Spider Mase

Hey, I Have Dreams Too

I've been blogging a lot about the things Mason says lately, but man, that kid is funny. I have a feeling he's going to be quick and witty, just like his mommy.

Lately, when Mason tries to pull that whiny "I waaaannnnnt ________!" stuff I come back with "Well, Mommy wants a pony". Not the most mature response, I'm sure, but the whining is pretty nerve-racking at times, so it's often the first thing that comes out.

This afternoon Mase woke up from his nap all happy and smiley. Dave had been here for the weekend but had left before Mase went to sleep.

Mase: "Where'd Dave go?"
Me: "Dave had to go home, remember?"
Mase: "Oh yeah. [pause] Hey, Mommy... you happy?"
Me: [having the strange feeling I was talking to my future teenage Mason... or a therapist] "Yeah, baby, of course I'm happy. You make me happy, Dave makes me happy... what else could I want?"
Mase: "A pony?"

Okay Then, I Guess You're Not a Bird

Mason was eating yogurt and could get the last few spoonfuls out of the bottom of the container.

"Feed me, please!"

I proceeded to feed him the yogurt and said, "you're like my little bird".

And Mason says, in kind of a 'duh' voice, "Mommy, birds fly".

Pizza Maker

In my attempt to add to our endless list of fun things to do together, I decided that Mason and I would make our own pizzas for dinner.



Mase loved it, although he did have a few slight, um, portioning difficulties.





Even though his (right) was a little.. lumpier than mine


it tasted just as good.

Looks Like He's Mine

2010:


1987:

More of Those Things I Don't Want to Forget

1. The look Mason gives me when I kiss any "boo-boo" he has. I put that in quotes because said injury is usually invisible. Upon fixing this injury, he gives me a look like, "my god, you fixed it!" and goes about his business like nothing ever happened (usually nothing actually has happened, but still).

2. His helpfulness. He helped me make turkey burgers tonight. He loves to help sweep the floor, hang his pictures on the refrigerator, and dust the furniture. Now, if I could only get him to pick up his toys without resorting to some form of bribery.

3. His curiosity and excitement when learning something new. Hopefully I won't have a chance to forget this one - at twenty-six, I still feel the same enthusiasm about learning new things as he does.

4. The way he sings to himself when he's laying in bed trying to (or not to) fall asleep. He's in there practicing his alphabet as we speak.

5. Mason's voice. Yes, I will admit that there are days when I just wish he would stop talking for two freaking minutes but the majority of the time, I swear those little squeaky "hey, Mommy?"s are music to my maternal ear.

6. His smile when he wakes up in the morning. If ever there was a morning person, it's Mason.

7. His manners. Jeeze, I hope I never have to fight him on this one - but, having seen the rudest of the rude, I will if I have to. For now though, it's always "please", "thank you", "derrr welcome!", and "excuse me". He even says, "I'm sorry!" when he accidentally smashes my face with his great big toddler head.

8. The strange Italian-like accent. Examples: "cheese-ah-burger!" and "play with mine-ah toys?" I'm not sure where he picked that up, but it's so cute that I get a little irritated when I can tell they've been trying to correct it at daycare.

9. The cuddling. If there's one thing I know I'm going to miss someday, it's curling up on the couch with Mason in my lap, reading a book. When he's tired or when he doesn't feel good, all he wants is to lay in my lap while I rub his belly.

The Doctor

Mason had an appointment yesterday for a checkup. He's been coughing up a storm and snotting all over the place, so I took him in to the pediatrician to make sure it was nothing major.

After the weigh-in (33 pounds and 35 3/4 inches!), we waited for the doctor to show up. He walked in and Mase greeted him enthusiastically:

Mase: "Hiiiiiiiiii, Doctor!"
Dr: "Hello there, Mason."
Mase: [running over to stand by me] "Mommy, his name's Doctor!"
Dr: "Jeeze, if everyone was as happy as you I'd be having a much better day right now!"

And so the appointment continued.


As it turns out, he's in the very first stages of an ear infection. I was a little worried, but Mason didn't care... he was thrilled - this morning he actually asked if we could go back to the doctor's. What a kid.

A Toddler's Dream

Check Out That Concentration!

He's so cute when he concentrates that I don't even say anything when he cheats.

Nope, Sure Didn't

This morning as I was dropping Mason off at daycare, we had the following exchange:

Me: Okay buddy, I have to go to work.
Mase: Why?
Me: [with a dramatic defeated sigh] Well, Mommy has to make us some money.
Mase: Okay, bye, Mommy!


Four hours later, when I picked him up:

Mase: Hiiii, Mommy! Did you find it?
Me: Find what, Peanut?
Mase: The money!

If I Knew Picasso

The easel ended up being one of Mason's favorite gifts this year. All that hard work wrestling that thing together really paid off.






Bonus: sometimes I put my "to do" lists on the dry erase board. And don't tell anyone, but I've painted a couple times after Mase went to bed.

Completely Random iPhone Pictures

And Then it was Morning

My camera was acting crazy on Christmas morning, so there aren't a lot of pictures to be found. Rest assured, Mason was thrilled with his gifts. Funny, it wasn't the wrapping paper-flying, chaotic mess I'd imagined. Mason opened each gift and loved it, wanting to play with each one without thinking about the next one. It was nice and I was proud of the thankful little boy I'm raising. I can only hope he's always this way.





Don't think I could let Christmas go by without taking at least one embarrassing picture.

'Twas the Night Before Christmas

On Christmas Eve, I cracked open a bottle of Cabernet, turned on The Christmas Story marathon, sat down to put Mason's easel together, and felt my Scrooge persona slipping away.

Happiest Birthday

Today I turned twenty-six and I spent my birthday with the two most wonderful guys on the planet.



I feel so incredibly lucky.

Which One?

I can't fathom being too busy to run home and blog this as soon as it happened; it was such a monumental moment for Mason and I. I said I'd never do it. But, about three weeks ago, I did.

I got Mason's hair cut.

Mase has beautiful hair. Gorgeous. Long, curly, and soft. But it was getting in his eyes, and I could tell it was starting to really bother him. So, to Landon we went. Landon's been cutting my hair for probably six years, maybe more. I trust him - and I wasn't going to turn my kid over to some stranger. I do wish I would have gotten some pictures, but it's hard to take pictures when you're sitting in a barber chair feeding the kid in your lap chocolate covered pretzels to keep him distracted while you're being sprayed in the face with water and covered in hair that isn't yours.

Honestly, Mase was fine. I was the upset one. Yes, I kept a curl. I would have kept them all if I wouldn't have looked like a whack job.

Before:



And after - it seems silly now, but I was scared he wouldn't look as cute after his trim (it was only an inch!):


He's still perfect.

Turn the Tree On!

For the three weeks that we had a pine tree in our living room, the first words out of Mason's mouth every day (besides "Hiiiiii, Mommy!") were "Turn the tree on, Mommy?" at which point I'd plug in the lights and listen to my simple toddler gasp like he hadn't witnessed this exact same thing the very day before. Mason loved the Christmas tree. Maybe because he helped decorate.