Not Feeling Well

Mason's poor little bum is still very red, angry looking & sore. He absolutely HATES getting his diaper changed, which I don't blame him, but it's a full on war every time. We started using Maalox & Vaseline (our pediatrician's favorite concoction) on his bum tonight so hopefully it will help heal it up faster.

The poor boy has just been so pitiful today and I found him several times just lying on his blanket on the floor. This usually never happens, he's always on the go, so I know he really isn't feeling well. We think he is also starting to come down with a cold, he's been sneezing, coughing, and starting to have a runny nose today.

Anyhow, I have to work tonight and I hate leaving him when he doesn't feel well, even though I know his father is very capable & will take great care of him. I just feel like kids need their moms when their sick, and I hate that I'm leaving mine to go care for somebody else's.

However, on the bright side despite him feeling crummy today I did get a short video clip of him dancing to some music that was playing on the computer.

Diaper Rash

So Mason had spaghetti for the first time this week two nights in a row and it caused his bottom to break out in a horrible diaper rash. This is his first major diaper rash and is little bum is so red & raw. Tonight he just screamed when I was changing his diaper and I could tell it was hurting him so bad, I felt awful and wanted to cry myself. We put some bag balm on his bum and gave him some Tylenol for the pain, but he was still so pitiful the rest of the evening and just wanted to be held. I hate it when he hurts & doesn't feel well, but I'd by lying if I said I don't like how cuddly he becomes.

Here are some pictures of our sad little boy.

Oh, and don't mind me in my pj's, undone hair, & super shiny face.....I'd worked the night before and hadn't been up for very long!

Our Little Thief

These are some short videos of our little thief who loves to grab our stuff and take off running with it! This is a daily occurrence at our house and makes me laugh every time! I'm sure the funniness will wear off eventually, but for now I'm enjoying our silly little guy!

Now, tell me that didn't make you smile or laugh?

The Chase is On

I just love chasing Mason through the house and watching him squeal. It's hilarious and we do it often. He even knows now what it means when we say, "I'm going to get you", and immediately squeals & runs off. I love this boy so much, and I have so much fun with him!

Climber

Yesterday I was working on something at the office computer and I could hear Mason playing behind me and I knew there wasn't a lot he could get into because we've packed most the stuff within his reach. Well I turned around to check on him and found him standing on the tupperware bin I'd packed up! I couldn't believe it and promptly got him down, but then was curious to see how he'd even done that so I sat back and watched to see if he would do it again. Sure enough he pulled himself right back on top of it and started to stand up again when I took him back down. I told Steven about it later that night and he wanted a video of it so that he could see it. So today like a good, responsible parent I let him do it again while I recorded his little stunt. Only, today he came up with something new and decided to take a couple nose dives off of it! I think he's going to be a little daredevil!

Bath Robe Model

His thighs are a little bigger than your average model, but I think his dashing good looks makes up for it! This is him getting into places he's not supposed to & throwing a fit when he got in trouble! But don't worry his fits don't last long and he's right back to posing..... Now aren't those the cutest thunder thighs & little cheeks you've ever seen??

Family Day

Today we got a jump start on our packing and packed up a bunch of our office stuff. I think reality is finally starting to set in that we are going to be moving, but the scary part is that we still don't know where to yet. Hopefully within the next month or two we will know.

Also, it has been so nice to have Steven home for a couple days this week during spring break & for me not to be working. We've actually been able to spend some real time together instead of just our usual "hello-goodbye" routine.

The weather has also been beautiful here the last couple days and I think it's given us Spring fever. Tonight in an effort to get out of the house we went out for Chinese food before coming home and taking Mason and Rosco on a walk. They both loved it of coarse and I realized just how out of shape I've become! Definitely time to start working out more! Anyhow, when we got back home Steven pulled out his scooter that he'd been working on earlier in the day and took it for a test ride around the neighborhood before going to get us a movie at Redbox. Mason liked watching him ride the scooter. He's so excited for it to be warm enough to start riding his scooter again, and honestly I am too since the gas of price is now $3.65/per gallon here! Mason also loved trying out daddy's scooter & pretending he was driving... Well that has been our day, and now it's time to give Mason his bath & put him to bed so that we can finish the night with a movie. It's been a perfect family day!

Lying in Wait

Rosco has found his new favorite spot lying under Mason's highchair waiting for his droppings. Unfortunately for us Mason also loves to share his food with him occasionally as well.

The Latest

Three important things happened today:

1- We accepted an offer on our house after only 38 days on the market & 4 showings.

2- Mason was able to stand up on his own for the first time today without the help of holding onto something.

3- We said farewell to our Bishop (Chad Allen) & his family today who are moving to Utah this week. He is such a great man and has been the best Bishop we've had since being married!

We are going to miss him.

Mason & his Electronics

This boy LOVES electronics! He's always trying to get to our computers, phones, and remotes. So today I thought I'd let him sit in the office chair like a big boy and he was loving it! Can you tell how happy this makes him? In other news... Last night we had a 2nd showing & received our first offer from them. We also have another showing (with different people) today. It's Grandma Terrie's birthday today!! Steven is on his way home from USITT and should be home around 7 pm and I have to teach Relief Society tomorrow then go to work, blah!

Today

Today we took a few pictures for no reason in particular, other than I just think my boy is super cute & I also thought his little bum looked super cute in his jeans today :) Mason & I are enjoying our one-on-one time together here at home while daddy is away at USITT in North Carolina. We miss him a lot, and are excited for him to come home tomorrow. I love it when these two have sweet moments together, to bad 2 seconds after this picture was taken Rosco jumped up to go chase a light beam....Oh well, it was cute while it lasted.

11 Months

Only one more month till we have a ONE year old, can you believe that?! Mason at 11 months old! Size wise I think he is about the same weight as last month, but I think he is thinning out a little. The only thing that has changed with his eating routine this month is that we've started transitioning him to 2% milk, and I've started the weaning process. (Physically it's becoming exhausting for me, I spend more time pumping than I do nursing, because he prefers the bottle.)

Not much has changed with his sleeping routine this month either. However we have discovered the past couple of weeks that he prefers to sleep ON his soft blankets instead of under them, so we've started laying one of his blankets on top of the sheet for him to lay on. Also, he has started to cuddle up or lay on his blanket more during the day, especially when he is tired. He's even started carrying it around with him like Linus! He still loves his binky and I'm beginning to wonder how we will take that away.

I think the biggest change he's made this month is that he is now WALKING! In fact I think he's almost running. Once he figured out that he could walk on his own, there has been no stopping him. He still falls down a lot, but he gets right back up and keeps going. He's very good about walking around obstacles, turning around, and transitioning onto different flooring. Sometimes he just seems to walk around the house aimlessly with a huge smile on his face, like he's just so proud of himself. It's pretty cute & funny to watch. Things he can now do: give high-fives, blow kisses, clap his hands, point at what he wants. Things he loves to do: knock things over, read/look at books, put toys into other objects such as buckets or cups, he likes to put all his farm animals into the barn, he loves the swing at the park, he loves to dig in his diaper bag & find his treats, he loves to open/close doors, he likes to tease mommy & daddy by pretending to share or give us something & then pulls it back.

Things we are struggling with: getting him to hold still while we change his diaper or get him dressed, keeping him sitting in his high chair and in the bath tub, and keeping him entertained & quiet during church (most the time he ends up wandering in the halls).

Blankie

Mason is becoming more and more attached to his blankies and recently has started carrying them around with him or laying down on them when he is tired. I've even found him pulling one of his blankets thru the crib rails and laying his head down next to it, now that's a sure sign that he wants to go to bed. I love that he's become such a good sleeper and let's us know when he's ready for a nap without throwing a complete fit.

Here's our little Linus, carrying his blankie around the house.

Sorry they're kind of blurry, now that he's moving it's hard to get a clear picture.

Patty-Cake

Mason played patty-cake with me for the first time today and now anytime I start saying "patty-cake" he starts to clap his hands. It's so cute. He has been so much fun lately and he seems to learn something new everyday!

Sorry about the beginning of the video, he didn't want to sit still for me, imagine that!

26!

Yes, it's true I turned 26 today and am now officially closer in age to 30 than 20! Although I do feel like I'm getting "older" I am completely okay with it, because I have a wonderful life & I love it! I have an amazing family, who although are all far away, I can still feel their love & support for our little family. I have a great job doing what I love, working with people that I love, and whom I will be sad to leave when the time comes. I have an amazingly, adorable, little boy who has brought more joy into my life than I ever knew was possible and who is a total mama's boy, which I love! I have an awesome husband who treats me like a queen and is always doing cute & thoughtful things for me, even when I totally don't deserve them. He is truly my best friend and I feel so fortunate to have such an awesome companion by my side. And last, but certainly not least I have a Father in Heaven who loves me and who is always there for me no matter what. I am very aware that I have been blessed abundantly in my 26 years of life and I am so grateful for those blessings. I can't wait to see what life has in store for me in the years to come, hopefully there are many decades worth!

Also for memories sake I've spent the day at home inside with Mason & Rosco, while Steven flies home from Wyoming and it pours rain outside. Mason gave me a nice present and slept in this morning, not! He was up by 6:45, but I made him wait until 7 to get up. However, we both took a 2 hour morning nap later! I opened my birthday cards & present from Steven (a Chi flat iron :) then let Mason play with the envelopes & wrapping paper. I had planned to go do some clothes shopping for Mason, but with the pouring rain I opted to stay home with him. So instead we lounged around in our pj's all day, only getting dressed to go return a movie, and then it was back to our pj's! I know your thinking my day couldn't have been more exciting, but it was because Mason clapped for the first time today! For the last week or so I've been trying to get him to play patty-cake with me, but he would just stare & laugh at me. Then today he finally did it, he clapped his hands! I know it's such a simple thing, but I was so excited and it was the best birthday present ever! You can't buy memories like that! Anyhow I've also had many phone calls/text:/messages from friends & family wishing me a Happy Birthday, which I've appreciated. Now I'm just waiting for my final present of the day, and that is to have Steven back home safe & sound. Happy Birthday to ME!

Post Note:

Well Steven made it home safely around 9 pm and I found this waiting for when I got out of the shower....

He's so sweet and I'm so glad to have him home, now my birthday really is complete!

A Day in the Life of Mason

Here is what our day looked like today at home in pictures.....

Torturing the dog...

Reading books..

and eating the tupperware! It's been a great day at home with my boy, he always keeps me entertained!

1st Interview

Today Steven is flying out to Laramie, Wyoming for a job interview as a Technical Director at the University of Wyoming. He had a conference call with them a couple weeks ago and now they are flying him out to interview. He is 1 of 4 candidates for the position out of an original 130. We are super excited for him to have this opportunity even if he doesn't end up getting the job, at least it will be a good experience for him. It's kind of crazy to think that he'll actually be graduating in a few months and we'll be done with school! I wonder what life will be like without school? Anyhow, he's leaving today and won't get there till late tonight, then he interviews all day tomorrow and will fly home on the 5th (my birthday)! So it'll be a quick & tiring trip for him. Meanwhile Mason, Rosco & I will just get to chill here at home!