tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-42185969430763470772024-03-08T15:25:19.905-08:00Adventures in Being a MomMy experiences as a momAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05793134154956578306noreply@blogger.comBlogger43125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4218596943076347077.post-31837212253321325892014-05-19T10:47:00.002-07:002014-05-19T10:48:21.028-07:00WOW! It's been 6 months since I posted.... So much has happened I don't even know where to begin! I think I will try to go month by month and that should help me remember everything (I hope, lol).<br />
In December, Mason turned 2 years old. We spent the day together as a family. I fixed a special breakfast while Doug and Mason put together his new birthday present (a work bench). That took most of the morning and I helped after breakfast was done ;). We ordered a pizza for lunch with homemade chocolate cake for dessert and Nana stopped by briefly afterwards. Then he took a nap after all of that and when he got up, we went over to Uncle Mike's to watch "Finding Nemo" (in Unlce Mike's private theater no less!). We (w/ Uncle Mike) took him out to eat at 'Park Lane Tavern' for his birthday dinner. Watched the Christmas lights behind the mall. Dropped off Uncle Mike. With all of that partying and special activities, it was time for bed. Mason seemed to really enjoy his birthday. It was nice having just the 3 of us for most of his special day (and little did we know we would be adding a new addition to the family before his next birthday...more on that later ;) ).<br />
In January, my Grandma Cross died. My parents gave me and Mason the opportunity to ride down to Louisiana to go to the funeral. Mason did really well with his first long road trip! Even though the trip was for a sad reason, some of my family got to meet Mason for the first time (a silver lining?)! I got to see some family I haven't seen in over 10 years and meet some little cousins for the first time! It was so nice to catch up and part of me wanted to stay :(, but I have a wonderful husband and 2 cute kitties that made me return. <br />
In February, not that much happened, mostly just snow and cancelled plans.<br />
In March, Mason began walking! On March 5th, Mason began trying to walk more than crawl. He started with just 5-10 steps and quickly gained more. We also bought a new Grand Caravan. It is SO nice being a 2 car family again! Now for the big news I eluded to earlier. The day after we bought the new Caravan, we found out that I am PREGNANT! Our new addition is due on November 20th, 2014. It never ceases to amaze me how God works! We had already decided on the Caravan because we were thinking of adding an addition, but had no idea one was already in 'the works'. We also had a Child Find meeting with the local school district for Mason. Busy month for us!<br />
In April, we hosted an Easter lunch and invited over the Baggetts, one Williams, and my parents. We put Mason in his 'Big Brother' shirt and waited for everyone to notice. One by one it spread like fire. We also texted Pat, Katie, and Mike the news. I had 2 U/S of the baby done and everything looks good. Nice strong heartbeat and plenty of movement.<br />
In May, we had an eligibility meeting for Mason with the local school district. He was found eligible for SpEd Preschool for the next school year. He will be going to school twice a week for 3 hours a day (so far as we know....we haven't been told the exact details yet). I will add more to May....it's only half through ;).Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05793134154956578306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4218596943076347077.post-52067080049158932182013-11-20T13:47:00.000-08:002013-11-20T13:47:17.050-08:00Just 2 Week & 2 Days, We Will Have A 2 Year Old!!! In just 2 weeks and 2 days Mason will be 2 years old! That seems so crazy to me! In some respects it seems it has been longer than almost 2 years since I became a mommy, but in others it seems so short! We are looking forward to spending his birthday, just the 3 of us.<br />
Mason continues to work hard at all of his therapy appointments. He has recently started standing by himself for about 10 seconds at a time. Mason as also been using his right hand to try to place objects into his left hand or to help lefty grab them. Lefty has also been trying to help with eating. Ins addition to making progress in both fine and gross motor skills, his speech is also coming along too! He is attempting more words, squealing, and expressing emotions (happy, sad, frustration ,etc.) more. We have recently started working with sign language again to help him express himself easier (at least hopefully).<br />
I continue to thoroughly enjoy watching Mason's development! He may be a little slower than 'average', but he is working on his own pace and I love how determined he is!<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05793134154956578306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4218596943076347077.post-31366059679072197192013-09-15T08:53:00.000-07:002013-09-15T08:53:14.150-07:00The Turkeys When we went to Frying Pan Farm Park, I strolled Mason from animal to animal. He would point to them, and ask "What's that?" or "What's this?". I would answer him and tell him "pig", "cow", etc. Then we got to the turkeys. Again he pointed and asked "What's that?". I said "That's a turkey". He said "unh eh" (like 'no'). He pointed again, "What's that?" and I again said "They are turkeys.". He said "No!". Then he pointed again and asked "What's that?". This went on a few more times. I finally said "They are still turkeys and let's go look at the sheep.".Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05793134154956578306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4218596943076347077.post-70815562212970519392013-09-15T08:34:00.000-07:002013-09-15T08:39:45.752-07:00Even More Progress :) In the last 3 months Mason has made tremendous progress in both fine and gross motor skills. A few days after the last post he began 4 point crawling 100% of the time! YEAH! About the same time as he began crawling, Doug taught him how to give a high 5 with his right hand. Ideally we would love for it to be either hand, BUT this is HUGE for Mason. Except for pointing with his right hand (and occasionally his left), he couldn't do any gestures with his hands. Then about 1.5 weeks ago, I taught him how to clap. We have been working on it for a few months now. I got him to first clap his right hand to his left arm, then with a little more practice I got him to clap the right hand to his left fist. We kept practicing and now he can clap with the left hand almost open :)! He is also beginning to clap independently when he wants to.<br />
In addition to working on his motor skills, we have been taking him to new places and letting him explore his world more. Last month he went with some relatives from the Baggett side of the family and my parents to the National Children's Museum in D.C. He had a blast crawling all over the gym they had in the the 3 and under room. He wasn't a big fan of working with shaving cream though (I don't blame him, it stinks :( ). We will have to try more sensory activities at home to get him used to it. This month he went to Frying Pan Farm Park with some relatives from the Cross side of the family. He enjoyed getting to see the farm animals and riding a carousel for the first time too. We look forward to taking him to the pumpkin patch next month :).<br />
He has begun to work with his speech therapist too. She has come for only 1 appointment so far, but has given us some info to help Mason. She wants us to work with giving nouns names, sounds, and actions. That's easier said than done since not all nouns have sounds and actions associated with them. She also wants him to use straw cups exclusively to promote development of his mouth muscles. We were already using them in conjunction with soft spout sippy cups, so we just took away the sippy cups. She also complained about some of Mason's electronic toys, saying they were too young when they are not. They are age appropriate and Mason likes playing with them, so they stay :). If Mason fixated on his electronic toys, then we would take away some of them but he doesn't. I firmly believe that a variety of toys is what is best for Mason. He has electronic toys, but he also has wooden toys and other toys that do nothing until Mason does something with them.<br />
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We are so proud of the progress he has made! He works so hard and I'm glad he gets to see the results!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05793134154956578306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4218596943076347077.post-71443542717722142342013-08-08T12:51:00.000-07:002013-08-08T12:52:26.116-07:00We Have A 20 Month Old!!!! That was my first thought this morning when I realized today's date. In just 4 months we will have a 2 year old! WOW!!!!<br />
Mason continues to make slow and steady progress. He now can crawl at least 50% of the time in a 4 point crawl position (hands and knees). This is huge for his fine motor development in his left hand and made Miss Kelly (his OT) quite happy! He continues to use his left hand more but still has a lot of work ahead.<br />
Today he had his re-eval for Early Intervention Services. We got the news that he qualified to get speech services in addition to the occupational services too. This wasn't totally unexpected. I had brought up all of my concerns to his OT and case manager (Miss Angie). He will be receiving speech therapy twice a month in addition to OT twice a month.<br />
I will end on a happier note. As of the end of July, his physical therapy sessions have been cut to once a week because of his progress :).<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05793134154956578306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4218596943076347077.post-59272201344159027792013-05-24T05:58:00.000-07:002013-05-24T05:58:12.803-07:00Just This Week.....<div dir="ltr">
Mason has made a LOT of progress this week. On Tuesday, I went to get Mason from his crib after his afternoon nap. He was sitting up in his crib barely awake. This was the first time that Mason sat up on his own. YEAH! In the last month and a half, Mason has made so much progress that I have been lucky enough to have a LOT of proud mommy moments :).</div>
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Then while at MiSue and Grandpa's (my parents) house, my mom found him sitting up in their crib after his morning nap on Wednesday. Okay I know what some of you are thinking (including me a little bit and Doug too), that maybe he used the crib to help him sit up. Nope! During PT yesterday, he sat up unassisted :). I saw it! He went from a four point stance (hands and knees) to pushing to a side sit position to a full sitting up position. It's nice to see his hard work paying off ;).</div>
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Then yesterday afternoon, he refused his afternoon nap. I went to get him out of his crib and he was STANDING up! I know we really should have lowered his crib when he started pulling up on the sofa, but he showed NO interest in pulling up in his crib or other places until yesterday. There he was standing up, and of course it would be near the end of the crib with the changing table attached to it. He had popped open the wipes and had one in his hand staring at it. So needless to say we lowered his crib last night and took off the stuff on the top of the changing table. </div>
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When I put him to bed last night he noticed the lowered mattress right away ;). I sat him down in his crib and he gave me a kinda strange look. He spun himself around while staying in a sitting position, looking all around his crib. He pulled himself up and smiled (maybe a sign of approval?...LOL!). After his normal bit of fussing, he went on to sleep ;).</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05793134154956578306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4218596943076347077.post-72227925856076867242013-04-11T16:39:00.004-07:002013-04-11T16:39:38.081-07:00WOW! Mason is 16 months! I can't believe Mason turned 16 months old a few days ago! Seriously?!?! WOW! Time flies, especially when you have a child! The beginning of March, Mason had the stomach bug that lasted off and on for almost 1 week. YUCK! He went for his 15 month check up right after that. It was discovered that he had lost over 1.5 pounds and had fallen off <b>HIS</b> growth curve. His immunizations were put off for 3 weeks since he had just gotten over the stomach bug and he also needed a weight check because of falling off of <b>HIS </b>growth curve. The stomach bug took more of a toll on Mason than just weight loss. He reverted back to mostly rolling instead of commando crawling and taking 100% formula.<br />
In the weeks that followed, Mason gradually put back on the weight he lost and gained the strength to commando crawl again. Once the opened can of formula was finished, I decided to try giving him straight 100% cold milk. Before the stomach bug, we were doing a gradual reduction in the percentage of formula in each sippy cup and increasing the percentage of milk along with getting him used to the coldness of the milk. For whatever reason, Mason took that first sippy cup of 100% cold milk with no problem and no looking back. When we had tried that before the stomach bug, he flat out refused it.<br />
At the 3 week follow up he received his immunizations and the weight check showed he had regained the lost weight. So you would assume that was the end of it, he gained back his lost weight. Nope. Like I mentioned ^^^, he had fallen off of <b>HIS</b> growth curve. The doctor plotted the weight gain, he is back on his curve for now, but just <b>barely</b>. He goes back in June for his 18 month well child visit.<br />
On a side note, I'm getting a little tired of hearing people say not to worry about his growth curve. I guess ignorance is truly bliss because this is very important for 2 reasons. The first reason is for EVERY child, staying on his/ her own growth curve is important for achieving milestones. The second reason is that for a child with CP, EVERY movement is several times harder for them than for a child without CP and delays the progress of achieving milestones. Since a child with CP expends more energy/ calories on 'simple' movements, then the risk for falling off the growth curve is higher and increases the delay in milestone achievement even more.<br />
I will end on a more positive note ;), we have noticed a substantial gain in Mason using of his left hand (even when the splint isn't on...YEAH!). It was truly a PROUD mama moment when he instinctively reached to turn off the light switch with his LEFT hand. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05793134154956578306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4218596943076347077.post-22468380691333446222013-02-25T07:39:00.004-08:002013-02-25T07:39:39.854-08:00Finally A Full Update :)! Good grief! I think it's been since December since I did a complete update for Mason :-/. If you all have been reading the medical/ therapy updates you can see why. Mason is really starting to show his personality!<br />
He is a talker, well babbling with some words mixed in. I have been trying to count all of his words, the best list I've come up with is about 15 words or so. He has also started to put 2 words together and use them correctly too. He has said 'oh boy!' (his first 2 word combo), then followed that with 'get it' and 'get up' (uses this regularly when finished eating). In addition to saying more words, he is moving more too!<br />
Much to the dismay of Marigold and Noelle, Mason is getting more proficient in Army crawling and is starting to get his hips up off of the floor when he crawls too. He now Army crawls more than rolls to get somewhere. Hopefully he will be sitting up on his own and 4 point crawling (normal crawling) soon!<br />
This is a fun and busy time for Mason! We are very impressed with all of his progress lately! With the help of his PTs and OT, we hope our next update will be bragging on a new milestone that he has met!<br />
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P.S. March is Cerebral Palsy Awareness month, we would appreciate it if all of our friends and family would do something to celebrate it please. Even if it is just to wear a green ribbon and tell people why you are wearing it ;), this is especially important on March 25th (<a href="http://reachingforthestars.org/2013/02/march-is-national-cerebral-palsy-awareness-month-march-25th-is-national-cerebral-palsy-awareness-day/">National Cerebral Palsy Awareness Day</a>). Thanks! Doug, Kim & MasonAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05793134154956578306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4218596943076347077.post-39268517944020264982013-02-06T06:33:00.000-08:002013-02-06T06:33:18.006-08:00Punched In The Stomach In January when Mason went for follow up with the neurologist a MRI of the brain was ordered. He came through the procedure just fine (including being sedated). Yesterday we got the results. They were definitely not what we wanted, but weren't totally unexpected. He has been diagnosed with cerebral palsy as a result of brain damage to the right side of his brain. My first thought was 'Thank God! It's not a brain tumor'....that was my greatest fear, that I would lose my perfect little boy. My next thought was my poor little boy :(. Even though I am very worried about how this will affect his life, I am so grateful that I get to keep him. My heart goes out to parents that get truly horrible news of fatal conditions.<br />
Undoubtedly Mason will have more challenges than the average person, but with God's grace and the support of family/ friends he will get the best life possible! He has a wonderful team (pediatrician, occupational therapist, physical therapist, neurologist, etc.) to get him started off. Please keep him and us in your thoughts/ prayers for the long journey we have ahead.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05793134154956578306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4218596943076347077.post-16999164070762574262013-01-15T10:24:00.001-08:002013-01-15T10:24:05.523-08:00Mason's Follow-up Appointment In December he went to a new pediatric neurologist. We liked her better than the first because we felt she listened to us and didn't just ask some questions from a questionnaire She asked us questions based on what we said and how we answered her questions.<br />
We were told then to keep up the visits from Miss Kelly and they (doc's office) would set up a PT evaluation. Mason continued to have Miss Kelly come and work with him.<br />
Mason went for a follow up appointment today and I asked about the PT evaluation. Turns out there was a misunderstanding on our part, we were supposed to set it up so I will be taking care of that later today. He has to go for another follow up in March.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05793134154956578306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4218596943076347077.post-41241639614719891302013-01-09T11:49:00.000-08:002013-01-09T11:52:55.807-08:00Miss Kelly's Latest Visit Today Miss Kelly came to do therapy with Mason. He was finishing up lunch when she arrived. When he saw her he began to laugh and smile, then play with his food rather than eat it. So with lunch over, we all sat down on the floor as Miss Kelly began to work with Mason. As she went through his exercises with him, he would laugh and smile at her.<br />
Then she decided to work with his left hand by trying to trap his right hand in his shirt (notice I said TRY to work with his left hand). She sat Mason facing outward on her lap and pulled his arm into the shirt so that is was touching his belly. She began tying the right sleeve into a knot (so that he couldn't put it back in). As she was trying to tie the knot, Mason decided that he could get his right arm out of the shirt another way. He raised his arm up through the neck hole, exposing his arm and shoulder with the sleeve dangling underneath. Smart boy! So I went to get him another shirt to try.<br />
As Miss Kelly was trying to get it on him and the knot tied in the sleeve again he began to fuss, wiggle, and complain (and to try to escape that shirt too). She decided that wasn't going to work, so she untied the knot so that Mason could put his right arm in the sleeve. After she got his shirt on, he turned towards her with a stern look on his face. He then said a bunch of garbled sounds that included some screams and screeches, we couldn't tell what he said but he certainly sounded as if he were cussing her out in baby talk, lol.<br />
The session continued with Mason laughing and giggling throughout.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05793134154956578306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4218596943076347077.post-40065400632473237022013-01-02T04:48:00.001-08:002013-01-02T04:48:28.514-08:00Mason's 2nd Christmas Even though this was Mason's second Christmas (technically) it felt more like his first Christmas. For his first Christmas he was about 2.5 weeks old and slept through most of it (except for eating, of course ;). We went to church on Christmas Eve with Nana and then spent the night with MiSue and Grandpa.<br />
On Christmas morning, Mason seemed to enjoy opening his presents with help from me, at first, but then he seemed to be confused by getting to open all these new toys and no one would let him play with them :(. Then came the rocking horse AND we put him on it....he just smiled and smiled. He really seemed to like it. He got to play with the other toys later too ;). After eating a big, yummy breakfast we went home.<br />
We stayed home long enough for Mason to have some lunch and get a nap in before heading to my brother-in-law and sister-in-laws' house for more presents and dinner. On the way over Mason decided his nap wasn't quite finished (either that or the morning wore him out, lol) so he napped more and we woke him up to take him inside. After a few minutes of sitting in my lap, he got down on the floor. He hung out with his cousins and other family members. After opening presents and eating a delicious dinner, we returned home. By then it was bedtime and a busy, fun Christmas had come to an end. I got Mason ready for bed and he was out in less than 5 minutes.<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05793134154956578306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4218596943076347077.post-83936080779774397372012-12-20T06:25:00.001-08:002012-12-21T18:49:48.579-08:00Milestone Update Mason continues to work with Miss Kelly. We have seen a dramatic improvement in his ability to sit up ;)! When he began therapy in the beginning of October, he couldn't stay sitting up for even a few seconds. Now he can sit up about 25-30 minutes AND knows how to get out of the sitting position. The little stinker does it in such a cute way! He leans forward, lowering his head to the ground and rolls out of it (I will try to get a recording of it to post ;).<br />
Another big change I have seen in him is the ability to sit in a shopping cart and high chair at a restaurant. His trunk muscles have strengthened and he has a better sense of balance now which make sitting in shopping carts and restaurant high chairs possible. He can't sit in either for more than about 20 min, BUT that is 20 min more than he used to be able to.<br />
His left hand continues to be lagging behind. He wears his splint most of the day and seems to use the hand more now. I think the splint has encouraged use of the left hand and is getting him in the habit of using it. Even when the splint is off, he uses the hand more because of habit.<br />
He still has a LONG road ahead of him, but I am glad to see he is making such progress in just the 3 months he's had therapy. <br />
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As promised....I caught him rolling out of the sitting position ;).Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05793134154956578306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4218596943076347077.post-80675380282611245652012-12-08T19:02:00.001-08:002012-12-09T07:13:04.260-08:00Mason's Birthday Party First, I want to start out with thanking everyone who attended the party. It meant a lot to me :). Next I want to send a special shout out to my friend Marie, thank you for all of your help! The prep went more smoothly with your help. Thanks again! Now on to the actual party :).<br />
The party went really well! I'm so thankful considering all the issues that came up at the last minute! We arrived at my parents' house a little early to decorate, cook the chili, and ice the cupcakes. We got everything done early (again thanks Marie and mom). The guests arrived and everyone got caught up with each other. Even Gage and Mason seemed to be talking to each other! Mason opened his presents with a lot of help from me. We all ate dinner, then sung 'Happy Birthday' to Mason and had cupcakes.<br />
Mason seemed to enjoy smashing his. He made such a mess! That's ok, he had fun! That's what I cared about ;)!<br />
At the end of the night, Mason fell asleep on the floor. He partied until he dropped! He wasn't the only one exhausted. Everyone seemed to enjoy the party.<br />
I can't believe his first birthday has already come and gone :'(. I miss my little newborn but look forward to seeing him develop into a roaming, exploring, toddler. Mason, daddy and me love you very much!<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05793134154956578306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4218596943076347077.post-63756827074292956762012-12-08T03:41:00.000-08:002012-12-08T03:51:24.627-08:00Mason's 1st Birthday I got to spend the most of the whole day with just Mason and me. I LOVED not having to share him with anyone! It was great! The day started off with Mason waking up early. So I got him up and got him ready for the day. The original plan was to fix him homemade waffles for breakfast, that was until he woke up early. So he got scrambled eggs and toast instead. Didn't seem to bother him a bit! He gobbled them down and we went about our day.<br />
When Doug got him we helped him open his presents (pics to come later ;).We had decided that we would take him out to eat for a birthday dinner (to start a tradition that we hope to continue each year). The only question we had to answer was, 'Where do you take a 1 year old for dinner?'. I mean it's not like hecan tell you or request his favorite restaurant. To complicate things further, Mason is a great eater (problematic I know, lol ;). So we racked our brains and decided that somewhere that served either broccoli, avocado, or mac & cheese would be a good place to take him (based on observation he seems to enjoy these foods the most). We also wanted a restaurant close to home, so that eliminated Cracker Barrel (great mac & cheese) and left only Chili's and a Chinese restaurant. We decided on the Chinese restaurant because we knew it would be less crowded on a Friday night. Mason and me split chicken with mixed veggies. He got to have some broccoli along with all of my mushrooms (eww! fungus!).<br />
After dinner we went home and I gave him a cupcake for dessert. He seemed not sure what to do with a whole cupcake at first, but then figured it out ;). He seemed to really enjoy it (I think the pictures speak for themselves). Tomorrow the party.....<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05793134154956578306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4218596943076347077.post-54095400379426724872012-12-07T05:54:00.002-08:002012-12-07T05:54:43.362-08:00The Sign Language Experiment Conitinues I have been trying to teach Mason to learn some simple signs to help him communicate with us. I decided to limit it to 5 signs to keep things simple as possible. The signs I decided I wanted to teach him are 'eat', 'milk', 'more', 'please' and 'thank you'. I started teaching him about about 6-7 months, because I figured earlier is better. I also knew at that age not to expect much, but I have kept on trying. At first all he did was to look at me like I was crazy and he'd laugh. I still kept trying though. To this day he still looks at me like I am crazy and laughs. I have also added one more sign, 'finished' (all done). I still keep trying ;). I don't know what the issue is. I thought he would have picked up one or two of the signs.....but nope :(. Maybe I'm doing something wrong?? Maybe I'm expecting too much (but I don't think so, other children I've known can sign several signs by his age)???? Maybe he's stubborn and he'll do it when he's darn good and ready??? Personally, I think it's the last question :P. He's done everything else on his own, sweet time.<br />
Any ideas on things to try will be appreciated ;). Thanks!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05793134154956578306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4218596943076347077.post-2432342009749083862012-12-06T05:14:00.002-08:002012-12-06T05:14:20.911-08:00Prep for Mason's 1st Birthday Party WOW! I can't believe Mason will be a year old tomorrow! Where did the time go?!?!?<br />
I am getting so excited (in spite of negative comments :P )! I have been slowly prepping for Mason's 1st birthday for about a month. Several months ago I decided it would be a Cookie Monster (gotta show the little blue monster a little love, Elmo is so overdone!....you watch he'll want that next year , lol!). I made the invitations for his party. I have made a shirt for him to wear at his party (picture to come later....after it's debut at his party ;). I have made some Cookie Monster decorations for his party. Today I am making cookie dough to be baked tomorrow. I will be making chili tomorrow and his cupcakes. I can't wait for Saturday night! It's going to be fun!<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05793134154956578306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4218596943076347077.post-11228244917479067472012-11-28T03:35:00.000-08:002012-11-28T03:35:10.074-08:00First Thanksgiving I can't believe that Thanksgiving has come and gone already! It was Mason's last 'first' major holiday :(....which mean his first birthday is just right around the corner. Where has this year gone???<br />
Mason spent his first Thanksgiving with me at my parents' house visiting with relatives (cousins Jo and Susan and their families, Aunt Anna and Uncle Chuck). Doug came to my parents' for part of the day too. Mason really seemed to enjoy his cousin Izzy. It was so nice for him to have a little buddy his age visiting.<br />
Mason played and played while waiting for Thanksgiving dinner. He stayed awake all day with all of the activity going on. It was like he was afraid he would miss something important.<br />
FINALLY! Turkey's done! DINNER!!!!! Mason is normally a good eater and this meal was no exception. I let him try a little of this and a little of that. The only thing he seemed unsure of was the cranberry sauce, BUT he ate that too ;). Like I said a good eater.<br />
Through out the meal he 'talked' to Izzy and everyone else. I would put something on his tray, and he would gobble it down. I would put some more on his tray and he gobbled that down too. I guess he was trying to live up to the bib I bought him that read, 'Gobble! Gobble! Till I Wobble!'. He seemed to enjoy his whole day! He really did well (especially with no naps, you couldn't even tell)!<br />
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This picture was taken after he and I split a homemade cupcake for dessert.</div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05793134154956578306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4218596943076347077.post-30466707370073670922012-11-26T14:14:00.000-08:002012-11-26T14:14:01.961-08:00The Day of Mason's Baptism YEAH! It's FINALLY here....the day of Mason's Baptism! We invited a bunch of family and friends to join us for this important event. We ended up with 20-22 people....I lost count (too many changes of plans, people getting sick, etc.), so overall a great turnout!<br />
Everyone was invited to the service where Mason was going to be Baptized. We had such a big crowd that I didn't even hold Mason until the main event. Marie started out holding Mason but he went to Pam after a while and she used her relaxing touch, and he fell asleep! First time he has slept more than 10 minutes in church...only my child would do that ;). He slept through the entire Baptism....Pam past him off to me, I passed him off to Pastor Robb, Pastor Robb passed him back to me, he slept through ALL of it! He didn't wake up until we went to the back of the church for a meet and greet after the service. Hey beats a screaming, crying munchkin any day! If he doesn't believe us, we have the video to prove it :) (Thanks Mike!). All in all, a great service!<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1jobZJIMxWo/ULPbPUMH7TI/AAAAAAAAEQs/7OwpIBNlip4/s1600/IMG_1307.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1jobZJIMxWo/ULPbPUMH7TI/AAAAAAAAEQs/7OwpIBNlip4/s320/IMG_1307.JPG" width="320" /></a>After the ceremony :).</div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05793134154956578306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4218596943076347077.post-61423111309013690162012-11-26T14:01:00.001-08:002012-11-26T14:01:44.826-08:00The story behind Mason's Baptism We have been interested in getting Mason baptized for months (more me than Doug, but he wanted to also), but we needed to find a church and a religion we felt comfortable raising him up in. So I did a TON of research. I decided that the Methodist church fit the closest with my beliefs. So I found a local church and attended a few Sundays with Mason. When I was confident I found the church I was looking for, Doug joined me. Doug liked it too. We have been attending this church for about 5 months and have even gone to a few social functions (Trunk or Treat was fun! :). Yes a church we both like (we may get this child baptized yet, lol!).<br />
So we met with the pastor and selected a day for Mason to be baptized. We selected the Sunday after Thanksgiving in hopes that more of my family could attend, but unfortunately horrible things like school and that awful place that keeps everyone's paycheck got in the way....work :(. Most of Doug's family was able to attend ;) (more on the actual day later).<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05793134154956578306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4218596943076347077.post-13313062917132335452012-11-16T13:31:00.001-08:002012-11-16T13:31:47.197-08:00Update- Mason's Milestones Mason has been seeing his OT (Miss Kelly) for about 2 months now. He has made some progress but has a long road ahead of him. In the beginning, Mason could not sit up at all, even when placed in a seat position (he would just fall backwards). While he still can't sit up on his own, he can now sit up for about 10 minutes when placed in a seated position :) (a lot of this depends on his attitude at the time, he seems to be quite content with lying down sometimes). Even though he still prefers lying down, there has been several hints that he is interested in learning to sit up (finally!). He will get frustrated when he can't reach something while lying down and only seems to be relieved when I sit him up ;). YEAH PROGRESS!<br />
His left hand is another story. He is starting to use it more but it is still severely lagging behind. Miss Kelly has ordered a splint that is supposed to help him use his left hand, but it has been repeatedly delayed thanks to freakin' Hurricane Sandy and her wake (the factory where it's was made was shut down for a while). I will write another update after he either sits up on his own or the splint has finally come in ;).Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05793134154956578306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4218596943076347077.post-73512909223244162062012-11-13T03:53:00.003-08:002012-11-13T03:53:52.404-08:00Cloth Diaper Update We have been using cloth diapers close to full-time (when we go out we use disposables and when grandmas babysit....other than that it is all cloth ;) for a couple of weeks. We are still gradually adding to our stash and recently made our first trip to a cloth diaper store. Oh the temptation! I was good though...only bought 1 CUTE Blueberry pocket diaper because they come highly recommended and a few cloth diaper accessories (some wipes and liners). I also love that this store ships to the US for free, just in case I can't get there again anytime soon ;).<br />
I have been using a variety of diapers with Mason. I plan to use his new Blueberry pocket diaper today and I have a Fuzzibunz coming to try. So far, my favorite brand hands down is the Flip diaper with either a Flip insert or a prefold diaper. I think it will continue to be my favorite because I just like the idea better than a pocket diaper....it's cheaper and much easier to use (no stuffing an insert or removing a wet/ dirty insert later). The Flip diaper with a long prefold folded over in front for extra protection is my go to night time choice for Mason. So far no leaks/ wicking with that ;).<br />
I have also discovered that the inserts that come with pocket diapers are worthless! They are crap! Keep in mind I haven't tried the Fuzzibunz or the Blueberry, so I am hoping to change my mind ;). What I have discovered that works the best with pocket diapers is a Flip insert (see why I LOVE my Flips ;).<br />
The pocket diapers we have tried are Bumgenius 4.0, Bumkins, a generic one from Amazon, and Mommy's Touch. The worst diaper by far is the Mommy's Touch. I tried HARD to like this diaper...it's just almost totally worthless. I tried it with it's insert....it bunched up and it leaked all over Mason. Then I tried a different insert in it....same problem. Then I tried a prefold, that was too bulky and kept sliding off of Mason. Then I tried a Flip insert with it, that worked better, but keeps me from using it in a Flip cover :(.<br />
So far as you can see I have made the transition very easily, I'm still working on getting Doug on board. He has had a few lessons and helped changed a few cloth diapers too ;). I think for now, on the rare occasion that I leave Doug with Mason, he will be in disposables.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05793134154956578306noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4218596943076347077.post-75953002692373311732012-11-09T03:52:00.002-08:002012-11-09T04:04:49.220-08:00First Halloween I had decided that dressing up a less than one-year-old and taking him trick or treating was silly. After all it's not like he would know what was going on and he certainly wasn't allowed to eat the candy, so why go. The only way I was gonna consider dressing him up was if we went to a party or to an event at church. As luck would have it our new church was hosting a Trunk or Treat. BINGO! PERFECT! So we went to meet new people, give out tons of candy, and to dress up Mason. Now the hard part....what would Mason be????<br />
Days later I was still trying to come up with an idea that was more original than making him a pumpkin or ghost AND wouldn't cost a bundle to make/ buy. Then I remembered a conversation his OT and I had had a few days earlier. She said there are 2 types of babies, ones that are motor driven and ones that are observers. She said Mason was definitely an observer and started calling him "baby Einstein". An idea was born! Mason would be 'baby Einstein'!<br />
I googled ideas on how to turn him into 'baby Einstein' for Halloween. I came across a picture of a baby with an iron-on on his onesie, E=mc2. EASY! First part of his costume was figured out. Then I wanted a way to temporarily dye his hair without him having to inhale harsh chemicals in a spray. My friend Bonnie helped with that. She said just put a little mousse and white make-up in his hair. Second part of his costume was figured out ;). What about a mustache???? After all how can you be Einstein without the wild hair AND a mustache???? The only problem was that I didn't want to glue or tape anything to his face. Enter Google again. I looked for more pictures of 'baby Einstein's. I found the perfect solution, attach it to his pacifier! Last piece of the puzzle was now in place. We were all set!<br />
So we went to church for the Trunk or Treat, passed out the candy, and met new people. So many people commented on how cute Mason was that night! He seemed to enjoy watching the children go from car to car. Who knows, maybe next year he can too ;)!<br />
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This photo is copyright of Kimberly Baggett. All rights reserved.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05793134154956578306noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4218596943076347077.post-89405875699964734792012-10-10T07:29:00.000-07:002012-10-10T07:29:06.479-07:00Update, 9-10 months Mason continues to be a great eater! He seems willing to try just about any food we put in front of him. He even recently tried Chinese food for the first time and loved it! He had already tried Mexican (I know big surprise considering how much I LOVE it).<br />
His newest thing is experimenting with his voice. He enjoys making a variety of sounds, including screaming and yelling. He has also added a few new sounds too such as 'da-da', 'ta-ta', etc. Doug was thrilled when he finally said 'da-da' since most babies say that first but not MY baby, MY baby said 'ma-ma' first (LOVE that).<br />
He is still behind in his motor skill development. He has started working with an OT (sorry habit, for those of you w/o a SPED background, that's an occupational therapist). She has been trying a lot of new exercises with him and he can now sit up for a few seconds and has done a very little bit of the 'Army crawl'/ scooting. He'll start off scooting and seems stop when he notices we are watching, LOL! How typical! Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05793134154956578306noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4218596943076347077.post-28749621900848324192012-10-10T07:17:00.001-07:002012-10-10T07:17:43.773-07:00A New Adventure Begins.......Cloth Diapers Even while pregnant I wanted to cloth diaper. There were several reasons I was interested in it. The first reason was the convenience of it. Imagine never running out of diapers (unless of course you forgot to do laundry, which is HIGHLY unlikely). The next reason was to create less trash to take to the dumpster on a weekly basis, which living in a 3rd floor apartment is definitely a plus. Another reason was the smell factor. Rather than letting stinky diapers fester in a diaper pail, poo and all until time to take out the trash, you just flush down the toilet the stinky stuff. Poof! Bye bye smell! I know what you are thinking, what about wet diapers? They don't smell nearly as bad as poopy diapers left for days. The last reason was the cost. Even the cheapest generic disposables are $.13-$.15 a diaper, not on sale and without using coupons. Let's face it, sales and coupons are nice, but not always realistic or convenient. Depending on how you choose to cloth diaper, it can cost as little as $.05- $.-06 WITH laundering per use.<br />
I chose to go with the Flip covers with inserts and prefolds. As I am typing this I have just begun using cloth diapers sporadically and plan to go full-time as soon as I get my stash built up. So far I have tried the Flip covers with just the inserts. Mason currently fits in the Flip cover on the medium setting. The first night we used them, I left them set on the medium setting with 1 insert. They leaked :(, but let me back up a bit. Mason must be a heavy wetter at night, because we have tried using generic and brand disposables at night. THEY ALL FREAKING LEAKED (even the so called 'nighttime' diapers :-/). I did some research and got tips and tricks for using Flip covers and inserts at night. I learned from my research that I should try 2 inserts and / or change the rise (increase the size) of the cover. The next time I tried cloth diapers at night I decided to try 2 inserts and change the cover to the large setting. SUCCESS! The wetness was contained by the diaper (imagine that ;). The next night came and I tried the 2 inserts/ increased rise again....success AGAIN! I now plan to use the cloth diapers every night! I can't wait until I finish building my stash (I also plan to add some AIOs too)! I think I will keep disposables for the diaper bag and possibly when grandma babysits, but other than that, we will be cloth diapering!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05793134154956578306noreply@blogger.com0