Sunday, August 28, 2011

A World Traveling Baby!

I cannot say it enough, but Mason is the most laid back, happy baby. He traveled over 2500 miles to Bermuda and over 12 hours of flying and did absolutely amazing! He officially has his first stamp in his passport and he earned it!


We left our house at 3:00 a.m., hoping that Mason would sleep until our flight departure at 6:00 a.m. or at least close to it, but he was wide awake at 4:00 a.m. when we got to the airport. Thank goodness there was no line at security or check-in since it was 4 in the morning, but by the time we reached the gate Mason was hungry, so we fed Mason before boarding the flight.

Flight one- Mason did not sleep at all, but luckily there were empty seats on the flight so Mason had his own seat, at no charge. This was a blessing. We brought his car sear with us to the gate and got to bring it on the plane when we found out it was not a full flight. We had plenty of room to stretch out and no one next to us to worry about. Even though Mason was a little upset during take-off and landing, he still did not cry.

Flight two- Mason was exhausted by this time (he had been up since 4:00 a.m. and he endured a layover and flight delay in NY), he slept the full 3 hour flight from take-off to landing in my arms. Other than some arm cramping (dead weight in my arms for 3 hours and unable to move or get up) and a stronge urge to pee, this flight was a relief.

Flight three- Mason was wide awake the entire flight, but was the happiest baby. This flight was full, so Mason spent the entire flight playing with Mom and Dad. He finally fell asleep during landing but woke up as soon as we left the plane.

Flight four- This flight departed NY at 7:00 p.m. Houston time, so we didn't arrive home until 10:00 p.m. Mason went to sleep at take-off in my arms where he remained during the 3 hour flight and then stayed asleep until we arrived home later that night. Amazing what little things can wake a baby, and yet this kid could sleep through anything that night.

Thank goodness the flying went well because that made the rest of the trip all the more relaxing.




 



  

Thank you Chris for such an amazing trip! Your hard work really pays off.
We love you and are so proud of you.


For a look at all of the photos from the trip, click on the link below:

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Four Months Old!

 Month Four




Weight:
12 pounds 5 oz (birth: 8lbs .3oz)

Length:
 24 1/2 inches (birth: 21 inches)



Diapers:
Size 2. 
He has just one "soiled" diaper every day now.
He is into saving mom and dad money, thanks buddy!

Clothes:
He is wearing 3-6 month clothes, but still can squeeze into a few of his 0-3 month clothes. Did I mention this guy has an unbelievably high metabolism?!?! Which explains why he eats A LOT and is still in the same clothes as last month. I can't complain, I love him being this small. Before we know it, he is going to be a toddler, and we'll hardly be able to remember this stage of smallness.

Feedings:
Every 4 hours. All breast milk. 6-7 oz.

Mason's doctor commented that Mason is an unbelievably happy and healthy baby. He was so impressed and proud of us. He said we can go ahead and start trying solids (cereal, fruit) whenever we are ready. I think Chris and I are both a little excited to try feeding Mason with a spoon, but we also know that things will never be simple again like they are now, so we will probably hold off on trying out solid food until after our trip to Bermuda. We are not in any hurry and another week on just milk will make the trip a little less hectic.

Nights:
At fifteen weeks Mason started sleeping 11 hours straight,
 no more middle of the night stirrings.
We are not lucky people, we are incredibly blessed!!!!

 At bedtime I lay him down on his back wide awake,
and he immediately rolls over to his
stomach and falls fast asleep. Sometimes he wakes himself
up because he pins himself into the corner of the crib.
We are so glad that we decided to use
bumpers for this reason. This little fellow would have already gone
 blind or broken something if there was no protection from the crib rails.
Down at 8, up at 7 if we let him sleep til then.
During the work week we have to wake him up early,
 feed him and get him ready for the day.

Personality:
Mason is still an unbeliavably happy baby. This is even more true this month than it was last month. He is laughing (deep belly laughs now!) and smiling ALL the time! Mason is smitten by Dusty, he will listen to us read books for hours at a time, loves his bath time, grabs and holds onto all of his favorite toys and my hair, and hardly ever lays still for very long (rolling both ways, kicking, flailing his arms around and talking).


Development:
Mason's nap times are still pretty consistent.
He takes one in the early morning, one mid morning and one afternoon.

The poor fellow has started to teeth (and drool!),
so a little bit of fussiness has entered the picture
since he is in pain. We have tried teethers,
but he actually prefers his own fingers or one of ours.
Thankfully this hasn't disturbed his sleep at all,
but we fear that the worst has yet to come.

Mason's tummy time has progressed to another stage of frustration. Now that he can hold his head up for extended periods of time, he is now scooting his knees in and trying to crawl. Unfortunately for him (not necessarily for us : p), his scoots don't take him far. At night he will start at one end of the crib and by morning he has scooted to the opposite end, even if we laid him down facing the other direction. Mason enjoys his jumperoo a little more this month, but since he is not a heavy weight,
he has yet to be able to reach the floor on his own. 
Mason's eyes are still really blue and his hair has now started to
grow in (no more "grandpa" hairdo), but since it's blonde he looks bald. 

Mason's 4 month birthday was a BIG day!

First he was baptized!






Then he went to his first baseball game, sadly the Astros lost... again.



This month has been such an adventure. Each month brings such amazing progress and looking back at last month makes me realize that Mason has changed by leaps and bounds. So bitter sweet. We just love him and thank God everyday for these moments he has given to us.