Happy Birthday, Nana

Today is Nana's birthday! I am so incredibly lucky to have such an amazing mom, and I cannot imagine how my life would be different if we weren't just right down the road :) It's so special to me that my son has this close relationship with his Nana and Papa! You're the best, Mom!

Mason and his Nana on the train

Helping Nana eat her birthday cake

Riding the rails

This morning Mason had a big surprise after he ate his breakfast. My mom and my aunt were taking him on a train ride! A REALLY, REALLY, HUGE TRAIN (these are his words)

They boarded the AK Railroad downtown and road to Girdwood. He was so excited when he got home, he could not stop talking all about it. He also got a new ARR shirt, hat and toy train. When he was going to bed tonight he told me that he wanted to go on another train ride...we'll see, kid...maybe. He also kept telling us "All Aboard" and that they missed their train home (Papa picked them up in Girdwood, they didn't really miss the train).

My mom sent me some pics of the big day.

Passover/Easter Fun

We celebrated both Easter and Passover in our house this year. Actually, we mainly just celebrated that it is now SPRING!!!

Mason and I made Easter cookies. He decided that licking frosting off your fingers is the best. thing. ever.

This is the afikoman cover Mason made at daycare.  We had fun hiding it around the house for him...and he had fun searching for it. He also thought it was fun to "hide" the afikoman in his mouth.

P.S. The afikoman is a piece of matzo.

 And Nana decided to have "the kids" over to her house for egg decorating. He came home happy as a clam with a dozen colored eggs, ten colored fingers, and lots of stories to tell. The Easter Bunny also went to Nana's house this year, and, no surprise here, spoiled Mason and Landon both rotten as ever.

I love that in this picture Landon's hands are virtually spotless. This does not surprise anyone in our family. 

But wait, there's more!

I know I just posted Mason's farting story...well, there's more...ALREADY!

First of all, Mason was taking a bath a couple nights ago at my parent's house. He and Nana were having a good old time, and I was in the living room. I could hear Mason laughing, and not just laughing, but that deep belly laugh that kids get when they're really excited. Next I hear, "Papa, come look at this!" and my dad goes into the bathroom, which is followed by more hysterical laughing. Apparently, Mason was a little gassy that night and had farted in the tub a few times...then he was making himself fart more to make more bubbles. It was so exciting to him, he just had to share it with Papa.

This next interaction was today as I was getting Mason up from his nap and I needed to get a new diaper on him. We are still using his changing table to save our backs, even though he really is too big for it now.

Mason: (laying down on the changing table) I getting bigger.
Me: Yes, you are growing.
Mason: I get long.
Me: Yes, your legs are getting too long for this table. You're getting bigger.
Mason: Ya, my pee pee get bigger, too.

What in the hell are you supposed to say to that?!? Um, why, yes, I suppose it is.

Happy Grandparent's Day

Sunday is Grandparent's Day...so to surprise Nana and Papa, Mason and Landon went to have some pictures taken together. It was also time for Mason to have his 9 month pictures, so we did that at the same time. Since Papa is leaving to go hunting, we already gave them their gifts...and not a minute too soon because it was getting really hard keeping a secret from Nana!

As you can see, it was hard to get both boys looking/smiling at the same time. And Landon especially was not into getting his picture taken that day. We did get a few cute ones, though.

Wine and Sleep

Last night Todd and I went to the ASO Wine Tasting. It was crowded and hot as usual, but a lot of fun. We tried some really great wines, and I even remembered to mark the ones I really liked so I'll actually remember the names next time I'm out to get wine.

Mason stayed the night (yes, the whole night) with my parents. It was my first night away from him, but of course he did great with Nana and Papa. It was wonderful to sleep all night, and even sleep in until 9am today, but I was excited to go pick him up and spend the rest of my day with his smiling face.

Home Again

This week Todd had to go to Seattle for work, so on Tuesday after Mason and I took him to the airport we packed some bags and headed for my parents house. We had a good week, although with this crazy weather we didn't get out like we had planned on. As great as it was to have my parents help out, Mason and I were both so happy to pick Todd up last night! Now we're all home for a few days before Todd goes back to work.

P.S. For those of you watching the news...our house didn't flood. We did get a few drips of water in the unfinished part of our basement, but luckily nothing more. Who knew living one block further south would make that big of a difference!

Silver white winters that melt into spring...

...these are a few of my favorite things!

Today Mason is 4 weeks old and I thought I'd share a few of the things he and I have come to love! Here are our top six...


Mason LOVES music! Well, Mason loves any noise...even the vacuum, ice maker, and humidifier. So this was a smart purchase for the nursery, especially late at night when we're trying to get him back to sleep. He prefers female voices, Eva Cassidy, Norah Jones, but he also is a fan of Jack Johnson and the Garden State/Last Kiss soundtracks. My voice also works really well, but Todd is tired of the songs I sing to Mason getting stuck in his head.





I haven't ever actually seen this show, but we have all started to call the nights that Nana has spent the night "Nanny (or Nana) 911". My mom has been so wonderful, and Mason loves when she comes over to spend the night with him...not to mention how much Todd and I love the extra sleep we get when she comes over! Todd gets pretty much a full night, and all I have to do is wake up when my mom brings Mason in for feedings. It's great!!!


The dogs. Ok, technically this is probably two things, but we're grouping them together. It has been so amazing watching the dogs investigate the new addition to the house, and now that Mason is a little more alert, he's been checking them out too.





These pics were taken with Todd's iPhone, so they aren't the greatest quality, but you get the idea.












Mason LOVES going for rides in the car. He may not always love getting into the carseat, but once he's in and we're ready to go, he's a happy baby.











The boppy. This has been one of the best gifts! It's perfect for feedings, playing, tummy time...every mom and baby should have one of these.








Nap time! This is a new favorite of mine as well. While I still have to laugh at all the people who say "sleep when the baby sleeps" - it is true, if you can manage to do it! Mason, however, has no problem napping...especially when it's on mom or dad!

Baby Firsts

Mason had his first trip to Target on Thursday. I know, this isn't exactly a baby milestone noted in any baby book or calendar, but to me it was a momentous event. He of course slept through the entire experience. Before the Target trip, Todd and I took Mason to my grandparents house. They hadn't seen him since he was born, and it's easier for us to go to them. After the great grandparent visit, we drove out to Target. I pushed the stroller and Todd had the cart, and for the first time in my entire life of loving Target, I didn't buy a single thing there for me!

Yesterday Todd dropped Mason and I off at my mom's house for a while so he could go Christmas shopping. We ended up staying a lot longer than we planned, but it is so nice to get out of the house sometimes.

I should really be writing a paper now. I have one last paper I need to write for my advanced patient care class. It's a 4 week class that started the week before Mason was born. My goal was to finish it all before he got here, but with all the kidney stones and pre-term labor, that didn't happen. I did get 3 of the 4 papers done, which I'm grateful for now. I keep telling Todd he should write it for me, but I think I need to forget that dream and get writing!

Granny to the rescue

Last night my mom stayed the night with us. We put Mason's bassinette in the guest room with her and she brought him to me when he needed to nurse. It was WONDERFUL! Todd got a pretty much full-night of sleep and I was only awake long enough for Mason's feedings. Of course, all the nights before last night Mason was up every hour to hour and a half and then would have a crazy stretch from 2am til 5 or 6am that he was wide awake and had no interest in sleeping. Needless to say, Todd and I were already exhausted and the kid is only a week old! So, Granny to the rescue...and of course Mason slept great last night, usually 2+ hours at a time, and had no long stretch of being awake and/or fussy. Now my only question is...will he do this tonight? Not likely, I'm sure.

Anyway, thanks, Mom! You're a life-saver!!!