Lew (March 31, 1993 - November 10, 2006)

Friday, November 10, 2006 marked a sad day in our lives, when Lew, our trusted companion of nearly 14 years, passed on. He was a true friend who will never be forgotten and will forever remain in our hearts.

Independence at its best!

Matt discovers yogurt! He pretty much stole the container out of my hands, and within minutes poor Lew, our dog, had it all over his head. Matt was a mess too!

He's so proud of his yogurt mess!

Here he is drinking from his pumpkin cup on Halloween. His nana sent him that! He loved it, and the yogurt he spread all over his face before that too!

He sure does like to feed himself! Unfortunately, we have to shovel as much into him before he decides we are no longer allowed. Otherwise, much of it ends up on his face and his tray, not to mention on Lew!

He is learning the art of scooping. Unfortunately, he has learned the art of dumping, so there's not usually much left to scoop!

Halloween fun!

We dressed up at work and the kids from the daycare went trick-or-treating around the clinic, so Matt & I were able to get a picture together! He was roasting and couldn't wait to be out of his costume! He was a trooper, though there were no smiles caught on camera.

After a very eventful day for a holiday he doesn't understand yet, we took it easy at home. I tortured him a bit by putting Peter Pan's hat on him! He tried to pretend like he didn't notice.

I think he noticed now!

He's become quite the drooler this week. I just discovered he's getting his 5th tooth! No wonder he suddenly squeals like someone's pinching him!

Lions and tigers and BEARS, oh my!

We decided to give the costume a try, so we got Matt all ready for the neighborhood carnival. Good thing it was sundown, because his little bear costume was a bit toasty! We finally parted with the socks to help him air out.

Matt recently learned how to blow kisses! Funny how all these new little tricks melt our hearts. I cried when he blew me a kiss for the first time the other day. What a sap!

Here he is with his daddy!

Watch out, don't get the bear too excited!

Mommy and her baby cub

Here's our newest family picture. If only the little bear weren't ready for bed! We headed home for a bath and bedtime shortly after this picture. He was quite happy with our decision and happily ate his cheerios all the way home.

Straw Drinking 101 with Matt!

We have been introducing straws to Matt for a couple of weeks now, but thanks to a few tips from our good friend Cybil, we went full force over the weekend. He had great success!

Here's Matt looking over the nutrition label to make sure it's 100% juice.

He takes the whole thing in his mouth at this point, but loves it!

Just look at that face!

Now he's figuring out how to take the straw out of the juice box. Uh oh!

Baby Jail

Matt gets a little time in his pack 'n play during dinner when we don't eat with him. Sometimes he just plays and entertains himself, but lately he is happier standing up and talking to us while we finish eating. He is getting his top two teeth, so those keep him pretty busy trying to chew everything!

Playtime!

Before bedtime, it's time to play in the loft! Matt has started exploring new toys and noticing things that have been there all along, like his Harley from Lisa & Todd! He loves to grab on and rock it back and forth, slamming it into the wall! He enjoys a short ride on it too, but his smile's not as big as when he's slamming it against the wall.

He started taking the animals out of his new puzzle, and banging them against the puzzle. He just loves making noise, and is becoming an expert on banging toys like he's constantly practicing his hammering skills.

Time to make some music. He bounces up and down with anything rhythmical right now. It's pretty entertaining!

Matt's newest trick is standing up at bookcases and pulling everything off the shelves. We're in such trouble!

Here he is drawing another picture! He's getting better about putting the right end of the pen down before scribbling.

Matt's first drawing!

In realizing that Matt is growing up, I decided to start putting away the "baby" toys and found a few things in my stash from my days in the infant program. Matthew is getting introduced to a few new toys now, and one of them is a magna doodle. He wasn't too into it at first, but then he finally turned the side with the magnet toward the screen, and look at what he created! I know I'm a dork, but since it's not on paper, I had to take a picture of his first drawing!

He's such an artist!!!

Pasadena Cookoff

Seeing as the Yaga's Cookoff isn't enough for the boys in the spring, they have now added a fall cookoff to their schedules. This weekend, just up the road, there was a huge cookoff that Nick and the boys entered. Matt and I decided to join them a few afternoons in between lunch and naptime for a little playtime with Daddy. No, they didn't win anything at the cookoff, but they had fun in the process!

Upside down Matt!

He's giving me that crazy look! I think I was interrupting his Daddy time or something.

Matt tries on Daddy's shades, modeling them in his new big boy stroller. No more infant seat for him! He's in a big boy carseat and everything now!

Saturday at the Park

We decided to take a ride in Matt's big boy stroller and head to the park for a little morning play time. Game gear was a must, even though the game wasn't until Matt's bedtime. We made the most of our time in the park before it got too hot and sticky!

Here's Matt in his bucket swing!

Matt & Daddy taking a break from swinging.

Back to business, with our little rascal!

What a trusting face.

Coming at you!

Matt loved the feeling of the wind in his hair! He's also modeling his new shoes. Yes, his mommy had finally given into the idea that he's growing up and will be walking soon.

Matt & Mommy enjoying the breeze.

A little freedom from the bucket swing!

Matt enjoyed his time crawling through the tunnel, peeking at his daddy. Two little neighborhood boys joined us in the park and ran around the tunnel talking with Matt. He was quite confused by all of the commotion.

Matt reflected on his time in the park with fond memories!

We tried for a picture on the slide, and a little hands on slide down, but it was time to head home for a nap at that point. Maybe next time.