Mr. Personality

First, I have not been able to upload pictures to the blog for a few days. I am not sure how to correct the problem, so bear with me for a bit. The Christmas post is written, but there are too many cute pictures that I want to publish with the post.

Second, I have been meaning to write about my 20-month old. Matty makes me laugh on a regular basis, so I must write down some of his antics before I forget!

· Matty still LOVES his cars and shoes. He does not discriminate between matchbox cars, Little People cars, generic cars, etc. My house is covered in cars. It is amazing that I have not tripped and fallen over one yet. I find them in the oddest places (Brayden's crib, between couch cushions, in my shoes, etc). He is very particular about lining his cars up and spends hours doing just that. He gets very opinionated if we try to help. If Tommy or I put a car in the wrong place, he lets us know it! I am starting to wonder if he could be OCD. I say that somewhat jokingly, somewhat seriously.

· Matty's vocabulary is growing, sort of. He has his own little language. He loves to speak in gibberish and talks as if we should understand every word he is saying. His newest word is "Hi" and I love hearing him walk up to Brayden and say "Bay-be.. AY!"

· He is stocky (built like an Akers) and has the cutest little run. As he runs from room to room, he pumps his left arm back and forth.

· Matty is addicted to the paci (sigh) and has four loveys. Each lovey is different, but he wants all four of them for naps and bedtime. Pray we do not lose one of them!

· Whenever someone in the house toots (yes, these things happen, especially now that there are three boys under this roof), Matty immediately says "Uh Oh" followed by the culprit's name. I laugh every time I hear "Uh oh... Da-ee" or "Uh oh... Bay-be."

· I took all three kids to a party last Monday evening to watch the National Championship football game. Tommy had to work late, so I was there by myself and had my hands full! Taylor and some of her friends were upstairs playing in a bedroom, and I was downstairs in the kitchen with Brayden. Matty gave me the play-by-play of the girls' activities the whole night. He would run into the kitchen, look at me, and starting talking in gibberish. I would say "Really, Matty?" to which he would say "Yeah." Then I would ask, "Who did it?" and he would say "sss sss" (sissy). Then I would say, "How is sissy now?" and he would turn around, start pumping his left arm, and run back up the stairs. A few minutes later the whole scenario would repeat. I could tell he felt so important. It was adorable.

· Matty would eat several quarts of blueberries each day if I let him. Unfortunately, blueberries are out of season now and I cannot afford the amount he wants to eat! He also loves any kind of pasta (mac & cheese, spaghetti, penne).

· Because he cannot properly communicate, Matty has started beating up on all of us. I regularly catch him pulling Taylor's hair, or hitting her, or biting her. Taylor currently has a bruise on her cheek because Matty took my phone and hit her with it. Sadly, this event was unprovoked by Taylor. We have started giving him time-outs in his crib, but I am not sure he understands the punishment part.

· In comparison to Brayden, Matty... my baby boy... now looks like the State Puff Marshmallow Man. He just looks huge next to Baby B. Big head, fat hands, full cheeks, chunky legs, crazy hair. I love to play and rough-house with him because he is solid.

My little boy is no longer the baby in the family, but he is so sweet and brings us so much joy. As a middle child, I hope he never feels "stuck in the middle" because he is and always will be at the forefront of my mind (along with Taylor and Brayden, of course). We love you, Matty Boy!