Mason's First Bath

A few weeks ago (I know, I'm behind in posting) Mason had his first bath. We were expecting him to scream hysterically the entire time, but he really enjoyed it!

Though he has no shame now, I covered him up in case he's embarrassed later on.

Getting a shampoo- he seems to be really liking the head massage.

Brighton's Fashion Corner

I'm copying you Bri!

I've decided to share some of Brighton's quirkier moments- ones where her fashion is, well, not exactly what I'd have her leave the house in. This is one of her latest fashion crazes that I like to call the "pageant" look- mostly just a crown. A sash may come later. On this particular day, I had a very hard time getting her to take it off for her nap.
I recently bought her the new shoes that she's wearing, for the winter. She wore them non-stop for a few days after I brought them home, running sprints across the living room. Then I hid them.

Deception Pass

We decided to take my mom to do a little bit of sightseeing while she was here. We took the nice drive to Deception Pass and made her walk along the bridge. She was really scared of all the cars rushing by.

I took this awesome picture. I just love how the sun turned out and it's reflection on the water. Back me up.

Mommy and me!

Our cute little family. Mason's hiding in there somewhere. You can make out a leg.

The Bridge.

Brighton was being such a stinker. She wouldn't smile or come and take pictures with us. So she got to climb on the bench.

Thanks for coming mom! It was great to have you just for some adult interaction, as well as all the help. Can't wait to see you at Christmas! (You're coming right?)

More Family Visits!

After Kay left, I had a few days by myself to try and take care of the little kiddos. Dale went out of town and left me, what was he thinking?! But then my mom and little sister Kassie came to visit!

Kassie cuddling with Mason.

Oh, there's mommy and Mason! See? I AM alive and surviving! (Barely)

Doesn't he have the most mreshess toes!

This is a cucumber from our garden. Mason weighs 8 lbs. Too bad we didn't weigh the cucumber- it's huge!

Don't they look so much alike?

B and Aunt Kassie.

Thanks for coming Kassie! Wish you could have stayed longer. We could have watched Lost a few more times...

Dale's New Toy

Just thought I'd give you a little peek at Dale's new toy. I'm hoping that I get a really LARGE gift card to JoAnn's or something as my new toy. Happy Anniversary, Merry Christmas, and Happy Birthday to both Dale and I all rolled into one, I think.

Pay It Forward Gifts #4 and #5

No, I did NOT work on these since Mason's arrival. They've been sitting in my craft room for ages. I used this tutorial to make some luggage tags and handle wraps for both Kim and Lauren. I wanted to do something different for each of them, but this really seemed perfect for two world travelers who are always on the go. What better way to make sure you don't waste time looking for your luggage?! Hope you like them Kim and Lauren!

If you use this tutorial- beware! The handle wrap measurements didn't fit around any piece of luggage that I own. I used two fabric pieces that measured 5"x7" instead of 5"x5" as the tute says. Just thought I'd save you some time and fabric and batting and Velcro.

That's it for my Pay It Forward gifts. Thanks so much Jessica for getting me roped in, and to everyone who crafted for others. I had a lot of fun trying new techniques and making fun things that I normally wouldn't have gotten around to make for myself. Perhaps it will come full circle again, and we can have a another go!

Last Day With Kay

Brighton holding, and loving on, baby Mason.

Dale is REALLY funny sometimes.

Love this one.

Thanks for coming and helping out Kay. Your niece and nephew owe you their lives.

Mason's First Photoshoot

Dale went crazy with camera! Here's some fun ones of the little prince.

Afternoon In The Park

Dale took B to the park to give me a break from the two babes. He got some fun shots that I thought I'd share.

Love this one. My mom says I did the same thing with my tongue. B really IS my clone!

So cute, just sitting there on the bench.

Apparently there was a plane.

Hanging Out Around The House

Mason's hanging out in his bouncy chair. Brighton tried to crawl in it, and so we pulled out a chair from the garage that's all her very own!

Very happy about her NEW CHAIR!

Kaylee and I making dinner. Well, K is cooking, I was doing more of what I'd call "observation."

Kay and baby Mason.

Happy Birthday Kassie!

My littlest sister, Kassie, turned 17 the day after Mason was born. Sorry we missed partying with you Knochty! But she IS on the phone in this picture and we're saying Happy Birthday! Love you Kasanova!

Mason's Birthday

It's tough juggling two! I've been MIA and missing my blog. I'm going through sewing machine withdrawls. (I'm thinking of bringing it downstairs just so it can hang out with me and the kid-lettes.) So just a quick update:

It's been two weeks since Mason's arrival and I figure I'd better write down what happened before I forget! I had my membranes stripped (more like whisked, but that's what they call it) on Monday August 24, 2009. Nothing happened all day and I felt totally fine. I'd heard that it could be painful and that there could be cramping and bleeding afterwards, but no sign of anything going on for me.

On Tuesday, Dale came home for lunch, which he hardly ever gets to do. I'd had a little bit of bleeding before he got home and called my doctor. She said to come in right away! I was uncrossing my legs, and crossing my fingers at this point.

I spent all of Tuesday having contractions every 2-3 minutes, with no progress. And I couldn't get an epidural because that would slow things down even more! Here's me and my sister, Kaylee (she decided she wanted to be there in the hospital when Mason arrived), in between some contractions.

Here's me trying to remember to breathe during a contraction.

Here's my belly button (it looks gross, huh? Luckily it never popped out) and the monitors that they had strapped to me all day.

Well, I spent the rest of Tuesday contracting and only dilating maybe another cm and no progress on effacing. I stayed over night, still hooked up, but with a muscle relaxer to help me get some sleep. The next morning they gave me a little bit of pitocin, and I went right into labor. My doctor broke my water around 8:45 am on Wednesday morning, and then I dilated and effaced the rest of the way in 15 minutes. (I really like inducing,pitocin is my best friend.)

I finally got that much needed epidural at 9 am and Mason popped out at 11:01 am. So not really so bad once labor actually started. Here's me finally relaxing a bit.

Here's my beautiful little boy! Ok, so he's not so pretty in this picture, but I still think he's as handsome at ever! And the doctor already fixed his hair for me. Rockin' the faux hawk.

Right after delivery: Me, Mason, Daddy and Dr. Hoffman.

Kaylee and I right after delivery.

Dale and Kaylee went and picked up Brighton from a friend's house to have her come and meet her baby brother. She even brought her own baby along. We're twinners!

A family photo- we never get these because it's always Dale or I behind the lens.

Brighton giving Mason his first kiss (Well, from her. I'd been kissing him for a few hours by this time...)