More Random Happenings. . .

Here's some more things we have been up to .  .  .

Crawling around the house

... but he tires quickly!

Mason loves looking in the backyard

... and the front yard.

 Mason loves reading his "Thomas the Train" book from his Mimi

And, Mason loves being in the water! Any water!

I can't believe this little boy is almost six months old!!!!

Time is flying by and he is growing up way too fast.

P.S. We are going to be making his first Christmas ornament soon, stay tuned for some good laughs!

Filling My Tank

God does any amazing job of placing things in our lives at the right season, the exact precise moment, in his perfect timing. We always think we know what is best for ourselves and what we are ready for, but only God knows us better than we know ourselves.

These past few weeks have been an incredible "tank filling" moment for me. Getting caught up in the daily work grind, household chores, weekly events, and constant stress of keeping up with a 5 month old's scheduled routine can draw your attention away from the true heart of things.

I have to admit, if it wasn't work, or household chores, or a 5 month old, it would be something else. Isn't that the way life works? It doesn't matter what season of life you are in at this very second, chances are there are inevitable distractions drawing your heart away from the joy it was meant to have each and every day. 

(Please don't think I am saying I am not over the moon about having a job, having a home, and of course having a precious God given 5 month old baby!!!!! Hello people, of course I am not saying that, I am unbelievably grateful for these things! -but can we all be honest and say that monotony takes away anyone's joy???? That stress takes away everyone's joy???? That chores are not meant to be fun???? Okay, are we on the same page?)

God has laid a few things on my heart these last several weeks that I need to keep close and remind myself of on a daily basis and because it can be so easy to get caught up in our lives and lose sight of his big purpose for us, I wanted to write down this feeling I am having right now so that WHEN I get caught up in the chaos again I can come back to this and remind myself. My feelings may not speak to you, but there may be something else that does. If so, write it down and come back to it.

James 1:2

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,

whenever you face trials of many kinds."

-Not IF we face trials, but WHEN, we are commanded to be joyous! Wow.

1 Corinthians 15:10

"But by the grace of God I am what I am."

-God made me this way. I am humbled by him and comforted by his grace, knowing he does not want me to change for other people. I am the mom, wife, daughter, friend, and employee he intended for me to be. Embrace myself, be the best ME, and don't ever feel sorry for that.

Micah 6:8

"He has showed you what is good.

And what does the Lord require of you?

To act justly and to love mercifully

and to walk humbly with your God."

-Holly! Look at what God has given you. Act justly. Love mercifully. Walk humbly. That. Is. All.

P.S.

This week I am starting my very own "HMC".

Yes those are my initials, but it also stands for Humiliating Mom Capsule. One day I will read back over these moments and perhaps share them with my children or children's children and laugh or cry or cringe or whatever. I think it will be a fun and entertaining source of humility in my life. God has a sense of humor, why can't I? :)  

P.S.S
Any tank filling moments going on at your house?

Pinning

Anybody else obsessed with Pinterest? I am gonna bet yes! I am in the worst way, however, I am bad about hoarding a bunch of pins and doing nothing with them. My goal for the last several weeks has been to just do! So here is my review of some of the things I have taken on.

Source: eighteen25.blogspot.com via Holly on Pinterest

My review: I love this! I leave notes for Chris each time something I love about him comes to mind.

Source: the-girl-who-ate-everything.com via Holly on Pinterest

My review: It turned out awesome and I have had sooo many people ask for the recipe! Yum!

Source: thesaltypineapple.blogspot.com via Holly on Pinterest

My review: It was surprisingly pretty good. Not the real thing, but still a really good dessert.

Source: redsie05.blogspot.com via Holly on Pinterest

My review: I was pleasantly surprised by how good this way. Topped it with cheese and sour cream.

Source: quick-dish.tablespoon.com via Holly on Pinterest

My review: Was really good and really easy!

So far Pinterest hasn't let me down yet.

And what am I looking forward to?

Perhaps some of the following:

Oh yeah, and if you want to follow me, click on the link below. Happy pinning!

What We've Been Up To . . .

Mason's growing like a weed and I am just trying to keep up with him.

So what's new this week?

Sooo close ...  

Trying out my cooking!

Still trying to feed himself... 

Stocking the freezer!

Teething, but still no teeth yet...

... but still LOTS of drool!

And of course, still happy!

What have you guys been up to? Leave me a note, Mason and I would love to hear from you!

Five Months Old!

Month Five

Weight:

14 pounds 10 oz (birth: 8lbs .3oz)

Length:

25 inches (birth: 21 inches)

Diapers:

Size 2.

Adding oatmeal to Mason's diet = messssy diapers. 

Six blowouts in a two day period has not been fun,

so we are looking into the diaper brand switch from Pampers

 to Huggies. I will let you know if that solves the problem.

Clothes:

He is now wearing 6 month outfits, some in the 3-6 month

and some in the 6-9 month range.

Feedings:

Every 4 hours. Breast milk. 6-7 oz.

At 20 weeks (4 1/2 months) we started oatmeal cereal at dinner time,

 as suggested by Mason's pediatrician. He loved it from the very first

spoonful. This kid is way too advanced for Chris and I's liking.

He rolled over both ways at 2 1/2 months, started teething at 3 months,

 and is actually trying to feed himself cereal with a spoon

(and successfully so I might add) at only 4 1/2 months.

He is growing up way too fast and I am scared to blink!

Mason is now eating a total of 6 tbsp. of cereal every day

3 at breakfast and 3 at dinner.  He would lick the bowl if I let him.

In fact I have caught him licking his bib several times.

Mason also likes Mum Mums which were a lifesaver

on the plane rides to and from Bermuda.

Next month we will kick start some veggies and fruit! Yumm!

And I am excited to see what that does to the whole diaper dilemma...

Nights:

All is well at night these days, although our trip to Bermuda did disrupt our nightly bliss for a few days once we were home. At first, we could not tell what was disrupting Mason's sleep while we were in Bermuda, could have been the temperature of the hotel room, the different crib he slept in which was provided by the hotel, change of atmosphere (noise, air quality, etc.), the 2 hour time difference, because Mason did not sleep through the night once while we were there. Getting him back to a full night's sleep when we returned took some effort, but once we were home I realized he had been in the middle of a growth spurt. He was waking up hungry in the middle of the night, not just waking up to be awake and when we got home he had suddenly grown out of his clothes and into the next size.

Down at 8, up at 6:00- 7.

Personality:

Mason is still smitten by our dog Dusty and bath time is still his favorite

 part of the day, but now he wants to sit or stand all day long.

Mason will lay on his playmat for literally only a few minutes before

rolling over to his stomach, then he will try to crawl, unsuccessfully,

which eventually leads to a very unhappy baby,

so Mason plays in his jumper, sits with Mom or Dad,

or sits in his high chair while chewing on a teether or playing

with a toy when he has had enough tummy time.

Development:

Mason is a great napper these days. He is finally going down every day at or around the same time and sleeping for a good 1 1/2 to 2 hours, which really makes my day so much more productive and he wakes up in the best moods!

Mason prefers to spend all of his time on his tummy now instead of his back. If we put him on his back he will roll to his side or his tummy but rarely does he stay on his back unless he is watching his mobile or listening to us read him a book. Mason does not want to sit still at all, so his bouncer, swing, and even his bath time have become very dangerous places for Mason to sit. Mason can touch the ground now while in his jumper, but he can't stand yet, still needs some more weight on him. He can push off of the ground with his toes and loves doing that! He is really enjoying the toys around the seat too.

Mason's eyes are still really blue and his hair is still blonde and straight. He is still a small little baby in comparison to others, but I feel like he has gotten sooo big! And he actually has some chunk on his legs now.

This month has been a huge transformation- the BIGGEST one yet. Being able to sit up has changed his view of the world and therefore his interest in his surroundings. He is smiling, laughing, giggling, and spitting up now more than ever before while he is sitting up like a big boy. We are just loving every minute of every day with him and thank God for this precious gift of parenthood.