4th of July weekend

 On the morning of the 4th we went to our ward's social activity at the nearby elementary school. They provided breakfast, had a parade and games for the kids, and a little 4th of July program. We were able to socialize with a few members of the ward which was nice. Mason had fun too! Malone and I brought a blanket to sit on and it looked like many members forgot theirs, so we shared our blanket with some people. It was a great way to meet people apparently!

After the program we went back home and hung out, had lunch. Mason took a nap. That evening we decided to venture out and see about seeing the local fireworks. There were plenty of shows to choose from in the area. We ended up going back to the elementary to watch the fireworks from the parking lot there. When we arrived I saw that many members of our ward were there too. They were all sitting together and invited us to come join them all. We were able to meet and chat with many more members of our ward. It was nice to feel like we had a sort of ward "family" to enjoy the fireworks with. The fireworks couldn't hold a candle to the ones in Idaho Falls, but it was still fun. It made me miss home!! After the fireworks we were able to get home within like 10 minutes, no problem. That is probably the first time that has ever happened to us after fireworks ever!

The next day we went swimming in the pool here at the complex for the first time. It was really fun! Mason had a good time in his new swimming suit. Actually we all had new swimming suits because Malone and I had to get new ones too! It was a great time spending quality time with our little family.

And no... I didn't take ANY pictures. I am kicking myself!!

9 months old

 

Mason is 9 months old this month! I am a little late in posting, so he's about 9 1/2 months now. Mason had his 9 month checkup and he is 17.2 lbs, 27 1/2 inches long, and his HC is 48.9 cm. He is 11th percentile in weight and 17th percentile in length and 99th percentile for head circumference. Last time I posted I mentioned that his doctors at Scottish Rite Hospital were concerned about his weight. I mentioned this to his pediatrician at his appointment and she said she wasn't concerned about it. He might be a little light, but he looks good and healthy. And according to their records he's gained like 2 pounds since he had been there last. So he is growing!

 

A couple weeks ago we took Mason to see an ophthalmologist. At first I didn't fully understand why we needed to see an eye doctor at such a young age, but I come to find out that kids with hydrocephalus are more likely to have eye problems from the pressure in their brains. It can cause problems on the optic nerves. Luckily Mason's eyes are looking fantastic! And he was such a good boy at letting the doctor look at him.  

 

Mason is an expert at sitting up now and will sit for a long time by himself. I can put him in the cart at the store and he'll sit up there the whole time like a big boy! He jabbers all the time in his own language, often saying "da da" along with many other sounds. He doesn't bear much weight on his legs so he can't pull himself up to stand yet. And he isn't up to crawling yet. He just rolls. I think he rolls because it's easier for him. In therapy we have been working with him to get him ready to crawl. We'll put him in the crawling position and let him strengthen his arms We also give him exercises to help strengthen his legs so he can bear more weight eventually. We are expecting to start Mason on physical therapy in addition to occupational (not sure why we'd need both right now, we are still working it out!). I think physical therapy will be more helpful in getting Mason to bear weight. Mason eats everything we put in front of him. He eats really well and will insist he eat off our plates sometimes. Mason now has 3 teeth! His first top tooth popped through the other day. And I can almost see his other top tooth coming through. It's just a matter of a few days! Mason has learned to gimme five and has learned to clap this month. He is learning quickly! I love seeing him learn new things! He also has learned how to pick up little snacks and put them in his mouth.

 Mason has been sleeping pretty good at night. For a little while he was sleeping through the night, but then his teething started waking him up one or two times during the night.

 

 

Mason's first time swimming

Recently Mason has gotten to go swimming for the first time! We have a pool here at our apartment complex that we can swim in anytime. Mason really enjoyed it! There is a shallow part in the pool about 6 inches deep that he could just sit and splash.  

our attempt at a group shot!

 

I could go on and on about this kid and how amazing he is. He is always so happy and smiles all the time. His sweet spirit is such a blessing in our home!   

Celebrating Father's Day and update

The weather is warming up around here! Its going to be in the 90's all week. Last week we had rain for a few days making it feel extremely muggy outside. One day it poured so much rain I got a flood warning on my phone! Looking outside you could barely see the house across the way. So cool. And lots of thunder too. I loved it. Luckily no flooding, just a lot of water in the streets probably.

Malone and I are enjoying our ward here. I don't get to meet a lot of people because I sit in the corner playing the piano in Primary. So the lack of social interaction at church makes me more motivated to do my visiting teaching. I have never been a very good visiting teacher, so I am working on being better! I really like the girls I visit teach and I love my partner. They're all really great. Recently I had the opportunity to serve a member of the ward. It was no big deal and I enjoyed being able to be of help to someone. Malone is off the hook for webelos for the summer. I guess the boys don't do scouts in the summertime. Nice!

Malone continues to work hard at work! Recently he found some kind of a construction gnome statue on his desk that someone had put there. I guess the office passes around this gnome to people who have been doing a great job. So it was such a nice compliment for all the hard work Malone puts in! It seems like he never got the recognition for his effort at his old job, so that was really nice. Even if it was just a gnome on his desk... it's the thought that counts. Malone often goes to lunch with coworkers and clients who come to the office about projects. The office does this lotto lunch where a few random people are chosen to go to lunch together, it's a great way to get to know other people in the office. Malone enjoys meeting new people. From what Malone describes, this is a really nice company to work for. Very friendly environment and everyone has been so nice.

This past month has been a lot of fun! To celebrate father's day, Malone, Mason and I went to Medieval Times in Dallas. It was a blast! Medieval Times is a dinner and live show watching knights jousting, horsemanship, and falconry. You are assigned a knight to cheer for and sit in that knight's cheering section in ringside seats while your wench or servant brings you a 4 course meal. Our knight was the black and white knight. For dinner we had chicken, potato halves, tomato soup, garlic bread, and ribs. And you have to eat it all without utensils. I guess maybe they didn't have utensils back in Medieval times? Its a 2 hour show, so I was a little nervous of what to do with Mason during that time as far as feeding goes, but it worked out okay. Mason had mixed feelings about the show. He cried a bit, but I think he was so very tired. He actually managed to fall asleep for part of the show. I don't know how he did that with all that noise! Malone and I had a great time together. It was nice to go out and do something fun together.

We continue to go on walks now and then. There isn't anywhere within walking distance to go from our apartment and we live along a busy highway here. So we will go after Malone gets home or on Saturdays. But it tends to get really hot in the afternoon so we don't go often. We went for Family Home Evening yesterday and took Altivo with us. He doesn't get to go for walks much so he is fat and lazy and he got super tired on our walk. It was good for all of us to get off the couch and get a little exercise in!

Speaking of exercise, I am still doing my T25. I am just happy to be consistent even though I'm not perfect at it. I continue to slowly lose pounds and inches and continue to have increased energy. I think it's best for everyone when I exercise because I am so much happier the days that I do! So it's a good motivation to continue to be consistent. The challenge with my group on line is over, so I'm on my own now! I don't think I did too great with the challenges from the group, but I try to do better everyday.

Mason continues to do great! Recently his second tooth popped through, so now he has two teeth on bottom. He loves to eat his baby food and to help momma in the kitchen. He loves to do whatever mom is doing! Mason still doesn't really show any interest in crawling, but he gets around fine with rolling. He manages to get into trouble fine. The other day he managed to get into Tivo's water dish! H is such a happy boy and always makes me smile. He's my little buddy and I love taking him with me everywhere.