If I could only clone myself...

Being a working mom of two, I am still trying to find enough time to spend with both of my children, and my husband. Before we had Mason, I already found it difficult to spend enough time with Tyler. During the week, our main goal for each morning is to get everyone out the door dressed, somewhat fed, and somewhat on time. Our main goal for each evening is to get dinner ready and eaten, get the kids bathed, read stories, and get everyone to bed before 9:30 PM. While that’s a rare occurrence, our evenings are still so busy that I don’t feel I have enough time to just hang out with my kids. I cherish my weekends home with them, and love to spend free time with my family. During the week, if I decide to play with Tyler and Mason for a little while when we get home, dinner doesn’t get on the table until later, and therefore baths and bedtimes get pushed further. To ease my guilt for having them up so late, I tell myself that they’re growing up and they won’t be like this forever, that I need to enjoy and treasure those times instead of feeling guilty.

I played volleyball last night, and I was gone from 6:30 – 9:30 PM. When I got back, Mike had both boys in bed, and he was reading to Tyler. I went in Tyler’s room and said bedtime prayers with them. I asked Mike about Mason, and he told me that I might want to check on him, since it had been a little while since he put him down. Tyler said, “No, I want Mommy to stay with me.” I told Tyler that I would be right back. Well, Mason had a bib on, and it was covering his face, so I flipped it back down and tried to take it off without waking him. That was unsuccessful, and he started crying. I made him a bottle and fed him in the rocking chair. Then, Tyler came in, saying he wanted to say goodnight to Mason. He kissed him, and I kissed Tyler and told him to go back to bed. Mike later told me that Tyler went back to his room, and once he got there, he hung his head and moped slowly back to bed. Mike asked him, “What’s wrong?” Tyler said sadly, “Mommy’s not coming back. She’s feeding Mason.”

Luckily, Tyler was still happy with Mike staying with him, rubbing his back until he fell asleep.

Indy Race!

We took Tyler to the Indy Race last night. Tyler was more excited about watching the pit stops and crash-cleanups than seeing the cars go around the track 300 times. But we still had fun, and the weather was much nicer than last year (although, there were many more crashes last year!)

The sign on the car says "Please Do Not Touch". Hahaha.

There must have been a crash:

How does your garden grow?

Today my parents came down to visit us. They spent the day with us, hanging out and playing with the boys. I showed my mom the tomato, basil, and green pepper plants. Tyler and I planted some sunflower seeds, but they’re just sprouts right now, only a few inches tall. All the plants are looking so good, though! I’m so encouraged by it, I can actually grow healthy plants.

I harvested some basil leaves last week and took advantage of having my mom in town to make some pesto. It turned out so YUMMY!! I can’t wait to make some more!

We’ve also been waiting for the tomato plants to start producing tomatoes, and my mom found one when she was out on the deck with Tyler! Tyler was so excited, he ran inside just to tell me that we had a tomato.

Mike is pretty impressed that I can actually grow stuff, too. All the indoor plants we’ve had while living together have never seemed to survive. Last summer, I planted some “monkey grass” and took care of them. Now they’re still going strong, and multiplying!!

Mason is 6 Months Old!

Dear Mason,

Today, you are 6 months old! You and I went to the pediatrician for your well-baby visit, and we found out that you are a whopping 20 lbs 12 oz., 27 inches tall/long, and are back on the growth chart for your weight! (Your weight was off the chart at your 4-month check-up). You fit best in 12-month clothes right now.

Mason, you are now sitting up very well, though you still lose your balance and fall backwards, sideways, or forwards. Then, you’re stuck and you need help sitting back up. You can’t quite roll over yet, but it looks like that is coming very soon. You are very good at grabbing things and putting them in your mouth. You like grabbing your feet and toes when you don’t have anything else to play with. It also seems like you can understand simple concepts very quickly: we had a dinosaur-shaped toy that has a few holes in it where balls are supposed to be placed. Though you don’t quite have the hand-eye-coordination to put the balls in the holes yet, you know that they go in the holes and if we put one next to a hole, you will push it in.

You love being in the doorway jumper! You get so excited when you’re in there, and you jump all over the place! You will be quite content in the jumper for well over an hour. Sometimes, when we take you out, you still turn and longingly look at it, probably wanting to go back in. Myself, I think it would be pretty fun to have one of those, and I can understand why you like it so much!

You smile at everyone, and it’s very easy to make you laugh (I know to kiss you on your neck and below your ears). You were completely mesmerized with your Uncle Chad, who had a goatee and a mustache when you first met him yesterday.

Mason, you are babbling more and more, but now you consistently say, “Dadadadada,” which has made Daddy very happy! Sometimes, I swear I hear you saying things like, “Hi!” or “Mommy!”

You love to eat baby food! You’ve tried just about everything, and it’s only been a month. You are now opening your mouth for each bite and especially love sweet potatoes.

You cut your first tooth on May 17, 2009, (your bottom tooth) and now your second tooth is coming in next to it! It’s already broken the skin.

You love bathtime. You love watching and feeling the water come out of the faucet into your baby tub (which you will probably outgrow in the next month, or so). You like the feeling of water pouring on your belly, and you love sucking the water out of your washcloth (yuck!). Your big brother also loves taking baths with you. If you’re already asleep at bathtime, Tyler always asks, “Where’s Mason? I want to take a bath with him!”

Your big brother loves playing with you, and I can tell he’s getting more excited as you are able to do more things. He likes showing you how your toys work, he likes sharing his cars and trains with you, and he really gets a kick out of making you smile and laugh.

Mason, we love you so much, and we are overjoyed at watching you grow, knowing that you are on the brink of learning so many more things! Happy 6-month birthday!

Love, with all my heart,
Mommy

Read all the fine print!

So, here is the cover of the box of the kid's "Waterpark" we bought for Tyler:

Look at the kid on the far right, using the water gun at the corner of the pool. Note that he looks about 8 or 10 years old, he's kneeling on the ground, and the side of the pool is above his waist. The gun is almost shoulder-height to him.

Now, look at the basketball hoop, note how the kid shooting the basketball is throwing the ball UP to shoot. THAT kid looks around 7 or 8 years old, also. See the gushing waterfall coming from the arch, and how big the slide is, compared to the kid going down (who also looks about 7 or 8 years old).

See the kid behind the pool, he looks also about 8 and the top of the arch is clearly above his head.

Now, here is a picture of my 3-year-old, 39" tall son playing in the actual pool we pulled out of the box:
The dimensions were clearly labeled on the box, (the length & width, not the height), but we didn't read it. We just looked at the cool picture. Oh well, at least Tyler enjoyed playing in it.

Now, notice how it's called "Hydro Blast". The little watergun that's installed at the corner has a pinhole that water can "blast" out from. It's like being shot with a bathtub squirt toy. Also, if you notice in my picture, we've got the slide off to the side, not even installed, because (though the picture shows it UNDER the gushing waterfall) it's not long enough to reach the sprinkling water coming out of the arch. So, you have to slide into the pool on a dry slide!

Lesson learned.

"Day off"

Today, Mike and I both took the day off, to extend our Memorial Day weekend to a 4-day weekend. We spent all day ripping out the bushes in front of our house and tilling up the soil (removing weeds, roots, and rocks). I got to use my new wagon! Though our yard is small, it was nice to have it to bring stuff from the shed out to the front yard. Tyler and Mason hung out with us outside, and Tyler enjoyed playing in the wagon. He put his snacks and gardening gloves on the wagon. Mason sat in his stroller and was happy just chillin’.

Here is a picture of our house 2 years ago, while we were removing the evergreen-type ground-cover that we had along the corner of our front yard:

And below is a picture I took this afternoon, showing how we removed the shrubs in front of the house:

Now, we need to figure out what we want to plant in front of the house, instead!

All I Want for Mother's Day...

Here is my belated Mother’s Day gift (mine is green):
I say belated, but on Mother’s Day, Mike gave me a gift of sleep and not having to make breakfast. He ended up so frustrated with the skillet pan that we have (it burned half the pancakes he tried to make) that I also ended up with a new skillet! But that wasn’t something I really WANTED. This wagon, I want!

What color is my thumb?

So, I’m actually growing a vegetable garden. I say “actually growing” because that is what the plants are (surprisingly, under my care) doing. They’re growing! None of them are dead! And, it’s been almost a month! Last month, Tyler helped me plant tomatoes, green peppers, and basil. They’re now so big that we’re going to have to transplant some of them to other planters, so that they can (hopefully) grow even more! I hope we get real vegetables from them, and that I can teach my son about plants/gardening/etc. I’m really hoping the basil grows, because I want to make my own pesto sauce. My mom has this wonderful recipe and I can’t wait to have homemade pesto, instead of the salty store-bought pesto!!

Teething

Last Saturday (the day before Mother’s Day), Mason’s first tooth broke through his gums! As happy as I am that he’s growth is on track, I find that I’m counting down the days I have left to enjoy his toothless grins. The only reason we even knew he was teething was his constant drooling. If his gums have been hurting, his disposition hasn’t been affected. He’s been the same happy, smiley little guy. Tyler was like that, too, not really affected too much by teething. Mason does love chewing on everything, though. Most notably, his hands, but I found a cool pacifier-shaped teether that he can hold easily which has a gummy/rubbery tongue, instead of a pacifier nipple.

Birthday Cake

My sister loves watching the Oprah Winfrey show. She tries to catch it every day, and since she’s home with her 3 girls, they (obviously) are very familiar with Oprah, as well. Two weeks ago, my sister turned 30. Today was her daughter, Hannah’s, birthday. Prior to both birthdays, my sister asked Hannah who she wanted on her birthday cake. Hannah promptly told her that she wanted Dora on her cake. Then, Hannah asked her mom what was going to be on her cake. My sister said that flowers or candles would be nice. But my niece didn’t think that was enough. She asked, “No, Mommy, what PERSON are you going to have on your cake?” My sister replied, “I don’t know, who do you think should be on my cake?” My niece responded, “I know! How about Oprah?!”
So, today we went to my niece’s 3rd birthday party. The kids had fun with their cousins, and I also got to see and visit with my family. My mom and I thought that my sister deserved a birthday cake, as well. This is what we brought her:

Days and Months

Here is Tyler singing the days of the week:

And reciting the months of the year:

5 months!

Dear Mason,

Today, you are 5 months old. You probably weigh over 20 lbs and your hair is growing in more evenly. You're growing so fast, all your milestones are seeming to fly by! I missed playing with you today. We were all so busy with errands after I got home from work, and Daddy had class this evening...it seemed like we were all just bustling around all afternoon and evening. Before I knew it, it was time for you to go to bed. Right now, you're asleep in your crib, and I want to sneak in there and pick you up and hold you in my arms.

Speaking of milestones...we started feeding you baby food about a week and a half ago. We first started with oatmeal (mixed with apple juice) and you LOVED it! I think it's the apple juice ;) You took to it very well. Two days ago, we started you on carrots (baby food). They're a bit soupy, so I might get you the "2nd Foods" version, and try that. You sure love eating, though!

You are also sitting up much better. You're still not sitting on your own, but I can tell that's coming very soon. You would rather be upright than laying back. In fact, you usually try to muscle yourself to a sitting position if we set you down in any reclined position. You love your doorway jumper...I mean you REALLY love it! You can still stay in it for almost an hour, I think it makes you feel free.

You are grabbing things and picking things up (then putting them in your mouth) much better, though your favorite thing to chew on is your own finger...any of them.

We moved you from an infant carrier to a convertible car seat about 2 weeks ago (you were actually about 20 lbs 2 weeks ago, so I'm sure you're heavier now!), since you're near the weight limit of our infant carrier. You don't seem to like being put in the car seat, though, you always cry when we put you in there if we don't distract you enough.

Random

Mason is a great eater. He always loved nursing, and then formula, and now baby food. He has been eating oatmeal mixed with apple juice (which he loves!) for about a week, now. Tonight, I introduced carrots to him. Loves them!! I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this might mean he won't be a picky eater. Tyler wasn't a picky eater, either, and it was awesome. He ate so well and so healthy.

One thing that Tyler loves to do is ask us about our favorites. Especially about our favorite parts of movies or tv shows. He's asked us so many times that he knows what our answers are going to be. His "favorite" parts somehow end up being the same as ours, too.

Tyler's attention span has definitely increased, also. He can play a board game all the way through, following directions. We recently found a Thomas the Train board game at a yard sale (for $0.50!) and he LOVES it. We've actually played that 2 or 3 times in a row with him.

2 Cute Things

We usually say a short prayer before dinner, but one evening, Tyler busted out his own prayer! We later found out that he says it every day at daycare, which I was pleasantly surprised about. It seems that they're still teaching the right things in some of our schools! :)



Then, he showed us how they also say the Pledge of Allegiance:

Old and...

This afternoon, Tyler was especially energetic: running around, hopping, jumping, falling down on purpose, etc. He kept asking me and Mike, "Can you do this?" and then he would do some crazy move like jump up and land on his knees, or something. When he did that (land on his knees), I winced and said, "No, Mommy is too old to do that." His reply, "But I can do it because I'm new?"

********************************************************************************

Later, we were all rough-housing, Mike and I were on the ground and Tyler was taking turns jumping on top of each of us. Right after Tyler had landed on me, I grabbed him while I was laying down and tried to sit up with him in my arms. It was wholly unsuccessful, since I don't have the ab strength to sit myself up with an additional 35 lbs attached to my shoulders. I repositioned Tyler and tried to sit up again, finally doing it on my 3rd try. Tyler smiled at me and said, "I knew you could do it, Mommy!"
Me: Thanks Tyler, you had more faith in me than I did.
Tyler: More face? (Tyler touched his face with his hands) I only have one face, Mommy.

"I love you, Mommy."

Last night, after I gave Tyler a bath, I was trying to wrangle him so that I could get him dressed in his PJs. I sat on the floor in his room and held out his underwear for him to step into, exasperatedly asking him to put it on. He wrapped his arms around my neck and picked up one foot at a time so that I could stick his feet in his underwear. As we were doing this, Tyler said, “I’m hugging you, Mommy.”

Me: I know. Thank you.

Tyler: I love you, Mommy.

Me: (suddenly softening up, grabbing up my son and cuddling him in my lap…and not feeling so exasperated anymore) Ohhh, Tyler! I love you, too!

Tyler: I wish we could go to a school for grown-ups AND kids so that we could be together all day.

Me: I do, too. I wish I could spend all day with you.

These are bittersweet times, hearing Tyler say “I love you” in his sweet voice, so clear and sure, and knowing that all he wants is to be with me and Mike are things that I dreamed about while I was holding him when he was a baby. As a new mom, I loved him so HARD! I remember holding him as an infant and wishing I could hug him enough to show him how much I loved him, how I wanted him to always fall asleep while I or Mike was holding him, so his last moments of each day were spent in one of our arms. And I remember feeling like it would be FOREVER until Tyler would ever be able to say “I love you.” So, now he says it, and he says it often, which I love, but I know the times that I spent during his infancy wishing that he would get older so that he could finally verbally affirm his love are times that I should have enjoyed more. Not to say that I didn’t enjoy them! But, now that I know that the babyhood is such a short time in our children’s lives, and I know that our children KNOW we love them and that they DO reciprocate in their own way (by their first smiles at us, by not wanting us to leave them, etc.), I have enjoyed being Mason’s mommy in a more complete way. I’m sure the confidence that I’ve been through it before allows me to relax, but I’m also in no hurry for Mason’s babyhood to pass by. I look at his face as he gives me a toothless smile and try to fix that picture in my mind, so that I can go back to it whenever I choose.

Tyler does give great hugs, though. And he’s a strong little guy, so he’s strong enough to handle the hugs we give back!

Jumping Jumping

On Friday, I put Mason in a doorway jumper for the first time. He has been really enjoying the stand-up entertainer that we have (which we put by a window so he can also look outside), and he seemed to have more control over his head. So, I put him in the jumper and he LOVED it!! Seriously, he enjoyed it so much! At first he kind of just hung out, turned himself in different directions, enjoyed being upright…but then he figured out how to bounce. Mason bounced and jumped in the doorway jumper for nearly an hour! We went away for the weekend, and didn’t take the jumper with us, but when we came back yesterday (Sunday), I put Mason in the doorway jumper again while I was making dinner, and he was content (happily jumping and bouncing, and turning to face in the kitchen then in the living room) even while we ate dinner! Check him out!

"I Like to Move It"

Last night, Tyler sang and danced for us :)

Pictures

Daddy and Mason at Jaime's birthday party

Me and my superhero :)

Tyler a.k.a. Batman

Mason is 4 Months Old!

Dear Mason,


Although I find it hard to believe, yesterday you were 4 months old. When “they” tell you that time flies with your second child, “they” really do know what they’re talking about. At your recent check-up (about a week and a half ago), you weighed 17 lbs 14 oz. and were 25 inches long/tall. Your weight is off the growth charts J and your length is in the higher percentile range.

I have cherished all of you sweet smiles this past month, which you give out so readily. You smile most when I kiss and nuzzle your neck and ears, so I do that quite often. When you’re in the mood, you like zrrbrts blown on your bare tummy. Your big brother, Tyler, has recently tried giving you zrrbrrts, too! You like any attention from him, so you always smile when he’s around you.

A great majority of the time (at least 95%), you are easy to please and quite mellow. In the past month, you have learned how to really, really cry. You’ve grown out of the quiet newborn cry to a full-blown, red-in-the-face, ear-piercing cry. You also have tears! But, I must say that your crying is not unpleasant to me. None of it is annoying, and since we hear it so rarely (the other 5% of the time), nobody minds hearing it for a minute or two while your bottle is prepared or while I’m rocking you to sleep.

You sleep through the night like a champ! We try to get you in bed around 9 or 10pm, and I usually have to wake you up around 6:15 or 6:30 am during the week and feed you before I drop you off at daycare. On the weekends, you have slept until 8:30 or 9am! Usually, you will wake up around 7:30 or 8am, and most mornings you wake up happy.


You love to coo and gurgle at us! You enjoy when we talk back to you, too. Every day, we usually have a conversation or two with lots of back-and-forth between you and either me or Daddy.

You are definitely grabbing things, though not quite so controlled yet. You can grab a toy or a blanket and bring it to your mouth, and you love to use your feet & legs to kick and stand. Your legs and tummy muscles are SO strong!

Mason, we love to snuggle with you, hug you (it’s so easy now that you’re so nice and chubby), play with you, listen to your cooing, and rock you to sleep. You are a joy to be around! You and Tyler have made us (Mommy and Daddy) look like really good parents! Thank you for gracing us with your gorgeous smiles and for showing us every day how truly blessed we are.

Love, always,

Mommy