A (Major) Brain Dump

I would call this a weekend wrap-up but since I haven't really blogged about "life" lately it is probably a more of a major brain dump...oops!

• We have really been enjoying the cool down that has been happening in our area.  It has been nice to be outside and have impromptu porch gatherings with our neighbors.  We also have taken walks and visited the farmers market without sweating.  I think it is pretty obvious this guy has been enjoying our outings, too!

• We re-planted our front flower bed a few weeks ago.  Our local garden center had all of their plants 50% off so we took advantage of the sale and risked planting the new plants in the extreme heat.  But, thanks to a little good luck and the above mentioned cool down, the plants are doing pretty darn good! 

• We went out do a belated birthday dinner on Saturday (thanks to the worst summer cold ever, we had to cancel our original plans) and I tried a new dish, grilled shrimp risotto, and I can't quit thinking about it.  It was SO good!  The risotto had grilled shrimp, snap peas, leaks, fresh corn and roasted tomatoes.  YUM!  We also had fun catching up with our good friends, which was an extra bonus :)
• We had to move our offices at work to the second floor of our building.  My department was the only department on the main floor, other than our receptionist and our production guy.  While we weren't really excited to move, I sort of like my new office better.  I was able to arrange it how I wanted it and it forced me to organize a little better.  Plus, we have a little better view of the parking lot because we are one floor up and can actually see the sky now...you have to look for the positive in things, people!
• Brandon was chosen as the project manager for the new airport terminal.  He is both excited and anxious -- excited because it was an honor to be chosen and he gets to be a part of a great team working on the largest project in their company's history, but anxious because it is the biggest project in the company's history and because it is a pretty high profile job.  This will be his only job for the next two and a half years so needless to say, he will be pretty focused for a while.
• I made peanut butter rice krispie treats this weekend.  I don't know why, but they sounded good and they were/are so yummy!! 
• I CAN'T WAIT for Fall.  Like absolutely can't wait.  I love the weather, I love the clothes, I love KSU football, I love baking and crock pot meals.  I just can't wait!
• Speaking of Fall and the cool weather as of late, it makes me want to clean out and organize our house.  So much so that one of my coworkers, who aspires to be a professional organizer, is coming over next weekend to help me get started!  
• As Mason is getting older (a whole four months!), he is getting more toys and more toys means less floor space in our living room.  So, I think we have come to the conclusion that it is time to turn our dining room into a play room.  I knew this day would come and I'm actually kind of excited to get started.  I've found a few shelving units that I like and I'm searching for kid friendly art that still meshes with the rest of our house because the dining room is basically part of our entryway.  So far, I have not come up with anything...but I will keep looking.
• We had sermon today that talked about spiritual discipline.  It really struck a cord with me and made me realize that I need to get focused on listening to God and spending quality time with him rather than just running to him when we need something.  Okay, point taken.

Well, that is about all for now.  Time to get ready for a new week!

4 Months Old!

I'm a little late posting Mason's 4 month update, but I've got to say, this past month has been so fun!! Mason has really started to develop a little personality and we have been seeing so many changes in him. We had to cancel his four month check up because he had been sick so I don't have his "stats" yet, but once we get the appointment rescheduled I will make sure to update.

Stats: Based on our scale at home, Mason is close to 16 pounds now. I think he has plateaued a little bit in the weight gain, but we will be interested to see what the doctor's scale says. He has filled out so much and seems to change everyday. He is still in 3-6 month clothing but will be transitioning to 6 month clothing soon. He is also still wearing size 2 diapers.

Eating: Mason eats five and half to six ounces of formula about every three to four hours during the day and then has a three to four hour stretch at night. He is still on Nutramigen and is also taking Prevacid for his acid reflux. He certainly lets us know when he's hungry but once he sees the bottle all is right in his world again. His spit up has tapered off (I hope I'm not jinxing us by say that), so burping him has been much more pleasant.

Sleeping: Mason isn't sleeping through the night quite yet, especially the past few weeks since he was sick. Hopefully we can start working on a better sleep schedule soon. However, we aren't complaining because he still generally only wakes up once during the night around 2:30 or 3:00 and then around 5:30 or 6:00 but he will usually go back to sleep after this feeding for a couple of hours, which is really nice for his mom and dad :)

Activity: This has been a big month for his development and activity. Mason has really started to play with his toys lately and will grab for his little toys if we hold them above him. The play gym is still a big hit, but now he grabs and swats at the toys that hang down. In fact, the other day he swung one so hard that it whacked him in the head! He also gets very excited when we put him in his bouncy seat and he just kicks his legs like crazy. He has also really been enjoying all kinds of music. Brandon has found some good Pandora stations that are suitable for kids and we also turn on the radio in his room while we get him dressed or change his diaper. He even likes it when we sing to him! Hopefully this means he will be a musical kid when he's older. He is enjoying tummy time a little more now and has been sitting in his Bumbo chair for a few minutes each day -- the boy has a STRONG neck! He is also on the verge of rolling over. He's been teetering on his side so as soon as he figures out how to shift his weight he will be a rolling machine. Since he found his hands last month he has learned how to use them to take his binki out of his mouth and (sort of) put it back in. It's all fun until he can't get it back in his mouth and then he starts to cry.

Characteristics: Mason is developing the cutest little personality. As you can see in the pictures, he's got a precious smile and the sweetest laugh. He's starting to make a lot more sounds and we find him talking to himself quite often. We've also noticed him really studying our mouths when we talk to him as if he's really trying to figure out what we're saying and how we're saying it. And speaking of studying, he is also starting to really study his surroundings when he's sitting on our laps or hanging out in the Bumbo or high chair. I think he likes the change of scenery :)

Events: This month was pretty low key as far as events go. He had visits from both the Bohn and Gazaway cousins and we made a trip to GC to celebrate Brooklyn's baptism. We also survived our first major sickness -- he and I both got pretty bad summer colds (I'm still battling mine...ugh!) -- and Nana had to come to the rescue so Daddy could go to work. It was nice to have her here to help out and Mason definitely benefitted from the extra love and attention :)

 

   

Even a Mama Needs Her Mama

Little man has been dealing with quite a bit of congestion over the past ten days and it came to a head late last week and into the weekend.  He was feverish and congested and just didn't feel good.  Brandon and I were doing a good job of caring for him together.  That is until Saturday afternoon when I got hit with the bug.  Big time.  It was like all of the sudden my whole body ached, my throat hurt and I was congested.  I went to bed Saturday afternoon -- after I cancelled my pedicure so you know it was real bad -- and have pretty much been down since then.  

{mohawks happen when daddy is in charge!}

Brandon did a great job of taking care of both me and Mason, but by Sunday evening he was ready to call in the backups.  Enter my mama.  She graciously offered to come help out so Brandon could go to work on Monday.  I was trying to keep my distance from Mason so we didn't perpetuate the germ cycle so she took care of him on Monday while I hibernated in the basement.  She took Mason to the doctor, picked up his prescriptions, fixed meals, did laundry and cleaned a little bit.  I'm so thankful for her graciousness and willingness to drop what she was doing to come take care of us.   I'm heading to the doctor this morning to make sure I don't have anything contagious and to hopefully get some meds to help me start feeling better.  It really is not any fun being sick while being a mama.  I miss playing with and snuggling my little guy, but I know he has been in excellent hands!

{Mason and his Nana -- courtesy of Brandon's phone}