Matthias turned 6 months on September 20th. He gained another couple of pounds from his last doctor's visit, weighing in at 18 pounds even (almost as much as his cousin Caleb, who turns 1 this month!). He grew 1 inch, and his pretty, round head is up to the 82nd percentile.
He's starting to get up on his hand and knees, but it usually doesn't last too long before he drops back down to his belly to try and fly.
Thias continues to be such a sweet natured boy. He's very easy going, which is helpful when he has two crazy older brothers!
He's a big fan of tummy time and putting things in his mouth.
At 4 months, Matthias weighs just over 16 pounds (57th percentile - up 4 pounds from his 2 month checkup!) and is 25.5" tall (also 57th percentile). He'd be very proportional, if it wasn't for his huge head. He's in the 72nd percentile there!
Such a sweet boy!
You can see his side by side monthly pictures here.
Our day started with donuts, candles, and silly faces.
Followed by a birthday party for James's classmates at KaZoing. We feel very blessed that he attends a wonderful school and that he's learning alongside children that are so caring and kind.
The kids had a blast. And I'm pretty sure they'll all sleep well tonight, as evidenced by the break James and Addy took halfway through the party:
After the party, we headed to the mall where James and Charlie got to ride one of those motorized furry things:
And then got to pick out a new toy at the Disney Store. Spoiler Alert (as James likes to say): he picked out a Star Wars toy.
The youngest two members of our family were a bit cranky at this point, so Matthew stayed home with them while James, Pa, and I went to church. After church, Charlie helped me make one of James's favorite meals: kimchi.
We ended this lovely day with a bath:
Thank you to all the family and friends who called, mailed cards, and sent Birthday wishes. And a special shout out to Caleb for the adorable video.
We're so thankful that God chose us to be his parents. We love you, James Hardin Nett!
Back in June, Uncle Matt & Aunt Steph joined us for a trip to Kiawah Island in South Carolina. It was our second time vacationing at Kiawah, and just like last time, we absolutely loved it. Also like last time, we made overnight pit stops at my Aunt Donna's house in Waynesville, North Carolina on the way there and back. Being able to visit with her is one of the main reasons we choose to vacation in South Carolina :). My baby cousin Baili surprised with a visit when we stopped at Aunt Donna's on our way home. She recently returned to the US after a yearlong study abroad in Argentina. It was so wonderful to spend some time with her and introduce her to Matthias.
It was a very laid back trip - we mostly stuck to hanging out at the beach and the pool. I think everyone had a great time, and I know the "crazy brothers" really enjoyed spending a week with their aunt and uncle :). We can't wait to go back!
This little guy started preschool at St. Mary's of the Knobs (SMK) on January 7, 2015, and I'm pretty sure he loved every minute of it. He attended school 3 days a week (M, W, F) for 3 hours during the afternoon.
First day of preschool
The first couple of weeks, when I would ask him what he learned, he would say "Nothing. I just played!". His teacher gave us a weekly newsletter (that I looked forward to every week!) that described the classroom activities for the week and some suggested review questions. He finally started opening up about what he learned and who he played with, and we started incorporating some of the prayers and songs he learned at school into our daily lives at home. I think my favorite is the "Clean Up Song" :)
Posing with the excavator Valentine box he made for his party at school.
It was fun trying to interpret song lyrics after he learned a new song. For example, James would sing "Apple Weenie" instead of "Apple Annie". At our parent/teacher conference, his teacher, Mrs. Sherrell, told us that on his first day, she called him over during "Circle Time". Circle Time is when the kids play while the teachers call each child over in turn to work with them individually. He told her, "Oh, honey, I'm playing right now. I'll be over when I'm done." She said that she looked over to the Teaching Assistant, Mrs. Walker, and it took everything they had not to crack up laughing. (She did inform us that after that incident, he always came over right away when called. He apparently listened to his teachers much better than he listens to his parents!)
School Easter Egg Hunt
Picking him up from school was fun, too. He'd come out of the door with a huge grin and give me a hug. One day, he came out wearing his "back up pants" which were kept in his bag in case of potty accidents. He eagerly ran over to me and said, "One of my classmates pooped on the floor and I crawled in it!". I asked him, "Was it you?" and he assured me it was someone else. I found his story a little hard to believe, but as I looked through his backpack, sure enough, there was a note from his teacher apologizing and saying that a classmate of his did indeed poop on the floor and James crawled in it before they noticed the mess.
SMK Fun in the Sun day
He had a lot of really nice kids in his class. He often admired their backpacks and called the girls "my girls". He told me a few times that I should set Matthias by "my girls" when I take him to school because "they like babies". He really liked a little girl named Brinley. When I was asking him about his friends once, he said "I like Brinley. We look at each other." (They had assigned seating, and she sat across from him.) He was going through his Valentine's candy and showed me a plastic red heart, saying "Do you know why Brinley gave this to me? Because she loves me." Sadly, Brinley is in the morning pre-K class this year, so he doesn't get to see her. Hopefully they'll be reunited in Kindergarten!
James's teacher, Mrs. Sherrell, is absolutely wonderful. Before he started school, whenever I mentioned to people that had children who went to SMK that he was going to be starting preschool there, they would say how wonderful she is. I didn't think much of it, but they were 100% right. She is very warm, caring, and friendly - exactly how you would imagine the perfect preschool teacher to be. James was drawn to her immediately. He told me that she's his best friend, and he often talked about inviting her over to our house. I am very thankful that she has been a part of his life!
James & Mrs. Sherrell
At the end of the school year, James's class put on a program, singing songs and reciting nursery rhymes. I captured most of it on my phone, but please forgive the poor quality - I was holding a sleeping (and heavy!) Matthias at the time :)
It's so hard to believe that my baby has just started pre-K. What a difference 6 months makes!
Yesterday, he started pre-K with Mrs. Dennison. He'll attend school 5 days a week for 3 hours in the afternoon. I pray that he continues to love school and that his smile is that bright every year on the first day.
