Who Nose??

So this past week we were thankful for so many things…including our growing squash-sized baby boy.  We got to see him up close in 3D/4D, and he even had a few wispy hairs flowing.  We weren’t going to pay the $250 it cost for the ultrasound, since we’d rather buy him toys and clothes.  However, at a mommy mocktail party, I won the ultrasound and it ended up being a truly mind-blowing experience.

Ryan and the ultrasound tech both agreed that baby Mason had what resembled to be Daddy’s nose and mouth area.  I however, couldn’t really make any conclusions.  Maybe I was just baby blind and overly excited to see a real baby instead of a little skeleton (like previous ultrasounds). Or maybe I secretly wanted him to have my little nose…hehe.  Either way, he looked like a perfect little creation from both of us.  The one thing the ultrasound tech noted, was his big hands…and that was something we BOTH agreed came from Daddy.  It’s incredible how much Mason’s already grown, 3 pounds of lovey baby mush that we can’t wait to cuddle up for hours.  And regardless of whose nose he ends up having, I’m perfectly sure it will be the cutest one ever!  

Smell you later,

mama j

Socks or no socks?

I’ve been thinking a lot this past week about different topics for my blog.  I really wanted to do a post on some “life lessons” or things I wanted to pass onto Mason, you know...all that parent-ly advice.  Yet I kept thinking, what will I say and will I sound too much like my own mom?  Because frankly, that scares me.  Not my mom, but the idea of saying all the things I promised i’d never say to my own kids when I got older.  Well that time has almost arrived and I must equip myself with loads of advice and quirky tidbits my kids can hold onto forever.  The kind of things that stay with you for life; like how I can NEVER ever go to bed wearing socks.  I’m still not sure why, but I’m pretty sure it has something to do with regulating my body temperature or such.  But whatever the reason is…my mom scared me enough to know that no matter how tired, drunk or lazy I am – I can NEVER ever go to sleep wearing socks.  Although I hate to admit it, I’ve even passed that same advice onto my own friends and probably soon to my own kids. 

So I really want to give my motherly advice some time to form and grow before baby Mason arrives.  I also plan to make up  A LOT as I go. Here’s my first draft.

• Always roll the toilet paper from the top.  It should never be loaded so that you pull from underneath. That's just a pain.
• Don’t be afraid to use exclamation points in a sentence, when you’re really excited. Periods are for wimps. 
• Wrinkles, wrinkles, wrinkles! There is absolutely NO need for them…on your clothes that is.  Learn from a very young age how to iron, and always use it. Even have an extra iron for backup.
• Try to tough it out before resorting to medicine. Never want you to build up a tolerance for all those headache, soreness pain relievers.
• Never take yourself too serious. Humor is the best medicine.
• Always over-pack, it’s so much better then under-packing.  Trust me on this one, don’t listen to anyone else.
• Always give your parents a hug or kiss goodbye. Don’t be afraid to tell them you love them J or be embarrassed to hug your mom in public. 

28 weeks :-)

So…there are a few tidbits to get us started. It’s a rough draft for sure and I plan to freshen it up along the way.  I imagine there’s a lot of advice that your kids will just seem to brush off… but I know that sometimes you can’t help but take off your socks every night and surrender to the parently advice you’ve tried so hard to refuse.  Deep down, those quirky tidbits stay close with you for the long haul...and lets face it - your parents might actually know what they're talking about.

So whenever in doubt Mason, ask your mom or dad. And if you’re looking for some extra advice, you also have some pretty cool aunts & uncles you can turn to.

Sockless in bed,

mama j

All about Daddy...

So it's time Daddy makes a presence in this blog.  Since he's been sick all weekend, and clearly bored (besides hours of video gaming), we thought it'd be fun to ask him some questions.  So here's a look at some of his favorite things:

What is your FAVORITE.....

Car: Porsche 911 Turbo

Book: Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Smell: Vanilla

Color: Green

Movie:  War movies, probably Blackhawk Down

Candy: Sour patch kids

Hobby: Guns

Season: Winter

Animal: Short-nosed dogs

Holiday: Christmas

TV Show: Always Sunny in Philadelphia

Sandwich: Egg salad

Ice Cream: Chocolate

Vegetable: N/A (his first answer..haha) Carrots

Junk food: McDonalds

Superhero: Wolverine

TV channel: FX

Time of day: Morning

Sports team: Yankees

Sport to play: Football

Sport to watch: Football/Baseball

Celebrity crush:  Sofia Vergara

Day of the week:  Friday

Breakfast cereal: Special K

Car you’ve owned: Subaru Sti

Toy from childhood: Legos

Place you’ve visited: Washington, DC

Non-alcoholic beverage: Diet Coke

Subject in high school: History

Thing about your work: Propane

Thing about your wife: Sense of humor and her butt J 

lovin' my favorite husband,

mama j

Trick or Treat..

Happy Halloween to everyone!  We had one special little trick-or-treater this year, mrs. emma the lady bug.  Unfortunately we never get trick-or-treaters at our place, so i'm VERY excited for Mason to get here so we can treat all around town and dress up together.  Emma's excited for him to arrive too, so she can have a partner-in-crime.  

Hope you all are treated out from the sweets and unfortunately my sexy nun costume didn't pan out this year.  

Mason kisses!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

Boo,

mama j

25 weeks...

So baby Mason has definitely been growing since my last update.  He is officially kicking me and letting us both know he's in there.  I have to say, these little nudges and movements have me constantly smiling. During those few times a day when he's kicking, it feels like time just freezes and ALL i can focus on is grabbing my belly and feeling him move.  The last few days have brought some new fun: seeing my belly actually move when he does...honestly..i'm LOVING it !!

So let's see...he's about 1-1/2 pounds and roughly the length of a small cantaloupe. Of course...the food reference.  So i'm thinking with a little more fertilization these next few weeks, he may just become the perfect pumpkin size. Probably not by halloween, but i'm thinking more like a really large gourd.  Either way - he'll reap all the benefits of mama j's holiday candy-spree. So here's my 25 week reveal, complete with a new haircut and some fiery red highlights (compliments of auntie jenn). 

Also, Daddy gets a big shout-out for all of his hard work this weekend.  While away with my cousin & Grams in VT - he moved ALL of the guest furniture by himself,  painted baby Mason's bedroom floor, and setup the crib. He's pretty much a rockin' dad already and we're so lucky to have him!!! 

So here's to the growing gourd this halloween and all of his ever-increasing energy!!!

Kickin' it,

mama j

Lucky Number 23...

23 of what you ask?  Well let me just walk you through this miracle of life. 

Imagine giving birth to nine babies (7 girls, 2 boys) and living long enough to watch them grow and together have 19 of their own children.…and it doesn’t end there. Then imagine being 85 years old, full of energy and spunk, and being a proud grandmother to 22 GREAT-grandchildren.  That my friends is a miracle, and I’m proud to call her my Meme .  We also like to call her “Queen Bee” of the family.

What Mason is about to embark on is something many families can’t even imagine, and at his first family event, he’ll realize why his mother is so loud.  He will also be lucky great-grandchild number 23. 

What really blows my mind about our family is that the majority of us (besides my cousin’s serving in the military) all live within 20-30 miles of each other.  We’re all a YELL away..haha.  I’m excited for Mason to take part in our family adventures and the many “cousin nights” that we plan.  As lucky grandchild #12 myself, I cannot imagine a life without my crazy (in the best way possible) family, and most of my cousins are some of my best friends.  I hope that Mason will share this same bond with his own cousins.

We celebrated Meme’s 85th birthday last week and she said something that couldn’t be any truer.  She said that people thought she was the crazy one for having all these children, but now – she’s really the LUCKY one.  Now that is what I call the “miracle of life.”

Feeling Lucky,
mama j

Life is a highway...

There comes a time when we must surrender some of our youthful possessions, to make room for some of our grown up things. In my situation, the "trade-in" comes in the form of a sporty car..in exchange for a bouncing baby boy.  After the harsh realization that a standard infant car seat wouldn't comfortably fit in the back seat of my speed racer, it was time for us to make the family-friendly upgrade.  So off with the BLUE and in with the NEW.  Say hello to our new family addition:

The irony of the story, is that in 16 years from now, my son will probably look at this and say "Mom, why'd you get rid of that cool car?".  and my foreseen reply "Hmmmmm...I wonder son." [insert smirk here]

Thankfully this "grown-up sacrifice" was just a possession, because what i promise to never surrender my friends...is the youthful spirit that lives within - that's staying for the long haul. 

 
So many life changes already, before our baby boy even gets here.  I think i can end this transitional phase, with a quote from our musical friend Tom Cochrane:

 

Life's like a road that you travel on
When there's one day here and the next day gone
Sometimes you bend sometimes you stand
Sometimes you turn your back to the wind

There's a world outside every darkened door
Where blues won't haunt you anymore
Where the brave are free and lovers soar
Come ride with me to the distant shore

Sing it with me my friends (you know you want to..) "Life is a highway.  I want to ride it all night long..."

Ready for the ride,
mama j