My little munchkin is 3 months old!

Matthew was 3 months old yesterday (March 24) and it was also Ryan's 29th birthday. What a special day!

It's hard to believe that it's already been 3 months since we were blessed with our little miracle. He's growing so fast and I love him more and more every day! Here are a few photos I took of him to mark his 3 month birthday. Isn't he adorable?!?!! I just love his big blue eyes and chunky arms and legs! He's my little prince!

The First Two Months

It's been quite a while since I've posted a blog entry, so I thought I would recap the first two months of baby Matthew's arrival home. He continues to bring us joy and I love him more and more with each day!

Several people have asked how we came up with the name Matthew Charles. Matthew is Ryan's middle name, so we thought that would be very special for him to carry on his Dad's name. Matthew is a strong name and fits him perfectly. Charles is after my Grandfather (my Mom's Dad), who passed away when I was 6 years old. Charles was his middle name and I have such fond and sweet memories of sitting in his lap as a child and asking him for Dentyne gum. He always had Dentyne gum in his pocket and we had to "snuggle" with him in his big brown chair to get any. To this day any kind of cinnamon gum reminds me of him. He was such a wonderful, sweet and genuine man and I miss him and my Grandmother so very much. It will be nice for Matthew to know that his middle name is after his Great Grandfather -- a man who loved God and loved his family.

It's hard to believe that Matthew is already 2 months old. The time has really flown by so fast, although there were a few days and nights where it seemed never ending! Our parents came into town each for a week to help out with Matthew when he was first born. It was great to have them here to help out with cooking, laundry and to give Ryan and I a break to catch our breath. When Matthew was 4 weeks old, Ryan had to leave for some flight training in Colorado. That was very hard on us both. Matthew was still adjusting and had some very fussy days and nights. It was so much harder to be home alone with him than I expected, so we were fortunate enough to be able to fly my Mom out for another week to help. That was a pure blessing to have some relief and to have her here to help keep me on track. Ryan was working so hard in Colorado to finish his training so he could get home and it was equally tough on him to be so far away from Matthew and me. Thankfully, God got us through the 4 weeks apart and Ryan returned home safely.

At Matthew's 2 month baby wellness appointment, he weighted 14 pounds and was 23 inches long. He's gone from being in the 25 percentile at his birth weight (7lbs. 4oz.) to the 85 percentile at 14 pounds! He's extremely healthy and it's obvious that the breastfeeding is going great. He had his first series of shots (one oral and 3 shots in his legs). He did really well and only cried for a few moments as the shots were given. He slept most of the rest of the day (probably a result of the baby Tylenol we gave to him) and didn't get a fever. He was a little fussy and his legs were somewhat sore the next day, but he bounced back wonderfully. We feel so blessed that he's healthy and growing like a weed! He's so cute and chunky! :) I love his little dimples!

We have family coming into town to visit us over the course of the next month, so it will be nice to see everyone. David and Jennifer were here this past week and it was so cute to see Uncle David with his red hair next to Matthew and his red hair. I've attached some photos below. We had a great time exploring the Alamo and walking downtown San Antonio at the Riverwalk.

Now that Ryan is home, I'll try to do better at posting updates on Matthew. He's talking more and more, so I'll take some videos and post those soon too. In the meantime, you can view our family photos at http://themiddletonfamily2.shutterfly.com/ Enjoy!

Our little Christmas miracle!!

Matthew Charles arrive on Wednesday, December 24 at 5:35am after 24 hours of labor. He was a healthy 7 pounds and 4 ounces and was 20 1/4 inches long.

He is just beautiful and Ryan and I feel so blessed to have a healthy baby boy! Here are a few photos from our first few days at home. I never knew you could love someone so much...he is absolutely perfect! Praise God for our little Christmas miracle!

38 Weeks

My 38 week appointment went well this week and we're counting down the days until we welcome sweet baby Matthew into the world - only a few more days! Since I have what they are calling gestational hypertension (a fancy way of saying I have elevated blood pressure), they won't let me deliver past 39 weeks since it could be harmful to the baby. So...they have scheduled to induce me on Tuesday, December 23!! We could have a Christmas baby!

My blood pressure has been lower and lower with each monitored visit (which is twice a week) and the baby is doing great (he's active, has a strong heartbeat and my fluid levels are right on target). We found out that I'm currently 2cm dilated and 50% effaced. Since I am already somewhat dilated, it should make being induced a little bit easier. I was very nervous about being induced at first, but I am actually feeling much better about it now since it will be a controlled environment and I have an idea of how things will progress. Of course, if baby Matthew decides to join us earlier that's okay too (as long as he's ready and is healthy!).

I am reminded daily that I have been blessed with such sweet and thoughtful friends and family. The notes and comments on my blog, Facebook and through email have truly touched my heart. Our faith is in the Lord and we know He will provide a stable and comfortable environment for us when Matthew is born. We could not have asked for a better situation with Ryan having limited duties at work right now while he waits for his training, and with the holidays approaching it means we will get to see family as they come visit to meet our new bundle of joy. We give God all the glory for orchestrating everything in such perfect timing!

2008 has been full of many changes and surprises for us -- finding out we were going to have a baby (that one topped the charts), Ryan being selected to become an Officer, moving to Texas, and dealing with two parents who have had to undergo treatment for cancer (my Mom with breast cancer and Ryan's Dad with prostate cancer). Thankfully, all of the above have had very positive outcomes and we praise God every day for His continuous blessings and mercy. Looking back, we can see how gracefully and wonderfully God has led us through this year and we will continue to seek His guidance as we enter 2009.

As Christmas approaches next week and we welcome our sweet baby boy, we also rejoice in remembering the true meaning of Christmas -- the birth of Jesus and the joy He brought to the world! I can't imagine how Mary and Joseph must have felt as they prepared to have a baby and had to ultimately find comfort in a barn. It makes me truly appreciate the hospital and all the doctors and nurses that have cared for us so far and the warm home we have created for Matthew to grow. Thank you, Jesus, for your love, forgiveness, and many sacrifices that have allowed us peace and comfort as we prepare for baby Matthew's arrival. Without the love of Christ, our world would be so empty.

Praying for each of you and your families this Christmas that you feel peace, love and the joy of the Lord in your heart!

Updates and some exciting news!

The last 6 days have been quite eventful for us. It all started last Wednesday, December 3 when we went for my 36 week OB appointment. I was a little nervous...I've gone from a private practice that was always so calm and relaxing to a crisp, large military hospital that is nowhere near calm with all the people milling around everywhere for everything. Not my idea of comfortable. Anyway, my appointment got underway and was going okay until they took my blood pressure -- 149/91 (not good and not normal for me). I'm usually pretty low (the 110/60 range) so they decided to wait and check it again before I left to see if it had gone back down. Unfortunately, it didn't help when the nurse told me that if it did not go down I was going to need to have some blood drawn, give a urine sample and go to Labor & Delivery to be hooked up to the fetal monitor. So, when they went to take my blood pressure again, it had gone up to 153/92...so much for calming down. The only good news we received was that the baby has finally turned head down, so we no longer have to worry about him being in the transverse position. He is ready for delivery!

I headed down to the Lab to have my blood drawn and to submit a urine sample and then went back up to the Labor & Delivery area. We waited for 2 hours to be seen and were finally taken back to a small room with a curtain pulled to separate me from another patient. They monitored my blood pressure for about 45 minutes (which finally leveled out around 125/77) and everything looked okay. My blood test and urine sample were normal, but the doctor wanted me to submit a 24 hour urine sample to be sure everything was okay and there weren't any signs of preeclampsia. The doctor told me to call or come in if I was seeing spots, having headaches that wouldn't go away with Tylenol or if I had any severe pains in my upper abdomen.

On Friday, we went back to the hospital to turn in my 24 hour sample and to fill out hospital paperwork so it didn't have to be done when we were there for the actual delivery. While we were filling out the forms, I started to see a funky spot in my vision, which kept growing larger and was something similar to what you might see if you looked through a kaleidoscope (a prism of colors). It scared me so Ryan calmly took me up to Labor & Delivery where we checked in to be monitored again. My blood pressure was elevated (how could it not be -- I was terrified) but it slowly went back down and the baby was doing fine. He even got the hiccups while I was hooked up to the monitor, which lightened the mood. I was having some mild contractions so it was neat to have the doctor confirm that's what they were when he looked at the test results. Again, everything looked fine but the doctor told me that I would now have to come in twice a week to have my blood pressure monitored until I deliver. We left the hospital feeling okay and thinking that maybe this was a little blessing from God -- since we had just moved here it would give us an opportunity to meet some of the nurses and doctors that would be delivering me. So far we have been impressed with the doctors who have been monitoring me, so that is a blessing.

On Sunday morning at 5:15am, I woke up to roll over and the prism light spot appeared again. It scared me so I woke Ryan up and we called Labor & Delivery to see what they wanted me to do. Since the spot wasn't coupled with any headaches or other symptoms, the nurse advised me to go back to sleep and call if it happened again. Thankfully, it didn't.

Today (Monday) we had our first scheduled blood pressure appointment at 1:15pm so we headed back to the hospital. They hooked me up to the monitors for about 30 minutes and again my blood pressure started out slightly elevated but eventually leveled out. When the nurse did an ultrasound the baby looked fine and my amniotic fluid levels were great so they let us head on home.

We go back again this Thursday and will go again Monday and Thursday of next week too. My last appointment for blood pressure monitoring will be on Monday, December 22. If I haven't gone into labor on my own by then (I'll be 39 weeks) they will induce me.

So...after all the drama...it looks like we'll be having a Christmas baby! Ryan and I packed our bags for the hospital this weekend so we're prepared for whatever God has in store for us. I'm praying baby Matthew will decide to join us on his own terms, but if not we're excited that he will be here sometime during the week of Christmas!

36 Weeks and Counting...

We're finally feeling a little more settled here in San Antonio, TX and we're finding our way around pretty well. The most important thing is that we know exactly how to get to the hospital and that it takes around 25-30 minutes! Baby Matthew is due in 4 weeks and we're getting very anxious and excited about his arrival! Naturally, I'm nervous about the delivery (and the pain that goes along with it) since we've had to transfer to a new hospital with new doctors so late in my pregnancy, but God knows what we need and I'm sure He will provide the proper care and support!

I'm still feeling pretty good but my poor feet have just recently decided that they have had enough and just plain hurt! I have been fortunate to not have any swelling...they just ache so I try to keep them propped up as much as possible. Other than that, sleeping has been challenging and I can't wait to be able to sleep on my back again! I have pillows everywhere and still seem to toss and turn quite frequently through the night (poor Ryan...). We both laugh at the fact that this is just God's way of preparing us for when Matthew wants to be up all night (which ironically is when he seems to be the most active right now).

We have a doctor's appointment tomorrow for my 36 week checkup so I'll be sure to post an update on my progress. I still can't believe he could be here in 4 short weeks! Hooray!!!

Back Together Again

We had a wonderful time celebrating Ryan's graduation from Officer Training School (OTS) on November 3-4 at Maxwell AFB (in Montgomery, AL) and I'm so happy that we're finally back together again. Ryan had been chosen to act as the Wing Commander when he became an "upperclassman" at OTS so he played a major role in the graduation parade. He was also a Distinguished Graduate and won the highest honor of being the "Top Graduate" (can you tell I'm a proud wife)! I'm so proud of his accomplishments and know he was well deserving of his awards. It was an exciting two days and it was really nice to spend some quality time with family. Here are a few photos of our time together.

Here is a photo of the family after the awards ceremony.

Ryan and I preparing to leave for the "Dining Out" on Monday night - it was fun to get all dressed up.

He's officially a 2nd Lieutenant!

We made it safely to San Antonio, Texas on Thursday, November 6 and are slowly getting settled into our new "hometown." We found a house to rent since we'll only be here about a year while Ryan is in Navigator training and have the movers scheduled to deliver our furniture and belongings on Monday, November 17. We're excited about getting moved in and ready for the baby's arrival next month. For now, I'm just really happy to be back with my husband after 12 long weeks apart...absence definitely makes the heart grow fonder and I'm so very proud of how hard he worked in OTS! God has truly blessed us and we give Him all the glory!