yawn!

Everyone who is a parent is faced with reality that children and sleep deprivation go hand in hand! Tim and I have been blessed in that Mason has been sleeping through the night (consistently) for a little while. When I mention "sleeping through the night," I of course mean somewhere in the ballpark of 10:30pm to 5:30am. The childless would not consider that amount of time a "full night's sleep" - Lord knows I didn't consider anything less than 8 hours a full night's sleep before Mason!! However, when an infant/youngin' is involved, most parents would cut off their right arm for those precious hours!

Just as Tim and I were settling into Mason's new sleep schedule, he hauls off and refuses to sleep well for the past two nights! I felt like the walking dead yesterday as Mason was up and cried until 1:30am on Tuesday night! Oy-vey! It was the hardest thing I ever had to do - for the first time, we let him "cry it out." I thought I was going to start crying with him! It was the hardest thing to look at him in his crib and to tell him "you're OK" while he was looking at me and the tears were rolling off his cheeks! It was so unlike him to cry like that, that I couldn't help but wonder if he was in pain or was scared! I hate not being able to communicate with him! I feel a renewed inspiration to begin signing with Mason.

The weekend before last, Mason, Grandma Kalbach and myself went up to Chico to visit with Mason's great grandparents (my Grandpa Jim and Grandma Rita). It was the first occasion on which my Grandpa Jim held Mason. It was truly fantastic to see the generations represented at our gathering. I feel very grateful to have such a wonderful family and I am happy that my Grandpa was able to hold our little pork chop!

This past weekend we went to Lake Tahoe. Yes, we braved the winter storm and enjoyed a cabin weekend consisting of fuzzy socks, sweat pants, a warm fire, games, wine and good company. The weekend presented Mason's first exposure to the snow and featured a couple of crude (anatomically correct) snow people in the front yard. We had a blast!

Tim is nearing the end of wrestling season. He has State finals this weekend in Bakersfield (one of the State's most beautiful cities - yeah right!!). After this weekend, I will have my husband back! I am pretty excited for Tim to be able to spend more time with Mason.

I have attached pictures of our most recent intrigues .... you can view them at the following link: http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=60cie9o.3wdewgeo&x=0&y=-hpzvad

I hope this finds you all doing well!!

Love,

Jenn

blessed with my baby

I often recognize and give thanks for how blessed I am. Tonight, I happened to watch Mason sleep for a prolonged period of time. There is a miracle in each breath he takes and I feel overwhelmed with love just watching him. I can't begin to express the feelings I embody now that I am a parent! 

I went back and read through some of my older posts tonight. It is truly amazing how fast Mason has grown. It doesn't seem that long ago that I was posting my pregnancy experiences - now I use this little page to showcase my little pork chop!  

Thank you all for being a part of this experience with me!

(I was just feeling quite sentimental and too tired to be logical and refrain from posting my sentiments! )

Time to go to bed now ......

Ouch!! part II

Mason went to the doctor the other day for his 4 month well-baby check-up. He did very well despite recieving his second round of innoculations. He is a wopping 16.8 pounds and is in the the 74th percentile for weight, the 72nd percentile for height, and the 93rd percentile for head circumphrance! Tim thinks his head is large because he is going to be so smart!! Honestly, his head looks just fine - you can't really tell it is an orange on a toothpick! Mason was pretty fussy for two days after his shots, but he is back to normal now!

On a WONDERFUL note, Mason has consistently slept through the night for the past 12 days or so. Tim and I are both hopeful this trend will last. It is very nice that he is sleeping longer now that I am working!

Mason is still working on the rolling over business. He is ALMOST there! He has started grabbing his feet while he lays on his back ... its pretty cute. The other day while on the changing table, he hauled off and let out a big ol' fart while grabbing his feet. His daddy would have been SOOOO proud of his boy had he been there to witness his little musical toot. Mason definitely fits into the family when it comes to passing gas ... he is so very stinky that it practically burns the hair out of my nose when he farts!

Anyhow, all is well in our little household! Mason continues to amaze us on a daily basis and we feel incredibly blessed to have him!

We hope this finds you well!

Love,

Jenn, Tim, Mason, Nahla, Fez and Bells

teeth!

I can't believe how fast our little pork chop is growing! He has started teething!! He is a little drool-monkey and soaks through at least two bibs each day. He has been fussy and restless a couple of nights (waking every three hours much to my disdain), but has overall been happy. In my last post, I indicated that Mason was suffering from a cold when it was actually the beginning of his teething .... he doesn't really have a tooth, but rather a "bud" in his gums ... nevertheless, he still drools all over the place ... its a good thing he is cute!

I started back at work last week (temporarily). I have enjoyed my immersion back into the work place and have been glad to see and talk to my co-workers and customers. Adult conversation is always appreciated after spending prolonged periods of time with a little one....I believe working part time will be a good arrangement for me as it will help keep my brain sharp! I will miss my work as I have grown fond of my friends in my work environment.

The one good thing about going back to work is that it makes me more grateful for the time I have at home with Mason. Either way I slice the cheese, I am able to spend at least every other day with my little man .... so if I am having a trying time, I can revel in the fact that I will spend all of the following day with him! I have been fortunate in that I have had no mental melt downs and have had no problem pumping at work ...

Tim and I are incredibly lucky for our child care arrangements while I am back at work. Marge (Tim's mom) watches Mason on Monday, we have an in-home day care that takes him on Wednesday, and my mother watches him on Friday. We also have Liz (my sister-in-law) on babysitter standby in case one of the current sitters has a conflict. I am hopeful that once my stint at County Bank is over, that I will be able to find work that compliments my ogh-so-fabulous care arrangements!

Ogh yeah! I almost forgot to mention that Mason is ALMOST able to roll over!!! He rolls on to his side, but his arm is getting in the way of his completely rolling over. Honestly, I am grateful for the inhibiting arm - I don't think I am ready for him to already be at that stage! The little fart will be crawling before we know it! His neck is getting quite strong and he was able to spend some time in his Bumbo chair (rubber chair that helps infants learn to sit upright) the other day.

Anyhow, I have a few pictures and some video .... you can view pictures at the following link:

http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=60cie9o.aasex2ug&x=0&y=-te0jfu

I hope you all are doing well!

Love,

Jenn, Tim, Mason, Nahla, Fez, and Hells-Bells ......

videos

Mason's First Christmas

Ho Ho Ho! Well Mason's first Christmas has come and gone and it was a blast!! We enjoyed the company of family and friends and reveled in the music, card playing, and food consumption associated with the season. Mason made out like a bandit and is going to be the most stylin' little stud ever with the cute little clothes he scored! We went up to Chico the weekend before Christmas and spent some time with Mason's great grandparents, aunts and uncles. He was quite the little center of attention as he is the youngest little one on that side of the family. He was such a good little baby and did quite well although in a foreign house with game trophy heads mounted on all the walls! (The party was at Mason's great Uncle Jim's house - Great Uncle Jim is an avid hunter and recently mounted the head of a Cape Buffalo in his living room.)

The newest issue in our little family is my return to work. I attempted to obtain a temporary part-time schedule with my bank (with the intention of returning to full time work in March) but they were unable to make the accommodation I was looking for. They offered me a somewhat reduced schedule (per my request). However, the management position I hold with them is really a full time position and will never be able to accommodate part time hours. Tim and I sat down and had a heart-to-heart to talk about what type of work situation I wanted ... and we decided that it was dooable for me to work part time and I , therefore, gave my notice to the bank. We figured this would be a perfect time for me to transition into the paralegal field. I will, however, be working for them three days a week until they find my replacement or until I find other employment. I didn't want to leave them in a lurch so I offered to help them out ... I believe it is a good arrangement for both parties ... they have help until they find someone else, and I have income until I find something else! Its a win win situation!

Anyhow, I have included a link to some pictures (you may need to copy and paste into your browser) : http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=60cie9o.cdnjqt88&x=0&y=-w4zcd4 and
http://mystudio.kiddiekandids.com/viewshare.asp?c=602005074NUA7YW4R

Mason is starting to giggle more frequently and is smiling all the time. Our favorite is when he smiles while he has his pacifier in his mouth ... you can see the smile in his eyes. He is over 15 lbs and has a doctor's appointment in the coming weeks to receive his next round of shots. He currently has a little cold that is making him a little fussy and is preventing him from sleeping as well at night. Other than that, he is peachy keen!!

Anyhow, I hope this finds you all doing well!

Jenn

muffin top ....

Today was a major milestone ... I fit into my pre-pregnancy fat pants! Yes, I have a muffin top that would make any baker proud, but I fit into the pants darn-it!! Although I would never normally condone wearing pants where my belly pours over the waistband, I am going to wear these jeans for the rest of the day .... even if they make my eyeballs pop out a little!

Yesterday I chopped my hair off! It is short short short and it is taking a little getting used to! For those of you who have known me for a long time, I used to have this cut in my early college years. I am happy to be rid of the constant ponytail! It is very quick and easy to style!

Mason is doing great! He is already in size 3 diapers! He loves to splash in the bath and he is beginning to giggle and laugh more ....he is just getting so BIG! Har har, I just heard him fart from the other room ... Tim would be so proud!

Anyhow, I hope this finds each of you having a wonderful Holiday season!

Hugs,

Jenn