On the go!

Well, Mason has finally decided to walk! Here he is, a little over 16 months old and is finally on his own. He has been playing "walk the human" for the past few months ... he would walk around with the assistance of an adult finger ... and anytime we'd let go, he would shriek in displeasure and often times, would cry pathetically  ... now, he can walk all on his own!! 

We had a wonderful family Christmas and enjoyed five days strait of holiday parties. We had Christmas Eve dinner with all Grandparents and Mason's "GG" .. that's his Great Grandma Suzie. Christmas morning we woke up and exchanged gifts as a family and then went over to Tim's folks for Christmas morning breakfast (and we were joined by my folks, too). 

Mason wasn't too interested in Christmas ... he was more interested in the bows that decorated the presents! The one thing he really loved was the

 rocking chair that was given to him by his Auntie Kara. He sits in his chair and tries to rock back and forth .. it is pretty cute.

Everything was hunky-dory until Mason came down with my cold on Saturday night ... he was feverish and a little grouchy for our family party in Chico on Sunday. Even though Mason was sick, we still braved the trip to see Mason's other Great Grandparents, Jim and Rita. So five days and five pounds later, we had a wonderful Christmas and Mason is finally on the mend. Even though he has a runny nose and a pretty good cough, his fever has broke and he is jovial as usual.

I have included a link to some pictures taken around Christmas time. I have also included a video taken with my camera of Mason walking!  

http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLanding.action?c=60cie9o.5gx2g3sk&x=0&y=-ienahv&localeid=en_US

I hope you all had a very merry Christmas and that you have a safe and happy New Year!

Love,

Jenn, Tim and Mason

This past Monday, I worked an incredibly long day. I arrived home around 9:30pm to quietness. The Christmas tree lights dimly lit the living room and not a sound was heard throughout the house.  I couldn't find Tim at first, until I realized that he was in Mason's nursery. When I peeked my head in, I saw Tim standing in the middle of the room, trying to rock a wide-awake-baby to sleep.  

Seeing that Mason was still awake, I asked Tim if I could try and rock him to sleep (since I had not seen my boy for two days as the night before was a sleep-over night at Grandmie Marge's house). As I settled into the rocking chair an cuddled Mason in his fuzzy blanket, his body relaxed and sank into mine as the chair squeaked with a rhythmic creek. As he became more relaxed,  he finally focused on my face. We locked eyes and I couldn't help but smile. It was truly a heart-warming experience. I couldn't resist

 the temptation to see his whole face, so I pulled his pacifier out of 

his mouth. As I did this, he smiled at me and let out a cute little giggle. Unable to control myself in observing his cuteness, I too, let out a giggle. What was a moment of sentimental bonding quickly turned into a giggle fest as he returned my laughter. I was unable to control myself as Mason's giggle turned into a full-on belly laugh. And if you have heard his laugh (at this stage), you can confirm that it is hard not to reciprocate the hysterics!

After we laughed so much that Mason got the hick-ups, I started to quiet him down in an attempt to have him in a relaxed sleep-state once more. After a few minutes, I was able to finally lay him down in his crib so he could lazily drift off to a slumber. 

I closed the door to his nursery with laughter in my heart and a truly thankful spirit. I am blessed to have such a happy little boy in my life. Tim and I are very appreciative of the blessings we have in a warm, happy, and loving home! We hope this Christmas season brings warmth and laughter into your own homes and hearts. Take a moment to count your blessings and enjoy the true meaning of CHRISTMAS!

Merry Christmas to all of you and your loved ones!

Love,

Jenn, Tim and Mason

Christmas Photos

Liz and I took Mason and Connor to Sears the other day to have Christmas pictures taken. Connor was in a wonderful mood and subsequently, took some REALLY cute photos! Mason ... yeah, not so much. The poor little bugger was tired and it was really hard to get him to smile. Given his mood, I was pleased with the fact the photographer was able to capture a few "smiling" shots of him .... nevertheless ... here are the pics! Enjoy!

Mason and Connor look like little criminals here .... BUSTED!

Mason and Connor on the sled ....

Mason Bubba with his teeth

This is a look he does often, "abuwaaaaaaaa????"

Our smiling little boy ....

Connor is so cute! .......

Cutest little smirk .....

November 2008

November is here and the turkey dinner is near ... Mason has been developing in leaps and bounds ... he is not walking on his own yet, but thoroughly enjoys taking mommy and any other willing participant for a stroll around the living room. 

I don't know if I ever mentioned this, but Mason's eye color changed from blue to hazel back when he was around 10 months old. I wish his eyes stayed  blue because that would have been one trait of mine that he has; the hazel eyes make him more like Tim! If I hadn't carried him, I wouldn't believe he was my kid!!

Mason is saying a few words now. He says: hi, bye bye, dada, mama (only when he feels like it), doggie, kitty, and eyes.  He is working on "up" but he has only said it once. He also claps, waves, and puts his arms up!  

He is in such a fun stage right now. His newest pleasure is riding on the back of my bicycle. We bought a baby bike seat that mounts behind my seat. The seat is pretty much a shell around him and he is strapped in with a five-point harness. Mason LOVES to ride on the bike. He laughs and squeals as the wind tickles his face. I have to admit, he looks pretty cute in his little helmet!

Anyhow, I have taken some pictures that can be viewed at the following link. I will most likely post more pictures after the Thanksgiving holiday.

Have a great turkey day!!

Love,

Jenn

http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLanding.action?c=60cie9o.4u0tq298&x=0&y=p848ec&localeid=en_US

Link to pictures ...

I have included a link to pictures taken in October ... enjoy!!

http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLanding.action?c=60cie9o.5yf5tcus&x=0&y=j6tmqk&localeid=en_US

Working on walking ....

Halloween is here!

Well, today is Halloween and I had to secure a costume for Mason in the 11th hour! The bee costume didn't work out, so I ended up finding an APE costume for Mason on Wednesday night! It is such an appropriate costume for him now with him crawling all over the place! He tolerates the costume relatively well and we even manage to get a few smiles out of him while he is wearing his little suit.

We went to the zoo yesterday with Mason's friend Luke and his Cousin, Connor! All the boys wore their Halloween costumes; Luke was a monkey and Connor was Squirt (from Finding Nemo). The three of them were too cute! They were "in their element" in their animal costumes at the zoo. Mason was able to see some kangaroos, giraffes, emus, a leopard, an ant eater, various reptiles and about four zebra butts! It started to rain while we were there and all the animals started to migrate into their hutches and dens ... the zebra's left their asses hanging out of their shelter so we were able to see some of them! Our admission was free so we were just excited that we were able to see what we did!

Mason is going to go trick-or-treating at the neighbor's houses tonight and then will stay in and help pass out candy. This afternoon, when daddy gets home, we are all going to carve pumpkins in the kitchen. I am sure Mason will enjoy swirling his hands around in the pumpkin goosh once he wakes from his nap.

We hope you all have a very happy and safe Halloween!

Love,

Jenn, Tim and Mason the Ape!

Halloween Crafts!

October has brought much joy to our little family. We started the month with a trip to Apple Hill. We made the mistake of going on a Saturday this year ... the place was packed and most of our time was spent waiting in line to buy our carmel apples. However, Apple Hill is a new tradition for us and we think next year we will try and make it up during the week when it is not so crowded.

Mason got to turn his car seat forward this month (well, at least 

the seat in the Tundra - he is still too short to turn forward the 

seat in the Carolla). He really doesn't seem to care all that much now that he is riding forward ... like no big deal! At least he didn't have any adverse reaction to turning forward (like car sickness, etc). He is becoming such a big boy!!!

Mason also had his ONE YEAR well-baby doctor appointment this month. He had five shots and was NOT a happy camper. His round of shots followed with three days of a low-grade fever (101.9) and a little-to non-existent appetite. Needless to say, Tim and I were very excited to have our little boy back when he started to feel better. Mason is in good health. He is in the 60th percentile for height, the 90th percentile for head circumference, and only the 20th percentile for weight. Tim and I are working to get more food down the boy's throat. He is a pretty good eater and we have been

 pretty diligent about NOT feeding him crap food. I work hard to make sure he has balanced meals each day. Come to find out, we probably need to get a little more fat in his diet! He has switched to Vitamin D cow's milk ... so that should help with the calories!

Today we got together with friends and decorated pumpkins for Halloween. Mason took part in his very first art project!! He was really funny with the paintbrush ... by the time we finished, he had paint up his nose, in his ear and I believe I just stopped him short of having it in his mouth! I am so proud of his pumpkin that it is sitting on our kitchen table where it can properly showcase his artistic talent! 

I am still unsure what Mason is going to be

for Halloween. My mom was going to make his Halloween costume but time got short and it didn't work out. He may be a bee, or a penguin (Gramie Margie was eye-balling a penguin costume at BabiesRUs) ... but I won't know for sure until next week. We are going to go to the zoo next Thursday with play group and everyone is supposed to wear their Halloween costumes :) I will be sure to post pictures of whatever he ends up being!

I hope this finds you all well!

Love,

Jenn, Tim and Mason

ONE YEAR!!

On September 19th, Mason turned one year old! It amazes me to look at my baby and think that one year ago he was just coming into our world. Our little family has been transformed in the most beautiful way. Words can't express the joy and fulfillment that Mason has brought to Tim and me. Yes, the joy and fulfillment is laced with frustration, sleepless nights, worry, and sometimes fear - but the journey is well worth the rewards.

The Friday of his birthday, Mason and I relaxed and played the day away. His friends at daycare threw him a little party and we brought yummie cupcakes for all the little ones to enjoy. Mason even had a little of my cupcake. Mason's big one-year birthday party was the next day, on Saturday.

We were able to have the party at my parent's house (thank goodness) and were able to enjoy the company of 50+ family members and friends. It was wonderful to share that time with people who have loved and supported us throughout the past year's journey. Mason had a great time at his bash. He enjoyed his birthday cake and I considered myself lucky that he didn't fall asleep in his high chair before his cake was served. We had a pinata that entertained all the

 little ones (as well as the little ones disguised in adult-sized bodies) .....

 you can check out pictures from the party (and the last month of September) at the following link: 

http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=60cie9o.5lgq1bsk&x=0&y=dvy4go&localeid=en_US

Mason is crawling all over the place now ... and he's pretty fast, too. He isn't walking yet and doesn't really show any signs of being too interested. He does, however, pull himself up on objects and balances himself pretty well ...

....He has four teeth and I believe that it won't be too long before we see two more come through. He has his one year well-baby appointment coming up later in October, I plan on posting stats, etc. after the appointment.

Well, a year has come to a close. I thank all of you in being a part

 of my blog-journey. Although I am going to continue posting now and again with pictures and videos, I probably won't be sending out e-mail notifications about updates ... so if you ever want to check-in and see what we are up to, visit our little site!

I hope this finds you all doing well!

With Love,

Jenn, Tim and Mason 

 

Making Progress ....

So it has been about a month since I have posted ..... Mason is making progress in his milestones. He is now crawling and has finally started to improve in his self-feeding.

We took him out on the boat for the first time at the end of July. He didn't have a horrible time, but it was a little difficult for him because it was too hot. I managed to keep sand out of most of his

crevasses, but the water was too cold for him (by his own account - he started to cry when we dipped his toes in). By the end of the day, he was a little on the grumpy side because he refused to nap while on the beach. I took him home in the early afternoon and he was asleep in his car seat before we made it to the freeway! I think we will probably wait to take him out on the river until next summer when he is walking. It was pretty cute to see him in his little swim trunks and life vest (although he kind of looked like a tick about ready to pop in that life vest)....

Within the last week, Mason has really started to take off in his crawling. Before, he would go a few feet and then sit on his butt ... then go a few feet again, and sit on his butt ... he would motate all around the room in this fashion. Now, he looks a little more coordinated and crawls like a typical baby. He is starting to explore in pulling himself up on various pieces of furniture, but he is not yet totally confident in that skill.

My brother and his family came out to California to surprise my mom for her birthday (August 12th) and her retirement (August 15th). Mason had a great time playing with his cousins, Rudy and Ella. Rudy is a little further along than Mason with his crawling skills, so I think it was useful for Mason to observe the "pro." Mason talks more than Rudy and Emily (my brother's wife) was hopeful that Rudy would pick-up some of Mason's talkativeness ..... It was a great time

while they were out here. Rudy and Mason are only two weeks apart so it is very entertaining to see them interact.

Mason and Rudy both visited Jon Kalbach's Salon and Day Spa for their first hair cuts ever! My brother did a great job in using the clippers to "buzz" the boys. He kept threatening to give Mason a "high and tight" cut like him (since he is in the Navy). The boys both did great ... at first. After a while, the hair would fall down on their face and they would start to get grumpy. Overall, they did a great job and didn't put up too much of a fight. Honestly, I am glad to be rid of Mason's bowl-cut! For all of you out there that claim my baby doesn't cry (Kelly and Chris, ahem!) ... there is PROOF in the attached pictures!

Anyhow, we are encroaching on Mason's first birthday! He will be turning one on September 19th! I can't believe a year has already passed! I will surely post in the coming weeks to capture the coming days!

Additional pictures can be viewed at:

http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=60cie9o.43259by0&x=0&y=-tmb4wn&localeid=en_US

I hope all is well!

Love,

Jenn, Tim, and Mason

The end of an era ....

Mason is almost 10 months (around the 19th of this month) and has pretty much stopped nursing. I never thought I would have grown so attached to nursing him. When I first became pregnant, I knew I wanted to nurse but had decided that I wasn't going to be "hard core" about the process. I told myself that I was going to do my best to keep it up and wasn't going to give up when encountering all the associated discomforts (cracked nerples, mastitis, clogged ducts, leakage, tenderness, and the list goes on and on and on and on ...). I know many people have various opinions about nursing how's, what's, where's, etc .... but after going through the process with Mason, I say BE PROUD SISTA' for all the nursing moms out there! It is harder than one things to put a boob in a baby's mouth; people just don't understand the dedication it takes unless one goes through it, tries to go through it, or is very closely associated with the process (sorry dads, closer than trying to get a squirt in your coffee).  

In actuality, nursing was a time during each day that Mason and I bonded, kanoodeled and were 

totally about each other and no one else. Although I am sad for this time to end, it doesn't feel as traumatic as I thought it would be. Over the last month or so, Bubas has gradually decreased the number of times he nurses each day down to one. Thankfully for me, he didn't go "cold turkey" like some other babies I know of. I am very grateful for the 10 months we were able to continue the nursing regime and am thankful that I was able to experience the closeness and bonding associated with nursing my baby. 

Ok, enough of the boob talk ... I am sure half the guys reading this have already puked in the garbage can .....

On another note, Mason is SOOO close to crawling. He is still scooting backwards, but is now up on all fours and is rocking back and forth. I anticipate him beginning any day now. I guess it is time to think about baby-proofing the house!

Although Mason has symptoms of teething, he has yet to cut any actual teeth. My family is full of late teethers, so I pretty much have expected that Mason will sprout teeth late, too. Actually, he is a late bird on pretty much everything ... rolling over, crawling, teething, holding his own bottle, self feeding ... he is just a lazy kid, what can I say?!? Well, lazy or not he is my little Bubas and I LOOOOOVVVVEEE him sooooooo much!

We had a nice 4th this year, with the exception of Mason's choking incident. Bubas choked on a piece of watermelon and scared the shit out of me! I was able to dislodge the food and thankfully, he recovered soon and was back to finishing his scrumptious meal (he only choked

 for approximately 5 seconds). The incident re-affirmed my desire to take a child/infant CPR and First Aid class. The rest of the night ended well; Mason was in bed before the fireworks show started and he snored through the whole thing. Being in Orangevale, a couple of our neighbors were setting of HUGE boomer illegal fireworks. You would have though World War III was starting ... did Bubas wake up??? nope! 

Well, as always, I hope this finds each of you doing well! I have posted video and a few pictures from the past couple of weeks. Enjoy!

The pictures above are of 1) Mason with wild-man hair; 2) Ian and Michelle helping give Mason and bath; and 3) of Grandmie Marge playing with Connor ....

Love,

Jenn, Tim, Mason, and the animals ......

Just pictures and video

 

The "Magnum"  -->

Well, not too much has happened since my last post. Tim had his first Father's day ... it was pretty nice and Mason behaved himself that day :) I just have posted pictures and a few videos taken lately.                                         

You can view the pictures at the following link: 

p://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=60cie9o.7a8yqknk&x=0&y=w51q4k&localeid=en_US

Videos are below .....                                                                  

Enjoy!   - Jenn, Tim and Mason       

backwards creep    

 crib hysteria

lotion after bath time .....

   Man grunts .......

 

Mason's first soccer ball ... that Nahla popped two hours later :(

 big boy playing the drums ...

 mommy's favorite ... blowing raspberries!!

A long time ...

It has been a long time since I last posted and a lot has happened! 

Mason is doing well ... he has his very FIRST cold right now. This morning he started coughing and has a super runny nose. I was able to use the wonderful nose-suckie for the first time. Yeah, Mason didn't think it was so wonderful. He is still relatively happy given the fact that he isn't feeling top-notch.

We are still waiting to see teeth ... he has gone through fussy days

, low-grade fevers, drooling, and gnawing on his pacifier, but has yet to cut teeth. Many of the babies on my side of the family are late tethers. My niece, Ella, didn't have her first tooth until after she was a year old! We can, however, see the outline of teeth in his gums on the bottom side of his mouth!

Mason still doesn't roll over often, but he has started to creep around while on his belly. He will roll over if he gets tired of being on his belly or if he is trying to reach for a toy while on his back. However, he is inherently lazy and just doesn't feel the need to move around 

that often! Another thing that is peculiar about our little Peanut is that he doesn't put things in his mouth! Yes, I checked and he is a baby ... yes, I know babies are supposed to put things in their mouth ... but he just WON'T!  It is making the process of teaching him to self-feed pretty difficult. Instead of holding his sippie cup, he will lean towards it and thrust his tongue at it ... as if saying, "mom, I am thirsty ... c'mon!" He'll get the hang of it someday ..... in the 

meantime, patience is the name of the game!

In other news, my brother and his family are visiting now. Rudy and Mason are having a good time playing together. We were able to make a trip up to Chico today for my Grandpa Jim's 93rd birthday celebration! It was a very special time to have all great grand kids bond with their great grandparents. We couldn't have asked for a better day to spend with family.

As always, I have attached a link with pictures from the last month. Unfortunately, I lost some pictures as my hard drive crashed and everything was lost. Fortunately, I didn't loose ALL my pictures as I have been putting them on Kodak gallery to showcase for the blog!

http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=60cie9o.7n9601y8&x=0&y=xrm8jh&localeid=en_US

Anyhow, I hope this finds you all doing well. I will try not to wait too long before I post again!

Ciao,

Jenn, Tim, and Mason