3 months old

Today my little man is 3 months old! It is also my first day back to work after being off for 12 weeks :( Honestly I'm quite sad about both things. 1) My little guy is getting too big, too fast & 2) I am sad to be leaving him after spending 24/7 with him for the last 84 days.

I have decided that with these monthly milestones, I am going to be more so documenting on Mason's stats & accomplishments so I have them in writing & won't forget all the amazing things this little boy is doing. After his 1st birthday, I am going to print each month's post & put it in his baby book so forgive me if these posts seem more "personal". I just don't want to forget anything.

So here goes....
 

Mason you are now 3 months old! How did that happen so fast? You are getting so big, so fast & continue to be the love of our lives. 

The last month you have been quite the fussy baby dealing with reflux, spitting up & a bit of projectile vomit after you eat but since we have switched you from Zantac to Prilosec, I am relieved to say that you have become a happy little guy. It truly melts my heart to see you so happy. You have also really started to interact with mommy & daddy when we talk to you & will follow us with your eyes & look for us when you hear our voice. Mornings are when you are at your happiest, are all smiles & love to "talk" to us! It is truly one of the best sounds in the world & we just love hearing your little voice.

Weight: I'm guessing you weigh around 14lbs & you have really started to fill out. Your chunky cheeks are the best & I love to plant kisses on them! Your furry brother Bubba also likes to sneak a smooch to those cheeks ;) Your legs are quite chunky also with lots of  "rolls" & you have the cutest little "buddha belly".  You are still wearing a size 1 diaper which I forsee an upsize to a size 2 in the very near future! You are still fitting into most of your 3 month clothes but because you are so long we have had to upsize most of your sleepers to 6 mos. If I had to guess, I think you are going to be tall like your daddy!? 

Sleep: This past week you fell into a nice routine of consistently taking a good morning & afternoon nap. Of course this occurred right before I am to return to work - lol! You will go down around 9am & 1pm & nap for about 2-3 hours each time. You like to take a little 5pm "cat-nap" & then go to bed around 8:30pm. You are sleeping until 2am, up for a feeding then back down from 2:30-5am, up for another feeding - usually in the bed with mommy & daddy & will sleep until around 7:30am. Hoping you don't miss the early morning snuggles as much as mommy will when I go back to work!?

Eating: You nurse like a champ & dare I say - you love the boobies! Since mommy goes back to work next week, I have started to transition you to bottles only during the day & nursing in the evening, night & early morning. So far the transition has gone well so that is a relief - especially for your daddy who will be taking care of you my first week back. I don't know who is more scared - him or me!! You seem to eat every 2-3 hours & take in about 4 oz with a bottle.

Milestones: A couple of weeks ago you discovered your hands. You like to stick them in your mouth - usually both at the same time - & will suck & slurp on them. I have also caught you sucking a thumb or a finger! You also like to hold your hands while you sleep or have your little fists up by your face which makes swaddling you difficult. You look like a little angel when you are asleep - so peaceful. 

You love to lay on your play-mat & watch the lights & you recently discovered that when you kick the rattles they make noise so your legs are constantly moving & kicking & you get so excited. It is so cute to watch! I'm sure it's just a matter of time before you find your feet & start grabbing them too!

You love your pacifier & it has been a lifesaver for us when you are fussy. This past week I got out your links & you love to grab them & will play with them until you wear yourself out:

Your head/neck control is excellent & you rock at "tummy time"! Even your Pediatrician commented on how impressed he was on your head control! 

You especially love to walk with your daddy (which he refers to as "riding-high") while holding your head up, looking around, checking things out & he can usually calm you down by doing this when mommy can't. 

You love to sit & watch your bulldog puppies when they are sitting next to us & you will look for them when we enter into a room. We can't wait until you are more mobile & can interact with the bullies without fear that they will accidentally hurt you because they are so big & you are so small.

And this week you went on your very first ride in the stroller & you loved it! Can't wait for the weather to get warmer so we can enjoy many more walks outside!

You continue to amaze us little man each & everyday & we can't wait to see what you accomplish next! Happy 3 Monthday :)

A Night Out

Today my dear friend Samantha married the man of her dreams. You may remember from previous posts that she is Mama to Maggie & Miles whom we often "bully-sit" for:

The man she married is also one of the Cardiologist's I work with. It was a beautiful reception held at The Carriage Club on the Plaza & the bride of course looked absolutely stunning! 

The food was dee-lish & the best part of any wedding - the cake - was amazing! Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture of it since I had my hands full with Mason :( However, I was very happy to see that the servings of cake were huge AND there was plenty of it to go around so yes, I did have a piece of vanilla & also ate a piece of chocolate cake as well :) I got no shame! Besides, with breastfeeding they say to consume an additional 500 calories daily so I just considered it my extra calories!!

Since the whole family got dressed up for the occasion, thought we best get a family photo! Too bad little stinker's hands were in his mouth :(

Oh & I have decided that I am going to go into business in the future making dressy apparel for a 0-3 mos old. I searched for 2 weeks, went to 7 different children's stores & do you know that I could not find an affordable, seasonal pair of dressy pants or even a little suit in a size 3 mos for Mason to wear to this wedding? I barely was able to find a dressy shirt for him to wear! Needless to say it was quite frustrating. So, as you can see, we opted for a pair of jeans & a button-down shirt - yeah, we are classy like that but hey, that is all we had to work with. We have a wedding at the end of June to attend also & he will be 6 mos old by then. You can bet I have already started to shop for his outfit!

We had a great time, enjoyed great food & I even got to see my dear friend Stephanie! She worked with me at the hospital & I actually trained her - then a year later she up & left me :( Her husband accepted a job in Dallas that he couldn't refuse so she had to move & was not real happy about it. I was so glad to get to see her & spend some time catching up! Steph is also a K-State fan so I had to tease her about our matching belt's - they are KU colors :)

It was so nice to be able to get dressed up with the hubby & have a night out - as a family of three :)

Sip-n-See

Last night we gathered with our wonderful neighbors here in the cul-de-sac for a post-baby shower. Or as the southerner's like to call it after the baby has arrived - a "Sip-n-See". You gather together, "sip" on beverages of your choice & everyone gets to "see" the new baby :)

Since we have all kind of hibernated this winter we really haven't seen our neighbor's much so it was nice to come out of hiding & all get together so they could meet & see Mason!

Here is Mason & Daddy before we changed & got ready to leave:

Dave & Gael hosted the shower & provided brisket & dessert for the meal while everyone else brought a side dish to share. The food was all so very good - especially the cupcakes:

The house was decorated with the cutest baby shower decor & the saying was perfect as we consider Mason our "little miracle baby":

After we all stuffed ourselves on yummy food & dessert, it was gift opening time. Shane & I opened gifts together as Mason was passed around the group for cuddles & snuggles! Our neighbors were so very generous as we got LOTS of great gifts along with several gift cards & a few last things off our registry:

One of my favorite gifts would have to be the KU sock monkey & these personalized burp cloths! I just love seeing stuff with Mason's name on it :)

One for me & one for Shane :) I find it especially funny that Shane now has his own burp cloth as it never fails - whenever Shane goes to hold Mason he always spits-up all over him & Shane never has a burp cloth handy. Now he has no excuse - lol :)

I had wanted to get a family picture of all three of us along with pictures of some of the neighbors holding Mason but unfortunately the night got away from us & between eating & socializing with everyone it just didn't happen :( Oh well - next time as there are sure to be lots more cul-de-sac gatherings this summer!

Thanks to Gael for hosting a lovely baby shower & to all our wonderful neighbors for the generous gifts. So lucky to be surrounded by such kind & supportive people!

SPIN!

It had been several days since I have been out of the house - which has been really good for my budget :) so I had sent out a text message to my "Destin" girlfriends to see if anyone could meet up for dinner sometime this week. Luckily all of them could but one so we all met at SPIN! this evening for pizza, salad & lots of catching up.

Being on maternity leave I feel so isolated from the outside world & my friends - not that I would change it for anything because I love being at home & spending all this time with Mason - but it is good for this mommy to put some make-up on, get out of the house & mingle with girlfriends every now & then! And with my leave coming to an end on April 22nd :( I need to take advantage of the time while I can!

As usual I had good intentions of getting pics of all of us but it just didn't happen! I did however manage to get a pic of the two mommies & their babies :) Always enjoy spending time with these two sweet girls - Jen & Miss Ava!!

Thanks ladies for giving me a reason to shower & get out of the house for a fun evening out!!

Happy Hoppy Easter

This past weekend I put on my "big-girl pants", packed up the car & Mason & I headed to South Dakota for the weekend - just me & an 8 week old. Crazy? YES

I had debated about going by myself for a few days but figured why not?! I am on maternity leave with nothing better to do, my dad, grandparents & brother haven't seen Mason yet & why not? 

To my surprise, he actually traveled better than I had hoped. We left around 730am - right after feeding him & he slept the entire 7 hour drive other than waking up to eat - such a trooper!

On Saturday, my brother & his family made their way to my parents farm for the weekend. It was so nice having them there & seeing how big my nieces & nephew are getting. They definitely aren't little babies anymore :(

Here is my nephew Lane & niece Joslyn dying eggs for Easter morning:

 

We had a couple of visitors throughout the weekend to see Mason. First my mom's friend Betty came by:

 

Then on Sunday, our dear friend Mary Ellen stopped by for some snuggles:

 

Easter Day was spent with my relatives (grandparents, aunt, uncle, cousins) eating a good Easter Buffet at Minerva's restaurant & afterwards we headed over to my cousin Lexy's house to hang out for the rest of the afternoon. It was good getting to see my grandparents & the rest of the family - even if it was for a short time.

Mason in his "Easter outfit" which had a cute little bunny on the butt :)

 

 

When we got back to my parents place we dined on leftovers & some yummy Easter cake. One good thing about my mom's kitchen - you can be sure that there is always some kind of dessert waiting to be eaten :)

On Monday we packed up once again to make our way back to Kansas. But first we made sure to get in one last snuggle with Grandpa:

And with Grandma:

The trip back home was about as uneventful as the trip to SD & I am SO glad I made the trip! Mason again slept the whole way back other than to eat & I was so relieved. I am hoping our trip back to SD in June for his baptism will be just as uneventful but Mason will be 6 month's old then so I am seriously doubting it!?

When we got back home, I found that these little beauties had bloomed in my absence:

Looks like spring has finally sprung!

Hope you all had a wonderful Easter & enjoyed the time spent with your families!

Play-date x 2

Last week Mason & I ventured out of the house & had us a couple of "play-dates" with two of my girlfriends & their babies.

Our first visit was to Jen & Miss Ava's house. I had brought us Panera for lunch & we enjoyed watching these two little cuties while getting a bite to eat, talking about "mommy-hood" & how our lives have changed in the last year. A year ago we were planning our girl's-trip to Destin, FL & laughed about how here we were a year later nursing our babies on the couch together, talking about babies, being a mommy & how wonderful it all is.

Here is Mason (7 weeks old) & Miss Ava (2 weeks old). Can't believe how big Mason looks next to her! He is growing way too fast :(

Later in the week we headed over to Autumn's house to hang out with her & Miss Bella. It was fun to see these two interact with each other - even though Mason slept through most of their play-date - again! It was too cute watching Bella grabbing at Mason trying to wake him up & he was not having it. Maybe next time he will realize what he is missing out on?

Love this picture of Bella & Mason & how their little bodies are in the exact same pose. These two cuties are 2 days apart so it is fun comparing notes with Autumn to see what similarities they have.

We love our play-dates & can't wait for many more this summer at the park, the pool & the zoo! Will be so much fun - especially when they get older!

2 months old

Mason is 8 weeks old today! Hard to believe this little guy has been a part of our life for 2 months now. 

 

The first 6 weeks of his life were no joke. Not only was taking care of a newborn hard, but throw in some reflux, minimal daily naps, a lot of fussiness & a helluva lot of spit-up with projectile vomit & you will spend time crying in the shower. 

Once we got him on some Zantac & he crossed over that 6 week fussy phase, it seemed to get a bit better. We still deal with lots of spit up & the projectile vomit but now we are ready for it. He wears bibs frequently & we have a burp cloth in every room of the house. And as for me...well, if you come visit I will more than likely be wearing jammies with spit-up (dried or fresh) all along the front of me as well as in my hair & smelling a bit like stomach acid. It is a hot combo & my husband for some reason has been keeping his distance. This is my life people & that is how I roll. Good times! 

Mason is changing every day & it never ceases to amaze us. It is absolutely true when people say after those first 6 weeks that things start to get much better!

At 6 weeks he smiled at us for the first time & it totally melted my heart! I think I fell more in love with this little guy at that moment - if that is even possible?? He also will "coo" at us when we talk to him & it is the cutest thing ever!

I absolutely love listening to Shane & Mason "talk" to each other & can tell that Shane is going to be a wonderful dad just by the way he interacts with him. As you can see, already he is brainwashing him to love KU & the remote :)

 

At around 6 weeks we also started to fall into somewhat of a night-time ritual & sleep pattern. Mason will usually fall asleep between 9-10pm & will wake around 3am to nurse. Then back to sleep by 4am & up again at 6:30am. We are all looking forward to the 4 month mark where he will hopefully be sleeping 8-9 hour stretches. I can barely see the light...

When Mason isn't busy sleeping or nursing or being fussy or spitting up :) we will spend lots of time on his activity mat while listening to the Rock-A-Bye Baby station on Pandora. He is starting to really interact with the music & the lights on his mat as well as looking at all the little animals that hang from it. He gets so excited & his little legs will start kicking, his arms will flail all around & he starts "talking"! I must get this on video as it is so stinking cute. Unfortunately, someone else likes the play-mat when we aren't looking...

Since Mason is now 8 weeks old, this means I only have one more month of maternity leave left :( I am sad that my time at home with him is soon coming to an end but on the other hand I am looking forward to returning to a job that I absolutely love. Luckily, Shane's mom is coming to stay with us my first week back to work so Mason won't have to start daycare until he is 14 weeks old. I have been so lucky being able to have this time off with him & am definitely going to cherish these last 30 days at home with him.

Happy 2 months little man - mommy & daddy love you oh so very much :)

My Sister = Amazing

I am one lucky girl. I have only one sister & she is amazing. I can't imagine not having this girl in my life. As I mentioned before, she has been my "go-to" person during my entire pregnancy since she comes well experienced having had 3 children herself. Now she has become my "go-to" person on mommy-hood as well & again, I am so thankful to have her in my life.

All three of us were blessed by her visit a couple of weeks ago & after 5 days of her being here, I begged her not to go back home. I even offered her money to stay as my nanny but for some reason she declined the offer :(

She spent her visit cooking for us, assembled meals for the freezer, baked banana bread, would offer to take Mason & stay up with him at 6am so I could sleep-in, offered to put him to bed so I could go to bed early myself, she put on the Moby wrap & snuggled with him so I could shower or take a nap, she kept Shane company watching TV while I nursed Mason & put him down for bed & offered more tips & tricks than I could keep track of.

It was wonderful having her here & Shane & I are so very grateful for all her help. Now the only question I have for her is - how soon are you coming back???

Baby Boy meets Baby Girl

This is me & my beautiful friend Jen:

This picture was taken while we were on our "girls trip" in Destin, FL last April. There were 7 of the bestest friends who went on that trip & out of those 7, there were 3 of us who struggled for quite some time with trying to get pregnant. 

Shortly after we all arrived back home from that beautiful, magical place, 3 little miracles happened. I was the first one to get pregnant, then our friend Kari & then Jen. Was it something in the ocean water? Or in the alcoholic drinks we consumed on that trip? Definitely is quite strange that all three of us would end up pregnant shortly after returning!? Because this all happened after our trip, the "babies-to-be" were soon referred to as Destin Baby #1, 2 & 3 by the other girls.

There are few people who come into your life for a reason. They come to assist you through a difficulty, to provide you with guidance & support, to aid you physically, emotionally or spiritually. They seem like a godsend & they truly are. They are there for the reason you need them to be & Jen is one of those people!

Soon after, Jen & I became "belly bump buddies." We shared anything & everything with each other about our pregnancy. We would always rub baby bellies whenever we saw each other, we sent hundreds of texts back & forth & would keep tabs on each other every week with every milestone. Since I was 8 weeks ahead of Jen, I was honored to be her "go-to" person when she had questions. My sister was my "go-to" person so I know first-hand how important having that person in your life is & I am SO glad I could be that for her!

Me, Mason & Jen a week after he was born

Jen's baby shower was held 2 week's after Mason was born. It was the first time I ventured out of the house without Mason - who stayed home with daddy & grandma. Jen was surprised that I came to the shower & even more so without Mason but this was one event that I wasn't going to be missing! 

It was one of the most beautiful baby showers I have ever seen! Everything was so beautifully done - I almost felt like I was at a wedding reception rather than a baby shower! So thankful my hubby & mom tended to Mason so that I could share in such a special day with Jen!

 

Jen's girlfriends did an amazing job with all the details & I am so glad I didn't miss it!!

Earlier this week, Destin baby #2 arrived! Jen's precious little miracle made her entrance into the world on March 10th & both mom & little Miss Ava Jean are doing great! We visited them both in the hospital the next day & made sure to get a pic of our two Destin miracle babies together:

I love how their little fists are identical in the picture :) 

We are both looking so very forward to many play-dates in the future with these two little cuties! I am so very blessed to have such a dear friend in my life & I can't wait to experience "mommy-hood" together with her!

OH & just in case you were wondering...Destin baby #3 is due March 20th - so any day now! Kari unfortunately lives in Chicago so there has been talk of a "Destin Baby" reunion this summer :) 

Moby = Life Saved

This red piece of fabric is called a Moby Wrap & it saved my life - or maybe my sanity - or possibly both!?

When my sister visited me this fall, she brought lots of great things for me to have during my pregnancy & for afterwards. The Moby was one of those things. I had put it away & forgotten I even had it until last week when she mentioned it to me. 

Mason has been Mr. Fussy Pants this past week & it was really starting to wear on me mentally. If he isn't sleeping, he wants to be nursing. When he isn't nursing he wants to be constantly held which leaves no time to fix food, pee, do laundry, let the dogs outside/feed them, clean the house, do dishes - you get the idea.

So I dug out the Moby, wrapped it around my torso, stuck little Mr. Fussy Pants in there & within a minute he was OUT! And the best part - I had two hands free to do all of the mentioned above! It was a game-changer for me & I felt like I got my life back...for at least an hour until he woke up hungry!

If you are a mom-to-be or a new mom, run out & get you one of these or something similar to it! Trust me - it is worth every penny! It is so nice knowing I have this option when Mason is being his fussy little self & I need to get some stuff done around the house!!

Mama gets out

You all may have heard about Snowmageddon 2013 here in the Kansas City area? It was a huge snow storm that dropped 13" of snow in our neighborhood last week & then we got hit by another storm this past Monday dropping another 6 inches! Most snow I have seen here ever since I moved here in 1999!

Needless to say, I haven't really wanted to leave the house with a 4 week old baby & battle all the snow & the bad roads. But today I decided that Mason & I had been cooped up in the house for far too long - 5 days to be exact! By the time Friday rolled around I was going stir-crazy & ready to get out of the house! Mason was all for getting out & about also:

We had Mason's 1 month appt this morning & then afterwards I met up with my girlfriend Camille for a lunch date at On The Border. She is a mother of 3 & it was SO nice to catch up & visit with her about "mommy-hood"! She had such wonderful tips & advice for me & even invited me to join her church's "mommy-group" which I am looking very forward to. She also got some good snuggle-time in with Mason so she was super happy about that!

After our lunch date, Mason & I ran some errands & enjoyed a little "retail-therapy"! It was really nice to get out of the house & spend a little money :) 

Later on in the evening the "game-night" girls were gathering for our monthly get-together. I debated about whether to go or not as Mason has been Mr. Fussy Pants lately but ended up going & was SO glad I did. I hadn't seen these girls in quite awhile so it was wonderful to see them & get caught up with what everyone has been up to. I enjoyed my one & only glass of wine for the evening in 10 months, snacked on some yummy app's & we all played a really fun game: Telestrations. 

This game is the visual equivalent of the classic school-yard game "telephone" - which I had never heard of or played as a kid. It ended up being a super fun game in which everyone's attempts at "art" turned into hilarious pics. You start with a secret word that is passed around the table from player to player. As the word is sketched, interpreted, & then sketched again, it undergoes a visual transformation that most of the time has nothing to do with the secret word. 

For example, the secret word here in the picture was Los Angeles & by the end somehow the drawing was configured to The Wizard of Oz. Too funny - I guess you had to be there?!

There were lots of laughs shared by all & a game we are sure to play again in the future! 

Before everyone left, Melissa made sure to gather everyone together for our usual photo-op. Mason was definitely not a happy boy when it came time to take pictures :(  

I just realized after looking at everyone dressed up in this photo that I am definitely a mom of a newborn - the track suit just screams Mommy - lol :) 

Keri tried her "baby whisperer" skills on Mason & eventually got him to settle down - after this photo was taken :)

 

Mason fast asleep & mommy all ready to go home:

It was another successful "game-night" & I am so glad I was able to go. Thanks girls for letting Mason crash the girl-party, to Jill D. for hosting & to Melissa for always having your camera & taking great photos!!