Mason, King of the Legos

Sunday, August 25, 2013

As I write this, I am watching the VMA's. As I write that, I have a few thoughts.

1. I must be old because I didn't even know that "moon man" was the award they give away.
2. I must be old because I don't even recognize like 90% of the people at the VMA's.
3. I must be old because I'm actually pretty excited about NSYNC's reunion!
...I'm seeing a theme here... I must be old...
4. Miley Cyrus' performance made me feel uncomfortable. It was like a train wreck but I couldn't seem to look away. That and I thought Robin Thicke was classy-er than that...
5. I actually kinda like Lady Gaga's new song "Applause" and am thinking about downloading it...
6. I kinda wish I hadn't admitted any of #1-5 lol
7. And I be Seth kinda wishes he didn't just say "I hate to admit this but I'm kinda excited about seeing NSYNC." and then I blogged it.

Anyway, back to what I meant to blog about... our weekend! Seems that blog posts these days are all about weekends because... well... most of my weekdays consist of waking up, getting ready for work, getting Mason ready for daycare, going to work alllllllllllllll day, feeding Mason, having my dinner, giving Mason a bath (although that is usually a good time!), putting Mason to sleep, attempting to watch adult tv (and by that I mean NOT Mickey Mouse... NOT what you all are thinking), and falling asleep on the couch 2.7 minutes after putting Mason to bed. Not very exciting. Hence, no posts and no pictures :)

This week I didn't have to work Friday since I worked Saturday (YAY only 5 day week! Not quite only 40 hours, but only 5 days is a victory in my book!). I've been wanting to go to the Discovery Science Center since I saw it advertised that they had a Lego exhibit. I wanted to take Mason even though I knew he wouldn't totally get it but I was also excited myself to see it. I asked my friend Kim and her daughter Lily to come along and Seth got the day off. Seth and I actually became members and we can go back any time we want for a year to see all the cool exhibits they have there. It was actually super fun and they had way more exhibits that I thought or even knew they had.


A closer up of King Mason, King of the Legos

Mason started to have a little meltdown around lunch time so we headed home. On our way home though, since Mason fell asleep in the car, we stopped by Costco since the canvas I ordered was ready. I am beyond happy with how it turned out. And SUCH a good price!!


Friday night we went out to dinner to celebrate our friend Kenneth's birthday.
And I spent Saturday with my new 150 friends...


Today was mainly spent running errands but we also went to a store I've been wanting to go to for a while. I'd heard of Buy Buy Baby a long time ago but we never had one near us. I've been wanting to go since they opened one in Mission Viejo but never have. I got a coupon in the mail and actually needed to get some stuff at Babies R Us anyway and Seth agreed to go so I took the opportunity and we went...




It was every bit as amazing as I thought it would be. It doesn't have the same selection as Babies R Us - more of some things and less of others - but was amazing nonetheless! It was like a baby version of Bed, Bath, and Beyond. I wish it was closer!

All in all, another great weekend! School starts tomorrow and I already can't wait for it to be further into the semester so I can have my life back... 
Happy Weekend! 
And Happy Monday tomorrow!




[Parents Magazine Article] My Memoirs, Age 4

Saturday, August 17, 2013

I was reading my July Parents magazine the other night (before I fell asleep on the couch of course) and came across this article that I found to be hilarious so I thought I would share. I made Seth read it too and he totally laughed, so you know it's funny :)

My Memoirs, Age 4
I may only be in preschool, but I know more than you think.
by JASON GOOD

“When my agent told me that people write memoirs to blame their family for everything they do, I could barely find a crayon fast enough. I'll start by clearing up the biggest misconceptions about me : I'm not hungry and I'm not tired. Seriously, I think my dad only knows two questions. "Are you hungry? Are you tired? You must be hungry. Do you need a nap? Do you want some cashews?" He's like one of my brother's annoying toys that won't stop talking. until you take out the batteries. I have to blast the TV just so I can hear Spider Man over his cross-examination. 
Let me break it down : when I'm hungry I'll try to eat a whole jar of gummy vitamins; you'll say "no" and I'll lose my mind because it makes NO SENSE that I can only have two of those awesome things. Apparently, I can eat all the broccoli I want because it has vitamins, but if I want to stuff my face with just vitamins everyone acts like I’ve lost my mind. I would eat cheddar bunnies instead, but unfortunately my dad scarfs them all at midnight while watching HGTV like some depressed tween. You’re 40, and that’s way too old to eat anything in the shape of an animal that isn’t an animal. Instead of peppering me with annoying questions, you should just turn on the TV. Seriously. When I’m watching television I’m totally Zen and in the moment. Just leave it on all the time. Think about it : you and mom would have more time to tell each other you aren't fat and take naps together. Don't "sleep" for too long though because there are still some things I don't know how to do yet. Here are a couple for future reference :

1. Wipe myself.
2. Be alone for more than 25 seconds.

Whenever I yell for my dad to get me ham or come outside to push me on the swing for three hours, he gets annoyed. It’s either because I refuse to wear sunscreen or that I’m interrupting him from staring at his phone. I don’t know what he’s doing on that thing, but he loves it more than my little brother loves my mom’s boob. It's hilarious when my dad can't find it. He asks me where it is sometimes and I pretend like I didn't hear him because, um, I don't know where your phone is. I love it too. IT HAS A TV IN IT. What's not to love?
Only my brother knows where my dad's phone is because he hides it. That kid is an animal. I’m honestly frightened of him. If he throws one more yogurt squeezer at my face, I’m calling a social worker. Don’t get me wrong, sometimes it’s fun to get crazy with him and tear up important tax documents, but a guy like me also needs some solo time building a Lego tower without a cackling maniac in a diaper going all Godzilla on it.
We have other animals in the house besides my brother. I guess some kinds you let inside and some you don't : dogs, cats, hamsters, fish, occasionally mice. All the other ones have to stay outside. Seems pretty random. I guess it would be weird to have a horse in the kitchen, though, because it's so big. Might be rad to ride it around, but whatever.
We have three cats. There’s an orange one named Oliver who my brother loves to sit on. I yell, ‘Arlo, NO!” but my mom and dad get mad and say, ‘Don’t yell at Arlo!” Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry! Next time I’ll just ignore him when he uses the cat as a beanbag chair. He's the reason it takes so long to get ready to go out. In the time between saying we're going somewhere, and actually leaving, I could learn to play the saxophone.
It’s chaos, and I think we need some kind of family whisperer. They’re yelling about where the keys are and trying to remember if my brother has pooped or not and where the green sippy cup is and ZZZZzzzzzz – I totally just fell asleep. Meanwhile, I’m standing there…is someone going to put on my shoes? I mean, I can do it myself, but I don’t feel like it right now. Usually I just hang out by the door in one sock yelling, ‘LET'S GO!’ Mom gets crazy and dad becomes quiet and takes deep breaths until she yells at him to help her. Eventually one of them puts on my shoes for me but does it really fast like they’re mad and that usually makes me want to stay home.
So now everyone's crying, which makes mom bust out the lollipops and BOOM! All hell breaks lose. If you thought my dad goes bananas when he gets a text message, you should see my brother when he hears the word lollipop. Dude, you're country didn't just win the World Cup. Relax. Mom gives him one, he licks it twice, then bites it off and chomps on it. I told you he was an animal. Meanwhile, I’m licking mine like I belong in civilized society. he gets jealous and starts crying again, so my dad says, ‘Hey buddy, could you go finish that in the basement so your brother can’t see it?’ WHAT?! Now I’m being banished to the cellar because that spaz can’t control himself around candy? I just stand there, staring at him, slowly licking my delicious lollipop and turning my body away whenever he reaches for it. Then I start running away from him and my mom starts yelling because – STOP THE PRESSES – apparently the WORST thing you can do in the world is run with a lollipop in your mouth. It’s not a grenade, for crying out loud.
It's not like I enjoy doing any of this, but someone has to teach this kid delayed gratification. It's a thankless job being a big kid AND an older brother. Believe me, if you had my family you would be just as exhausted and hungry as I am. Speaking of which, I wonder if I can have another gummy vitamin yet..."

Splish Splash

Friday, August 16, 2013

Bath time has easily become one of my favorite times of the day. Mason gets so excited to get in the tub now, it's so cute! I made a rule with Mason about bath time : you can't get in until you can reach the turtle. The turtle is a little thermometer that tells you when the water is the right temperature (not too hot, not too cold). I put the turtle in the bath tub and turn on the water and when Mason can reach it, the tub is full enough for him to get in! The past couple days he has been trying to reach it from the minute I turn on the water and today he actually lifted both feet up while leaning over the tub to reach the turtle so I quickly learned, I have to watch more closely during "game time".



Once he grabs the turtle, it's off to his room to get naked and ready for bath time! Then I "throw" him in the air (I use the word throw loosely since I am fully holding on to him) as we walk back to the bathroom and into the bath. From there I wash his hair and his body and then he gets to play with his boats. 
He LOVES his boats. 

 

Then I steal one and put it in my mouth for him to get and he goes CRAZY
and splashes like crazy and then steals it from me.

I took him out of his seat to see if he could sit well enough in the tub without it and he did this :
stood up.
And he was SO happy about it!
And I think we will be using the seat for a bit longer.


After bath was milk time and then teeth brushing time! We have been brushing his teeth for a couple weeks now and he loves it. He even steals the toothbrush from us and tries to brush by himself. Tonight he sucked on the toothbrush after we were done to get the flavor out of it. Don't worry, he is using baby toothpaste that is safe if ingested :)

Happy Weekend!


100th post!

Monday, August 12, 2013

WHOA! As I sat down tonight to write my blog post, I realized... this is my 100th blog post! I feel like I should write something profound, but really I have nothing. So, I would just like to thank anyone who reads my blog for following and reading all (or any!) of my 100 blog posts!

On to the post...

As I drove home tonight from working another 10 hour day, I realized I saw my baby for 2.5 hours today.

TWO POINT FIVE.
two and a half.
1/12 of the day.

Today's schedule went like this :
5:00am : my alarm goes off, hit snooze
5:09am : alarm goes off again, hit snooze
5:18am : alarm goes off again, finally get up
5:18am-6:00am : get ready
6:00am-6:20am-ish : get my lunch and Mason's lunch ready
6:20am : Mason wakes up, I get him, change him, and bring him downstairs for breakfast
6:25am-7:20am : eat breakfast, watch Mickey and play
7:20am : Starbucks and head to Luz's
7:45am : drop Mason off
8:15am-ish-6:30pm : work
7:00pm-8:00pm : cuddle with Mason, eat dinner, and give Mason a bath
8:00pm : Mason's bedtime

Granted I know while we are both sleeping I cannot see him, but still 2.5 hours seems so SMALL. I would kiss that sweet little face all day, every single day if I could. Normally I don't mind that I have to work. I know I have to. And I am fully ok with that. I would love to stay home and snuggle and cuddle and play with Mason all day long but at this point in time, that is not an option for us. And like I said, that's ok. I like my co-workers. I like the adult interactions. However, the beginning of the school year is coming around again and that means Mommy and Mason time is cut short. Very short. I worked 8+ hours Monday-Friday last week and then 7am-11:45am and again 2pm-5pm on Saturday. (I took a small break to go to Mason's one year photo shoot). I feel like I am missing so much! He could start walking any day now and I could miss it. And that BREAKS MY HEART. When I hear that sweet boy say "mamamama" my heart just fills up with love. I know I need to focus on the good and the time we do get together but sometime it's hard. I've been thinking about the coming weeks and how little I will see him and how I will come home from work and he will already be sleeping and it makes me so sad.

But when I come home from having a bad day at work and open the door and see Mason speed crawl over to me and practically climb up my legs to get me to pick him up, I have forgotten what my bad day was like. That boy can make anything bad turn into something good just by looking at me.






I love this boy...to infinity and beyond! :)

Park Picnic

Saturday, August 10, 2013

No Saturday Funday for us this week! Mommy spent the day working! Boo! As much as I HATE working on the weekends, I have to admit that I do love how much you can get done when you aren't interrupted.

We are officially in the "peak time" for online orders at work since school starts in just a little over two weeks. Let me first explain my job... I work at the bookstore at a community college in the area. School starts on August 26th. I thought I was finally over saying "school starts on..." but alas, I am back to square one and talking about school all over again! But anyway, at work we are supposed to fulfill online orders within 48 hours during peak periods instead of the normal 2 business days. So even though we are closed on the weekend and even though FedEx won't come get the packages until Monday, we have to go in on Saturday or Sunday to do online orders. To top it off, today's fun included finishing the paperwork for the 93 new hires we just hired on Thursday.
Let's take a moment and let that sink in.
n-i-n-e-t-y-t-h-r-e-e
While I am sure that there are plenty of places that hire WAY more than that, this is A LOT for me. And I did all the paperwork myself. This is what my Saturday looked like :


Granted I did take a small break in the middle to go to Mason's one year photo shoot, but I was still at work...on day 6 of 7 working this week...on hours 46+ of working this week.

So, needless to say, when I got home, all I wanted to do was see my boys. So, I had a great idea to make the day better - picnic at the park! We walked to the sushi place down the street, got some food to go and headed to the park.

Mason was loving sitting and riding in his new wagon until...
he got tired and fell asleep...while riding in the wagon!
Looks pretty uncomfortable to me, but I guess he was tired!
(bottom right)

top left : our food. sushi for mom and dad and turkey for Mason
bottom left : Mason happened to my sushi
right : eating a cracker

Playing!

Headed home after a fun picnic and play time at the park!
I just love his little hand holding on to the side of the wagon.

Happy Weekend!

Saturday Funday

Saturday, August 3, 2013

Doesn't quite have the same impact as Sunday Funday but I'm going to a baby shower for my sister-in-law, Lynda, tomorrow so today was our family "Sunday" Funday!

7:10am (what??? am I dreaming?) : Mason woke up!!! Yes, it's true. I am TOTALLY jinxing myself by saying this but yesterday and today, Mason woke up at 7am!

7:15am-9am : we all eat breakfast (Mason ate eggs with ham and loved it!) and watch some Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and play with toys

9am : Seth and I get ready for the day and Mason takes a nap.

10:15am : Seth wakes Mason up so we can leave to go get Mason's haircut (haircut #3!)

11am : haircut complete with random mini meltdown that has never happened before at the haircut place

12pm : Mason eats his way through Costco (eating samples and eating his car)



1:15pm : we return home and take some selfies and Mason looks in the "portal" as I do laundry



1:30pm : Mason naps and I head to Target, the bank and Babies R Us.

4:30pm : Seth leaves for guys night with his friends and it's mommy and Mason time!

4:30pm-8pm : Mommy and Mason watch some Mickey Mouse, walk to Sushi Time to pick up mommy's dinner, Mason eats dinner, and Mason gets a bath, drinks his milk and goes to bed!


This is the B. Zany Zoo. Seth and I got it for Mason for his birthday.
Not to toot my own horn, but...Mason loves it!
I wanted to get him an activity cube but had no idea which one. So I did a little research and found that this one was the best for the money. And it turns out, Mason loves it as much as I do!



One side is the letter and an animal name.
And one side is a picture of the animal.


Mason had pasta and broccoli for dinner and LOVED it!

And even tried to help me feed him.

I tell him that the bath is not ready until he can reach the turtle.
The turtle floats and tells me the temp of the water and if it is too hot or too cold.
He now reaches and reaches for it and gets so excited to be able to pick it up.

Don't mess with a man and his boats!


8pm : Mason's bed time and mommy blog time!

Happy Saturday Funday!

Graduation

Friday, August 2, 2013

We have officially graduated from bottles to sippy cups! 

I knew on Mason's first birthday that a lot of changes would happen.

He should switch to sippy cups from bottles.
He should switch to milk from formula.
He should be eating more "real meals" than just food pouches.

I was pretty excited about some of the changes (hello $4/gallon milk from $30/can formula!) but didn't know how easy it would be. We tried to switch to the sippy cup first but had no luck. Mason loves to drink milk out of the cup, so last Sunday I thought, "hey, I'll just put his formula in the cup and he will drink it no problem". No such luck. He drank like one sip and was over it.
Ok...this won't be as easy as I thought it would be.
So I decided I would try to integrate milk instead and made a 2oz milk/6oz formula mixture and put it in a bottle, he drank the whole thing and we called it a night. 

Monday we put the milk/formula combo in a bottle, Tuesday the same, Wednesday, all week. I was just so happy that he was drinking cow's milk with no reaction that I didn't care about the bottle/sippy cup transition anymore.

This week Sunday we changed to 3oz milk/5oz formula. I was still pretty afraid that too much milk would make him throw up so we were trying it realllllllll slow (since he had such a problem with formula when he was born and we had to use the hypoallergenic formula). I still was using the bottles and not the cups. But at daycare, Luz wanted him to use the cup and not the bottle. I was all for it. She is AMAZING and works miracles and on Tuesday sent me this picture :


Is that MY baby drinking MILK from his SIPPY CUP???? Why yes it is!!!

And he drank his WHOLE 3oz of milk right out of there! She did it again! She worked a miracle. I was ecstatic! (And even later that day, he drank his 5oz formula bottle out of the cup again!) That night (I have to be honest) we actually fed Mason out of his bottle. We had gone out to dinner for Seth's dad's birthday and got home late and I didn't have the time to be patient and have him take 20 minutes to drink his milk so we gave him a bottle. Same thing in the morning. But Luz stuck to it and gave him milk in a sippy cup. Wednesday night though we gave him milk in his cup and have kept on it ever since.

NO MORE BOTTLES! My baby is officially a toddler!

And today, he has had no formula! I think we have officially weened Mason off the bottle and off the formula all in one week (knock on wood!!!) It's a miracle and I am so thankful. Especially thankful for Luz, who is so patient with Mason and taught him how to drink out of his cup.

And to top it off, Mason has been eating real meals all week! This has been the week of changes. But changes for the better! I think I was scared to give him real meals because I thought he would choke. He choked (only kinda, he was ok after I gave him water) on a cracker (a baby one, dissolves easily) because he took too big of a bite and didn't chew enough. I've been cutting up avocados, mashing peaches and blueberries, given him bananas, sweet potatoes, etc and he's been doing great. Now I just have to figure out more meals! Maybe I will be brave and give him little pieces of a sandwich since he is showing the signs of knowing he needs to chew. And, I need to buy him little containers to put his food and a new, bigger lunch box.

Off to shop tomorrow! Have a great weekend everyone!



[Mason] Nine Month Photos.

It feels funny to post Mason's nine month photos now, since he just turned one, but it took a little while to get the pictures back from my amazing photographer, Jenny Mason. I think I might have mentioned in a previous blog post, but we found Jenny through my sister-in-law. And she found Jenny when she was pregnant with my first niece, Emma, who is now six. So we have known her for a while now! I have loved Jenny's work ever since I first saw pictures of Emma and knew that I wanted her to take my maternity pictures and Mason's newborn and first year pictures. Besides Mason's pictures, she also did our engagement pictures, various family pictures and more. We love her!

His newborn pictures can be found here and his four month pictures can be found here if you want to re-visit them :)

But without further ado... here are Mason's nine month photos!









And my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE....


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