6 months old!!

My little sweet pea is 6 months old! I can't believe I am even typing that right now. I was laying down with Mason over the weekend and laying there looking at him thinking "Oh my gosh slow down" Time has flown by! I remember when I could hold him all wrapped in one arm and when he would lay on my chest his feet barely made it to my waist! Now he does not like to be all bundled up and when he sleeps on my chest his feet are WAY past my waist! He is growing so fast! He went to the doc yesterday and weighs 17.9 lbs and 27 inches long. Long and skinny just like his daddy! Developmentally I feel like he is doing something new everyday. He loves to be on his tummy when he is playing and has now figured out how to turn circles and ooch to get to his toys that are out of his reach. The look of accomplishment on his face when he gets to them is priceless! And he is trying to get those knees up under him! I am guessing crawling in a couple months for sure. Last night Jonathan was rolling a ball to him and he would lift up his hand to catch it!! Baseball player on our hands? Wide receiver? Daddy can only hope! Mason is also a fan of bouncing. Grandpa started this a while back when he was holding him and then at school his favorite bouncer/exersaucer has bungee type cords on it and he jumps like a crazy man in that thing. We can't stand him up without him wanting to jump. Grandpa counts to 3 with him and he knows on 3 to bend his knees so Grandpa will pick him up in the air. What a genius we have! So about a week or 2 ago he started making the cutest face when he smiles at me. He scrunches up his whole face, eyes and all, and sticks his tongue out to the side. So funny! I have said it before and I am sure I am sure I will many more, but I am so loving watching this kiddo grow! Very bitter sweet. I want to keep him little but it is so cool to watch him learn new things!

Until next time.....

5 months old!

My little sweet pea turned 5 months on monday! I feel like I blinked my eyes and he was all of a sudden 17 lbs and 26 inches long! I've been looking back at pictures from the hospital and the few days after and I just can't believe it. He was so tiny! The last 5 months have been so amazing to be a part of I can't even phathom what is to come! I am still in awe at the thought of the Lord blessing me with such an amazing gift. Mason is... I can't even describe it! I am sitting here trying to find the words to type to express the way I feel about that kid and I can't find one that would even slightly capture it acurately. I look at him everyday and my heart smiles. He can make the crappiest day turn right around with that sweet smile! Oh I just love the crap out of him!!!
There have been many developments since the last post. He is now spending most of his time on his tummy and sitting up. (still with some help) He has for sure found his voice!! And if he yells, not screaming or crying but yelling, Mommy jumps. Made the mistake one time of mimicking the sound he was making and it hasn't stopped! Mason also likes to pick at his cousin Averi.When she gets close to him, after a minute of just letting her hang out, he yells and makes her cry! Can't imagine what is to come with these to!! In addition to finding his voice he found out he has feet and that they fit perfectly in his mouth! It is so funny to watch! The minute I take his footed PJs off in the morning his feet go straight to his mouth! Bath time at our house is an event! He has always loved the water but now that he is bigger and has realized that moving his limbs makes the water splash EVERYWHERE. It is much more exciting that way! I almost always have to change clothes after every bath because I am soaked. But watching how excited he gets makes it all worth it. I'm sure there are many more things I'm forgetting that he is doing but I will just have to make even more blogs about him!! Such a hard task :) Here are a few pics of my tiny sweet pea I left the hospital with and now!

Sweet Pa

So ti's been a long time since my last post but with all that has gone on the last few weeks I had to take a break. On October 23rd our sweet Pa was called home. He sufferd a massive heart attack and God called him on. I am still really processing it all. I get mad and then sad and then God reminds me of the truth and I feel a little more at peace with it. That truth being that are days are numbered here and God is totally in control of all of our lives. When things like this happen so suddenly it is a very life jolting reminder of that. Out of the many loved ones that I have lost in the past 4 of them were very sudden and each a reminder that He is bigger. I go through life knowing that but not until something like this happens does it ring so loud in my head. I feel very sad, mad and confused a lot of the time but God has helped me remember that He was right there by my side through it all and hasn't left. And it's not good bye just see you later. We will all miss our sweet Pa. He loved the Lord, my Gran, his family and friends, grandkids and great-grandkids with all his heart. And I know I will see him again someday! Go rest high on that mountain Pa! Your work here is done!

He rolled over!!!

A week a away from 4 months and he rolled over from his tummy to his back!! And not just a freak one time either. My little genius did it numerous times in a row! We were so excited! You would have thought he just scored the winning touch down at his football game! He almost has it from back to tummy too! He just has to figure out get his arm out of the way and he's got it! And of course in all the excitement there was a tiny little sadness too. I can't believe he is growing so fast! I listen when everyone said to cherish it because they grow up so fast. Man they weren't kidding! He is also wanting to stand more and he always had to sit up now. He can't stand to miss anything! Hmmmmm who does that remind me of??

Sir Smiles-A-lot!

"God please just let him be a happy baby!" This was one of the many things I prayed while I was pregnant with Mason. Man did he deliver on this one. That kid smiles day and night! He just so happy! He can be upset waiting for a bottle and still smiling while letting you know you better get that bottle ready soon. Or running a fever at 1 in the morning and still smiling away! I feel so blessed by this kiddo. And very humbled as well. On top of praying like crazy for a happy healthy baby I prayed for very specific things while I was pregnant. Like "I hope he has his daddy's eyes and hair and lips and my nose." There are things that I find myself praying for kind of in passing through out the day. Some times I get an immediate or obvious response and sometimes they go "unanswered" When I think about all this and watch Mason grow and develop it's like God saying "I am listening" And that my friends is just awesome! One the most important things for me is that Mason grows up loving God and is a light for Him in this crazy world. I feel so blessed to see those things happening now at 3 months old! Praise the Lord!!!

First weekend away!

September 5th was our 1 year anniversary!! Whew what a first year! It most defiantly deserved some celebration. We decided that Jonathan and I would head to Port Aransas for a weekend away together. This meant that Mason was going to stay with Gramps and Lolly for 2 whole nights! Jonathan and I both battled with this before the whole month before we left. The thought of being away from him was gut wrenching! We both knew he was in the best hands ever and that made it a little easier. The day came to drop him off and I was a hot mess! I packed everything but the kitchen sink to take with him. I knew we had to make it a quick drop off or I wasn't ever going to leave. Gramps and Nana Pat were still there and in true Mason form he was all smiles and Gramps had him laughing within minutes. Seeing that calmed me down a lot. We gave the Mason 411 and headed to the beach. I don't think Jonathan and I said more than 20 words to each other for the first couple hours of the drive. It took all the energy I had to hold it together! We finally got to the condo and got settled in and headed to the beach. If we stopped at all I would have made Jonathan turn around and go back and get Mason! Friday was mostly us sleeping. I can't remember the last full night sleep I had. After our morning call to check Mason we headed to the beach and were able to relax. With the help of a few adult beverages! It was so nice to spend time with my sweet hubby! We laughed, talked about Mason, sucked out a few Ghost crabs, talked about Mason, read a book. talked about Mason and listened to music. We both mentioned how anxious we were to take him back next summer and be able to share all those firsts with him. We weren't planning on leaving til 10 or so on Sunday but missed our little guy so much that we left by 7:30! The drive home was torture! When we pulled up to the house I flew out of the truck and up to the door. After I almost knocked Lolly down I got to the living room and saw that sweet face I missed so much sleeping very soundly in his grandpa's arms. While he was snoozing PK showed me all the pics she took of my sweet pea smiling and laughing at his silly grandparents and a very special video of his great Nana making him laugh out loud! All in all it was a great weekend! Now that we have done it one time it should be easier next time right?!?!?

Safe and Sound in Gramps' arms!

My little sis is engaged!!



Look at that bling!!!



This was one heck of a weekend!! I found out about a month or so ago that my little sister's boyfriend was going to propose to her. I was so super excited when I found out! And then quickly realized that I now had to wait a whole month til this happened! Oh man it was so hard. We had them over for dinner one night and all she talked about was wanting to be married. And I had to sit there and pretend that I knew nothing and try to throw her off. Not an easy task with my nosey sister. Needless to say I was busting at the seams inside. As the day came around there was muc organization that needed to happen. I was charged with the task of capturing the moment on camera and video. I put my stellar detective skills to work and scoped out the perfect place at my parents house to hide with a camera and place the flip-cam where she wouldn't see it. The cover was her birthday BBQ with some friends and family so having the camera out wouldn't be a huge deal but the flip cam had to be really hidden. After everyone arrived we ate and then started opening gifts. At the end of the gift opening David whispered to her that he had another special gift for her but wanted her to open it out on the patio. That was my cue!! I ran to the camera hiding place and turned on the video and hid in my spot. I watched as they flipped through the scrapbook that David gave her. The knot in my stomach grew every time she flipped a page! I can only imagine what David was going through! Finally she gets to the page with the picture of David on his knee with the ring and the scrapbook is dropped to the floor and the hand go to her face and tears start to fall!! My cover is blown by this time because the camera flash is is going off like crazy and I am crying like crazy. MY LITTLE SIS IS ENGAGED!! Now let's get to planning!!

First Trip to Houston!

Mason made his first trip to Houston this weekend to celebrate his Great great Uncle Jim's retirment and to meet his Uncle DJ for the first time. Trip down was a piece of cake! He slept all but the last 20 minutes of it. Those 20 minutes were the ones after we missed our exit. Not something you want to do in Houston! We arrived ready to celebrate! I made sure to dress Mason in the appropriate outfit for the 1st time meeting of his Aggie Uncle. His UT jersey of course! All in all it was great short trip. Got to see a lot of family we don't see to often. Having a kiddo really makes you want be closer to them all. I think the world of all of my family and I want Mason to know all them really well. We are just going to have to make these things happen more often! I think there is another cruise or lake trip in our future!!

Ist two weeks of school and he is already sick!

First week of school was great! Well for Mason anyway. It was pure torture for me! And being so close it took everything I had not to go over there and just scoop him up! Friday could not come soon enough! Nana and Papa came for a on saturday. We love when they come visit! We get spoiled big time when they are here. Nana cooked us a yummy dinner and Jonathan and Papa went to fill our fridge! And I just soaked up some time with my little man! Nana and Papa headed home the next day and we headed up to see Lolly and Gramps and swim with Aunt Ash and Uncle David. A couple hours after we got there we noticed that Mason was running a temp. Like true first parents we started freaking out! We brought him home and took his temp. 101!! After calling the doctor they told us to get him to the ER. Yep even more freaking out at this point!! Once we got to the ER and saw the doctor his temp was 102. Doc said that because he was so little they would have to do several test on him to determine what was since there were no obvious signs of what it could be. My heart sank as he told us what they would have to do. Draw blood, catheter and chest x-ray. I had just experienced his 2 month shots so I knew this was going to be so much worse! And it was. Having to hold my child down as they poked at him in BOTH arms to get blood was the worst thing I have ever experienced. Yes worse than child birth! I was crying just as much, if not more, than Mason was. It took all I had not punch the nurse!! After several hours and many tests they determined it was just a virus. Whew!!! Needless to say his second week of school was a short one. Jonathan said home with him the first day and then Great Nana said the second day. He was doing much better by day two but I just thought he could use a little extra loving after the horrible day he had on Sunday. And who better than a Great Nana to give to him!! Then on Friday Gran and Pa picked him up early and he got even more loving!! I will end on this. After running a 102 temp, getting poked in both arms and legs, a catheter put in and his temp taken 3 times in the not so fun way Mason was still smiling! What a wonderful kid I have!!

First day of "School"

Well it was going to happen at some point. Mason has started at daycare :( It was so weird getting everything together the night before. Labeling bottles, setting out his first day of "school" outfit and going through his "supply" list. I still can't believe he is mine sometimes!!! We had been up to meet his "teachers'' the week before and I love them all! Each one is a grandma and has worked at the church for 10-15 years. This made me feel so much better leaving my sweet pea with them. Jonathan and I both dropped him off so he could see how everything worked. The setup for now is I will drop and J will pick up. However, I wanted to pick him up the first day....he he! Leaving him that first time was one of the hardest things I've had to do in a very long time! It was like my heart was ripped out. I didn't cry until I got in my car though. And I only called once to check on him! However, I got several updates from the visitors he had that day! He is a very popular kid! And picking him up was the best! He started talking and smiling the minute I picked him up. Made everything all better!! Now let's see how the rest of the week goes....

6 weeks to 11 weeks

So I am really going to have to work on getting better at this blogging thing. As Mason gets a little older and on a better schedule I should be able to get a lot posted. Alright, the last few weeks have been so fun watching Mason. Not that it isn't always fun! He has discovered that he has hands and feet! He will grab his ankles and try so hard to pull them up to his mouth. So close!! His hands however, are another story! He will stare at them like they are the coolest most puzzling things ever. The look on his face cracks me up! He is thinking so hard how to get them to move how he wants them to. He has also rolled over for the first time!! During tummy time he started to lift his right arm and just wobbled right over! And just as soon as he rolls over he started to cry. Poor guy scared the poo out of himself! We have also tried out the Bumbo the last few weeks to help him start sitting up better. He loves it!!! His little hands just stay propped up on the arm rests and leans back and chills. He looks like a grown man in recliner just ready to watch football! I can't wait to watch what he discovers the next few weeks!!

First Mason Post!

Well Mason is 8 weeks today! And it has taken me this long to get to a point where I am sane enough to post my first blog.  There have been so many things that have happened lately! Mason has taught us so much about being parents the last 8 weeks. We have worried about the littlest thing and laughed about the littlest things. We just feel so blessed to have him in our lives. I can't even begin to describe how this little man makes me feel. I look at him everyday and I think my heart might explode! So to keep from having a novel for my first post I will just write bullets for some of our favorite moments.
* On our first day home we walked in the door and looked at each other and just said "Now what?" Mason just looked so peaceful. We quickly realized there were no nurses to help us out. Needless to say it was a long first night!
* One of my favorite things has been watching Jonathan with Mason. How he talks to him and holds him. Watching the two of them sleep. The look of excitement on Jonathan's when Mason smiles at him or when he talks about all the things that he is going to teach Mason. He is such a good Dad! I can't wait to see the two of them together as Mason grows.
* First bath wasn't so bad. A little screaming but it was short. The baths to follow were a little different! The next one Mason LOVED! He almost fell asleep he was so comfortable. We really enjoyed watching him just sit so relaxed. Wonder if he will be a little fish like I was when I was little? The bath after that was "the one" He pooped in the bath! Jonathan had just walked out of the bathroom. I noticed Mason getting his poop face and before I could do anything it all cam out! I yelled for Jonathan and he came running in laughing! I quickly grabbed him up and Jonathan got the shower head down to hose his butt off. And in true little boy fashion Mason was smiling from ear to ear the whole time!
* This may have not been Jonathan's favorite time but the story is kinda funny to me. I was putting my shoes on to head to the gym as Jonathan headed to change Mason's diaper. In a matter of seconds I hear"Stacy!! Oh my god it's coming out the sides" I go running into Mason's room to find Jonathan gagging and pointing at Mason's diaper. Needless to say it was a bad one and took some team work to get him clean. We had to hose him off in the bathroom!!
*My mornings with Mason are so fun!! He is defiantly a morning baby! The morning starts with breakfast for us both and then Mason will sit in his chair on the kitchen table and talk with me and his "friends" (the plastic ones that hang from his bouncy chair... Milo the monkey, Harry the Hippo and Leroi the Lion). Some mornings I will turn the radio on and sing to him. The last few mornings he has been singing with me!! Mostly when I am singing Journey... of course. I sang Don't Stop Believin' to him ALL THE TIME while he was in my belly. He is trying so hard to mimic what he see my mouth do! I might be a little bias but I am certain my child is a genius!!!
*Over the last week I have noticed that Mason has started to figure out that he has feet! He will lift them both up while he is on his play mat and stare at them as they move. And on a shopping trip with Auntie Prima I put some shoes on him and he was so amazed by them. He would lift one foot up, move it around and put it down. Minutes later the same thing would happen. It was so fun to watch!
*Another fav is when he falls asleep with his little hands crossed right across his little belly! He looks like a little old man with his hands resting on his big ole belly! My Pop used to sleep like that! It cracks Jonathan and I up every time.