Dear Mathias (on my first Mother’s Day)

Dear Mathias,

Today is your 10-month birthday, which coincidentally falls on Mothers’ Day. Since you were born, I have wished to write you little letters to capture my favorite moments and memories from your new life. One month goes by, and then another and it’s all I can do to write down milestones in your calendar. So I promise to write you a letter on Mothers’ Day each year. After all, it wasn’t until you arrived in life that I could lay any claim to this day.

These last ten months have flown by so quickly. Everyone warned me of it, but like most things in life, we don’t truly understand until we experience first-hand. You have grown from my tiny, floppy baby into this ball of personality, smiles and shrieks who looks more like a little boy every day. I remember the first time I held you (sleeping) in my arms and saw a little boy where my baby lay. It scared me so. The last time we flew to Oregon (April, for Easter), I was struck by just how small the counter space was in the airplane bathroom, where I changed your diapers on your very first flights. But even as you grow, you still manage to fit in my arms and on my shoulder, and fill up my hugs. (Speaking of hugs, you give really good ones first thing in the morning.)

Before I became your Mom, I didn’t know how I would adjust to the demands of a life that wasn’t my own. But you know what? Instincts took over, along with some coaching from your Nonna and Nonie, friends and Google. Truth be told, I still don’t know how to do this Mom thing some days. But what is different now is the knowledge that there isn’t much you and I can’t handle together, or that some dancing and deep squats won’t fix. (And when all else fails, you really like milk.)

When I say prayers with you at night, I thank God for the blessing of you in our lives. And when we pray for all the babies and mommies, I squeeze you tight. I never knew how one little person could make life so rich. I marvel at your penchant of “making friends” wherever we go. Dad and I make silly noises to make you smile and laugh. Your curiosity about the world is contagious. There is only one food (eggs) that you won’t eat. And you’ve been a great travel buddy (25 flights down!) as I’ve zipped you across the USA and back again.

Mathias, I am so blessed to be your Mommy. Each day is a new and wondrous experience. While I may not take a daily picture or document your milestones each month, I hope you understand it is because I am choosing to live in (and enjoy) the moment with you. In just two months we will celebrate your first birthday and I will surely have to stop calling you a baby. But Matty, you should know that you will always be my sweet boy, my little love and my baby. I love you! Thank you for allowing me to be your Mom.

Xoxo

The First Noel

Merry Christmas, baby.

Happy holidays from the Teague’s!
Mathias’ first Christmas [2013]

Mats’ First Pumpkin Patch

Fall has arrived in Jacksonville! For the past few days we’ve been sleeping with windows open, breaking out the long sleeves and enjoying the respite from a hot humid summer. The weather turned just in time for Halloween, which will be Mats’ first big holiday. We don’t have much planned this week for Halloween, except a lineup of themed outfits to dress Mats up in, but one thing I wanted to do was take him to a pumpkin patch.

The church attached to Mats’ new daycare is locally known for going all out for families around holidays, and the giant pumpkin patch they set up has been calling our name all week. This afternoon we loaded up Mats and his stroller for a quick visit. All of the pumpkins that were lined up Friday afternoon had disappeared, save a few that were better for photos than taking home. That probably worked out better for us, since carving pumpkins with an infant would have taken more arm-twisting of Garrett than is necessary. But we did snap a few photos of Mathias’ first pumpkin experiences to share…

Happy Halloween (and Mathias’ 16-week birthday) from all of us!

Bigger Every Day

A funny thing happened midway through our ten days in Columbus last week. Without warning, Mats’ pajamas, the kind with footies, didn’t fit anymore. Never mind that he wore them the week before and I packed them just days ago. Suddenly, our pjs count went from four to two and having just two of anything is a dangerous game, in the case of a twelve-week old who has a tendency to drop the occasional blowout diaper.

The other clue I discovered that my baby was growing before my eyes came in the Presidents Cup golf shop. I picked up a warm onesie made of sweatshirt material labeled 6 months that looked HUGE on the hanger and even when I put it next to Mats. But sure enough, when Mats came to visit me in the media center with my mom wearing the onesie, it was barely too big, not even stretching past his toes. (As and aside, he was super cute and most of us were jealous he got to rock a sweatshirt onesie in our workplace.)

I forget how big Mats is getting until I look back at our weekly photos and compare them side by side. Here’s a look back at the little guy at four, eight and twelve weeks and how he’s grown.

Morning Rituals

In the hotel each morning, Nona reads the paper. Mommy reads on her phone. And now Mats “reads” his book!

Mighty Travels

Mats and I dominated our first solo long range trip together, mostly because he looks like this when he flies!

Today’s trip took us from Jacksonville all the way to Dublin, Ohio, site of this year’s Presidents Cup tournament. Along the way we knocked out his fifth and sixth states visited if you count airports (all before 12 weeks old!). I definitely was thinking in the last 24 hours that I had bitten off more I could chew. Garrett can attest to the tears and stress that hit hard last night as I faced packing both of us and the prospect of taking Mathias on my nine-day work trip, alone.

I shouldn’t have stressed so much. Between the two flights, we made friends, stretched and played together in the IAD airport (and mom even got to eat a little). Mats even got his first experience in first-class thanks to a United upgrade. Too bad it was literally a 44-minute flight! On both flights he did great, mostly sleeping and eating a little. Mainly though, he put up with my fumbling and cramming blankets and burp clothes and Boppy and baby in one single seat, with very little fuss. He’s now at the stage where he is aware of surroundings, so when I was moving through the airport (as long as we kept moving), he was content to watch everything around us with big open eyes.

I was so thankful the guardian angel I prayed for did appear in Columbus. Another mom, who was going home to see her one-year old after being gone for two weeks, was brilliant. She switched me seats on the plane, and then met us at baggage to help pull off all FOUR checked bags (three of them were for Mats. Just sayin’) and arrange them on a luggage cart, pointing me in the direction of the rental car garage.

It took me a little extra time to load in all our bags, install the car seat base and change Mats’ diaper before hitting the road, compared to last week when I went to Atlanta overnight on my own. But by the time I was steering a luggage cart into the hotel with one hand while packing Mats in his car seat in the other arm, I was thinking to myself, “Mats mom is a bad ass.” (I should have snapped a picture of the bags on the luggage rack!)

So now we’re settled into our hotel room, two beds and a crib and all of those bags we brought in a semi-organized fashion. I’m so grateful for a baby who loves to stretch out and watch, content with my talking to him as I criss-cross the room and sing along to our Raffi station on Pandora. We’ve both had our dinners and he fell asleep on his own tonight in the hotel crib. That alone is a huge win for the trip, and hop fill a good omen for the start, as I didn’t know how well sharing a single room with him was going to work.

Tomorrow morning we pick up Nonna (my mom) from the airport and will check out the golf course to get our bearings before the Presidents Cup week starts. If today was any indication it’s going to be a great week–not without its stressful moments–but one to build a ton of memories (and hopefully a few blog posts) to take away with us.

My DADventure Begins

What now?

Recently Lauren and I became parents to a beautiful baby boy, Mathias a.k.a. “Mighty Mathias, Buddy, Squirt, Mats”. We have suffered sleepless nights, frustration, absolute joy, and everything in between while learning how to take care of another human being.  I had read up a little before Mats arrived but it seems like it all went out the window when I was holding a screaming baby in my arms, bouncing up and down, and wondering, “What the hell do I do?!”.  Just as Mathias is learning about the world around him now, I am doing the same thing from practice and experience.  My trials and tribulations being a father are sometimes not that funny to me but when I think about it later it is pretty damn hilarious.

So… it’s with this new section of the blog that I will mock myself and give you the chance to do the same with a glimpse into my adventures figuring out what I am doing as a dad.  DADventures, get it?  Yes, I know that I am not that original but originality is so last year or whenever someone found out that A and D connect both words! On top of all the witty commentary I will also bring my own take on how I have dealt with becoming a new parent and the resources I have used to get by in a somewhat sane manner.

Anyways, stay tuned for discussions about diaper changing, all the other bodily functions that come along with kids, links to helpful resources and hopefully hilarious videos like this!

Doesn’t being a parent seem fun?  I’ll also dig down into my emo side and share all the changes in my life that don’t involve getting poop on my hands on a daily basis.  That’s right, we’re going to talk about feelings gentleman. This is a safe place!  I hope this can be a thoroughly entertaining view of life as a dad that can be used as a resource for those preparing to get in the trenches or those already standing with me.  So stay tuned for more real dad tips and share some of your own in the comments.  Us dads can use all the help we can get.

Here we start our Journey!

Duets with Auntie Lee

Mighty Mathias comes from two very non-musical parents, but that doesn’t stop Aunt Alia from trying to share her talents with her favorite nephew. After a week of listening to “Auntie Lee Lee” play her guitar and sing him to sleep, Mats has started to chime in and harmonize with his own coos. It’s pretty adorable and hopefully shows he has more musical promise than either of us. Looks like our Rock Band, “Turtle Hunters of the Night,” might have a new lead singer!
[Click to watch the video below]

Six Weeks and Smiles

Mathias blew past the six-week mark of life this week. I still can’t believe how fast that went and its true that our Tiny Teague is quickly becoming not-so-tiny.

In the last week we’ve noticed so many changes with Mats. He’s much more aware of his environment, from sights and sounds to even smells (like those coming from a stinky diaper!). He’s getting really good at following back and forth with his eyes and moving his head from side to side to track an object or our face. He’s using his hands and arms much more actively, but I don’t think he’s quite figured out they are his hands yet. As seen in yesterday’s video post, he’s even stronger in the neck and core and not nearly as floppy as he has been.

By far our favorite new development has been the gorgeous smiles Mats is starting to share. The Internet calls them “social smiles” but we can prompt them in response to tickles, laughs…and even diaper changes!

Mats also loves being outside. We love that too, since the humidity saps his will to wail. We’ve been taking him out in the Bob stroller more and more, in parks and around Atlantic/Neptune beaches. Last night, Garrett started popping (small) wheelies with the stroller and it was a big hit…

The Neck is Strong With This One

Look what our kid can do (at six weeks old)! And that sweet smile is the icing on top… #proudparents

Announcing Mathias

Mathias’ birth announcement hit mailboxes in this past week (big check mark off the to-do list!). The back of the card pointed to TeagueFC.com to follow Mats’ adventures, which Garrett and I will try to be more consistent about sharing. His first five weeks absolutely flew by and I sure didn’t get a chance to write down as many reflections as I had hoped. (His baby book is just as neglected!)

In an attempt to keep you distracted, I should point you to Mats’ newborn photo gallery on Flickr. As you can tell from the announcement, I couldn’t choose two or three photos to share…and there are many more online. Meredith Black did a phenomenal job and I only fear that making prints, books and other photo gear on Shutterfly is going to take over my non-baby hours (its better than Facebook, right?). As an example of playing around with his pictures, here’s a secondary (digital only) version of Mathias’ birth announcement. Enjoy!

Mighty Mats Shows Off For Dad

Who loves Tummy Time more, Mats or Daddy?

Mathias x365

Mathias 365, a set on Flickr.

We’re celebrating Mats’ 30th day with the debut of his 365 photo gallery. It’s hard to believe that its already been 30 days since we welcomed Mighty Mathias, and I’m so glad that we have been taking photos of him each day to track all his changes. Already he’s so much different than when he was born, from packing on the pounds (he may be pushing 11 pounds now!) and stretching out to rounding out into a chunky little guy. I swear, this morning Garrett handed him me and he looked completely different to me — even though I had been up with him twice since midnight already!

The goal is to post a photo daily into this Flickr gallery set, though it may be more likely that we’ll post a few days worth of photos every few days instead. Out of the gallery I’ll be regularly posting photos here to the blog to remind you to check out the latest from **Mighty Mathias** (can you hear the theme song tune as you say Might-Y Math-I-as?). The photos are meant to show how he’s growing but also where he goes, who he meets and other milestones across the next 335 days. If you want to bookmark the 365 gallery simply use this link >> http://flic.kr/s/aHsjHaG4ZC <<or add me as a contact on Flickr (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ltbeyer). As a bonus, you can see all of his newborn photos on my Flickr page too. (http://flic.kr/s/aHsjG5KsZe)

I hope you enjoy watching Mat’s first year of life, one photo at a time!

Tiny Teague’s Newborn Photo Preview

Sorry for the delay in sharing news and photos about our newest love in our family, Tiny Teague aka Mathias Robert. We’ve been wrapped up in figuring out parenthood, following the rule of rest when he naps (easier said than done!) and enjoying having both of my parents here for a long weekend to help with the baby.

I have every intention of starting a 365 photo of the day countdown that I’ll post here once I figure out the best way to share photos in an album. (Trust me, we have plenty of pictures!) But in the meantime, I wanted to share a preview of Matty’s newborn photo shoot. His expressions that crack us up daily shined through, even when he was sound asleep. Our photographer, Meredith Black of Jacksonville Beach, is fantastic and she got all of the poses and props we had wanted. I’m so excited to see the final photos, but you can see the preview on her blog.

More to come, soon!!

Meet Tiny Teague (he’s here!)