Settling in

The problem -a beautiful white enamel sink with a HUGE lip on the edge, while gorgeous is not effective for traditional dish drainers that can be purchased at your local walmart/target.  See the problem.  the edge won't go over the sink, so it leads to stagnant water in the drainer from tilting backwards or water on the counter. 

Problem drainer

The solution:  **angels singing**  Simple Human Steel Frame Dish Rack.  I was hesitant on the price, but for something I use EVERY day, AWESOME.  It drains to the center of the rack, not the side and the spout swivels and pivots.  There are flip out cup holders on the side, flip up tines, expanding dish tray, knife block...its so pretty I could cry.  Its already full of dishes!

In other purchase news--our built in no longer looks like a messy cabinet.  Plate holders and some decorative vases.  All for under $20. 

Yah.  That's all awesome.  Not as awesome as this guy!

Look at that face perfectly accented by sweet potato!

Johnny's room

Johnny's room looks beautiful.  From a little "old man office" to young baby nursery.  Cosmetically, it was the worst room in the house with cracked plaster and funny wall color and boarder.  It was a yellowish off white color, so it looked old and dirty.  Especially with the cracks.
We still need to add his artwork to the walls, but we have until the end of March to move everything, so our pictures are still hanging on the walls at our other home. 

Before - above close up on wallpaper boarder

After - Including Grandpa playing on floor with Johnny

Johnny LOVES his new room and rolls all over the carpet and plays.  In case you were curious about the work involved, they had to strip the wallpaper using  a steamer, sand the glue off, fill the cracks in the plaster, sand those smooth, paint the ceiling, paint the walls, paint the trimming.  Someday we'll replace the carpet, but it is clean and not really worn.

Matt has been a working fool.  He has changed all the locks, made countless trips back and forth between houses, devised a concept for clothing storage, rebuilt our closet, cleaned, electronic setups, and the list goes on.

As far as other house pictures.  It's a disaster.  We have some immediate problems which need to be rectified other than the obvious unpacking boxes, placing furniture in the designated spots, decorating, etc.  One of those is we desperately need bedroom furniture for us.  Right now we have shoe shelves and baskets lining our bedroom with our clothes since we do not have a dresser.  We never needed one other than my awkward wardrobe.

The remainder of the list is...well...daunting.  Our list includes long term and short term goals.  A preview is:
* Place a kitty door into the boiler room
* Refinish Matt's desk
* Find a corner entertainment center
* Find a buffet or some other storage for dining room
* Figure out a trash system that works in the kitchen
* Motion sensor light in back yard on timer
* Put window film in a few windows 
* Have a party

Immediately on the list.  Go to bed.  Goodnight.

Brought to you by the letter S.

Snow Day!  There's at least 8 inches out there.

Snow blower!  Awesome.

Shift switch!  I switched shifts because of the snow.  So I don't have to be to work until 1230.

Sesame Street!  We are currently watching a classic Sesame Street episode.  They are covering the letter Q, the number 10, and a duck with the case of the moo's.  It's mesmerizing and adorable to watch him watching.   So I will share.

He sat this way for several minutes. 

Solids.  We introduced Johnny to PEAS!  He's not thrilled but we are going to keep trying.  I mixed it with some milk and that made it slightly more appealing.  We have been putting rice cereal in his bottle, but giving a little bit each day with a spoon.  He halfheartedly eats with the spoon, but he's getting the hang of it.  Yesterday he was pretty enthusiastic...for 3 bites.  He has eaten 1 ounce with 1 tablespoon of cereal entirely with a spoon with a bottle of milk before and after.  If I'm home it's harder since he wants his milk from me.  We are going to try the peas again today.  Its so cute so see him covered from head to toe with food after 3 bites. 

Sleep.  We get some in spurts and turns.  I'm used to the lack of sleep and hoping the day will come soon where I can get more than 3 uninterrupted hours.  Yesterday he went to bed at 7, up at 9, up at 11, up at midnight, and then slept until 4, and up for good at 7.   Now that's a high number of wake-ups for him, but we are hoping it stays unusual for him to be up THAT much. 

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSsssooooooo We're starting to move in 19 days.  Our closing is at 10 AM and we are going to move over enough stuff to spend the night in our new house as well as some other items if we have time/energy.  We probably won't spend more than that one night, at first.  We need to paint Johnny's room and move over everything.  We have volunteers and we are going to just do a day or two here or there of moving big items.  Hopefully we will be in by early March.  I have NOOOO idea what we are going to do with the cats.  Probably leave them here until our bed is over at the new house.  Are we in a panic?  Not yet.  We have a wall of boxes in the basement, but we aren't even halfway there.

Family time with the Steelers

I am blogging from my extremely comfortable chair watching the game with my hubby and my son.  I guess if I am blogging I am only half watching.  Here is how my husband and son were posed right after the Steelers won their challenge in the first minute.

iPad with football app open

Exersaucer surrounded by toys

Then a short playtime when Daddy couldn't resist the cuteness

Then the forgotten iPad with the Nom-Nom of rice cereal snack

They are back to just sitting together watching.

Johnny had a photo session about an hour ago for his 4 month pictures with his dumbo.  With about a half an hour of video taken.  3 1/2 minutes of which i posted on YouTube.  The story of the two dumbos is I really liked one dumbo when I was in Disney with my mom and sister at 13 weeks pregnant.  BUUUUUT Bethany really liked another dumbo.  After arguing over which was the better dumbo I bought the dumbo I liked, with the blanket around it.  Bethany was not satisfied, and bought the more authentic dumbo with the hat, collar and feather.  I think in her crazed dumbo moment she muttered something about how her nephew was going to have a REAL dumbo if she had to do it herself.  Okay, maybe it wasn't a crazed mumble but more of a hysterical laughing statement she made to the cashier at Disney, but it had me laughing. I hate to admit it, but I love the dumbo Bethany picked.  My dumbo is fun because he is a baby.

Anyway, I guess all mothers don't really realize exactly how much their son has grown until they have something to compare it to.  WOW he is growing. At his doctor appointment Thursday he was 15 lbs 10 oz and 24 3/4 inches long.  He sailed through his boosters and only cried for a second before Daddy scooped him up.  He hugged onto Daddy for one last protest, then shot the nurses dirty looks.  It was adorable. 

He rolls A LOT.  Every room in our house has a blanket on the floor for putting Johnny in a safe place to roll around.  He is really enjoying toys and has his favorites - some monkeys on a rattle/teether, some keys, his under the sea mat with "friends" hanging down to him.  He LOVES that exersaucer.  Lets him be a big independent boy and standing (which he loves).  He loves mirrors and will "kiss" the mirror by running his tongue all over it.  He stomps on the counter and squeals with delight.  Bathtime is an especially wonderful treat.  There is one change in he now has baby fat and little dimples and rolls.  Its adorable, but in the past 3 days with the drool and spit-up he has developed a rash under his chin from it not being dry.  Constant bib changes and powder will fix it according to the doctor. He LOVES splashing and kicking his duckies.  Although he delivered a swift kick to his singing ducky and he no longer sings or flashes lights.  As far as singing toys go, he LOVED that duck.  He still plays with it, but it doesn't hold his attention the way it did before. RIP Ducky.

Ducky  12-25-10 to 1-9-11.  RIP.  You were loved.

 Speaking of Christmas, did I ever post a picture of Johnny with his stocking?  It turned out adorable. 

 AAAAAAnnnddddd...Here is Erin and Aubrielle.  Erin is the office manager at Benchmark Investments and Insurance for my Mom, Dad, and Matt.  So that makes her family.  Aubrielle is only 9 days younger than Johnny. 

Hey Goodlookin!

Well, it is now the 4th quarter and 1 min 33 left in the game, Steelers just scored, so I had to put my computer down...again!  I know who SHOULD win, but I'm not saying anything.  But since the game started, we managed to cook and eat meatloaf and mashed potatoes, feed Johnny again, have bathtime for Johnny, feed him one more snack, put him to bed complete with book, lullaby, and prayers.  And now here I am finishing my post.

I REALLY need to pack for this move.  We are closing in one month exactly.  We have a bunch of boxes packed, but it seems so insurmountable at this point.  We'll get there.

Recent Accomplishments

Our baby boy is growing up so fast!  It is unbelievable how quickly he seems to be advancing.

Rasberries - he has been blowing raspberries since there was 20 minutes left in 2010.  He has since blown a raspberry for anyone who will stick their tongue out at him.  Blow him a kiss, and you'll get a raspberry too.  Usually with a lot of drool and a huge smile.

Rolling - he has been rolling from tummy to back for months.  Probably a little under 2 months by now.  It's not always graceful, but he has been hating tummy time and flipping himself over.  He loves the reaction he gets.
Now, back to front, has done it a few times.  But today he REALLY got the hang of it.  He has been flipping all around on the floor back-to-front back over again, he hasn't accomplished a full 360 degree roll so he hasn't left the blanket.  He only rolls in the direction from whence he came.  That won't last long.

There is the first successful rolling video on Matt's youtube channel (recorded today)- See his handle at the bottom, but this won't let me upload it for some reason.

Standing - He has always loved standing on laps and being held in a generally standing position.  His new favorite is to stand beside the coffee table and hang on without you holding him.  He bangs on the table with gusto!  He can last a while before the wobbles get the best of him, so Matt or I are never far behind. 

Scooting - he is a successful scooter on his back.  He digs his heels into the floor, looks up, and pushes his feet, and he ends up a few inches away from where he began. If we don't pay REAL close attention, he will scoot the length of a room on the floor.  I found him about 2 weeks ago (when this was a new trick) after I laid him on his back on his play mat, threw some dishes in the sink, looked up and didn't see him on his play mat.  I saw him ramming his head into the couch as he was trying to continue to scoot, but had concurred maximum distance he could possibly go before being thwarted by the couch.  That time it was probably 3-4 feet, but he has since gone the length of the 8 foot carpet in the living room. 

Toys - he sees what he wants, grabs it, and puts it in his mouth.  Repeat scenario, over and over and over.  He is very active with his toys and even has favorites.  On his playmat there is a ball, a rattle seahorse, and a mirrored octopus.  The octopus is his absolute favorite and he will scoot to it.   There is a set of monkeys on a banana rattle he absolutely goes GAGA over whenever he sees them.  We can entertain him through an entire sermon in church with the monkey friends.

As far as keeping up with videos go, we each have a youtube channel.
Mine is "TheRxDr"
Matt's is "MathewDW" note the one T. 

Naked baby? Pile of clothes? About that...

Let me begin this story by saying, I don't take Johnny anywhere with me...usually.  I go to the grocery store, the mall, Walmart, whatever when someone is watching him so I can be uninterrupted in and out without worrying whether or not he will have a meltdown.  Church, Grandparents, the office, family visits, that's where he goes.  Well today I decided to try and branch out.
We went to the office for lunch.  Then he was kinda sleepy so I decided to slip him in his carseat and go to the mall.  I took my ring to the jewelry store and he was starting to fuss a little, but I got the ring turned over for sizing, and he was calm, so we continued.  We stopped at the calendar stand and got calendars for everyone, and by this time he was nearly asleep.  So I went into the bookstore, and he was sound asleep before I even picked up the first book.  So I decide to go to JC Penny's for a nursing top. He is still sound asleep in his carseat in the stroller.  So I pick out a few tops, go into the changing room very annoyed that the handicapped one was taken and shoved him stroller and all into the smaller changing room and began to try on the tops.  On the 5th top, he wakes up.
Not just wakes up, wakes up wailing.  I am done, so I put my own top back on and I'm trying to just push the stroller a little to calm him.  INCONSOLABLE WAILS!  So I pull him out of the stroller knowing it will probably be a fight to get him back in.  There is poop EEEEEVVVVVERRRYYYWHEEERRREEE!!!  He was wearing a onsie, a bib, a pair of socks, and a pair of pants.  There was poop in his hair!  So I throw him on his blanket on the floor and change him.  I use up EVERY wipe I have cleaning his hair, back, stomach, legs, arms.  I put a clean diaper on him and put his spare onsie on and he is happy on the floor kicking.  So I start to gather up some stuff, consolidate the clothes into a reusable shopping bag I had.  Then he starts again with the wails.  Tears streaming down the face wailing.  I pick him up to console him.  He smells like poop.  I look.  Poop EVERYWHERE!
At this point I really want my own mommy, but I decided I was a big girl and could handle it.  Just then what sounded like a little old lady knocked on the changing room door and asked if everything was okay since Johnny had now been banshee screaming for a good 5 minutes.  I yell out everything is fine, and proceed to try to figure out how to clean up my baby with no wipes and no clean outfit.  The blanket I was changing him on was already poopy, so I clean him with that and put yet another clean diaper on him.  Despite the clean diaper he is still wailing.
So I proceed to try to nurse him.  In the small stall.  On a small stool.  That wasn't working and he is still screaming.  At this point there is another knock on my door and this time it was a cashier.  She asked if everything was okay.  In a very purposefully exaggerated frazzled voice I yell out "We had a poop explosion, and then another, I don't have a spare outfit and I'm out of wipes, everything is fine!"  And she laughs a little too sympathetically or sarcastically and says if there is anything she can do to help she is right outside. 
I proceed to flop down and sit on the floor holding my still screaming son perfectly naked in just a diaper.  I then figure out a comfortable way to nurse him and after a few minutes he relaxes enough to eat, and that calms him down.  10 minutes later I figure it is time to emerge from the changing room even though I am perfectly mortified at this point.  Oh well, I figure, If anyone out there has ever had a kid they understand.  I was going to leave my purchase in the dressing room, but I figured after this ordeal I DESERVED IT.  So I have gathered everything up, all poopy clothes are in the poopy bag and in the stroller, but I still have this naked kid.  So I dig around and I find my nursing cover...aka hooter hider...I wrap him up in this thin piece of fabric knowing there are more clothes in the car.  I go to just sit him in his carseat, no straps, and he starts to WAIL yet again.
FINE.  This can't go on any longer, so I'll just carry you.  Pick him up, smiles and sunshine, giggles and flirt.  Okay, now we can leave the changing room.  Walk up to the cashier with my purchase sitting on the stroller, pulling it behind me and holding a red faced and still sniveling Johnny in front.  He is still perfectly naked.  The cashier laughed, is that the little baby.  Yep.  Aren't they cute.  They sure are.  Are you okay to get to your car.  Yep.  Sorry I bothered you, but a lady came up and was concerned that there was something wrong with the baby.  No problem, he just had the biggest poop explosion possible.  Oooo...been there done that...they wait on the worst time to do it.  Yep nothing I can do but laugh at this point.  Oh you can cry later.  I don't know this is kinda funny.  Happy new year.  You too.
So I know have to walk THE WHOLE WAY across the mall to get to my car carrying my naked baby wrapped in a pathetically thin piece of material and pushing the stroller.  I get to the other side of the mall, sit him in his car seat when we are by the door.  He screams, I just put my winter coat over him (I'm okay freezing), and kinda wrap him with that and put the top over the stroller and away we go to the car.  Throw him in the car, throw the stroller in.  Climb into the backseat with the spare outfit to greet my little protester.  I look at him wrapped in my coat and nursing cover and decide, what the heck.  I unwrap him and sit him in his carseat naked and strap him in.  Call Mom, Dad, and Matt and tell them what happened as he is pathetically crying in the back seat.  Suddenly he stops.  I get him home.  I smell poop.
It's bathtime.  I get him upstairs and put him on the floor.  I pull the poop items out of the bag.  I look down.  There is poop on my jeans, my sweater, and my tank.
He is laughing and rolling around on the floor and scooting around.  Smiling and happy as can be.  I pull out all the poopy stuff, go change.  He is giggling at the ducky on the floor.  I draw the bath, throw him in, and then Matt comes home.
The final tally is - 1 pair of jeans, 1 tank, 1 sweater, 1 pair of baby socks, 1 baby blanket, 2 onsies, 1 pair of pants, 1 bib, 1 pacifier (rolled off into the poop), 1 baby coat, 1 nursing cover, 1 reusable bag, 1 car seat, 2 diapers, a dozen wipes, and 1 very smiling happy baby kicking and splashing away in the bathtub as happy as can be.  My socks were clean.
I love my little boy.

Basking next to his accomplishments

Happy (and clean) baby

Aunt Bethany & delayed house closing

My sister came to visit this past weekend.  After promptly chopping off 6 inches of her hair before she chickened out, we have spend the weekend doing sister things and spending lots of time with my bouncing baby son.  The first night, Johnny was up until 1 am, so that gave us lots of time to visit and catch up since I had not seen her since July.  We also spent time visiting while Bethany removed every item from every cabinet in my parent's kitchen and cleaned every shelf, every door, and washed many items that do not get much use that just get dusty and greasy.  I put Johnny in the baby Bjorn to keep him happy so I could help a little bit.  Saturday we visited with other local family, but Johnny just fussed and fussed, and then slept from 9 until 5 am - 8 hours.  Without a feeding.  Today at church he smiled and charmed Bethany the whole way through totally distracting us and the people behind us from the message about Stewardship.  We are sad she is going back tomorrow, but glad she will be reunited with her dog Jazz and her wonderful group of friends.

We also went to visit our house to get some measurements and to do a walk through.  I probably should have mentioned that we delayed closing until February 15th.  Our lease is not up until the end of March, but a month of overlap with a newborn will be great.  Bethany loved it and is excited to come back and see it.  We are really excited to move in and wish we would be moving in December, but 3 months of overlap in payments...no thank you.  We did find some minor and old termite damage in the basement and a crack in one room's ceiling that did not look any more than superficial, but the inspection will tell us everything we need to know.

New Heirloom

Johnny's Stocking

Matt and I both have heirloom stockings.  Mine was made by my Grandma for my first Christmas, Matt's is a beautiful needlepoint stocking my parents purchased for him as a welcome to our family.  So obviously Johnny needed one.  Now Johnny has one courtesy of CraftyCooper on Etsy.  I had plans to make one, but unless I started 6 years ago, a cross-stitched one this detailed would be no where near completion.  So I am thrilled I stumbled upon a completed cross-stitched stocking for Johnny.  It is personalized with his name, but I will post a picture of it again at Christmastime. 

Morning Cuddles

 

We had a great night sleep last night.  Johnny fell asleep around 9, which is really early for him, and slept till 1, had a 1 hour awake period where he ate then we put him to bed.  During the hour we had to go reassure him twice before he went back to sleep.  He woke up again at 6 and was out by 615 and we just let him cuddle with Mommy, then moved to Daddy when Mommy wanted a little more sleep. 

This may not sound like a great night, but Johnny typically goes to sleep around 10 or 11 despite how much we try to put him to bed earlier.  Then he is up at 2 and is up for usually an hour and a half, then up again at 5, and back to sleep in a half hour.  So him being up for only an hour was great.  And him going to bed so early was WONDERFUL.  Now if we could just get that one feeding out.  It seems to be more of a wet diaper issue that wakes him in the middle of the night, then he realizes he could eat.  He was sleeping for 6 hour stretches at 2 weeks, but he's a growing boy.

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood!

Well, all the company is gone for a little while and we are on our own with our little son.  It's crazy how much time we spend feeding, burping, oohing, bouncing, changing, entertaining...then the day is gone and you haven't done anything you had wanted to do around the house.  I currently have a load of spit-up laundry calling my name, but I'm avoiding it any way possible.
Why haven't we posted?  Here's the abridged visitor list. 
Rachel and Christina the first weekend after he was born.  Shortly followed Grandma Brenda, Grandpa Mikee, Aunt Kayla, GG's Pat and Dean.  Then GGMa Twila.  Then for his baptism weekend we had GGMa Twila, Uncle David and Aunt Beth with cousins Alex and Nick, Tess and Jesse Carter, and Grandpa Mike and Grandma Sally.  Then GG's Bill and Thelma with family friend Delilah.  We have also seen our local family Steph, Jon, Luke and Emma, Aunt Connie and Uncle Frank.  And tons of time with Grandpa Charlie and Grandma Hattie at the office with Christy Pope (family friend and current office manager stand-in). 
This weekend is currently the first weekend we have had no visitors.  So what did we do?  We packed up baby Johnny Saturday morning and made the hour and a half trek to Germantown MD to see our good friends Chip and Amy Hogg and their kids Sophia and Robbie and we had the wonderful fortune to see Derek and Kristin Ng at the same time. 
Today we played hookie from church, said our prayers at home around the coffee table.  We had a bad night, not that that justifies skipping, but when church is 45 minutes away its a hard thing to face at 9 am after a near sleepless night.  It was near sleepless because Johnny confused night and day with constant feeding.  It didn't help that Johnny fell asleep at 530 as soon as we left the Hogg's and slept straight till Midnight.  We made some stops and didn't get home till 830, in bed by 10.  So that was only 2 hours of sleep for us but 6 for Johnny. 
We took advantage our our day and went for a beautiful walk around the neighborhood.  The weather is unseasonably warm and we broke our baby Bjorn in to carry him around.  What else have we done? I straightened the kitchen counter, unloaded and reloaded the dishwasher.  That's it as far as productivity goes.  We did have tummy time and exercise time with Johnny and we excitedly watched as he figured out how to push himself from his tummy to his back ... ROLLING ... if he can get his hands right.  He gets really angry if he can't get them to where he wants to roll over.  He does lay on his tummy and lift his head to look to the left and then to the right.  We each had a Johnny nap too. 
It is too much fun being parents to get the laundry done.  

I leave you with a beautiful Bjorn picture from our walk.

Faces

Confused as to what happened to my water bubble

This shoulder is comfy

snore

whats that?

Hey!

Don't show this to my prom date

more snores

Do you want to say that again?

Am I wet? Am I Hungry? Am I sleepy?

I like the doggie more than the ducky.

rawr

LAAAAAAAAAH

SMILES!

We get to keep him!

So Daddy and Mommy are really loving having little baby Johnny in our lives.  Cannot picture life without him even if its only been a week.

He has definite preferences and a personality.
He loves "frogging" his legs up and curling his chin to his chest like he was in the womb and just sitting on your chest or in your hands.  He can do that for hours at a time even when he is awake.
He HATES having his arms pinned by anything.  If we swaddle him with his arms in the swaddle, he fights it.  He loves having his legs swaddled in that froggy style though.
Not a fan of diaper changes.  Once the dirty diaper is off the lip quiver cry begins.  Then when you go to put the clean one on, he gets his feet hooked in the crotch and pushes off to move himself a good couple inches.  It makes Mommy and Daddy giggle every time even if he is protesting loudly. Because of the scooting he has super soaked both Mommy and Daddy at least once each. 
When he wants his pacifier, he REALLY wants it and will hold it in place with his little hand.  IF he doesn't want it, out it goes and forget trying to put it back. 
He loves to snuggle.  Loves loves loves.  Especially on the boppy pillow after eating.  He loves to just sit there on his side and snore.  If I wake him, he just puts a hand in his mouth or at his mouth, looks at me in protest, and goes back to sleep.  He loves the crook of Daddy's arm, sleeping on your chest, sitting on your lap, anything that is a snuggle. 
He has a very studious look about him.  Like he is trying to figure us out.  He also gets a worried look on his face, straight from Mommy's side.
He still gets the hiccups, a common occurrence when was in the womb.  He gets a blank look in his eyes the first couple hics, then he starts to kind of get amused by it.  But if it goes too long, the worried face comes out.

What's in a name

Johnny Dean Wilson ?

Let me first start with what is important to Matt and me.  Our faith is extremely important to us--Faith is what brought us together, and it is often the glue that keeps us together.  Without First Trinity, our church in Pittsburgh, Matt would never have been baptized and he wouldn't be the rock I rely on today.  I would not have grown in my faith to the comfort level I am at now.  In our journey together, we have had several people who have truly inspired and influenced us, and we felt honoring and remembering who is truly influential and important to us.  We have been blessed with wonderful family and friends and that is where we drew much of our influence.

Johnny - Johnny is a variation of both John and Jonathan.  Two names you saw in a blog post about a trip to Michigan.  Both John and Jonathan we met at First Trinity within our first month at Pitt. 
John quickly became our best friend.  John is Orthodox now and is going into the priesthood.  John always encouraged Matt and I as Christians and encouraged our relationship.  John talked us into getting married one day in October 2005--it wasn't that hard--but he put things in perspective with his persistent questioning of why wait to get married?  He served as our best man.  We are thrilled to see John fulfill his own life goal of getting married.
Jonathan is Matt's godfather.  I cannot even begin to quantify the respect that Matt and I have for him as a father, a Christian, and a husband.  The Wards served as our best friends and spiritual rocks through several years in Pittsburgh.  We spent many days gathered at their house as part of our student fellowship as well as spending time together as couples.
Neither Matt nor I are a fan of nicknames, and we really liked the idea of having a little "Johnny" so rather than name him John, Jon, Jonathan....Johnny is what we were going to call him, so that's what we named him.

Dean - Matt's maternal Grandfather who has been a positive influence in his life.  He also happens to be Matthew Dean's namesake.  We wanted little Johnny to know where he came from, without naming him Matthew.  So the best idea was to continue the family tradition of "Dean." Matt certainly is proud of his "little buddy" and he has enough of his daddy's habits already that it seems appropriate.