Pumpkin Patch 2010

Oh what a difference a year makes. Here is Mason during our visit last year to the Pumpkin Patch and then this year's picture. He's all grown up. He'll be going to college in about a week. I also included one of my favorites. I think it might be my new all-time favorite. Look for the whole album on my gallery.

I Love Guilt!

Not 30 minutes after I posted last Wednesday about not having any pictures from the Kansas trip Bruce was kind enough to email a few photos. From the looks of it everyone had a good time. The parade, the 4X4, and playing with the boys looked like fun. Mason loves his uncles and Grandpa...and of course daddy!

Yikes!

Well, would'ya look at that. It's the end of September and I am way behind. Surprised? By now I wouldn't think you would be.

This summer we had all kinds of adventures. We went to the beach a couple of times, to the zoo, the Children's Museum, the YMCA, and we took a trip to Ouray, CO. Oh and we got a new washer and dryer. This was the best summer yet. Keep in mind it was only one of two that I have to compare against.

Most recently Mason went to Concordia, KS with all the Johnston men. I heard he had a great time, but since he was with all men do you think I have any pictures? Of course not. I did get one picture of him behind the wheel of the tractor, but you have to zoom way in to see him. Oh well. See above for some pictures from our summer adventures.

Call Me a Slacker

Yes, I know it's been a while since I've posted; three and a half months to be exact.

I can explain.

See, there was this train and it derailed right in front of me. It took days to dig me out of the rubble, and then one of the rescue workers mistakenly took me for a parole violator and it took about a week and a half to talk my way out of that one. Just as I had convinced everyone it wasn't me they wanted I fell into a well and I've been stuck there ever since. Treading water for days and days on end. Really the only thing that got me through was the thought of this blog, and you, my dear readers. You are the ones to whom I owe my life. So, thank you, and I am back.

Rodeo Day

Howdy, cowpokes!

Friday was the annual rodeo at Bendwood. I'll go ahead and get it out of the way, Mason was the most adorable cowboy I've ever seen. I have included proof. This rodeo was amazing. It all started with a parade and then there was a petting zoo, pony rides, and games.

Mason started clapping when he saw us at the beginning of the parade and then the rest of the time was spent at the petting zoo. I guess growing up with Parks in the house has taken away any fear of large animals because Mason was intently focused on petting the sheep. I've included a great video of him in the petting zoo pen. If you want a funny, gross-out story ask me when you see me. I couldn't post the video I really wanted to. It just wouldn't be right.

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Cute Stuff

I swear Mason gets cuter every day. He has learned some new words and tricks that warrant mention. Recently Mason has discovered our broom in the laundry room and started pulling it out and dragging it on the tile as if he were sweeping. Lord knows he didn't learn this from watching me so I don't know how he picked it up. Can you picture lil' Mason who is probably 2 feet tall dragging around a broom as tall as his mom? Needless to say we had some close calls with some of our breakable items on the table. Thank goodness for Gigi. She swooped in with a Mason-sized broom that Mason is almost more attached to now than his monkey blanket. Maybe we can start Mason on the chore chart a little earlier than we thought.

Mason has also added some words to his vocabulary. He can now say chicken, cheese, and turkey. Notice they are all food related. We're not really having a problem getting him to get back up to his fighting weight after all those ear infections.

Watching the boy has me worried about our future phone bill. If you don't know already, Mason is a talker. He'll tell you about anything and everything on his mind. If you understand him, well, that's another story. He'll walk around with the phone to his ear and chat away like he's catching up with someone he hasn't seen in years. The child doesn't even need a phone. He'll just hold his hand to his ear and gab. His teachers love it when he does that and tell me that usually he'll put his hand up to his ear and say, "Hello, Daddy." Cute, cute, cute!

Tubes

For anyone who has a child with reoccurring ear infections, I highly recommend getting tubes. I know it's been only a few days since the surgery, but even just the surgery is worth getting them. It was literally 10 minutes and the doctor was finished. Stephen and I barely had time to sit and read more than 3 pages of a book. The most stressful part for Mason was waking up to a room full of strangers and 4 wires stuck to him. It took a while to get him calmed down, but after that he took an hour and a half nap. He was then back to his normal self. He was eating and drinking like normal. He even went back to school the next day no worse for wear. All we have to do now is use ear drops for three days and that's it. The doctor said that they suctioned a lot of gunk out from behind his ear drum so he should be hearing better. I can definitely notice that he reacts to his name faster and he's not talking as loud as he was. What an improvement.

So Much to Say

A lot has happened in the past week. Mason is as cute as ever and he has a new, short haircut. We went to Cool Cuts for Kids and that place is amazing. They weren't very crowded as it was 11 on a Sunday. We went right in and they had a car for Mason to sit in while Miss Margarita cut his hair, but before we even sat down Mason got to choose his own movie. He watched Finding Nemo in his car. I don't think we'll ever try another way. It was a little more expensive than we'd like, but definitely worth it. If you've got a kid with a head full of hair Cool Cuts is the place to go.

Mason is definitely getting tubes. We'll have the surgery on February 15th. From what the doctor said it's a very simple procedure and the actual surgery part takes less than 5 minutes. The scary part is that he has to have general anesthesia, but even with that we'll only be in the recovery room for about 30 minutes. I'm trying not to worry too much about it since it's such a common procedure these days, but I'm his mom and that's what I do. According to the doctor 75% of kids don't have any more ear infections and the 25% who still have them have less severe ear infections and they respond a lot better to antibiotics. The tubes will fall out as Mason's ears grow, and he can still swim and bathing isn't a problem. I can't wait!

On Saturday we went to Monkey Business which is a birthday party mecca. One of Mason's friends, Christopher, had his 1st birthday along with his brother. I have never been there before, but it is fantastic and I plan to go back. They have a big room with about 5 inflatable jumps, slides, obstacle courses, and a rock climbing wall. You had me at inflatable! Mason was a little stunned and most of the time he just hung out with Stephen and me and watched the other kids. No doubt next time he'll be on the move.

So that was our week. See you next time.

Back to the Doctor

Well, it's been a month so I guess it was time.

Mason went back to the doctor last week and was diagnosed with a minor ear infection. We got antibiotics on Tuesday, but Mason still had a fever on Thursday so we went back and his minor ear infection had progressed to a double ear infection. Stronger antibiotics were prescribed. Friday morning there was blood in his crib and his ear. His ear drum had burst.

Back to the doctor.

We now had to get antibiotic shots Friday, Monday and Wednesday. Plus we were told that it is time for tubes. The doctor gave us a list of ENT's and recommended a few good men. I just hope this works. I'm tired of this antibiotic stuff.

I think I glossed over the burst ear drum part. Anyone would be shocked to find blood in their child's crib. Luckily, though, I had heard it was possible for a child's ear drum to burst if they had an ear infection and the pressure became too great. I was also assured that it wasn't a bad thing. It makes the kid more comfortable because the pressure is relieved. It just looks gross.

So, to sum up, Mason's sick again, he's back on antibiotic shots, and next week we will make an appointment with an ENT to get the process started to put tubes in his ear canals.

Who knew being a parent would be this much fun?

Good-bye Stetson

Our good boy Stetson passed away yesterday. He was 11 and 1/2 which I've heard is a good age for big dogs like labs.

He wasn't acting right on Tuesday and after a hard night Stephen took him to the vet. The vet sent us to an urgent care facility and before they could truly diagnose the problem his heart gave out. The doctors think it was cancer, but no matter what it was he didn't suffer for long.

Of course we're broken up by this, but we know we have Parks and Mason to keep us busy. We're just happy that Mason got to know him, but maybe he's still young enough that it won't affect him too much. We all got to say goodbye and I know Stetson's in a better place right now. Maybe he and Tucker are swimming together.

For now we are going to remain a one dog family. Parks is young enough that we are not worried about him needing another companion...he's got Mason.

Letters to Mason

Dear Mason,

I love you even when you are cranky and smell like spoiled milk.

Love,

Mom

Dear Mason,

I'm happy to know you are not afraid of girls, yet. Most of them are very nice and if you treat them well they will be good to you too.

Love,

Your Mother

Dear Mason,

Stop trying to roll over while I change your diaper. Or learn to use the toilet. Let me know which one you want to do.

Love,

Mom

Dear Mason,

I will always think you are a genius even if you can't tie your shoe by the time you are in 3rd grade.

Love,

Mom

Dear Mason,

I know your teeth are giving you fits. Get used to it, though, because that's the way it will be for the rest of your life. Sorry. In the meantime I have all the Orajel you could ever need.

Love,

Mom

Dear Mason,

There is no question that dogs make the best pets. If you are able to take care of a pet, get a dog. Cats are not a good pet. They are unpredictable and are not really that nice most of the time. Girls might not want to date you if you have a cat. I don't think it's a deal breaker, but I don't think it helps either. Dogs on the other hand are a good indicator that you are a good guy. You also have to think of a cool name. In fact, make sure you have the name before you get the dog. It might take a few months or even years to come up with a good name. Be patient and you will be rewarded. Movie character names are good and so are athletes, but be careful because if you name them something too obvious and popular you look like a doofus.

Love,

Mom

Dear Mason,

"Please", "more", and "help" work much better than "uhh". Just so you know.

Love,

Mom

Fits?! Already?!

Really...Seriously?! I mean for Pete's sake the boy is not even 14 months old and we're starting the fits. The catalyst that often begins the onslaught of frustration is the obstacle-riddled living room where Mason pushes his cars around. If the path is impeded in anyway he starts to whine and throws himself on the floor with the skillfulness of a fish flopping on the dock. What is this? Most of the time he'll just lay there and stare up at the ceiling, but on rare occasions when he feels like life is truly unfair he'll begin the waterworks. Luckily they are not seeing this at school. Oh joy of joys; he saves this for us. How fortunate we are.

Mason is Walking...Oh Dear... Mason is Walking

Ok, ok, I know it's been a while since I last posted. Let's catch up, shall we? Mason went on his first flight; cried through Halloween; came down with Bronchitis and was on antibiotics for about a month; started waving good-bye; has said mama, dada, doggy, all done, and Stetson; ate a cookie monster cake for his birthday; had his first haircut; started dancing when he hears music; left formula and bottles for sippy cups and milk; and had a white Christmas.

Now to the present. Mason began walking yesterday! We've been working with him daily: walking up and down the hall. Then yesterday Stephen looks over and Mason is just walking on his own from his Mustang to the kitchen. Thank God he looked over. Of course, he still prefers to crawl, but at least we know he can do it. I for one was worried that he'd skip over the walking part and go straight to running. Stephen whipped out his phone and got a video.