One month and Two month updates

Mason is going on 2.5 months now, but since I'm a blog slacker, I'm just now getting to post some updates on our little guy.  He is growing like crazy, and amazes Mommy and Daddy each day with everything he does.  Here are some facts of our sweet boy:

Stats:

7-12-11 (2 days shy of 3 weeks old, but considered his "one month check-up"

     *Weight: 9 lbs. 15 oz. - 71 %

     *Height:  22 in. - 82%

     *Head cir:  37.5 cm. - 48%

8-19-11 (2 month check-up)

     *Weight:  13 lbs. 2 oz. - 88%

     *Height:  23.5 in. - 77 %

     *Head cir:  39 cm. - 32%

Some reflections from his first 2 months of life  (long list, but really just for me so I can look back and remember):

• He is just the cutest and sweetest baby 
• He is a snuggle bunny...LOVES to snuggle
• Loves being held
• Looks just like Billy.  I think ONE person has said he looks like me, and they were probably just trying to be nice.  I bet as he gets older, we'll notice more things he got from me.  :)
• Has the cutest stretches ever...stretches all the time
• Used to love being in the car, but lately he is not having it.  Makes for some LONG car rides
• Has only been on walks outside a handful of times because of the heat :-(
• Moved to size 1 diapers around 2-3 weeks old...just moved to size 2 diapers around 10 weeks
• Can still fit in size 0-3 month clothing, but starting to wear 3-6.
• Loves being swaddled at night and during naps...Mommy is starting to worry about weaning him off it
• Men are the best swaddlers.  It's just not my thing.  Thank you to whoever invented the Miracle blanket.  It is my way of cheating.
• Mason loves his play gym.  He can lay and stare and move his legs for hours.  Well, not hours, but you get it.
• Focuses well on faces now, and really enjoying tracking things with his eyes
• Has always had awesome head control - really liked sitting in the Bumbo, even though our pediatrician told us to hold off on it this early
• Smiled for the first time at 6 weeks
• Laughed for the first time at 10 weeks
• Rolled over from tummy to back at 10 weeks 
• Loves Father and SONday with his Daddy
• Lola is great with Mason; although her obsession with his pacifiers as of late and laying in his play gym are showing her jealous side
• Gunner really could care less
• Mason loves looking at windows.
• Didn't care for his sponge baths in the beginning, but LOVES bath time in the tub
• At 11 weeks, he is starting to reach out and feel soft textures.  He started petting our soft giraffe pillow, and starting grabbing at this other pillow
• Smiles the most on the changing table
• Talks the most in his bouncer
• Loves to move his legs
• Really starting to like the Baby Bjorn, but mostly when he's facing outward so he can see the world!

Feeding and sleep:

Mason has always loved his nighttime sleep.  He is a sleeping champ.  It was always harder on his mom and dad during middle of the night feedings because he'd rather be sleeping.  At 2 weeks, our pediatrician cleared him to sleep a 6 hour stretch.  At 5.5 weeks, he started sleeping through the night anywhere from 8-10 hours.  Now he sleeps from about 9:30-10 to 8am.  We know it could change at any moment, but we are very blessed he has been sleeping for 10 hours at 2 months old.  We are already trying out a nap schedule.  2 naps (from 1-2 hours each morning and afternoon) and 2 catnaps later in the day.  He is down to 5 feedings a day, every 3-4 hours, exclusively breastmilk.  Billy will feed him a few times a week...it's one of his favorite father/son bonding moments.

Here are some more pictures of sweet M.

 First bath...an oldie but never got posted

 First bath...he looks so little!!

 J's 3rd birthday party

 Mason's first ever playdate with Arella.  He slept the whole time.  :)

 One month old pic

 Playdate with Kellan Provada

 Mike and Billy with their sons

 Mason loves when his daddy plays music for him!

 At one time, we were all pregnant together.  Actually today, Andrea had her baby, Hudson!!  Amanda is due in November.

 Hook 'em!!

 Check out my cheeks!

 

 Smilin' in my Bumbo

 TWO month old pic

 Cousins

 Ok Mom...would you stop taking my picture already??!!

LOVE

 Handsome little boy!

 My loves...

Getting caught up...

in pictures...Birth to 1 month

  

  

I love this picture because this was my favorite face that Mason made each time right after he ate...he'd close his eyes, raise his eyebrows, stick out his bottom lip, and shake his head back and forth.  Love it!

 

 

We love our family!

Mimi

RaRa

  

Grandma Kitty

Grandpa Rich

Uncle Blake

Aunt Sarah

 

Evan

Julia

Bierhalter/Boatman men

 

 

It's nap time, so......

I blog. Well, actually, I did the dishwasher, cleaned up the nursery, put a load in the washer, and now....I blog. I am the world's worst blogger. Actually, I think the world's worst blogger is the one who doesn't even have a blog. So, I come in second. My baby is now one day shy of 10 weeks old, and I haven't even made a blog post about him! I have decided blogging is not my thing, but I will make every attempt to post updates and facts about my sweet baby so I can look back and gush over all the memories.

I'm going to back it up to right before delivery (since my last post I was 35 weeks pregnant). I'll TRY to make this short and sweet. My due date was June 19th. I was set to be induced on Thursday, 4 days after my due date. My doc swept my membranes on Tuesday (I was only 1 cm dilated and 75% effaced), and my mom made me some "speed up your labor" cookies (courtesy of Anna Ziegler), and lo and behold I started having contractions the next day. They started out about every 6-12 minutes. By 3:30 pm (this was Wednesday, the 22nd), they were a little stronger and happening every 5-9 minutes apart. I called a nurse from my OB's office, and she told me to go ahead and go to Labor and Delivery. Well, I couldn't go to the hospital looking the way I did, so I took a shower and dried my hair. I felt a contraction coming on, so I went to my trusty little cell phone app to time it, and as soon as I sat on my bed to wait it out, my WATER BROKE!!!! Sweet, this was it. Time to go to the hospital. BUT, I still couldn't go to the hospital looking the way I did, so yes...I straightened my hair, did my makeup, all with a towel between my legs. :) I should mention that at this time Billy was running around like a mad man trying to get things together, bags packed, everything turned off in the house, the cat fed. We had both planned to be at the hospital by 5:30 the next morning to be induced, so we were prepared, but not THAT prepared. So 6:00 pm...time to go to the hospital. By 6:30, I was in a triage room. They confirmed my water had broke and checked me - I was 3 or 4 cm dilated. In my room by 7, epidural by 8, dilated to 10 cm by midnight. My wishful thinking was that I dilated to 10 cm so fast...the next part (pushing) should be a breeze. Not quite. I pushed for 3 hours. My epidural wore off halfway through. My over 8 lb baby was turned slightly, so they needed to use the vacuum device to help turn him to the correct position. The first vacuum broke while trying to attach it, so they had to try again. In my mind, it took about 30 minutes to pull our baby out once he was past the birth canal. But according to Billy, it happened quickly. To say childbirth is painful is a complete understatement. Although I would get an epidural again and again, unfortunately for this time, it didn't work, and I felt everything. There were definitely moments when I screamed at the doc and nurses I couldn't do it anymore...take me in for a c-section. But I'm so glad they had faith in me that I could get through this. And to see and hold my precious newborn for the first time was worth every single inch of pain I went through. And as everyone knows by now...IT'S A BOY!!!!

Post epidural...Heavenly, while it lasted. ;)

Last family pic while it was just the 2 of us.

Introducing...Mason Benjamin Boatman
Born: June 23, 2011
2:48 am
8 lbs. 6 oz.
22 in.





First family pic of the 3 of us!

Evan and Julia were very excited to meet their new cousin Mason.

L.O.V.E.

Coming home

First trip to the pediatrician!
8 lbs. 1 oz.

By two weeks, Mason weighed 9lbs. 7 oz. - he gained all of his birth weight and then some!

I have MANY more blog posts that I need to catch up on. Hopefully this trend will continue, and I'll actually get it done! If not, just know that I'm busy loving on my little man. :)