10 Months Old

OMG two posts in one week?! THAT'S RIGHT!!! I am on it this week ;-) I'm feeling sleepy so I'm going to attempt to make this a short one. Mase is finally back to his crazy self and I could not be happier! Thank you for all of your well wishes and prayers! Here's some cute pics of this little booger in his 10 month photo shoot:

As you can tell, he was not feeling cooperative tonight.

Weight/Length: Not sure why I put this because I have no clue. They weighed Mase a couple of weeks ago and he was 22 lbs 7 ounces so I'm assuming he's somewhere around there still.

Sleep: Still sleeps like a champ. He goes to bed around 8:15-8:30 pm every night and  will occasionally wake up anywhere from 5-6 am but after a bottle he will sleep until 9:00 or when I have to wake him up to leave in the mornings.

Feeding: Homeboy eats so.much.food. When I picked him up, I was told that he ate a hot dog, strawberries, peaches, 3 helpings of yogurt, half a chicken sandwich, and watermelon. Where he puts it?? I have no clue! He's also not a picky eater which I am very grateful for. His latest favorites are strawberries, rocks, bananas, peaches, dirt, sticks, anything on the floor, toys, and raisins.

These rocks are delicious.

Firsts this months: I am SOO excited for this one this month!! As some of you may know, Joshy and I can be a little competitive with each other. Having that said, it gives me immeasurable great pleasure to inform you that Mase said "Mamma" first!! I WIN!!! SUCK IT JOSH!!! I have proof:

This wasn't a very good one but I managed to get a little of it

I WINNN!!!! He loves me most ;-)

Some other firsts have been walking while holding your hands, crawling on stairs, attempting to climb out of the crib (already), eating rocks - they're more like boulders, saying "Mamma" (no Joshy, I just won't let this one go), and tons more that I cannot think of at the moment.

The dreaded stairs.

Developments: He's starting to understand words and tones now. My favorite thing he's done lately is something that wasn't supposed to be funny but it is...  As most of you know, I have been traveling like crazy lately. When Joshy and Mase picked me up from the airport this last trip from Texas we were riding in the car and Mase kept shaking his head back and forth. When I asked Josh what he was doing, Josh said, "it's been a rough weekend." Turns out, Mase was very mischievous while I was gone so Josh had to keep telling him "no, no, no, Mason" while shaking his head. Well, Mason picked up on it. So now, whenever we say no, Mason shakes his head like this:

I haven't been able to get a good video of this yet but you see him doing it in this one. Now, try keeping a straight face and stand your ground while he's doing this. It is so hard! 

M is also starting to be able to remember things and pick out things. For instance, he is obsessed with fans. He is constantly going into rooms and looking up to see if the fan is on. And my goodness, the light switch. If you let him turn it on and off you can see the wheels turning. Mind =  blown.

Like I previously mentioned, he will remember things. We've been working on clapping recently as well as giving high fives. He's got these pretty down pat but here's his latest of "how big is Mason":

SOOOO big! 

The big clap

Another thing he has started doing is opening and closing doors and cabinets. He will crawl into a room and shut the door then start screaming because he's trapped and it's dark. Well, genius, don't shut the door! Here's an example: 

We are almost to the walking point. Right now he can stand by himself but it's only when he's not meaning to. When he sees that he's standing on his own I think it scares him because he sits down really quickly LOL. I'm sure that he'll be walking in the next month?? Wishful thinking??

Likes: baths, eating, crawling, climbing, steps, anything that is dangerous, opening and closing doors/cabinets, talking, saying "Mamma" because I'm the favorite, walking with your hands, crawling, eating rocks, being outdoors, people watching, etc. He's such a happy kid that he's rarely ever sad/grumpy. 

Dislikes: Cuddling. Whenever I was pregnant Josh told me that he was glad I was having a child so that I would be able to cuddle with him and never bother Josh again. WELL HE LIED!! I would have the child that didn't want to cuddle. Every time I even attempt to force it Snotty McSnotterson wants to run away from me. Literally, he runs away. (SIGH) He also dislikes getting out of the bath. But his greatest dislike is being told, "no." He is the most stubborn child I have ever met. He gets it honest from his father. 

What I'm Thankful for: I know I say this every time but I am just so thankful for Josh. These past couple of months I have been so busy. He has stepped up so much and has never complained once about needing a break. I mean seriously, sometimes I ask for a break and it's not even 6:30. That man is a saint! I love you so much Joshy and couldn't do this without you! You are the BEST!!!

What I'm looking forward to: The next couple weekends at home. AND Mason's 1 year old photos that are going to be done by the AH-MAZING Stephanie Aldridge Photography. Seriously friends, she's legit. Check her out and book her ASAP!!! I can't wait to show y'all! 

Here's some more randomness to catch you up on our lives: 

Thursday night we had our first visit to Hooters. Mason kept trying to get fresh with the waitress. Get it together son! 

Up until this week, we have been using the Chicco 360 Hook On Travel HighChair. We loved this and it was so convenient for when we went places that didn't have highchairs. However, it was cloth which means it was not very suitable for everyday use. While I was in Texas, Josh went out and got us a brand new beautiful highchair! We originally did not want to purchase an expensive one but his reasoning was, "it converts into a booster and it's durable enough to last us through the next child." The next child?!?! VICTORY IS MINE AGAIN!!! He's slowly but surely coming around to another one! Didn't I say he was the greatest hubby in the world?!?!

 

On Friday night we had dinner with Aunt Hayley and Uncle Lee. Their dog-child Duncan came over and Mason was seriously in love. Duncan was SO good with Mason and I can't wait until we can get a puppy!!

Saturday night dinner at Zapatas.

On Sunday we attended Cousin Christie's baby shower. Craft was able to make it to the shower and they were both -by chance- wearing their matching outfits I got them for Easter! 

"Hey Craft, stop hogging all the mirror space."

We're still working on "gentle." But this pic cracks me up. Mason was using Craft's face as a stool to reach that mirror. And yes, I took the time to document it before removing the beast child LOL

The beautiful letters that Pop Pops made for Elizabeth Michelle Strickland! 

We had not even pulled out of the church parking lot before Mason was passed.out. He didn't even wake up when I got him out of his car seat. Bless him. 

Splashing in the pool with MiMi

This is a throwback of Celina's wedding photobooth. I had SO much fun with these girls and miss them already!

Mason and his bestie Jayda. Apparently, he smacked Jayda in the face too. But instead of hitting him back like she should have she gave him a big hug and a kiss. She is the SWEETEST!

Mase and Grannie (Dawn) made me an egg shell plant for Mother's Day. Isn't it the cutest?! I can't wait until she gets Mase's Mother's Day gift for her. He did such a great job tonight with it!

This was my birthday present from Mason that he made at Grannie's. Thank you Grannie, these are so special to me!

1) Isn't it the cutest rabbit?? 2) I'm pretty sure the beast-child is the next Big Foot. If baseball fails, we won't rule out skiing.

My Mother's Day gift - The Eyes are the cutest!

Mase even painted the back for me! Big boy!!

Try to watch this without smiling!

Alright friends. I am going to bed. I hope everyone has a fantastic Thursday and I will try to report back next week! Much love to you all and God Bless!

Easter, Texas & Seizures

Seizures?? Yep! We had a big one and by big I mean a full on 10 second one. At least it felt like it was 4832904832 seconds long! But before I get to that... I've been slacking again so I need to catch everyone up to speed. I'm going to fly through my other 885430954 pics before I get to the seizure part or else I will never remember it all. 

Before I knew it, Easter was upon us. I was so excited that the Baum Squad was able to come down and spend most of that week here in Charlotte. I had an event that I was trying to prepare for that week but was so excited when Lilly, Craft, Sarah and Danny came to visit me at work. I would pull lots of toys out for them to play with: 

That Thursday night was the season's first Thirsty Thursday. If you don't remember, this is how Joshy and I first met so -along with the $2.00 beverages - we are huge fans. It was also our second game at the stadium. Special thanks for everyone that let us use their tickets! We had so much fun!

Hunter, Derrick & Aunt Syd

This little girl was famous! She was on the big screen like 2348902384 times! 

On Saturday, I had a HUGE Easter Egg Mania event that I have been working my a$$ off for on. It was such a success and I was so glad that my entire family was here to support and celebrate with me: 

Now it's a party

Special thanks to all the fam for attending. Y'alls support means so much to me! After the event Grandma Debbie & Pop Pops took us all out for lunch -greatest gparents ever, right?! 

Later on that evening we enjoyed a laid back night of dyeing Easter Eggs: 

He was over the eggs pretty quickly so he decided to help Paw Paw eat some of his orange

This kid is too freaking cute! Craft, the supervisor!

After Egg dyeing it was bath time. Prepare for some serious cuteness! 

This pic is my fav. Lil's butt is so red! LOL

We turned in pretty early Saturday night in order to prepare for the big Easter Day. The Easter Bunny was a little too good to Mase this year. In his defense, nobody gave his wife a budget! WHOOPS! 

That next Thursday I was back in Texas for my bestie's wedding. That night was very relaxing while we prepared last minute things for the wedding that Saturday night. Friday night was filled with a wonderful mani & pedi then the rehearsal dinner. 

That night we thought it would be a good idea to take the groom out for one last hoorah. Let's just say Mamma had a little too much to drink and had a great date with the bar floor at one point. But at least I could laugh about it??? The poor guy in front of me was so nice in trying to help me up and I couldn't thank him for laughing so hard - whoops! This is why you don't let mothers drink!! 

Just for clarification... this is my hip. Not sure what I hit on the way down but SURPRISE!! It was loud and proud the next morning! 

And this would be my knee to which I am still sporting tonight, ha! 

Getting ready for the wedding 

Special congrats again to these lovebirds! The wedding was beautiful and I was so happy to celebrate with y'all and your awesome bridesmaid (and gmen) party!!! 

Since I flew in early Sunday afternoon, we were able to make it to Peyton's 3rd bday party at Monkey Joes. Here are a few pics of this: 

Mase absolutely LOVED banging on this stuff. He had such a blast watching the kids run around in there and chasing them around the place. 

Peyt & Uncle TJ

Thanks again Aunt Kim Kim & Uncle TJ for having us. We had SO much fun!!

Okay friends.. what y'all have really been waiting for. Sunday evening we noticed that Mason was feeling a little warm and we figured he was coming down with something. Awesome. Which means he spread all of those great germs to the other nice children at the party. Just our luck! Little did we know what he had in store for us the next couple of days...

Monday morning I was getting ready for work and started to wake Mason up when he felt abnormally warm. When I took his temp it was only 98.5 so I kept on getting ready. He was also really clingy that morning which is not like him. I mean, he never likes to be held or cuddled and that's all he wanted to do. About 30 minutes later I was changing his diaper when he started seizing. Legit like eyes rolling back in the head-uncontrollable-moving-seizure. WHAT?!?! He did this for about 10 seconds or at least that's what I think it was because I was just trying to keep it together at this point. I called the doctor's office and they asked me to take his temp again. It was now 102.5. So in 30 minutes his temp had risen 4 degrees. Mason also seemed really tired. So tired that he couldn't stay awake even though he had just woken up after 12 hours of sleeping. He also only wanted to be held and kept putting his head on my chest. For those of you that know my child, this is not like him at all. He is a mover and not a cuddler (much to my disappointment). I knew something was wrong. So the nurse made me an appointment at 10:15 am. 

At this point Mason is just laying there. He isn't moving and it is a fight to for him to stay awake. By the time I checked us in and sat down in the waiting room he was so exhausted he went back to sleep. When the nurse called us back and we got in his room he went back to sleep for another round. When they took his temp this time it was 104.2. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! The doc came in to check him out and told me that he had a febrile seizure which isn't unusual in infants with fevers. I wasn't really worried about this because Lilly had this happen once and my mother suffered from these when she was little as well. Don't get me wrong, it freaked me out BUT I know it was due to his rising temp. I was more concerned with my child that was so not-my-child it was scary. He was seriously a different person and the doctor was just not getting it. My kid is not a wimp. He has had colds and allergies. He has had dislocated arms and fallen on his head more times than I can count. We do not overreact. Things happen and we get it. But this... this was not my child and nobody was taking this seriously. 

He literally was like this the entire day

The doctor summed up his rising temp due to a virus and that we needed to rotate Infant Tylenol and Infant Motrin every 3 hours. At this point, I was starting to get concerned with his behavior and kept trying to tell her that it was not a virus. He has had one before and he never acted like this. How come they never believe you when you try to explain this?? However, I kept it together and trusted the doctor. I did ask her at what point should we be concerned with his temperature? Turns out that temperature doesn't really matter anymore. I never got a true answer about how high is too high but apparently 104 is not "too high." So off we go back home. Mase was so pitiful. He would play for about 10 minutes then he would just crash on you for the next several hours. He slept most of Monday and then Monday night. And guess what?? The fever never broke. 

Tuesday morning he woke up with a temp of 102. But the doc told us not to call back unless he still had a fever on Thursday so I loaded him up in the car and took him to Ms. Dawn's. The poor little guy was so miserable all day. He would continue to play for a little bit then he would lay his head on your chest. At around 4:15 pm I got a phone call from Ms. Dawn saying that his temp was now at 105.2 and that she thought we needed to take him. 105???? We relayed to the nurse that Dawn had already given him a cool bath and the fever would still not come down. He had also been taking Tylenol every 3 hours of that day. Finally, the nurse told us to take him to the Pediatric Urgent Care at Blakeney. 

At this point, I am about to lose it. The only thing keeping me sane at this point was the fact that I had to get to the urgent care before I could go bat$hit on someone. If I heard virus one more time there was going to be violence. This was not my child and it was time for someone to listen to him. The doc came in and once again told us that he wasn't concerned at how high his temp was but that his temp was still  this high after giving him Tylenol every 3 hours all day. It was like the fever was laughing at us. He started looking in his ear and what did he find??? He had a left ear infection. Finally, an answer!! The doc said that even though they checked his ear a little over 24 hours ago it still could have taken this long to pop up. He said they can come up very quickly yet not be seen for a little while. So he gave us a strong dosage of meds and told us to keep alternating between Tylenol/Motrin every 3 hours. 

The very next day our Doodle boy was quickly becoming himself again and refused to cuddle with me. Here is our little guy that Wednesday afternoon: 

We are so glad you are feeling better, Mase! You gave us such a scare!!

Here are some other things that have been happening over the past couple of weeks:

After being sick for 2 days, he was off-schedule with his pooping. Needless to say that when he did poop... it was everywhere!! Sorry, Ms. Dawn!! 

His new favorite thing is throwing his pacifier. Then he decides that he wants it (sigh).

This video is my favorite. Come on, who doesn't think kids falling is hilarious?!?!

Alright friends, rehashing this traumatic event has made me hungry and tired. I will be back later on this week with a 10 month update. YAYYY!! Happy Monday night/Cinco de Mayo!!!