The View (and not the TV show!)

Well I promised some pictures of the view. This is it. The picture, of course, doesn't do it justice, but you get the idea. This is from our street. Our view from our bedroom window is similar, but we have a couple of trees in the way. You can make out the Cascade Mountains in the distance (just below the pink sky). Also you might be able to see the Vashon Island ferry on the right. It runs between Point Defiance and Vashon Island. I'll try to get some pics of Mount Rainier soon. You can see it from the road out of the complex on a clear day. It's been too cloudy for about a week now for the mountain to be out.

2 Month Check-Up

Hey everyone! Today is a big day for Matthew. He went to the pediatrician today for his 2 month check-up and immunizations. He is now 14 pounds plus a half an ounce, that puts him at the 90%tile for his weight. He is 23 and 1/4 inches long (50%tile) and his head circumference is at the 70%tile. So, yes, he's still a big boy. He got his immunizations and all things considered, is handling it pretty well today. I think the around-the-clock Tylenol is helping a lot. We got some good news from the PNP at his appointment today. We can finally stop boiling the water for his formula. Not sure if many of you heard about this or not, but Scott and I, two college-educated persons, can not boil water. We have a routine every night when Matthew goes to bed, we put all the bottles in the dishwasher and put on the water to boil for his formula. The first night that Scott was off for the week, we did all that and then sat down to watch a movie. About an hour or so later, I said "What's that burning?". Yep, burnt up one pot. But the kicker is that we did it again the next night. So for a while our stove top was filled with different pots and pans that we kept burning up. But not to worry, the boiling is over.









We took Matthew for his first ferry ride on Monday. We spent the day in Seattle and went to Pike Place Market and the Seattle Aquarium. The first picture below is taken at one of my favorite spots in the market. As you can see, Matthew is out like a light in this picture. He was totally fascinated by the city after we stepped off of the boat, but that lasted for about 20 minutes and then was sound asleep.

The Market was exciting, as usual. We brought home a really nice piece of salmon, some sausage and berries. One thing is for sure, we need to take a big cooler with us next time. The aquarium was a lot of fun as well. We're going to try and make it back in the fall when the salmon are using the "elevator" to get to the hatchery. Both places I would highly recommend for anyone planning to visit Seattle in the future.

Well that's all for now. Got to go and make tomorrow's bottles. And NOT boil the water.

Cheryl

A Few Cute Pics

Just wanted to share a few cute pictures with you all. We're heading to Seattle for Matthew's first day in the big city and first boat ride, so I'm sure that there will be more to come. Hope all is well....

Scott and Cheryl

Bath Time with Daddy

Bye, Bye Sunshine (for a while)

Well it looks like we're going to be getting some of that famous Seattle rain for the next several days. It had been absolutely beautiful and sunny so that you could see Mount Ranier everyday. But even with the rain and clouds now, it is still beautiful here. I love our drive down the hill from where we live. We have a great view of the sound and Point Defiance Park. I'll post some pics when I get a chance.

Matthew continues to do well. He made a trip to the pediatrican today and he weighs 13# 10oz. Of course, while I was in the exam room with him (by myself), he picked his head up while he was laying on his tummy. But I did get a picture, so I have evidence...

He is getting on a pretty good schedule and is taking some fairly regular naps during the day. He's also starting to laugh a little. I'm finding that I'm having to readjust my expectations of what I hope to accomplish in a day. His naptime is pretty valuable. I feel like the start gun goes off the second that he goes to sleep. Although, this week I did manage to nap with him twice.

The big news here is that the Tacoma Narrows Bridge #3 opened on Monday. Now we have two bridges with four lanes of traffic each heading into and out of Gig Harbor. Traffic was horrible before, now it's much better. The first bridge, "Galloping Gertie" collapsed in the 1940's, so that's why this is bridge #3. Hopefully modern engineering is more sound today.

Scott starts his week off tomorrow. We're looking forward to getting the stuff in the garage put away and having someone come and remove Mount "Box"more from our living room. I'm sure this place will seem much bigger when we're minus about 60-70 boxes. We'll post more later this week. Bye for now....

Mount "Box"more

Hey all. We're still continuing to unpack. Yes, I know we've been here almost two and a half weeks now, but unpacking with an infant is proving to be slower than expected. We've got the bulk of the work done and only have the office, part of the family room and the garage to deal with. Our living room is packed with empty boxes. We are referring to it as Mount "Box"more.

Matthew is continuing to deal with his parents chaos like a champ. He is getting so big and really starting to change. He is getting really good head control and is smiling more everyday. He is up to sleeping for almost 7-8 hours some nights, but not consistently yet. He's not a big fan of "tummy time", but does better when he's on his boppy and can look around (and yes, that's his thumb in his mouth!!). He loves all kinds of stimulation (movement, music, etc....). Although he sleeps in his bed at night, he will mostly only nap in his swing, stroller or while being held during the day.

The cats are surviving the transition as well. They are really happy that "kitty TV" is back on again. We put a bird feeder on our back deck and they are now about 5-6 feet away from the action. Cleo almost took out the sliding screen door the other day trying to get herself a little snack.

We are really enjoying getting to know the town of Gig Harbor. It seems to be a hot spot for boaters. The town was packed the week of Fourth of July with all kinds of people out and about in the evening. There wasn't a single space available at the public dock. This week was a different story. Everything was closed up by 5pm and the dock was empty. It will be interesting to see what things are like this winter. We're gradually finding all kinds of places to eat and shop. A few of our favorites include Anthony's, which has great seafood and is so noisy no one can hear Matthew if his fussing.
The sun is setting here now and the sky is absolutely breath taking. Lots of pink clouds. If Matthew weren't sleeping, I'd pop him in the stroller and take a walk down the street and see what Mount Rainier looks like (it is usually stunning with these kinds of sunsets).
Well got to run for now. Thank you to everyone for all of the calls, emails and cards. I'm sorry we haven't been better about responding, but as you can see above, our life is a little crazy now. I'm hoping things will be in more order after Scott's next week off.
Take care.
Cheryl and Scott

He's asleep... (finally)

It's almost 10pm PST and the sun has just set in Gig Harbor. Matthew had a pretty good day today. He handled well our running around town as we tried to get our vehicles up to speed for Washington licenses, plates, and a transponder for the new bridge. It's taken us two days and we've only managed to get plates onto Cheryl's car. (That's of course after going to the Volvo dealer to have them drill in a new plate holder on the front.) Nothing has been easy with this adventure. You'd think one could do one-stop-shopping and get it all done? Heck no! And did you know that the DMV needs a passport, finger and toe prints, and practically a note from your mommy to get a license! Needless to say, waiting 80 minutes to have the guy at the desk say "this is not possible" was a little frustrating, and very, very German.

Alas- it is beautiful here and while Matthew makes each part of the move a little more interesting (we did a bottle today in the Sunoco parking lot!) he is a real joy and his smiles make it all worth it.

We went for a walk yesterday afternoon and Cheryl snapped the photo above. The harbor is a really charming place and it was a gorgeous day.

We'll write more soon.

Love, Scott and Cheryl

Yep, we're still alive

Sorry that it has been so long since our last post, but we temporarily lost our internet access for a while. But we are now back online.
Not a whole lot new to report at this point. We are still working on unpacking, which can be a very slow process with a 5-week old baby. Scott's mother arrived yesterday and Scott is not working this week so we are really able to start getting some things done. I was just thrilled today to find the silverware and some more shampoo.
Matthew is as wonderful as ever. He is really doing a lot of smiling, laughing and making some gurgles. He is quite entertaining. Scott and I continue to joke about the silly things that he is making us do including just making up any lyrics or tune just to keep him happy.
Our Fourth of July was pretty boring. We were both beat and so we just watched the fireworks from our bedroom window. I think that will probably be the pace of our life for the next year or so.
That's all for now. I will try to post 1-2 times a week and hope to get some pictures soon.