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.