Chop chop - another milestone for Mason

Today Mason had another big milestone. My little hippie went to the salon and got his long curly blonde hair cut. He did excellent! He sat mostly still and smiled the entire time. Of course he charmed everyone there. Mommy did good too and didn't cry. I think I was so concerned with keeping him happy I didn't have time to think about his little baby hairs falling to the floor. I really hated cutting the curls off but he couldn't see and had a mullet in the back. I wasn't sure what kind of a cut to get so I just told them to cut it shorter than it was. Maybe next time we will get a new style.

Playing with the toys in the lwaiting area before going back to get the haircut

Meeting the lady who cut his hair

See how long his hair was!

First cut!

Happy boy!

Much better than the doctor!

Too cute!

Flirting with the other ladies that worked there

Dad and Grandma helped keep him entertained.

They had books! Mason was a happy camper.

All done!

Mommy's big boy

BBQ milestone

Today we had another major milestone in Mason's life. He, for the first time, ate BBQ. It doesn't seem like a big deal but for our little vegetarian it is. I usually have to hide meat in veggies or pasta. For example, ground beef in spaghetti or or tiny bits of chicken with veggies. He will eat fish sticks, popcorn shrimp, and chicken nuggets but not much more. So when he ate and asked for more pulled pork today at Mission BBQ I was thrilled to death. We did dip in ketchup  (I know the bbq gods are shaming me right now) but I did what I had to do! I kept telling him how proud I was of him. For a "prize" we let him go see the Mission BBQ truck. He loved it!

What does the truck say? Honk Honk!

Ducks at the park

Sunday, after his little meltdown when I took him out of the stroller and put him in his carseat, I made an impromptu stop on the way home and took Mason to a new park. I have only been to this park once. Mom, Doug, Auburn, and I walked over to it right before we went to the hospital to deliver Mason. I looked like I was about to pop and was as big as a house! We didn't walk around much but it was a nice, quite park. Not really sure why we haven't been back but I hope to go more now that Mason is older.

He loved looking at the ducks and, of course, the airplanes that flew over us. We walked around the little pond they have and went over to the playground area. Mason's face lit up when he saw it. That kid loves getting sweaty and dirty! They had two areas, one for younger and one for older kids. He was the youngest one and really wanted to play with the bigger kids but he sucked it up and played with Mommy. He did good and didn't fuss when it was time to go home. I think he worked up an appetite and was ready for snack time when we got home.

Sitting with mommy looking at the ducks

What's that? Duck. Dat dat (aka quack quack)

The ducks came over to say hello

Walking around the pond

Looking at the water flowing up under the bridge

Taking a juice break

His face when he saw the playground

Big boy on the playground

Look at those curls!

He ran back and forth, back and forth...

Our big boy is getting bigger

I have been putting it off. I kept saying I would do it next weekend then I never would. It wasn't that it was hard to do, it was just another major milestone I was not ready for. This one little action solidified that our little boy was no longer a baby but officially a toddler.

Today I turned Mason's carseat around to face forward.

I may or may not have shed a tear or two when I did it...

I am sure the neighbors got a show as my ass was up in the air for about half an hour while I tried to figure out where all the straps went. The sun was shining and it was humid so I kept all the car doors open so the breeze would keep me cool as I worked. Thankfully it wasn't too hard and the directions were fairly understandable.

After I was done and he woke up from his nap we ran to the store to test out my hard work. I had brought the stroller in to clean after a dusty day at Ren Fest. I put Mason in their to roll him out to the car. Poor thing thought we were going for a walk. He screamed when I took him out and put him in the car. I felt so bad. The kid loves being outside.

Once we got going it finally clicked with him that he was facing forward. He was giggling, jibbering, pointing at everything, and going "OHHH!" It was great. He loved being able to see me and see out all the windows. I think our trips to school and home everyday will be much more fun.

With all those happy things said, he looks so big sitting forward! My baby is growing too fast! Breaks this mommy's heart.

Ren Fest 2016

Last year Mason was still a baby when we went to Ren Fest. We didn't stay long and I don't really remember much from it. This year he was mobile and wanting to see everything. He rode, ran, slid, climbed, and eventually passed out. And he ate... a lot! He ate his snacks, our snacks, then his lunch, and our lunch. I guess all that playing made him hungry. His nap at the festival was a short one due to all the noise. We would have stayed longer if he napped longer and we weren't so tired from pushing his stroller around. But 10 am to 2 was long enough for us. He didn't go down for a second nap until 5. When he did, he slept hard. It took me about 15 minutes to wake him up. Since he had a late nap and Auburn had a night game he got to stay up late. Hopefully that means mommy gets to sleep in tomorrow morning.

Sippin milk in his chair

Every night before bed I ask Mason, "Do you want your milk?" When he is tired and ready to go to bed, he wants his milk. It's my little bedtime indicator. So if he wants it he will look at me, smile and giggle, then run into the kitchen with me to get his cup. I love how excited he gets over something as simple as a cup of milk.

Once I hand it to him I will tell him to go into the living room and drink his milk. Well, he has developed a preference for exactly how he does this. If I do not already have it set out, he will go over to where we keep his chair and reach for it while making his "I want that" noise. I will set it up against the front of the couch, facing the tv. I always pat the seat to create a spot for his behind, which he now does each time before he sits down. He will kick back and drink his bottle, straight chilling. When he is done I will ask him, "Are you ready to go to bed?" He will get up and toddle into the bedroom to start the bedtime routine. (I am so thankful to have a good sleeper and not one who fights it or screams when you say bed or nap.)

Of course, bath nights are a little different. Sometimes we do milk before bath and others we do after bath. But no matter what, he has to sit in his chair.

Sick baby

As I mentioned on Facebook, Mason got a little sick last Thursday night. It was the oddest thing. He was fine all evening, didn't have a fever, and sure wasn't acting like he didn't feel good. The only hint he gave me was his lack of appetite. He wouldn't eat dinner or any fruit. I gave him a bath, he drank his bottle before bed, and was fine when I put him down.

It wasn't 15 minutes later after he went to bed that he started crying. I did not have his video monitor pulled up so I couldn't see what was going on. Doug thought he was just being fussy and told me to let him cry it out. But my mommy intuition told me to go check.

I walked in and saw his pacifier on the floor so I figured that was why he was crying. I picked it up and went to give it to him, then I saw it.... everywhere! I called for Doug and told him to get the bed and I would get the kid.

After everything was cleaned and new sheets/clothes were in place, I layed my sleepy boy back down and went back into the living room. This time we pulled up the camera. A few minutes later, I heard an unusual yack/cough/yuck sound and then crying. So we went back in for cleanup round 2.

This time, I decided to keep him up so we didn't have to change the sheets again. I brought him into the living room with me and got him some water to hydrate. He started playing and running around like nothing was wrong.

Let's take a moment to note it is now going on 10 pm and we are on our 2nd load of throw up laundry...

Well, you guessed it. A few minutes later yack #3 happened. All over him, his clean clothes, and the carpet. At this point his bath was pointless. For some reason, toddler puke has the most wretched smell and it sticks to anything it touches. His room smelled god awful and now so did Mason and the living room carpet. So I got a rag and some soap and did a quick head to toe wipe down. And I opted for diaper only until we were done.

After Doug was finished cleaning the carpet, we went back into the living room. He threw up one more time but I was close by and able to catch it on a towel. (Laundry load #3) He finally got tired from his little puking rally around 10:30 and snuggled on the couch with me. He was so sweet. He fell asleep curled up next to me.

Thankfully he slept through the night and didn't ever get a fever. He went to daycare on Friday and was fine except for a very small appetite. Today was the first day he ate close to normal. I am guessing he ate something that didn't agree with him but I have no clue on what since he ate his typical stuff that day. I am sure the allergist will love to hear of this.