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