3 Months of Mason

The 14th marked Mason's 3 month birthday! I can't believe how fast time has gone. I've already been back at work for a week now (sniff, sniff). MJ is such a perfect baby. His acid reflux has been under control for a few weeks now and he is a happy little guy. He is smiling and cooing all the time now. Mason melts my heart at least fifty times a day.

Mason is a pretty good sleeper. He usually averages 10 hours at night and sleeps the whole night through (he has stopped waking up for that 3:00 AM feeding). It is rare for him to wake up (thank goodness). He is not as consistent during the day and his nap schedule varies. He takes 5-6 ounces of formula at every feeding. We recently tried cereal and he did great (although it was a very slow process). My chunker is getting big and weighs almost 14 pounds! He has moved into 3 month size clothes. Newborn size does not fit him anymore. He is still in a size 1 diaper.

We try to get tummy time in every day. Of course he is not a huge fan. He loves spending time under his activity gym and has recently started grabbing at the hanging animals. He makes good eye contact and follows movement and voice across the room. Big sister Leah loves her little brother to pieces. She wants to be by him all of the time. She is great at getting him to smile and talk. She loves being a helper. Mason has brought so much happiness to our family and we enjoy watching him grow!

Happy 3 months MJ!!

Mason at 3 months and Leah at 3 months

Durbin's Pumpkin Party

Last week we went and checked out a new(er) restaurant/bar in Plainfield called Durbin's. It was pretty good. They had a big menu and were kid friendly. They also have a nice indoor/outdoor beer garden that would be nice to check out if it was just me and Rob or with friends. While we were there they handed out flyers advertising their First Annual Pumpkin Painting Party for kids on October 13th. They were going to have pumpkin painting, games, face painter, balloon maker, magician and more. It sounded like fun so we decided we were going to pencil it in our calendar and take the kids.

This morning when we woke up, it looked like it was going to be a cruddy day. Sure enough the rain started around 10:00. We weren't sure if the festivities at Durbin's were going to be inside or outside, but we decided we were still going to check it out anyways. We were planning to have lunch there anyways. We invited my dad to come along. My dad came over around noon and we were on our way. Luckily once we pulled up, we could see everything was going to be inside. The bad news was that it was completely unorganized. It was their first year doing it, so I will give them some credit. They didn't have anyone providing direction on what we should do so it was a little chaotic. There were lots of kids there. Overall, Leah had fun. She decorated a pumpkin and had a balloon hat made. We had pizza for lunch (which was really good). Mason slept almost the whole time. It was nice to go do something Halloween-ish!

Mama went back to Work

My gig as a stay-at-home mom has come to an end! Today was my first day back at work. What a day! Mason has been sleeping amazing, but this morning he decided it was time to get up at 4:15 AM. I fed him a bottle and by the time he was finished, it didn't leave me enough time to go back to sleep. Mason went right back to bed though (which was good). I laid in bed and watched TV for a little while before getting in the shower. While I was doing my makeup Leah woke up crying at 5:45 AM. This is way early for her. She came in my bed and watched Mickey Mouse Club House. At least she was in a good mood. I got MJ up and dressed at 6:30 AM. I gave him a quick bottle and we were out the door before 7:00 AM. I did snap a quick picture of Mason on his first (full) day of daycare!

Drop off went okay - there were no tears! (I remember with Leah the tears wouldn't stop flowing the whole way to work). Of course I was sad but it was a little easier this go around. I know he is in good hands! Big sister Leah also is there to keep an eye on him. I stayed for a few minutes and then was on my way to work. Today was Columbus Day so traffic was great! I was able to get to work by 7:45 AM. It felt so weird being back at work and walking in the doors! I did have 'welcome back' signs all over my desk which made me feel better.

I know my team is glad to have me back. I had so many meetings and was just so busy! I barely had time to think! I did check email during my entire maternity leave, but there is just so much catching up and work to be done. I did call daycare a few times to see how Mason was doing and thankfully he was doing great. I did get a text with a picture of my sweet boy.

Lunch was the highlight of my day. I ate with a few of my coworkers and my boss. I didn't leave work until almost 5:30 PM. What a long day. Being back at work is definitely going to be an adjustment. At times I wish I could stay home with them all the time. I know they say the grass isn't always greener on the other side but I missed my babies SO much!! I got home around 6:00 and my sweet husband had a nice turkey sandwich waiting for me on the table. Yep - I had a nice cold beer with it too. It was just one of those days! I spent a few hours (2 to be exact) with Leah and Mason and before I knew it, it was time to put them to bed. And, I get to do it all over tomorrow! I sure hope this gets easier!

Pumpkin Farm with the Family

For the past couple of years, we've been going to Bengston's Pumpkin Patch. It has become a family tradition, but this year we had a new addition - MJ! It was pretty chilly outside, but we decided to bundle the kids up and head there anyways. But before we left the house, I was sure to get a few pictures of Leah and MJ in their Halloween shirts.

We got to Bengston's around 11:00 and it was pretty empty - which we were surprised. Last year it was packed (but it was also 30 degrees warmer)! We still had fun!

Leah picking out a gourd and weighing it

Leah playing in a pit of corn

Leah is at a perfect age for her to enjoy the pumpkin farm. She was able to go on all of the rides (honey pots, frog hopper and train). She went down the big slide with her dad (and screamed the whole way down). We went into the petting zoo and Leah fed all of the animals.

She soaked in as much as she could and had a ton of fun! I can't wait for Mason to be a little bit older so he can keep up with his big sister. For now, he had to watch from the sidelines. We also did our annual Held family picture.

Now we have one fall activity checked off our list! Next up, our annual kids Halloween party!

Arizona - Our First Family Trip

Rob has been traveling quite a bit for work lately. When he told me he had another business trip (to Scottsdale) coming up, I was a little bummed because he would be gone again! He then suggested we all tag along and join him on the trip. At first I wasn't sure because it sounded like a lot of work to travel with a two and a half year old and a two month old. (We've never flown with Leah either). After further discussion we decided to go for it! Arizona or bust!! Oh boy - what have we gotten ourselves into?

Holy packing! Who knew we needed to bring so much STUFF for a 5 day trip! Stroller, car seat, diapers, bottles, formula, clothes, bath stuff, swim suits and the list goes on! We decided to bring Mason's carseat since that is where he sleeps, but for Leah we opted to rent one from the car rental place to make it easier. We had enough 'stuff' as it was. Also, as much as I wanted to bring our big camera, we just didn't have the room. My iPhone was going to have to suffice to capture our memories.

We had an 8:30 am flight on Wednesday so we needed to leave the house at 6:00 am. Have you ever tried getting out of the house before sunrise with 2 kids? Chaos, but we did it! I was SO nervous about our flight and how Leah and Mason would do (since it was a three and a half hour flight). We checked the stroller and carseat at the gate and boarded the plane. I'm sure the people around us were not thrilled when we sat down! I know I used to dread sitting by kids/babies on flights. I am so happy to say both kids were amazing! No meltdowns and no crying...at all! Leah entertained herself with the iPad and coloring books and MJ was a mellow little dude! He ate and slept. We did have an incident that he completely leaked through his diaper (like completely soaked). Not sure where all that pee came from! Luckily I had a change of clothes for him! I had to change him on the changing table in the tiny little airplane bathroom. The flight attendants were cute and gave Leah and Mason their first set of 'wings' and a certificate acknowledging their first flight (and all of the flight attendants signed it).

Mason got his wings!

Leah keeping herself occupied

Leah and Mason's Certificate

Me and Rob on the flight

Once we landed, we were ready to get off the plane! At the Phoenix airport you have to take a shuttle to the car rental facility. What a pain in the butt! We had to drag all of our luggage, the stroller/carseat, our carry-ons and the kids on a bus that took us on a two mile ride. Did I mention it was 100 degrees outside? At this point Mason decided to have his first meltdown. The kid was hot and hungry and wanted to let everyone know. Enterprise (the car rental place) was short on cars and they didn't have the initial car we had reserved. They upgraded us to a fully loaded Lincoln MKX. I could get used to driving that! After getting situated with the car, we were on our way.

Our Ride!

Hot...Hot...Hot

This was a business trip for Rob so he needed to go into the office right away. Boo! (His work has an office in Scottsdale). We dropped him off and came to the hotel around noon (even though check-in wasn't until 4:00 pm) and our room wasn't ready. They said to come back in an hour or so. I was on my own with the two kids so we went to Target. I picked up some stuff for our room (snacks, water, juice boxes, etc.). By the time we finished up at Target and drove back to the hotel, our room was ready. I spent some time unpacking and getting situated. Our room was poolside which was great! We hung out for awhile and grabbed dinner at the resort. I didn't feel like venturing out by myself with 2 kids. Leah seemed to be excited that we were in Arizona. She said 'HI' to every single person we saw...hotel staff, business men, tourists, valet guys...everyone. It was kind of cute though because it seemed to brighten everyone's day. She did this throughout our entire trip. Rob ended up working until 8:00 pm on that first day. The whole time change (2 hours behind) really screwed us up! Mason was sleeping by 6:45 pm. Mason slept great the entire trip! He slept between 9 and 10 hours every night, but due to the time change, he was up at 4:45 am. He did take a bottle and go back to bed.

Rob had to work a full day on Thursday but he was able to meet us for lunch. When he got done for the day, we took the kids to the pool. They loved it and had so much fun.

Rob received a ton of recommendations for places to eat so for dinner that night we went to Blanco Tacos and Tequila. It was ah-may-zing!!! So good! Even though we were finished with dinner by 8:00 pm, everyone was ready for bed (with the time change). Rob had to work Friday too, but luckily he was wrapped up by 1:00 pm. He was done! So now we could enjoy the rest of the trip as a family! We again took the kids to the pool and swam around. We went and had dinner around 6:00 at another Mexican restaurant called TeePee (that was a recommendation). It was pretty good - not as good as our meal the night before.

Saturday was our first day that we had the entire day to ourselves and could do whatever we wanted! If we had planned better, we would have gotten tickets to the Cubs/Diamondbacks game (but we didn't know the Cubs were in town). We decided to go to a Ghost Town! It was about a 30 minute drive but it was SO fun! I didn't think I'd like it, but I did. There were lots of horses and cowboys! There were little shops, a jail, a church and lots of other things. Here are some pictures! They also had an old saloon where we had lunch.

After lunch we took a drive through the mountains and both kids fell asleep. The scenery in Arizona is amazing, but I don't think I could handle the heat!

Mason having fun in the mountains

After taking in all of the views, we headed back towards Scottsdale and stopped at the 'Old Town' area where they had lots of shops, restaurants and bars. I love that everywhere has happy hour. I wish we had it in Illinois! We stopped at another Mexican restaurant and had half price margaritas and guacamole. It was such a cute area.

After we left we needed to check-in to the next hotel. We decided to change resorts just to switch it up a little bit. The next hotel was really nice and we had a poolside room again. After chilling out for awhile we went to grab dinner. No Mexican! We went to a place called the Yard House. The food there was great too! Rob was happy - they had over 130 beers on tap. We had a very long day and called it a night! Leah was falling asleep at the dinner table.

Sunday was our last day in Arizona (and we were ready to come home). Five days away from home is a long time when you are traveling with two small children. Leah must have told us at least 10 times a day that she wanted to go home. Our flight wasn't until 5:00 pm so we had some time to kill. We drove through downtown Phoenix and then stopped for lunch. We got to the airport in plenty of time. We stopped and had a drink before going to our gate. Once we were at the gate, we happened to run into one of my childhood friends! He lives in Arizona and works for Southwest. I haven't seen him in about 15 years (but we are Facebook friends). It was nice to take a few minutes and catch up! The flight home was pretty uneventful. Thank god!!! Mason was an angel and slept almost the entire time. Leah again kept herself occupied but got a little crabby towards the end because she was so tired. Traveling with my two little monsters was not nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be. I was envisioning the worst case scenario, but we were pleasantly surprised (but I am not ready to run out and do it again anytime soon)! It was nice to get in a quick little getaway with my family before I go back to work in one week from today.....sniff, sniff, sniff!!

Two Steps Forward and One Step Back

Just after I was boasting how Mason was a brand new baby and that we figured out the acid reflux, we had a slight setback. Over the weekend, he completely regressed and began showing all of the same signs he did before he was on medicine! He was constantly crying in pain and arching his back during feedings. What happened to my happy baby?! At first I thought he might just be having a bad day, but it continued for the next 2 days. (Luckily, he was still sleeping pretty well). I scoured different mom boards on the Internet trying to learn more about acid reflux and Zantac (the prescription he is on). I read that lots of Mom's said Zantac only worked for a short time for their babies before having to move to something stronger.

I called Mason's doctor on Tuesday morning to talk about what was going on with him. I wasn't sure if she would want me to bring him back in or not. We had just been there the week before. After explaining what was going on, she decided it would be best to change his prescription. She switched him over to Prevacid. She said to give it a try and if he gets worse or it doesn't work, I should call her back in a week. This new medicine needs to be refrigerated and it is only good for 14 days. We started him on it yesterday and he had a great day today! The evening was a different story. He was VERY fussy. Nothing was making him happy. I pulled out our infant sling thing and put him in it. Finally - something made him content! I am hoping the medicine just needs a little time to 'kick in.' Hopefully we will be back on track soon!!

As a side note, Mason has started smiling! Yay! The doctor had me freaked out because she was concerned he wasn't smiling. My little man pulled through!

Happy Two Months Mason

Today Mason is two months old! Earlier this week when we were at the doctor for the acid reflux, she also did his two month well-baby check-up too (since it was so close to when he should have been scheduled to come in). Mr. Mason weighed in at 10 lbs. 14 oz (35th percentile) and was 23 inches long (89th percentile). He's tall and skinny! Since we have resolved the acid reflux situation, Mason has become a much better sleeper. At two months old, he is sleeping about 11 hours every night, only waking up once. (This is much better than what he was doing two weeks ago, where he would wake up at least 3 times). Now, we are working hard to try and skip the 3:00 am feeding and sleep the whole night through! He takes 2 catnaps during the day that last anywhere from 1-3 hours (sometimes longer). Mason loves his bottles and can be a little piggy. He drinks anywhere from 5-6 ounces at every feeding. He is still in a size 1 diaper and mostly wears newborn size clothes. I think we will be moving to the next size very soon.

During his well-baby appointment the doctor asked me if Mason has started smiling yet. He has not. She seemed a bit concerned. She asked if he makes eye contact or follows movement. He does. He always looks at his mommy and daddy when we talk to him. He will watch his mobile go round and round and also play under his activity gym grabbing for the hanging animals. The doctor said if he does not start smiling in the next 2-3 weeks I need to let her know. This kind of made me nervous. She said not to worry, but she wants to make sure he doesn't have any spectrum issues or vision problems. She said infants usually smile by the time they are two months old. I checked Leah's baby book and she didn't smile until 2 1/2 months old. Maybe my kids are just 'late' smilers??

I have 3 more weeks left with Mason (and Leah) before I go back to work. I am going to soak up as much time with them as I can. It has been wonderfull being home with my babies and wish I could always be home with them. The past two months have flown by! Happy 2 months Mason!