Blowing bubbles and Thankful Thursday

It is no secret that Mason LOVES the bath. But unlike most babies (and some kids I know), he loves dunking his face. Already. He is his momma's baby :) He figured out the other day how to blow bubbles in the water, and he does it all the time now. Side note: he also does it when he drinks from a cup.

I'm pretty sure Mason had food poisoning this week. He has always been sensitive to milk products, and therefore a very spitty baby (Sean and I have stains on most of our clothes) but this was different. I think it was some bad cereal. The weird thing is, ever since Saturday morning when he had the bad rice, he keeps everything else down, but now he vomits every time he has his hypo-allergenic formula (Nutramigen). It's the weirdest thing. Anyone know how early you can start a baby on almond or rice milk?

-Thankful that Mason is feeling better. His appetite is not all the way back, and we are going to have to figure out how to get him calcium and protein since he isn't handling formula, but we will get it. It's been a miserable few days since Saturday.

- Thankful for PBS kids; Daniel Tiger, Dinosaur Train, and Peg+Cat are Mason's favorites right now. Sometimes I have to sing the songs over and over while he's eating to keep his attention.

- On that same note, I'm thankful for Primary and Primary songs. Popcorn Popping, Wise Man and the Foolish Man, among other songs. Mason loves them.

- Thankful for priesthood blessings. Sean gave Mason one Saturday night and even though he was sick, he still slept through the night. It was so great.

Mason: 8 months

Mason is at such a fun stage! I love watching him as he explores and learns, you can see it on his face! Lots of fun new things this month with our little guy :)

Likes:
- splashing in the tub! All thanks to his daddy...
- waving whatever is in his hand vigorously. Yesterday it was a little dinosaur toy, the day before his taggie blanket. It's adorable. And slightly frightening when I'm trying not to get hit in the eye.
- standing. He LOVES pulling himself up and then letting go of his support.
- being outside. And watching cars go by. If he is inconsolable, we take him outside for a few minutes and that does the trick. He's eaten quite a few meals outside, too. Haha
- loooves my jacket strings. To the point where they are starting to stain baby food green
- food, especially green beans, squash, sweet potatoes, and the little puffs


Dislikes:
- the feeling of his hands in dead grass.
- being tired. This kid can throw some good fits when he's too tired. I'm finally getting to the point where I can see his "tired signs" and am usually able to get him down for a nap before he gets too cranky.

Other notables:
- first tooth came through on February 17, 2014! Front right. Sean and I came home from our anniversary date, and I stuck my finger in Mason's mouth for him to gnaw on and something hurt! It was a tooth haha. Needless to say, he doesn't gnaw on fingers anymore ;)
- second tooth came through on March 1, 2014, the night we were in Rexburg for Carly's baby's blessing. That was a crappy nights' sleep...
- crawling like crazy! This kid is so busy, he never stops moving. And now he is all over the house. You can often hear the phrase, "he's coming for you!" from anyone in the living room to whoever is in the bathroom, kitchen, pantry, wherever. He follows you.
- I can officially say we have had a solid month of him sleeping through the night (minus the teething night)! He had a horrible cold mid February, and cut the first tooth, then started sleeping 9+ hours. Every night. It's glorious. Now we are working on trying to get bedtime earlier (stupid daylight savings).
- there have been some nights where we can just lay him down in his crib and he goes to sleep on his own. Still working on it with naptimes, but probably about half the time at night he falls asleep on his own.

He loves this new trick of his!

Again with the strings

Dinosaurs, what else?

First time sucking on a real apple! 

Then he cut a tooth a few days later and this went out the window.

Buddhah baby!

First warm day!

We take our teeth real serious around here

love this hat, and yes we bought it

<3

Just finished a walk with daddy. Again, love the hat!

He is growing so fast and is so fun! We love our Mason baby!

Thankful Thursday 3/20/2014

I know I say I'm going to be better at remembering to do this weekly thankful thing, but this time I REALLY mean it! When I was really good at it last year, I would do it during work every Thursday, because Thursdays are sloooooow days in the ol' office. Well, now I'm working again (part time, from home, while Mason sleeps, it's a pretty sweet deal), and guess what? Thursdays are still sloooooow. So back to my old ways. At least this old way is beneficial to me right? Spiritually, ecumenically...

Aaaand maybe I'll set a weekly alarm on my phone to go off so I remember...

Anyway, here is what I'm thankful for this week. And it's a doosy...

-Finding Nemo. That one just randomly popped into my head. Have you seen it on bluray? It's amazing. "He's doing a root canal, and from the looks of it, it's a doosy!" Can't wait for Mason to watch (and appreciate) that movie.
- The temple. I am so grateful that we have a perfect place to go to for peace, comfort, answers, or just to be spiritually fed. Sean and I went a couple weeks ago and finally got answers for his career. Which brings me to...
- I'm thankful that Sean has decided to pursue a career as a Physician's Assistant! We have talked about what we want for our family, and this fits perfect. It won't be 7+ years of schooling like for Med School, but it is still going to be a rewarding career helping people, with good family hours, time for church callings, and a decent enough salary to provide our children with the things they need. I'm so excited for the next few years and the new challenges we will get to face together as we start this new journey.
- Thankful that Sean will be officially DONE with BYU in December! He will work full time this summer, then part time in the fall while he finishes up prereqs for PA school.
- Thankful that I have a job. I worked part time in October to finish up at Career Step (or so I thought) so I didn't have to pay back what Career Step paid for my healthcare while I was on maternity leave. It was so hard working, because Mason was such a tough baby, and I was exhausted. We decided to move out to save on rent, so I was packing between all of that too. Well, a couple months later they contacted me and asked if I would be willing to come back. Things were a lot easier with Mason by then (meaning he finally had settled into a schedule, and I was honestly starting to get bored) so I went back. It is pretty great setting your own hours. Not to mention they told me I was exceeding their expectations... :)
- Thankful for my inlaws. Not only did they let us move in on top of them, they have been a huge help with Mason, and making sure Sean and I stayed sane. (Mason didn't sleep through the night for more than 4 days straight until he was about 7 months. We were tired to say the least.)
- Thankful for the internet. It is making PA school research MUCH easier ;) which I have fully immersed myself into.
- Thankful for my calling as the primary pianist in our ward at church. It has given me a chance to stretch my fingers and develop my talent further. Plus, hearing those sweet kids sing every Sunday is just adorable. Except for when they are being little punks. Then I want to grab the scariest looking guy in the ward and have him come sit next to them so they pay attention better. We've done it before and it works haha
- Thankful for Mason. He has become such a happy, easy going kid, and I can't believe how fast time is passing. The first 6 months didn't go very fast (one day I'll be glad) but since then it is flying and soon he will be walking (very soon!) and talking up a storm.
- Thankful for Sean. He is my rock and my partner in crime and I don't know what I would do without him. He is so dedicated to providing for us, even though he is completely burned out on school right now he is still working and trying so hard. I love that man of mine!


Okay so that turned into a mini update. But I guess it's good because this is kind of like a journal right? Especially since my journal is lacking in updates as of late... oops!

Mason's 6 month photo shoot

We had a great time taking Mason's six month photos. He was pretty cooperative, and come on, looks adorable! Thanks to Jenna, we got a LOT of really great shots. These were our favorites, and she edited them for us (you know, because 6 month old babies DROOL LIKE THERE IS NO TOMORROW).

Mason 7 months

So I am reeeaaally late posting this. But, better late than never right? Mason is turning into the sweetest, most active little baby. We love him to pieces! At 7 months he:

Likes
- the bathtub. And dunking his face.
- rice cereal. This kid would live on it
- eating things he shouldn't. Like remotes, phones, books, glasses, you get the picture
- standing, and pulling himself to a standing position
- being "eaten"
- cousin Eve. He laughs as soon as he sees her, and will watch and laugh at her for hours on end.
- water. Not just in the tub, but drinking it too!
- dinosaur train. It holds his attention longer than anything on TV. Thank you PBS Kids!
- loves my jacket drawstrings. They are usually soaking wet with spit. And one sweatshirt has discolored drawstrings from baby food...

Dislikes
- crawling. Don't worry, he can totally crawl. But he doesn't like to so he just fusses.*
- salt and vinegar chips. Tried and tested.
-  having his diaper changed. He rolls to get away.
- being on his stomach. Totally understandable with the acid reflux.

Other Notables
- can go from kneeling to sitting on his own, and also figured out how to go from sitting to standing without support this month.
- sometimes this month he learned how to crawl. Usually it's toward the edge of a rug so he can eat it
- mastered the scream to get attention
- learned to drink from a cup. We are working on a sippy cut so I don't get as wet
- out of sight, out of mind does not work for him. He knows exactly where the phone or remote is when it gets moved away.
- his spitting up is getting much better. I can't wait for the day when he stops (and neither can the laundry hater in me).

We also took his 6 month pictures this month and it was so fun! He is just a funny baby that makes the cutest scrunchy face. (He gets that from Mom and Dad both... MFEO haha.) (post with pictures coming)

Newborn and at 7 months

"Oh puh-lease mom and dad…"

Mason, you are supposed to eat IN the high chair, not eat the high chair...

This is a screen shot of a video. I had the hiccups and Mason thought they were so funny he was laughing at me. When my hiccups stopped I kept fake hiccuping to keep the laughing going. It worked :)

Visit from Grandma Jones!

First time in a restaurant high chair...

…and then first time in the cart!

<3

He slid off Sean's lap so he could stand up

And now he stands ALL the time

Giving mama kisses

We love this kid! He is so fun and is pretty easy going. Which is a huge shift from when he was brand new and we could never figure out what he wanted... Much easier now :)

*Keep in mind that this was when Mason turned 7 months. That quickly turned around within a couple weeks of him turning 7 months.

random thoughts

Dear people-I-call-every-day,
Why why WHY do you answer your cell phone at work just to tell me you are at work and can't talk? Are you trying to be just a little bit of a rebel? And the lady who is a TEACHER answering her phone, how many kids' cell phones did you take away this school year, but you answered?? For reals...
Sincerely, Annoyed

Dear Mason,
Thank you thank you thank you for FINALLY figuring out that you are happiest when you sleep through the night! Mom and Dad are very thankful for the 9+ hours you are giving us every night. Now if every nap you took was at least an hour and a half, in addition to your lengthy sleep sessions, that would be pretty much perfect.
Love, your less-sleep-deprived mom

Dear world,
How do I get the gig as the person who's voice you hear when you get someone's voicemail? This is a legitimate question. I could totally be the person that says, "So-and-so is not available, please leave a message."
From, the one who wants the job

Dear Spring,
Hurry please. I miss when strawberries are only $1.50 and taste good, I miss watermelon, and I miss being outside in the heat. I'm also anxious to take Mason to Seven Peaks, so the sooner you get here, the better.
Sincerely, I Hate Winter

Dear self,
You are turning 28 this year. Try not to freak out, okay?
Love, Self

Dear hormones,
It has been 8 months since Mason was born, and you still haven't regulated to the point where my hair will stop falling out and my ligaments will keep my hips in place. Are you going to hit that point soon? Because I won't rock bald and I miss running.
Cordially, almost-bald mamma

Oakley's baby blessing

Last weekend we had the opportunity to drive to Rexburg to visit my sister and her family for Oakley's baby blessing. The drive both ways was fine (once Mason fell asleep), but then it started snowing a ton! Luckily it was clear on Sunday when we left. Here are some pictures from the blessing. (Which was beautiful, Bryce did a great job.)

 

Baby trading!

 

Sweet little baby girl that doesn't squirm...

 

Cousins are the best!

My favorite part of church on Sunday was during the closing song. Carly and I both had our babies in the back of the chapel (nap time anyone?) and Oakley let out a humongous burp. Like, the bishopric on the stand gave us funny looks. Our family turned around and smiled, obviously assuming it was Mason. After the closing prayer I told everyone it was Oakley, and no one believed it...

 

Mason chased that ping pong ball around for a good 5 minutes, then switched to a Solo cup.

So glad we got to spend the weekend with my family! Even if I did forget a coat and some shoes that would have been decent in the snow...

Oh, and Mason cut his second tooth Saturday night. We got no sleep. Which made driving home that day a really fun experience (not).