Thankful - Day 30

Friday, November 30, 2012

Alas, 30 days of thanks has come to an end. I actually can't believe it's over! (And that ALL of NOVEMBER is over too!) When I decided to do the 30 days of thanks, I thought it was going to be a huge under taking. How am I going to come up with things to be thankful for for 30 days? But then I thought about it and really? I have MORE than 30 things to be thankful for. It might be hard to think of things spur of the moment daily (or let's be honest... every couple of days by the time I got around to blogging) but there is always something to be thankful for. No matter how big. No matter how small.

First off, thankful for my health. Thankful for my family's health. Recently my wrist and now my arm has been hurting. I went to the doctor yesterday and she thinks I might have tendinitis (which means I probably shouldn't be typing and I should be resting my wrist, but you know...). She prescribed me some medicine to take and a wrist brace. This seems like a lot to me but only because I am otherwise a very healthy person. I complain, but really? If this is my only problem, I'm doing pretty good.

Thankful for friends near and far and thankful for email, facebook, blogging and text messaging that helps us keep in contact.

Thankful for family. Thankful for my family and thankful for Seth's family, who treat me as if I was one of their own.

Thankful for the 18 years I got to spend with my amazing, brave, inspirational mom who helped make me the woman and mother I am today.

Me and my mom

Thankful that my dad was able to find someone who makes him happy again after my mom passed away and for the new family we have become.

My brother, my step-mom Hallie, my dad, me, my husband Seth
Thanksgiving 2011

Thankful for the changing seasons (or for summer and winter because that's all we really get in Southern California). Thankful for the holidays and getting to spend extra time with family.

Thankful to have had the opportunity to go to and graduate college.

Thankful to have a job. Thankful for great co-workers.

Thankful to have a roof over my head and food in my stomach.

Thankful for Barnes and Noble... and for introducing me to my future husband 6+ years ago.

Thankful to have had the opportunity to participate in the breast cancer 3day walk again this year and to be able to experience it with these wonderful people.

at the finish!

Thankful for my husband who watched our son for 3 days by himself, without any question or hesitation when I said I wanted to do the walk.

Seth, Mason and I

Thankful for the opportunity to watch this little guy learn and grown and explore more of his world everyday. My little man. My chunk-a-monk. My chunkity chunk chunk. My monk-a-monk. My chunky monkey. My Mason.




Thankful for so much more. Thankful for everything.

And most of all, thankful to be able to spend everyday with these two :


I know I posted this picture the other day and you more than likely want to see new pictures rather than repeats, but this picture sums up my life.

Fun. Love. Laughter.

I truly love spending every waking moment with them (that I'm not at work of course, though if I could bring one or both of them to work, I would!). Thankful to be married to such an amazing guy. And thankful that we have such an amazing little man to light up our lives!

So thankful for all my blessings.

(And SO THANKFUL for the save button and for that fact that I hit save almost every paragraph because my computer randomly decided to shut down as I was typing this post!)

Thankful - Day 26 - 29

Thursday, November 29, 2012

Wowee. Boy has life taken over this week! I've wanted to catch up on my blogging every night but there's either not enough time or I'm too tired. This has been my week...

Monday - work 7am-3:30pm...actually leave at 4:30pm. Go to the grocery store. Get home at 5:30ish. Wait for Seth and Mason to get home. Feed Mason. Put Mason to sleep. Eat dinner. Fall asleep on the couch at 8pm (maybe? maybe it was earlier?!)

Tuesday - work 7am-3:30pm... actually leave at 3:40pm (getting better!). Get home around 4:15pm. Clean up a little. Wait for Seth and Mason to get home. Play with Mason a little. Put him to sleep. Eat dinner. Watch Dancing with the Stars from the night before. Fall asleep on the couch at... 8:30pm.

Wednesday - work 11-7:30. Seth dropped Mason off early so I could sleep in a little since I think I am getting the cold that everyone has and I cannot afford to get sick this week. Found out that Melissa and Tony won DWTS (yay!), watch a little tv. Went to Target to get Mason and my prescriptions. Go to work. Get home around 8pm. Eat dinner. And... make it to 10pm!

And today... Thursday - work 7am-7:30pm. Get home at 8pm. Mason is awake! YAY! Eat dinner. Watch a little tv and blog :)


Day 26 - November 26

Thankful that today is OVER!!! Wow. What a day! My boss is on vacation this week and of course everything that can go wrong, did go wrong. Today started off with me walking into my office to a huge pile of papers all over the floor.

What the heck happened??

So I turn on my computer to find an email from my boss that is... 2 1/2 pages long with 40 to do items!

What?!

This is shortly followed by one of my employees throwing out his back trying to move a box. I have to say though, he was moving the box correctly, but he has a history of back problems and one bad move and... he can't move. This is 7:50am. They call my into the warehouse and tell me he threw out his back and I immediately think they are playing a joke on me (I know, I know... I feel bad now, but they always like to play jokes on me!) Long story short... my employee is taken to the hospital on a stretcher in an ambulance! Well that's not how I expected my day to start.

This is followed up by our school internet not working. We call over the IT guy and what does he find? Our extension cord for the internet server thing ELECTRICAL TAPED into the plug!!! And it making "zap zap zap" noises. Not good. He pulls out the plug so it doesn't start a fire (I can't believe it hasn't started a fire yet seeing as how the plug as probably been like that for ages) and finds out that our internet server thing is fried. So after a couple hours, someone comes to replace the server and... the internet still doesn't work. The IT guy comes back and works his magic and it works again :) By now it is almost time to go home and I'm sure someone somewhere did this on purpose so I couldn't cyber Monday shop!

The day is finally over... I feel like I haven't actually done any work that I am supposed to do, but I am just so thankful I made it through this day that I don't care :) until tomorrow!


Day 27 - November 27

Thankful for my boys! These two know how to make me forget about all the problems I had all day and how horrible my day and week has been. To hear that little giggle and see Mason smile, just turns my frown upside down and makes me so happy! Mason loved being on daddy's shoulders... not sure if daddy did though because Mason grabbed his hair so he didn't fall! (even though Seth was holding him)

love, Love, LOVE


Day 28 - November 28

Today I am thankful for colder weather. I love wearing sweaters. I love cuddling up on the couch in my pjs and drinking hot cocoa or coffee and watching a movie. And most of all, I love my baby wearing jackets and hats! How is he so dang cute with that little hood on?! And with that beanie?!?! Just melts my heart :)

Top left : a couple weeks ago before going to Costco. Top right : tonight
Bottom left : Disneyland on Sunday. Bottom right : a couple week ago before Costco



Day 29 - November 29

Today I am thankful that this week is almost OVER! SO THANKFUL! I am also so thankful that I got to see my baby awake tonight! I don't know how he does it, but Seth always seems to know just what I need. I was driving home tonight and Seth texted me and asked how long until I would be home. I said 10 minutes. I thought he was just wanting to plan dinner so it was hot when I got home, but then I got this text :

Happy boy!

along with a "see you soon!" I was SO happy that Mason was awake and I would get to see him. I was so sad that I missed him all day yesterday. They left the house at 6:30am and Mason was sleeping when I got home at 8pm. He slept all the way until 4am today and Seth being the amazing husband that he is, got up to feed him so I could sleep for an extra hour. He gets up slightly after me so if I got up at 4am, we would be done feeding Mason at 4:30am and by that time I should just stay up. Seth gets up at 5:30am so he fed Mason and was able to sleep for another hour too. I got to see that sweet face for like 10 minutes this morning before heading off to work for12 hours. So I got home and played with Mason and kissed him a million times and then put him to bed before we had dinner. Those 15 extra stolen minutes today with my sweet chunk-a-monk was just what I needed today :)




And today... today Seth is thankful that I am so far behind on my blog posts because he didn't know I was doing 30 days of thanks and he just realized it and is on day 2 :)

Thankful - Day 25 and Mason's 1st trip to DISNEYLAND!

Sunday, November 25, 2012

Today I am thankful for amazing co-workers and family! Technically ex-co-worker, but still. My ex-co-worker and friend Caitie works at Disneyland now (which is why she is my ex-co-worker). She is able to sign people in to go to Disneyland for free and she said she would sign Seth, Mason and I in for Mason's first trip to Disneyland which we took advantage of today. Words cannot describe how thankful I am to Caitie that she did this for us and I've been dying to take Mason to Disneyland since he was born and I've been dying to go to Disneyland during Christmas time since my pass expired a couple years ago.

Disneyland Christmas tree

Family photo :)

With the Minnie Mouse statue

The castle

1st visit pin

In front of the castle

What are you doing daddy??

It's a Small World - Mason's on the good list!

Meeting Mickey! He LOVED him. And drooled on his nose!

Crazy cousins!

soooooooo tired after a fun day!


We had an AMAZING day! A HUGE THANK YOU again to Caitie for getting us in!!! And a huge thank you to Stephen and Cindy for watching Mason while we went on the Carsland ride (and for encouraging us to go on it too!) Thankful for family, friends, and the opportunity to take Mason to Disneyland today!

Thankful - Day 24

Saturday, November 24, 2012

Today I am thankful for new toys, friend lunch dates, impromptu cousin visits, and Christmas lights! Kinda random, I know, but still the things I am thankful for nonetheless :)

This morning started out slowly with breakfast and coffee for mommy and daddy and some playing for Mason. Cindy and Stephen (our pseudo brother and sister-in-law) gave us some of their daughter, Kayla's, toys that she had outgrown. This toy happened to be a hand-me-down from our niece Addison to Kayla and now to Mason. It's an exersaucer. I've been excited for Mason to be old enough to play in it because I thought he would really like it. It's at it's lowest setting and he can barrrrrrrely touch the ground if he stands on his tip toes. He seems to really like the birdy and the music that the toy has.

Where's the music mommy??

Hi birdy!

This afternoon we had plans to meet my friend Katie and her husband Ryan for lunch. I used to work with Katie at the bookstore but she quit when she graduated and moved on to go to school at UCLA. I miss seeing her everyday at work and don't get to see her as much as I would like now that we are both doing our own thing. Luckily, holiday weekends are perfect times for lunch dates :) We met a Lamppost Pizza and had a yummy lunch and got to chat. Mason had a minor meltdown but then ate and was a happy camper again.

We left Katie and Ryan around 2pm and headed back home with a quick pitstop to Lazy Dog Cafe to meet Seth's Dad's cousin Lauren, her husband Michael, their daughter Tiffany and Seth's Grandma. They were in town and took Seth's Grandma (Bubbie) to lunch and wanted to see Mason so we stopped by.

Mason, Tiffany, Lauren, Bubbie

Kisses from Tiffany

After our little visit, we headed home and Mason took a nap. I got out our Christmas stuff (like I said yesterday, at least it's after Thanksgiving now!) and started decorating. I've been wanting to take a picture of Mason with Christmas lights since before I knew Mason was Mason. I saw a picture on pinterest and wanted to recreate it. Now, I'm not so good at being fancy with the camera but I did my best :) I think they came out pretty good!

Happy boy playing with Christmas lights

Now little chunky is sleeping peacefully and snoring away. I just love to look and listen to him on the monitor. Now... back to decorating!

Thankful - Day 23

Friday, November 23, 2012

Today I am thankful for something simple and kinda silly but important...online shopping! I am super thankful to not have had to say up super late or wake up super early and brave the crowds to get good deals. Instead, I am thankful I got to sit on my couch drinking my coffee and getting good deals of my own :)

Thankful - Day 20-22

Thursday, November 22, 2012

Today I am thankful for staying awake past 9pm and for having time to update the blog!

November 20 - Thankful Day 20

Today I am thankful that I made it home from work safely. Traffic was horrendous on the way home, which it almost never is when I close and leave work at 7:30pm. I turned down the street to head to the freeway when... flares in the road and tons of police cars and police directing traffic.

What could it be?
A BAD accident.

At first I thought it was one car and a bike. Oh no. Then I saw another car and thought it was a motorcycle. Then... I drove past and it turned out to be 3 cars... 2 badly, badly damaged (looks like someone ran a red light either turning or going straight and the other person t-boned them, and then took out another car. Wow. I don't know when the accident happened but I'm thankful that it took me as long as it did at work so I wasn't involved in the crash.

I finally get on the freeway and I'm driving my normal 70mph speed and then we come to a stop. A full stop. Oh no again. Things start moving a little when I drive past 2 cars stopped in the middle of the freeway now trying to move over to the side of the road. To me, the cars looked fine, but I'm sure there was some sort of accident.

I finally get past them and then things come to a halt again. This time for no reason. Which I hate the most. When people just randomly stop. I finally, finally get on the next freeway and make it home safely. I kiss my boys and have dinner and am thankful that I made it home safely.

November 21 - Thankful Day 21

Simple, short and straight-forward... today I am thankful for my four day weekend and getting to spend extra time with my boys :)

November 22 - Thankful Day 22 - Thanksgiving!

Today I am thankful for having such amazing family and friends. Today started off with me, Seth, Mason, and Kenneth heading down to Dana Point for the Turkey Trot that my friend Vickie is in charge of. She works for the Dana Point Chamber of Commerce and they put on the Turkey Trot and we wanted to support her. We signed up for the 5k open which is really meant for running, but we stayed at the back of the pack and walked the 3.2 miles.

Top : turkey trot starting line
Bottom left : me, Mason, Seth, Kenneth. Bottom right : Vickie and I

We got home and Seth started to cook (we were in charge of mashed potatoes and a deviled egg appetizer) and I had a mini photo shoot with Mason to take pictures of him in his "my first Thanksgiving" outfit.

My First Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving was at Bubbie's house (Seth's Grandma). There were quite a few of us there including Seth's mom, his dad, his grandma, his uncle, his sister, our brother-in-law, our nieces, and our brother-in-law's parents. Our brother-in-law's parents, George and Judy, are like Mason's third set of grandparents. We are all super close and act as family even though we technically aren't. I couldn't imagine things being any other way though.

I am thankful for having such amazing family to celebrate holidays with. Seth's family has adopted me as one of their own, which I have been thankful for for some time now. But today I am thankful that I get to celebrate with them.

We got home from Bubbie's house and I went to change Mason before we fed him and put him to bed. I've been dying to put Mason in his Christmas pj's for some time now (since like 2 months ago when I bought them lol) and I thought tonight would be the perfect night. I thought Seth would be mad I was already putting Mason in Christmas stuff (he likes to celebrate one holiday at a time), but I did it anyway. Turns out he thought Mason looked super cute and wasn't mad at all! Plus technically Thanksgiving is over (well in 2 hours... over for Mason since he's sleeping!) so it's time for Christmas now, right?! :)

Love, love, LOVE Santa tushy :)

So after we fed Mason and admired his super cute outfit, we had a mini photo shoot...



Love that sweet face.
Love that little tongue sticking out.
Love my little family.
So much to be thankful for today.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!

[Mason] 4 Months + [Thankful] Day 19

Monday, November 19, 2012

HAPPY 4 MONTH BIRTHDAY MASON!!!

Today I am thankful for my wonderful baby. He has brought so much joy to our lives. Yesterday was his 4 month birthday. I had wanted to get my picture in yesterday but by the time I got home from my walk, gave him a bath, fed him, and got everything settled, it was his bed time. Luckily this morning we had a little extra time together (and with daddy!) since we had Mason's 4 month doctor visit. We got to have a little fun and take a few pictures and get to see something exciting (!!!) before poor Mason had to go for his check up and shots :( Poor boy actually did really good but cried a bit more than his 2 month shots.

Thankful for his health. Thankful he is almost over his cold. Thankful we have had the joy of his presence in our lives for the past 4 months!! We love you so much sweet boy!!

4 months!

my little man is growing up so fast!


4 month stats :

- weighs 14 1/2 lbs
- is 24.7 inches long
- still wears size 1 diapers
- wears 3-6 month clothes
- is starting to get on a schedule, including eating 5 oz (sometimes 6 oz!) every 4 hours
- sleeps for 8 hours at night! (sometimes)
- is a super drooler
- has discovered his hands and LOVES to put them (and his bib... and his burp cloth... and anything else he can get his hands on) in his mouth!
- is great at tummy time (and is actually starting to like it too)
- likes to watch football with daddy on sunday
- is good at and kinda likes sitting in his bumbo seat
- loves to "stand" (with help of course)
- doesn't hate taking a bath as much as he used to
- LOVES to kick his feet
- LOVES to play on his back on his play mat watching the star toy play music and light up
- is super smiley
- giggles
- ROLLED OVER FOR THE FIRST TIME TODAY!!! (and was a little shocked about it too lol)

I was so so SO excited that I saw Mason roll over for the first time. I told him that he couldn't do anything exciting while I was gone this weekend and thankfully he listened! Now to try to get it on video for everyone else...

Thankful - Day 17 and 18

A little behind again... but I wasn't near a computer the past couple days and then life got busy... so alas, home from work, eaten dinner, baby is sleeping, watching Dancing with the Stars AllStars and... blogging!

November 17 - Thankful Day 17

Today was day 2 of my 3day walk and today I am thankful for my amazing AMAZING donors! Without all of them, I could not have done the walk. Literally. If you don't complete your fundraising, then you either 1. can't walk or 2. have to pay the remaining yourself. So I am so so so so THANKFUL for everyone who donated to my walk and who helped me fund research to find a cure for breast cancer. As we found out at closing ceremonies, the San Diego 3day walk helped to raise OVER $6 MILLION!!! WOW! So incredibly proud and honored to be a part of such an amazing thing.

Here are some highlights from day 1 and 2.

Day 1

Top left : Heather and Craig. Top right : Me and Vickie
Bottom : All of us before opening ceremonies
 
Top : the flags that say who we walk for. I walk for my mom.
Bottom left : Vickie and I. Bottom right : In our tutus
 
Top left : we walked 20 (ish) miles on day 1! Top right : Vickie, her mom and I. Her sign says
 "you support my boobs better then my bra!"
Bottom left : one of the sweep vans called "titty taxi" (they all have "breast themes")
Bottom right : all of us in our tutus before opening

Day 2

Beautiful rainbow as we leave for day 2
Top : Vickie and I at a pit stop
Bottom : our aching feet
 
Top left : 40 miles down! Top right : jello shots :)
Bottom left : massage chairs at camp! Bottom right : before the beginning of day 2



November 18 - Thankful Day 18

Today I am thankful for my legs and feet. These are things we normally take for granted. They are there. We move them. We walk. But lots of people are not as fortunate as we are to have working legs or feet. While I complained... a lot... that my feet and legs hurt and that I had blisters, I am HAPPY that I have feet and legs to hurt and to get blisters on. Today I am thankful that I have fully functional feet and legs.

Day 3
Before the start of day 3 
 Starbucks!!! Minor detour :)
Seth and Mason came to cheer us on!
 
Closing ceremonies
I am so proud and honored to have walked in my 3rd 3day walk. I have done all of the walks in San Diego and I couldn't be happier to have been a part of the walk. Every year at opening ceremonies I think "I won't cry. My mom has been gone for almost 10 years. I'm ok" and then the opening ceremonies come... and the spokesperson for Susan G. Komen comes out and... she knows just what to say.
We walk so that mothers can see their daughters get married.
We walk so that we can meet our grandbabies.
And the tears come. As my friend Vickie said "whatever they are paying this lady isn't enough!". She good. Real good. She hits you right in your core and reminds you why you walk. Why I signed up for the 3rd time to walk so, so many miles. As much as my legs and feet hurt, I had an amazing time. From the "melon men" with mini watermelons in their bras to SD police decked out in pink to motorcycle men helping to be safety monitors to grown men wearing tutus to titty taxi sweep vans, I couldn't have had a better time. If this happens to be my last year walking, I'm glad it ended the way it did.

Thankful - Day 16

Friday, November 16, 2012

Today was day 1 of my 3day breast cancer walk in San Diego. If I knew how to upload photos to the blog from my phone, I would, but I don't so the pics will just have to wait until Sunday when I get home. Today I am thankful for my friend Vickie's mom. She is amazing. We are doing the walk with her sister and her brother in law. He is such a trooper too...he even wore a tutu today with us! Vickie's mom is amazing and came to cheer us on along with Vickie's sisters daughter, Danielle. The two of them made signs and cheered at that cheering station. By the time Vickie and I reached the cheering station...we were done. Vickie's mom drove us to lunch and then ultimately picked us up from camp and brought us to our hotel...the hotel she paid for for us! Once we were all done walking, we went to dinner. A dinner that she paid for for us. So so so nice. So thankful for her today!

Thankful - Day 15

Thursday, November 15, 2012

I am about to leave for the train station to head down to San Diego for my 3 day breast cancer walk tomorrow. This post is going to be short but ever so impotant. I can't even express how thankful I am.

Today I am thankful for the 18 years I was able to spend with my mom. She passed away from breast cancer in January 2003 when I was only 18 and my brother was only 15. I am so thankful for the mother/daughter dates, the advice, the talks, the fun, the hanging out, the sneaking food into movie theaters in her purse, the vacations, the driving lessons, the fact that she volunteered in my classrooms in school, the memories, and so, so much more. I am honored to have known and have had a mother who was so kind, so brave, so dedicated to her family that she didn't let the fact that she was going through chemo and radiation stop her from being there for her family and doing her "daily chores". I am a better daughter, friend, and now mom because of her.

I walk for my mom. I walk 60 miles in 3 days for my mom. I walk for everyone who has a mom, a sister, a friend, an aunt, a cousin, a niece, knows anyone who is a woman... or a man for that matter. I walk so mothers can see their daughters graduate college, their sons graduate high school, their daughters get married, and meet their grandbabies. I walk for my mom. I love her and miss her so much every day.




RIP 11/7/51 - 1/17/03. xoxo

Thankful - Day 14

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Quick post tonight as its getting late and I must go to bed to get up again in 6 hours for work :(

Thankful today for those little extra moments I get to spend with my little man. Thankful for the extra 5 or 10 minutes.

Daycare was closed today and Seth took the day off to take care of Mason. I went into work late today (11am to close) so I got to spend a little extra time with Mason this morning. We played and I put him in his bumbo seat. We've been practicing sitting in it and he's gotten much better. We've also been practicing holding on to objects and he's getting much better at that today. He LOVES Sophie the giraffe, especially when I squeeze her so she squeaks. He gets a huge smile on his face. Today I gave him Sophie and he held on really well... and put her in his mouth. Here are a few of my favorite moments. One of the pictures begs the question... Sophie - friend? or enemy? lol.


One last stolen peek at my little man after I got home from work since he was sleeping. Even though I can't see him in person, I still love to look at him on the monitor. You can't really tell from this picture but he was sucking on his hand/thumb and you could hear the sucking sound through the monitor. So cute!



Thankful - Day 13

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Today I am thankful that Seth has such an amazing job and boss. Poor Mason is sick with a cold and Seth was able to take the day off at a moments notice. I suggested that Mason should stay home from daycare and Seth immediately said he would take the day off. While I probably could take the day off normally, I have no more sick time left until January 1st, so I wouldn't get paid. They used all of the sick time up I had for the year when I went on maternity leave. So instead, it's daddy to the rescue until 2013! He fed him, played with him and took him to the doctor to make sure he was ok. Mason didn't have a fever at all (today or all weekend) but he started sounding pretty congested so we thought it would be better for him to stay home from daycare and to go to the doctor (you can never be too careful with a 3 month old). Turns out he is fine, minus the cold he has and the sneezing ad coughing, but his lungs sound good! We got him a nasal spray to hopefully help as well. Poor little guy hates the little sucker we have to use on his nose... cries SO loud...so hopefully that's one of the first thing he learns when he's older... how to blow his nose :)

Little monkey is such a trooper though! We were smiling and playing this morning before I went to work.

Thankful - Day 12.2

Monday, November 12, 2012

Thankful for a Steelers win tonight! Thankful because... that means Daddy is happy! There was lots of yelling at the tv until the final field goal was kicked :)

Watching the Steelers game with Daddy until bed time
and rooting for them while wearing his terrible towel bib!

What happened to my sleeping baby??


Don't let this photo fool you. Yes, he is sleeping soundly here (I know I should leave him alone to sleep but he just looked so darn CUTE that I couldn't help myself. Yes, Seth yelled at me. But also, yes, I had my phone on silent! He didn't move at all) but this only lasts for like 45 min these days. Well nap time does. Night time sleep (thankfully!!!! knock on wood) lasts longer.

According to my log, the first time he slept through the night, realllly slept through the night was on his 2 month birthday, September 18. Slept from 9pm to 4am. Hallelujah! Mommy and daddy were quite thrilled to say the least. Also a little scared too... cue mommy checking to make sure he was still breathing.

The next day he slept for 6 hrs straight, next night 6 hrs, 5 hrs, 5 hrs, 5 hrs, 5 hrs, 6 hrs, you get the picture. Then he started still sleeping really good but in two increments. A 4-5 hour increment, eat, and then another 4-5 hour increment. Could be worse. Then I started back at work and it got better again.

4 hrs, eat, 6 hrs
6 hrs, eat, 4 hrs
5 hrs, eat, 5 hrs
7 hrs, eat, 2 hrs
3 hrs, eat, 7 hrs
one night even 8 straight hours!!

Napping had gotten more consistent as we developed more of a schedule as well. About 3 one hour naps during the morning after we drop him off at daycare followed by one long 3ish hour nap (even on the weekends when we are home). Now all of a sudden (actually just within the past few days) his daytime nap time sleeping has gotten bad. He cries a little when we put him down, but we give him his pacifier, we turn on his sleep sheep for white noise and he's good. You see his eyes closing. He nods off....almost to dream land when...bam! His pacifier falls out and its like the end of the world. We quickly pop it back in his mouth, his eyes close so quickly and he's back on his way to dream land. And then the pacifier falls out, usually next to him or in this case, right on top of him (or I've even caught him on the monitor pop it out and it flings across the crib - actually quite funny if you catch it at the right time lol). Now we are quite proud we got him to sleep when bam! 45 min have gone by and the sleep sheep turns off and what happens? Mason is wide awake and crying! What happened to my sleeping baby? He sleeps in 45 min increments now.... sometimes slightly longer if we're lucky. I don't know how she does it, but when Mason is at daycare, he sometimes has amazing naps all day. Like 3 hour morning nap followed by a 3 hour afternoon nap. She must be a baby whisperer.

The past few days he's been crying more and having trouble eating. Like he doesn't want to eat. We thought maybe we needed to up his Zantac for his silent reflux (to the doctor recommended dose - we wouldn't up his medicine without asking a doctor), so we did but that didn't help. I thought mayyyyybe he was starting to teeth. Is that to early? He'll be 4 months old next week. He's been drooling tons and tons (like a faucet almost) for over a month, almost two. But I don't see or feel anything. However, I guess if he just started acting fussy, maybe they haven't broken through yet? Or maybe he has a slight cold? He has no fever but he's been sneezing more then usual.

Questions for the doctor next week at his 4 month check up! Poor baby has to get more shots... breaks my heart to see him in pain :( I teared up the last time... better bring tissues for the mommy!

Thankful Days 1-12

I've been wanting to do the 30 days of thankful but have just been behind the ball on it. So I decided today, since I have the day off of work, that I would catch up and do days 1-12 today. I know its a bit late and we are almost half way through the month of November, but hey, better late then never, right?

Day 1 - November 1

Thankful for November! Thankful for colder weather (I'm sure I am going to regret this when it's actually cold and rainy and I will want warm weather again) and for excuses to stay inside all day in our pjs and drink coffee or cocoa and watch tv and cuddle. Thankful for holidays and for excuses for me to dress Mason in his cute, festive clothes (poor kid... he's going to hate me for this one day! lol).


Day 2 - November 2

Thankful for Friday! The best day of the week...once the clock strikes 3:30pm. Free for the weekend! Thankful for lots of baby kisses and family time. Thankful for more time to watch my sweet baby's development while he plays with his play gym. Luz sends me pictures of Mason while he is at daycare with HUGE smiles on his face, but I am always excited to see him so happy for myself. I've tried to tape the pure joy and excitement he gets from playing, but he is sneaky and when he sees me pull out my phone or the camera...he gets a straight face. I had to sneak attack to get these :)

I love to play and grab and pull on to my toys!


Day 3 - November 3

Speaking of daycare... I am thankful that we have such an amazing person to watch Mason while we are at work. She loves him so much and treats him so well. She made his a "welcome" card on his first day, sends me lots of pictures to show me how happy he is, celebrates the holidays with them, and teaches him - I can see the changes already.

Mason gets to be with his cousin, Addison, all day and with another little girl, Emerson. Emerson is the little girl that I refer to as Mason's girlfriend. I used to think it was only one-sided because when I would put him down in his car seat then she would get a HUGE smile on her face and come over to him and put her hand on his foot gently. He didn't seem to have any reaction to it until one day... when he too got a HUGE smile on his face! Only 3 months old and already impressing the ladies. Boy are we in trouble...


Day 4 - November 4

First I have to start with someone I am not so thankful for...daylight savings time! My poor little baby was sleeping SO well until today with the time change. He normally sleeps from 6 or 7pm (depending on what time he woke up from his last nap at daycare was and when he ate) until about 8pm-ish and then eats again and sleeps until between midnight and 2am and then sleeps from then until about 5am when he eats again and usually goes back down for a quick nap from 5:30-6:30am while mommy and daddy get ready for work. However... daylight savings time baby...wakes up at 4am. Not so fun. By the time we are done feeding him, its 4:30 or 4:45am and do you go back to sleep for 15-30 min? Though you desperately want to, probably not a good idea as you will probably wake up more tired then you are now. So we get ready and enjoy some tv and playing time before heading out for the day.

Now on to what I am thankful for! Thankful for mother-in-laws! It was Seth's mom's birthday on October 31, Halloween, and I feel like she gets short changed ever year, especially now that there are so many grandkids. Though she LOVED spending the night feeding and cuddling Mason, we didn't really get to celebrate her birthday. So, Sunday, the 4th, we went out to dinner to celebrate Nanny (aka Seth's mom)! Happy (belated) birthday Nanny! xoxo

Day 5 - November 5

Thankful for my "other family". The Fentons. They are my brother-in-laws family but we are all so close they are basically our family too. Seth got close with them when his sister, Erin, and her husband, Shawn (our brother-in-law) were dating and then when they got married. And now they have taken me in too. We spend tons of time together whether it be holidays or birthdays or just because. George and Judy are Mason's other grandparents and Cindy and Lynda and Stephen and Scott are our other sister and brother-in-laws. Tonight, Nov. 5, was Lynda's birthday and we went out to dinner. We were a little late due to traffic but had a great dinner with great company none the less!

Day 6 - November 6

Election Day! 1. Thankful that Obama has 4 more years! and 2. Thankful that the election is OVER! Finally everyone can go back to their facebook posts about reality shows, holidays, work, etc. and no more bashing on this candidate or that. Thankful that I got home in time to watch at least some of the election coverage after I got home from work. And thankful for no more junk mail (well... political junk mail for 4 years I guess lol).

Day 7 - November 7

"God bless the broken road that led me straight to you!" Thankful for my amazing husband. SO thankful. Thankful that he is patient and kind and understanding. Thankful that he is such a good cook. Thankful that he is such a good father to our son and he always knows how to reassure me that everything is ok when I start freaking out. Thankful for everything he does for me. Thankful that he is who he is! And thankful that he has put up with me for the past 2 years and still wants to spend many more with me! I absolutely love my life and my little family. I am so blessed. I don't know what I did to get this lucky. Happy Anniversary Seth! I love you so much!

11.7.10


Day 8 - November 8

Thankful for fall weather...finally! I mean I really can't complain since we have amazing weather in California, but really? 90 degrees in November? NOVEMBER?? I think it's time for fall to start... or I guess winter? We really only get summer and winter here. Thankful that I get to dress Mason all cozy and warm in his cute long sleeve onesies and pants and jackets. Though I have to admit... I miss seeing those chubby, amazing thighs of his!

All bundled up to go to Costco!


Day 9 - November 9

SO THANKFUL for all the AMAZING and GENEROUS people who donated to my 3 day walk! I made my fundraising goal (and then some!) a couple days ago with all of the generous contributions of my friends and family. This is my 3rd year participating in the 3 day walk and I am so proud to be a part of something so important. This cause is especially important to me because I lost my mom to breast cancer almost 10 year ago. I walk so nobody else has to lose their mom at age 18. I walk so moms and daughters can share in graduating from college joy, wedding joy, and baby joy. I walk until we find a cure.

RIP Mom. 11/7/51 - 1/17/03. I love you and miss you so much.

Day 10 - November 10

Thankful for my step-mom whose birthday was November 10! My dad and step-mom are having an amazing time in Kauai (crazy to think that Seth and I were there at this time 2 years ago on our honeymoon!). Thankful that she came into my dad's life at just the right time and that she could make him feel "whole again" after my mom died. Thankful that she is such an amazing grandma to Mason! And thankful that we get to see her and my dad (and my brother - who will meet Mason for the 1st time!!) in December! Happy birthday Hallie! xoxo

Day 11 - November 11

Thankful for friends! Thankful to have made such good friends when I moved here 6 1/2 years ago. Thankful that we keep in touch even though we have all grown in our careers and are super busy. Thankful that we still find time to get together and have fun days like "friend Thanksgiving". Thankful for good food and good friends and good laughs! And thankful for Pinterest for lots of yummy recipes!

Thankful for leftovers to eat for lunch too :)


Day 12 - November 12

Thankful for those who serve and served our country! And thankful that I got an extra day this weekend to spend with my family :)

Lovin' on my little man

SO MUCH TO BE THANKFUL FOR!
DESIGNED BY ECLAIR DESIGNS