Thursday, December 20, 2012

Most Wonderful Time of the Year!


Mason is 20 months old now and with the new baby to arrive in less than a month, reality is really starting to hit me hard!


And not because I am going to have 2 kids soon... I am actually getting really excited about our family growing and adding on a new personality to the mix :) , but mostly I am getting anxious that the chapter of Mason as an only child is almost over. Don't get me wrong, I know it will be great for him and completely necessary to not have the undivided attention of both his parents and grandparents since we all live in the same town, but I am a little sad that I might miss something about him in the process... I have no idea if that makes sense to anyone else other than me, but I just know that time constraints alone with 2 will prevent me from even jotting down our new memories as a family of 4.

So, with that said, I am soaking up every last minute over the last month, even if I am one miserably pregnant mama!

Here is Mason decorating his Ice Cream Cone Christmas Trees. We used marshmallows, sprinkles, crushed up peppermint, sweet tarts, m&ms, and of course green icing. It was a lot of fun and we got to eat them afterwards!
 

And since I didn't get a chance to blog about Thanksgiving, here are the 4-Wheeler (haha, no pun intended) grandkids with 2 more on the way: our little boy, and Wendy is having another in June, wahoo!
 




We did find some time to take some pictures for the Christmas card, even though I really did not want to be in one... but for memory sake, here we are, me and my 3 boys!




Our Christmas card makes me smile because it really does capture us.
 
(Even though it isn't a super fancy card, I am proud to say I continued my tradition of making our own cards: 2011 (Front and Back) and 2010)
 
Front
 
Back

And the ornaments we made this year:


I tried to hold back since I got a little carried away last year:



 
And last but certainly not least...
 
Mason's visit with Santa went well.
The crying was completely expected, but...
kicking Santa and being told by Santa that he would not hold your child... PRICELESS.
 
 
 
And here are some quick updates about Mason since it has been awhile!

The good:
-He knows his colors, and really well! Even the hard ones like pink, purple, orange.
-He is starting to pick up on letters of the alphabet, but slowly, and has really no interest in learning to count although he can say 1-5.
-He is still an amazing sleeper. He sleeps 11 hours at night and takes a solid 2-3 hour afternoon nap.
-Food is still pretty easy with Mason, although introduction to more things has definitely made him a little more opinionated... let's just say he likes sweets. :) He has slowed down quite a bit with how much he eats, and thank goodness, for a while there I was a little worried he was going to way more than me soon.
-He is still all boy and oh so active. He runs non-stop, no lie. Add "Lightning McQueen" shoes to the mix and he now thinks he has to show us how fast he is. I love it!
-He is a really sweet boy (most of the time), loves to sit in my lap, loves to give me hugs and kisses, says "pease" and "ank you" and prays before dinner and bedtime... In fact he is the first to put his hands together to pray which reminds us!

And let's be real, there's the other too...
 
The bad:
-Mason is by no means a bad kid, but he has thrown temper tantrums a handful of times which resulted in time out in his room (which actually worked!) and on occasion will hit or throw something when he knows he is not supposed to, but it is rare and usually not repeated.
-While he does sleep well, he has started to do things during his nap time when he is suppose to be sleeping, such as empty off the bookshelf, remove all of the pillows, blankets, sheets from his bed, and yell "Dusty" for 10 solid minutes. Yes son, the 7 lb. dog is going to rescue you... :) And every time he eventually lays down and sleeps for 2-3 solid hours.
-He will cry to get his way, which is often related to playing with a certain toy, or bringing his favorite "friend" with us somewhere (Pillow puppy, Teddy Bear, Mickey, and Elmo), or for dessert (which he has requested at breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, and dinner). The tears are real, the face is sad, not mad, and this is definitely our parenting weakness because when the cry doesn't work, he stops and pouts and say "pease".

Not sure if I will consider any of the rest of these "bad" things, but I can't really classify them as "good":
-Mason is now scared of the elephant and alligator at the mall which he used to love.
-He is also completely obsessed with all things electronic which I really dislike since he isn't even 2! Ipad, Iphone, computer, TV, radio...
-He doesn't really like wearing shoes or socks, hence our purchase of "Lightning McQueen" shoes, and usually takes them off on his own in the car, in the stroller, in the shopping cart, outside, etc.

I think that just about sums up our lives right now. Baby #2 is keeping me up most nights, but overall this pregnancy has been completely different than the last. No swelling as of yet, huge improvement, which equals less weight gain, amazing improvement, but lots of contractions and spells of sickness. The aches and pains are much different this time around too, but mostly because I am a lot more active this time around and also not swollen and on bed rest just yet. There's hope. We get to have our last ultrasound next week before we schedule our c-section. As of right now we are scheduled for January 17th, exactly 4 weeks away!

The nursery is complete so hopefully I can take some pictures and post that soon. Stay tuned!




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Wednesday, October 31, 2012

More Fall Fun

Ever since I was little, I have always loved the Fall season and looked forward to the weather. However, after I graduated from college and started working, it has just never been quite the same... until NOW!

Having an 18 month old (which has been my favorite age so far!) during the fall has been so much fun. He wants to be outside all the time and I love it! I am also trying to really soak up every last minute of our family of three. I know we will never have this time again and I am just living in the moment.

Even though I have not been great at taking pictures lately and keeping notes of Mason's little quirks at this age, here are a few sweet moments in time we have shared this fall:

Dewberry Farm!









Pumpkin Patch!


Halloween!








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Thursday, September 27, 2012

A Little Fall Update

Well a lot can happen in a very short amount of time, and in my case, a lot has changed. This post is a short synopsis of the past 3 months, be prepared for a list of boring updates. ;)

I went from this (12 weeks):


To this (21 weeks):


Found out we are having another bouncing, jumping, running baby boy:


Took a trip half way around the world to Italy and learned how to make pasta, Italian style:


Made some progress on the nursery, which is still a lot closer to where it started than where it needs to be when it is finished, so I will post pictures when it actually looks like we've done something. :)

Life has been flying by lately and now that I am feeling good again, I am overwhelmed by how much I need to get done, like yesterday. I know I am only 23 weeks pregnant, but the next 17 weeks will consist of Halloween, my birthday, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Chris's 30th birthday, 3 weddings, and likely bed rest if this pregnancy goes anything like the last. Not to mention, the 2nd pregnancy is nothing like the 1st, or I guess I should say, being pregnant the 2nd time is nothing like the 1st. This is another one of those things people just don't emphasize enough. Life is way too busy and hectic with a toddler and work to get anything done for baby #2, not to mention I am beyond wiped out by the end of the day, both mentally and physically and have very little ability to make any decisions about the new baby's room or worse, his name.

BUT... having a bouncing, jumping, running baby boy that keeps me laughing and on my toes makes all of the pregnancy annoyances (if it is ok? to call them that) all worth it. Knowing what is coming next makes the 2nd pregnancy even better than the 1st. The fear of the unknown and culture shock that come with your 1st pregnancy are all behind you and your pregnancy falls into your daily family life instead of taking center stage like it did last time (no more time for naps, just run momma run, cook momma cook, clean momma clean, work momma work). When people told me to get my running shoes ready with Mason, I smiled knowing they were right, but the statement takes on a whole new meaning when you are actually running after your toddler non-stop. I think this is one of those comments people make that takes time for new moms to understand, kind of like "Enjoy them now, they will be going off to college before you know it." When I hear this I definitely know they must be right, but I don't think I will truely grasp it until I am there someday.

Our 18 month old has gone through some dramatic changes these past few months:

Mason now sleeps in his big boy twin bed and loves grabbing his favorite books, crawling into bed and reading them with mom and dad before bedtime.


Mason had his first professional haircut and had his first (and only) sucker!


Mason now actually cuddles with me! Self initiated-head in my lap-little boy loving on his mom-cuddles. Melts my heart.

Mason is a talking machine. It happened overnight. He went from grunting to actually saying, I would guess, around 30 different words and tries a new one everyday. He will piece together two words now when trying to form a sentence. "Mommy aty" which means he wants a drink of my water (aty- not all words are properly pronounced, like this one) and "Lanny puppy" when he is talking about his best friend Landon's puppy.

Mason will sit and watch short snips of movies now. He is such an active boy that it is nice to see him stop and watch something intently, even if it is brief.

Mason only gets his paci while sleeping and puts it up in his dresser drawer on his own as soon as he wakes up. This has to be one of the cutest things I have ever seen. After watching me do it everyday, he suddenly started doing it himself one day.


And maybe a little TMI for any non-moms out there, but Mason tells me when he is about to go potty now. This may not seem all that dramatic to some, but to me, that is one step closer to potty training. All of you moms with older kids, this is a big deal right? I sure hope so...

Other than that, Mason will dance if music is on, say hi to people on the phone, pet animals "softly" now, attempts to brush his own teeth, loves all things that move and make loud noises, loves collecting acorns and rocks, has become obsessed with playdoh, wants his hands washed a million times a day when they are "dirrrr-ty" (along with his feet, his plate, his cup, really anything that looks dirty), eats with a fork and spoon, loves stacking blocks, racing cars, playing golf, hiding, wrestling with dad and playing the piano at Grandma's house.



I just love seeing him light up and talk and play. Even though he has gone through a "mommy" stage recently where he wants me to hold him or doesn't want me to leave him, he is a really happy (or "appy" as Mason says) kid. As soon as Chris walks in the door at night Mason won't leave his side and wants me right there with him. If Chris has Mason, Mason will ask for "Mommy" and if I have Mason, Mason will ask for "Daddy." I know it is such a simple joy right now, and it won't be long before that fades away.


God has blessed us with the most amazing privilege of parenthood. It is incredibly hard knowing that our child is God's, and that God has entrusted us with this child for just a short time. It has taken some really hard mommy moments for me to see this full circle and even though I still have hard days of juggling a lot and being a selfish human, a little perspective changes a lot. I am so grateful to have all that God has given to me and want to enjoy it while I can and give all glory and honor to Him.

Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward.

Psalm 127:3




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Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Fifteen Months and 3 months?!

Month Fifteen


Three Months


Silly Mason, not you, me!


Yes I am pregnant. Yes we are overjoyed.

Our babies will be 21 months apart. The thought of this little guy being a big brother and the thought of getting to do this all over again... super exciting.

We are officially 12 weeks with a scheduled C-section around January 17th of next year. Life has been a little different these last few months, but I am finally feeling a little better and have energy to chase this little one around! We cannot wait to see how different this new baby will be. It already feels different to me, and already feeling baby move this early is also exciting.

I will try to do a better job of blogging in the weeks to come, but in the meantime, we would greatly appreciate prayers for just a healthy baby and momma.

Thanks!

Weight:
23 pounds 56% (birth: 8lbs .3oz)

Length:
32 inches 78% (birth: 21 inches)


Diapers:
Size 4 daytime and Size 4 nighttime.

Clothes:
12-18 months.

These past few months have flown by. Mason has really grown into a toddler overnight. A few key "toddler" developments this month include:
  • Running, jumping, climbing, throwing and squealing
  • Down to just one afternoon nap
  • Doesn't want to go to bed at night, he doesn't fight it, but he isn't exhausted at 7:30 at night anymore and struggling to stay awake. He is really flexible with bedtime now.
  • He has become way pickier with food, or at least more aware that he can refuse to eat things and all of the toddler tantrums that come with that.
  • He has learned to question adults a little more, telling us no and laughing, or not listening the 1st, 2nd or 3rd time we tell him not to do something... i.e. hit the dog or throw a rock at a car. He could definitely get out of hand quickly if we weren't on top of it telling him what is not acceptable.
  • Eating all table food now that he has 4 molars. He even eats sandwiches.
  • Answers yes and no to most questions that he understands, which has made communicating a little easier since he still doesn't say much more than one word at a time if that.
Other than that, he is all boy. He loves being outdoors, loves playing in the water, throwing balls, stacking blocks, eating dirt and playing with rocks and of course chasing our dog around everywhere with hopes of grabbing onto his tail and never letting go... poor poor Dusty, I promise I am trying to work on him Dusty, I promise.





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Friday, May 11, 2012

Thirteen Months!

Okay, so I thought at 1 year I would probably stop writing monthly updates about Mason. Why? I guess because I have always thought it was weird to say your child is "13 months". When people ask me I say, he is 1. But the reality is that nothing has changed. Last month he was 12 months old and I wanted to write down everything new, exciting, and interesting that had happened that month, and I still want to do that now. So even though Mason is 13 months, or 1, or 1.0833333 years old, I still want to keep writing down all of these little details until I get tired of doing it. I don't think I will ever regret writing down too much. So anyways, here is what our little boy has been up to. 

Month Thirteen


Weight:
21.5 pounds 34% (birth: 8lbs .3oz)

Length:
29.5 inches 17% (birth: 21 inches)


Diapers:
Size 3 daytime and Size 4 nighttime.

Clothes:
12 months.

Feedings:
The biggest change this month regarding food is really just that Mason loves to use his fork. He is not great at it, of course, but he loves using it to stab his food and feed himself. I also noticed that he uses his right hand 90% of the time, but still tries out his left hand occasionally. Definitely exciting to have an eager child. However, with that, Mason has started to become a little more picky about what he eats. Mostly this is just a product of exposure. As we have given Mason more types of food, i.e. what we are eating as opposed to bland baby food with low salt, butter, etc. he has become a little more fickle with what he eats. We have definitely figured out that we have to give him the veggies and meat before the dairy, fruit, or bread/pasta or else he will refuse them and want more of the latter.



Mason now has 6 teeth, 4 up top and 2 below and he loves using his teeth to bite his food, especially crackers, cheerios, etc.

We have definitely been struggling with how much to feed Mason. Some days, no lie, he eats more than I do. We have been told that as long as he is eating healthy and getting enough fat in his diet that we shouldn't restrict his intake. However, there is something to be said for a 21.5 pound baby eating more than his mom, and I like food. So we laugh about it, but we also find ourselves a little concerned about his Buddah belly at the end of the day.

Nights:
At this point, the nap thing is a little hit and miss. This is the first time we have not really been able to predict Mason's nap schedule. Some days he really needs 2, and some days he will only take 1 but have to put him to bed early because he is exhausted. I have a feeling this next month Mason will transition himself to just 1 nap.

Personality:
Mason makes us laugh nonstop. He is really starting to think of things on his own. What I mean by that is, most of the time he is replicating something we have shown him or he has seen a friend do, but lately he has started creating ways to play on his own and we just can't stop laughing and smiling at his curiosity and excitement.

I was the nerdy kid growing up that loved to read books. Even as an adult I love to read more than most. My sister and brother use to pick on me when we were growing up. Everyone always tells you to start reading to your children at a young age and I remember feeling weird reading to Mason when he was tiny, but it amazes me how much he loves to read books. He really only sits still for a few things during the day: food, books, and bath. There is not much better than seeing your child pick out a book, bring it over to you, and crawl in your lap on their own. Melts my heart.



Mason has really started to show us his personality these last few months. He loves all things bubble related, cars, trains, animals, food and still has zero interest in watching TV. Lately his newest little quirks include walking on his toes, drinking out of his cup with no hands, playing with everyone's shoes and trying to put them on, shaking his head no, and blowing big bubbles with his mouth. This kid cracks me up and is definitely keeping me young!


 Development:
Mason's biggest development this month has been his "talking" and his "climbing".

Even though he is super shy and rarely says much around others, Mason just talks and talks and talks around me and Chris. His vocabulary now includes: Mama, Dada, Dutty (Dusty), Dog, Ball, Bubble, Bye Bye, Bu (Bird). Some days he is incredibly vocal just talking up a storm and some days he rarely talks.


And now that he has the walking and running down, Mason is really into climbing. He loves to go to the playground, but lately he is wanting to climb everything at our house: the couch, the dining chairs, his play table, the walker, even his little people safari jungle. His favorite thing to do is act like our house is an obstacle course. He will climb on top of boxes and stomp on them (with supervision of course). Luckily for us he is still pretty short, so we do not foresee him crawling out of his crib anytime soon, but wouldn't be surprised in the least if he figures it out.

13 months is such a fun age. Mason is really a happy, interactive and curious kid. He hasn't really started to question us yet even though he will shake his head no when we ask him to do things sometimes, but he is still young enough to be sweet and old enough to be interacting with us. We think this is such a fun age and feel so blessed to have such a healthy, outgoing child.




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