrap you up all snug in the miracle blanket and then we usually go down around midnight and you wake up again around 3am. I change your diaper again, nurse you and then we’re off to dreamland again for about another 3 hours. By this time, it’s about time for breakfast so we nap for a little bit and then get up for the day. You take lots of naps throughout the day am I’m lucky to get one if I can squeeze it in.

Even though you don’t like to get undressed, you LOVE to eat! Grandma P. started saying that you have a bird mouth because you always seem to have your little mouth and tongue moving and smacking (just like a baby bird hoping for a worm), looking for more food, even right after I nurse you! And when I get you to latch on, you have a suction like a Hoover vac that almost throws me back, but luckily you then let up as the feeding progresses. You just found your thumb and seem to like sucking on it every now and then. You have a little tiny blister on your upper lip; I think it’s from you sucking your thumb in utero. And you also seem to get the hiccups about once a day after eating. (Grandma P. and I discovered you doing this the night before you were born when I put her hand on my tummy).

One main difference between your first few days of life compared to your brother is that we don’t tiptoe around when you are sleeping. We are trying to get you use to loud noises since they are bound to happen around our house with Benz around! You’ve done so well so far since I think you’re used to hearing all of his screaming from when you were inside of me. You do tend to flinch or jump when you hear the microwave door close, but you have slept through most of our car rides, vacuuming and just about anything else! And I just love the little noises and sighs you make when you’re asleep. And it’s too cute to watch you crinkle up your forehead and see how it wrinkles when you have a bad dream. Your Daddy and I feel so very blessed to have you in our lives. Benz has been so high strung, loud and busy lately that it is nice to have a baby that sleeps through just about anything and is just so precious and calm. Grandma P. put it perfectly: “The angels sent Boston down to help calm your family.”

To my boys: You're Never Alone...

Never Alone~ featuring Lady Antebellum & Jim Brickman

May the angels protect you
Trouble neglect you
And heaven accept you when it’s time to go home
May you always have plenty
Your glass never empty
And know in your belly
You're never alone

May your tears come from laughing
You find friends worth having
With every year passing
They mean more than gold
May you win but stay humble
Smile more than grumble
And know when you stumble
You're never alone

Never alone
Never alone
I'll be in every beat of your heart
When you face the unknown
Wherever you fly
This isn't goodbye
My love will follow you, stay with you
Baby you're never alone

Well I have to be honest
As much as I want it
I'm not gonna promise that the cold winds won't blow
So when hard times have found you
And your fears surround you
Wrap my love around you
You're never alone
My love will follow you, stay with you
Baby you're never alone