Wednesday, December 31, 2008
See You Next Year
For a good ten minutes after that first time, he'd throw his toys down, peep down at them, laugh, and wait for me to pick them up so he could start the process all over again.
It's so amazing, watching him learn.
In sixteen minutes, it will be 2009. This morning, I watched the fireworks in Sydney, Australia as they brought in the new year over there. I teared up, and I wasn't sure why, but I've been in a strange mood all day. Now, when I tell someone he was born on May 25th, 2008, that will be last year. Time's flying, and it's as sad and as scary as it is amazing and exciting. I really do believe that Mason's helping me learn and grow just as much as I'm helping him. He learned that his toys don't disappear when he throws them and I (almost!) learned that change isn't always a bad thing... 2008 isn't just going to disappear. Mason's first seven months will be forever in my memory (and in approximately eighteen hundred pictures).
Happy New Year, Mase. I have no idea what comes next, but I'm ready for anything. You'll be loved just as much in 2009.
Fancy Pants
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Socks
Laundry drives me crazy. I'm fine with getting it all together, separated into piles, and starting the first load. I can usually even remember to switch it in and out all day. But that last load usually stays in the dryer for a week, until I start the whole process over again and realize it's still in there. Today, in my decluttering frenzy, all I managed to do was take the load of darks from last week out of the dryer, throw them on the couch to wait for them to magically fold themselves, and wash, dry, and fold Mason's clothes.
There's only one thing I like about doing laundry.
Monday, December 29, 2008
One Last Time
We've now seen all the family, and what this means is that Christmas is over. There is one more gift that I'm getting Mase after rent's paid, but all the family visiting, present opening, and wrapping paper chewing is over 'til next year. We survived the holidays without a scratch.
All in all, I wouldn't have changed a thing. It was a great first Christmas, and I'm sure Mason would agree.
Sunday, December 28, 2008
I Think He Likes It!
Then this afternoon, I tried this:
It's a little mesh net that you put fruit in. I put two frozen apple chunks in that thing and let Mase go to town. The frozen cubes must have felt good on his gums (I really think those teeth are going to come in soon!) and he seemed to really like the taste, too. After the cubes thawed though,it got a little messy, so he got naked.
He ended up with sticky apple juices down his belly, all over his hands, and in his hair. He loved every minute of it.
Grinch Baby
Mase stayed awake the entire ride there, save the last ten minutes of course. He fell asleep as we got into town, and was woken up as soon as the car stopped. It was only eleven o'clock and still quiet when we got there; the only people there were my grandparents, my brother, Krissy, Haylie, and my cousin Ben. Mason played on the floor and let my grandma hold him for awhile without protesting before I took him up for a nap. He slept for about twenty minutes and woke up still grumpy. I reluctantly brought him down into the craziness. Twenty people now convened in my grandma's living room. Twenty people who talk LOUD including four hyperactive kids and a grandpa who needs to have the tv cranked up to a deafening level even when no one's watching it.
Mason went crazy.
Sometimes it's really hard being Mom. The majority of the time, I really feel like I have it all under control. Mason's always happy, he's healthy, and he's well taken care of. Other times, however few and far between those times may be, I feel like I'm twelve years old, still a baby myself, taking care of a baby. At my grandma's house, surrounded by moms who've been moms for fourteen years, I felt like I had no idea what I was doing. Mason was over-stimulated, over-tired, and just plain over Christmas. Everyone wanted to hold him and he didn't want anyone but me. He burst into tears if someone so much as looked in his direction. I could practically hear the mental critiques of my mommying running through their minds.
I know I'm not doing it all wrong - they might not have even been thinking that - but I wanted everyone to see what a happy-go-lucky, fun, smiley baby Mason is. He's not usually this grumpy Grinch baby, bah-humbugging on everyone's Christmas fun, and I needed them all to know that.
Just when I was about to give up on the day, things turned completely around. We were supposed to leave at six and were just about ready to head out when, at about five fifty-five, Mason miraculously morphed back into Happy Baby and decided he'd let my aunt Shirley hold him.
And then my brother.
He even opened some of his presents, played with them, and posed for pictures by the tree with Haylie.
We ended up staying until seven so everyone could have a little time to enjoy Mason's company... and then I had to practically pry him out of their hands. Even though I know everyone loves him regardless of his mood (and I'll admit, even I feel like curling up in a ball and screaming sometimes as a direct result of too much time with the family), I was so thankful that Mase decided to have that one hour of happiness before we left. That last hour completely made the trip worthwhile.
Friday, December 26, 2008
Christmas Cheer
Thursday, December 25, 2008
'Twas the Night Before Christmas
Note: There are about fifty pictures of Mason opening just these two presents. I quickly learned that even though a baby opening a present takes about eighty times as long as it does for an adult, it's a million times cuter. I'll skip the other forty-seven pictures and cut to the chase though, since I don't have much time. I'm sure Mase will only nap for twenty minutes and it's already been fifteen.
He got - jammies
and a book (one of Mommy's favorites).
When he started getting sleepy, he took his Christmas Eve bath (which is really similar to a regular bath except I sang The Twelve Days of Christmas [all messed up and backwards, I'm sure] instead of the skunk song and the ABCs).
He got into his new jammies and we snuggled up and read a little bit of The Polar Express.
What a perfect tradition to start. Merry Christmas.
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Round One
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Fruity
Here's Mason's raspberry makin' faces. I was unable to capture the spit bubbles that are an inevitable result of the raspberries, but I'll work on that.
Mmm.. banana bread.
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Up and At 'Em
Now, aside from the fact that he's looking at me like "Mom, how dare you take a picture of me in my diaper!", notice that he's not on his butt anymore. He got onto his knees. By himself. I swear he's thisclose to being able to pull himself up to stand on his own which is equally scary and exciting.
I guess it's probably time to put the matress down a couple notches. We all know Mason doesn't like to sleep, and the last thing I need is him catapulting himself out of his crib in the middle of the night when he decides he'd rather play instead.
Although he could always just gnaw his way out.