Spring has Sprung!

I've been neglecting the blog because we have been enjoying this early spring weather! All my child needs for entertainment is to be outside with a ball. We've been very busy and I'm trying to enjoy every minute while I still feel good. I know I will probably not want to get out in the heat very much in the next few months. Unfortunately, a little cold (or allergies, who knows) has been bothering all of us the past few weeks, so hopefully we will all be healthy soon.

Last weekend Chris and I enjoyed a 'babymoon' in St. Simons Island. We had plenty of rest, relaxation and delicious seafood, but not a lot of beach time because it rained quite a bit. I can't believe we got married on that beautiful island almost 10 years ago! We hadn't visited in years, so it was quite a treat to see the island again. We're already planning a family vacation there sometime in the future. Mason spent the weekend on the farm with Mimi & Dee. My outdoorsy child had a blast! There is plenty there to keep him busy. He even caught his first fish in the pond - I think with lots of help from grandpa Dee and daddy!! Here's a few pictures from the past month.

BUSTED!! I knew he was being too quiet one afternoon and caught him putting all of Shadow's food into her water bowl.
Still best buddies. Poor Shadow has no idea what she's got coming when there are 2 of them!
He loves to run around naked before bathtime. It's a struggle now to catch him and get him into the bath!
Loves brushing his teeth before bed.
And new obsession toy is the golf clubs. I'm sure his grandparents will get a kick out of this one.
More pictures in ours spring album on picasa - https://picasaweb.google.com/chenretty/MasonSpring2012#

28 Weeks!

As most of you know, this is a HUGE milestone for me! I was admitted to Northside with Mason at exactly 28 weeks when my water broke and I did not go home until he was born 4 weeks later. The specialist is watching me even more closely now (every 2 weeks) and there are still no signs for concern (whew). We pray that this continues! Here is a 3D ultrasound picture from my 28 week appointment. Baby is measuring over 2 weeks ahead (approx 3 lbs) and looks like we're going to have a big boy! Yes, it's a little creepy looking, but I think he looks a little like his big brother?

Mommy's little helper

Mason has always been a great little 'helper'. He loves to bring us items and help with little tasks around the house. Lately, this has become a bit of an obsession - specifically with cleaning up his toys. Chris and I both are admittedly a little OCD about keeping things neat and clean, so it appears he inherited that quality from us :-). This is one obsession that I don't mind too much, but we can't do anything (i.e. leave the house, go for nap or bath time) until all of his toys are neatly put away in their proper place. He knows EXACTLY where everything goes and will throw a fit if you take any short cuts or put something in the wrong place. His teacher's at school are getting a kick out of this new phase. They told me about a recent incident where he held up the class from going to lunch until the entire room was picked up. I really hope they don't think we're forcing our 20 month old to do chores at home! He really started all on his own! I hope this trend continues and he will be a big help with baby brother.

Here is a picture of Mason helping Nana sweep his new room. Hopefully we'll have some pictures of the 'big boy room' soon - the transition went well (although he's still in a crib).
And insisting on putting his books away before bath time. Look at that cute little tooshie :-)

24 Week Update

I realize I posted a lot more pregnancy updates with Mason. Obviously, we're a little busier the second time around and kind of know what to expect. Since this blog is going to be a baby book/family album for both of my boys, I want to post some updates for our newest addition. So far, this pregnancy has been very easy and everything looks good for a healthy, full-term delivery! Above is a profile pic of our sweet boy from our 24 week check-up last week. Here are a few of the 'common questions' I get these days. Pretty much the same ones from the blog during Mason's pregnancy (and I added a few).

• How're you feeling? I honestly feel great!! I am so blessed that I have had 2 very easy pregnancies. Well, up until I ended up in the hospital early with Mason. My only complaints are that I'm a little tired (which is getting better) and have to pee ALL THE TIME (much worse than with Mason). I hope I continue to feel as good as I have so far!
  
• Do you have any food cravings? Not for anything strange, but I have a very bad sweet tooth this time, which I did not with Mason.
  
• Do you have a name picked out? Oh boy, this is a tough one... we already had a 'short list' from Mason, which made it a little easier. Right now, Chris and I each have a favorite and neither one of us is willing to negotiate. Yet. Wish us luck. But I think we're going to keep it a secret until he's born, as we did with Mason
  
• Do you feel the baby move? I started feeling him pretty often a few weeks ago.
  
• Is the nursery ready yet? This one is easy because we are leaving the nursery EXACTLY the same! We're moving Mason downstairs to his 'big boy' room and we (i.e. Chris) has been working very hard getting it ready for him. He'll stay in a crib for now, but we are decorating it with his toddler bedding theme (Sports, of course for my ball obsessed child!). We're planning to go ahead and move him in a few weeks so he's settled long before baby brother arrives.
  
• Does Mason understand that he's going to be a big brother? I don't think so... he got very clingy with mommy about a month ago and his teacher's are convinced that it is because I'm pregnant. I'm not so sure.
• Is this one going to be early? We certainly hope not. I'm being monitored very closely and getting weekly progesterone shots. So far, there are no signs of an early delivery. I'm convinced this child will be at least a week late since we are so worried about him coming early :-)
  

I can't believe we've got just a little over 3 months to go! We can't wait to meet our second baby boy!

Obsessions

As Mason gets older, it's pretty funny to see the things he gets infatuated with. He's definitely all boy when it comes to toys and such. Here's a few current Mason obsessions.

Elmo! We can't get enough of this little guy all of a sudden. Thankfully, Mimi sent us some new Elmo DVDs because mommy and daddy were getting very tired of the one we owned.
Buddy Fruit. They claim this stuff is pure fruit, so at least it's healthy, right? Mason could eat 12 a day if I let him. We've had to move/hide the buddy fruit twice now. He's upset here because I wouldn't open it for him (I think he had already had 3).
Balls (all boy!)!! He loves to sit in his wagon with every single ball he owns (as pictured). Then, he throws them all out of the wagon and expects one of us to retrieve them.
The Park! He loves playing outside and especially loves the slide now. When we pass by the park and DON'T stop (which is almost any time we leave the house), he gets very upset.
Remote controls, cell phones, and pretty much any small electronic device. As I sit here typing, he has brought me my cell phone and 2 remotes. Again, all boy!

Toddler Dictionary

Mason's vocabulary has really taken off in the past few weeks and I thought I'd share a few words from the toddler dictionary. Sometimes it takes a little while before Chris and I pick up on what he is saying. They've also taught him lots of signs at school and he's very good at using them, but they don't always tell mom and dad what they mean. He still does lots of grunting, whining and pointing, which is frustrating for all of us, so we're really working on our words and signs.

Buh-bye, uh-oh and whoa are still favorites
Ball & Foo-ball- Yes, he knows the difference. And anything round is a 'ball'
El-MOE! He suddenly loves this little guy and recently started saying 'Elmo' vs. just 'Mo'
Mo - not to be confused with Elmo, this is either 'More' or 'Movie' (usually pointing at the TV for a movie). He also uses 'mo' to mean 'I want something else' becuase he will start saying it the second I put food in front of him if it's not what he wants.
Baht - Bath. His favorite time of the day. He usually starts requesting his 'baht' after dinner
Scoo - School
Nack - Snack. And when he starts asking, you better provide something quick!
Nana - banana (and of course, 'Nana' when she comes to visit :-)
Jewce & Mil - juice and milk
Ough - Outside. He's always asking to go outside to play, but the weather has been horrible lately!
Dat - Cat. who still wants nothing to do with him
Dah - Dog. who still won't leave him alone - especially since Mason usually shares his 'Nack'
Wal - walk. He no longers likes to be carried and wants to 'wal' everywhere
Shoooos - Shoes. He wants to put them on by himself so bad
Teef - Teeth. He has to brush his teeth BY HIMSELF, which means there isn't much brushing happening. Oh well, it's just baby teeth.
Nigh-Nigh - 'Night Night' and he usually blows kisses when we head to his room

A few videos

We're doing fine, but staying very busy as usual. Here are a few short videos of Mason taken over the past few months. He's very good with his animal sounds, pointing out his body parts, and as you can see, we probably watch a little too much football in our house. I gotta say, I'm kinda glad the season is over!