Mason's First Christmas

You know, nothing ever turns out like you think it's going to. Mason just celebrated his very first Christmas and it's somewhat hilarious all of the plans I had for him. "We're going to make all these homemade ornaments. I'm going to make stockings. We're going to take lots of good family pictures." HA! Why do I always try and make so many plans knowing they won't get done?!

Regardless of everything that didn't get done, Mason had a wonderful first Christmas. We spent LOTS of time with family and that's really what matters most anyway! Of course I spent the week celebrating with a sinus infection. But I tried my best not to let that get in the way!

Mason received lots of awesome gifts from everyone. Brandon and I go with the "Something you want, something you need, something to wear, something to read" method when Christmas gift shopping. And looking back on the week, I'm so glad we did. This kid came home with so many gifts we might need to rent another apartment just for storage. But I'm grateful Mason is so loved!

Since he's only 5 months old, I don't have a whole lot to report on Christmas. Other than him pooping on my sister. [Still laughing about that] So I will just leave you with some pics :)

Mason - 5 Months

Mason Richard Burnside

Age: 5 Months

Weight: I'm gonna guess around 17ish lbs?
(Don't have another doc appt til next month!)

Height: I gonna guess 26ish inches?

Mason loves:

• Rolling around on the floor - This dude discovered how to roll over onto his stomach and then roll back over onto his back within the past month. And now it's all he does! I will lay him down and not a minute later, he's in a completely different place! Which means I have to keep my eyes on him pretty much all the time now! Unless he's strapped into his swing ;)
• Grabbing things - If's it's within arms length of him, he's going to try and grab it. Hair, food, drinks, my face, jewelry. 
• Touching faces & giving sugars - Just within the last two weeks or so he has discovered people's faces. He loves to touch my face and give me sugars. He also likes to try and bite my chin and my nose. That's all fun and games until he starts getting teeth. And thennnn we have a problem.
• Baby food - It's not new news that he's eating baby food. But yall....this kid LOVES it! It's like his favorite part of the day (besides when I let him watch Mickey & Baby Einstein ;)) Also, he has liked everything I have let him try. Apples, bananas, sweet potatoes, peas, squash. I think next we will try green beans & peaches...separately of course.

I canNOT believe I'm about to have a 6 month old! I can't handle it. I refuse to believe it. He is getting to be such a big boy!! We have had a crazy, hectic past month. We've spent lots of time with cousins and Mason has LOVED it! [I have too ;)] He looooves being with other kids. Babies, toddlers, big kids. All of them! And he got so used to being around other people, now when we are at home just the two of us he gets bored! So we'll go for car rides just to get out of the house sometimes!

Mason has learned a new trick. He has found his tongue and it is so cute! He'll stick it out and sometimes he'll try and blow bubbles. And now he's started sticking his tongue out when giving kisses. Love your kisses, son. But you can keep that tongue to yourself ;)

I feel like theres so much more I could write, but my brain just isn't functioning at 100% right now. [Does it ever?] So I'm going to awkwardly end this now. Umm..see ya later?

A Letter to Myself

Most of my posts have been about Mason. Which makes sense since he's so new and cute and cuddly. But one thing I haven't posted a whole lot about is motherhood. Being a new mommy. My life. Since having Mason, I've learned so much. I've screwed up. I've had good ideas. I've had bad ideas. I have good days. I have bad days. But through all of this, I have made little notes in my phone to myself. Notes of encouragement. Do's & don'ts. Simple statements that make total sense when you read them with a rational mind. And tonight, I've decided to put all of these thoughts into a letter to myself so I can always have this to go back and refer to. Especially in the future when the Burnside family expands even more. [Don't be getting any big ideas from that statement either.] Since writing a letter to yourself is a little awkward, I guess I'll just get into this thing.

Dear Self,

Let me start off by telling you how awesome you are doing. That's right. You. Are. Awesome. You became a new mom just a little over four months ago and I am amazed at how well you are doing. However, you tend to beat yourself up sometimes. I know being a mom can be challenging. But that doesn't mean you get to judge yourself every day. You are still new at this. You still have time to learn. Honestly, you'll be spending the rest of your life learning how to parent.

I wanted to write this for you to have something to go to, other than your first pick, the Bible, to feel encouraged. If anything, it will remind you that there are good days and bad days. And on any day always be thankful that God chose you to be a mommy!

1.) Pick your battles. Do you really need to change your child out of every onesie that gets a little spit up on it? Do you really need to clean the kitchen right now? [Yes, cleaning the kitchen is a battle. A full-on war at my house.] Do you really care if he gets baby food all over him? Sometimes, you just have to let life happen. No matter how messy it might be.

2.) Don't compare yourself to other moms. I promise not every mom out there fixes their hair every day and puts on make up. I promise not every mom out there dresses cute and looks super polished. I know there are some moms out there like this. And I commend them for their efforts. Seriously. You deserve an extra jewel on your crown [no matter how sarcastic that might sound. I really do admire you!]

3.) Don't compare your child to other children. If I've heard one phrase, I've heard this: "Not every kid is the same." That couldn't be more true. Sure, some kids have a lot of the same attributes. But sometimes your kid might develop a little slower. Sometimes a little faster. They might be bigger than everyone else his age. He might be smaller. Might have ton of hair. Might be bald. You catch my drift. Either way - he [or she] is still God's sweet creation and he's perfect just the way he is. 

4.) You don't always know everything. This kind of touches back to #2. I promise that not every mom out there has all the answers. We are all still learning this thing called Motherhood. Embrace that and join them in this journey! And don't pretend that you have it all together either. Fess up to your faults. Admit when you really don't know something, no matter how dumb you might feel. One of them might actually have a great solution for you that could change your life.

5.) Don't let your camera get in the way of enjoying the moment. I have felt true conviction over this lately. I realize you take millions of pictures and videos of your child. You're a new mom. That's what new mom's do. Especially since social media is like the new way [besides blogs] to document your child growing up! And it's completely ok. But just don't let trying to take all those pictures get in the way of you actually embracing the moment. When your child rolls over for the first time or laughs for the first time, don't be so focused on your camera that you miss the moment! Enjoy every single moment with that baby. And keep posting pics...their grandparents LOVE them! ;)

6.) Start saying no. This one is huge. I realize before having Mason, you thought you were superwoman. You thought you could do it all. But let me tell you something.....you can't do it all anymore. You can be a mommy, a wife, a friend. You can even have a full-time job [other than being a stay-at-home mom]. You can serve in your church. But you are going to have to start prioritizing things before you start saying yes to everything. Will this new commitment affect my being a wife and mother? Do I really have time to do this? These are things you need to ask yourself before ever saying "yes" again! 

7.) You have literally lost your mind. When you got pregnant, you lost a little bit of your mind. And when you gave birth to Mason, I think a whole 1/3 of your memory disappeared. Hopefully you gave Mason some of that. Regardless. You've lost it. It's probably not going to come back. And it's really not going to return when you have more kids. So just accept that. Make millions of reminders for yourself on your iPhone. And move on.

8.) Don't sweat the small stuff. This coincides a little with #1. And a lot with #9. But it definitely deserves it's own number. You will live a very stressful life if you don't start letting go a little bit. Babies cry. They poop. Sometimes they poop on their clothes. [Ok, a lot of times] Sometimes they just cry because their bored. Sometimes you take them in Target and they have a screaming fit and you have to leave without making a single purchase. Sometimes you can't get the house clean because your baby wants to be held all day long. Sometimes they have to wear the same socks 3 days in a row because those are the only ones that will stay on their feet. Hear me when I say this: "IT'S OK!" These instances are not life or death. Life will still keep going. I promise.

9.) You have lost all sense of control. Ok, that sounds a little dramatic. You can still control SOME things. Like what kind of baby food Mason eats today. Or what he wears. [Sometimes, the lack of clean laundry decides that for you.] But, most of your control is gone. You now have a new human being who fully depends on you, but you can't quite fully control. [And some days this will drive you CRAZY.] You can't stop his arms from swinging while eating his sweet potatoes that just happen to knock the spoon out of your hand and get sweet potatoes EVERYWHERE. You can't stop him from getting hungry. You can't stop him from pooping. [I just realized how much I've referenced poop. I should have a clever joke here, but I got nothin.] Just know [what you've known from the beginning] that you can't control every situation. Like I said in #7, accept it and move on.

10.) BREATHE!!! Yes. You. Just breathe. [Ever After reference, anyone?] Taking motherhood one day at a time is all we can do. Life throws you curve balls. Huge, giant curve balls. But just remember to breathe, count to 10, check your iPhone for all the reminders you've set for yourself for the day, and get to it! Life is too short not to enjoy every moment! Babies are only babies once in their life. Soak it all in and HAVE FUN!!

Love, Yourself.

[Awkward signature...oh well]

Mason - 4 Months

Mason Richard Burnside

Age: 4 months

Weight: 16 lbs, 9 oz

Height: 25 1/2 in

Mason loves:

• Mickey Mouse Clubhouse - Yes, we can add this to this list of shows he loves. Right now it's just Mickey & Baby Einstein that he seems to have any interest in. But I'm thankful he loves them so I can get a thing or two done every now & then!
• His feet - Recently, Mason discovered his feet. It's the cutest thing to see him try and grab them and when he finally does he holds on to them with all his might.
• Talking & laughing - Mason has become very verbal over this past month. He laughs and coos a LOT (especially when watching Mickey or Baby Einstein). He also is ticklish, so he'll laugh when we tickle him! It's the best sound in the world :)
• Sitting in his Bumbo - This kid LOVES his Bumbo seat. He likes sitting in it and playing with his toys. But I also think he loves it since that's where he sits when we feed him his baby food ;)

I cannot believe my baby boy is already 4 months old!! Where has time gone? It seems just like yesterday I was holding him for the first time....and then there's days that I can't even remember life before him! Mason has been such a blessing. I love seeing him grow and discover new things every day! I feel like as he gets older there's going to be more and more to update. And I'm afraid I'm going to miss some of it because my memory is awful [thank you, pregnancy/mommahood]. But I will try & remember everything that's happened over the last month!

Mason experienced his first Halloween!! As you can see from above, he was Superman. The cutest Superman of all! [Besides my nephew, Levi, of course!] We went over to Brandon's brother's house to celebrate with our small group from church. The older kids went on a hayride & went Trick-or-Treating. Mason arrived sleeping. Woke up for a little bit. Then decided he wanted to go home. So not much to report on Halloween.

He got his 4-month shots Friday and thankfully handled these shots so much better than last time. [Hallelujah!!] He had one breakdown Friday night, but other than that he was pretty normal all weekend.

Mason was dedicated on Sunday, October 26th at our church. Three other couples at our church had babies in July, August, & September, so there were 4 families including us that participated. We had our WHOLE family there. [Minus my brother & his family..we missed them!] It was so neat to have everyone in one spot all worshipping together. That was a great Sunday morning!!

Teething has officially started. I don't feel anything cutting through just yet, but this kid will chew on his fingers all day long. He also has a few favorite toys [including Sophie the Giraffe] that he loves gnawing on as well. He drools SO much now. I have to change his onesie in the middle of the day now because all down the front is soaking wet!

He is sleeping VERY well. [knock on wood!!] After his bath, he will go down for the night around 7:30-8:00 and sleep til about 6:30. And now we will have a moment of silence for all the babies [and the mommas] out there who don't sleep this much. Sorry for gloating. If you need to, just pretend like you never read this.

Mason is now enjoying baby food! A couple of weeks ago, he got to where formula alone just wasn't cutting it. We tried rice cereal with just formula and he wasn't having it. My mom suggested mixing in a little baby applesauce with it to see if he'd like it. And WOW. He licked the bowl clean! Well...he would if he could have. So now he eats applesauce with rice cereal and this weekend he tried sweet potatoes and loved them! I think next we'll try squash.

I'm excited about the holidays coming up! I know it's going to be crazy busy but family time is the best time! 

Mason - 3 Months

Yes, I realize I'm a little late. My computer has been on the outs! [sucks to suck, desktop] Anyway, better late than never! I cannot believe my baby boy is 3 months [and 6 days] old! Where has time gone? I feel like I have so much to share! I also have 3 month pictures to share, but I'll have to post those another day! For now, I'll just use pics off my phone.

Mason has learned so much over this past month. He now loves to sit up. He'd rather be sitting upright than laying down or back. Sometimes he tries to sit up while taking his bottle. I try to tell him that's now how it works. But he just ignores me and keeps doing crunches to try and sit up. He's wearing 6-month size clothes. Yes....6-months. Mainly in onesies. He has a super long torso and short legs (just like his Daddy). So 3-month pants still fit.

Mason is very alert and aware of his surroundings. He loves TV (#judgeme). Baby Einstein is his favorite, specifically the Old MacDonald and Numbers versions. And if you sing Old MacDonald to him, he will smile, laugh, and coo at you. It's the CUTEST. He has also convinced himself that whenever I put my phone up to take a picture, he needs to quit smiling or showing any kind of emotion. Yall, he's too young to know these things! He used to smile and laugh for the camera. Now when I pull it out, he immediately shuts down. Oh well...guess I'll just have to tell you about all the cute things he does instead of being able to show you pics of it. And when he's sitting in my lap and I'm looking at something on my phone, he will whip his head around so he can see my screen. This just started happening within the past week. He wants to see everything! I'm glad he's so inquisitive though. It's cute :) for now anyway.

We are starting to get a little routine down as far as naps go. And now that we live downstairs (oh yeah..we moved..that's another reason I haven't blogged lately), I get to take him on walks around the complex! This kid LOVES being outside. It's like his mood automatically changes as soon as he feels the fresh air. And I'm attempting to become a little healthier so the walks are good for me too. It's been so pretty lately and I'm LOVING this weather!

I'm excited to share Mason's first holidays coming up in the next couple of months. Before I know it, it'll be his first birthday! Oh wow. I'll just post pictures now before I cry.

He sucks and chews on his hands constantly now!!

Mason Richard Burnside

Age: 3 months

Weight: 15 lbs, 6 oz

Height: 24 1/4 in

Mason loves:

• being outside - He loves going for a walk outside or even just sitting in his rock-n-play outside!
• Baby Einstein - "The cows give us milk...the cows give us milk..." I think I know his two favorite videos by heart now. Especially the Old MacDonald version. When he watches, he laughs, coos, kicks his feet and moves his arms.
• Mommy rocking him to sleep - We've kind of gotten into a habit of me rocking him to sleep anytime he takes a nap or goes down for the night. I hold him tight, he buries his face in my armpit (I know how weird this sounds, but its so cute..and yes he can still breathe), I rock him and sing "You Are My Sunshine" and usually within the minute (when he's truly tired and not just fussy) he will fall asleep. Such sweet moments. I'm soaking them up while I can.
• sitting up - His balance and neck strength is getting a lot better so all he wants to do is sit up. He's getting to be such a big boy!

Mason with his Pape & Daddy

This little boy LOVES his Daddy! Don't they look like twins in this pic?

We got to hang out with Mason's cousins, Shelbi Jo & Karli June, last week!

I love all his different facial expressions :)

My sweet boy!!! This was taken a few weeks ago but I HAD to share it!

This was actually taken today on his walk with his Meme!

Update: Here are the 3-month pics I promised!

Mom Life: Meal Prep

So, I've decided to start doing Mom Life posts. I realize that almost all of my blog posts so far have been about being a mom. BUT, I've had so much that I've learned about being a mommy in these past two months and I've been wanting to document it ALL. So I will have posts dedicated strictly for Mom things!

Being a stay-at-home mom has been incredible. It's been the best job I've had so far! However, managing my time has been one great lesson I've had to learn. For me, I have not tried to force Mason on a schedule. I realize this works with some kids, but honestly, up until this point, I've been too exhausted to even think about a schedule! He eats when he's hungry. He naps when he's sleepy. He plays when he's happy. This has worked for us so far. [ He does sleep GREAT at night, so I guess that's why I haven't had to stress about a schedule. Even though he is slowly starting to make his own schedule..and it just so happens to work with mine! :)] But back to time management. Part of my staying home and taking care of Mason has also been being in charge of meals. This was a very natural progression and definitely made tons of sense. I'm home all day. I should be able to have dinner ready for Brandon when he gets home from work...right?

HA! I wish I had cameras up for the first time I tried cooking dinner post Mason. This was during his "MOMMY, HOLD ME! MOMMY, HOLD ME ALL DAY LONG!" phase. So as you can imagine, it was quite the task. I think I remember making spaghetti that day. Spaghetti noodles, marinara sauce, and meat. Easy enough. Until this overachiever crazy woman decided I needed to make homemade marinara. My homemade marinara really isn't too hard to make. Just takes a few extra steps. But that day, those extra steps seemed like MOUNTAINS to climb.

So in part of my being in charge of meals AND trying to stay on a tight budget with minimal (and I mean MINIMAL) eating out, I've started planning our meals ahead of time. This seems like such a simple idea. I mean...duh? right? You would think so. Once I started planning out our meals, it made the biggest difference and completely took away some of my anxiety. Why hadn't I been doing this the whole time? Maybe because pre-Mason, it was so easy to go out to eat anytime we wanted to. Pre-Mason it was easy to run by the grocery store last minute and pick up a few things.

With that said, I'm going to share with you a couple of my favorite plan-ahead recipes. If you carve out about an hour on Sunday, you can get all this prepped and will save you some time & stress during the week!

Homemade Marinara Sauce

I've shared my homemade marinara recipe before, but I've tweaked it a little bit and I wanted to share it again. I swear Brandon and I were Italians in our past lives. We eat marinara like it's going out of style. It's so versatile, very low-cal/low-fat, and can go on pretty much anything! And it's soooooo easy and CHEAP to make your own! This recipe makes up enough to fill up two large (3.5-4 cup) mason jars. Some people can make this last two weeks (one jar per week). However, Brandon and I have been known to take it all out within one week. Told you we eat a lot of it! ;) This recipe also can be altered, depending on taste. If you like it spicy, add extra crushed red pepper. If you like it garlicy, add more garlic. I like mine with a little kick, so if you don't like spicy at all, just leave out the crushed red pepper.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 medium yellow onion
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 2 - 28 oz cans crushed tomatoes
• 1 - 6 oz can tomato paste
• 1/4 cup chicken stock
• 2 cloves garlic, minced (or 2 teaspoons of jarred minced garlic, our favorite!)
• 3 tablespoons Italian seasoning
• 2 tablespoons dried parsley (or fresh, whatever you prefer)
• 2 teaspoons crushed red pepper
• 1 tablespoon sugar (this is to balance out the acidity)
• Salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

1.) In a large sauce pan, heat up olive oil over medium-high heat. Once heated, add onion and some pinches of salt to draw out the moisture of the onions. Then add pinch of black pepper and crushed red pepper.

2.) After onions have become slightly translucent, add tomato paste, chicken stock, Italian seasoning and parsley. This will make up a very thick, very concentrated marinara. I like to call this the marinara roux, if you will.

3.) Next, add both cans of crushed tomatoes and sugar.

4.) Heat all the way through, let it cool, then spoon into mason jars.

See how easy that sounds? I promise you won't be disappointed with this recipe. Whenever you're ready to eat, just spoon some out into a sauce pan and heat on stove. If it ends up being a little thicker than you like, add a splash of chicken stock when reheating. This will break it up a little bit. I like to serve this with my Turkey Spinach Meatballs (recipe to come!)

Make-Ahead Breakfast Sandwiches

Excuse the clutter. We don't have ANY counter space in our apartment!! Literally...this is it.

These breakfast sandwiches have been a hit with Brandon and me. If there's one thing I never have time for, it's breakfast! I'm always too worried about getting up with Mason, making sure he's fed and taken care of and by the time I look at the clock it's almost lunch time. But with these awesome treats, I can pop one in the microwave and grab a bite when I get a second! You make these ahead on Sunday and just keep them in the fridge (or you could freeze them) for the week! I make up 6 (3 for me, 3 for Brandon), mainly because neither Brandon or I want to eat these every single day. Also, it's a very convenient number since a lot of the ingredients come in numbers of 6! You can switch this recipe up as well. You can use turkey bacon (instead of turkey sausage), or even regular bacon or sausage. You can use american, pepper jack, or whatever kind of cheese you prefer.

Ingredients:

• 1 package English muffins (6 in a pack)
• 6 eggs
• 1 package Jimmy Dean turkey sausage links (or patties)
• 6 slices of cheese

Directions:

1.) Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2.) In a jumbo muffin tin, spray non-stick cooking spray in each round.

3.) In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs until combined. Add a little salt & pepper to taste. Pour eggs into each muffin round.

4.) Bake for about 10-15 minutes, just until eggs are cooked through. Set aside and let completely cool.

5.) Next, assemble the sandwiches. I did meat on bottom, cheese in middle, egg on top.

6.) Wrap each sandwich individually in saran wrap.

7.) When reheating, wrap sandwich in damp paper towel and microwave for about 30-40 seconds.

Since Brandon likes pepper jack on his and I did American cheese, I went ahead and separated ours into freezer bags. Also, if you don't have a jumbo muffin tin, use a baking sheet that is at least 1 inch deep. You can mix up the eggs, pour onto baking sheet, and then just cut the egg into slices. You can make them as big or as small as you want them to be! You could also double them up if it makes a lot. 

I am excited to share more Mom Life posts in the future!! Questions or suggestions? Comment below!

Mason - 2 Months

Wow. [I feel like I'm going to start all my posts like this.] I can't believe my baby boy is already 2 months [and 2 days] old! He is getting bigger every day and I just want time to slow down!

I am LOVING being a stay-at-home mom. I am so grateful and I thank the Lord daily for giving me this opportunity. Eventually, I am going to get licensed to be a realtor. And I am working very part-time for my church - most of the work is done from home, which is awesome! But the time I spend with Mason at home is the absolute best. I am trying to enjoy all the cuddle time I get right now, because I know one day he'll be running around and we won't have time for snuggles! [Goldberg's reference] Has anyone seen The Goldbergs on ABC? The mom, played by Wendi McLendon-Covey from Bridesmaids, is the most overprotective, helicopter mom I've ever seen and it's HILARIOUS. Her kids call her the snuggle monster and she always wants snuggles [even though her youngest is like 10 or so]. I hope I'm not that overprotective, but I do have moments where I see myself being like her with my kids. Funny show. A must-watch!

Mason's 2-month check up at the doctor is this Thursday. We will find out how much he weighs and how long he is then, so that's why it's blank for now. The last time I weighed him (I got on the scale, then got on the scale with him and subtracted the difference), it said he was about 12.5 lbs. I will say, this kid is GROWING. He is getting so big!! And he changes every day. Some days he looks more like Brandon and then other days more like me. I think he's going to be the perfect mix of both of us. For now, he has blue eyes. And his hair is getting even lighter. We could have a little blonde haired, blue eyed boy on our hands. Watch out, ladies!

Mason Richard Burnside

Age: 2 months

Weight: 13 lbs, 6 oz

Height: 23 1/4 in

Mason loves:

• bath time - YAY! Mason finally loves bath time! And the time after bath time is the best. Lots of giggles and coos. Seriously the cutest thing ever.
• being outside - this kid is going to like the outdoors! I can already tell! Anytime we walk outside, he immediately calms down and gets super chill. (We like using this during his daily fussy time, 5pm-7pm)
• his swing - Yes, people. My kid will finally let me put him down during the day! It's incredible. He LOVES his swing and even just laying on his play mat on the floor. He just coos and makes all kinds of funny noises. And now Mommy can actually clean a little and cook dinner!
• music - So Mason has been to church 4 or 5 weeks now. This last week was his first week in the nursery. But when we brought him in the service, we would leave him in his carseat and he would sit so still during the music. He was in a trance! As soon as it was over, [most of the time] he would wake up or start moving around. I hope this interest in music continues!
• kisses from Mommy - so, I left this on here because he really does love kisses! He will start laughing or smiling real big sometimes when I give him kisses. I. Love. It.
• his Daddy - Mason and his Daddy really do have a special bond. And I love that. Mason's mood usually immediately changes as soon as Brandon walks in the door.

6 weeks already?

Mason - 6 weeks

I have a 6-week-old. Crazy! I can't believe how big he is getting already. Not sure exactly how much he weighs but we'll find out in a couple of weeks at his 2-month check up! He is definitely bigger than he was two weeks ago in his one month pics! With him getting bigger, his cheeks are getting chubbier. And I LOVE IT. I kiss them all day long! :) I am so thankful to be this little boy's mommy!! The Lord is really teaching me new things through this process. I'm excited to learn even more as Mason gets older and as we continue to expand our family! (But that won't be for another year or two!)

Oh...and there's more random thoughts in this post. Actually, just go ahead and prepare yourself for all my posts in the near future to be scattered. Since that's how my brain is these days!

More like BIG guy! This kid is GROWIN!!

I'm happy to say I am finally back to my "normal" self. Not so sure I was that normal to begin with. But all of my hormones have balanced out, I'm fully recovered from my c-section, and I finally have my energy back! My OB has now cleared me to work out...so I don't have that awesome excuse anymore. Oddly enough, I'm actually 3 pounds lighter today than I was before I got pregnant. I'm glad the pregnancy weight came off. But totally did not expect to be smaller/lighter! It was an awesome surprise. I'm taking this as a moment of motivation to keep it going. Still trying to decide what method of "lifestyle change" I will be making. Have considered Weight Watchers, calorie counting, carb counting...just not sure yet. Also trying to start taking more vitamins. Which is a struggle since I have the most sensitive gag reflex and these vitamins taste NASTY! As Jimmy Fallon would say... "Ew"

One thing that has slightly changed since becoming a mommy is my defensive driving techniques. Before Mason, I will shamefully admit I would text and drive. As soon as I found out I was pregnant, that changed. And my phone use has gotten even more strict since I'm driving him around now! (Getting a car with bluetooth is definitely on the agenda) But instead of paying more attention to my driving, I have started paying more attention to other people's driving. I am appalled. Even just this morning as I was driving down 220, a lady passed us going 90mph (minimum) while doing her make up. SHE WAS APPLYING MASCARA!!! Holy crap people! I also saw two different guys (BOTH driving company trucks) accidentally swerve into the other lane when they were in front of me. When I passed them, one was trying to fix his GPS on the dash and the other was texting. Yall, I EVEN SAW A COP TEXTING & DRIVING! I realize we live in a fast-paced world and we think that if we don't answer that text right when we get it, it will be the end of the world. But PLEASE reconsider when you think about looking down at your phone! Anything can happen in a split second. If you don't do this for yourself, at least do it for all of the little kiddos out there that don't deserve to be hurt by your stupidity!

Wow. Ok. Not sure where that rant came from! Guess that's just the momma bear coming out.

Today is mine and Brandon's two year dating anniversary! I thank God every day for sending Brandon into my life! He has been amazing from day one and spoils me daily! He keeps me laughing and I love him so much for that! I am so blessed to have him as my husband and Mason is blessed to have him as his daddy!!

I am so grateful for this blog! It's so much easier doing this than keeping up with a baby book! Even though I do have a small one for him. But it'll just be for his first year. This will be his whole life! ;) Mason, I do not apologize in advance for how much I talk about kissing your sweet cheeks and changing your poopy diapers. My job as being your mommy is the best one I've ever had! You are my best little buddy and I wouldn't trade you for ANYTHING in the world!!

Random Thoughts of a New Mommy

Yall just thought the last post was random. Buckle up. And please don't read these as complaints. I am purely just emptying out my brain of things I'd love to tweet about, but can't fit into 140 characters, or that I'd love to instantly share with someone but can't at that moment because M takes up all of my time! :)

Mason's first visit to church yesterday. This was was too good not to share!!

Eat. Sleep. Poop. Repeat. Not necessarily in the order. This is what my life Mason's life is at the moment and has been since bringing him into the world. And sometimes 99% of the time, he poops WHILE he eats. Such a multi-tasker. I literally changed 3 deuce diapers within about 20 minutes earlier today.

I'm not sure about other babies, but my baby is IMpatient. He can be happy, content, wide-eyed and bushy tailed and as soon as he realizes he's hungry, he turns into Tazmanian Devil! He goes bizurk!! From smiles to tears within a matter of just nano-seconds. Boggles my brain.

Mason has gone from LOVING his swing to not liking it at all. I need to him to start loving it again! On that note, I'm still trying to break him of being held all day long. I do love and cherish cuddle time with him. But this momma needs to get some crap done. And I can't bring myself to pay $50+ for a wrap. I also don't think I could get as much done with him attached to me all day long. He needs to start learning a little separation anyway.

Tummy time = Mason trying to eat his play mat the whole time. It's going good. But he just pecks at his play mat like a little chicken. Silly boy. He's so cute.

I can't seem to keep this kid fed enough! He would eat ALL DAY LONG if I let him. And then he'd end up with a tummy ache (speaking from experience) and then we are both unhappy all day long. He's a growing boy and that is awesome! But he eats like it's Thanksgiving Day! Oh, and when he is screaming hungry, he acts as if he's never eaten a day in his life. He grasps on to the bottle like his life depended on it. Well....I guess his life does depend on it. Scratch that.

Bath time is going MUCH better! He actually somewhat enjoys it now. He just sits there with a solemn look on his face the whole time and that totally beats screaming the whole time!!

I just know my kid will love reading about his bowel movements on the world wide web one day.

Breakfast with the cousins, Karli June & Shelbi Jo, and Aunt Mandi!

Shelbi Jo and Mason

Oh..and this took me about 6 hours to write since Mason wouldn't hardly let me put him down today. :)

Introducing Mason Richard Burnside [Birth & 1 Month]

Wow! Seriously, where did time go? I can't believe its been 5 weeks since I last posted. This has been the fastest 5 weeks of my life. Also, I apologize for the rambling I am about to do. I have officially lost the ability to control my focus/train of thought so this post is probably about to be all over the place. Oh, and it's going to be one of the longest posts I've ever written with LOTS of pics. So much to be shared!

On Monday, July 14, 2014 at 11:24am, we welcomed our baby boy, Mason Richard Burnside, into the world!! He was 7 lbs, 13 oz, and 20 inches long. I'm not going to go into detail about the birth story, mainly because it was all such a blur anyway. I ended up having an emergency c-section because every time I would have a contraction, Mason's heart rate would drop. So after laboring for 11 hours, we got that baby outta there. And my life has been changed (for the better of course) ever since.

When you're pregnant, everyone tells you "get as much sleep as you can now!" And while yes, that is great advice, it really does nothing to prepare you for the loss of sleep you will experience. I will say we have been blessed with an awesome baby. He does sleep pretty well at night, other than waking up screaming when its time to eat. But going from sleeping 7-9 hours (straight with no waking) a night to getting about 2-3 hours of sleep at a time is the most exhausting thing I've ever experienced. My body has never had to function on so little sleep before and its taken me a while to adjust. I've always LOVED sleep. I even came home from the hospital (when I was born) sleeping through the night, so my mom says. So that's been one major adjustment. Totally worth the loss of sleep though. :)

Being a mommy is the absolute best thing in the world. I have 9 nieces and nephews (with one more on the way!). And I absolutely love and adore those sweet babies. But I just thought I knew love before Mason. I had no idea. Not gonna lie, the first two weeks of his life were extremely hard. I started out breastfeeding. B and I went to a couple of classes and I was very excited to try it. However, it was soooo not for me. I struggled with it a lot. Mason actually caught on really well with it. But I was not producing enough, so it was taking him like an hour to an hour and a half for every feeding and then he was still fussy. He wasn't happy. I wasn't happy. And that meant Brandon really wasn't happy. So Brandon and I talked about it and talked to our doctor (whom we LOVE, by the way), and we decided to switch to formula, especially since I wasn't producing enough and he went from week 1 to week 2 with no weight gain. And it was like the heavens opened up and the angels sang "HALLELUJAH!" It was crazy how much of life change that was! But I can't say I didn't struggle with the decision. I struggled with it a LOT. I didn't want to be a "quitter". I wanted to naturally provide nutrients for my child. I wanted to keep that sweet bond between Mason and me. I wanted to save money and not have to buy formula. And unfortunately, I started to care way too much about what other people would think about me quitting. But yall, I will tell you right now. I have zero regrets about changing to formula. It was been the best decision we've made so far in parenthood. Ultimately, the decision was made because Mason was not getting what he needed. And he came first in the decision. But I still have that sweet bond with him, and now Brandon gets to share in on that too when he feeds him. It's a win for everyone!

I have spent a lot of time in prayer, praying that I wouldn't let Satan keep stealing my joy of motherhood. Since being a parent is one of the most challenging, yet most amazing journeys sent directly from the Lord, I feel like that's the one of the main things that Satan tries to attack constantly. He is always making me doubt my ability as a mother. He's always wanting me to compare myself to other mommys. He's wanting me to compare Mason to other children. He tests my patience (constantly) and knows I can't stand to hear my child cry. So in those moments of doubt and frustration, I pray for him to flee from my thoughts in Jesus name. Then I take about 3 deep breaths. And then I spend time praying prayers of thankfulness to him. Thanking Him for all he has blessed me with. How in the world did I end up with the most amazing husband and son I could have ever imagined? I'm still not sure. But I'm so thankful I did.

I guess its time to give some updates on Mason, since he IS a month old and all.

Mason Richard Burnside

Age: 1 month

Weight: 10 lbs, 6 oz 

Height: 21 3/4 in

Mason loves:

• to lay on his Daddy's chest - one of my most favorite things to see
• tooting - seriously...I've never heard a kid toot as much OR as loud. It's somewhat impressive.
• to be held - it's getting a tad ridiculous...buying a wrap this weekend so I can actually get some things done around the house!
• people - He's had quite a few visitors and even has a roadtrip to Arkansas under his belt.. all of which he did great! He loves seeing new faces.
• kisses from Mommy - ok, so he may or may not love this, but I sure do love it so I had to add it to the list.

Also, he has already outgrown most of his newborn onesies and this momma just about cried over it. We put him in 3-month pajamas last night and the length was perfect. He's growing up so fast already!!

And before I start crying again, I will leave you with some of the pics from our 1-month photo shoot!