This year was much easier decorating for Christmas because we didn't have to drag everything out of the crawl space. We also have so much more room for things. It is so nice! Matthew loves to lay under the tree and stare at the lights.
I don't love the white tree but I got it a couple years ago after Christmas for a great price and they didn't have any green ones left. It is still pretty.
This is in my entry. I have had this manger scene for a long time. I love it.
We got to add another stocking this year!
S this isn't a Christmas decoration but I wanted to share it. I found this great frame collage at Target. It tuned out nice.
We got the two paintings on the side in Venice from a street artist. We just now finally got them framed. The one in the center is a print of Lucca that Jamie got from an olive oil bottle.
I love how it turned out. With Amy's help I was able to decorate with a bunch of vinyl. It turned out really cute. My mom did a great job on the curtains too.
I am going to put a frame up of Matthew's blessing certificate, his blessing typed, and a picture of him in his blessing outfit above the chair.
Matthew loves his changing table. I get more smiles there than anywhere else. He also loves to smile at the pictures of Christ above him.
Great job Mom on the curtains!
I love this saying above his door.
This isn't the cutest dresser but it works. I found it at a yard sale.
The saga of our house remodel continues. We had a really ugly railing in our kitchen when we moved in that we removed to replace the flooring in the kitchen. For months it was left off because we really didn't want to put such an ugly railing back up. Finally with Matthew's blessing soon approaching we knew we needed to do something because we didn't want anyone falling down the stairs. Jamie has become quite the welder recently. We took a trip to metal mart and bought some decorative pieces. Jamie and I both worked for a few days with the help of Dad's equipment and the baby sitting of Ben, Shelby, and Mom. We are really happy about how it turned out.
Sunday was Matthew's blessing day. It was wonderful. His daddy gave him such a beautiful blessing. My sister and mother were kind enough to write it down. I have copied it below. Matthew got to wear his own blessing outfit that his mom made for him 30+ years ago out of his grandfather's old shirt. It looked so cute on Matthew. He was really good during the blessing. His uncle Seth said that smiled and stared at Jamie the whole time. It was great having everyone over afterward for dinner. This was the first big gathering we've had at our house and it was really nice. I am so thankful to have a bigger house now. Matthew also got to meet for the first time this weekend his grandma and grandpa Lucchesi. They were so nice to help us out with getting the house ready while they were here. Here is the beautiful blessing Jamie gave to Matthew.
Matthew’s Baby Blessing
December 6, 2009
Given By Daddy Jamie Lucchesi
Father in heaven, we bring this son before thee with authority in the Melkisedek priesthood to give him a name and a blessing.The name he will be known by upon the records of the church is Matthew Vincenzo Lucchesi
Matthew my son, I bless you that your mind may master scholastics, that your feet may master athletics, that your hands may master the trades and that your heart may master temperance and loving kindness towards all creation.
We bless you that you may gain unto yourself a witness and testimony of Jesus Christ your Savior and his restored gospel and kingdom.We bless you that you will serve the Lord diligently and that you would choose to serve a full time mission as an elder of Israel.
We bless you that you may find a worthy sister of Zion with a testimony like unto yours. Take her up to the house of the Lord there to be sealed for time and all eternity that you may have joy and rejoicing in your posterity.
We bless you that you may come to appreciate the choice circumstance to which you were born into by being born in the covenant and into this nation.We bless you that by voice and by virtue you may have a hand in keeping this nation’s founding liberties.
Matthew, these are the blessings of your fathers.I give unto you this day in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Matthew is smiling and rolling over! I can't believe my baby is growing up so fast! At about 4 weeks he started smiling, only a little but it was a real smile. Around 4 and a half weeks he started rolling over. We had been putting him on his tummy when it happened. He is strong willed, when he doesn't want to be on his tummy dog-gone-it he won't be. He rolled over multiple times. Only Jamie and I have seen it because he of course won't show off in front of other people. We are really enjoying being parents. It is sometimes hard. Last night was really difficult. He screamed until 11:00 at night. We were both really tired this morning. Matthew's baby blessing is next week. We look forward to seeing everyone there. This last week was Thanksgiving. It was nice to have Grammy in town to visit and meet Matthew. He took to her well and gave her one of his flashing smiles. As you scroll through the pictures below you will notice the ones with Matthew in the red shirt. In these pictures he is on the bed on Daddy's lap smiling. He does not give up smiles easily. We have a picture of Christ above our bed. A few mornings now he looks up at the picture of Christ and smiles so big you think his cheeks are going to crack. He has never done this at any other picture, only this one of Christ. I think the veil is very thin for these little babies. I feel so lucky to have in my care a child of God that was so recently in his presence. I know he recognizes Christ. It gives me such a desire to care for him the right way and teach him how special he is as a child of God. What a great responsibility God has given us as parents.
Matthew in his bassinet
All in blue on his changing table
Smiling at the picture of Christ (he smiles bigger than this, I just didn't catch it)
Smiling at Daddy (He loves it when Daddy talks really low)
On Halloween we had family pictures taken. It was quite an ordeal however they turned out really nice. Matthew is now a month old and is smiling at times already. We are enjoying being parents even though it is hard not to have any personal time. I am set to return to work on January 6th and I am dreading it. I hope to have great sisters who will watch him and be almost as good as mom caring for him. He is starting to sleep a little longer at night. This week he went 5 hrs. I am looking forward to when I can get a full night's rest again. I will be leaving him with Jamie for the first time on Thursday so that I can go see New Moon. I am nervous but I know he needs to learn to be without his mom some time.
We are all getting accustomed to not having a lot of sleep. Matthew is only sleeping about 3-4 hrs at a time at night if that. Daddy tries to help out when he can. Matthew is getting cuter every day. We snapped a few photos the other day. He really doesn't like the flash but I can't figure out how to turn it off. He had his first bath this last week after his cord fell off. He really hated it. I think he got cold. His second bath was a lot better. Monday was his first doctor's appointment. He was back to his birth weight of 7'1. They claim he has grown an inch also. I think he just stretched out better for them this time. He also got circumcised. That was difficult to watch. He was fussy for a little while but he's a good kid. Yesterday was Halloween. He wore his little pumpkin suit that Jackie bought him. We also had family pictures taken. He cried through most of it. It was incredibly tiring. We all went to bed early and skipped the pumpkin carving. All in all, things are going well. We miss daddy during the day when he goes to deliver fire wood. We are both happy when he comes home at night.
So cute
Warm and cozy!
His first real bath. He HATED it!
Happy Halloween! After an exhausting photo shoot earlier that day we were all too tired to carve the pumpkin Nana gave him.
Happy little Matthew early in the morning. He is an early riser.
He didn't like the flash.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Well, things are going pretty well here at home. I have had a lot of help from family and the ward. They have brought us dinners and my mom has been helping out around the house. Matthew has had his good and bad days. Yesterday he had a 3 1/2 hr crying spree for no apparent reason. That was hard. Jamie is learning a lot of patience when I hand him over to him in the evening. The picture above is our first real outing. Nana, Matthew and I went to home depot for some blinds. I think we over dressed him. It really wasn't that cold. Aunt Jackie and Uncle Dave came over this week and brought Jamie's old Matthew Tyrone Cabbage Patch Kid what he had when he was a child. This was a big deal for Jamie because he really doesn't have anything left from his childhood. Even I had heard about Matthew Tyrone. Apparently he meant a lot to him.
Matthew and his 12 week older cousin Sage. We all think he won't be smaller than her for very long.
Daddy playing a mean trick on Matthew. Those big Italian noses have to be good for something :)
We are now finally home. We came home yesterday (Friday) the 16th around 3:00 pm. I was just tired of being in the hospital. I just couldn't relax and get in a routine. Our first night went okay. Jamie was really helpfull. The most frustrating part of it was the supplementing of feedings. He started having a hard time latching on let alone accepting an additional little catheter that feeds him supplemental milk. I have been worried about his jaundice level and wanted to make sure he got plenty to eat. My milk still has not come in however I think it is getting very close. I seem to have a little more than before. I don't think I will be supplementing tonight if all goes well. It has been a very emotional day for me today. I thought we didn't need any followup with Matthew's billirubin level however we got a call from the pediatrician's office this morning saying they wanted us to go in and get it checked again this morning. Thank goodness they didn't even have to prick him because they used a little light on his chest that can determine the level. It was only 8, down from 12 yesterday. It was really fun to see how our animals reacted when we brough Matthew home. Other than Paige jumping up on my belly when I first came home it has gone well with them. They have all been very curious of this new little creature in the house. The most protective has been Toby. He wants to be in the room with him all the time and is allways perking up his ears whenever he makes a noise. I think he will be very protective. Well, Jamie has been a great help here at home and has a really yummy dinner ready for me to enjoy. I will try to keep the posts going. Enjoy the pictures.
In the car ready to go
On our way out from the hospital
Matthew's cute new outfit Daddy picked out for him.
Like father like son. Jamie found this hat to match his and he HAD to buy it. It is for a 3-6 month old but it had to be worn. He looks so cute in it.
I will try to post some going home pictures later. I am able to stay here for another day but we are all tired of being here in the hospital. I am feeling really good and want to get home to my routine and comfort of my own home. As long as Matthew's bilirubin level turns out okay today there shouldn't be any problems with bringing him home. Last night he ate well with the extra supplement we were giving him through a little catheter taped to my breast. I hope my milk comes in soon. They suspect it should come in tonight or tomorrow night. I will continue to supplement until then. We are so excited to bring our little boy home. We have waited for this moment for a long time. It is like a dream come true.
I just realized that Matthew's middle name was spelled wrong here on the blog. It is Vincenzo with one c, not 2. No new pictures today. We have been busy. I don't know where all the time goes. Somehow every 3 hrs feedings take up a lot of your day. I am feeling pretty good today. I have let up a little on my pain meds to start weining off of them. I am getting up frequently to try to promote healing. Jamie went home to do some work today. I realzed how much of a help he has been once he was gone. He really has been a great dad and husband through all of this. I am so proud of him. Today Matthew got checked for Jaundice. He is slightly jaundiced. He registers barely on the chart, enough that they want to check him out again in two days (saturday). I am a little worried about how well he is eating. He is latching on pretty well and sucking strong however he is not swallowing very much. He hasn't had many wet diapers today so I may start supplementing today just a little with formula through a small tube taped to my breast just to make sure he is well hydrated until my milk comes in. Thank you all who have supported me through this pregnancy and delivery. I really feel blessed to have such a great family and friend support.
Well, my mom did such a fabulous job of narrating the blog that I am just now updating it. She really gave a play by play of what happened during and just after Matthew's birth. We are now in day two of Matthew's life and we love to have him here with us. He is such a sweet baby. He has a great suck and is learning to nurse well. I think it is me that needs to learn a lot more. Just today he got a little frustrated that he wasn't getting more than just colostrum. Daddy is doing a great job. He is so protective of him. He has such a hard time when he cries. It breaks his heart. As a help to me and my sore tummy Jamie so far has changed all the diapers and he is really good at it. He already got pee'd on and just laughed about it. He is so happy and proud to be a dad. So far I am doing pretty well. My pain is tolerable with my medication. I am getting up and around and walking a few times a day. My legs are still really swollen but they are looking better hour by hour. We will likely be going home on Saturday morning to get in as much rest here as possible. So far we love being parents.
I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was duty. I acted, and behold— Duty was joy. Rabindranath Tagore (1861–1941)
Close up of Matthew and Mommy
Skin to skin is so important to stimulate the desire to nurse. Matthew loved it.
My first Mother/Baby nurse Jeanne. She was great. She taught me how to nurse.
My first time in Grandpa's arms. What a proud Grandpa.
Just down to our room. I am so happy to finally see my baby.
"Making the decision to have a child--it's momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body." --Elizabeth Stone
"There is no one perfect way to be a good mother... Each mother has different challenges, different skills and abilities, and certainly different children... What matters is that a mother loves her children deeply and, in keeping with the devotion she has for God and her husband, prioritizes them above all else." Elder M. Russell Ballard
"Anyone who imagines that bliss is normal is going to waste a lot of time running around shouting that he's been robbed. The fact is that most putts don't drop, most beef is tough, most children grow up to just be people, most successful marriages require a high degree of mutual toleration, most jobs are more often dull than otherwise. Life is like an old time rail journey, delays, sidetracks, smoke, dust, cinders and jolts, interspersed only occasionally by beautiful vistas and thrilling burst of speed. The trick is to thank the Lord for letting you have the ride." Gordon B. Hinckley
This year was much easier decorating for Christmas because we didn't have to drag everything out of the crawl space. We also have so much more room for things. It is so nice! Matthew loves to lay under the tree and stare at the lights. 
