little behind on posting these!

We've had a busy couple of months, as I'm sure everyone else has with Christmas and everything that goes with it :) We had a great time with family and Sam is growing like a weed! He's doing something new every day! I'll try and post Christmas pictures soon - here's his 2 month and 3 month pictures for now.

Sam 2 months

Sam 3 months

The first rule of fight club....

Don't mess with us - we mean business!!

Kendra stopped by this evening...with her black eye and stitches - she fell and the sidewalk hit her face! This will be a Christmas we will never forget!

 

 

 

Woe is me! Woe is me....

I've really had better days. I went to the doctor today because my fingertip has been getting infected lately. It is the finger that I tried to cut off when I was 4. (see here for story). Anyway, in the 25 years that I have been missing said fingertip, I have never had any problems until I started changing diapers on a regular basis ;) It keeps getting infected, so I went to the doctor and he decided to dig around and really tick me off! It hurt SO bad, I would give birth 10 times over before doing that again. Well, maybe not - but it hurt all the same!

Here's what I'm dealing with now:



I'm not allowed to get it wet for a couple of days, and I'm on a round of antibiotics. If the doctor doesn't like how it's healing by next week - I will be sent to a hand specialist to get it looked at! Just my luck. And here's some irony for ya!

This is what I was dealing with over Christmas last year:





I had an unfortunate incident with the corner of a desk...which got infected, which put me on antibiotics that I apparently was allergic to, giving me a total body rash - yea....I'm one lucky girl!

Let's hope Sam doesn't get my "gracefulness"!

I'll be posting soon about our trip to Texas and our flight - I'll definitely be driving from here on out!

Hope everyone has a Merry Christmas! Be safe and watch out for desks and sewing machines....

Smiley Sam!

Sam has really been hamming it up for the camera today! Just had to share :)

 

Before and After...

Everyone loves a good before and after!! Here ya go! Happy Wednesday!

BEFORE


AFTER

All 8 of us! Kendra (far left) is expecting in May!

BEFORE


AFTER

Thanksgiving Madness!

Hi all! I hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving!

Well, Sam had his first trip to Texas for Thanksgiving and we had a great time. He slept the entire drive - what a good baby! We also figured out what has been making him fussy lately - the little booger is TEETHING! Can you believe it??? He's got one tooth already and it looks like two more trying to come through. He's just 10 weeks old - poor little guy! Here's some pics of Thanksgiving in Texas:

Texas Thanksgiving 2008

Jon's Christmas list just got a little bit longer. This past Sunday, all of his tools were stolen from our garage!!! Our devil cat Gasso must've run out of the garage before the door went down - triggering it to go back up. When he got home - all the tools were gone :( God was watching over us in a MAJOR way though! We never lock the door leading into our house from the garage - and in cold weather it sticks. I guess the thieves tried the door and thought it was locked....then tried to pry it open with a paint scraper, with no luck. Thank you Lord for watching over our house!!! It could've been much more devastating. Too bad they didn't take the cat....I'm sure she showed them where the good tools were!

Well, gotta go get ready to play some volleyball! Wish us Scrappers luck!

Sam is 2 months old!

Sam turned 2 months old yesterday!!! And, mean 'ol mommy took him to the doctor today for his checkup and shots. He got over the shots pretty quickly, but I'm still traumatized - it broke my heart that he was in pain! He got a perfect bill of health - except, as the pediatrician said - he does have "terminal cuteness"! We love our pediatrician and his nurse - and the office is adorable. Each room is painted in a different theme - we got the underwater room this time. Sam loved looking at all the fish on the wall.

Here are some pics of his doctor visit.

Sam 2 month checkup

This is a long one....

I absolutely love being a mom! It is definitely the best thing on earth to wake up each day and hang out with Sam. He brings so much joy to my life and I thank God every day for such a sweet little boy.

I can't believe he's almost 2 months old now! He's doing great - he's sleeping at night (knock on wood) and he's smiling, cooing, and occasionally lets out a giggle here and there - especially when mommy makes a fool of herself with her silly faces ;) We started putting him in his crib for the night last week and it didn't phase him one bit! I'm the one always checking on him at night :) Hey - he's been either in my belly or right by my side for the past year, give me a break! ha!

We've got big plans for the upcoming holidays. Sam and I are taking a trip to Texas for Thanksgiving next week. It's a 5 hour drive, so that should be interesting. Jon has to work on Black Friday, so he won't be able to join us. However, he is driving us half way and mom is picking us up from there. Since it's the first trip to Texas with Sam, I didn't want to make the drive by myself. It was hard enough taking Barkley as a pup for the first time - I got puked on twice and peed on once - all in the first half of the trip.

I booked a flight to Texas for Sam and I for Christmas. We're doing the family Christmas on the 20th (again, Jon can't make it because of work) - so I checked the flights and got a really good deal - for about the same price as it would cost to drive! Should again be interesting, flying with Sam....luckily, it's less than an hour flight.

Here's your weekly Sam fix!

Sam Week 8

Jon and Sam - fight for kisses

My friend Emily forwarded this in an email to me. I couldn't help but laugh, and share!



Plus - here are Sam's 7 week pictures (as well as the many faces of Sam)! Enjoy!

Sam Week 7

Our little citizen!!!

Waiting for the election results....

 

Happy 6 week birthday Sam!

Sam Week 6

And, as promised - here's the Halloween pics. It took me a few days to get him into all 4 costumes. Here he is as a hotdog, penguin, dinosaur, and pumpkin. What a good sport!

Sam Halloween 2008

And, random picture for the day....Jon likes to fatten up my Skinny Cows

Sam is 5 weeks and 6 days!

Sam's 5 week pictures

Sam Week 5

I'm a little late in posting this (like a week late!) - lots going on lately! Today was my first day back to work. I'm working part-time until the new year - and I can do it all from home too! I love my job!

One of Sam's future best friends was born last Wednesday - little Chaz. Congrats to both Ricky and Jackie. Jackie is such a trooper - after 15 hours of labor, she ended up having an emergency C-section! She looks great and has a beautiful son! Here are pics of the new family - Sam was so excited to meet one of his playmates!

Chaz

Tomorrow I plan to post Sam's Halloween pictures and his 6 week pics!

Tag! You're it!

Tag, you're it!

One of my good friends from high school tagged me! Jennifer - I totally forgot about "ringworm" Clayton until you reminded me....now I'll always remember him when I think about tag! (thanks a lot! ha!)

Anyway, I've been tagged and here are the rules:

1. Link to the person that tagged you
2. Post the rules on your blog
3. Share six non-important things/habits/quirks about yourself
4. Tag six random people at the end of your post by linking to their blogs
5. Let each random person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their website.
6. Let your tagger know when your entry is UP

Okay here are 6 quirks about myself that are non-important!

1. I'm missing the tip of my right index finger. Yep, and I always dread having to tell the story, because it is so uninteresting and just an odd way to lose a finger! My mom had an old-fashioned sewing machine similar to this:

The sewing machine would fold in and the work table would close over it to close it up. I was playing "bank" with the work table portion by closing the table over pieces of toilet paper (??? - why do kids do the things they do sometimes!) Anyway, the table fell onto my finger and had a broken hinge that sliced it off!! That's the story - I'm probably the only one in the world to lose a finger like that!

2. I got to be pregnant with 3 of my best friends (Kendra, Jackie, Keely), my cousin Amanda, a few other friends, and also my SISTER! Yes, Abby is pregnant and due June 2nd!!! We knew we were pregnant together for about 4 days....how fun! I am very excited to meet my neice/nephew - as well as Kendra's baby (due May 20th) and Jackie's (being induced Oct 29th - tomorrow!). Keely had her baby on August 8th and Amanda had her's on Oct 23rd. There must be something in the water!

3. I just realized it has taken me nearly two days to finish the above 2....ahh, the joys of having a newborn :)

4. I am a HUGE klutz. (see #1) And, in an attempt to google the word klutz for the spelling, I came across the Urban Dictionary definition...

klutz - A person who is never without a scrape or bruise. Always finds a way to trip, bump into things and people. And on occasion, they partially knock themselves out by walking into walls, doorways, and corners or cabinets and desks.

Why didn't I see that corner of the desk? I'm such a klutz! Where's the frozen corn?

Yep! That's me...

5. I made my very first pie from scratch while my mom was in town. Apple pie....and it was YUMMY!



6. I miss my earplugs. I've literally cried over my earplugs....no kidding. If it's not Sam that keeps me up at night, it's my husband's snoring! I've learned that if I keep the TV on, it helps drown out the snoring - but, sending him to the couch helps drown it out more!

Okay...instead of tagging 6 people, I'm tagging whoever reads this and wants to do one!

Silly Sam!

Sam was full of smiles this morning! I got one on camera and just had to share!

However, this is the look we most often get....the "you really don't know what you're doing" look. He's such a funny baby!

Sam is 4 weeks old!

I can't believe nearly a month has passed by already. It seems like it took forever for him to get here and now - the time is just flying by! He's a really great baby and we love him so much!

My mom is coming to visit on Thursday and we are very excited! Sam misses his Marma and can't wait to see her.

Here's some pics from this past week. Hope everyone is doing well!

Sam Week 4

Sam is 3 weeks old!

Well, Mr. Sam is now 3 weeks old. He's becoming more aware of his surroundings. We laugh because he always has this very serious, "do you really know what you're doing?!?!" look on his
face. I constantly tell him to bear with me, I'm learning :)

Jon and I had our 2nd anniversary this week also. Liz and Bernie were so kind to watch him while we went out for a bite to eat at this little italian restaurant close by. We had a good time and great food!!

Here are some pics from this past week.

Sam Week 3

Our little OU fan....

So, yesterday was OU/Texas, and since I don't have a choice in the matter - Sam is an OU fan! (however, I'm slowly becoming one myself...)

Sam wore his favorite OU onesie and watched the game yesterday. He was very upset that Texas won...

Can't ya tell????

Sam is 2 weeks old!

He's had a busy busy week of eating, sleeping, and pooping! I've heard a couple of "goos", which is a nice change from the regular "wahh!".

Jon's 30th birthday was Sunday, so we had his birthday dinner at Patty's house - she had a really awesome cake that I've been munching on all week :) Happy birthday hon - I love you!

Things are going well for us, as far as adjusting. Sam has been sleeping well at night - so there are NO complaints there!! (knock on wood) He had his very first bath this week, but there are no pictures to prove it. We had a little diapering issue that resulted in a immediate need for a bath - measily little wipes would not suffice!! ha!

It is amazing that in just a short couple of weeks, my life has been turned upside-down by this little guy. I love him so much!! "Patience" is a word that has been in my head all week, especially during those times where I've got pee in my hair, poop on my hand, and Sam screaming on the changing table. I believe that God gives mothers a few extra doses of patience once a baby is born :)

Here are some pics from this past week! (click the link below)

Sam Week 2

Sam's a week old!

I can't believe a week has passed by - and so quickly. He's had one busy week - with being born and all :) He's a great baby. We are so very blessed and can't get enough of this guy. He's stolen our hearts!

He had his first dr visit this past Friday. We love his pediatrician and their office is SO adorable. Marma (my mom) was quite impressed and so happy to come along for his first visit. We are SO thankful she stayed with us to help out and miss her already! I'm sure she'll be racking in those frequent flyer miles though...

Sam got to meet so many of the people who love him - and we want to thank every single one of you for all your thoughts and prayers!! We greatly appreciate them!

Sam's quite the squirt. Literally. We've been peed on a few times, as well as the pediatrician before circumcising him (that'll show him, huh!), and a couple of nursery nurses. Jon just told me he got squirted in the face! ha! What a little toot....

Here's some pics ("some" is an understatement) of his first week out in the real world.

Sam's First Week

Our little Jondice!

Just a quick note while Marma is holding Sam......

 

We brought Sam home today from the hospital and he definitely loves his new home!  His Grandpa, Marma, Aunt Abby, Uncle Reagan, Uncle Jay, and Aunt Courtney have really enjoyed holding Sam......and playing Rock Band.  Uncle Jay has such a "lovely" singing voice....ha!

 

Funny side note - before we left the hospital today, the nursery nurse commented on how he doesn't have a bit of jaundice - and how rare it is for a baby to not have even a little bit.  Jon and I couldn't help but laugh seeing as how he's our little Jondice....ha!

 

 

10 perfect little fingers and 10 perfect little toes....

Sam is here and he is perfect in every way! We can't stop looking at just how precious he is!

Samuel Alex Mason

Born on 9.23.08 at 8:14pm

8 lbs, 13 oz (thank you Lord for epidurals!)

20 1/4 inches long

The nurses all said he's got a head full of red hair. The jury's still out in my opinion. It looks more brown with a reddish tint to me!!! He's adorable nonetheless!

Here's a few pics. Jon and I are doing good - got a little sleep last night and I'm getting around well today....a little sore but that's what the pain meds are for, right!

Love to all!

Fast Times at Baby High

Hey all,
It is 5:30pm and still no baby. He's just hanging out in the womb. We're still waiting. We'll give details when he's here, hopefully in the next couple hours.

How does this thing work?

I'm going to be a daddy. It's a good time.

-jon

Blog Updates!

Hello all!

Ok - as you may notice - I changed the look of our blog! I finally figured out how to change the template - and make it work :)

I would also like you to know that my husband *may* be posting blogs here occasionally. Some of you may remember his "monthly" newsletters he'd send out by email a few years ago - and we're hoping he gets back into that!!! So - if you see him, be sure and bug him about it!

As far as Sam progress....as of last week, still dilated to a 3 and 90% effaced. I really prefer him to come on his own time - but I also prefer my doctor to be the one to deliver!!! So come rain or shine, we'll see our little guy on Tuesday, if not before then! He seems quite snuggly and comfortable where he is right now, so we'll see :)

Love to all!

Freebies Giveaway!

My friend Jennifer is having a free giveaway on her blog. She's giving away a monogrammed blanket, a myself belt, personalized snack square(lunch box) and a burp cloth of your choice. They are so cute! All you have to do is leave her a comment to enter.

Here's the link to the freebie post - Freebies Freebies Freebies.

Doing the happy dance!!!

I just got back from the doctor, and all looks well! She's going out of town on the 24th (my due date is the 25th!), so she offered to schedule an induction, and naturally I agreed!!! We will be meeting our little boy Sam on Tuesday, Sept 23rd!! (if he hasn't decided to come before then) We check in at 7:30am, and since I'm already dilated and progressing, she figures it should be a relatively timely labor. Let's hope!

We are VERY excited about the little guy - and can't wait to meet him!!!

We SHOULD never forget.....

Thank you to all the soldiers - past, present, and future - for fighting for our country.

Any day now!

So, last week I went for my regular dr appointment, and she checked me. I was dilated to 1 cm and 25% effaced. As of yesterday, I am officially 3 cm dilated, and 75% effaced!!! Of course, I have just as good of a chance to go past my due date as I do going into labor tomorrow! I'm just glad things seem to be progressing :) The doctor did say she would see me next week for my appointment, if she doesn't see me before then.....

I didn't realize just HOW big I've gotten until a couple of days ago when Kendra and I went to Chili's for lunch. I couldn't fit into the booth!!! Literally, I was stuck. Luckily, the other side of the booth was a bit bigger so Kendra and I switched and didn't have to ask for a table.....whew.

On a lighter note, Jon has decided to not go on his work conference this next week. I am SOOOOO VERY relieved! Especially after the dr visit yesterday afternoon. Sam very well could make his appearance any day now, and it would be horrible if Jon was away.

Our house is a disaster area. My nesting phase went into overdrive a couple of weeks ago - poor Jon. I decided that the kitchen cabinets were hideous (which they were!), and Sam could not come home to a house with ugly kitchen cabinets. So, Jon sweetly agreed to paint them :) Our kitchen has taken over the living room, dining room, and other parts of the house. We got the insides painted and the facing painted - so last night, we put everything back into the cabinets!! The doors and drawers still need to be painted, but we will do that at our own leisure. At least the difficult part is done. Now, I'm frantically praying that if Sam decides to come early, he'll at least wait until after the weekend (and avoid the 11th - 9/11) so that I can get the house in order!

That's it for now!!!

Nursery Progress!

We are 99.9% finished!!! Woohoo! Here's the progression:

Click on the link below for the pics! (This is much easier and faster than trying to post each individual picture. Let me know if this doesn't work.) We don't have any good before pictures, because I forgot to take them before we starting ripping everything out!!!

Nursery Progress

3 weeks and 4 days left......

I am SOOOOOOO ready!

Last weekend, my AWESOME friends Kendra and Jackie threw us our final shower. I had so much fun and we got lots of goodies! My friends are the best :)

Here's a few pictures:



Me, with the lovely hostesses - Kendra and Jackie!



Baby bellies! Jackie and I, with future best buds - Chaz and Sam

Click the below link to view the rest!

Candice's Baby Shower

Isn't pregnancy "swell"?!?!?!

October 2006 - on our honeymoon in Cozumel

August 2008 - 8 months pregnant and wondering if my feet/cankles will ever be the same again!!!

My Work Diaper Shower!

I have absolutely the best coworkers around! They threw us a diaper shower, and it was SO much fun! And, they are so creative! They had strung a clothesline with clothespins for diapers. Each of the guests were asked to write something entertaining on the diapers, to make diaper changing a little more fun! Here's some pics:















And, of course - since I'm a computer programmer nerd and my fellow coworkers are computer nerds as well (said with love of course!) - there were some very funny diapers that I got a kick out of!









I had a great time! When I got home, I counted all the diapers we received as well as wipes. We got a total of around 1100 diapers - and a little over 1700 wipes!!!