Tim's Birthday, Doctor Visits, and First Foods

This past week we kept very busy. We celebrated Tim's 33rd birthday and Spencer had two doctor visits. Tim took last Wednesday and Thursday off for his birthday. The boys and I treated him to lunch at Chiptoles and then we bought some new bushes (to replace the ones the rabbits killed this winter) and some flowers to spruce up the front yard with color. The weather was perfect for spending the day outside doing yard work. Mason loved helping plant the new flowers.



Spencer had his 4 month check up. He is now weighing in at 15lbs 14oz (50-75%ile) and is 26in long (75th-90%ile). He still is having a little bit of discomfort in his left thigh from one of his shots (there is a knot there), other than that he is fine. Today he had his appointment with the dermatologist for his eczema. It was nice to talk to her and get a little more direction on what I can do for him. She felt like it wasn't necessary to prescribe him anything because she doesn't like to give infants more steroids, if possible. Since the over-the-counter hydrocortisone works when we use it, she suggested that we continue with it and to apply the Aquaphor twice a day. She also said that if he seems to have a really bad flare up and itching a lot to give him some Benedryl.



We also started Spencer on rice cereal this weekend. The first attempt, we made the cereal pretty thin. He took a little in but most of it ended up on his bib. Since then, I have thickened it up and he takes the whole tablespoon of cereal with no fuss. He is so cute opening his mouth as the spoon approaches. He's been waiting for this day to come, when he too could eat like the big people. We'll stick with the rice cereal for a couple of more weeks and then introduce oatmeal, followed by veggies.



Mason has loved the nicer weather and getting outdoors to play. We look forward to spending the majority of our days this spring and summer outside. Let's hope this little cold spell the past couple of days is the end of Old Man Winter.


Finally, Tim decided to paint our half bathroom this weekend. We had decided that we wanted Picaso Blue. It is dark, but looks really awesome with the white accents (rug, towels, shelf, picture frame). The pictures don't do it justice, but it really does look great.

Spring :)

What a beautiful week! We have truly enjoyed this nice weather, spending as much time outdoors as possible. Mason loves to ride his bike and his scooter, blow bubbles, play basketball, soccer, and baseball, throw his frisbee, and chase Mommy around the yard. I can say that the TV is not getting much use these days (YEA!).

Tim stayed very busy this weekend too. He spread about 5 yards of mulch, edged all of the landscaping, and mowed the lawn for the first time this year. We still have to replace a few bushes that the rabbits killed this winter and plant some flowers. Tim turns 33 on Thursday and has taken the next couple of days off of work. He's made himself a list of "to do" projects.

Spencer is doing great. He found his toes this week. He loves to laugh at his brother. He is really good at grabbing toys and chewing on them. He goes for his 4 month check up on Thursday and he sees a dermatologist next Tuesday. He still isn't rolling over, but loves to sit and stand (with assistance). He experienced grass for the first time and really liked moving his toes in it.


I am doing well. I went to the outlets with the boys and my cousin yesterday. It was time to get Mason's spring/summer wardrobe. Fortunately, Spencer can wear all of Mason's old clothes, plus he actually received a lot of cute new clothes from friends that will fit this summer. I've been posting things to sell on Craigslist as Spencer grows out of things. It's my way of making a little money. Well, that's about all. Check back at the end of the week for birthday pictures and an update on Spencer.


pictures from last week's playdate

Did you feel it??????

THE EARTHQUAKE? I woke up right at 4:37 am feeling the bed shake, but had no idea what it was. It wasn't until I turned on the news this morning that I made the connection that I had felt the 5.2 magnitude earthquake. What a rarity! I remember when I was younger and staying with my cousins there was an earthquake. I didn't actually feel that one because I was in the car, but my uncle told us that one had hit. I know people in California would probably not agree, but it was kinda cool. I guess because it is so rare (and the fact that there was no major damage and no one was hurt). Send a comment if you felt the quake and tell us where you are. They said people as far as Ohio and Wisconsin could feel it.

Birthday

Yesterday was my 32nd birthday. It was a beautiful sunny day and the week's forecast is for warmer weather. I couldn't have asked for a better gift. Tim was able to get out of work early and took me to dinner. He told them it was my birthday, so they brought out a big sundae and announced to the diners that it was my birthday and sang to me. I usually don't get embarrassed, but I could feel my face turning red. Here are a few pictures from dinner.



***Something funny that Mason said last night on our way to dinner: "Mommy I wish I could have a 'White Shoes' hat, too." (he loves his White Sox hat and has wanted to wear it a lot lately) It is too funny how their little minds think.

Last week, we kept very busy. Dawn and Kiara came into town. Dawn had a couple of photo shoots, including Spencer's 3 month shoot.
Kiara is wearing her meerkat costume that Grandma and Grandpa had made for her.
We took the kids to the Brookfield Zoo on Monday. It was a lot of fun.

Tuesday, my cousin, Martha came over to visit while Dawn took Spencer's pictures. Then later that day, Mason's little friend's and their Mommy came over to finally meet Spencer (someone was always sick and this was our first chance to introduce them to our sweet baby boy),
On Friday, some of our other friends came over. It is so nice to get together with friends.

That evening, we went to my friend, Elizabeth's house (she had her little boy 9 days before Spencer was born). Her husband was out of town and Tim was working late, so we decided to do dinner together and let the kids play. I am so happy that we still live here, so close to all of these wonderful friends.

IT'S OFFICIAL, MASON IS A BIG BOY

So this afternoon, Mason was doing his little "dance" indicating that he needed to go #2. I took the opportunity to set him on the potty. He protested and said he wanted to watch cartoons, so I moved his potty chair to the family room. He whined and cried about it and said he wanted to get up, so I took off his clothes and said he would have to be naked. Well, sure enough he came back and sat down. It took him awhile to feel confident, but he was successful. He said, "that wasn't so bad." He was so excited because this meant that he could finally get some GeoTrax. Unfortunately, Toys R Us was all out of the GeoTrax that he wanted. I bought him a small train and promised that we would order it online. I AM SO PROUD OF HIM. Sorry if this was TMI.

Soccer Game

Today was the BIG soccer game against the parents. Tim was able to take the morning off and participate with Mason. That was really nice. The class started off as usual with the kids warming up and then the parents had to do the same warm up. I held Spencer and we just stayed to the side as spectators. I was able to take a few pictures finally. Unfortunately, it was nap time for Spencer, so I left the room to nurse him so I could put him back in his car seat. Well, I guess me leaving the room must have upset Mason because he didn't want to participate anymore and just wanted to go home. I switched places with Tim (he tried to soothe Spencer) and I joined Mason for the soccer game. Well, I guess 3 weeks of no soccer was toooooo long because by this time Mason had had enough and just whined and cried. We didn't stay for the game and Mason missed out on getting his blue ribbon for the class. I was so disappointed once again. I think I need to get over it and move on. We will try again with another class because I really think with enough opportunities to do something without Mommy the better it will be next year for preschool.

Lots of time with friends

We've seen a lot of friends this past week. A week ago, my long time friend, Amy, came with her family to meet Spencer and visit. This is a picture of her daughter holding Spencer. Isn't she cute!

My friend, Cheri, and her 15 month old daughter came this week to meet Spencer. She is 5 1/2 months pregnant with twin boys. How crazy! She is going to be very busy come July. I wish I would have taken some pictures that day, but totally forgot. We worked together at Kensington Preschool 2 years ago. Her Mom actually teaches at the preschool where Mason is going next year. I hope he has her as a teacher. We'll find out in a month at our parent meeting.

Now today, we had our play date at my cousin's house. It has been almost a month since we've gotten together and boy have the babies gotten big. They are so cute. Spencer and his second cousin, *N, loved looking at each other. They were both smiling a lot. What a great visit! I love that we get together every couple of weeks. I'll miss it next fall when my cousin has to go back to work. We'll enjoy the pictures.






Tomorrow is Mason's last day of soccer and the big soccer game between the kids and the parents. Tim was able to work it out to be there, so I'll be able to stand back and take some pictures and video. How fun for Mason and Daddy! I will post pictures from the game tomorrow.