Happy Birthday Blog

Tomorrow will be this blogs birthday, but I will be on a plane and won't have my computer with me in Houston. Last year at this time, I was 37 weeks pregnant and so ready to welcome Mason into this world. It has been a fun year and this blog has been a hit with my family and friends. The main reason I started the blog was to keep everyone posted, but it has turned into a bit of a scrapbook and I love that.

Also, congratulations to my friend Jonathan who is getting married tomorrow to Suzanna. The wedding is in Columbia, South Carolina and I am going to miss it. Both of them drove down for our wedding and drove back in the same weekend and I hate that I'm going to miss their ceremony, but my thoughts will be with you guys. Congratulations!

i'm leaving on a jet plane

Saturday, Mason & I will board the plane and fly home to Houston. It will be another whirl-wind trip, but I'm looking forward to seeing everyone. It will be nice when we come home around the holidays and not have to rush. Adam saved up most of his vacation time for Thanksgiving and Christmas. We will have a week each week to spend with our family and friends.

As always, I'm a bit nervous every time we fly. As Mason gets older, he is more mobile and doesn't like to stay seated for a very long time. Our flight leaves at 6:30am, but I don't know if he will sleep on the plane. The only time he sleeps on the plane is usually the flight home and Adam is with me. Please say a prayer for us this next week.

(My hives are still around, but I believe they are slowly going away. I believe it is caused by a food allergy, but I still haven't narrowed it down. I'm hoping the humidity of Houston.)

Waiting

So, for the last 6 days, I have woken up with hives. They don't cover my entire body, in fact, each day the location changes. I have only had hives once before, and it was due to an allergic reaction. This time however, I'm absolutely clueless. I still believe it is some sort of allergy, but not sure from what.

Nothing in my diet has changed, we use die free laundry detergent and it's the same detergent I have used for a long time, and I haven't been exposed to anything out of the ordinary. Every morning, I take my Zyrtec and I'm fine. The hives are usually gone by mid-day, only to reappear the next morning.

From my research, hives are a bit of a mystery. They are brought on by stress, allergies, change of diet, change in location, and so on. Also, hives will last usually for a short period of time and then go away for good. Let's hope that is soon, because I'm so tired of waiting.

Schedule

Our schedule for the next month:

June 28th - July 7th: Houston for David & Emily's wedding
July 10th: Mason becomes a 1 year old
July 12th: Mason's 1st Birthday Party
July 17th - 2oth: Brad & Jill come to visit

Happy Father's Day

Daddy,

Happy Father's Day Daddy! Thank you for playing with me, letting me chase you around the house, and loving me. You are my best bud! I can't wait until I'm older and we can play catch in the backyard, or shoot some hoops, whichever you prefer. You are the bestest Daddy ever! I love you!

Love,
Mason

Teething

Mason is teething. He already has his two front teeth on top and bottom, but now he is getting one on each side of his two bottom teeth, bringing it to a grand total of 6 teeth. I didn't notice he was even teething until yesterday afternoon.

We were shopping with some of our friends, and I needed to go to the bathroom. I decided to bring the stroller into the handicap stall with me. Mason started crying every time someone flushed the toilet. I couldn't help but laugh, as I tried to calm him down. It was the funniest thing. As he was crying, I was able to get a good look at his gums and that is when I noticed teeth starting to poke thru his gums.

After we got home, he took a very short nap, which is very unlike him. I picked him up, I noticed his body felt warm. I took his temperature and it was 101.2. Poor guy. I could tell he didn't feel good, because he didn't want to crawl around and play, but instead, decided to sit in my lap the rest of the day.

I didn't sleep well last night, knowing Mason was in pain. He was trooper and didn't stir until around 6am. He fell back asleep until about 7am and then we started our day. Mason spent most of his day laying with Mommy and just wanting some cuddle time. I hate seeing him in pain. Hopefully, tomorrow will be much better.

Our shopping trip to Tulare on Wednesday

Mason crawling and playing before our shopping trip on Thurday

Mason looking out into the backyard, wishing he could play in the Horsehoe Pits

Puckering up for a kiss

Mason waiving "Hi" to Mommy

What our afternoon and evening looked like

Mix-matched PJs and a Paci hanging out of his mouth. We often find him with his foot hanging outside the crib.

Mason & Mimi

I thought I would share two pictures Adam took the other morning with his phone. I talk to my mom everyday. We are very close. Every morning, she also talks to Mason. I will either put the speaker phone on or put the phone to his ear. He knows when we call Mimi, and just smiles and claps. Sometimes, he even tries to talk to her, but either way, he knows her voice.

Mason giving Mimi kisses

This is what Mason's face looks like when he hears Mimi's voice

Top 5

1. 5 things under $5 that I cannot live without:
* Aveeno Moisturizer - great for dry skin and it doesn't leave a greasy film on your skin
* Chick-Fil-A #1 Combo w/ Unsweet Iced Tea
* Bagel Cafe. Anytime I am in Katy, Tx, I have to make a stop at Bagel Cafe. They have the best coffee.
* Chap stick. I'm addicted and have it with me at all times.
* Ponds Dry Skin Cream for my face

2. 5 Favorite Movies:
* The Family Stone
* The Holiday
* Love Actually
* The Notebook
* Tommy Boy

3. 5 baby names I love:
* Mason David Gregory (obviously)
* Audrey Reese
* Avery Grace
* Lacey Grace
* Reid (still deciding on a middle name)

4. 5 song I could listen to over and over:
* Like a Prayer (Madonna)
* Anything by Justin Timberlake
* Cannonball ( Damien Rice)
* Yellow (Cold Play)
* Anything by Bebo Norman

5. 5 people who have influenced me in a positive way, although there are a lot more:
* Adam Kaye
* Mom
* Dad
* Mrs. Stebbins - my first grade teacher that I still keep in touch with
* Alex Kennedy - my pastor back in Texas

6. 5 things that are always in my purse/diaper bag:
* Wallet
* Wipes
* Chap stick
* Phone
* Camera

7. 5 Moments that have changed my life forever:
* Becoming a Christian
* Marrying Adam
* Having Mason
* The day my Dad adopted my sister and I
* Moving to Bakersfield

8. 5 obsessions I have now:
* Being outside - I love summer
* Um...blogging
* My shows(One Tree Hill, Greys Anatomy, The Office)
* Exercising, I'm trying to live a healthier life
* Playing games with friends
* cooking

9. 5 places I would like to go: (like there's only 5...ha!)
* Italy
* France
* Australia
* Greece
* New York

10. 5 appliances or kitchen tools I cannot live without:
* Coffee Maker
* The Microwave
* Fridge
* Chopper
* Bagel Slicer

If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands!

Mason's favorite things:

* He loves to clap. This started today and it has continued all day until I put him down for bed.

* His new thing is to crawl up to you, in the midst of playing, and give you a hug and a kiss. It caught me by surprise the first time, because I didn't ask for a kiss or a hug, I was just playing right next to him. My heart melted immediately. Now I sit and anxiously await his hugs and kisses.

* He knows where the nose, mouth, eyes and ears are.

* Swimming. He never flinched or made a sad face when easing him into the water. Once he gets in his float, he kicks his feet and splashes around.

* Bath time. Again, he loves the water and he especially likes to crawl and climb all over the bath tub. It makes me a bit nervous, but I keep a close eye on him.

* People food. He no longer eats baby food. This is so nice, because I can give him what we are eating and it saves us money.

* Starting today, he no longer takes a bottle. I have been putting his formula in a sippy cup, so that when he switches to milk, it will make the transition easier. He never fussed about this and adjusted very well.

computer update

As you can tell from the last couple of posts, we had a very busy weekend. In the midst of the craziness, we took my computer in for a diagnostic and unfortunately, the motherboard is fried. Economically, it would cost more to replace it than it would to get a new laptop. Fortunately, we have two other laptops, but I miss having my own. I was able to recover all of my pictures and documents that I needed before it died on me.