Lately...

Wow! It's been a while. Lots of life change in between my last post and this one! But I am excited to see what the Lord has ahead! I guess I'll just jump right into this...

Soooo in case you haven't heard, I'm pregnant. Yay! Tomorrow, I'll be 14 weeks. Helloooo second trimester! Praise God! I've been [impatiently] waiting for you. That first trimester was a doozie. Second pregnancy has been harder on me than the first, only because I have a one-year-old to chase around all day! And that's hard work, yall. I can't just take a nap when I want. #firstworldprobs But Brandon and I are definitely nervous excited about Baby #2. Our next ultrasound is scheduled for Sept 1st. We will find out the gender that day, as long as the baby cooperates. Can't wait to find out if it's a boy or a girl! I keep trying to teach Mason to point to my belly and say "baby" but I think he's still in a little denial that he won't be the baby anymore ;)

This was the best pic I could get. He was too busy watching Mickey!

Mason started MDO (Mother's Day Out) last week. For now, he's going one day a week and is on the waiting list for an additional day. His first day was pretty rough. He did not enjoy it. I know he will eventually grow to like it, but this transition is going to be a hard one. Separation anxiety is a real thing. I've never experienced a death grip like I did when I was dropping him off. It kills me to know he is sad/upset all day, but I know that this is what is best for him right now and as hard as it is to experience it, I have to let it happen. I also need to finally give it up to the Lord. On his first day, I wondered about him all day. I wondered if he ever quit crying. If he was sad or happy. If he was napping or playing. And when I would start to worry, I was reminded that God is in control. But it was easy for me to hear that reminder, not knowing how his first day would go. I thought there was a possibility he would calm down and actually have a good day. Tomorrow, I'll drop him off for his second week and I will struggle with worrying about him all day. I need to give God complete control of this situation. I'm currently praying through this. Pray with me, if you would!

For several months now, I'd been feeling very convicted of my social media usage. How much I was on it. How much time I WASTED on it. How I was starting to let it get to me. I knew I needed a break from it, but I kept ignoring the conviction. But if you've ever ignored God trying to speak to you, you know how I was feeling. Finally, one night I was giving Mason a bath and it just hit me. I just started weeping. The conviction was bearing down so heavy on me, I couldn't handle it anymore. I knew God was telling me to take Facebook, Twitter & Instagram off my phone. To completely disconnect myself from it for a little while. I needed to get out of the habit of constantly checking feeds filled with non-sense that in the long run doesn't really matter. Don't get me wrong - I think social media can be a great thing when being used with good intent. But if the whole point of posting pictures, scripture, quotes, etc is to see how many likes you can get...that's not good intent. I've decided to keep social media off my phone, but to allow myself to enjoy it in my spare time. When I've done what I needed to do. After I've had my quiet time with the Lord. When Mason is taking a nap, or when I just have a moment to myself. I refuse to allow it to rule over my life again.

Welp, like I said before, I'm excited to see what the Lord has in store for my little family's future! My prayer is that I am consistently seeking His guidance in everything that I do. I pray that God works miracles with sweet Mason and that he keeps him and Baby #2 healthy and thriving. I pray I give over complete control to Him over every area of my life.

Until next time...

Mason Turns ONE!

You read that right. My baby is ONE! I can't believe it myself. I'm actually struggling to even find the words to write in this post. But I will try my best! 

Mason Richard Burnside

Age: ONE YEAR OLD
Weight: 23 lbs

Height: Not sure? I need to measure.

Mason is one happy little fella, as long as he isn't sick. [Just like his momma, he doesn't handle sickness well.] He loves to play in the living room with all of his toys, crawl around the entire apartment and get into everything he shouldn't, and watch Mickey Mouse. [Duh] He loves reading books, opening and closing doors, and throwing the ball. He also loves being outside, playing with his cousins, and singing songs with momma, specifically Itsy Bitsy Spider, ABCs, Jesus Loves Me, and Old MacDonald. 

Mason is crawling around [very fast, I might add] all over the place. He has taken a few steps, assisted with toys. But he doesn't have much interest in walking right now! I try and take his hands and walk him around the living room, but he'll take a few steps and decide he can get places faster if he crawls. He can say "mama", "dada", and "dog". He can wave, clap, dance, and pull up. And he has 7 teeth!

Some of Mason's favorite foods are chicken, eggs, sausage, mac-n-cheese, noodles, grits, mashed potatoes and ice cream sandwiches. He also likes the squeezable pouches of the pureed fruits and veggies. He also loves drinking water! He's a good eater! He'll eat pretty much anything Brandon and I eat. 

This last year has been one of the best years of my life! I feel like it was just yesterday that I was headed to the hospital not knowing what was about to hit me! Becoming a momma has been one of the biggest blessings I've ever experienced. And seeing Brandon jump into his rockstar dad role has made me fall in love with him all over again. We are both so blessed to be this little boy's parents! I couldn't imagine my life without him. He makes me smile and laugh daily. I love seeing his little personality shine through. I pray he keeps his sweet spirit. I pray he grows to know the Lord. 

I know I have so much more I could write, but I'm not sure I can take this emotional torture anymore. [I realize how dramatic that sounds. Judge me.] I am so grateful for my sweet Mase Mase! Excited to see what this next year brings!

Mason - 10 Months

10 MONTHS YALL. In two months I will have a ONE YEAR OLD in my home. WHAT?!

Alright, freak out over. Until tomorrow. [it's a daily struggle]

Mason Richard Burnside

Age: 10months
Weight: About 22 lbs?

Height: 30 in?
(height & weight are guesses since we don't have a check up this month!)

Food: Mason is still eating some baby food. He doesn't really like being spoon fed anymore. He doesn't mind the squeezables! So he's still getting his fruits & veggies. As far as big people food goes, Mason loves turkey, chicken, brown rice, breads, you know...healthy stuff...oh and he also loves mac-n-cheese & french fries. Duh! He's a kid.

Sleep: Right after he turned 9 months old, he had a little growth spurt and he was getting over a stomach bug so he got out of his normal pattern of sleeping. However, we are finally back on track! Until something else happens and messes it all up again ;) He's taking two naps a day! Morning naps are usually shorter around 45 minutes to an hour and afternoon naps are a little longer, about an hour to two hours.

Milestones: This kid is into EVERYTHING! He is crawling so fast. I can hardly catch him! He's pulling up and standing really well when he's holding onto something. He loves being read to and he loves looking at books! He also [still] loves Mickey Mouse! And playing with his cousins :)

{ pics featured on today's post are courtesy of my FAB sis-in-love, Jamie Beverage! }

Mason - 9 Months

Mason Richard Burnside

Age: 9 months
Weight: 21 lbs, 13 oz

Height: 29 in
[both height & weight are 75th percentile]

I'm about a week and a half late on this [since the stomach bug plague hit our house last week]! I haven't even had time to take his 9-month pics yet! So I'll give you the short version: Mason is crawling, pulling up, babbling like crazy, feeding himself and drinking from sippy cups & straws. He's still taking about 3 bottles a day and is starting to eat more table food. He LOVES his Dada, taking baths, getting his belly tickled, being outside, playing with his cousins, reading books, and watching Mickey Mouse! He has started fighting us on going to sleep at night. He gets so sleepy but just doesn't want to fall asleep. He's also been waking up in the middle of the night and won't fall back asleep unless he's in bed with us. Not sure if it's growth spurt or maybe he's having bad dreams. Either way, it's a tad bit exhausting. It's a good thing he's cute! :)

Dawn's (Brandon's sister) Wedding Rehearsal

Levi & Mason at Dawn's Wedding

The day Mason turned 9 months - at the doc's office w/ a stomach bug :(

Target run with Momma eatin our CFA for lunch ;)

Mason & Oreo nappin

Mason playin in the back of Pops' truck!!

Mason - 8 Months

Mason Richard Burnside

Age: 8 months
Weight: 21 lbs, 6 oz

Height: ?
(we will find this out @ his 9 mo. check up!)

Mason loves:

• Rollin, rollin, rollin! - Mason has decided that instead of crawling, he's going to ROLL everywhere! Literally. He will get up on his knees and rock back and forth and then roll back over on his back. He will roll himself all over the house! Even into other rooms!
• FOOD - I feel like this is a given. But, just within the last couple of weeks we have started giving him some solid foods. (Soft ones of course) And he is LOVING it! 
• Riding in the buggy - Since the worst of flu season has past, I can take Mason in public now! (YAY!) He loves strollin thru Brookeshires & Target :) He normally does pretty well too!

Food: As you read above, this is a popular topic with Mason right now! He's still taking 3-4 bottles of formula a day and about 3 servings of baby food a day. He has started picking up the cereal puffs and feeding himself (it's SO cute!) and he's not choking on them anymore ;) We also have started giving him some solids. Breads, veggies & fruits...things that dissolve or pretty much melt! But so far he hasn't had any texture issues. Other than super cold things (like a sugar free popcicle we let him taste...I mean how can you not like a popcicle?!)

Sleep: You will read more about this below!

Milestones: Mason is sitting up even better now and for longer periods of time. He was sitting in his crib Sunday morning while I was getting ready and he started to pull up on the side. Of course I freaked out. He just pulled up to rest on his knees but still. It deserved a freak out. And like I said above, he isn't crawling yet because he keeps rolling everywhere! He loves to stand up and will sometimes fight be to sit down because he'd rather stand up. Like in his high chair. Child, you cannot stand up in your high chair! [said daily in our household] He will lock his knees up and bow his back. Strong-willed and stubborn. Just like his momma! ;) He also is in the process of getting his first 4 teeth! Please read more below. Oh..and he's wearing 12mo clothes now. Excuse me while I go have a cryfest.

Soooo....Mason is teething. And it's rockin our world a little bit! It started about a week ago and it hit pretty hard Wednesday night when his bottom two teeth starting cutting through his gums. About two weeks ago, we had reached a point where we could lay Mason down in his crib awake and he would fall asleep on his own. (I PROMISE I'M NOT BRAGGING! DON'T HATE ME!) And then teething happened. RAWR. He will go to sleep and I can lay him in his crib, but he wakes up several times in the night. Sometimes I can soothe him in his crib. If I have to pick him up, sometimes I can rock him back to sleep. Sometimes he ends up in the bed with Brandon and me. Whatever works, right?! We have been soooo blessed with Mason's good sleeping habits & routines! But this teething mess is giving us a run for our money. (Shout out to all you parents out there who have to deal with a non-sleeping baby every night. I think of you & pray for you -seriously- every night when Mason wakes up! Since we have not had to go through that, we did not know how lucky we really were and it's made me feel for yall. And I mean that as seriously as I can!)

Yall. I've had about 3 major breakdowns within this past week. And it's not just because he's teething. It's because my BABY IS GROWING UP AND I CAN NOT HANDLE IT. The worst thing I can do right now is look back on old photos of him. (I speak from experience.) He is growing up so fast. He's getting teeth. He's wearing 12mo clothes. He's eating real food. He responds to me (sometimes) when I talk to him. I need to quit discussing this or I will have another breakdown. Seriously..it's bad.
*Note-I'm so happy I have a growing, healthy baby. It's fun to watch him grow & develop. It's just so bittersweet. I soak in every.single.moment I can get with him. I nap with him. I play in the floor with him. I sing to him. I read to him. I spend every moment possible with him while he still lets me!

And just one more....because I can't resist ;)

Mason's First Snow Day

I don't really have a whole lot to say on this post. I just wanted to be sure & document Mason's very first snow experience! We lasted outside a total of 3 whole minutes. I laid the blanket down, sat him down on it, and snapped some quick pics! The picture above was the only picture I got of him even partly smiling. He was not sure what to think about that white stuff fallin from the sky! I could also tell he was really cold...so I got what I could and we ran back inside to warm up!

Hope yall enjoyed your snow days!!

Mason - 7 Months

Mason Richard Burnside

Age: 7 months
Weight: 21 lbs

Height: ?
(we will find this out @ his 9 mo. check up!)

Mason loves:

• Getting his belly tickled - Mason is starting to become a lot more interactive! If he's in a good mood, He will laugh when you tickle his belly! He's also ticklish on his thighs! His little giggle is precious. I can't get enough!
• Sitting/standing up - He has started sitting up really well on his own now. He will still fall over, but honestly now I think it's because his back gets tired so he likes laying down to stretch out! But his newest thing is standing. If I would hold him up and let him stand all day long, I think he would! He locks his legs up (especially when I try putting him in his high chair, which can be kiiiinnndddd of annoying). He likes holding on to my hands and if he's standing on the bed, he likes to pretend that we are jumping up and down! (I realize I could be starting bad habits. But I'm pretty sure he'd figure it out sooner or later anyway!)
• Chewing on EVERYTHING - Like..everything yall. The other day, I left a roll of toilet paper on the floor for .5 seconds and when I turned around he had half of it unraveled and half of that in his mouth! (Talk about minor freak out moment) I had to fish it all out of his mouth. Silly kid!!
• His Daddy - I realize I put this on here with almost every monthly update. But Mason's love for his Daddy grows more & more every day. It's sooo sweet! If Brandon comes home and doesn't pick him up or talk to him for a good 2-3 minutes, Mason will start crying until he does! He LOOOVES his Daddy!

Food: Mason LOVES food. (I wonder where he gets that from?!) He takes around 3-4 8oz bottles of formula a day. He also eats 2-4 containers of baby food a day. In the morning, he has fruit & oatmeal. For dinner, he has meat/rice/veggies and sometimes fruit. All of which is all puréed. Yesterday, I gave him a little piece of slightly mushed up carrot and he just swished it all around his mouth with his tongue. He was a little weirded out by the texture.

Sleep: Mason is now taking two naps a day! (And the angels broke out in chorus, "HALLELUJAH!") We have started a little schedule for him. After his breakfast, anywhere between 9am-10am, I lay him on my bed and lay beside him until he falls asleep. If I continue to lay beside him (either nap with him or bring stuff in there to work on while he sleeps), he will sleep for 1.5-2 hrs. If I don't lay beside him, he will only sleep for about 45min-1hr. Same goes for his afternoon nap around 1pm-2pm. Sometimes as late as 3pm. We aren't real strict on WHEN he falls asleep. Just on the fact of him actually falling asleep. He's a happier boy when he naps!

Milestones: Mason is sitting up very well, as you read above. The other night he tried to crawl and I freaked out. I'M NOT READY YALL! Every time he'd get up on his knees, I'd say "OH MY GOSH!" and then he'd stop. Oops. :) He also grabs things very well, jabbers a lot, and can now clap his hands! He loves pattycaking.

I am absolutely LOVING this stage he is in right now. He's mobile, but not too mobile. He's happy a lot! I've known how awesome of a kid he is. But all this smiling, talking, clapping, and laughing makes me love him that much more. I don't want him to grow up! But I'm excited to see him grow up all in the same mixed up, bittersweet emotions. Being Mason's momma is the most amazing blessing I've ever experienced.

Mason - 6 Months

Mason Richard Burnside

Age: 6 Months
Weight: 19 lbs

Height: 27 1/4 in

Mason loves:

• His DADDY - Mason has always had a soft spot for his Daddy. But lately, when Brandon gets home from work, it's like God sent down a little piece of heaven. Mason gets SO happy & excited when Daddy gets home!! He loves sitting on Daddy's chest and pulling his hair ;) He also loves when Daddy tickles his tummy! He will do like a deep belly laugh! It's the sweetest thing :)
• His bouncer - Mason got both a bouncer & a walker for Christmas. He's almost ready for the walker, so in the mean time he plays a lot in his bouncer. He will jump forever in that thing.
• Being with people - I know I've probably said this before, but I did not realize how true it is until lately. Mason got real sick a couple of weeks ago (see details below) and we had to seclude him from everyone for a couple of weeks. He wasn't miserable, but once we started letting family come over again, his mood completely changed! He's a little social butterfly. He loves being around people, especially other kids & babies.

So...I've been an emotional wreck this week about Mason turning 6 months old. I started looking back on old pictures of when he was first born, and I would just start crying. I realize he's only 6 months old. We still have a while to go before he really grows up. But still. Yall - I saw an infant in the waiting room at the doc today and started tearing up! I told you..I'm a wreck! However, I will say that I am LOVING this stage he is at. His cute little personality is really starting to show and he's showing me how funny he is! I can already tell he's going to be a stubborn little booger (just like his momma AND his daddy!) He will fuss if I don't let him hold my phone or hold the spoon while I'm trying to feed him. I keep telling him we don't throw fits to get our way....but he doesn't quite get that yet. ;)

As you can see in some of the pictures, Mason has now learned how to sit up on his own. He'll sit up for 2-3 minutes at a time before he goes tumbling over. So we surround him with lots of pillows, blankets, & soft toys so he doesn't hurt himself in the process. With this whole sitting up thing, he really is starting to look like such a big boy!

A couple of weeks ago, Mason got very sick. He had the flu & RSV. Oh, it was awful. We had to do breathing treatments on him (which he HATED!!!) and give him Tamiflu. He actually took the Tamiflu great. But those breathing treatments just about did me in. His pediatrician said he might start wheezing again before the winter is over, and if he does we have to do a breathing treatment on him. But when she told me we could stop doing them (only if he needed one), I think I cried tears of joy. It was a pretty rough week. But obviously, we survived!

We are just now integrating him back into the real world! We are sticking only with family and close friends' homes. I won't be taking him to Target, Walmart, grocery stores, etc. At least until winter/flu season is over. I'm being very overprotective and I don't feel sorry about it. :)