5 Months!

I can't believe that our little man is 5 months old! That is almost halfway to a year! It seems so crazy and he is growing up so fast! In his 5 month picture he looks so much older to me...more like a toddler and less like a baby. Here is what Mason is up to this month.
-He is about 17 pounds and 28 inches long! He is getting so tall!
- He has one bowl of rice cereal a day and is starting to like it! He is getting much better about using a spoon and less and less cereal is on his bib each time!
-He is laughing all the time! He's so much fun and especially likes it when his Daddy makes him laugh!
-He is rolling EVERYWHERE! I can't leave him anywhere because when I come back he will have rolled several times.
-He loves meeting new people and loves to entertain them.
-He is starting to sit up. He still needs support from his hands but is doing better every day!
-He taking more naps in his crib or pack and play and less in his swing! This is a huge milestone because the swing used to be the only way to get him to sleep!
-He is starting to wake up from naps happy and not crying!
-He loves pulling on hair, necklaces and anything else he can get his hands on! I am pulling my hair up more and more these days!
-He still does not have a tooth but I am hoping it will be any day now. He is teething like crazy!
-His favorite game is peek-a-boo, it makes him laugh every time!
-He has discovered how to scream/squeal when he is happy and does it all the time. I am sure it is annoying to others but its hilarious to us. The expression on his face after he does it is priceless, almost like he has no idea where the noise came from.

Happy 5 Month Birthday Mason!

For Sale!

So after months of going back and forth on what to do, we have finally decided to try and sell our house! We love our current home but know that we will outgrow it a few years. We figure that with rates being so low and home prices down, right now is a good time to attempt to make the move to a bigger house. The whole home selling process has been way more stressful that I would have expected! I am a huge fan of all HGTV real estate shows...they pretty much take up our entire dvr. I thought somehow that selling our home would be as exciting as one of these shows to me. Ummm okay I was completely wrong here. The process of getting a house sparkling clean and show ready, hiding all of Mason's million baby toys, leaving and driving around aimlessly for two hours while your house is being shown and then not even knowing if you will find a new house you like when your current one sells is stressful to say the least! I've made a list of the not so fun moments of selling your home below.

-When your house is being shown you are given a two hour window of when the buyers will come. Chances are they will only stay for ten minutes and might come right at the beginning of the window but you have no way of knowing that. Therefore you have to stay gone for the entire two hours! That is easier said than done with a 5 month old!

- Realtors are not always on time for showings and sometimes they come early! Last Sunday morning Jared and I were frantically cleaning and getting the house ready to show. We had mops and brooms everywhere, Mason was crying in his jumper and we were running around like crazy! 40 minutes before our scheduled "window" a realtor knocks on our door! Jared answers and the lady asks if we knew we had a showing. We politely tell her that the showing was supposed to begin in 40 minutes and that we are still in the process of cleaning. Without even apologizing the realtor looks at her watch gives us a mean look and leaves!

- Always double check the dates for showings! Last night, Jared and I thought we had a showing at 6:45. We got everything ready to go, ate an early dinner and even made cookies for the prospective buyers. We come back an hour later to find no cookies gone! We figured either the people for some strange reason did not like cookies or they just did not show. This morning we looked at our showing schedule again and noticed that the showing is for tonight not last night!

Hopefully our home will sell quickly and this will all be over soon! I am hoping we find a new house that we can stay in for many, many years so we don't have to go through this again!

Because I can't make a post without a picture of Mason, I am adding some new ones below. Jared plays guitar and piano and plans to teach Mason how to play both of them one day. Here are some shots of Mason getting an early lesson!

Look who is trying to sit up!

I'm not sure when it happened but it suddenly seems like overnight my little baby has turned into a little boy! He is laughing all the time, reaching out to grab things, smiling and playing with us and now he is starting to sit up! Here are some shots of his new accomplishment!

He was so proud of himself! I love the determined look on his face. HahaHe'd obviously had enough by this point. He must be saying "Mom this is hard work!"
I guess this means crawling is next! Maybe it is time to start babyproofing our house?

Fall is here and pictures!

Today is officially the first day of fall and it definitely feels like it! I just got back from running errands and the thermometer in my car said 64 degrees! I'm so excited to be done with the heat of summer and actually be able to enjoy our time outside! I can't wait to take Mason to a pumpkin patch, make pumpkin cookies, go for long walks, and enjoy the leaves changing color!

In other news....My good friend Kelly is starting a photography business and is nice enough to take pictures of Mason for free! We are so lucky to have a great photographer available! Last week we tried to get some pictures made of Mason! I used the word tried because between the rain and Mason deciding to boycott smiling for the day we didn't have much luck. We did the best we could and got a few good shots though considering the circumstances. We are planning to go again soon to hopefully get some more shots in the sunshine and of Mason smiling! Here are a few of my favorite pics:

4 months old!

Mason had his 4 month checkup last week! Everything went well and his doctor said he looked great! He did much better with his shots this time and only cried for a few seconds then stopped as soon as I picked him up. I did better too and didn't cry like I did last time! Here is what is going on with Mason this month!

He weighs 16 pounds and is in the 67th percentile for his weight.
He is 27 inches tall and is in the 95th percentile for his height!! I guess we are going to have a tall guy!
He is smiling and laughing all the time and is so much fun to be around! He especially loves to smile at strangers everywhere we go!
He puts everything in his mouth! I am hoping this means a tooth is coming soon!
He is rolling over much easier than last month although I still think it surprises him when he does it!
His favorite thing to do is stand up! He is no longer happy laying down and wants us holding him up at all times! I wonder if this means he will be an early walker?
He has perfected the pouty face and sticks out his cute little bottom lip anytime he is really sad or just wants to make us think he is really sad!
He loves other babies! He is really noticing them and smiling at them!
He loves walks and can ride in his stroller without the carrier now! We can't wait for cooler weather so we can take walks more often!
He loves mirrors! He will smile and laugh at himself in the mirror then hide his head in my shirt like he is shy because the baby in the mirror is looking at him. Too cute!

I must say I am loving this age! He is so much fun to be around and so easy since he isn't mobile and can't get into stuff! Here's a few more pictures of Mason this month!

San Diego!

We had a great time in San Diego! It is definitely different traveling with a baby but we had a lot of fun! Mason was a trooper and is a great little traveler! I can't wait to take him on more vacations and show him the world! He did great on the plane- he cried a little when we took off but slept after that! Here are some pics from the trip!



Here's Mason wearing his "Baby Pilot" shirt excited for take off!

Mason waiting to see his Uncle Kevin and super excited to be standing up! (it's his new favorite thing!)Mason and Kevin. Kevin hadn't seen Mason since he was a month old!Mason ready for graduation and looking cool in his sunglasses and camo USMC shirtLa Jolla Beach...so beautiful!I love our little family!

We're leaving on a jetplane.....

Our little man is going to have his first flight tomorrow! We are going to San Diego for my brother in law Kevin's Marine boot camp graduation! We haven't seen Kevin for three months and can't wait to see him and tell him how proud we are! For the graduation, Mason will be wearing camo pants along with this:
As excited as I am, I must admit I am a little nervous about our first big trip with a baby. My three biggest concerns?
1. What on earth do I do if Mason starts crying in his scream cry on the plane? Every option that works at home (his swing, his crib mobile, taking him outside) are not options! I already feel sorry for the poor people on our flight with us.
2. How will I change him if he has a blowout diaper? Mason tends to save these diapers for really special occasions like being in the car or out in public...I am almost certain this will happen on the plane! I avoid airplane restrooms like the plague and there is no way I am taking a baby in there!
3. This one sounds silly but it is a concern- We have to check Mason's carseat at the ticket counter. That means it is going under the plane with all of the other luggage. I see how they throw things in there and how dirty and beat up things look when they come out. I don't want Mason's new carseat that was supposed to last through our second child to look like an antique! Not to mention- Mason puts his mouth ALL over the shoulder straps which will now be covered in suitcase germs!

So, wish us luck as we venture out on our first trip as a family of three! I am sure it will go great and my concerns will not be a big deal at all once we are there and having fun!

P.S. I am throwing some completely random pictures that have nothing to do with our San Diego trip into this post. These are of Mason playing in his exersaucer yesterday. He looks so puzzled by everything!