Quick Update

I don't have long to write this because Mason is in his swing and I can tell that his boredom will set in soon! But i would like to mention a few things that have occured over the last few days!! Friday morning i put mason on his play mat to play and he intentionally rolled his self over onto his side, for the first time. He looked at his self in the mirror on the play mat and smiled and coo'd then rolled back onto his back, and then to his side again, and back onto his back, and onto his side one more time, each time smiling and all but laughing at his accomplishment. It was the most adorable thing. And i was so happy to be there to see one of his "firsts". I called landon immediately to share the news and Landon was so excited and wished he could have been there to see it!! On Saturday Mason did it again for his daddy to see and Landon and I were both so proud. I know it may seem like a small accomplishment, but when your 10 week old does something intentionally versus accidently for the first time, you realize how much they are growing and developing and it's a wonderful feeling!

Well i knew that time in the swing would be short lived. So now i have my little boy sitting here on my lap while i attempt to type this with one hand. lol. It's amazing how as a newborn the swing was a lifesaver for us and soothed and entertained mason for hours at a time. That first month or so i don't think we could have made it without our graco sweetpeace swing that has a semi circle side to side rhythm. we could put him in it and he would instantly quit crying and fussing and he would fall asleep so quickly and easily while in it, and he could litteraly sleep for hours and hours on end. But these days the swing that was once our saving grace, is no longer as entertaining. In fact, it seems to bore him and if you put him in it he starts to cry and fuss. It's kinda sad that he is out growing the precious little newborn swing and now prefers his playmat instead. My little boy is getting so big.

Saturday morning my mom got back in town, and she and i took mason to Matthews for thier Easter celebration in the park, as i pushed masons stroller past the egg hunt, i couldn't help but think about how next year mason will be big enough to walk around and hunt easter eggs with his cousins. i'm looking forward to that, but at the same time i'm enjoying the fact that right now my baby is still a baby, and i'm realizing it won't be long till he's a big boy. One of the big perks to mason being such a wee one, is that he is yet to have any fear of large furry creatures, and therefore i was able to get his picture made with the Easter bunny. He was very good and didn't mind this strange thing holding him one bit. I just hope that he is not one of those kids who fears pictures with santa and the easter bunny in the future, i know my niece mady is 7 years old and scared to death of the chuck e cheese "rat" (as she calls him) and is apprehensive about the wierd looking men we tell her are santa claus each year, and it's gotten to the point that her mom never gets any pics anymore. So this years pic with Mason and the easter bunny was a pleasant experience for us, and hopefully it won't be our last. lol. And here are some pics!

10 weeks old

My little boy is 10 weeks old today!! i cannot believe it!! Time is really flying by!! Landon and I took him for his two month doctors appointment today. They gave him 3 shots and an oral vaccine, he did amazingly well. His nurse was very quick and of course he cried when she stuck him, but once she was finished i picked him up, gave him his paci and he quit crying. Landon and i both just looked at each other in amazement!! We got him dressed, put him in his car seat and by the time we got to the car he was asleep, he slept all the way home and for about 3 more hours once we got home. He had a bottle then i rocked him and he fell right back asleep. So far, so good!! i really hope he doesn't have any fever or fussiness from the vaccines, maybe we will get lucky and he will be one of the few babies who tolerate vaccines well. Fingers crossed!! I just feel blessed to have gotten out of the doctors office without he and i both having a melt down!! It's terrible to see your baby in pain, and mason was such a trooper that it eased my own anxiety about him having shots!!
Mason is growing more and more everyday! He weighed 11 lbs 11 oz today, which is surprising bc Saturday i took him in for them to check on his sneezing and coughing and they said he weighed 8 lbs 6 oz. So he's up 5 oz in 4 days!! His head circumference was 39 cm and he was 23.5 inches long. He is in the 50th percentile for his weight and the 75th percentile for his height. He is smiling, cooing and sleeping through the night, which are all milestones for his 2 month check up!! Saturday we decided to bump him up to 5 oz of formula every 4 hours, and he seems to like having the extra formula at each feeding. He hasamzing neck strength and head control, he's sitting in his bumbo like such a big boy!!

In other news, our friends Erika and Shawn had their baby girl on Saturday which was 8 days before their original due date, they had a c sect scheduled for that Monday but didn't make it, she went into labor on her own Saturday morning and they delivered her baby via c section at 6:15 am Saturday March 20th!! She is a beautiful baby, and i am so happy that my very good friend is now a mommy too!! We went through our pregnancies together and now both our little ones are finally here!! Here's a pic of Miss Izabel Sophia on her birthday!!

It's amazing how fast time flies, it seems like just yesterday that i found out i was going to be a mom and now my little boy is already 2 months old!! This past year was consumed with preparing and waiting for Masons arrival, and now he's here and we are living it!! Everyday revolves around him now, and i can't imagine my life any other way!! Things are not exactly the way i pictured it in my head, but we get through the rough moments and the happy moments are ten times better!! It's like that saying "the sweet is not as sweet without the sour"! Mason may not smile often, but when he does it is so special that it not only lights up the room but it lights up my heart!! I relish in the moment because it's special, it's rare, and it's genuine!! Since mason hit the 7 or 8 week mark, being his mom has become so much more rewarding!! His little personality just exploded out of no where, and the smiles, and coos, and ahhs, and the touching and reaching, and wiggling is just amazing to see!! It makes me look forward to even the simplest things like diaper changes and bath time!! I'm telling you the weeks of sleepless nights, colicky fussing, and working the hardest you've ever worked in your life to take care of another person, finally pays off the moment you see that sweet little face looking deep into your eyes and that very first smile appears that you know is meant for you ( and not just gas or coincidence)! I will never forget that feeling!! it's what drives me to get up in the mornings even when I'm exhausted, bc i know when he sees my face that his sweet smile is waiting for me!! Here's that sweet little smile, this is the first pic of him smiling!!

Okay enough gushing over how wonderful being a mom is, and how fabulous of a baby masons come to be! I could easily go on and on all day!! But i have noticed that Mason's looks are starting to change again, and i can't quite put my finger on it, i think it's the hair?!? Maybe it's longer? or a little darker? or possibly more curly? I'm not totally sure! He's just looking more like a little man each day!! I see a lot of his daddy in him, which melts my heart!! I have to say i do have two of the most handsome guys around!! Here's a cute pic of his Grrrr face!!

And i am so glad spring is finally here, i am hoping to get us out of the house more, and out enjoying the weather!! But i am eagerly awaiting summer, i cannot wait to take mason to the pool/waterpark at the Y this summer with my mom, sister-in-law and my nieces!! Masons cousins maddy and molly just love him to death!! I'll post the latest pic of madison and mason!! She's wonderful with him!!

Well i must wrap this up now! It's time to get back to the list of tasks awaiting me!!

8 weeks old!!

Wow, i cannot believe it's been 8 weeks since my precious little boy was born!! So much has happend since i last updated my blog, so let me fill in the details on his birth.

I was 39 weeks pregnant and Landon and I went in for our weekly Dr's visit, I was planning on asking about inducement because i was so miserable and umcomfortable and just plain ready for him to be here. but when we got to the dr's office, we found out that our regular dr was not there, he was at the hospital and we would have to see a different dr. We ended up seeing Dr. Naumann and she checked me and said i was 2 centimeters dialated and 70% effaced, and when i asked about inducement we were told that they would not induce me until 41 weeks. I told the dr that mason had not been moving vey much and that we were concerned but she didn't seem to take it very seriously, we were about to leave when my dr came in and said that he wanted to go ahead and do a stress test and was a little concerned the baby might be on the large side after he measured me. After the stress test he said that he would like me to have an ultrasund to get a better idea of the size of the baby and to check the fluid level. The ultrasound tech estimated that our little boy was about 8 lbs 10 oz. and said his fluid levels were low and that they would probably induce me that night or the next day. Landon and i were both so excited and grinning ear to ear, but we knew we had to get the final word from our dr. So after our ultasound we met with our dr and he confirmed that the baby was large and fluid was low but also he told us that the umbilical cord was wrapped around the babys neck and he wanted to do a c section right away. We were totally shocked, and speechless, we had both hoped for a normal delivery and were scared of the idea of a c section but we knew we had to do what was best for the baby and that the situation was serious with the cord wrapped around his neck. The dr told us to go straight to the hospital and that he would be there at 4 pm to deliver our little boy!! Landon and i were in a daze as we left the dr's offie and began calling and texting everyone with the news. We rushed home and got our bags and headed to the hospital so they could monitor me. My mom met us there and we checked in, went to our room and waited till time. Erika and Landon's mom came and waited with us for the dr to arrive, and everything was pretty calm and peaceful, with the exception of them inserting my IV into my hand, that was terrible painful!! The funny think was that we realized i was having contractions when they hooked me up to the monitor and as we waited for the c secton the contractions got steadyand regular and were growing slowly stronger. Close to time for the c section our pastor and his wife came to visit us and before i knew it they were taking us back for the c section, I walked to the room and theymade landon wait outside and they did my spinal block which was not that bad at all. It was really not a bad experience, they almost forgot landon in the waiting area which had me concerned but once he was there by my side i wasn't too nervous and my dr was extremely fast, the next thing i know the dr's telling me that any minute we are going to be parents, and then i heard the most beautiful little cry and my eyes filled with tears and my heart filled with so much joy, i squeezed landons hand and i will never forget the look of pure excitement on his face as we both waited and waited impatiently as the nurses took him to the warmer to rub him clean (i still could not see him, they had him in blankets) then finally they held him up for the shortest little secnd for me to catch just a glimpse of my precious boy!! i remember thinking that he looked nothing like i expected, his hair was a golden caramel and his cheeks were plump and rosy he looked just like a cherub (angel). It seemed like an eternity as landon and i watched the nurses and listened to them say how cute he was and how loud his cry was and how pretty his lips were and then one nurse said he bit her and they laughed and landon and i just stared and every once in a while i would see a foot, or a thigh, or a hand and we waited for them to bring us our sweet little bundle, but when they brought him swaddled up with his little white hat on and handed him to landon, he did the most perfect job holding him for me to see. Then the silly nurse took him from landon and smashed him into my face until i felt as though one movement of my mouth my bite his little cheek off and i knew i was surely about to drool, it was so uncomfortable, she had pushed him up against my lips and gums, and i couldn't even see his sweet little face but all i could do was think about how warm his little face was and how i had never felt anything in my life as soft and smooth as his skin. And i kissed him and told him i loved him and Finally she gave him back to landon and i culd see him again, and we both just kept remarking that we couldn't believe he was here, and we couldn't believe he was ours, we couldn't believe how perfect he was!! It was wonderful. Our little boy Mason Everett was born Wednesday January 13th, 2010 at 4:04 pm weighing 9 lbs 11 oz. and was 20 inches long. We then went to the recovery area and i watched as the nurse gave him his first bath in the sink next to my bed, and then finally i got to hold my precious boy and he laid on my chest and sucked his thumb so loudly and vigorously that even the nurses commented. Then they let me have my first attempt at nursing him, and he really did do amazingly at it. Landon was wonderful, after i nursed him, the medication and the fact thati had lost a lot of blood started to take it's toll on me and so landon held him and rocked him and kissed him and never took his hands off him, while i rested. Once we got to the postpartum room, we had so many wonderful visitors my mom, landons parents, his aunt, my brother and sister-in-law, my cousins jill and becky, my friend Erika, and i think that was everyone, i was pretty out of it at that point. Over the 5 days we were at the hopital we also had visits from our friends monica, Erica and Maclaren, Laura, and Mike, as well as my grandmother and landons grandmother. We found out on friday that my hemoglobin had dropped to 6 and that i had bled internally after the c section and would need a blood transfusion, i really wasn't thrilled over the idea but i knew that i was too weak to walk, read, and hold mason for very long at a time. So i agreed to the transfusion and instantly began feeling better. They decided to keep us an extra day in the hospital. And just for the purpose of my own memory, i'd like to document that mason's hospital photos were taken at 1 day old on thursday and they did masons circumcision on friday durring my transfusion and he did so wonderful. We went home on Sunday morning and that evening my brother and his wife and my nieces Madison and Molly came to the house to visit thier cousin, alsolandons grandparents onhis dad's side and his aunt came to visit the baby too. We were so thrilled to bring our little boy home!! Landon took two weeks off to be with us and the first two weeks were such a learning experience for the two of us!!

And now i can't believe that it has been 8 weeks and our little boy is growing and happy and healthy!! He hada little bit of a heart murmur that the dr found at his 1 monthappointment but we went to a pediatric cardiologist and they did anultrasound on our little boy and said everythinglooked perfect and he would outgrow the murmur. God has just continued to bless us and we are so thankful!! Now at 8 weeks mason has amazing head and neck control (which really he has had great neck strength since birth), he sleeps from about 11 pm to 7 am, he eats 4 oz every 3 hours durring the day, he has a lot of personality now, and the former mr. grumpy has finally began smiling and he has cute little dimples on both cheeks, his cradle cap and baby acne that appeared at 2-3 weeks is now gone and cleared up, his hair never fell out, if anything it's longer and a little thicker, his eyes look bluer each day and he loves waking up by 7 AM and this brings me to

Things Mason LOVES:
He loves to hold his ownhead up whenever possible
he coos and makes lots of vowel sounds, especially if you do it first he will mimic you
he likes to stick his tongue our at you
he loves reaching and hitting at things in his sight (whether it's my face or his toys)
he loves playing on his play mat
he loves his swing more than anything
he sleeps in his pack and play bassinet attachment in our room at night
he absolutey loves more than anything playing on his changing table while you stand over him and talk to him
he loves to kick his feet and flail his arms about, he gets so wokred up and is such and active baby.
He loves to take rides and to go places, he is a pefect angel when you leave the house and take him places
he love his mam pacis
He loves being held

Things Mason LIKES sometimes
He sorta likes bath time (he definitly likes peeing in the tub)
He likes his bouncer seat sometimes unless he gets worked up over not being able to hit the toys thathang from it
he likes his Eeebee doll
he likes bein read to
he likes music
he likes to watch tv and baby eistein
he likes being swaddled sometimes

Things Mason Hates
in my opinion he hates tummy time (landon argues and says he likes tummy time)
he hates being alone in his crib for very long
he hates when you take his bottle away to burp him
he hates getting his picture taken

I'm just so amazed by him each and every day, he is such a wonderful baby and we are so blessed!! At his one month visist he weighed 9 lbs 14 oz and was 22 inches long, his head cicumference was 36.5
Mason goes for his two month appointment on the 24th which is two days after our friend Erika's Baby is due to be delivered via C section! I am so excited for her! I know she will be a great mother and motherhood is just such a wonderful blessing and i'm so happy she is about to meet her little girl who she has been waiting for!!

I will try to update more often with updates on Mason!! Here are some pics!

Mason's First Picture after Birth

The first time I held him

Taking Mason home from the hospital 4 days old

1 Week old

3 weeks old

4 weeks old

5 Weeks old

6 Weeks old