Pay it Forward Contest!

A few weeks ago, I entered a contest by leaving a comment on my friends blog and I won!

My prize.

Now it is my turn to return the favor! It's easy so here's the deal:
All you have to do is leave a comment - see I told you it was easy! Now I know I have a few blogger challenged friends out there that have not figured out how to leave comments, no more excuses, figure it out! :)

If you leave a comment, I will write your name down on a piece of paper and put it in bowl. I will draw three random names out of the bowl and send those people a little something special.

If you are a winner, I'll ask that you pay-it-forward on your blog. If you don't have a blog or website, send off a little something to three of your friends as a surprise or do something else. So no excuses if you don't have a blog or a website.

Contest ends Wednesday.

Please pray for Luke

When we moved here, we met the Mooney's. All of us became fast friends and they have the sweetest children. Luke, the youngest, is only 6 weeks older than Mason. Mason has fun with all three of the Mooney kids, but he and Luke have a special bond and are best buds. Did I mention that Luke and Taylor are going to get married? He tells Taylor he loves her all the time and calls her his girlfriend. Didn't you know, arranged marriages are all the rage!

I had the pleasure of watching Luke for a couple of months in the fall, and Mason had the best time playing with Luke everyday. Here are a few pictures I took back in September, when I took the boys to the park. They both look so young in the pictures. It's crazy to think that they will both be 2 yrs. old in the coming months.

Saturday morning, Luke was playing around and fell and hit the back of his head. He cried, but settled down and went about playing. Shortly after that, Marissa noticed Luke could cross his eyes. She used to do this at a young age and didn't think too much of it. Later in the morning, when we saw them, he continued to do it. We laughed about it, thinking he was just trying to show off, but it was weird to see a little boy his age cross his eyes.

As the weekend progressed, Marissa noticed Luke was crossing his eyes more and more. Concerned, she called the doctor, and went into to see him Monday afternoon. Dr. Shah commented that his eye was sunk in and that he needed to see Dr. Hair, an Opthamologist here in Bakersfield and then he would most likely refer them to a specialist at UCLA. Tuesday morning, they couldn't get in to see Dr. Hair so Dr. Shah made a call to the specialist at UCLA and ordered a CT Scan that afternoon.

They didn't get the results of the CT Scan until this morning and it came back abnormal. Within 2 minutes of their appointment with the specialist at UCLA, he diagnosed Luke with what he believes is Chiari Malformation and referred them to a Neurosurgeon. After meeting with the Neurosurgeon this afternoon, he also believes the same thing. In order to confirm it, Luke must undergo an MRI.

The MRI will either be scheduled for tomorrow or Tuesday and they will need to sedate Luke for the procedure. If the MRI confirms that it's Chiari Malformation, then it's very likely he will need surgery. I will be sure to keep everyone posted on how Luke is doing. Please lift Luke and the rest of their family up in your prayers.

Funny story

A couple weeks ago, I wrote about whether or not to start potty training Mason. After that post, which I received some great feedback, I decided to wait a little longer before I embark on the scary journey. Well now I'm not sure anymore.

The other day I went to wake Mason up from his nap, because he had been asleep for 3 hours and was still asleep. I walk over to his crib and notice that his shorts are off, along with his diaper, with his butt in the air. I immediately felt around to see if his sheets, blankets or anything else in the crib was wet. No! Thank goodness. As I leaned in to grab him, I realized the carpet was wet. Dang it, he peed on the floor. At least he was smart enough to realize that if he peed in this bed, then it would be wet. I try to find the upside of things.

He didn't want to lay on the changing table, so I put him down and told him to go into the living room, where I would put his diaper on. After I grabbed a diaper, I walked in the living room and Mason looked me in the eye and pointed down and began to pee. I said no and he began to cry. I didn't mean to scare him, but I also didn't want pee on my carpet. After a 15 minute battle, I finally was able to get his diaper on. The boy thinks it's funny to run around the house naked.

I couldn't help but laugh after everything happened. What else can you do? So I've decided we will attempt to try potty training this summer, but I won't push it. If he is ready, then it will happen and if not, we will revisit it when he is. Seriously, what is the fascination with taking off your diaper and peeing on the floor.

Mason & Taylor at 5 weeks old

Mason
Taylor

Taylor 4-5 Week Pictures

Taylor with her Snugglie
5 weeks old

She's keeping an eye on you!

Sleeping on Daddy

All dressed for her first day at Church

I have a very similar photo of Mason

I love you!

1 month stats

Taylor's 1 month (5 Weeks) stats:

Weight: 10lbs 12oz
Height: 22 inches

The doctor was very pleased with how well she is doing. I had mentioned to him that I was worried that she might be Colicky, and he said he didn't believe that was the case. She doesn't cry and if she does, it doesn't last long. She had been crying on and off from 7 to 10 pm three nights a week for two weeks, but that has since gone away. It was nothing to stress about, but I just wanted to make sure.

Obviously Taylor likes to eat. I still feed her every 2-3 hours and at night she goes anywhere from 3-4 hours in between feedings. Breastfeeding is going very well this time around. It has been such a blessing. With Mason, I had already stopped breastfeeding at this age because I had Mastitis and couldn't push through it. Our late night feedings are probably my favorite. It's our cuddle time. I miss my sleep and can't wait for a full nights sleep again, but I'm making sure to treasure every minute, because it goes by so fast.

1 month

Last Friday, Taylor celebrated her one month birthday. It's amazing how your lives can change in a months span. In the past month, we went from a family of three to a family of four. We now have an adorable little boy and a gorgeous baby girl. It's still crazy to think that we have two kids. In the past month, I went from getting a full nights sleep to maybe getting a total of 4 to 5 hours, if I'm lucky. She is a great sleeper, but she loves to cuddle and snuggle with her mommy in the middle of the night. I find that she makes the sweetest faces during this time. In the past month, I went from having a big pregnant belly and being uncomfortable, to being able to wear my old clothes again. I will start working out again in the next week and I can't wait. I always feel so much better after a good run.

Taylor is changing too! You can tell she likes to eat because she has the cutest little chubby cheeks. They are still relatively small, but she is filling out and starting to get a little chunk on her. Her hair is still as blonde as ever and loves to wear her bows. She is all about accessories! Although she is still wearing all of her newborn outfits, it won't be too long before she will outgrow them and be in 0-3 months.

Have I mentioned that she is a champ at holding her head up? Minutes after she was born and placed on my chest, she was holding her head up and looking around. She is awake and alert usually in the evening. From 7-10pm, she has her colic period (not yet diagnosed by the doctor). It's not bad and nothing to complain about, she just likes to be held and tends to be very gassy during this time. She will cry off and on, but mostly grunts as she looks over around the room. Overall, she is a very laid back and easy going baby, just like her brother.

Wednesday is her 1 month checkup. Adam won't be able to join us because of work, so I will be taking Mason and Taylor out by myself. I'm not gonna lie, I'm a little nervous, but I'm hopeful that everything will go smoothly.