Goodbye Old Friend

She was fun while it lasted :( As much as I am going to miss the days of the top down & the wind blowing through my hair, we just didn't see the convertible as being a "practical" car with a baby.

SO this past weekend we traded it in & bought something a little more "soccer-momish":

It's a 2013 Ford Escape - Titanium. I am going to really miss my "fun" little car but I absolutely LOVE my new ride! It has more bells & whistles than I know what to do with & is my very first ever fully loaded vehicle.

No worries though. I will own a convertible again someday - as soon as little man is old enough to ride by my side without a car seat :)

4 months old

My sweet little boy - today you are 4 months old! You are turning into such a cutie & growing like a weed! I SO wish time would slow down so your daddy & I can savor these months with you while you are still itty bitty.

This past month you have really started to come out of your shell & have developed quite the personality. You are such a happy little guy & are all smiles whenever you see your Mom or Dad. The best part of my day is coming to pick you up at daycare & seeing your eyes light up & you flash me that cute, toothless smile! Melts my heart every single time!

Weight: We went & saw the Pediatrician at 15 weeks for a cough & a mysterious tummy rash that you had where you weighed in at 15.5 lbs. Will be curious to see what your stats are at your upcoming 4 month appointment next week! You are now wearing size 2 diapers & are mainly wearing 6 month clothing now. You can still fit into your 3 month onesies but I am guessing in the next couple of weeks I will be folding them up & storing them in the bin along with the rest of the clothes you have outgrown :( We are still loving those chunky little legs, all of your little arm folds, your cute little buddah belly & we love smooching those cheeks of yours!

Sleep: Your daytime naps are all over the place & I am hoping daycare can help get you on a consistent schedule this next month. You are a lover of "cat-naps" in the morning which usually only last 30-45 minutes & you will take one long 2-3 hour nap in the afternoon. You are falling asleep around 7:30-8pm & will wake up around 2am to nurse & again around 4-5am where I will give you your pacifier, rub your back & you will fall right back asleep until around 6am. People will think I am crazy, but I secretly enjoy your 2am feeding! 

Upon hearing you stir, I run into your room, melt into a puddle of mush when I see you, snatch you up in my arms, kiss you multiple times, tell you I love you while nursing you & then put you back in the crib after you have had your "mommy- fix". At that time of night the world is so peaceful & quiet, it is just me & you rocking in the glider sharing precious time together. I know you won't be this small forever & that "dream-feed" will eventually go away so I am going to savor this time for as long as I can. 

Eating: You are still a good eater & are taking in around 4-5oz at each feeding. You are mainly breast fed but we are also having to supplement a couple bottles of formula daily as my supply just isn't able to keep up with your demand. I'm really looking forward to introducing you to solids in the next couple of months & seeing how you do with those!

Milestones: You continue to amaze us week after week with your growth & developments & can't believe how advanced you have become since last month.

- You rock at tummy-time! You have even started to do "mini-push ups" where you will lift your shoulders up & use your little arms for support. You can only stand about 5 minutes of this where you will then get mad & throw a fit which lets me know you have had enough :)

- You will search the room for mommy & daddy when you hear our voice & when you see us you flail your little arms in excitement & give us a big smile. You will look directly at us, start gurgling & try to "talk" back to us. I absolutely love talking to you & seeing you respond back with a squeal or a giggle.

- You LOVE to watch the bulldogs & will reach out to touch them when they get close to you. Millie loves to lay right next to you & keep watch over you. It is the sweetest thing ever! Bubba loves to try & give you big wet, slobbery kisses whenever he can - which isn't often!! 

- Your daddy introduced you to a mirror a few weeks ago & you LOVE to see your reflection! You will smile, squeal with delight & "talk" to that cute little guy looking back at you!

- No rolling over yet however I think you are getting close. When I put you in your crib, you start out sleeping on your back but you always end up on your side. I think you would roll all the way on your tummy if it weren't for those chunky little arms & legs getting in the way!

- You will now grab for your toys & rattles & immediately put them in your mouth. Everything is in your mouth these days....your fingers & thumb, your fists, rattles, your links. You especially love to chew on Sophia the giraffe.
- This past week you have really started to drool. I am guessing there will soon be a tooth in your future?! At this point, I don't know who drools more - you or Bubba?! 
- Yesterday you laughed for the very first time. I mean a true belly laugh & it was the cutest thing ever! I am hoping to capture you on video so I can cherish that sound forever.

Mason, you are an absolute joy in our lives & are loved more than you could ever imagine little man! Thanks for bearing with us as we learn this whole mommy & daddy thing! I promise that things will just keep on getting better & better for all of us!

Love you forever & ever little bubba,
Mommy

My 1st Mother's Day

Today was my very 1st Mother's Day & it is one day I will never forget!

Hard to believe that a year ago I was writing this post & even harder to believe that a few days later I would be staring in disbelief at the first little sign telling us we were soon to be a family of three.

I used to think about what it would be like to celebrate Mother’s Day as an actual mother. I had this storybook image in my head as to how it would all play out. My husband would take me out for breakfast. He would buy a sweet little gift & write in a card telling me it was from him & my precious baby. We would all spend the day together as a family, maybe all go for a walk, get some ice cream & just enjoy the day together.

This image has played in my head year after year & finally - this image became a reality.

I awoke to find coffee made & this sweet card - signed by my husband & Mason :)  It is hard to see, but it says "We love you - Shane & Mason"

Then we all got ourselves ready & made our way out the door to enjoy a wonderful breakfast buffet at a local restaurant! Mason is proud to be wearing his "Happy 1st Mother's Day" onesie!

After breakfast we went to Walmart, bought all our groceries for the week & then Shane treated me to ice cream at Dairy Queen. The chocolate-covered pretzel blizzard is the "blizzard of the month" right now & I have been getting one of these weekly. I may or may not have even possibly had 2 or 3 in one week - yes, they are that good! Don't judge - I need to consume an extra 500 calories remember??  LOL Plus did you know that you can now get your blizzard in a dipped waffle cone - double score :) It will be a sad day when they do away with this flavor!

Once we got home, we all spent the afternoon outside cleaning the flower beds out, trimming bushes & getting the yard ready to plant the spring flowers. Mason loved being outside in his jumperoo & was nice enough to give Mama a couple of "fussy-free" hours so I could get everything done.

The rest of the afternoon was spent taking a nap with my little guy along with lots of extra snuggles & cuddles! It ended just as perfect as it started!

Those of you who know me know that I have waited to be a mother for a very long time. There are days that I stare at his sweet little face & can't believe that he is really ours - even after 4 months it just doesn't seem real. That is of course until he starts crying at 2am & I quickly realize that he is indeed real :)

On this wonderful day that honors mother's, I made sure to get in lots of extra snuggles with Mason. We played together for an extra long time. I stared at his sweet, precious face a little longer than usual. I smelled his perfect little round head more than I usually do (which who knew was even possible)?! I smooched those fat little cheeks too many times to count. I talked to him even more then I usually do during the day & told him how much I had prayed for him & how very much I loved him several times throughout the day.

I made it a point to really soak in the knowledge that I have a son now - something I have wanted for so very long. I can't even begin to explain to you all how happy this little guy has made me. I am so truly blessed that after all my struggles in trying to conceive I ended up with this perfect little boy. He is absolutely amazing. I wish for anyone who is still struggling with infertility that they will someday have this dream of motherhood come true. That they will get to know this kind of happiness, & will get to share stories with the rest of the mothers out there that know this amazing joy.

Becoming a mother has been one of the greatest, yet scariest things I have ever done & is also the most wonderful & rewarding things that has ever happened to me. With everything we’ve gone through these past 6 years (infertility, IVF's, miscarriages) we now finally get this opportunity to be parents, raise this beautiful child & having someone to call me "mom" means more to me than I could have ever imagined.

The greatest gift I could receive this Mother’s Day isn’t breakfast out with my boys or some sort of present. It’s the fact that everyday I get to go into my son’s room & see him smiling up at me after he has woken up. It’s the fact that he knows my touch & scent better than anyone else’s, & that when he gets really upset, I am the only person that can comfort him in an instant. It's the way he tries to nestle into my neck after his nightly feeding, or the way when he is sleepting throws his jazz hands up in the air when startled, or how he kicks his feet & flails his arms when he gets excited & the best gift of all - that amazing way he smiles back at me.

A dear friend of mine - who is also a mother -  shared some wonderful words of wisdom with me shortly after Mason was born. She said, “It’s not about you anymore & it never will be. You’re a mom now & for the rest of your life it will be about your children.” She is so right. Mother’s Day isn’t about me. It’s about this little being that finally completed me & makes me who I am today...a mom!

Happy Mother's Day to all the wonderful women in my family - especially my own mother, to all my girlfriend's who are mom's & mom's-to-be, to all the other honorary mom's out there & we can't forget all the "pet" mom's :) May you all enjoy this beautiful day with those that matter most to you!

First Gift

Well, we have successfully completed our first week of daycare & I am happy to report that it went flawlessly. There were no meltdowns (for me OR Mason), I made it to work on time each day, the girls at the daycare made my days easier by sending pics of Mason & text messages to update me on how he was doing & I discovered that picking my little guy up at 5:15pm is the very best part of my day - especially when he flashes a sweet, toothless grin when he sees me :)

I dropped Mason off at daycare this morning & Alecia - one of the girls who takes care of him - said she wanted to show me something. I figured it was his daily checklist so I was totally caught off guard when she presented me with this:

On the bottom it reads "Happy Mother's Day from Mason - 2013"

The first thing I noticed was his little footprints & I instantly welled up with tears. Then poor Alecia was caught off guard & apologized for making me cry - lol! I told her she had no idea what this 1st Mother's Day gift meant to me & that I will treasure it for the rest of my life.

Seriously - look at those little tootsies...is there anything cuter??