200

This is my 200th post ever! In 4 years 200 posts is pretty good, for a person that doesn't journal. I have always told Matt that this was my electronic journal. I feel like there should be a cake, but alas cake would not help shrink my hips back down.

My new word that I hate is: frustration. I am tired of being frustrated with myself and the lack of movement my body has made since I had Mace. When I think about the lack of weight loss I get so frustrated and upset then all I want to do is emotional eat. Which is not a good habit to get in to. My goal is to stop being frustrated and do something about it. I can't go back in the past and change how much weight I gained, and really I didn't do that bad but basically everything I lost prior to Mace I got back and it is stuck. So I am going to move everyday. I am already eating better and cut sugar out and eating more whole foods and healthier snacks. My goal is to do some exercise everyday, and housework doesn't count. That means some sort of workout dvd or outside and walk. That is my goal to get my butt moving to get it moving out of here! I will get back to how I was and will be even hotter because I am a mom and I am amazing! Time to get moving!

On a different note...

A couple of weeks ago Mace had his first professional photo session! He did really, really well. We were booked with an hour slot and we were done in 40 minutes because the guy already hit his max of pix to take. Mace did really well and we got some really great pix. Weirdly the favs among everyone are the ones including me. I did my hair and makeup just in case but I didn't think that they would turn out as good as they did. We did get some Christmas ones too, but I am going to save posting some of those until closer to Christmas and after the cards are sent out so you are surprised when you get it! So without further adieu...

~Grandma's Fav~

 ~Mason loves looking at Grandma's quilt!~

Pix Overload

I just spent some time updating my iPhoto app on my Mac. I have taken over 600 pix of my cute little kid since he was born. I love having so many pix of him available to look at. But I do have a lot of pix of the same thing trying to get that perfect pose. I don't want to delete any of them because they are so good, mind you I did delete photos that were blurred or didn't look right, so technically I have taken way more than 600 pix. At some point I will transfer them to another hard drive but Matt took them with him to Iraq so I will just have to wait until Matt gets home!

Things are going so well here. Mace is sleeping 8 hours solid at night and takes two 1 hour naps and one long 2.5 hour long nap during the day. And as you can see from the following pix he is a very happy boy, most of the time! Enjoy some random pix of my cute little kid. I will have more info on how Mace is doing later this week in his 4 month old post. Can you believe it, that he is going to be 4 months this week! He is just getting so big!

~Trying out his highchair for the first time! He loves it!~

~Cute little big feet~

~This one is for you Grandma!~

~Tummy Time, what movie am I watching, can you tell in the next few pix?~

Take 2

I really am not liking the time change thing this time around. Mason has his schedule and doesn't like it being messed with and what happens, the time changes messes with it. It has actually been a really long feeling day, since Mace woke up earlier than normal today and he has just been off all day. Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day and we will be able to regulate his schedule again. 

I love my little mini-Matt so much! He just thinks I am the most funny thing ever. He is laughing all the time, and his face just lights up when he is smiling and happy. Life has been so much better since his colic stopped and his other problem stopped 2 weeks ago. I am enjoying watching him grow, sadly grow out of his clothing, and also learn. He loves reading with me and looking at books and every night we get to listen to daddy's voice reading to him and he is so good at listening to him. I am also trying to get him used to eating at the dinner table in his high chair. No he is not eating solids, yet, and probably won't be for a couple of months. I am really wanting to wait as long as possible before I start him on solids so at 6 months or later but I do want him to be used to eating at the table with me and enjoy being in his high chair. Also, same with his crib. I want him to be used to sleeping in there on a regular basis. He took his long nap yesterday in the crib and I want him to get used to the crib so that I can get him out of my bed when he is 6 months old. I have attached the proof of Mace being in his crib and high chair.

Matt is no longer in Iraq, his unit has moved to Kuwait. Matt is safe there and not enjoying the heat and the sand which he says is worse than it was in Iraq. We get to skype almost everyday, and his connection is better in Kuwait so Matt can actually see Mace move instead of just getting frozen images on the screen. Mace loves to look right at daddy, but I think he likes playing with the computer more. My little technology based baby! Glad that we still have some old laptops for him to bang on when he gets older.

This week my goal is to continue with Zumba, but more than just 3 times a week! I am actually really liking the dvd's. It is a great cardio workout and it is fun! So wish me luck this is round 2 trying to get a regular workout schedule with Mace. My hips need to shrink back down and I am hoping all the shaking will help out with that. That's all for now, I have to go wake Mace up so that he will sleep tonight!

Halloween 2011

Halloween is done and over with. I love the holiday, but sitting in the cold for 1.5 hours handing out candy and then with a wiggly baby didn't quite make it any easier this year. We get so many little goblins that it is a steady stream of them for 2 hours straight so it is best just to try and brave the cold instead of having your doorbell rung a million times. I ran out of my 7 bags of candy by 7:30. Then Mace and I went out with another family to go and visit our neighbors. I had fun with my first trick or treating experience, I didn't get that much candy only like 6 pieces plus a full sized candy bar and hot chocolate from one of our amazing neighbors. I didn't want that much candy anyhew, cause who is gonna eat it, me, the momma, and it is going to go straight to my hips which still refuse to shrink. Still working on it though!

I didn't take Archer with us because Mace didn't want to go in the stroller, he wanted to be held. And who could blame him, I was his personal furnace. So we walked around the entire neighborhood, 1/2 mile, with me carrying a 16 lb baby. Good workout for me. I just wonder how I was able to walk while carrying him inside of me because I was pooped from carrying him last night. Poor Nan, who is 36 weeks pregnant, enjoyed the walk less than I did as her baby was doing acrobatics inside of her the entire time. We had fun and Mace did get a lot of attention from all the kids! It is amazing how much children love babies. Also some of the moms asked if he was a candy to give away because he was just so sweet. HAHA! So here are some pix from Halloween. We were ASU fans. Even Archer got in on the fun. I got to wear jeans and an ASU sweatshirt. This is the most dressed down Halloween in 4 years. I am already thinking about next years outfits!!!

8 months left

We are in the 8 month mark until Matt comes home. Yes, I know Obama announced the other day that all troops in Iraq will be home for the holidays, but don't count all your chickens yet. Few things, Matt, at that point, will have been deployed for still less than 6 months. I highly doubt that they will release him when not even half of his deployment is left. Next, there is still plenty of things that have to be done or need to be done in Afghanistan, and this is where I think Matt will be going to next, that they will just transfer Matt's deployment team straight to Afghanistan. Also, lets just say Matt does come home. He has a high chance of being re-deployed again any time because he did not complete a full year deployment, and the "re-deploy" would be for another full year. It doesn't matter that he had already done a 5.5 month deployment, they won't care, to them he hasn't done a year deployment. So we are hoping that he goes straight to Afghanistan so that when he comes home in July he will be home for a while.

If he does come home, that would be great. Don't get me wrong I would love for Matt to come home for Christmas or just thereafter. I want him to get to know his son and to really know he has a son because to him Mason still doesn't seem all that real in a way because he has barely spent time with Mace.  But I really don't think he will be coming home and I don't want to get my hopes up either. So to answer all of your questions, because I have been getting many questions, we don't know what is going on yet and these are the options. I will let everyone know when/if we hear anything. Thank you all for your kind thoughts and prayers and keep them coming.

3 months: Newborn No More...

Mason is now considered an Infant!!! It has been 3 months. It is amazing how fast time has gone by. Some days are very, very, oh so very long, and others it is already bed time and I don't know where the day had gone. I have decided that I will take a 4 month deployment anytime over this year crap! If Matt was only gone his 4 month deployment he would be coming home next month!!! I wish.

Mason is growing so very much . Every week it feels like more and more outfits no longer fit him. He loves to be tickled and he is giggling more and more everyday. He seems to like being naked the most because that is when he laughs the most. During diaper changing time and clothing changing time. Such a boy!

Mason loves watching TV and also my computer. He is drawn to the changing pictures and bright lights. It is hard to believe that he will be so computer savvy at such a young age when I was 14 before I really knew how to use the computer. I am going to start playing some old Disney cartoons for him to watch to get him to like Mickey so that he likes Mickey on our family trip.

I am so thankful for Mason being in my life and the blessing that he is to our family! I truly wish that Matt was here to see how much he has changed in life instead of just seeing him on skype. But I am so very thankful for Skype so that Matt can see Mace on a regular basis. Oh and Mace loves to look at his daddy on Skype and yesterday Mace tried to take over the computer to get at Matt. Very cute. Anyhew we are doing well. I start teaching horn this Friday and we shall see how well that goes. I am also going to start Zumba to work on getting back to how I was before our little blessing. Thank you all for your prayers and well wishes! Enjoy so super cute pix of Mace at 2.5-3 months.

~Mommy, that flash is too bright!~

 ~Argh!~

 ~Who is this monkey anywho?~

 ~Archer has finally started getting a little closer to Mace.~

A Little Break

Ahhhh! I have a little break from the chunky monkey! So I thought that I would blog a bit. Mace is doing really well. He is as I just said a chunky monkey and getting more and more chunky everyday.

He is super active and super fun to interact with except for when he is screaming. He has more of a schedule, but only at night. His days are still a little wonky and never the same. He likes to go to bed and be asleep by 8:30 or heaven help us. Wakes up around 4am for a middle of the night snack and is back asleep until 8am. Yes, I am very lucky and very happy that he does sleep. His day schedule is not normal, except for the evening tantrum he likes to do around 5pm. We have a night routine down now. Matt pre-recorded some stories for Mace on a recorder and we listen to Matt reading to him every night. Then we say our prayers and say good-night to Daddy's picture and off to bed. Mace sits still during the reading time and looks at the pictures in the book. It is very cute!

Mace is so much more animated and loves to smile and giggle now. He loves to look at Daddy's pictures on the wall behind the couch and does his best to find them where ever we are sitting downstairs. He loves to just look around and look at everything. He loves to watch Archer and his gaze will follow Archer as he walks around or away from Mace.

I am doing well. I get a great amount of sleep at night, as seen above. I have decided to take some long term time off from teaching piano. And will only continue to teach horn. It has been a difficult decision for me to make but my needs have changed with having Mason around. I am enjoying the time I spend with Mason.

Matt is doing well too. He is super busy. Just working and sleeping. That is what he does.  If you were planning on sending him a package please contact me ASAP as the post office there will be closing by the end of the month.

I have also added pictures of Mason around our house. I love seeing the cute pictures of him all the time all over my house. Here are the pictures of the new frames I hung and also some super cute pix of Mace.

~Mason's Room~

~Family Room~

~Play Time~