The Baby Luc

One Year

2009-09-03T08:03:00.003-04:00

I am not quite done with the Dear Mason post, so if you have some time, take a looky at the last year in photos.

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Dear Mason - One Year

2009-09-02T17:00:00.000-04:00

One Year

Dear Mason,

Where do I even begin? I have been thinking about writing this post for what seems like forever but alas, I still cannot come up with the appropriate words. What can I possibly say about you that I haven't said before? You should know everything by now. You should know how much I love you, my lingering guilt over the first couple months of your life, how you are the love of my life, my sunshine, my rain, my heart.

Your personality is still the same. You are a ball of fire and a breath of fresh air all at the same time. You melt not only my heart, but everyone else's around you. You are wonderful, beautiful and every other adjective that could possibly describe LOVE and BEAUTY. I read over all of the Dear Mason posts. Every single one of them. It is amazing to see the transformation in you and in myself. You changed who I am and I will never be that same. You made me a mother.

Even when you push me away and bite and scratch and pull my hair in frustration, I am still bursting with love. Even when I call you a "little shit" or yell "no no no no no NO!" for a straight hour my insides are melting with love.You are the only thing in my life that is absolutely perfect in every way. And this is what I want to tell you: Your life will not be perfect. Your relationships, dreams, marriage, house, car, bank account, family, etc etc...they will never be exactly like you imagined them. Do not let this take you under. Do not even for one second dwell on any of it. Please be happy. Be the best person you can be. Be yourself and speak your mind. Put 110% into everything you do, even if it is someone else's 10%. That's all I will ever ask of you. I just want you to be you because that is the most important thing you can be. I will always be your mother and you will always be my Mason. No matter what.
This is officially the last post here. Head on over to my new blog for a good time.

Whirlwind

2009-09-01T19:02:00.004-04:00

Lesson 13 - BUSY

Adding people to your family, especially little people only makes your life busier, people. I could have sworn that SOMEWHERE SOMEONE must have told me it makes life slow down.

No?

Really?

We have been so busy lately with all the football drafts, friends, friends sprouting multiple babies at once, working, getting ready for the BIG birthday. ::Shock:: my baby is only going to be a baby for one more day. One more day! Then he officially enters toddlerhood. I have a toddler. My God, who let this happen? We took one year photos today with cake and all and it was soooo difficult for a couple reasons. First, he crawls. Everywhere. You cannot stop him. He wants his truck, not the stuffed football. Damnit. Then the cake. Oh the cake. Whoever started this ridiculously cute trend must be found and hugged. And then shot. I will of course be including the results (the not so wonderful results, but whatevs) in his Dear Mason post.

To end, look at some cute twins. Oh my gosh. They smelled like roses and candy and yumyumyum. My uterus moved a little when I held them. Then I smacked myself and told myself to, "Get it together, lady".

They want S'mores!

2009-08-29T08:44:00.001-04:00

I will be blogging over at Learning Two Reed today because THE TWINS ARE COMING!!!

A Teaser

2009-08-28T13:10:00.004-04:00

Lesson 12 - What spinach? I think a lot of moms will agree with me in saying that the health and nutrition of your child is probably THE most important thing in the first year. You are pretty much setting the standard for the rest of their life. I would much rather get him used to eating healthy things now than arguing with him about eating the good stuff later.
Mealtime has definitely been a challenge lately since my GREAT eater off all things pureed has turned into a picky eater. Enter Jessica Seinfeld's Deceptively Delicious. Works like a freaking charm. I am finding new ways to hide veggies in EVERYTHING. This even makes life easier for me because I prepare the purees ahead of time, freeze and then mix into whatever I am making.

Look for recipes, stories and outcomes on the new blog coming soon! Sorry to be a tease but I am SUPER busy this week!!

Conspiracy Theory

2009-08-24T11:42:00.003-04:00

Lesson 11 - Save your money.

Babies totally don't care about toys that were actually made for them. Okay, sometimes they do, but most of the time? Most of the time they think that every day items are waaaay better. Take the remote for example. Do you think Mason plays with his Elmo remote? Hells no. He would much rather change the channel and mess up our input settings on the regular remotes. Paper bags? HOURS of entertainment. Keys, water bottles, trash cans, coasters, cell phones, nail files, etc etc etc.

I have a theory. What if we played with all of their baby toys from the beginning and ignored our everyday "toys"? Would they think that their toys were cool again? I mean, I don't know about you but I get down right giddy in the toy aisles at Target and Toys R Us. There are so many cool toys out there for kids. Maybe that's the point. Maybe the toy manufacturers are onto something. Maybe they are making the toys for the parents. Maybe I need to take my medication now.

The non-bubble baby.

2009-08-21T11:32:00.004-04:00

Lesson 10 - As I told my friend Jessica, babies bounce.

I think the first time was when Mason was VERY young. Like, still carrying him like a baby young. I slipped on the stairs and almost dropped him, but he was saved from hitting the ground...that time. The next time was when he started rolling. You know how when your baby gets to THAT age and every time you go to the doctor for a well check-up she says, "Make sure you don't leave him alone on the changing table, he might roll off."? It was somewhere around there. I turned to get a onesie out of his closet and like a dream, slow motion rolling happened. I caught him mid air, but I still think he tasted a little bit of the ground.

We had a break for a while, minus all of the "learning to sit" toppling with little bumped heads here and there. Next up was Mason vs. the stairs. Twice. One incident you all witnessed in the chicken abuse video, the next was a mere two weeks later when Mason decided to climb up three stairs and practice standing by himself. You can imagine the outcome of that one. Let's see, ah yes, next was what we lovingly refer to as "The Bed Dive". Every morning, we bring Mason into bed with us while we work on getting our eyes to stay open for the day. Usually, Mason can see the foot board of the bed, but today it was covered by our comforter. Which happens to be silk. Awesomeness. On this particular day, Mason crawled to the end of the bed and kept on going. All I saw were legs straight up in the air.

Most recently, like this morning, stupid me forgot to fasten the straps on my dear Maclaren stroller. We were browsing in a book store and Mason evidently wanted to check out a book on the nearest shelf he could reach. He fell right out of the stroller, head first onto the ground. He now has a lovely carpet burn on his forehead. After I showed him a nearby stuffed elephant he was completely fine.

Luckily, we haven't had any serious injuries yet. Most of the time, he is watched very closely. As many of you moms know, you cannot be everywhere at once and sometimes things happen. Not even the best babyproofers are completely, well, babyproofed. Do not beat yourself up over it. Shit happens and it will continue to happen. Maybe worse! Maybe you will have to go to the emergency room a time or two. Everyone does. Who wants a bubble baby?

Lesson 9- Babies are funny.

2009-08-18T11:09:00.001-04:00

Asleep While Eating...Again. from Tiffany Luc on Vimeo.

The BEST skill.

2009-08-14T09:27:00.002-04:00

Lesson 8 - Put down the Windex

Since I suffered from some MAJOR anxiety in the beginning, I felt like my house was in shambles at all times. And it was. Okay, maybe not shambles, but definitely not up to our standards. What I didn't, couldn't realize was that HI! You just had a baby. No, really. You were just in labor for 30 hours before it was decided that you had a "special" pelvis and couldn't deliver a baby. Oh, and guess what else? You haven't slept in EIGHTYBAZILLION years. Chill, lady.
Any time Mason was sleeping, or someone else was holding him, it took everything in me to not jump up and clean. A lot of times I couldn't fight the urge and would clean, forgoing showers, meals and sleep to clean my stupid house. Seriously, how stupid is that?
If there is one "Lesson" you pay attention to and take any little morsel of advice from, let this be it. Step away from the duster. People will understand. Or better yet, have someone else clean for you for a little while - or at least until you get your sanity and clean hair back. You are not a bad mother or wife for doing this.
Who wants to spend any of the "free" time that you get (and it is very little) cleaning, eating, showering, or doing any of the other everyday things that we all must do? How fulfilling is that? The best mothering skill I learned was how to take a shower with Mason watching in his bouncy seat, or clean the house with him happily riding in his carrier on my back, or eating with one hand - or better yet, handing him off to Paul or someone else.
Spend the precious moments while the baby is sleeping by READING, watching TV, napping, grocery shopping, writing a blog - whatever butters your muffin. I cannot stress how much this improved my mood and level of happiness. This doesn't go on forever. I now shower while Mason plays with a laundry basket. I clean while he chases the vacuum. He eats when we eat (and feeds himself!). And when he naps? I surf the Internet, watch DVR'd shows and sometimes !gasp! nap.
My house is clean, my hair is clean and everyone is happy.

Does this make any sense at all?

2009-08-13T08:40:00.004-04:00

Lesson 7 (I think) - You just wait.

Ah. The dreaded three word phrase of parenting and one-uppers. Your kid won't sleep through the night? You just wait - my kid is 7 years old and still not sleeping through the night. Baby refuses to take a nap? Oh honey, you just wait - they never want to take naps until they are teenagers, then they never want to wake up. Not sleeping well because you are nine months pregnant and the baby is sitting on your sciatic nerve? You just wait until the baby is actually here! YOU JUST WAIT!

What am I waiting for, exactly, oh mother-of-doom/debbie downer? Really, I hate this phrase. It may be a little more than hate. There is something inside of you as a parent that kind of clicks once you have a child. You want to warn everyone that OMG YOU HAVE IT SOOOOO MUCH WORSE. Paul and I have done it before - not so much anymore but definitely in the beginning when we were all "NO MORE BABIES!" and "THIS BLOWS THE BIG ONE WHAT WERE WE THINKING?" because we were not sleeping and totally delirious and where is the Ambien/can we still give him back to the hospital? We did this particularly when a friend or family member announced that they were pregnant. How awesome are we?

So there it is. My diagnosis of why parents feel the need to use scare tactics on each other. We are not trying to make you feel better, because if we were, we would say something like: "Baby isn't sleeping through the night yet? It does get better." Even then, that phrase used to annoy the hell out of me. No, my friends, we are trying to make US feel better. Just another reason why we should all shut the hell up and smile and coo over how extremely cute your new baby is. But I write a blog, so I guess I am constantly putting "it" out there.

To sum it all up. God, I hate that phrase, but it's use it inevitable. And since you made it through this rambling/does not make sense at all post (I love BACKSLASHES today) ////////////// look! A cute, snot covered baby!

2

2009-08-11T08:35:00.008-04:00

Lesson 6 - A little diddy about birth control.

There once was a young couple in love. One day, two years ago, they got married. They knew they wanted children but were not sure when. They decided it was okay if she went off of birth control because it would take a while for it to clear out of her system....right?

Well, two years later, they now have an 11 month old.

What is the moral of the story here kids? The moral is that fate is real. Happiness is real. Love is real and it cannot be stopped. Not even by pumping your body full of hormones for 10 years.

Happy 2nd Anniversary lovie. I love you more and more every second. Even when you agree that it is probably okay to stop birth control. You are supposed to be the smart one in this relationship. Kidding. Thank you for my beautiful son - he is our love brought to life for everyone to see.

A whole different language.

2009-08-10T08:45:00.002-04:00

Lesson 5 - Language Explosion

Okay, maybe not a lesson...but I am sure I can spin it as one. I just really wanted to share this with all of you. Over the last week, Mason has really started "talking", or trying to anyways. He has always been a chatterbox, but none of it really made sense to us. Recently he started saying the following:

-bye-bye
-kitty
-cow
-dog
-dada (this one has been going on for a while, but he gets who he is talking about now HUGE difference)
-mama (same as above)
-"nana" means he wants food...just figured that one out
-papa
-baba & all of the other ones like that.

Here's my spin:

Dear Tiff and Paul,

Stop using bad words in front of your child NOW before he starts riding around the local big box hardware store and saying "fuckfuckfuck" when you ask him how the ducky goes.

Sincerely,

Your Conscience

Golden Books are always too long for bedtime.

2009-08-07T09:00:00.001-04:00

Lesson 4: Lying is okay.

While reading Mason his bedtime story...

Paul: Let's read the Pokey Little Puppy.
Me: That's a long one.
Paul: Well, he's not grabbing the pages of the book yet, maybe we'll make it through.
Me: ::snark snark snark silently to self::
Paul: "Once upon a time, there were five little puppies...."
Me: ::yawn::
(Mason starts grabbing the book on the second page and tries to close it)
Paul: (after struggling for two pages to wrestle the book away from Mason and continue reading, but only getting to page 4 of 80 bagillion) "...and they all ran down the hill. The End."
Me: And out into the road where they got hit by a truck. Mason, never run out into the road. That was the best story ever.

It's a sickness.

2009-08-06T08:36:00.001-04:00

Lesson 3: YAY BOOGERS

The strangest thing happens once you have a baby: you become obsessed with everything that oozes out of their tiny little body. I actually get excited when Mason wakes up with crusty boogs in his nose. I love them. He hates when I try to pick them out. It is totally disgusting and twisted, but I cannot help myself.

Do you see it? Do you see the booger?!

The poop. Oh the poop. In the beginning, it is all "what color is it?", "is it seedy?", "Awww honey look! Meconium!". Breastmilk poops are the FUNNEST. They are runny, gross, but surprisingly don't smell. After that, once I switched to formula, NASTY CITY. Smelly, smelly, smelly poop. And solids? Don't even get me started! Sometimes there is a thick, black fog of poo-smells that creeps under the nursery door and straight up into my nose, burning every tiny hair in sight.

I never thought I would be one of those moms who licks her thumb and cleans her child's face. OH I am. Especially if there are crusty boogers involved. Gagging while you read this? You just wait! (stay tuned for a lesson on that very phrase: YOU JUST WAIT!)

Don't look the crazy person directly in the eyes.

2009-08-05T09:00:00.001-04:00

Lesson 2: Be careful what you say.

I don't know how well I hid 'the crazy' at the beginning. Some people probably brushed it off as new mom baby blues, or new mom anxiety, tiredness, bitchiness, or whatever. Some people probably knew, but didn't know what to say. I don't even think I fully knew what was going on for a while.

I do know one thing though: When you are dealing with post-partum depression/anxiety issues, the tiniest things can set you off. I felt like I was constantly being judged. I felt like I wasn't good enough. I felt like a horrible mother. I could go on and on. There were people who are very close to me that I felt were hurting me with their words and actions on purpose. They might have meant it, they might not have - I don't know, nor does it really matter now. I know now that it is very important to watch what you say to new mothers. They are doing their best. Let them do what they want to do. Keep your mouth shut no matter how bad you want to open it. They might be dealing with a monster inside of them, don't fuel the fire.

Countdown to the big day.

2009-08-04T09:00:00.002-04:00

I have learned so much this past (almost) year about more than just motherhood - but mostly motherhood. In celebration of the upcoming completion of my first year of motherhood, and surviving a completely new life, I want to share the lessons I have learned - one at a time - as a countdown of sorts until Mason's first birthday. Enjoy.

Lesson 1 - The term "sleeping like a baby" is complete shit.

You will never sleep like you did as a teen again. In the beginning, Mason was up every two hours to eat, took an hour to eat, leaving me an hour to eat, shower, nap, clean, change his diaper, whatever. I have never felt tired like I did in the beginning. This lasted about 3 months (not so much the two hour thing, but just about) and then it started to get better. He started sleeping more, and eventually I got used to it, then after that he started sleeping all night. I forget when this was exactly - I would have to look it up (look for the lesson on "momnesia" soon). We got about a month of peaceful., fulfilling rest - or as close to it as you can imagine, because do you know what catheters do to you? Trust me, just because there is no baby jumping up and down on your bladder anymore DOES NOT mean you won't be getting up to pee during the night. Or hearing the baby. Was that the baby? No? I could have sworn I heard the baby.

Then teething hits...and possible nightmares....headaches?.....separation anxiety....crawling....standing....FUN FUN FUN. He still wakes up sometimes. Sometimes he doesn't. It's a crap shoot. But think about it: do you sleep EVERY night, through the night, without waking up? Hells no. You are an adult though. You aren't scared. Truth is, when Mason goes to college, moves out of the house, and I no longer have to worry about him - maybe I will get some sleep. Maybe I won't. That's only like, what, 17 years away?

Dear Mason - 11 Months

2009-08-03T08:13:00.006-04:00

11 Months

Dear Mason,

::shock::..........::awe::..............::speechless::...............::uhm::.............HOLY SHIT!

It was this past month where you really started to look like a toddler and less of a baby. I know I have said this before, and I might say it again - but wow. Just wow. Where did my little homebody go? You know, the baby that would scream and cry the ENTIRE time we were out of the house? Not that I miss him, but this new little guy - the one that enjoys every.single.minute of being out of the house - he's great. Or how about the little boy that quietly sits in his playroom and flips through books and plays with trucks? What a GREAT baby. I'm extremely lucky - I know this.

You have recently started to stand all by yourself. I have not yet witnessed this, and sometimes think your dad is lying, but it's pretty cool either way. You run to us, well, SUPER crawl towards us whenever you spot us, with a HUGE rat teeth smile and climb up our legs and throw yourself onto us. What a wonderful feeling. You have also started biting. That shit hurts. You usually only bite me or your dad - love bites, perhaps? We are constantly asking you how a doggy goes and you reply with a form of "woof, woof" which usually sounds more like "wooo, wooo". Or the monkey "oooh oooh ooooh" and our next venture: the cow. You are so smart.

Your new favorite game is called PUSH. PUSH the toys across the room. PUSH the water bottle across the room. PUSH anything you can find. You study everything, which concerns me since your father is an engineer. Engineers are dorks buddy. Artists and left-brains are way cooler. You have also started giving THE BEST HUGS EVER omg. We have also officially entered the clingy phase - not so bad, except when one just wants to poop in peace.

I guess I am just awestruck with the speed of your little life so far. And your intelligence and personality. I am so proud. I am so happy. I am so full of love. You make me smile, cry, laugh, learn and be thankful for you. I am finally starting to realize that all of the work, pain and tears in the beginning are paying off. I am being rewarded - and I feel like the richest person on earth.

Moving on...soon!

2009-07-27T21:04:00.003-04:00

I want to thank everyone that voted on my little poll - I am glad there are actually real people out there who are reading this and care to read more (even if you are all family and fallens) AND even if you all don't AHEM comment all the time.

I am going to go on. I promise. BUT I am happy to announce that on Mason's first birthday, I will be moving on...to another link, a new look, a new name and some new content. I will explain more later, but I will say that you need to check out this blog, because it is one of my best friends and also the wife of the brilliant person who keeps coming up with some sweet ass blog names. And oh yeah, she is about to bust TWO babies out of her. Enjoy!

Abuse by Chicken Costume

2009-07-24T11:22:00.003-04:00

No ~~babies~~ chickens were harmed while filming. Seriously though y'all, he's okay, no need to call Child Services.

Abuse by Chicken Costume from Tiffany Luc on Vimeo.

Mason found this costume in a drawer this morning. I had bought it while I was pregnant and it was too big last Halloween, so what else would I do? Friday Fun!

Coming soon: The decision on what to do with the bloggy blog.

Crazy kids.

2009-07-21T19:56:00.012-04:00

Kendall: MASON, just look cute and smile, they love it when you do that.
Mason: Damnit, not the camera again. I know she loves it when I smile, so I usually make myself look like Forrest Gump just to piss her off. Watch how red her face gets.

Mason: Okay, now pretend to be really interested in something.
Kendall: Like this turtle? Will the turtle work?
Mason: YES. Just hurry up and do it, stop stalling woman.
Mason: Dude, I think she spiked the bath water. I feel funny.
Kendall: I already drank like half the bath water...
Mason: WAHOOOO party in da tubby! I think it's Pepsi!
Kendall: I totally have the munchies and this turtle looks delicious.
Mason: Whoa. I feel sleepy now.
Kendall: Where's the camera, SMILE!Kendall: Hold up. You're going to tell my mom about this?
Mason: Yeah, and she'll probably put it on her blog.
Mason: Quick, act normal...da da da ba ba
Kendall: DA BA BA BA NA NA I farted. Mason: Dude, that is a BOY towel.
Kendall: Shut up.

Cha cha cha.

2009-07-17T16:22:00.003-04:00

Today Mason and I went to Target. We go there a lot. The kid sees red carts and the big bulls eye and starts clapping and pointing and "ooohhhing" and "ahhhhing". We made the usual rounds: women's clothing, baby section, jewelry, milk, seasonal. I threw what I needed into the cart and as I was swiping my card I got that feeling. Not the Wheeling feeling, that feeling. The one where you are like, "NOW. Where is the bathroom? NOW NOW NOW NOW!!!" Problem is, I had already purchased my loot and I had an increasingly antsy 10 month-old in my cart.

I did not have time to put the bags in the car, I did not have time to drive home, I was not leaving my already-purchased items outside the bathroom (let alone my child), I will not eat green eggs and ham, I will not eat them Sam I am. So I did what any desperate mother who does not wear adult diapers would do: I grabbed my purse, child, gallon of milk, 2 kind-of heavy bags and I ran to the bathroom. I took the handicapped stall, hung up my purse (Coach, haaaallllo), one of the bags and put the rest of it on ::shudders:: the floor. Yes, including the kid. Trust, those rickety hooks are NOT strong enough to hold my little man.

I did...well I did what I needed to do all while keeping Mason in the standing position by securing his little hands on my knees and off of the toilet seat. When finished, I grabbed the boy, and the purse and I washed my hands. It was then that I turned around and realized that the stall door had shut AND locked itself behind me. MOTHER! I wanted to cry, I wanted to run, I wanted that new bathing suit that was in my bags! What else was I supposed to do? I sat Mason on the ground and army crawled my ass into the stall, unlocked the door, grabbed my shit and ran. I barely made it back to my cart without dropping my child. I must have looked SUPER classy.

At least it was early morning and the store was filled with other moms that needed to escape their homes. At least I am not showing any signs of infectious diseases, yet. Lastly, as least I didn't poop my pants.

The end?

2009-07-16T17:48:00.003-04:00

Mason's first birthday is approaching, and although he will always be my baby, I am coming to the realization that he is pretty much a toddler. So I must ask, dear readers, what should become of this blog? Please take a moment and share your feelings with me by voting in my poll or leaving a comment. I will ultimately make the final decision, but I would love your input!

No pleads in this post.

2009-07-12T19:11:00.009-04:00

We really haven't been doing much of anything.Which is why I haven't written a worth-while post in a while.I do have a lot to catch you up on, a poll to do, some "loose ends" to tie up, if you will.But I don't feel like it tonight.Because we swam all day. Neener-neener boo boo.

UGH.

2009-07-09T20:58:00.002-04:00

Some of you may have had some issues voting for Mason on Monday...evidently the website was VERY unprepared for the amount of traffic the contest was drawing and so now they are STARTING OVER to make it fair. Seriously.

So please - I am on my knees here peeps - vote ONE MORE TIME for Mason. I will give you cyber kisses. Promise.

CLICK HERE PLEASE

You now have until August to vote, but I suggest you do it now so you don't forget. Make sure you tell all of your friends and family - I give the bestest, sloppiest, cyber kisses EVA.

I never ask anything of you...

2009-07-05T18:10:00.008-04:00

...readers. So I need this one little favor from you. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE vote for Mason in this local photo contest so he can win $5000 for college. Because, we all know college will cost like, $100,000 by the time he is ready to go. Unless he is a child genius, then I will use the money to buy booze and cigarettes. KIDDING.

Here's the deal: Click the following link and vote MONDAY, JULY 6TH...this is the ONLY day you can vote, so don't forget! Don't pay attention to the horrible grammar mistakes that the entry person made, they wouldn't let her edit it...heh heh...::nervous twitch::

Pass the info along to your friends, family, bum on the street, WHOEVER. You are all looking REALLY skinny today, btw.

Click here --------> ME! ME! <-------------Did you?

And just because you are all so wonderful for doing this, here are some !NEW! photos of Mason for ya. KISSES!

Dear Mason - 10 Months

2009-07-03T10:27:00.006-04:00

10 Months

Dear Mason,

I realize that the majority of this month's letter is probably going to focus on the last couple days of month 9 of your life. As you can see, mommy hasn't had much time to update her blog lately because somebody has become a holy terror. I know, readers, "JUST WAIT" you say. Well, I am waiting... this is NOT a CAN'T WAIT! situation. This is a PLEASEIambeggingyounottowalk any time soon situation.

Mason, do you know that in the last week you have visited 3 new states, rode a Metro, rode down an escalator, went on your first amusement park ride, stayed in not one but THREE hotels, visited your nations capital and made countless otherwise-grumpy people smile? Well, believe it. I will admit, taking a 10 month old baby on a road trip in theory sounds like the working of a crazy person, but you were WONDERFUL. You only had one meltdown, and who wouldn't after being through what I put you through last week?
You swam your little heart out. I am going to predict that you are the next Michael Phelps. I have never seen such a little man want to swim so badly. You scream (happy screams) every time we get in the water and you kick your legs until you fall asleep - which you did on the last night of our trip, in the pool. Hilarious. You are into EVERYTHING these days. In fact, I have to make a trip to the big baby store to buy more locks for the cabinets since you think it is funny to mess with mommy's wine paraphernalia - hint: NEVER mess with mommy's wine paraphernalia.

People on the DC Metro generally keep to themselves and are not willing to smile, make eye-contact or any kind of acknowledgement that other people, do in fact, exist around them. BUT, once they saw you, or heard you they SMILED. And asked how old you are. And commented on how happy and adorable you are. You have a gift, little man. NEVER lose it. Keep smiling and talking and making people smile - we need more people like you in this world.

*there will be more photos and stories from our little adventure, soon!

First Father's Day awwwws.

2009-06-22T14:20:00.007-04:00

For Father's Day we visited the one place that I will only go to if I ABSOLUTELY have to. Since it was Father's Day, I kinda had to. I will admit that it wasn't that bad, actually kinda cool to read about all of the history behind the game. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy football season, but that is usually reserved for the fall.One of the people that work at the HOF told us to set Mason on the hologram of a Superbowl ring and watch him try to grab it. It was pretty hysterical.

Your next inductee?

It was a very fun way to celebrate one of the best dads in the world. Grandpa is fishing right now, so he couldn't come but he was missed very much! Hope all you dads out there had a wonderful day as well!

Pain is love.

2009-06-18T10:04:00.002-04:00

This post brought to you by sunshine.

2009-06-15T16:13:00.005-04:00

I figure I haven't done a favorites post in a while and I am loving my first summer as a non-working person/mom so here it goes:

Flea Markets! What could be better? You get to spend some time outside (most of the time), get some good stuff and support local vendors. FleaPortal is a nifty little website to look up flea markets in your area. Check it!

Wading Pools! (and just pools in general) Mason and I have been trying to spend a lot of time outdoors of course and some friends introduced me to the wading pools in our area. They are a foot deep, free, and usually connected to a park. It is so fun and we both get to cool off.

Bike Rides! Mason loves going on bike rides and I get a good workout too. We are lucky enough to be connected to a wonderful trail so we usually ride on that for safety. As far as trailers for your bike, check Craigslist and Target for cheap options. We have a Schwinn trailer and it works perfectly and was only about $150.

What are your favorite things to do in the summer?

Finally, here are some of my favorite products that we are using right now on our big 9 month old boy (sniff, sniff):

Take-n-Toss Section Bowl - this baby has 2 sections for food and a place for a spoon. What could be better? I am really digging this right now since I am giving Mason more than one flavor at once.

KidCo BabySteps Food Mill - This is great for introducing new foods to Mason. I just throw in some fresh stuff, or something we are eating and it grinds it right up. Lately, I have been milling peaches, plums and bananas as well as chicken and beans.

Leachco Easy Teether Rail Guard - "Oh hell no, you are not gnawing on your crib!" Problem solved.

Nobody said anything about hills.

2009-06-08T09:15:00.006-04:00

Yesterday was perfect. Absolutely gorgeous. Low humidity. Nice breezes. We got to the hospital about an hour before the race. I picked up my packet, Paul registered. My mom met us there to watch Mason while we ran. I went pee, we walked around a little, took some pictures with some sucky college mascots (this was as good as I could get, the Golden Flash wasn't there). We started stretching a little, grabbed a couple bites of banana and a drink of Vitamin Water. Before I knew it, we had to line up for the race. I waved goodbye to Mason and Paul and I decided that he would run with me for at least the first one or two miles and then he could take off - of course we don't run at the same pace.

They sounded the air horn and the 450-some racers began running - including myself. The first mile was fine. Paul and I ran together and I was feeling really great. What I wasn't noticing was the fact that we were running downhill. A lot. There was a guy blaring Queen on a boom box and cute little kids at all of the drink stations. If you have ever tried to drink anything while running you know it is near impossible - so I took a little sip then dumped it on myself. Much better. I was told that I had ran my first mile in 9 minutes - my best EVER. Soon after that I realized it may have been a little too fast. I was cramping and had to walk for a bit, telling Paul to keep going.

I started running again once I felt better, maybe after a minute and now I was all alone. I kept thinking about Mason, all of the kids in the hospital that might never get the chance to run and I kept pushing myself. We were now running through a cemetery (creepy) and there were HILLS. WHAT? Tiff doesn't run up steep hills. I walked some of the hills, but the longest I ever let myself walk was 3 minutes - I am no marathon runner.

Finally, once I made it back up the huge hill and across the bridge, I knew I was close. Once I saw the finish line and all the people I got a HUGE smile on my face (the announcer even commented on it as I ran by). I did it. I finished somewhere around 35 minutes (the results aren't up yet). That means I was running (on average) an 11.3 minute mile. Pretty damn good for "training" for 3 weeks. Imagine what I could do if I really focused! The best part for me was seeing how proud Paul and my mom were. Mason also clapped for me, but he might have been clapping at the fact that he was eating cheese puffs. I couldn't have done it without any of them. I am going to keep running. Keep racing. I know I didn't run a marathon or anything and who knows when or if I ever will, but I feel like I did. I am proud.

A monster in my house.

2009-06-06T09:28:00.005-04:00

There is a monster living amongst us. The evidence:

-Toilet paper rolls are being unraveled.

-Cheerios are strewn about the house.

-There are snot stains on EVERYTHING.

-Coasters from the coffee table are all over the living room.

-Trash cans are being toppled over.

-There are fingerprints, errr paw prints all over anything that is glass in nature.

-Sometimes, I hear faint gasping noises, whines and growls.

"Don't look at me, I didn't do it."

If you, or anyone you know is dealing with the same kind of monster, please let me know so we can begin documenting its behaviors for future reference. With your help, this monster can be stopped.
In other news, a different, less tangible monster is emerging tomorrow. Its name is FIVE-K and I will be slaying that bitch with all my might. I don't know how prepared I am, but I will make good on my promise and do the best I can. Pray for me.
Weight loss so far: 4 pounds! Slow and steady wins the race.

Dear Mason - 9 Months

2009-06-02T21:15:00.001-04:00

9 Months

Dear Mason,

Lately, I have been finding myself craving to hold you. I think it is because since you started crawling this month I am realizing that you are becoming your own little independent person. Soon, you will probably want nothing to do with me. It makes me so sad to think that my body was such an asshole in the beginning and blocked me from realizing what I was missing. I was too busy worrying about SIDS, BPA, nipple confusion, sleeping patterns and what everyone else thought about my parenting skills to see that my little boy was growing up FAST. One day, I woke up and you were no longer a newborn. Soon thereafter, I woke up and you were looking more and more like a toddler. I feel like I missed so much because of my disease (or whatever you want to call it). Now that I am better, and able to think more clearly, I know that it does nothing for me to dwell on any of this. Instead, I choose to congratulate myself in overcoming all (okay, most) of my anxiety. So what if I caught flack for not putting my son to sleep on his stomach right away, he's still alive. I started buying everything BPA free and now you cannot find anything that has BPA in it - guess I was on to something! My son HATES pacifiers - at least I never have to worry about taking them away from him. And finally, you sleep like a DREAM - guess I did something right there too!

Your dad and I still go to bed every night and gush about how much we love you, how cute you are and how we cannot believe how big you are getting. You clap, you lift your arms when we yell "touchdown", you crawl, you wave, you say "dada" among other things, you pull up to stand on everything, you cruise and more that I am sure I am forgetting. I really think that I even heard you practicing the word "cat" quietly to yourself a few times. Going out places is so fun now because all you do is flirt. You get so excited when you see new people and love to look around. You are so vocal and are constantly making some kind of noise.

You have a very analytical mind, which is not surprising given who your father is. You study EVERYTHING and love to open and close, open and close, open and close whatever you can find (which includes my laptop, good times). You have more personality than some adults I know, which you of course got from your mother. Another lovable trait (or not) that you inherited from you dad is the ability to fall asleep at pretty much any given time- as long as you are tired. You have now fallen asleep THREE, yes THREE times in your highchair during lunch. I remember when I used to cry, yell, beg and plead for you to JUST GO TO SLEEP. Sometimes I wish I could remember those early days (or months) better so I could document what EXACTLY I did to cause this.

Every day gets better and better with you. You laugh over nothing, you still cry over nothing (it's okay, momma does too), you make the best expressions and cutest noises. You are becoming a cuddler (I am doing my damnedest) and an ornery little boy all at the same time. I hope and pray that you will be a momma's boy, because so far I have been jipped in this whole thing. Your dad's looks, brain, athletic ability and narcolepsy versus my personality. I just need to know that I am doing an okay job and that you are happy - and your favoritism. Is that too much?
I love you.

Babies and Cats

2009-05-31T20:59:00.000-04:00

The similarities between cats and babies are astounding. Especially my cat and my baby. Since Mason has begun exploring our house, he has discovered the door stoppers. He loves to play with them and I have to endure constant BIOOONNGGGGG-ing until he moves on to his next victim. Binx used to love to paw at the door stoppers while we were in the bathroom. Sort of his little way of telling us that he really wanted in so he could get some pets while we were taking a dump. Another thing? They both love to sleep. LOVE IT (most of the time). Binx of course sleeps all.day.long and cannot be disturbed (only for pets). Mason has a strict napping schedule that he has made for himself and if it is not followed, things like this happen:

Then there is the shower. No one can resist some fresh shower water, right? Binx loves to drink the leftover sudsy, surely mold-infested shower water laying on the shower floor. Mason of course spends my entire shower banging on the door with his chubby little hands waiting for the moment when I step out so he can crawl in.

They are both definitely my babies, and while one is probably neglected (I'll let you figure that one out) I love them both equally, but yet not, for different reasons? Yes, something like that. They fill my days with just the right amount of comic relief.

The zoo of laziness.

2009-05-26T12:21:00.008-04:00

In weight-loss news, wellll there really isn't any. Memorial Day weekend sure didn't help and I have learned that I have no self control when it comes to pizza or ice cream EEK. I have been making progress in the running department, so that's encouraging. Last week I ran 8 miles total and this week I am going for at least 12. Moving on...

My sister-in-law and I went to the zoo last week and discovered that animals are LAZY. For reals.

Lazy kangaroos

Lazy gorilla

Big lazy cats

Mason really enjoys the zoo because he really enjoys animals of all kinds. Even the lazy kind. I guess he is used to that with Mr. Binx. I mean seriously, get up and DO SOMETHING. You have the life. You don't have to hunt, you get to play all day and you can pick if you want to be outside or inside. What is the effing problem?

There you go. Again, there really isn't that much SUPERDUPEREXCITING things going on around here. Just a bunch of NO NO NO's and chasing and whatnot. Ever since Mason started crawling, I feel like time is speeding up and before I know it my blog is neglected. Poor blog.

Like, OMG you guys.

2009-05-21T09:53:00.004-04:00

I went to pick up ~~pizza~~ dinner last night and when I returned Paul was all "Hurry! He is crawling, grab the video camera" and I was all, "YAY! Finally!". So, this crawling thing, totally cool for about 5 minutes until you realize:

1. You aren't prepared. You still haven't babyproofed enough. Knives are still laying on coffee tables, medieval guillotine replicas are still lining the walls, etc.

2. You're new favorite word and possibly your son's first word is NO NO NO NO NO.

3. You really need to vacuum.

4. Vacuuming takes twice the amount of time when you are dragging an almost-toddler that has a death-grip on the cord behind you.

5. You still haven't ordered the baby gates! SHIT!

Do not fret internet people, I did baby proof the outlets, which of course was the first thing he went for this morning:

Without further rambling, here it is, THE video that only took 5 tries to capture (I know he is not sterotypical crawling yet, but trust, he gets where he needs to go):

He Crawls from Tiffany Luc on Vimeo.

Oh, Hi.

2009-05-19T09:39:00.003-04:00

I really don't have anything exciting to write about. I guess it's been a week, huh? Well, let's see...I am sure I can ramble on here for a little bit to keep you from your job, husband, wife or kids. Digging deep...

Operation skinny mom is going well I think. I am really proud of how I have been eating minus one night* and I discovered yesterday that I CAN RUN. I was always the girl who skipped gym class the day we had to run the mile and when I hopped on the treadmill at the gym I ran 3 miles without even thinking about it. So I decided that since I do better with long term goals, I should set some. First up: a 5K. I will be running a 5K for the local children's hospital on June 7th. After that, I plan to do a couple more 5K's, some 10Ks, a half-marathon and eventually a full marathon. My ultimate goal is to run the Cleveland marathon next year, but if I only do half, I would be happy with that as well. Think of me.

Mason was baptised this weekend. We are not religious people, but it was something that was important to family, and I am a people pleaser. It makes me feel good as well, but I would have been fine either way. It was fun, very relaxed and of course entertaining since he FLIPPED the F OUT towards the end. *Which is the night I ate pizza, pasta salad and ice cream cake. I cheated. Bite me.

You heard my mom, BITE HER, I do all the time with my 4 rat teeth.

We had a garage sale and wedding last weekend as well. Yes, I am certifiably CRAZY. I came out of everything on Sunday alive (sort of) with an extra $400 in my pocket, a hangover, bloated belly, child that will not go to hell as of yet, and mean farmers tan. Go ME!

I think that about sums it up. We are off to the zoo today because it is going to be gorgeous outside. Wish me luck.

My lovely lady bumps.

2009-05-12T19:33:00.005-04:00

Okay Internet people. Mason is closing in on 9 months in approximately 23 days, which if I am remembering correctly is the exact amount of time (give or take a month, give) that it took him to cook inside of me and completely ruin my body or so I thought. After my stomach was given it's new purpose as the PORTAL TO LIFE or SLAB OF MEAT I promptly told myself that I had exactly the same amount of time to get my fat ass back into my WEDDING SHAPE sohelpmejeebus. Weeeeeellllll so, like, that didn't happen? And I was all NO MORE GESTATIONAL KISSMYASS-ABEETUS let's get ice cream! and margaritas! and YEAH.

So here I am, 23 days shy of my deadline which I will never make now, (you will see why) and I have decided that if I just blog about getting my body back and broadcast it to you, oh internets, that you will hold me accountable and I will HAVE to do it.

I don't like relying on a scale to tell me how I am doing, but I will this time for milestone purposes. I usually just like to rely on how my clothes are fitting but how would I get that across to you? "Pants are slightly more loose than yesterday, but could just need a good washing..." SO I will rely on a scale.

Starting weight: 127 (the heaviest I have ever been without a child inside of me)
Wedding (goal) weight: 115
Now before you get all eye-rolly and crap here this: I am 5' 1.5" tall so 12 pounds is HUGE on my frame so suck it.
Current BMI: 23.6
Goal BMI: 21.4 and not having a muffin top. You heard me.

At my first OB appointment at 6 weeks pregnant I weighed in somewhere around 123 I believe which was also right after Christmas and ohmygodcookies. So I have always counted 123 as my "pre-pregnancy" weight so naturally when the scale said 127 I knew I was FAILING.

My next weigh-in will be at the half-way point so in 11 days, also known as May 23rd. Oh, and I totally know that I won't lose ALL 12 pounds in 23 days because BAD but I am hoping to be making progress and will cut myself a little slack on the 9 month thing. Let the games begin!

That day...that was yesterday.

2009-05-11T20:28:00.004-04:00

My first official Mother's Day went a little something like this: breakfast in bed with my two favorite guys, a spa visit for a gift (squeeeeeeeeels), family visits, outlet shopping and lots of playing. Oh yeah and then there was this:

Oh Hallo duck family waddling through our dirty garage. I will admit that this may have been theee CUTEST thing I have ever seen (minus my son) and shall prove that I AM NOT DEAD INSIDE DENISE. I think baby ducks are cute even though they shatted all over my rug. Mason thought it was pretty funny and so did some of our neighbors.

Mother's Day also brought on more OHSHIT feelings now that Mason is so close to crawling that he can taste it. And pulling up on.everything.including.in.bathtub.scary. And poop. Lots and lots of poop. I think we have changed at least 15 poopy diapers in the past two days. I swear if another tooth is upon us I may end up in the looney bin. Again. Unless it gets progressively easier? Please tell me it gets easier the more teeth he has.

....

Okay now that I have rambled about everything including poop, here is some lovely Mother's Day mother-son...love.

Officially in for it.

2009-05-09T11:38:00.003-04:00

I woke up sometime this week and someone had stolen my baby and replaced him with a pre-toddler. How does this happen? Nobody told me this would happen. I thought babies stayed small and immobile! They are not like puppies and kittens, they do not make you fall in love with their cuteness and then grow up into lazy, stubborn dogs and cats that no longer need you so much and just simply give a little nod here and there and totally don't listen to you when you yell NO! NO! do not chew on my shoe! or NO! NO! don't you even think of going out on the deck, you will not be coming back in mister!! ::deeeeeeep breathhhhhhh:: RIGHT?

On the move. from Tiffany Luc on Vimeo.

He actually does stand all the way up, but knees were good enough for him this morning. Shit.

Dear Mason - 8 Months

2009-05-04T10:18:00.004-04:00

8 Months

Dear Mason,

When your father and I agreed to an "adults weekend" with friends 2 hours away I probably silently jumped up and down and screeeeeched to myself. Holy sleeping in, no diaper changing, dangling earrings and high heels! Little did I know that when it came down to actually handing you off to my mother-in-law, I would be a mess inside. 5 months ago, I would have been more than happy to leave you for a night. It sounds horrible and a lot of you are probably shaking your heads, reaching for the red x in the corner of your screen because you can't believe what a HORRIBLE mother I am BUT it's the truth. I was going through a lot, WE were going through a lot as a family. It's amazing how quickly things change. I have always loved you but I wasn't always THAT mom, crying at the thought of leaving her baby for one day.

When we came home, you were still out with Goga and Papa, gallivanting around Home Depot, and I had a chance to vacuum, take a shower and try to fight my minor hangover a little. It was so quiet, toys were still scattered around the house and for a split second I got a glance of my former life. That life seems so far gone. I can't imagine life before you, I don't remember it. Then you came home. I couldn't wait to see your little smile, your THREE teeth. You instantly began pulling my hair, sticking your fingers in my mouth and up my nose, it's like we never missed a beat.

Your ornery side is beginning to show, I knew it would eventually. At one time, I was declaring that you would not crawl but you have really started to make leaps and bounds in that department. Just this morning, you actually crawled a little towards the remote - ignoring the hundreds of toys scattered around you. I am baffled at the thought of planning a first birthday for MY SON in a mere 4 months. I guess all it takes is a night away and a glimpse of a former life to remind you of how lucky you are - even while clumps of your hair are being ripped out.

Our relationship at this moment kind of reminds me of a Bjork song and video - as strange as that sounds.

Embedding was disabled for the Bjork Youtube vid, but here's the link if you care:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1A_uSEjTIQ

I am one funny bitch.

2009-04-30T10:00:00.000-04:00

Untitled from Tiffany Luc on Vimeo.

Sneaky Bastards

2009-04-29T09:09:00.004-04:00

Do you know that Babies R Us now offers a rewards program? I feel like they were hush hush about it for a while, but now it is pretty much out there. Sign up. Do you also know that I should have had $15 in rewards coming to me from BRU? Yeah. They should have been to my house by now via snail mail. Do you also know that my HUSBAND likes to throw away mail that looks like it might motivate me to spend more money? You know, like things that come from BRU, Target, Bed Bath & Beyond, etc? Looks like my $15 rewards are now mixed in with my dirty diaper bolster pillows at the landfill. I worked really hard to get those rewards, damnit! I have known his little coupon-pitching secret for a while now but chose to just play dumb wife and pretend like I had no clue. I told him he might have well just throw $15 in the trash BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT HE DID.

Look who else is getting the SNEAKY BASTARD AWARD: Pampers!! Did you know that they also have a rewards program? You probably do, although I will file this in my "things that they forget to tell you when you have kids" folder. I had to find out for myself one day when I wondered what those damn green stickers were on the inside of my diaper packaging. I guess the big GIFTS TO GROW verbage on the FRONT of the package wasn't enough for me. Hmph.

Another sneaky bastard: The top left front tooth in Mason's mouth. That tooth is an asshole. It wakes Mason up every day at 6am and is all "Let's play! Talk to me and wake up your parents!" I want to be all, "STFU toooooth and come out and face your maker already."

I guess I will just have to SHOP at BRU for DIAPERS and ORAJEL to make up for my LOST REWARD DOLLARS.

You people upset me. Leave me alone.

Practice Makes Perfect?

2009-04-26T15:12:00.005-04:00

Evidently, the infamous giant cupcake is a difficult task to achieve. I do not bake. I am not good at it. There are still 4 months until Mason's first birthday. Plenty of time for me to learn and perfect my new craft, right? Then I remembered my Christmas cookie fiasco - who knew that 'softened butter' didn't mean 'microwave-melted butter'.

I present you with my very first attempt at the Wilton Giant Cupcake aka Mason's first birthday smash cake:

It tasted so gooooood. I think I did pretty well for my first try. I didn't buy any icing, so I whipped some up of my own and did some quicky decorations for fun. Let me know if anyone out there wants to hear my technique for baking this beast.

Yes, I am gross.

2009-04-20T14:18:00.003-04:00

Before I had Mason, I would see vomit and pretty much vomit myself. I also hated when I could smell even the tiniest bit of someone else's breath, and boogers, ick. Now, NOW I am the booger patrol. I actually get excited when I see crusty boogers hanging out of Mason's nose, or any other baby's nose for that matter. Then there is his breath. I make it a point to stick my nose in his face when he wakes up. I think his breath is the sweetest-smelling thing on earth.

Two nights ago, our poor neighbors were witness to projectile vomiting of turkey and sweet potatoes mixed with a little formula. Usually, this would have triggered my gag reflex immediately, but not anymore. Then when Paul spilled the puke all over the floor and my foot, it was gross but I was more worried about Mason. Poor guy.

Have I talked about his sweat yet? The kid radiates heat from his body and when he wakes up he is soaked with sweat. And I love it. It smells so good! I wish I could bottle his little smells. Minus the poop of course. That NEVER smells good. See what being a mother does to you? Of course BABY sweat and BABY breath and BABY boogers are way cuter than the adult counterpart, I would never go for a cliffhanger in my husband's nose.

Presenting

2009-04-17T12:38:00.005-04:00

I had a wonderful (or I seemed to think so at the time) idea the other day while I was Spring Cleaning my house. That wonderful idea turned into my newest baby: The Clever Mom Blog (<-that's a link, click it!). Go take a look, but not too closely, because she is still a work in progress. I have already written two posts, but I wanted to wait a little while to launch it so that I could work on some things and get used to the layout but who cares?!

People constantly ask me questions like, "How do you have time to shave your legs?" and "Where did you come up with that idea?" and "Why are you so wonderful?"...okay maybe not the last one, but a girl can dream, right? So, I decided that it was time to share. I am really excited to get all of my tricks, ideas and advice out there. Some of them I have come up with myself, some things I learned from other people. I am going to try and make it as interesting as possible and PLEASE remember that it is still a work in progress, it will get better, I promise. I plan on having guest bloggers, contests and more so GO! Read! Tell your friends! Leave comments, suggestions, hate mail, whatever! Enjoy!

Oh and PS. I Twitter over there. Because all the cool kids are doing it. So follow me!

Elmo is God, Giggles, Squirrels and Bubble-spewing Hippos

2009-04-14T19:08:00.003-04:00

Fast forward to 2:25 for Elmo excited-ness. Weeeeeeeeeeee! Giggles start around 3:00. AND if you have lots of time, my dad's squirrel-chase begins at 3:47 and lastly, My Family vs the Hippo Bubble Maker begins at 4:45. Yes, I have no clue how to upload videos from my camcorder to my computer. Kiss my ass.

First Easter from Tiffany Luc on Vimeo.

Ridiculousismisosityism

2009-04-13T21:07:00.007-04:00

Example 1:

His first Easter basket that the Easter bunny hid in our laundry room. It contained an Elmo book, which has become known as THE Elmo book, Mason's Bible, Thy Holiest Elmo Booketh. Once I get my ass in gear and upload the videos off of the video camera, I will have further proof to support my case for the love of the book.

Example 2:

Mason took the book with him to visit his grandma and grandpa.

Example 3:

This is where Mason receives his second Easter basket...errr plus present aka Christmas 2.0. Ballpopper funnnn! Mommy chase the balls because I do not crawl yet! Mommy why are you drinking the wine straight out of the bottle?

Example 4:

Mommy starts taking pictures of things that currently piss her off:

Seriously, can someone tell me when they started adding f'ing SCREWS to toy packages? What, were the impossible twisty-ties not enough to torture parents? Nooooo some dickhead at the toy company decided that babies were evolving and that the twisties weren't strong enough anymore to keep their chubby fingers from getting a hold of that bottle of bubble solution and drinking it down, with their SPECTACULAR coordination and all.

What's even more ridiculous? This post is not over. I have more to add from Easter, but allergies: I haz them. Floaty, disconnected, IMSOHIGH feeling from the allergy medication: I haz that as well and computer screen is giving me headache.

The Tooth.

2009-04-10T09:37:00.004-04:00

A couple days ago, Mason bit down on my finger like he does at least 80 times a day. This time, it hurt. I felt something. I nubbin. A TOOTH nubbin. We have been waiting for this little asshole (the tooth) to come out and play for a while now. I knew there was something behind Mason's recent model citizen behavior.

It seems to inch closer and closer to the surface every day, and since we have forced Mason's mouth open every hour to look at the progress, he will no longer let you have a looky, only a feely. So we wait. Along with an incoming tooth comes more FUN stuff like explosive diarrhea, MORE DROOL, babyrexia and more.chewing.more! I cannot begin to tell you how many times he has pooped in the last two days, and the new diaper rash he now has because of it. This is all so exciting! Why did I ever wish he would get his first tooth again?

Dear Mason - 7 Months

2009-04-07T09:09:00.007-04:00

Dear Mason,

Sometimes, life happens. Sometimes, mommy is not always on time. This is especially true once the person that used to be called Tiff, is now mom. Before you, I used to be punctual, early even. I was NEVER late. NEVER. I always had a built-in buffer zone of 5-10 minutes so that if something were to happen, I would still be on time. Here I am, no longer Tiff, now mommy-Tiff and look at me. 4 days late on your monthly letter. 10 minutes late for your third swimming lesson (it's only a 30 minute class).

When I realized that I only had 3 minutes to make the 10 minute drive to swimming yesterday, I didn't panic like I once would. I smiled. I looked back at your reflection in your extra-large mirror (another on the must-have list) and I smiled. I was late for a swimming class. Not a client meeting. I have a son, and since I was too busy playing with him to notice the time, I was running late...to his swimming class. The anxiety I once felt is gone. Whether it is mommy's crazy pills, the expensive therapy sessions, or just plain LOVE, the bad stuff has disappeared - all because of a little, fat, happy baby named Mason. You are a rolling machine. ROLLING. Something that once caused me a sleepless night (OMG, my son is BEHIND, there is something wrong, why is he not rolling, he has autism!!!) came and went in a blink of an eye. You roll like crazy. You are normal. There is nothing wrong with you that you didn't inherit from your parents - and that is that you do things on your own time, not when some stupid author/doctor/random lady at the grocery store tells you you should. You are a little fish. You giggle at nothing and everything. You talk to the microwave. You roll. You warm hearts. You light up rooms. You are irresistible. You are mine.You have no idea how incredibly lucky you are. Do you know how many built-in friends you have already? You have 2 cousins that are within 7 months of your age either way, a new friend that was born yesterday, another 3 on the way, and don't forget the 4 other cousins you have that are older, wiser, and probably the ones who will at one point in your life invite you to little sibs weekend at their colleges, or buy you beer when you aren't quite 21. You also have an extended group of baby-friends that are the children of mommy's internet friends. And DOGS! DOGS! are your friends. You love DOGS! Every month gets better and better with you. I go to bed at night thinking, "how can I possibly love him any more?" but somehow, you make me. My heart just bursts every time you smile at me.

Part Two! (aka SEE I didn't forget)

2009-04-06T14:41:00.000-04:00

Ahem.

One word. JUMPEROO. Mason could jump in this thing for HOURS and he has. See what a great mom I am? No really, this thing is like heaven on springs.

Sassy Formula Dispenser. I had another brand with only 3 compartments, but then I found this one with FOUR! Mason typically drinks 4 bottles a day now so this is perfect. I fill it up every morning so it is ready for the day. It is so much easier to dump the powder into the bottles from this thing than from the stupid scoop. It is also super convienient to throw in the diaper bag for outings as well.Fisher Price Space Saver Highchair. I hump this thing daily. It doesn't take up any room (hence the name) and is extremely easy to clean PLUS it turns into a booster seat. LASTLY, it is not obnoxious colorWet bags. I use one from Wet Happened? These are perfect to have in your diaper bag. I have two since I rotate two diaper bags. I use them for dirty diapers, soiled clothes, wet bathing suits, food containers, dirty bibs, spoons, etc. I of course wash it (IN WITH THE LAUNDRY!) after soiled items have been in it. Come on now. You need some. Get them.

Again, all pictures are from Babies R Us and Amazon dot com. They also represent the actual colors, patterns and whatevers that I have. Not actual size. No one paid me to do this, but I will accept checks in the mail. Email for address. Have a nice day. Go forth and BUY!

Hello

2009-04-04T20:49:00.004-04:00

Welcome to the world Jason! We love you!

You don't realize how monsterous your baby has become until you hold a little 6lb 4oz-er. And you also don't realize how shitty your hair looks after being out in the rain all day until you get home and look over the photos you took of your new nephew/godson. Shitastic! Don't be fooled oh-loyal readers. There will be no more baby Luc's coming from this uterus for a while no matter how NOMMable newborns are.

Bubble baby

2009-03-31T09:56:00.005-04:00

There are 3 babies in Mason's swimming class. 2 of them are over one-year, 2 of them are the same size as Mason. *snicker* 2 of the 3 started crying when they were lowered into the water. The other one splashed, played and smiled. High five little man, high five.
Excuse the shart-ness of the photos. I was nice to Paul by only making him handle the video camera and the little digital camera, I wasn't sure if he could handle the BIG DOG camera.

A really shitty story. Literally.

2009-03-28T09:42:00.003-04:00

Approximately 3 hours ago I heard Mason making noise in his crib. I thought maybe since he went to bed at 9:15 last night that he would let us sleep in a little. Wrong. I thought maybe I could sneak in without him seeing me and cover him back up and get him to go back to sleep. Fail. I was greeted with the usual "Hey! Good Morning! My favorite! I pooped! I stink! I have been nomming on my blanket! See! It's all wet! Where's my Ugly Doll?! Let's PLAAAAAY!!" smile. Busted. I scooped him up, put him on the changing table and went to work. What happened next is all a blur because a.)it was 7am, b.)I didn't my contacts in and c.)I think what you are about to read literally fell to shit in about .3 seconds.

I opened the diaper and of course there was poop. There is every morning. Although yesterday he had prunes DOH! and he moves a lot now before I get to him DOUBLE DOH! and there was shit. smeared. all. over. his. ass. Thankfully none had escaped out. Yet. The he spotted his Ugly Doll. The contortions started. There is one thing he is more happy to see in the morning than mommy or daddy and that's his Ugly Doll Big Toe. I couldn't control his legs. Poop was smearing. Poop was now all over my fingers, my arms, Big Toe! I called out to Paul, trying to not sound like Mason was dying or something. No answer. I called out again, a little more panic in my voice. I had Mason by his ankles as he squirmed all around, head almost completely twisted off of his neck, arms above his head "Ooooohhhh Ahhhhh, Baaaaaaa". He didn't seem to notice that everything was being covered in shit, he was having fuuuuun, it is moooorrrrrnnnning!!!

I heard Paul say, "Where are you?!". I called out that I was "IN BAYYBEEES ROOOMM HURRRRRRRY!!". Ultimately, there was a snap decision to throw him in the tub, a mere 9 hours after his last bath. I washed the smears away, washed my hands and arms, threw new jammies on the boy and we all got in bed and snuggled like nothing ever happened. All before 7:30am.

Please prepare for take-off.

2009-03-26T20:24:00.008-04:00

Mason: Mommy, I'm about to blow your mind.

Mason: And for my next trick, I will use my freakishly strong arms to pull myself up on this here jumperoo. And then try to eat it.
Milestones: Kickin' Ass and Takin' Poops. This morning we laid in bed for a good 15 minutes listening to Mason make noises and when Paul went in his room to investigate why he hadn't gone back to sleep it was because he had ROLLED OVER in his crib and managed to pull his blanket over his head. And then panic. Legs were flailing. This is officially the 4th time he has rolled from belly to back unassisted.

Excuse me while I got ~~FREAK OUT~~ babyproof.

Must Haves Part II (errr..part one of a two-part post?)

2009-03-24T10:11:00.007-04:00

Now that we have ~~survived~~ surpassed the six-month mark, I think it is time to sing my praises for my favorite baby items. All photo representations are live in living color (or, are actually the exact color, taste, smell, etc. that I own). First off, let's start with one of Mason's faves that I think is crap, because you know I love poop.

Infantino Stick and Spin Monkey

I would really like to tell this monkey to sit and spin....ahem. It's cute, but it does not stick. This totally defeats the purpose. I bought this toy because I was sick of picking up toys off of the dining room floor. Not only does it not stick, when it hits the ground it falls apart and putting it back together is not quite as easy as snapping Ken's head back on his body. Mason loves to chew on him though, even when he falls to pieces. Oh well.Maclaren Quest Mod stroller and Britax Roundabout Convertable Car Seat
My love. Ahhhh the Maclaren, or as I adoringly refer to it: Macky-PooPoodoodlebugNOM. If I could do it all over again, I would have skipped the Graco Snugride carrier and Metrolite stroller and went straight to the Britax car seat (since it's good from birth through booster seat) and the Maclaren Quest. The stroller weighs 12 pounds. TWELVE POUNDS and folds up super small. The car seat is the highest rated, best investment I have ever made. The only issue with my plan would be that you a.)lose the infant carrier, but honestly, you don't go too many places in the beginning and when you do, people want to hold the bayyybeeee so what's the use? and b.) the Maclaren is good starting at 3 months, BUT when you have delicious things like SLINGS! and FRONT-TO-BACK CARRIERS! who needs a damn stroller? You haven't had time to shower in days anyways, you ARE NOT going to the mall. I will say though, I do love the Graco schtuff and still use the Metrolite for beefy-er adventures such as walks around the neighborhood - so he still gets his use.

Links!

You must buy these. No, TAKE STOCK in these. My newest favorite use for them: linking a bunch together and attaching toys to the stroller with them so Mason cannot throw toys overboard to be ran over by the stroller OR attaching toys to the OHSHIT handle in the car so he doesn't throw toys overboard and into the deep dark pit that is my car's backseat.
*all photos from Babies R' Us dot com
Stay tuned for part two, where I will discuss my love affair (and possible marriage-ending obsession) with a high-chair, formula dispenser and spring-loaded-baby-holderthingamajiggy among other things.

Hope

2009-03-23T10:06:00.006-04:00

With the month of March (which is almost over now, isn't it...seriously, where have I been?) comes many exciting things - the most important being the start of Spring. Living here in March doesn't always promise a great start to spring but I have been pretty satisfied thus far. DO YOU HEAR THAT MOTHER NATURE? After a winter of below negative temps, I welcome a couple days of sunshine and 40 degree weather. As long as that bitch of a sun is shining, who cares right? ROLL THOSE WINDOWS DOWN AND SLIDE BACK THOSE SUNROOFS YIPPPPEEE!

Winter was rough on this household. Sort of. There were no colds or sicknesses ::does sign of the cross (not Catholic), knocks on wood and spits over left shoulder:: but lots of times where we were locked in the house because I refused to venture outside. Putting on a coat makes me sweat before I even leave the house. There are only so many things you can do with an infant to keep him happy. Most of those include the Jumperoo, Elmo, airplanes on my legs, singing, TV (gasp!), trying to make him roll (ROLL DAMNIT) and getting excited when he starts doing the downward facing dog...then promptly losing your shit because that means he is starting to move and there are sharp.objects.everywhere. Or you could do this:Then comes the first week of above-40 temps and you throw a sweater on the kid and take daily walks and get high off of the FRESH GODDAMN AIR.FINALLY. And swim lessons. Swim lessons! Good God I cannot wait to start those. Should be a blog-worthy time. There is also something else in March that this household, well most of it, gets totally excited for - maybe a little too much. But it does make for cute photos:

Zone of TERROR

2009-03-17T09:50:00.002-04:00

Mason has what we like to call a "zone of terror". It's pretty much his wingspan (the zone) and the terror comes in when he starts swinging his arms around trying to grasp anything he can. So that he can put it in his mouth.

And destroy it.

So far, cell phones, computer mice, candles, lamps, toys, books, paper, blankets, cups and pens have succumb to his zone of terror.

There has to be some kind of explanation for the zone of terror. Here's mine: His teeeeef. They hurrrrrrt. WAHHHHHH I am going to make your life miserable WAHHHHH and eh eh EHEH EHEHEHEHE all.the.time. can't you hear me fake coughing? Don't you know how missssserabllllle the baaaayyyyybeeee isssss?

So now you can begin to understand why I haven't blogged in almost a week. I am exhausted. He sleeps fine at night, still going 11 straight hours. It's just the daytime that has become my own personal hell.

I am going to go shower now. While the ~~monster~~ child is sleeping.

Making food, making food.

2009-03-11T20:22:00.001-04:00

Since the peas went so well, I decided to go ahead and make zucchini, sweet potatoes, pears, and green beans. The preparations for the pears, green beans and zucchini were pretty similar to the peas: cut if needed, steam in steamer basket, then puree (the pears need cored and scooped from skin as well). I used frozen green beans and fresh pears and zucchini.

For the sweet potatoes, you have to bake them at 425 degrees for 45 minutes, then remove the skin before pureeing. Once the foods were frozen, I popped them out of the containers (so I could re-use them) and put into labeled freezer bags. These frozen foods will last for 3 months.

Cost breakdown:

Green beans (10 frozen ounces) yielded 4 Gerber containers (12 Tablespoons) = $.70

Normal Gerber cost: approx. $2.00

Savings: $1.30

Fresh zucchini (one large) yielded 5 Gerber containers (15 T) = $1.99

Normal Gerber cost: approx. $2.50

Savings: $.51

Fresh sweet potatoes (2 medium) yielded 12 Gerber containers (36 T) = $2.18

Normal Gerber cost: approx. $6.00

Savings: $3.82

Fresh pears (2) yielded 6 Gerber containers (18 T) = $2.05

Normal Gerber cost: approx. $3.00

Savings: $.95

Grand Totals (including peas):

My way cost $7.62

Gerber cost approx. $16.50

Total savings: $8.88

All-in-all, I pretty much cut my food costs in half. Now, of course there are going to be some foods that I simply cannot make myself, BUT I am also making some foods that Gerber does not offer. It took me very little time to make the food and the color differences between the packaged stuff and the freshly made is remarkable.

Homemade food trial numero uno: PEAS

2009-03-09T02:19:00.000-04:00

I guess I decided on peas first because they seemed the easiest and they are Mason's fave, so why not? Here is the run-down:

I used freshly-frozen peas (10 ounces), a basket steamer, medium sized pot with lid, one inch of water, and food processor, spatula and left-over Gerber 1st Foods plastic containers (I am still waiting on my other containers to come in the mail).

I started by boiling an inch of water in the bottom of the pot and set the peas in the steamer basket on top, covered, and boiled for 5 minutes. When the 5 minutes was up, I reserved the cooking water, then I then rinsed the peas under cold water to stop the cooking. Next, I transferred the peas to the food processor and blended until smooth, adding the cooking water until I liked to consistency for Mason.

I used a tablespoon to scoop the peas into the Gerber containers and so I could keep track of how much I was transferring to the containers. I knew ahead of time that each Gerber container comes with about 3 tablespoons of food when you buy them. I filled 6 Gerber containers with 3 tablespoons each, totaling 18 tablespoons of food.

Total time spent from start to clean kitchen was 15 minutes.

Here is the best part:

Gerber 1st Foods 2 packs= approx. $1.00 so 6 total (3 2-packs) would be $3.00

Doing it my way, 6 containers (made from 10 ounces of peas) = $.70

That's a savings of $2.30! And no preservatives and/or added acid (seriously WTF?). The frozen puree lasts 3 months in the freezer or 3 days in the fridge. I don't know about you, but my time is money and 15 minutes is nothing compared to the benefits of making my own food. Plus, it is so damn pretty!

Been There, Done That. FAIL.

2009-03-05T02:11:00.000-05:00

After I had the crazy idea that I wanted to start cloth diapering, I ordered the 21 day trial "Changing Diapers, Changing Minds" from Jillian's Drawers. It is really a great program if you are even considering CDing since you are only out $10 in the end. They send you a wide array of cloth diapers and accessories so that you can figure out what works best for you.
I knew which brand I was interested in but I thought that it was important that I at least try the others so that I would not be disappointed. Of course, this is the brand that works best for us. Mason is what the CDing world calls a "heavy wetter" and the brand I chose was pretty much the only one that did not leak.

In the end, I chose not to continue. It is extra work, but that's not what did it in for me. I just think that Mason is too old and he seemed very uncomfortable in the cloth diapers. Plus (and this is major) I don't really think Paul was on board. He just never showed much interest and let's be honest, it is a complete waste if not everyone is on board especially when they care for the child a lot. I did really like cloth diapering. I think it is a wonderful thing and VERY good for the earth. However, we are already a one-car family, and I STILL haven't seen my "thank you check" from the government yet.

6 Months - Dear Mason

2009-03-03T07:34:00.000-05:00

Dear Mason,

Half of a year - that's how long we have known you now and I have never met anyone with such character. I was fully aware of the ever-changing 'babyness' we were embarking on when you made your tiny way into our lives but I was not prepared to go from this:

To this:
in such a short amount of time. You want to hold your bottle, and sit up by yourself and not be rocked or sang to. "Just put me in my damn crib already so I can go to sleep mom!" I never get sick of people telling me what a good baby you are, and how easy you are. I know I am lucky. Even when your dad and I try to escape for a night all we can do is talk about you and mimic your laugh and raspberries and little quirks. I cannot stop thinking about the past 6 months and how much you have changed and what a ride it has been. How you went from a non-sleeping baby to a 3 hour napper. I always worried what kind of mother I would be and how on earth I could ever raise a child to be the best person they could be, but I think I am doing a damn fine job so far.

I cannot wait until the winter goes away so I can take you outside to explore the things that you longingly look at through the window. You don't have time to explore when we leave the house since you are gasping through the cold air and I am rushing you inside the car or the store. You have started to watch the world go by through the car window when we are driving somewhere and I cannot help but wonder what you are thinking. Are you amazed at how fast the world around you is speeding by? Me too.

Raw meat

2009-03-02T09:55:00.003-05:00

It's probably in my best interest to just not leave the house. Ever. Either that or start declining invitations by our friends to attend adult weekends where there will no doubt be alcohol involved. OR I could avoid water when I am wearing flip-flops. Add stairs to that list, avoid the stairs as well. The sad thing is, I really wasn't even drunk at this point. Somehow I had managed to avoid hurting myself after THE TEQUILA and waiting until THE TEQUILA had worn off and all that was really in my system was THE CHLORINE.This, of course is not the extent of my injuries but I figured one photo of an Ohio-weathered-dried-up-leg was all you could probably stomach since the rest of my injuries are IN PLACES.

Nom Nom Nom Nom

2009-02-27T21:46:00.002-05:00

I just wanna bang on the drum all day.

2009-02-22T16:53:00.000-05:00

5 Months 2 Weeks 1 Day

2009-02-18T14:23:00.001-05:00

He sits. Alone. By himself. In the middle of a room.

The only "Valentiney" thing I did Saturday.

2009-02-15T14:58:00.001-05:00

Still 5 Months

2009-02-13T14:40:00.001-05:00

5 Months

2009-02-11T14:22:00.001-05:00

Mom, Interrupted.

2009-02-06T14:17:00.003-05:00

I am going to be taking a much needed, short break from blogging. I will still probably be posting photos of little man, just no text. Look for my return towards the end of the month - I am sure I will have lots to talk about, including the recap of my cloth diapering trial. Have a great February!

Dear Mason - 5 Months

2009-01-27T13:19:00.006-05:00

Do you know what happened in the last month of your life? BIG THINGS my little bug, big things. I know that if you could read right now you would probably roll your eyes and say "shut up about Obama already, mom", but I really can't help myself. All I will say is that I am so happy that I brought you into this world to sort of witness this great event in American History. And now I am done.

Of course, YOU did some wonderful things this month. You had your first fruits and veggies and I have to say that I still get very excited when I know it is time for you to eat. The faces you make are priceless and you are quick to let us know if you are enjoying yourself or not. You have really started giggling a lot easier than last month and you love to laugh at daddy (don't we all?). You also moved on to 6 month clothes which was kind of bittersweet since OMG you moved on to 6 month clothes and I had to pack up all the little 3 month clothes. You also outgrew your infant tub and moved on to the big tub. We had to buy a cushy bathmat since you haven't quite mastered sitting up on your own yet.

One night last week we took you out to eat. In a restaurant. Which never happens because you usually make it miserable for us by screaming the entire time. This time was different. You sat there in a highchair OMG and giggled and talked to waitresses and watched a tennis match on the TV. You actually went to bed about an hour later than usual, which used to equal a sleepless night because HEAVEN FORBID we put you to bed an hour late. But that didn't happen. You slept all night just like it was any other night.

You are starting to have a little separation anxiety which kind of cramps my style since I am not allowed to leave the room, pee, or anything unless you are able to see me. This also included two nights of you waking up every single hour to make sure your dad and I were still alive. Role reversal much?

You are still the sunshine of our lives, and trust me, there is not much of that going on outside right now. That's why we stay indoors with you where we can cuddle and hug and kiss you without getting frostbite.

And then I got this crazy idea...

2009-01-27T13:19:00.005-05:00

Winter makes me crazy I guess. CRAZY to the point where I am going to try cloth diapering. Go ahead, go back and read that one again. I'll wait. I have a confession to make and it is that my ice cold little heart breaks every time I empty out that stinky-ass Diaper Genie, tie up the end so that it resembles a nice little bolster pillow (a smelly one at that) and put it in the garage until trash day. THEN (and my husband doesn't know about this one) I sit by the front window and sob as the poor garbage man throws it into the garbage truck. Okay, maybe not, but in my head that's how it goes. Then, the bolster pillow of shit rides away to sit in a landfill and NOT decompose for like 80 years or something.

I know what you're thinking. You see the words "cloth diapering" and immediately think of the good old days of pre-folded diapers and safety pins JESUS ARE YOU GOING NEAR YOUR CHILD WITH THAT and rinsing sticky poop into the toilet, doing the full dunk and throwing it in the laundry room to stink up the joint. Well, I have good news. One, YEAH that's what I immediately thought about too so you're not alone. Two, it isn't like that anymore, HALLELUJAH unless of course you are a glutton for punishment and choose to do it that way. Cloth diapering has come a long ass way and once I started researching it IT BLEW MY MIND. It is really not that much different from disposables except that you just wash and reuse the same diapers instead of sending them to go die in a heap of smelly garbage. The best part is that it is cheaper. WAY cheaper if you do it right and I am all about saving money so I can get that massage.

I totally blame Jill over at Baby Rabies for this one. Hopefully in the weeks to come I will be thanking her and not cursing her out via blog. Stay tuned for my newest adventure or trip to hell, whichever it ends up being.

You have a lot of time to think while you are shoveling 20 feet of snow.

2009-01-27T13:19:00.004-05:00

Okay, maybe not 20 feet, but damn there is a lot of snow out there! I came to a few conclusions when I was out trying my best to earn a massage. The first thought I had as I watched my neighbors begrudgingly step out of their garages, shovel in hand, was "ahh. Must be naptime". Now, I full-well know that one of them has no kids, one has grown-up kids, and one was actually standing outside with her two kids who were using their little shovels to help. There was only one women out who I know has infant twins. It's amazing what having a baby will do to your mind.

My next thought was in relation to the timing of having a baby. Since Mason was born, I have been swearing off ever being pregnant during the summer again. It was 'okay', but being stuck inside the house with a newborn and watching what's left of the beautiful weather slowly disappear will definitely make you slip into a post-partum depression coma. Hmm. Anyways, I did find one GREAT thing about having a baby in late summer/early fall: Shoveling snow is a super baby weight-melting activity. Think about it. It is perfect timing. You have the baby, have approximately 4-5 months to recover, get used to your new life, lose the majority of your baby weight, standardize a routine and WHAM! here comes winter (this only applies if you live in snow belt hell). I have actually learned to like shoveling. It is a great calorie burner and if the weather continues to shit snow every week on us like this, I am sure to be back to my wedding weight in no time!

Finally, while humming the theme to Sesame Street in my head, (that Elmo CD is sure to be the death of me, ::waves:: HI CHRISSY) I came up with a couple FUN things to do to pass the time today:

Baby-hawk! He looks thrilled, doesn't he?

Don't worry, mama will get her bananas later. Only hers won't be in a mesh sack and they will be mixed with Jamaican rum and ice.

Peas

2009-01-27T13:19:00.002-05:00

God help me, the kid LOVES peas. Maybe because they are bland just like that miserable excuse for food he is used to called formula. He gets so excited when I break out the peas, he blows his socks off. No joke.

Carrots

2009-01-24T11:39:00.001-05:00

mmmm...notsomuch.

Success

2009-01-20T10:16:00.003-05:00

So far, the new car seat is a hit. We had minimal crying yesterday in the car, but still had to rock out to Elmo. I really think he is much more comfortable. Poor guy has another cold now and the snot is flowing around here like a river. I am off to take care of my little one and enjoy the rest of my birthday.

Big Boy Seat

2009-01-19T10:02:00.004-05:00

Well, Mason outgrew his infant carrier/car seat. The straps got too tight, he screamed every time he was put in it, and I just couldn't carry him AND the carrier around. It just got too heavy. So, in a snow storm on Saturday, my mom and I traveled to Babies R Us and I purchased a new car seat for him. The decision was an easy one since my car is small and only ONE of the choices fit. Luckily, it was the one I was looking at anyways, or at least the brand that I was looking at. It is good up until he is 40 pounds, which will probably be at his 9 month appointment.

Did I mention that he weighs close to 17 pounds at 4.5 months?

He will get to try it out for the first time today. Lets hope this solves our car issues and he stops crying in the car/I am not forced to listen to Elmo's Greatest Hits anymore - whichever comes first. Of course, buying a new car seat introduced me to a new dilemma which is called "It is January in Ohio and -20 degrees right now and we just lost our BundleMe privileges". So, my goal today is to find Mason a heavy coat/snowsuit/whatever to keep him warm, in January, when ALL of the kiddie stores have started displaying their SPRING clothes and hanging flowers! and bumblebees! and sunshinesunshinesunshine! from the ceilings of their stores.

I'll let you know how it goes.

Oatmeal

2009-01-16T17:28:00.004-05:00

What happens when you mix oatmeal with a 4.5 month-old who likes to stick everything in his mouth, including the spoon you are feeding him with?

Bottle Connoisseur

2009-01-12T13:25:00.003-05:00

I have tried them all (almost). Why, you ask? Well, since Mason has been eating formula, he has been using the small wideneck BornFree bottles. The only problem was that they only hold 6 ounces and he was starting to eat more. Plus, he never had any stomach problems and I didn't see the point in continuing to clean a bottle, nipple, ring, cap, and two parts of a vent. So the hunt for new bottles began. I started buying what I thought looked like the best bottle but always found a problem and had to return and exchange, moving onto the next one. Here are my reviews* of the bottles I have tried (all are BPA-free):

BornFree: A-. Great bottles. Lots of parts. Highly recommend to use the 6oz widenecks as starter bottles so that you are covered in case you have a spitter.

Playtex Drop-Ins: B. Also great bottles. The only downfall is having to purchase the liners for them. Good for "lazy moms". I used these in the beginning along with the BornFree's.

MAM: D. The only reason I didn't fail these bottles is because they are cute. That's it. Thought I was getting less parts to clean. WRONG. The bottom screws off to reveal a vent system. They leak. They suck.

Avent: C. Good bottles, but leak horribly. Unless you have tons of time and patience to stand at your sink, dripping with formula, trying to screw the top on just right, don't buy these bottles. Plus, they lagged a little in the BPA switch-over. Losers.

Nuby: B. Adorable bottles, and MY favorite. No leaking issues BUT Mason didn't like them and I guess he gets a say. The "vari-flow" nipple was too hard for him to grasp since I guess he is lazy sucker. He did like to chew on the nipple though since it has little "nubs" that massage gums.

Gerber: A. Old school $3.99 for a 3-pack bottles that your mom probably fed you with. Good bottles, latex nipples (not my favorite, I prefer silicone but Gerber doesn't offer silicone until the level 3 nipples) BUT I found that the Evenflo nipples fit just fine.

Evenflo Pure Comfort (or something): A. This is what I am using now. So far no issues and I love that the bottle is angled for comfort. Little to clean, cute colors, no leaking. I think these are a keeper.

*I am not getting paid or anything to do this, just thought it might be helpful. Cheerio!

F.

2009-01-09T16:42:00.003-05:00

I just realized that yesterday was my blog's one year birthday.
So...

Happy Birfday Bloggy Blog. Kisses.

Look for a new post soon. On bottles. Because we have used almost every brand known to mankind. Almost.

Dear Mason - 4 Months

2009-01-03T13:37:00.008-05:00

Dear Mason,

What a month it has been. The past month has BY FAR been my favorite. Not because you FINALLY began sleeping for long stretches at night (I dream now, did I tell you that?), or laughing, smiling all.the.time, "talking" up a storm, or being incredibly cute, but because you are you. And I wouldn't have it any other way. Your personality is really starting to show and what a personality it is! It is hard to believe that last year at this time we were starting to tell people about you. Now we have this beautiful, funny, loving little boy.

We started giving you cereal recently and you seriously LOVE IT. You think it is hilarious when I make airplane noises. Speaking of you thinking I am hilarious, It boggles my mind that the things that I think would make you giggle do not. It is just the normal things that I do that you think are so freaking funny. Like blowing my hair out of my eyes. I did not know that was so funny! Actually, I am used to people laughing at me for my every day activities, so it's cool.

Your napping schedule drives us insane still. You need to learn that you do not function well on 45 minute naps all day long, but I haven't been able to communicate this to you yet. Something about you being a baby and not understanding me? I don't know. Like all things so far in your tiny life, hopefully it will work itself out. Napping aside, you are a wonderful little guy. Yes, you STILL hate the car seat and scream your head off in the car, YES you don't like taking naps, BUT you are Mason. And we wouldn't trade you or your little quirks for the world.

New Year, New Priorities

2009-01-01T13:20:00.002-05:00

New Year's Eve 2006-

"Oh my GOD I am getting married next year! WOW! Let's get wassssssted and party until 4am!"

New Year's Day 2007 agenda: Sleep. Like forever. Take 8 million Advil and cruise through Taco Bell for lunch. Greasiness loves hangovers. Or hangover's love greasiness? I can't think. My head is pounding.

New Years Eve 2007-

"Oh my GOD I am going to have a baby next year. And I can't drink. Shit. And nobody knows I am pregnant but my husband. Quick, self, whip some story about antibiotics or something that nobody really believes. Swig some sparkling grape juice and pretend it is a delicious cocktail. This is going to be a long year."

New Year's Day 2008 agenda: Sleep. Like forever, again. I am so tired! Eat an entire pot of mac and cheese. Go back to sleep. Play some Wii. Eat more. Sleep more.

New Year's Eve 2008-

"Oh my GOD, why won't you stop crying?! Should we take him to dinner or not? He is going to be difficult all night. He will never sleep in his pack and play at our friends house with all of the noise! This is totally going to suck. Give me a margarita and a bottle of frambois QUICK to numb myself."

New Year's Day 2009 agenda: Try to sleep while Paul tends to Mason at 7am after going to bed at 1am. Get up at 8:30am, eat breakfast. A real breakfast. Not hungover at all. Play with Mason and feed him. Watch Mason fall asleep in my arms and smile as he dreams about bottles. Or Elmo. Or whatever nearly-four month old's dream about. Lay him down in his crib and think about how incredibly lucky I am. This is going to be the best year yet.

Hope you all had a safe, wonderful, hangover-free New Year's. Wishing you health in happiness is 2009!

And CONGRATS Colleen and Eric on your pregnancy. Enjoy every minute, it goes by so fast! Love you both!

Merry and Bright

2008-12-27T15:00:00.002-05:00

Long time, no blog. This past week was MADNESS. The holidays are always a super busy time for us and when you add a nearly 4 month old into the mix it just turns into complete chaos. We learned a lot this past week. Some of the big lessons include the fact that Mason STILL hates the car (we drove a lot), doesn't do well with commotion/loud people/lots of people, and Mason does not adapt to a change in his routine well. I guess I will give the kid a break because he is only 4 months old but it definitely made for a tiring week.

I will try to post lots of pictures of Mason's first Christmas soon - and there are a lot since Paul got me a new camera, PAUL GOT ME A NEW CAMERA!! Now I just have to wait for him to re-install my Photoshop so I can make the photos look all purdy and worthy of your eyes.

I certainly hope everyone had a wonderful holiday, it is hard to believe that a year ago yesterday I peed on a stick and now I have a baby! A Christmas-ham-of-a-baby. Look for another blog hopefully soon!

Q & A

2008-12-15T15:57:00.002-05:00

I cannot believe how close it is getting to Christmas already! Mason and I have been so busy getting every one's gifts ready. I did want to answer some of the questions I received from the last post before everything gets too crazy:

What do you do to try to calm him down in the car? Music? Rattles? Would love to hear more about that in a future post.

What haven't I tried? I have my iPod loaded with Rockabye Baby lullabies, I have sat in the backseat with him (obviously not while driving), hung Jacques the Peacock where he can see him, sang to him, adjusted the straps on his car seat...EVERYTHING. The only thing that ever seems to calm him down is to blast static from the radio. It is annoying to listen to, but I would rather listen to that than his blood curdling screams. Oh, and the kid HATES pacifiers so that won't even help!

I have come to the conclusion that he hates his car seat for two reasons: he cannot move his arms out to the side AND he knows that the car makes him go to sleep and that upsets him. We are keeping our fingers and toes crossed for the day that he actually ENJOYS getting in the car and going somewhere. For now, we are hermits.

Is that a bundle me? Do you like it?

Yes, it is a JJ Cole Bundle me. I absolutely love it because I didn't have to buy a big old snowsuit for him, and I don't have to put on layer after layer before we go anywhere. I usually just dress him appropriately for the weather that day and put a hat and mittens on him and go! I love that it zips all the way down the sides and the flap can be removed if it is a warmer day.

But Mo-om!

2008-12-11T18:41:00.003-05:00

I look STUPID!!

Ahhh yes. The joys of the car seat. He still hates it, but is doing a smidge better once he is in the car. I have a mirror hanging on the back seat so I can see him and he usually has a really pissed off look on his face the entire car ride. THAT is something I need to take a picture of. Hilarious.

He can do whatever the hell he wants in the car as long as he keeps up his nighttime sleeping routine. Dare I say it? Fine. He sleeps through the night!

Crusty the Clown Baby

2008-12-08T08:41:00.002-05:00

Mason is currently recovering from cold number two. That's right, two colds in 3 months. Hopefully the kid is working on strengthening his little immune system. Of course colds always equal waking up every two hours SCREAMING your head off for at least one night (only one night thank Jeebus)...followed by a night of 10 hours and 45 minutes of blissful uninterrupted sleeping. For Mason. Because mommy was up to pee once after 3 hours and up again after another 5 hours to make sure the baby was still alive.

Um, thanks.

2008-12-05T15:03:00.003-05:00

I am going to complain a little here. Surprise, surprise. Why do people constantly feel the need to comment on your parenting skills? Of course I knew this would happen since it was present during pregnancy as well (the comments, I mean). I cannot recall ever mentioning anything about perfect stranger's parenting skills to their face before in my entire life. Maybe it is something that people feel entitled to once they have raised/are raising children? I don't know.

For example, at the grocery store the other day a lady in the checkout line commented on "how proud she was of me that I put mittens on my baby". I know she was trying to be nice and all, but really? You're proud of me? You don't even know me. I could have lined those mittens with razor blades or doused them in whisky before I left my house. (I would NEVER do either, BTW, so move your hand away from the mouse and the 'comment' button and get a hold of yourself.)

Then, THEN, on the way out of the grocery store, an older gentleman tells me that I should have put the baby carrier in a cart and pushed him around instead of carrying him. I politely told him, "Eh, just picking up some gift cards, no need! Plus it builds my muscles this way! (har har)". He responded with, "It doesn't build muscles, it just makes you tired". Dude, let it go. As if waking up at 5am to feed my baby doesn't make me tired enough.

Dear Mason - 3 Months

2008-12-02T10:33:00.010-05:00

Dear Mason,

Another month has gone by and it just keeps getting better and better. This past month started out to be a challenge, but recently you have turned into such an angel. Your dad and I constantly talk about what a good boy you are. You really are an easy baby and we are so lucky. You still love to eat and are counting down the days until you can have some "solid" foods.

Nap-time is beginning to be less and less of a challenge, but you still have your bad days where you just don't want to take a nap. Nighttime is awesome - you go to bed between 7:30pm and 8pm and don't wake up until somewhere between 4:30am and 6am. After a bottle, you go back to sleep until 7:30am or 8! Once you are up for the day, you usually lay in bed between us and smile and talk until you realize you are hungry!

Your favorite noises to make are "bahhh" and "booo". The other day, you chuckled! It was so funny and completely caught us off guard. You are so strong and love to do sit-ups with my help and when on your belly, you lift your head and body up off the ground. Your car seat is still your nemesis and you cry a lot in the car. We are hoping that you get used to it someday soon because leaving the house is pretty much a disaster right now.

You had your first Thanksgiving last week and got so much lovin' from my family. You were quite the flirt and smiled and talked to everyone. Next up is your first Christmas and you already love to look at the Christmas tree. Yes, you are a sweet baby BUT there is a different side to you. There are times (especially when you are tired) that you decide to abuse me. You pull my hair, scratch me, pinch my neck, punch me in the throat and scream in my ear. Your dad thinks this is funny of course, but it hurts! You are way too strong for your own good!

We love you so much and every day is a blessing with you in our lives. So far, this month is my favorite. I love seeing your adorable smile and hearing your little voice. Keep it up big man, but don't grow up too fast!

But WAIT!

2008-11-25T16:18:00.004-05:00

Okay, here is my next tip. I knew this one would have to follow up yesterday's post since they go hand in hand. I felt the need to hurry up and get this on here so that I do not cause mass hysteria. Plus, the one and only comment yesterday (thanks!) nearly made it a two-post day, but I held off.

The whole "don't ever wake a sleeping baby" thing, it's crap. I see the confusion on your face. First, I am telling you to let the baby sleep, now I am tell you to wake him up?! WTF?!

Here is the deal:
Naps are a must. 1.5-2 hour naps, that is. Anything past the 2 hour range starts getting dangerously close to the baby having his days and nights mixed up. 3 hours of sleeping is a lot for a newborn during the day. Naps need to be consistent, especially for my kid, or his day is all f'd up.

So, let the child sleep during the day - but within reason! Consistency is key and it may take a while, but trust me it works! Here is Mason's daily schedule: (it's not set in stone, because life happens. Times vary daily and we never force him into anything. Most importantly, I follow his cues.) He will wake up, eat, play for a while (1-1.5 hours), then go down for a nap. He repeats this all day long, eating every 3-ish hours. His first nap is usually only 45 mins long and naps after that are between 1.5-2 hours, NEVER LONGER. Then after his last nap in the evening, he will wake up, go through his bedtime routine and then eat right before bed. This works great for us and he has been sleeping like a champ at night pretty consistently.

Of course, every baby is different and this might not work, but I honestly believe that you should wake a baby during the day so that they understand that nighttime is for sleeping and naps are for refueling. That's just a lil' sumptin' sumptin' I have learned thus far that I don't recall EVER seeing during my pregnancy!

I must have missed that...

2008-11-24T16:02:00.004-05:00

Let me preface this entry by saying that in no universe near or far do I consider myself an expert on motherhood. Nor do I think that I am a perfect mother, I am far from it. I will however, claim to be a baby-knowledge whore in every sense of the phrase. I read. LOTS. Okay, that is an understatement. I am like a mother-sponge. I cannot get enough. I read books, websites, essays, message boards, etc. etc. etc. If it has to do with infant behaviors, I read it. I was a psych major once in one of my many lives and I remember child psych being one of my favorite classes. One that I don't think I ever skipped, and that's sayin' something.

So being the lovely, wonderful, entirely-too-nice-for-my-own-good blogger that I am, I decided one day (probably a month ago, HEY give me a break) that I should start writing entries focusing on information that I must have missed when I was pregnant. Secret troves of wonderful information that is hidden from pregnant women and new mommies every where that can only be unlocked once you have hit "that wall". You know the one I am talking about moms. The wall that you can only SLAM into once you reach pure crazy. A wall harder than brick, taller than the Empire State Building and wider than the Atlantic coast. The wall that causes you to troll the Internets for an answer ANY ANSWER ohmygodpleasehelpmeIamabouttoloseit at usually somewhere around 3am on a Saturday, just when your young, unmarried, childless friends are stumbling in from a good night of drinking.

I have found out that pretty much everything you read during pregnancy to prepare you for this little miracle will be lost like a sock in a dryer once the crazy sets in. So I am going to help you, oh childless Internets. Take notes. Follow along. BURN THIS INFO INTO YOUR BRAIN.

My first piece of missing info: Sleep begets sleep.

DUH! You might say. Well, I am sure I am not the first half of a new parent couple that decided that "We should keep the baby awake so that he is super tired and sleeps longer through the night". DON'T DO IT. For the love of Gucci, don't do it. You see, babies are born just wanting to sleep. All.the.time. LET THEM. Trust. If you keep a baby up because you think he will work like you do (playing all day and passing out at night) you will pay.

It took us a while to figure out that the more consistent we were with Mason's naps during the day, the better he slept at night. I wish someone would have told me this. I am sure I read it somewhere, or someone DID tell me, but it got lost somewhere between every 2 hour feedings and diaper yeast in those first couple weeks. Just trust me. You will look down at your baby who is napping for the third time that day and think "Great. Now we are going to be up all night" but you won't! It's just how it works.

Now, don't get it twisted here. Healthy daytime naps and having days and nights mixed up are another thing. But that's for another day!

Mom-1 Mason-1

2008-11-18T10:09:00.002-05:00

The game is tied. Mason may be mysteriously waking up during the night like he is 3 freaking weeks old again, but I am ruling the daytime nap game. For the past couple days (knock on wood) I have been getting the kid down in 2 minutes flat thanks to my 'oh you're getting sleepy' sixth sense. Of course he pays me back by fighting ruthlessly when it is his last nap of the day or in the middle of the night when his once-a-night-3am feeding has turned into (on Sunday night) 12am, 2am, 5am, up for the day at 6:30am. Or last night: 2:30am, 6am then back down until 8:15am. Seriously, child. WTF are you doing?

I am hoping that the two wakings last night versus the 3 the night before means that he is getting back on schedule. Like, tonight he will be back to his once-a-night feeding. But honestly, he weighs over 12 freaking pounds, you would think the kid has enough fat stores in his cheeks to get him through the night. Obviously not. The only things I can come up with at this point is that he is hitting his 3 month growth spurt a week early, or spending the night at grandma's on Saturday (OF COURSE he slept like an angel) royally f'd him up for a couple days. OR he is getting another cold, but I doubt it because there are no other signs.

This is how I spend my days: Analyzing why HIS HIGHNESS will not a.) go to sleep or b.) stay asleep. Everything else is fine and dandy.

Hey Aunt D

2008-11-13T21:09:00.006-05:00

Thanks for the new onesie! Mom and dad say that it explains my demeanor perfectly right now!

Who? Me?! Nah, I would never wake up my parents because OMG IAMSTARVING Wahhhhh.

Love, Mason

The Cuteness

2008-11-08T17:43:00.006-05:00

My good friend Colleen took these pictures of Mason when he was 5 weeks old and I thought you all should see some of my favorites (just a couple since they are ALL my favorites and I can't post 93 images here). Yes, she is awesome. Yes, she is for hire. Yes, you should contact her ASAP to photograph your kids, pets, family, whatever. Let me know if you want her contact info by leaving me a comment with your email since I am not sure she wants her info posted on here ;o).

Enjoy the cuteness.

History

2008-11-05T08:34:00.002-05:00

It is so cool that Mason is here to witness (sort of) an extremely historical day for our country. With everything that is going on with the economy, jobs, gas prices, the war, etc. it is nice to know that there is still hope out there. My faith in this nation as a whole is starting to be restored. All I want is for my son to grow up in a wonderful world and know that he can be whatever he wants to be as long as he works hard. I want him to feel safe in all realms. I want him to be proud.

Mason's write-in votes for Mommy and Daddy as president and vice-president didn't quite turn out the way he wanted.

Dear Mason - 2 Months

2008-11-02T10:52:00.003-05:00

2 Months Old

Dear Mason,

Today, you turn 2 months old! You are such a big boy and you have changed so much this past month. You now smile at us and talk to us all the time, which is so refreshing after a month of you crying! We really started to figure you out this month and learned that pretty much the root of all of your problems was that you just weren't sleeping enough. Now that we have you on a good schedule and you are taking good naps throughout the day, everyone is happier and you sleep longer at night! SCORE!

One of your favorite things is the exercise gym that Aunt Chrissy let us borrow. You especially love the red bird and the lights and music. You also still love Jacques the Peacock and your new friend is the big Caterpillar that plays "If You're Happy and You Know It". You also think it is hilarious when mommy signs along. You also love your sound machine and the raindrop noise. You sleep so much better with that noise on! Bath time, or "tubby time" as we call it is definitely one of your happiest times. You love the warm water and kick your legs and coo like crazy. Recently, you discovered that there was a mirror on your left side and you love to stare at yourself. After tubby time is when you really get going. You talk non-stop while we give you a massage and dry you off. You absolutely love to be naked, but who doesn't?!

You drink 5 ounces of formula every 3-4 hours, play for a little while, then usually sleep for 1.5-2 hours. This is your little routine and it is wonderful! Bedtime for you is around 8pm and you eat one more time around 10:30pm before you sleep for usually 5-5.5 hours straight! Mommy and daddy love you for this!

Today you went for your 2 month well baby appointment, but it turns out you weren't so well. This morning you woke up with a nasty cough and stuffy nose. It is so hard to hear you cough and struggle. Luckily, we had the doctor's appointment and she was able to check you out. Your temperature was 99.9 rectally, which is good. There really isn't much we can do for you except run the humidifier and elevate your mattress to help with your congestion. We went ahead with two of your shots and you only cried for a minute. The doctor also wanted to see how well you hold your head up when on your stomach and you rolled over onto your back for her! You are so strong! You weighed 11 pounds, 15 ounces (50%) and measured 22.25 (25%) inches long.

We love you so much and enjoy watching you change and grow every day. You make us laugh so hard with your gas expulsion and the fact that you now know what your bottle is and will stare longingly at it when we burp you. I think you are getting a little too smart for us. Soon you will be balancing the checkbook and doing our taxes.

Here's to another wonderful month big man!

How I have been getting shit done.

2008-10-29T10:59:00.003-04:00

Don't mind my sicky/haven't showered yet face.

LOVE the Infantino Front2Back Rider ($39.99). BabyBjorn WHAT?!

Catch 22

2008-10-28T08:15:00.002-04:00

I am sick. Have been since Saturday night/Sunday. Of course being sick and trying to take care of a baby is not the equivalent of your parents telling you they are taking you to Disney World. Paul has been SUPER nice, getting up with Mason during the night for the past two nights for me and THEN working all day, cleaning the house, attempting to make dinner/kill us with smoke inhalation, pretty much being SUPERMAN. Obviously I owe him big time - like Playstation 3 BIG TIME.

The only thing is that Mason is a nap-fighter and I am pretty much the only one that knows the rockingshushingpattingOMGthat'stheticket that gets him to go to sleep, usually within 5-10 minutes. So, instead of getting an extra 2 hours of sleep, I pretty much just lay in bed listening to Mason scream and Paul trying everything he can to get him to go down. The catch 22 is that it is so super sweet that Mason loves his mommy BUT damnit I am sicker than hell and showing no signs of getting better because my body is screaming "HEY LADY GET SOME SLEEP and like, FEED YOURSELF something other than cheese and Triscuits!!"

Caught on Camera

2008-10-26T16:37:00.005-04:00

He smiles. Sort of.

He was quite excited for the game yesterday...the outcome did not make him smile.

A Word from our Sponsor

2008-10-22T11:33:00.002-04:00

I have been meaning to write this entry for a couple weeks now, but of course time slipped away from me. I never felt "right" after Mason was born. I have dealt with anxiety and depression before so I knew the drill, but this was a slow process. I attributed the first couple weeks of the crying and frustration to the baby blues. I even went as far as thinking that the one month mark was still baby blues. This was around the time that my sister-in-law gave me Brooke Shields' book Down Came the Rain. I read it during Mason's naps and cried. I could have wrote a lot of that book myself. I won't go too much into detail about what was going on in my head because it was scary. I would never hurt myself or Mason, but I did want to run away.

Things really came to a head during the fifth week of Mason's life. Paul was growing increasingly frustrated with me and my constant crying. I wasn't sleeping, Mason wasn't sleeping and I just plain wasn't enjoying myself. I knew my 6 week (which fell at the end of the 5th week) post-partum appointment was coming up and I was just trying to survive until then. I knew I needed help. As I said, I had dealt with this before and knew what was going on. I guess I just felt like I could handle it without medication this time. What I didn't take into consideration was that not only was I having to deal with my issues, but I also had to take care of a newborn and try to keep my marriage in tact as well. It just got too hard. I gave in.

I talked to my doctor and she didn't even hesitate to write me a prescription. I told her what I took in college and she gave me the same medication. I knew it would take effect immediately, but I can honestly say that at almost 2 weeks later, I am feeling so much better.

My friends and family obviously knew something was going on with me. I was told that I was not acting like myself and that made me sad. I am doing so much better now and actually starting to enjoy myself. Mason is really starting to interact with us and falling into a great pattern over the course of the day. I like to think it is because we are all so much happier.

I really thought it was important that I get this all out there because of my audience. Know that you are NOT crazy if you start feeling unlike yourself. Get help. Medication is not a bad thing, talking to someone is not a bad thing. You are only human and there is only so much you can handle. I can't remember who said this, or where I heard it, but it is SO TRUE:

Being a parent is the hardest job you will ever love.

Picture Update

2008-10-20T14:11:00.007-04:00

I know I have been slacking lately, but "little" man is keeping us super busy! So here are some new photos to hold you over! Enjoy!

Church Halloween:

Playing:

Holy Growth Spurt

2008-10-14T13:24:00.004-04:00

We are in the midst of Mason's 6 week growth spurt. I swear this little guy is going to eat us out of house and home! Just when we were stretching feedings to 4 or 5 hours, he decides he is now STARVING every 2-3 hours! He is also sleeping a lot which can be nice when all you feel like all you are doing is preparing bottles, feeding and changing him. Speaking of feeding, I am down to exclusively pumping so Mason can have 2 bottles of breast milk a day. The rest of the time he gets formula. My body pretty much decided this for me and abruptly stopped making large amounts of milk last weekend. I was getting ready to wean soon anyways, so it all worked out.

I will admit I am sad that I am no longer nursing him, but I think it definitely makes for a happier mom AND baby. He was getting really frustrated when he wasn't getting a full feeding from me and it is so sad to watch him go through that.

In other news, Mason now coos a little and is smiling lots in response to people. You have to work at it a little, but it happens! I love his little voice, it has a raspy sound to it - too cute. His next doctor appointment is a little over 2 weeks away and I am so anxious to see how much weight my little linebacker has packed on. I can't believe we are almost at 6 weeks! We really have the hang of things now, all we need is for him to start sleeping through the night and everything would be gravy! Wishful thinking!!