Easter and Malone's Fitness Challenge

We celebrated Easter this year, but it wasn't much. We didn't make it to any Easter egg hunts or have one of our own. Mason got an Easter basket with some books and toy cars that he loves to haul around. He also got an Easter outfit, plaid shorts and a shirt. On Easter we went to a friends house for brunch and to watch the first session of conference. Mason got to play with a bunch of kids and we got to visit with friends which was nice. We had planned on doing an Easter egg hunt, but it was too rainy and wet outside.

The weather here has warmed up considerably but has come with quite a bit of rain and severe thunderstorms. Our area had many tornado watches over the past few weeks and apparently southwest of Fortworth was the worst of it; tornados, wind, hail, you name it. Luckily we only got rain and some lightning and thunder, and I guess a flood warning or two. But it could have been worse!

Earlier this month Malone had the opportunity to participate in this company fit challenge. A few teams of his coworkers got together and competed in a series of fitness challenges. Malone got to be on a team with some friends of his and had a really great time. It was a really hot muggy day and the grass was wet and soggy from the rain the night before, which made for some muddy conditions in some areas of the field. They ended up placing second in their division! 

Malone, Ethan Mabe, Duncan Tyler, and Mike Mabe

Getting ready to run a couple miles

All the people who participated from Malone's company

Dirty, sweaty and tired but still smiling!

DFW Car Show

Last weekend we had the opportunity to go to the Dallas/Fortworth Auto Show. I bought Malone some tickets for Valentines day and we finally went! We were really looking forward to it. There were a LOT of cars there, of course. All brand new 2015 cars to see from every make and model there is. And you could get in them and sit in them, look at them from top to bottom. It was fun to see all the new models of cars. We even shopped a little for ourselves! We enjoyed looking at the foreign cars as well as the really expensive cars you never see!  We also saw a few vintage cars as well which were pretty neat also. Mason loved the car show and would point at all the cars. Many cars he wanted to sit in the drivers seat and "steer" the steering wheel. Malone got to go for a ride in this cool virtual car racing game.  I can't really describe it! But it would spin around when he'd turn the wheel and everything. We all had a really great time and spent most of the day there.

17 Months old

Mason is 17 months old. It has been over a month since Mason got his AFO braces and it has made such a difference! He is much more confident about standing up and walking than ever before. He is able to stand for longer periods of time and is standing straighter. Before he just didn't have the strength to stand long and tended to hunch over because he used a lot of upper body to help hold himself up to things. Mason is able to make laps around the house with his walker toy ( with some help with navigation from me) and can transfer from the walker to furniture and back. And he is finally cruising along furniture, which took some time and training for him. I love seeing him more independent and able to get around with less help. He loves it too. He is so proud of himself. Malone and I are so happy with his progress.

He continues to challenge me when it comes to eating healthy. I offer him lots of fruits and veggies and it has made a little dent if any in his picky-ness. I constantly worry if he is getting enough nutrition, but I guess that is normal for this age. Mason is finally weaned from nursing completely, which has been nice. 

Mason has quite the personality. He always tries to be funny. Still such a happy boy all the time. He knows how to do a couple actions with "itsy bitsy spider" and "popcorn popping". I catch him doing the actions by himself all the  time. 

He has gotten into mischief a little with the toilet paper, completely emptying the roll on the floor. And he likes to empty the DVD cases and get into my cupboards. Typical toddler stuff. Even though it can be annoying sometimes, I am thankful that he can get around. There were times in the beginning we didn't know what he would be capable of, if he would even be able to walk or crawl. He has definitely exceeded all expectations and we are thrilled! While he is able to get around pretty good, he still struggles with weakness. Malone and I have noticed his right foot (which has always turned in a little) is turning in so much that it gets in the way when Mason walks. His feet are so awkward that he just gets hung up when he walks. Lately he has been stubborn about getting up and moving so I have to constantly find ways to motivate him to stand and cruise around (it is hard to do day after day!) . 

Mason loves cars and makes the vroom sound when he plays. He will point out all the cars when we go places and he likes the movie "Cars". He will sit quietly and watch the entire movie.

Another update with Mason

This is just a quick post about Masons recent appointments this past week or so.
Mason was finally fitted for his AFOs which are way cool. Mason doesn't seem to kind them and he is already showing improvements in his standing and walking ability. He is more confident about standing and trying to walk which tells me he is getting stronger already. We still have a little issue of his right leg turning in. All this time I thought it was just his weak ankle but its also a knee/hip weakness because even with the brace on he sort of twists at the knee  sometimes ( its totally freaky). Hopefully in time we will strengthen these muscles needed to straighten things out there.

Mason is walking with his walker! He needs a little help getting his feet in the right position and tends to drag them with his shoes on, but he is able to walk halfway across the room almost unassisted!

Mason also recently had to do a urodynamics  study to test his bladder pressure to see if there were any issues there. Turns out he is just borderline on unhealthy pressures, but the doc says that as long as his kidneys are healthy and he hasn't had any UTI's he should be okay not to cath. And according to his renal ultrasound his kidneys are healthy and we have no problems with UTI's so far. It was such a relief to walk out of this appointment knowing we were still in the clear and that Mason is doing well.

We are so so grateful for Heavenly Father's blessings as he watches over our family. We continue to see Mason perform miracles everyday as he meets his milestones. When we learned of Masons condition we didn't know if he would ever walk. And yet here he is walking across the room smiling at us like its no big deal! I cannot deny the tender mercies of Heavenly Fathers hand we witness on a daily basis.

Mason update: 15 months

Mason is now 15 months old! He is 22lbs 3oz and 30 1/2 inches long, putting him at 41% in weight and 25% in height. His head circumference is now down to 82%. In July last year his HC was 99%, so we can see that he is finally growing into his head size. It's so good to see his percentiles closer to normal range. His pediatrician is happy, so we are very happy!

Masons crawling has really taken off! He is a professional now and loves the freedom of getting around. He is able to maneuver quite well. He loves cleaning off everything off my shelves for me and likes to explore room to room. He especially loves going outside.

We have had Physical therapy come out and work with Mason every week for a couple months now and Mason has made improvements in bearing weight for longer periods of time and has taken some steps with some assistance. He likes to stand, even if it is only for a short time. The walker Santa gave him has helped some, but Mason is somewhat more interested in the toy part of it than the walking part. However he has been able to bear weight and take some steps with it before so that is exciting. He is getting stronger everyday!

Recently Mason had his appointment for SB clinic to check up on his development and spina bifida stuff. We visited with the nurse, physical therapist, occupational therapist, orthopedist, and pediatrician. It was a long morning, but all his doctors were pleased with how well he is doing. We asked the doctors about getting him into some AFO braces to help him to stand. Mason has weakness in his lower legs and especially his ankles which makes it difficult for him to stand. He uses a lot of upper body strength to help hold himself up, which is tiring and frustrating for him. Also, his left knee tends to stay bent, possibly due to some tight muscles in his hamstring. So the Physical Therapist took a look and agreed that braces would help. So they sent us down to orthotics to visit with the doctor there and he was able to make a mold for Mason's legs so they could create some braces. We will be going back to the hospital in a couple weeks to get Mason fitted for the braces and to learn more about what to do. We are hoping with braces Mason will have his legs and ankles in the right position so that he can strengthen his muscles better and potentially get to the point that he can stand and walk. We are excited for this next step in Mason's development! 

Mason has been teething since Christmas. He randomly had a molar pop through, which at the time I didn't realize he was even teething so I was surprised to find a new tooth in there. Now it looks like the molar on the other side has come through and a couple more molars on top are starting to show through. He has been restless at night and sometimes cranky during the day. He is pickier than ever with eating which is frustrating, but typical I suppose. 

Lately Mason has been very insistent in wanting to take Tivo outside. He likes to get Tivos leash and chase him around with it trying to hook it onto his collar. And if at any time Mason knows we are going to take Tivo out and try to go without him he just bawls. He wants to go with us and hold the leash. Its pretty cute, even though it's tricky holding a baby on your hip with a dog on a leash. He even knows the word "dog" and will say "daw" in reference to Tivo. And he knows when we say we are taking the dog "potty outside". Both Mason and the dog get excited when they hear that phrase.

Speaking of speaking, Mason can say mama, dada, see?, what's that (wussat?), hi, and will sign "more" also. I can ask him where his nose is and he will point to it, same with his eyes. He understands the words snack, drink, outside, dog, and book. I can ask him to hand me something and he will, if he isn't being stubborn about it. 

Mason has also figured out the fist "bump" that he constantly wants to do. He will hold his little fist out and waits for you to bump it. He even did it to Grandma over Skype.

Finding things to keep Mason occupied requires creativity!

Helping Mom make cookies

We recently got Mason a new carseat, and he loves it! We sat him in it at the store and he said, "oooh!"

Mason playing in his old car seat

Tried out a new hairstyle and we love it!

We went to the park yesterday and swung on the swings. It was such a beautiful day!

Christmas, Malone's birthday and New Years

On the 5th of December we went to a community nativity our stake puts on every year. I was expecting a regular live nativity or something, but this was so amazing! Our stake gets together with other churches in the area to exhibit people's nativities they have. There were literally thousands of nativities of every kind and made of everything from glass to metal to wood, even legos. They were traditional to some not so traditional, nativities from all over the world. The entire gym at our stake center was filled. There was also a small live nativity. And while you are walking around looking at these thousands of nativities, in the chapel they had entertainment. Many people from all different churches including ours performed in choirs, duets, played musical instruments, you name it. Every half hour they had a performance of some kind and this went on for three days from morning to late in the evening. There were so many people involved in organizing this and it brought the whole community together. It was amazing! We loved it and can't wait to go back next year. 

Lego Nativity

The next day we attended a tree lighting ceremony in Flower Mound. It was a really cold and windy night! We had to park a couple blocks away and take a bus to the park where the happenings were.  We ended up having to walk the last block because the parade route blocked the street. We missed the parade, but we were able to see all sorts of things at the park. We got to go on a hay ride, visit Santa Claus, and pet animals at the petting zoo. The hay ride was fun, but as I said before it was cold! And when we visited Santa Claus, Mason was a little uncomfortable on Santa's lap, but he didn't cry. Because Malone swept him up and sat on Santa's lap with Mason, which was funny. After we wandered around looking at things and watching shows on the stage, we went to the petting zoo. We all enjoyed petting all the goats, donkey, chickens, pigs, sheep, calf, and even a baby deer! Finally around 8 they did the tree lighting, which was somewhat a bummer because the tree wasn't even a Christmas tree. It was just a regular tree with blue lights which was weird. Anyway, by the time we got done we were all half frozen. So we caught the bus back to our car. We all had a great time! 

 For Christmas my parents came and visited! They drove all the way through Phoenix to visit my brother and ended up here Christmas Eve. It was such a long drive and we were so thankful for their sacrifice to come be with us. We played games and ate food, and watched movies all Christmas Eve. We celebrated Christmas and opened gifts and had a really yummy dinner. We played some new games that my parents got for Christmas and hung out most of the day. Mason had a great time with his new toys. He got a bouncy dragon to ride on, a walker toy, blocks, 3 outfits, toy trucks, and a few puzzles. I got Malone some replacement parts for his little race car set he's been wanting forever, a movie, and a knife sharpener. And Malone got me a new sketchbook and some much needed bread pans and baking dishes. We also received some nice clothes and toys from Chris and Natalie. My parents got us a new waffle iron. Malone's parents gave Mason a really cute outfit.

this is how we protected our gifts and tree from Mason

Mason's Christmas jammies

Malone made a beautiful turkey and it was sooo yummy!

The next day we visited the Dallas Temple and drove around to see the Dallas skyline. Mom and I went antiquing at a nearby antique store till we were both exhausted! 

Dallas Texas Temple

 It was a really fun Christmas. The best Christmas gift though was just having my family here to celebrate with us and for Mason to get to spend quality time with his grandparents. 

Malone's birthday was a week long celebration. On the 23rd we spent the evening at our friends house in Denton. We had dinner and played minute to win it for a few hours. It was so much fun! We had cake and blew out candles. We also celebrated Malone's birthday on the 26th before my parents left. They had bought him an outfit from his favorite store, which he loved! And I bought him a Roku for his birthday. On Saturday the 27th, we went out to Malone's favorite Tex-Mex restaurant Chuy's in Denton. Then on his actual birthday, Sunday the 28th, it was pretty laid back. We went to church, had leftovers and hung out and played games. It had been a big week and it was actually nice to have a quiet evening to ourselves. 

For New Years we stayed up and watched the new X-men movie Malone got for Christmas. On New Years day we went bowling with some friends. Malone and I haven't bowled in a couple years so we were rusty! But we had a lot of fun. Afterwards we went to Red Robin for dinner. We are so lucky to have such good friends here to spend time with. 

Overall December was a little crazy as it usually is, but it was so extra special spending so much time with the people we love and that's all that really matters to me this time of year anyway.