Lots of "Firsts"

We have really enjoyed these first few days at home

with little Matthew!

So far, he has been such an easy-going baby!

Here are some glimpses into our first 5 days at home:

Tim and I took Matthew for a stroll

to introduce him to his neighborhood.

I only made it a little over a block -

but I don't think that's too bad for 6 days

after a C-section!

And Tim and Matthew enjoyed the rest

of the stroll without me.

Matthew got to meet his Uncle Ted...

... and he enjoyed his first sponge bath with Mom.

On Friday, we picked Kate up from preschool

and went on our first family outing -

to the ice cream shop,

of course!

Matthew loves spending time with Mommy, Daddy and Kate...

reading books...

... and playing.

(He doesn't seem to mind "tummy time" one bit!)

Are we exhausted? For sure!

But we're also extremely thankful

for all the blessings that God has brought into our lives

through Kate and Matthew!

Welcome Baby Matthew!

Tim, Rachel and Kate

joyfully announce

the arrival of

Matthew Gleason George

on Friday, September 17th at 12:28 PM.

Matthew was 20 inches long and weighed in at 8 lbs, 7 ozs.

Matthew is very healthy, an enthusiastic eater

and is a very content baby.

We are completely smitten with this little fellow

and are enjoying a special family bonding time.

We couldn't be more proud of Kate -
who is adjusting very well to her new role as "big sister."

Of course, a few presents didn't hurt matters!

Kate was very excited to receive a bracelet

from her Baby Brother.

We really couldn't have survived the past 5 days

without lots of help from

Gran (my mom)

and

Grandma & Papa (Tim's parents)!

We were very happy to come home from the hospital

on Tuesday!

When Matthew was sad, Kate brought him

her very favorite Miss Daisy.

It was a very sweet moment!

Back to School

Kate started her second year at

First Baptist Church Weekday Preschool

in Alexandria today!

She was very excited to see her friends

and to play with the toys in her new classroom.

Of course,

we had to start the day with a

"Back to School"

photo shoot!

When I picked Kate up this afternoon

she reported that she had a good day,

took a good nap

and "really likes my new teacher a lot."

Miss Daisy got to go back to school today -

but this time she spent most of the day in Kate's backpack.

Poor Miss Daisy!

So, we decided to celebrate the successful day with

our Second Annual "First Day of School" Ice Cream Trip!

Yummy!

Sibling Class & Other Weekend Fun

We kicked off the weekend with a Saturday morning

Sibling Class

at Virginia Hospital Center.

Kate got to take a tour of the maternity ward,

saw some tiny newborns in the nursery

and learned all about being a big sister.

She did a great job!

To celebrate, we went to Panera

for Kate's most frequently requested treat -

a bagel, a fruit cup and 1/2 a frozen strawberry lemonade!

Yum!

We spent most of the rest of the weekend playing with Kate.

We visited a couple of different playgrounds

and spent lots of time with Play Dough.

It's hard to believe this was our last weekend

with Kate as an only child!

The Countdown Begins

Baby Brother is expected to make his grand entrance

in less than two weeks!

We can't wait to meet him!

(And, after record-breaking heat this summer,

I can't wait to NOT be pregnant!)

We've been busy getting the house ready to welcome this little guy -

and Kate is having fun testing out all the old baby gear!