5 Months

This month has been one of the most exciting months yet. Literally everyday Mason is doing something new. His favorite thing to do right now is play with his feet. He is so amazed by these weird things he has...he tries to put them in his mouth, he laughs at them, and sometimes he pulls his toes and realizes that it hurts when he pulls too hard. He still loves his Johnny Jumper...mommy and daddy love it too because it occupies him for a while so we can cook dinner. Unfortunately, he is liking his swing less and less. He is way too active to have to sit still in it for too long. He literally almost falls out of it everytime we put him in. Since we didn't go to the Dr. at 5 months, these are my estimated stats for the month:

-weights 19.5 lbs
-26.5 inches tall
-still eats 8 oz formula 4/day
-eats cereal for breakfast and lunch
-still naps 2 hrs in morning and 3 hrs in afternoon
-sleeps from about 730 to 630

My friend Megan has always told me that with each new stage brings excitement but it's own hardships. I must say that I have found this to be very true. Mason LOVES to eat his cereal...he also LOVES to make a mess with his cereal (which anyone who knows Kyle and I know that we typically can not stand messes). I tell him "Mason, you can not eat your hands and the cereal at the same time"...he laughs at me everytime I say this. Welcome to parenthood, Ashley...you can not expect your 5 month old to do anything except make a mess with his food.

Kyle had to travel this week so Mason and I got to go to Hunstville for a few days to visit my Aunt/Uncle/cousins and my grandparents. He did great and it was nice having some helping hands while Kyle was gone. My grandparents love seeing Mason, and I of course love visiting with them, so it was a great get away. Thanks for letting us visit, Aunt Becky!

 Mason and I sporting out Vanderbilt Commodores shirts....still Tigers at heart though!

                              One of his favorite things to do....sleep!

                               We love you Granny and Grandaddy!

Our blessing in disguise

We pray for blessings, we pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering

All the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love us way too much to give us lesser things

 Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops?
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You’re near?

What if trials of this life
Are Your mercies in disguise?

We pray for wisdom, Your voice to hear
We cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt Your goodness, we doubt Your love
As if every promise from Your Word is not enough

And all the while You hear each desperate plea
And long that we'd have faith to believe

And what if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are Your mercies in disguise?

-Laura Story

Being a parent is HARD, but is the biggest blessing I could ask for.

Beginings with cereal

Wow...time really does fly by! Mason is now 4 months old and is learning new things every day. Here are some stats for this month:
-weights 19 lb (BIG boy!)...98th%
-26 inches tall...96%
-eats 8 oz formula 4/day
-sleeps from 8pm-7am
-naps in am for an hour and afternoon for 3 hrs!
-beginning to eat cereal for breakfast

Mason was not so sure about cereal for the first couple days. He made aweful faces, spit it out and cried unconsolably. When we tried it on day 3, however,  it was like he had been eating it forever. I guess I will never understand babies! Ever since then he eats about 3 tablespoons every morning for breakfast. The philosophy is that by incorporating cereal they will eat less formula/milk...NOT true with my baby boy. He is still chugging along on the milk.

We also started putting Mason in his bouncy this month...yay for new toys! We have to stuff towels around him as he can't sit up in it on his own quite yet, but that doesn't stop him from playing. After weeks of putting him in his bouncy, I realized that you can push a button and it teaches him colors in 3 different languages..WHO KNEW?! This baby is going to be much smarter than his mom by 5 years old.




Another fun milestone this month....he can ROLL OVER! Of course, this means that laying him on his play mat so that I can get some chores done around the house is no longer an option. It is so funny to watch...I can lay him down and within 10 seconds he is on his belly screaming (he hates being on his tummy...guess I havent  incorporated enough "tummy time"). After a while he either realizes it isn't so bad or occasionally he will give up and fall asleep. Here are some fun pics that capture the excitement.

This has been a really exciting month with lots of fun milestones reached. Best of all, he is starting to develop a personality. He is definately a "momma's boy" but there is no one who can make him laugh like his daddy. When Kyle enters the room he just lights up and starts laughing. He loves when Kyle soars him around like an airplane and tells him all his silly jokes (that I would never laugh at but amuse Mason to no end). He has truly been a blessing to our lives and we can't wait to see what this next month brings!