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??

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 :)