Tim and Jenn's peanut

Pictures from Jennifer

2010-08-26T15:19:00.001-07:00

Click here to view these pictures larger

THESE ARE PICTURES FROM FEBRUARY 2010

May 2010

2010-05-26T23:59:00.000-07:00

I always thought it was a cliche' when people said that time passes more quickly as you age. I now know, especially since I have little ones, that what they say is true.

I am amazed that 4 months have passed since I have last shared our family stories, pictures and videos of the kids. It is truly awesome to watch Mason and Makenna grow and flourish before our eyes.

Mason has grown into quite a little boy. He has entered the "why?" and "what for?" phase of his life. I now understand, after answering a string a questions in a row, why my mom would say, "BECAUSE I SAID SO!" Tim and I are encouraging his imagination, exploration and absorbtion of our big world. His current passion is "going swing" on our little play set in the back yard (which he helped daddy, grandpa and Uncle Cory assemble, by the way). When his inertia slowly decreases, he shouts out, "ready for a push mommy!" He is happy to share his daily swinging with Makenna who lounges in the infant seat next to him, happily chewing on the strap that holds her in place.

Makenna is entering my favorite stage of babyhood. She is sitting on her own, but is not yet mobile. We have just begun feeding her solid food. She wasn't too sure of rice cereal, but seems to be enjoying her latest concaution of banannas and breast milk. Makenna (or Kenna) has turned out to be quite an easy-tempered baby. Everyone told Tim and I that we would have a little hellion since Mason was mellow; well, she is doing her best, in her infancy, to prove that theory wrong. She does, however, have a little temper (who knows where she got that from?) and I am sure we will encounter the hell-raiser phase in her teenage years.

We are blessed beyond reason to have two kids that sleep. On average, the kids will wake themselves up between one and three times a week: a pacifier falls out, sheets get tangled, or a diaper gets too wet.

The kids have been in relatively good health lately. It seems we have had more run-ins with the common cold, allergies, and ear infections over the past few months. Mason has had a snottie nose since February and we just can't seem to get him better. I finally started giving him allergy medicine today and hopefully, that will make a difference! We should buy stock in Kleenex with as much tissue we have been going through in this house!

Kenna will have her 6 month appointment in the coming week. I had to take her into the clinic on a Sunday (two days after she actually turned 6 months) and our little hefty-Hannah weighed a whopping 19 pounds 9.8 ounces. She is moving OUT of 9 month clothing and is getting ready to show off her dimpled elbows this summer (if it ever gets here).

The coming weeks yield an exciting development for our family. We are going to start potty training Mason the 3rd week in June. It is time to kick the diapers! Tim will be home with the kids this summer (since summer school was cut due to budgeting issues) and will be the front runner on facilitating the potty training. I will be so proud of my big boy (well, both big boys: Mason for training and daddy for stepping to the plate)!

So, I know I am WAAAAAY behind in posts ... here are a few pictures from January: http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AbMnDJi3ZN2T-A

February and March should be separate posts from Shutterfly (on the blog page).

I hope this finds you all doing well! I will hopefully post again soon to re-cap the next months (April - August) ....

Jenn

2010-01-29T10:30:00.000-08:00

2010-01-29T10:04:00.000-08:00

Family Resemblances .....

2010-01-12T09:22:00.000-08:00

I am on the left, Makenna is on the right ....

Mason is on the left, Makenna is on the right (look at the face similarities) ....

Mason is on the left, Jake (his cousin) is on the right ...

Christmas has come and gone ....

2010-01-11T17:48:00.000-08:00

This Christmas was a blast! We spent Christmas at our home for the first time and found it to be quite enjoyable. It was fun to watch Mason open presents and understand the true joy and excitement of family and giving during the holiday season. Santa and Mrs. Clause spoiled him this Christmas because Mrs. Clause just couldn't help herself! To this day, Mason runs around saying, "open presss-ents" when he sees a box or package.

Mason's new activities have involved taking pictures and singing (among other things, of course) ... he runs around with various objects on his forehead yelling, "say CHEESE, mommy" ..."say CHEESE, daddy" ..."say CHEESE, (what ever he is taking a picture of ... Connor, Nawwla, Sisssy, Gaamma." It was quite cute for a while, but I drew the line when he pointed it at my ginormous ass and said, "say CHEESE, diapa."

The singing is quite cute. His favorite song (now that Christmas is over and he is no longer singing "Santa Clause is Coming to Town") is Frere Jacques. Tim, who has an unabashed hatred for the French, is thrilled that his 2 year old loves to sing a French song! Mason and I enjoy singing all the popular nursery rhyme songs together at my piano; it is quite endearing, if I don't say so myself.

Mason continues to be a great big brother to Makenna (or Sisser Kenna as he lovingly calls her). If she spits out her pacifier, he will crouch down next to her and put it back in her mouth; he then proceeds to say, "iss OK." Now, when he kisses her, he follow-up by saying "awwwww" because that is what usually escapes my mouth when he is being such a considerate big brother.

Makenna is doing great! She sleeps (on average) 6 1/2 to 7 hours at night. She is getting stronger each day and can hold her neck up for longer periods ... we laugh because she is our own, personal bobble-head doll. She is also a social butterfly (she gets that from her Auntie) ... she prefers someone to be in the room with her while she is awake and will squeak, squeal and squawk until someone comes to get her if left alone for too long. She smiles easily and has started to coo in response to being googled at (which, is quite often, I must admit). Makenna is going through her awkward teenage phase right now ... she has her baby acne and a mild case of dandruff (aka cradle cap).

Makenna's hair is HILARIOUS: she has a mullet, a hurricane of a cowlick in the back, and she has a "horseshoe ring" shaped bald spot circling her head (from laying down) ... its pretty funny and the pictures of her hair during this time will definitely be blackmail photos. All in all, I feel so blessed to have an easy-going and fun little baby. I must say it has been very nice since Mason is such a busy little boy!

Tim and I have been surviving during wrestling season. Although it hasn't been as hard as I thought it would be (with Tim being gone all the time), I am tremendously grateful for the help and support I have in our family and friends; I don't think I would be surviving this time with out their assistance. Needless to say, I am greatly looking forward to March when he will be done with wrestling.

March also marks my return to work. I am having mixed feelings about returning. On one hand, I will be very happy to have my adult time and to once again, be able to use my brain in an intellectual fashion. On the other hand, I will miss hanging with the kiddos, not having to get out of bed at a certain time, and being able to stay up REALLY late to do fun things like blog!

As always, I have included a link to pictures depicting the remaining portion of December and the various Christmas parties we attended:

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AbMnDJi3ZN2T8I

We hope you all are doing well!

Love,

The Browns

Mason praying - December 2009

2009-12-24T12:43:00.000-08:00

Video treasure from August 09

2009-12-24T12:05:00.000-08:00

So I was saving some videos to the hard drive and discovered this video that I took with my camera while we were camping in Monterey. Mason is dancing in Grandma and Grandpa's trailer.

Christmas Time is here!

2009-12-05T12:32:00.000-08:00

Aghhhhh, December! Christmas time is one of my favorite parts of the year. We are extremely blessed this Christmas season with a happy, healthy little family. Makenna has made her mark on our lives and has enhanced our family beyond what words can describe .... what better Christmas present could we ask for?!

The last couple of weeks have been pretty low-key for us. Tim has officially started wrestling season so I have started my "single mommy" status. We have spent the majority of our days at home or in the company of family or close friends. As the days pass, I become more brave in managing both kiddos. My goal each day is to 1) get a shower, 2) get out of our PJ's, and 3) get out of the house in some fashion (weather permitting). Most days, I am successful; however, a lot of times my success rate depends on Mason's mood.

Makenna has turned out to be a pretty easy-going baby (so far). I am praying that she continues with the tempermant she has and that she doesn't develop colic. She is a good sleeper.

The first days we brought her home from the hospital were a little rough until we figured out that she prefers to sleep at a slight incline. We have her set up in a snuggle nest (an in-bed co-sleeper) that rests inside a rocking bassinet next to my side of the bed. Within her snuggle nest, I have laid a wedge pillow that props her up about 3 inches. With this set-up, she tends to sleep in 4-7 hour stretches.

Mason is doing great with his little sister! He has continued to give her kisses and has still displayed no jealousy towards her. He leaves her alone when she is sleeping and understands that he needs to be gentle when he is around her. He has proved to be a fabulous big brother!

Mason is such a funny kid ..... He is such a parrot and will repeat everything that is said around him; he often times repeats the same phrases over and over AND OVER again which, can prove to be very annoying! He loves his family and thinks his Uncles and Aunties are the best. Mason has started to say his prayers before bedtime and it melts my heart to hear his little voice say "Dear God" and "Amen" ....

We think Mason is getting closer to understanding who Santa Clause is. Besides the fact that he is terrified of him, he likes to sing "Santa Clause is Coming to Town" ... he thinks it is hillarious that Santa says, "Ho Ho Ho! Merry Christmas" and tries to mimic the saying ... only it comes out like "How How How ..Maaayy Kisss-mas!" We are very excited to see what his reaction will be to opening his presents under the tree.

I have posted pictures taken so far this month at the following link if you are interested:

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AbMnDJi3ZN2T6Q

I hope this finds you doing well and enjoying the spirit and blessings of the holiday season!

Merry Christmas!

Love,

Tim, Jenn, Mason and Makenna

Welcome Makenna May!

2009-11-20T15:06:00.000-08:00

We are finally home and all settled in after bringing home our big, little Makenna May! We welcomed Makenna May Brown to our world on November 14, 2009 at 10:02pm. She weighed 10 pounds, 4 ounces (no, that is not a typo) and was 20 3/4" long.....

It all started on Saturday morning at 4:30am when I woke up with painful contractions. After one failed attempt to check-in to the hospital (with early-stage labor pains) on Wednesday, I was weary about getting too "excited" about the contractions I was experiencing. Finally, at 7:30am, the contractions started to get stronger and came in regular, ten minute intervals. By the time noon rolled around, the contractions ranged from four to six minutes a part. I called Kaiser and they told me to come in. As we were driving in the car, the pains were getting much closer together and I was substantially more uncomfortable.

Once I was in labor and delivery triage, it was determined that I was 4-5 centimeters dilated and that I should be admitted. I was able to walk to my room (despite feeling like I had a bowling ball in between my legs) and get situated. I asked for my epidural right away and thus the process began ....

In order to get an epidural, I had to have blood drawn (to check my platelet count) and get an IV. Sounds like a simple process, right? WRONG! The first nurse took two turns at the IV with no luck. The second nurse, the same. They finally had to call in the anesthesiologist, who on his second attempt, got the hit. Apparently, I was dehydrated which made it extremely difficult for them to draw blood and find a vein that would work (thanks to this, I look like a drug addict today with bruises all over both forearms). This process involved my only tears - not because of the repeated sticks from the large needle, but because I knew the longer it took, the longer I would have to wait for the "juice" (i.e. my epidural). Unfortunately, the nurses were insisting that I chug water which, with the gurglie belly, painful contractions and multiple needle sticks, caused me to toss my cookies a couple of times ....

Finally, the next hour brought the epidural and after two more failed attempts, the anesthesiologist was able to get the stick he wanted in between the vertebrae in my spine. A few minutes later, I started to feel human again. Once I was numb, the midwife checked me and determined that I was eight centimeters dilated. She said that if she broke my water we'd have our baby! Very tired from my laboring thus far, I asked to rest for a bit before she got things started. I was able to rest and hang out with family and friends and was very glad to have the reprieve.

So finally, the hour came where I had my rest and I was ready to "get er' done" ....everyone put their weight and length guess on the white board and stepped out of the room so they could break my water. The midwife, Lynette (who was TERRIFIC and knew Marge), guessed 9 pounds - everyone thought she was mean for guessing such a large weight - who knew she would be the closest?! An hour after they broke my water, I was ready to push.

Tim and Lynette (the midwife) were great in helping me focus my pushes. After fifteen minutes of straining every muscle in my torso, things got a little scary. Although it didn't hit me what was occurring (at first), just as Makenna's head came out, Lynette got up on to the table and started pulling at her. The other nurse jumped on top of me and started pushing on my stomach from the top (squeezing me like a tube of toothpaste - as Tim's brother imagined). Apparently, Makenna's shoulder was stuck and the medical staff were concerned as a number of things could go wrong at this point. Time was of the essence and they had to perform any means necessary to get her out of the chute. Thankfully, the toothpaste method worked and Makenna was born! I didn't realize anything was truly wrong until the midwife told Tim that she needed to cut the cord and they whisked Makenna away to the warming table.

In the background, I heard them call for a NICU nurse; it was at this point that my panic started to set in as I hadn't heard Makenna cry yet. Seconds turned into an eternity. Lynette (midwife) was able to get my attention and calmly explain what had happened and what was going on. Thankfully, Makenna started to cry and I was able to see that she was (now) a nice shade of pink. Apparently, in this type of situation, big babies can get stuck in the canal and they are at risk for cord injuries and other complications. Lynette explained to me the NICU nurse was giving her an exam to see if she had any broken bones as it is common for baby's clavicle to break in these types of situations.

Makenna received a clean bill of health and was weighed (since she was already on the table). Everyone in the room was amazed when the scale revealed her "hefty" and healthy weight. Finally, my big little Makenna May was brought to me and I was able to oogle and bond. Tim and I were able to share time alone together with Makenna. Unfortunately, due to the H1N1 virus, Mason (and all children) was not allowed to visit the hospital. After our family moment, we called in the cavalry to meet our newest addition.

We stayed in the hospital for two days. It was discovered in Makenna's subsequent exam by the pediatrician (the day after she was born) that she DID have a broken clavicle. They were able to X-ray her shoulder in our recovery room. The injury is very common and actually heals in one to two weeks. We have been keeping her in a swaddle to help immobilize her shoulder to facilitate the healing process.

On Monday afternoon (the 16th), Tim, Makenna and I walked through our front door and Mason and Makenna were able to meet for the first time. Mason, as we slightly suspected, acknowledged his sister, but was more excited to see daddy. He pointed at her car seat and said "sisser" and then ran to Tim. Since we have been home, Mason has been very sweet to his sister. He will say "iss O.K." when she cries during the diaper changing process. He also likes to gently touch her head and will give her kisses, when asked! His new name for her is "bay-is-ta" ... it is "baby sister" ran together. He is quite cute and has displayed little to no jealousy of his new "sisser."

Makenna is a little chow-hound. We had to supplement a couple of times before the "liquid gold" made its appearance to keep her satisfied. Tim asked me on Tuesday if my milk had come in ... I said, "well, I have cleavage for the second time in my life, what does that tell you?!" Since Makenna is a little jaundice, I have been feeding-on-demand which, has also made me a human pacifier and her, in a constant state of needing a diaper change.

As the days have passed, we have fallen into a wonderful little routine. I have been primarily responsible for Makenna's care while Tim has been keeping Mason entertained. I have been healing very well and have bounced back a lot faster than I did with Mason. Although I have a second degree tear (among other discomforts "downstairs"), I have found that my Motrin 800 keeps me fairly comfortable as long as I remember to take it every eight hours. I am optimistic that my Santa belly will soon disappear and that I will be able to squeeze myself into my pre-pregnancy jeans sooner, rather than later.

I have attached a link to the countless pictures we have (edited, of course) of Makenna's birthday (thank you Auntie Crystal) and subsequent five days at home:

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AbMnDJi3ZN2T0o

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AbMnDJi3ZN2T2g

We want to thank each and every one of our well-wishers, friends, and family who have supported us through this pregnancy and the days since Makenna's birth.

I will continue to post as often as I can in the coming days, weeks and months! We hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Love,

Jenn, Tim, Mason and Makenna

October

2009-11-01T12:44:00.000-08:00

I love the month of October! The light shines in a way that reflects a golden hue and the air has a slight hint of smoke and spice. The crisp evenings have made my pregnancy hot flashes much more tolerable, as well. I am sad to see October go as it is one of my favorite months; however, the end of October also signifies November and the realization that Makenna's due date is drawing nearer.

This month hosted many activities for us. Tim and I took in a Rascal Flats concert (which was AWESOME) and took a quick day trip over to Novato to meet our newest nephew, Jacob John Lilledahl! JJ was born on October 25th at 1:31 pm; he was 7 pounds, 11 ounces and 21" long! He was due to arrive later in the week; I was very excited that he came early as it allowed me to make the trip over to meet him! We were very happy to see that both he and Kara were doing well after her labor (she pushed for 2 1/2 hours)! He is the cutest little cuss and I can't wait to spend more time with him at Thanksgiving!

Mason and I did several activities together this month. We had a play date at the zoo (in costume, of course), went to the pumpkin patch, decorated pumpkins at Auntie Crystal's house and went trick-or-treating with daddy (to name a few).

Mason wasn't too hot into trick-or-treating this year as he wasn't a fan of his bee costume. He seemed to tolerate it as long as the hood wasn't over his head. He did make it to one house before we surrendered and took him to Auntie Crystal's to have some dinner. Tim and I stayed pretty close to home this year as Makenna has officially dropped into the chute and we didn't want to stray too far from home.

Tim and I have been busy getting ourselves ready for the arrival of Makenna May. We have been doing many "housekeeping" type chores ranging from getting the cars smogged and registered, to fixing leaky toilets, faucets and gutters. We are pretty much ready for her arrival, save for Tim completing a few more lesson plans for school.

Mason started sleeping in his "big boy bed" this month and is now fully transitioned into his new room. He loves the giant leaf over his bed and feels like he is sleeping in the jungle. We're making progress on Makenna's room, slowly but surely. My mom finished painting the walls last week and I have washed and put away all the clothes. The last bit of work needed consists of hanging pictures and putting the final decorative touches into the space. All-in-all, we would be good to go if our little bundle came tomorrow.

I have posted pictures from October that can be viewed at the following link:

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AbMnDJi3ZN2Tw4

Hopefully, the next post will have pictures and details regarding the birth of our little Makenna May! Wish us luck!

Much Love,

Jenn, Tim and Mason

September 2009

2009-10-05T21:48:00.000-07:00

October is here and the crisp, fall air has arrived. Last month we celebrated Mason's 2nd birthday! He is our little man child and is definitely changing quickly.

I am happy to say that we have made some progress on Mason's eating habits as Tim and I were becoming short-order cooks (in having to prepare several meals each sitting just to get him to eat something). I have now been sneaking fruit and vegetable purees into his meals and it has been working splendidly! I was so excited when he gobbled down his first bowl of Mac n' Cheese with a huge helping of butternut squash! I finally feel like I am doing my part to feed him well again ... he has started to branch out and try new foods, which makes us very happy.

Mason's "big boy" room is finally done! I am pleased with how the wall murals turned out. I am now working on getting Makenna's room put together. The first step has been to wash and put away all the clothes, towels, burp cloths, blankets and other pink baby accouterments!! Tim took one look at the closet and said, "Whoa, that is a lot of pink" .... I couldn't be more ecstatic! I still have a mountain of new clothes with the tags still affixed that haven't made it to the wash!

After the gear is put away, we will then paint the walls and put all the girlie finishing touches into the room ... I have been waiting for my mom to get back from vacation to complete this last step. Mason is still in the crib and I must say that I have not been super diligent about transitioning him into his big bed. Hopefully all the pink will deter him from wanting to sleep in there much longer! I laid down with him one afternoon to take a nap in his big bed and he just wanted to play with the giant leaf canopy. We still have a little time as Makenna probably won't make it into her room until she is 2-3 months old; and after all, Rome wasn't built in a day, right?

Pregnancy is going OK ... I am in the home stretch and just had my 36 week appointment this past Tuesday. I have been a little uncomfortable as I have had increased cervical pain and crampiness .... my Doctor checked me due to these complaints and I was happy to hear that I wasn't dilated at all (since my folks are still out of town).... the Doc said I was probably experiencing the cervical pain because baby is growing and running out of room!

My hernia has its moments, but has generally felt better over the past two weeks. I have been trying to "take it easy" and not be on my feet as much (this can prove difficult with the strong nesting urges I have been experiencing). Overall, things are going well.

I have included a few pictures, but will post another blog in the coming week or so with additional pictures from Mason's birthday party.

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AbMnDJi3ZN2TtI

I hope this finds you all doing well!

Love,

Tim, Jenn and Mason

Blessings ....

2009-09-09T21:18:00.000-07:00

In every challenge is a blessing ..... Tim and I have been given many blessings in disguise as challenges. At the end of each day, when I finally lay my head on my pillow, I thank God for the challenges that make us stronger and the blessings that keep life sweet and filled with joy.

August has retired and we are now in September ... it was just barely two years ago that we patiently waited for Mason's arrival. I am amazed how fast he has grown and I look back at pictures of him as a baby and feel sad that it went by so quickly! Alas, God has given us another opportunity to enjoy a baby. Having two children will definitely be a challenge, but will be the sweetest blessing we could ever receive!

As far as this pregnancy goes, it has been a challenge physically but a blessing in that baby is healthy and I am healthy (minus the hernia issue). I am frustrated by my physical limitations as I have been an active person my entire life and am not finding it easy to stay sedentary in my condition. I often push myself only to regret my actions the following day. I will definitely be happy once Makenna is here and I am able to resume normal activities (walking distances, completing chores, picking up objects, being able to paint my toe nails, etc.). I have a prenatal appointment next Tuesday (for 32 weeks) and suspect that my OB will take me off work early.

Mason is doing well. He knows is ABC's (not from singing the song) and can count to 10 most days (he sometimes misses 6 and 7). He is a little parrot and repeats phrases we commonly say like "there you gooo," "yeah, buddy" and "allllright" ... We have learned that we need to start watching what we say and that sometimes, even harmless words can sound pretty bad (beach = "bitch" and ocean ="ogh-shit"). We have started to acquaint ourselves with tantrum triggers and attempt to avoid at all costs; however, he is 2 and he still has his moments. All in all, he is our little love bug and we couldn't be happier.

This past month was filled with activities for us. We started off by visiting the Folsom zoo on a whim. We forget that we have nice little perks practically in our back yard! We took two camping trips, one trip was to Lake Tahoe. Mason had fun playing on the beach and giggling with his cousin, Ian (both of them have infectious laughs and it was hysterical to see them just giggle back and forth). Mason was smitten with his other cousin, Michelle (or "Ie-shell") ... only she could keep him entertained at certain points. We had to explain to him that we don't live in West Virginia and cousins are strictly off limits! LOL!

Our second camping trip was to Monterrey for the Labor Day Weekend. We enjoyed 4 days of lounging and eating. Tim was able to dive and spear fish while we were there. We also took a trip to the Monterrey Bay Aquarium and were privaleged to see the Great White Shark they had on exhibit. It was amazing to see Mason's reaction to the sea life (that was when he was awake - he fell asleep for about 90 minutes). Tim had Mason propped in the Kelty pack so he could see the action over all the adults. The aquarium was very crowded; however, we were glad we could give Mason that experience given his extreme interest in fish ("ishies") and the other sea life on exhibit.

I have attached a link to pictures and have included some video below:

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AbMnDJi3ZN2TrQ

June / July

2009-07-30T09:19:00.000-07:00

The past two months have both flown by, and dragged on. We have been experiencing our trials with Mason's behavior .... he went from our sweet, passive, peaceful little baby .... to a sweet, bi-polar little (almost) 2-year old. Much of my time has been occupied in trying to keep up with his moods and various activities. I have to say, it has been a little more difficult this time around in pregnancy because we now have the "Mason factor."

He likes to test us when we are out in public; from screaming at restaurants and grocery stores, to refusing to walk when we go out of the house. Picking him up is becoming less desirable for me the larger I become (and the more aggravated my hernia gets); however, I usually have no choice as he simply buckles his legs and starts screaming .... ogh, the joy of parenthood!

On the up side, Mason is developing my leaps and bounds! He is starting to say the alphabet and his vocabulary has expanded exponentially! He loves his time out on the boat and swimmingin the pool at the club .... he truly is our little water child (which is a good thing because we would have to sell him to the gypsies if he didn't like water)!

We finally took away Mason's pacifier last month. He only asked for it a couple times, which was good; however, the challenge came in trying to get him to sleep without it. The first couple of days he was without his "goo," he didn't nap and was up very late at night. We have now settled into more of a pattern in knowing that it takes a little longer for him to fall asleep - - he usually has to become bored and then eventually nods-off. I can say (with quite a bit of nostalgia) that I miss the days when we would put him in his crib, and he would simply roll over and fall asleep - - no tantrums, no tears. I can't help but wonder as all the terdie-2-year-old behavior coincided with the removal of the pacifier.... o-well, what's done is done!

Tim and I are doing well. Tim is enjoying a few weeks of summer break by playing golf, fishing and playing soccer. I have been extremely busy at work and find myself in a constant state of exhaustion. I am very thankful to have Tuesdays and Thursdays off (even though I end up working from home most times) as it allows me a recuperation day! I am very, very lucky that Tim has taken a majority of the Mason duties while he has been off for the summer. I am secretly (and selfishly) hoping that Mason's temperament will improve by the time Tim goes back to school.

Anyhow, I have posted pictures from June:

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AbMnDJi3ZN2Tlo

and July:

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AbMnDJi3ZN2Tng

We hope this finds you all doing well!

Love,

Tim, Jenn and Mason

Having Fun

2009-07-05T13:45:00.000-07:00

It's a .........

2009-06-21T16:09:00.000-07:00

I had my ultrasound appointment this past Thursday to determine the sex of our baby. I was very excited to have an earlier appointment as our original appointment was scheduled for June 23rd! We arrived at the Radiology department located at Kaiser in Folsom shortly before 2:30pm. I felt pretty calm given the news that would be shared with us very shortly. We were welcomed in by the ultrasound technician; she was warm and friendly. I shimmied myself onto the table and exposed my belly, waiting for the warm goo (lubricant) to be slathered over my exposed bump. Like a ketchup bottle almost out of salty goodness, the goo splattered on either side of my navel. I will never figure out why the doctor's office is always nearly out of goo when I am examined.

The technician started with her schpeal, "this is baby's first physical exam, etc." ... right off the bat, she asked if we wanted to know the sex. Hardly able to contain ourselves, we answered "yes!" in unison! The wand waived sweepingly over my belly and finally rested; we looked up to the screen in anticipation, not quite sure what we were looking for. After what seemed like minutes passing (probably closer to about 10 seconds), she announced that we are having a girl!! I simply couldn't believe the words that came out of her mouth. I wanted to ask her, "are you sure?!?" ... She took the pointy arrow on the screen and showed us the absence of an apple stem ... Tears welled up in my eyes as I was sure we couldn't POSSIBLY be this lucky!! I am still in denial ....

When toying with names for Mason, Tim and I decided on our "girl" name (had Mason been a girl). We have decided to name our little girl, Makenna May Brown (spelling of middle name is yet to be determined, pending my grandma Rita checking her birth certificate!). Words can't possibly explain my excitement. Tim's response was, "I will need to know how to wipe her nether regions properly" ... yeah, that's my man.

My mom and I are already a tidder in how we are going to decorate. We have decided to keep the nursery the same for Makenna with the exception of the wall paint and a few accessories. We will paint the wall shades of purple (instead of the current shades of blue) and will probably accessorize the "dreaming" theme with fairies and butterflies and take the little bizarre stuffed monsters out of the room. For Mason's room, we are pretty much settled on a jungle theme. Mom and I envision a giraffe-print rug, and hints of the Serengeti .... who knows what our decorative imaginations will produce!

Besides our exciting news, everything else is prodding along normally. I plan to post at the end of June with pictures of this past month. Mason is doing fine and has no clue that a little sister is going to rock his world in about 5 months!

We hope you are all doing great!

Love,

Jenn, Tim, Mason and baby Makenna!

April / May 2009

2009-06-01T23:27:00.000-07:00

A lot has happened since my last post. Our family has encountered miracle and tragedy.....

Sadly, my Grandpa Jim passed on May 8th. He lived until he was 93 years old and passed one day before he and my grandmother's 67th wedding anniversary. We were blessed to have many good years with him. Mason and I went to see him in the hospital the day before he passed. I will forever remember him waving at Mason with his pinkie finger saying, "hey little guy!" We celebrated his life on May 22nd at the Masonic Center in Chico. He will be dearly missed.

On the miracle side, Tim's grandmother has made a great recovery from her stroke. She is back at home and has somewhat regained her independence. Although she won't be able to drive, she is happy to be in her own home and sleeping in her own bed.

May has been a busy month for us. Emily and the kids came out to California to visit while Jon is in Bahrain ... we enjoyed the company and had a blast watching the kids play together. Mason was slow to "warm-up" in playing with Rudy ... but they were pals by the end of the trip.

Mason is doing well. We have had our trials with him the past weeks as he has been teething (again) ... he cut two new teeth and both came through at the same time. His little obstinate personality has emerged and we have officially been welcomed to the "terrible two's." We have had to discipline him for throwing toys at the dog (and everything else) and hitting ... you know, the typical two-year-old stuff. Even though we are met with our "challenges," we are reminded how BLESSED we are to have a healthy boy when we hear about the struggles of others. I thank God every day for His watching over our little family.

I am starting to have a little more energy these days (thank goodness). I am now able to keep up with Mason, work, house and husband. I am very fortunate in that Tim has helped me with many of my first-trimester struggles. He has gotten up with Mason, helped me with the chores and has catered to my Cinnamon Toast Crunch cravings in late night trips to WinCo.

I recently had a prenatal appointment where I inquired with the doctor about already feeling some of the same ailments from my last pregnancy (i.e. inguinal hernia and periodic sciatic nerve pain). Unfortunately, the Doctor informed me the hernia will probably return sooner and be worse than it was before ....joy! On the up-side, she (and my friend Kelly who is a physical therapist) have been able to suggest back strengthening exercises which should help with the periodic sciatica. We will be very excited to find out the sex of the baby on June 18th!

Anyhow, I have included pictures for the past two months. I hope this finds you all doing well!

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AbMnDJi3ZN2Tjw

Love,

Jenn, Tim and Mason

2009-05-21T15:24:00.000-07:00

2009-05-03T07:10:00.000-07:00

It is early in the morning and it is a rainy cold day outside. I am nestled in the warm covers of my bed hoping that Mason decides to sleep in late this morning. As I lay here, typing away, I am grateful for the blessings of my life. Life has been a bit of a bumpy road in recent history; bumpy with beautiful scenery, however. It is truly amazing how one can be at the top of the highest mountain peak and then fall suddenly to a valley, only to return to the top of the rolling foothills! Ok, enough with the metaphors! .....

The highest mountain peak .....

As many of you have already heard, Tim and I are expecting our second child! We are excited about our pending new addition and are happy that Mason and baby will be so close in age. I am due November 11th. We will be able to find out the sex of the baby in about seven weeks (my big ultrasound appointment is June 23rd). I have been feeling relatively OK; I was queasy and consistently tired the first weeks. Thankfully, the queasiness has subsided but unfortunately, the exhaustion still remains. I am hopeful that in the coming week or two, I will hit my stride and ditch the "first trimester tiredness." When announcing the pregnancy to our immediate family, it was revealed that Tim's sister, Kara, is also pregnant!!! I nearly tackled her in excitement when we found out the great news. Kara is a week and a half in front of me (her due date being October 28th). We couldn't be more excited to have another cousin that will be so close in age to our coming addition (Mason is two weeks older than his cousin, Rudy - my brother's second child). So as you can probably understand, we were standing on Mt. Kilimanjaro there for a while ....

The valley ....

In the past two weeks, my Grandpa Jim has been in and out of the hospital with complications arising from congestive heart failure. My Grandpa is 93 years old (almost 94) and has lived beyond the years his myriad of doctors ever predicted. My family is very blessed to have had him in our lives all these wonderful years. He is the origin of the spark, orneriness, wit, stubbornness, humor and cunning nature that flows through my veins. It is hard to see

him so altered and I am forced to remind myself after talking to him (or about him with Grandma) that no one is immortal and we need to be grateful for each and every day that God gives us!

Well, when it rains, it pours, and I am not talking about the downpour that is occurring as I type. This past Thursday, Tim's (and my) beloved Grandma Susie (more commonly known as "GG" for "Great Grandma") suffered from an acute hemorragic stroke. She is currently in the ICU receiving treatment; although she has been responding well to the treatment, she is heavily sedated which clouds any potential progress she may be achieving. It is hard to say how GG will recover from this episode as it is too soon to tell what lasting effects will remain after her release from the hospital. Tim and I are praying for the members in our family that are suffering from ailing health.

Back to the foothills ......

So amidst all the emotional turmoil, we were excited to celebrate Connor's (our nephew) first birthday last night (although he does not officially turn one until Monday the 4th)! He had a Finding Nemo / beach theme party complete with bubbles (in the rain), chocolate fountains, trampoline jumping (during a break in the clouds), and face painting. All the kids were running around late into the night while still high on the mass quantities of sugar pumping through their veins. Mason had a great time, but hit his wall around 9pm.

We are also very excited to meet our newest 2nd cousin, Ainsley, this coming weekend. (Tim and I will be traveling down to Paso Robles to visit family and see GG.) Although Ainsley isn't scheduled to join our world until Wednesday the 6th (via C-section), we are eagerly anticipating her arrival and can't wait to meet her.

We are also very excited to see Emily, Ella and Rudy as they are heading to California this coming Wednesday for a visit. Mason and Rudy will have such a great time wrestling around and playing with each other. Mason always learns new things from Rudy as he tends to be a little ahead of Mason in learned skills (he is lucky enough to have a sister to emulate). We are very excited to spend some much-needed time with them.

Even though we all have our struggles in life, it is important to recognize the blessings we have each and every day. Often times, it is tragedy and sadness that forces us to recognize how fortunate we really are! I challenge you to take a moment every day to be thankful for the family, friends and loved ones that care about you. Tell those people that you love and/or care about them, too; as you never know what curve-ball(s) life will launch your direction.

Another post will follow with the Mason update from April.

I hope this finds each of you blessed and grateful!

Love,

Jenn, Tim, Mason, and Baby "B"

2009-04-16T18:07:00.000-07:00

Our Growing Boy ...

2009-04-08T20:33:00.000-07:00

Mason is now 19 months old! He has definitely grown into a toddler complete with the attitude. Although he remains mostly mellow, we see his "streaks" during mealtimes, when we bring him in from outside, and when it is time to get out of the bath. Although, I must say that we have developed an ingenious tactic in ending bath time. We use a blow-up tub that sits inside our larger tub. When bath time is over, we open the plug and slowly let the water out of the blow-up bath. Before he knows what is happening, Mason's water is gone and he doesn't seem to pitch as large of a fit to get out of an empty bath. We're so clever ... or at least, we feel that way!

Mason is definitely solar-powered like his daddy. He LOVES to be outside! We frequent the park on the days I am home with him. His new favorite past times are swinging and going down the slide.

This last month, our little Peanut learned to use

his fork and spoon! Self-feeding has its upsides and its downsides; although we are glad to see he is progressing, he makes a holy mess when he self-feeds. He also becomes very defiant when someone tries to help feed him .... "NO!" he says! Nahla has never been happier with all the floor scraps she cleans-up from Mason's missed attempts ..... The other morning, Tim gave Mason some yogurt and went down the hall to put something in the bedroom, when he returned, there was yogurt ALL OVER the place .... the floor, Mason, and the walls were covered in blueberry delight! He is slowly getting the hang of it, but for now ... I am just glad to have tile floors!

Mason now has 11 teeth! He is cutting teeth like crazy! Poor little guy has had a swollen mouth for the last 6 months with as many teeth as he has popped through (11 teeth in 6 months)! That is almost a tooth every two weeks! The other night he pitched possibly the WORST temper tantrum we have ever seen. I called it his "Grand Mal Fit" ...It was the middle of the night and he was PISSED OFF! He was rolling around the floor screaming, absolutely refused to be held by Tim or myself, and would occasionally swat at my legs and robe in defiance. After both trying our hand at being the loving, comforting, understanding parent, Tim and I decided to let him work out his issues in his crib ... alone. After 30 minutes of hysterics, Tim went in and picked him up. Mason collapsed in exhaustion on Tim's chest; he had his fill of drama and was ready to finally sleep .... as long as it was on daddy's chest in the recliner (reminded us of the good-old days of sleepless nights). The next morning when we woke up, I checked his mouth and Mason had a new molar poke through! Poor little guy, that can't be comfortable!

Anyhow, I (as always) have included some pictures of this last month ...unfortunately, I haven't been all that good using my camera. I hope you all are doing well! Video will follow in the next couple of days when I can get to another computer ...

Love,

Jenn, Tim and Mason

Getting Up ....

2009-03-07T09:55:00.000-08:00

Growing up!

2009-03-03T15:39:00.000-08:00

February - what a fun month! We spent February with family and friends relaxing at the beach and playing in the Sierras ....

We started the month by stealing away to Mount Madonna Campground over by the coast along with our friends, Steve and Crystal. We were kid-free and loving our new-found adult freedom! It was a beautiful little park. Although it rained on us during our first night's stay, the rest of the weekend touted beautiful weather - - we decided to take the dogs down to the beach. We packed a lunch and had a picnic in Seaside ... the sun was warm on our faces; however, the ocean breezes kept us comfortably cool. After a long stroll on the beach, we decided to head back to camp so we could start drinking our adult beverages and chow down on the yummie dinner we brought. Of course, we capped-off the evening with schmores ... who says schmores are for kids?!

Later on in February we took a trip to the Tahoe cabin. Although Tim was unable to join us for this excursion (due to wrestling obligations), I was very fortunate to have Grammie Margie be able to babysit Mason so I could ski. I hadn't skiied in three years and it was glorious to be on the slopes again! I couldn't have asked for a more perfect ski day! The snow was squeaky (for all you fellow-skiiers/boarders, you know that is when the snow is prime)!

The cabin was a nice little vacation for me, even though Mason had his share of annoyances on the trip. The poor little guy was cutting his molar and was VERY unhappy during the middle of the night. He cried (loudly) in the small cabin for over an hour. I felt so terrible in that I knew he was waking everyone up. Thankfully, Grammie Margie came to the rescue and helped me out. She was able to finally get him down about 45 minutes after coming down to help. Thank God for Grandmas!

Unfortunately, we weren't able to play in the snow this trip as it decided to RAIN the following two days. Thankfully, it was snowing up on the summit of the mountain (as to not ruin the beautiful ski conditions);

however, the damp weather didn't allow us to complete our yearly tradition of erecting an "anatomically-correct" snow person.

Mason is growing faster than ever. It is amazing to look at him and see a little boy and no longer a little baby. He has his own set of quirks, habits, and desires. He LOVES to open and shut doors. He could play with a door all day, if you let him! He is (gulp) now able to open doors, too! Our interior door handles are the ones with the pull handle (versus the round door knobs) ... they are WAY too easy for him to open. Thankfully, all our exterior doors have knobs and not handles (as well as dead-bolts)! He is having to learn what rooms are "off limits" and is surprisingly, doing well.

Mason is very mechanical in nature. You could put a stack of toys in front of him and he will completely ignore them! He would much rather open and shut cupboards, put lids on jars, and stack buckets inside of each other. It is very interesting to see his little mind at play.

Tim and I are pretty lucky that he has fallen back to his normal sleep routines. He tends to take one, very long afternoon nap (usually 4+ hours) and goes down for bed around 8:15. I usually have to wake him up in the morning when I leave for work around 7:30pm.

Well, I have posted some pictures and some video from February. I hope you are all doing well and I will post the "ins-and-outs" of March in the not-too-distant future.

http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLanding.action?c=60cie9o.54pm40p8&x=0&y=44ckjw&localeid=en_US

Jenn :)

NO!

2009-02-03T22:19:00.000-08:00

The other day, I came to the realization that Mason is no longer a baby. He earned his "right of passage" as a toddler when he learned to emphatically say the word, "NO!" I was feeding him breakfast and when I asked him, "one more bite?" he turned his nose in the air and forcefully said "No!" ... at that moment, Mason's baby life flashed before my eyes ... his first day home from the hospital, his first bath, the first time he rolled over, the first time he slept through the night ... all those lovely moments ... in the past, tucked away in our memories ... we now have a little person who is learning his independence and is interested in testing his boundaries. It's funny, I see more of myself in him now that he is getting older and is starting to display stubbornness and independence.

The month of January flew by and was filled with many happy days. We celebrated New Years at our house with a pajama party ... all the kids sacked out early and let the adults play games, drink and enjoy the overall splendor of the evening.

Mason and I enjoyed a few trips this past month. We took a day trip to Tahoe with the Thorns family in early January. Mason and Stephen had a great time playing in the white fluff that covered the ground. Mason and I also went up to Chico and visited Mason's Great Grandparents, Jim and Rita. He learned how to say "Rita" during his visit and now makes a usual practice of saying, "Wee-ta, Wee-ta" on a regular basis.

Our little man now has six teeth and is walking more regularly. Although he still scoots around on his knees (mostly when he sees mommy, daddy, or a grandparent), he is much better at walking around. Mason is talking .... a lot. He has quite the little vocabulary for a 16-month-old. He can be such a little chatter-box, if in the mood!

Anyhow, I have posted pictures that can be

viewed at the following link:

http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLanding.action?c=60cie9o.62o8bc3w&x=0&y=-7pr5gj&localeid=en_US

I hope this finds you all doing well!

Love,

Jenn, Tim and Mason

2009-01-20T17:29:00.000-08:00

2009-01-01T18:18:00.000-08:00

On the go!

2008-12-29T22:46:00.000-08:00

Well, Mason has finally decided to walk! Here he is, a little over 16 months old and is finally on his own. He has been playing "walk the human" for the past few months ... he would walk around with the assistance of an adult finger ... and anytime we'd let go, he would shriek in displeasure and often times, would cry pathetically ... now, he can walk all on his own!!

We had a wonderful family Christmas and enjoyed five days strait of holiday parties. We had Christmas Eve dinner with all Grandparents and Mason's "GG" .. that's his Great Grandma Suzie. Christmas morning we woke up and exchanged gifts as a family and then went over to Tim's folks for Christmas morning breakfast (and we were joined by my folks, too).

Mason wasn't too interested in Christmas ... he was more interested in the bows that decorated the presents! The one thing he really loved was the

rocking chair that was given to him by his Auntie Kara. He sits in his chair and tries to rock back and forth .. it is pretty cute.

Everything was hunky-dory until Mason came down with my cold on Saturday night ... he was feverish and a little grouchy for our family party in Chico on Sunday. Even though Mason was sick, we still braved the trip to see Mason's other Great Grandparents, Jim and Rita. So five days and five pounds later, we had a wonderful Christmas and Mason is finally on the mend. Even though he has a runny nose and a pretty good cough, his fever has broke and he is jovial as usual.

I have included a link to some pictures taken around Christmas time. I have also included a video taken with my camera of Mason walking!

http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLanding.action?c=60cie9o.5gx2g3sk&x=0&y=-ienahv&localeid=en_US

I hope you all had a very merry Christmas and that you have a safe and happy New Year!

Love,

Jenn, Tim and Mason

2008-12-17T20:00:00.000-08:00

This past Monday, I worked an incredibly long day. I arrived home around 9:30pm to quietness. The Christmas tree lights dimly lit the living room and not a sound was heard throughout the house. I couldn't find Tim at first, until I realized that he was in Mason's nursery. When I peeked my head in, I saw Tim standing in the middle of the room, trying to rock a wide-awake-baby to sleep.

Seeing that Mason was still awake, I asked Tim if I could try and rock him to sleep (since I had not seen my boy for two days as the night before was a sleep-over night at Grandmie Marge's house). As I settled into the rocking chair an cuddled Mason in his fuzzy blanket, his body relaxed and sank into mine as the chair squeaked with a rhythmic creek. As he became more relaxed, he finally focused on my face. We locked eyes and I couldn't help but smile. It was truly a heart-warming experience. I couldn't resist

the temptation to see his whole face, so I pulled his pacifier out of

his mouth. As I did this, he smiled at me and let out a cute little giggle. Unable to control myself in observing his cuteness, I too, let out a giggle. What was a moment of sentimental bonding quickly turned into a giggle fest as he returned my laughter. I was unable to control myself as Mason's giggle turned into a full-on belly laugh. And if you have heard his laugh (at this stage), you can confirm that it is hard not to reciprocate the hysterics!

After we laughed so much that Mason got the hick-ups, I started to quiet him down in an attempt to have him in a relaxed sleep-state once more. After a few minutes, I was able to finally lay him down in his crib so he could lazily drift off to a slumber.

I closed the door to his nursery with laughter in my heart and a truly thankful spirit. I am blessed to have such a happy little boy in my life. Tim and I are very appreciative of the blessings we have in a warm, happy, and loving home! We hope this Christmas season brings warmth and laughter into your own homes and hearts. Take a moment to count your blessings and enjoy the true meaning of CHRISTMAS!

Merry Christmas to all of you and your loved ones!

Love,

Jenn, Tim and Mason

Christmas Photos

2008-12-04T07:28:00.000-08:00

Liz and I took Mason and Connor to Sears the other day to have Christmas pictures taken. Connor was in a wonderful mood and subsequently, took some REALLY cute photos! Mason ... yeah, not so much. The poor little bugger was tired and it was really hard to get him to smile. Given his mood, I was pleased with the fact the photographer was able to capture a few "smiling" shots of him .... nevertheless ... here are the pics! Enjoy!

Mason and Connor look like little criminals here .... BUSTED!

Mason and Connor on the sled ....

Mason Bubba with his teeth

This is a look he does often, "abuwaaaaaaaa????"

Our smiling little boy ....

Connor is so cute! .......

Cutest little smirk .....

November 2008

2008-11-18T16:59:00.000-08:00

November is here and the turkey dinner is near ... Mason has been developing in leaps and bounds ... he is not walking on his own yet, but thoroughly enjoys taking mommy and any other willing participant for a stroll around the living room.

I don't know if I ever mentioned this, but Mason's eye color changed from blue to hazel back when he was around 10 months old. I wish his eyes stayed blue because that would have been one trait of mine that he has; the hazel eyes make him more like Tim! If I hadn't carried him, I wouldn't believe he was my kid!!

Mason is saying a few words now. He says: hi, bye bye, dada, mama (only when he feels like it), doggie, kitty, and eyes. He is working on "up" but he has only said it once. He also claps, waves, and puts his arms up!

He is in such a fun stage right now. His newest pleasure is riding on the back of my bicycle. We bought a baby bike seat that mounts behind my seat. The seat is pretty much a shell around him and he is strapped in with a five-point harness. Mason LOVES to ride on the bike. He laughs and squeals as the wind tickles his face. I have to admit, he looks pretty cute in his little helmet!

Anyhow, I have taken some pictures that can be viewed at the following link. I will most likely post more pictures after the Thanksgiving holiday.

Have a great turkey day!!

Love,

Jenn

http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLanding.action?c=60cie9o.4u0tq298&x=0&y=p848ec&localeid=en_US

Link to pictures ...

2008-11-03T20:53:00.000-08:00

I have included a link to pictures taken in October ... enjoy!!

http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLanding.action?c=60cie9o.5yf5tcus&x=0&y=j6tmqk&localeid=en_US

Working on walking ....

2008-11-02T17:06:00.000-08:00

Halloween is here!

2008-10-31T15:12:00.000-07:00

Well, today is Halloween and I had to secure a costume for Mason in the 11th hour! The bee costume didn't work out, so I ended up finding an APE costume for Mason on Wednesday night! It is such an appropriate costume for him now with him crawling all over the place! He tolerates the costume relatively well and we even manage to get a few smiles out of him while he is wearing his little suit.

We went to the zoo yesterday with Mason's friend Luke and his Cousin, Connor! All the boys wore their Halloween costumes; Luke was a monkey and Connor was Squirt (from Finding Nemo). The three of them were too cute! They were "in their element" in their animal costumes at the zoo. Mason was able to see some kangaroos, giraffes, emus, a leopard, an ant eater, various reptiles and about four zebra butts! It started to rain while we were there and all the animals started to migrate into their hutches and dens ... the zebra's left their asses hanging out of their shelter so we were able to see some of them! Our admission was free so we were just excited that we were able to see what we did!

Mason is going to go trick-or-treating at the neighbor's houses tonight and then will stay in and help pass out candy. This afternoon, when daddy gets home, we are all going to carve pumpkins in the kitchen. I am sure Mason will enjoy swirling his hands around in the pumpkin goosh once he wakes from his nap.

We hope you all have a very happy and safe Halloween!

Love,

Jenn, Tim and Mason the Ape!

Halloween Crafts!

2008-10-25T21:17:00.000-07:00

October has brought much joy to our little family. We started the month with a trip to Apple Hill. We made the mistake of going on a Saturday this year ... the place was packed and most of our time was spent waiting in line to buy our carmel apples. However, Apple Hill is a new tradition for us and we think next year we will try and make it up during the week when it is not so crowded.

Mason got to turn his car seat forward this month (well, at least

the seat in the Tundra - he is still too short to turn forward the

seat in the Carolla). He really doesn't seem to care all that much now that he is riding forward ... like no big deal! At least he didn't have any adverse reaction to turning forward (like car sickness, etc). He is becoming such a big boy!!!

Mason also had his ONE YEAR well-baby doctor appointment this month. He had five shots and was NOT a happy camper. His round of shots followed with three days of a low-grade fever (101.9) and a little-to non-existent appetite. Needless to say, Tim and I were very excited to have our little boy back when he started to feel better. Mason is in good health. He is in the 60th percentile for height, the 90th percentile for head circumference, and only the 20th percentile for weight. Tim and I are working to get more food down the boy's throat. He is a pretty good eater and we have been

pretty diligent about NOT feeding him crap food. I work hard to make sure he has balanced meals each day. Come to find out, we probably need to get a little more fat in his diet! He has switched to Vitamin D cow's milk ... so that should help with the calories!

Today we got together with friends and decorated pumpkins for Halloween. Mason took part in his very first art project!! He was really funny with the paintbrush ... by the time we finished, he had paint up his nose, in his ear and I believe I just stopped him short of having it in his mouth! I am so proud of his pumpkin that it is sitting on our kitchen table where it can properly showcase his artistic talent!

I am still unsure what Mason is going to be

for Halloween. My mom was going to make his Halloween costume but time got short and it didn't work out. He may be a bee, or a penguin (Gramie Margie was eye-balling a penguin costume at BabiesRUs) ... but I won't know for sure until next week. We are going to go to the zoo next Thursday with play group and everyone is supposed to wear their Halloween costumes :) I will be sure to post pictures of whatever he ends up being!

I hope this finds you all well!

Love,

Jenn, Tim and Mason

ONE YEAR!!

2008-10-02T11:11:00.000-07:00

On September 19th, Mason turned one year old! It amazes me to look at my baby and think that one year ago he was just coming into our world. Our little family has been transformed in the most beautiful way. Words can't express the joy and fulfillment that Mason has brought to Tim and me. Yes, the joy and fulfillment is laced with frustration, sleepless nights, worry, and sometimes fear - but the journey is well worth the rewards.

The Friday of his birthday, Mason and I relaxed and played the day away. His friends at daycare threw him a little party and we brought yummie cupcakes for all the little ones to enjoy. Mason even had a little of my cupcake. Mason's big one-year birthday party was the next day, on Saturday.

We were able to have the party at my parent's house (thank goodness) and were able to enjoy the company of 50+ family members and friends. It was wonderful to share that time with people who have loved and supported us throughout the past year's journey. Mason had a great time at his bash. He enjoyed his birthday cake and I considered myself lucky that he didn't fall asleep in his high chair before his cake was served. We had a pinata that entertained all the

little ones (as well as the little ones disguised in adult-sized bodies) .....

you can check out pictures from the party (and the last month of September) at the following link:

http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=60cie9o.5lgq1bsk&x=0&y=dvy4go&localeid=en_US

Mason is crawling all over the place now ... and he's pretty fast, too. He isn't walking yet and doesn't really show any signs of being too interested. He does, however, pull himself up on objects and balances himself pretty well ...

....He has four teeth and I believe that it won't be too long before we see two more come through. He has his one year well-baby appointment coming up later in October, I plan on posting stats, etc. after the appointment.

Well, a year has come to a close. I thank all of you in being a part

of my blog-journey. Although I am going to continue posting now and again with pictures and videos, I probably won't be sending out e-mail notifications about updates ... so if you ever want to check-in and see what we are up to, visit our little site!

I hope this finds you all doing well!

With Love,

Jenn, Tim and Mason

Making Progress ....

2008-08-17T11:47:00.000-07:00

So it has been about a month since I have posted ..... Mason is making progress in his milestones. He is now crawling and has finally started to improve in his self-feeding.

We took him out on the boat for the first time at the end of July. He didn't have a horrible time, but it was a little difficult for him because it was too hot. I managed to keep sand out of most of his

crevasses, but the water was too cold for him (by his own account - he started to cry when we dipped his toes in). By the end of the day, he was a little on the grumpy side because he refused to nap while on the beach. I took him home in the early afternoon and he was asleep in his car seat before we made it to the freeway! I think we will probably wait to take him out on the river until next summer when he is walking. It was pretty cute to see him in his little swim trunks and life vest (although he kind of looked like a tick about ready to pop in that life vest)....

Within the last week, Mason has really started to take off in his crawling. Before, he would go a few feet and then sit on his butt ... then go a few feet again, and sit on his butt ... he would motate all around the room in this fashion. Now, he looks a little more coordinated and crawls like a typical baby. He is starting to explore in pulling himself up on various pieces of furniture, but he is not yet totally confident in that skill.

My brother and his family came out to California to surprise my mom for her birthday (August 12th) and her retirement (August 15th). Mason had a great time playing with his cousins, Rudy and Ella. Rudy is a little further along than Mason with his crawling skills, so I think it was useful for Mason to observe the "pro." Mason talks more than Rudy and Emily (my brother's wife) was hopeful that Rudy would pick-up some of Mason's talkativeness ..... It was a great time

while they were out here. Rudy and Mason are only two weeks apart so it is very entertaining to see them interact.

Mason and Rudy both visited Jon Kalbach's Salon and Day Spa for their first hair cuts ever! My brother did a great job in using the clippers to "buzz" the boys. He kept threatening to give Mason a "high and tight" cut like him (since he is in the Navy). The boys both did great ... at first. After a while, the hair would fall down on their face and they would start to get grumpy. Overall, they did a great job and didn't put up too much of a fight. Honestly, I am glad to be rid of Mason's bowl-cut! For all of you out there that claim my baby doesn't cry (Kelly and Chris, ahem!) ... there is PROOF in the attached pictures!

Anyhow, we are encroaching on Mason's first birthday! He will be turning one on September 19th! I can't believe a year has already passed! I will surely post in the coming weeks to capture the coming days!

Additional pictures can be viewed at:

http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=60cie9o.43259by0&x=0&y=-tmb4wn&localeid=en_US

I hope all is well!

Love,

Jenn, Tim, and Mason

The end of an era ....

2008-07-11T22:23:00.000-07:00

Mason is almost 10 months (around the 19th of this month) and has pretty much stopped nursing. I never thought I would have grown so attached to nursing him. When I first became pregnant, I knew I wanted to nurse but had decided that I wasn't going to be "hard core" about the process. I told myself that I was going to do my best to keep it up and wasn't going to give up when encountering all the associated discomforts (cracked nerples, mastitis, clogged ducts, leakage, tenderness, and the list goes on and on and on and on ...). I know many people have various opinions about nursing how's, what's, where's, etc .... but after going through the process with Mason, I say BE PROUD SISTA' for all the nursing moms out there! It is harder than one things to put a boob in a baby's mouth; people just don't understand the dedication it takes unless one goes through it, tries to go through it, or is very closely associated with the process (sorry dads, closer than trying to get a squirt in your coffee).

In actuality, nursing was a time during each day that Mason and I bonded, kanoodeled and were

totally about each other and no one else. Although I am sad for this time to end, it doesn't feel as traumatic as I thought it would be. Over the last month or so, Bubas has gradually decreased the number of times he nurses each day down to one. Thankfully for me, he didn't go "cold turkey" like some other babies I know of. I am very grateful for the 10 months we were able to continue the nursing regime and am thankful that I was able to experience the closeness and bonding associated with nursing my baby.

Ok, enough of the boob talk ... I am sure half the guys reading this have already puked in the garbage can .....

On another note, Mason is SOOO close to crawling. He is still scooting backwards, but is now up on all fours and is rocking back and forth. I anticipate him beginning any day now. I guess it is time to think about baby-proofing the house!

Although Mason has symptoms of teething, he has yet to cut any actual teeth. My family is full of late teethers, so I pretty much have expected that Mason will sprout teeth late, too. Actually, he is a late bird on pretty much everything ... rolling over, crawling, teething, holding his own bottle, self feeding ... he is just a lazy kid, what can I say?!? Well, lazy or not he is my little Bubas and I LOOOOOVVVVEEE him sooooooo much!

We had a nice 4th this year, with the exception of Mason's choking incident. Bubas choked on a piece of watermelon and scared the shit out of me! I was able to dislodge the food and thankfully, he recovered soon and was back to finishing his scrumptious meal (he only choked

for approximately 5 seconds). The incident re-affirmed my desire to take a child/infant CPR and First Aid class. The rest of the night ended well; Mason was in bed before the fireworks show started and he snored through the whole thing. Being in Orangevale, a couple of our neighbors were setting of HUGE boomer illegal fireworks. You would have though World War III was starting ... did Bubas wake up??? nope!

Well, as always, I hope this finds each of you doing well! I have posted video and a few pictures from the past couple of weeks. Enjoy!

The pictures above are of 1) Mason with wild-man hair; 2) Ian and Michelle helping give Mason and bath; and 3) of Grandmie Marge playing with Connor ....

Love,

Jenn, Tim, Mason, and the animals ......

Just pictures and video

2008-06-22T01:04:00.000-07:00

The "Magnum" -->

Well, not too much has happened since my last post. Tim had his first Father's day ... it was pretty nice and Mason behaved himself that day :) I just have posted pictures and a few videos taken lately.

You can view the pictures at the following link:

p://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=60cie9o.7a8yqknk&x=0&y=w51q4k&localeid=en_US

Videos are below .....

Enjoy! - Jenn, Tim and Mason

backwards creep

crib hysteria

lotion after bath time .....

Man grunts .......

Mason's first soccer ball ... that Nahla popped two hours later :(

big boy playing the drums ...

mommy's favorite ... blowing raspberries!!

A long time ...

2008-06-07T23:05:00.000-07:00

It has been a long time since I last posted and a lot has happened!

Mason is doing well ... he has his very FIRST cold right now. This morning he started coughing and has a super runny nose. I was able to use the wonderful nose-suckie for the first time. Yeah, Mason didn't think it was so wonderful. He is still relatively happy given the fact that he isn't feeling top-notch.

We are still waiting to see teeth ... he has gone through fussy days

, low-grade fevers, drooling, and gnawing on his pacifier, but has yet to cut teeth. Many of the babies on my side of the family are late tethers. My niece, Ella, didn't have her first tooth until after she was a year old! We can, however, see the outline of teeth in his gums on the bottom side of his mouth!

Mason still doesn't roll over often, but he has started to creep around while on his belly. He will roll over if he gets tired of being on his belly or if he is trying to reach for a toy while on his back. However, he is inherently lazy and just doesn't feel the need to move around

that often! Another thing that is peculiar about our little Peanut is that he doesn't put things in his mouth! Yes, I checked and he is a baby ... yes, I know babies are supposed to put things in their mouth ... but he just WON'T! It is making the process of teaching him to self-feed pretty difficult. Instead of holding his sippie cup, he will lean towards it and thrust his tongue at it ... as if saying, "mom, I am thirsty ... c'mon!" He'll get the hang of it someday ..... in the

meantime, patience is the name of the game!

In other news, my brother and his family are visiting now. Rudy and Mason are having a good time playing together. We were able to make a trip up to Chico today for my Grandpa Jim's 93rd birthday celebration! It was a very special time to have all great grand kids bond with their great grandparents. We couldn't have asked for a better day to spend with family.

As always, I have attached a link with pictures from the last month. Unfortunately, I lost some pictures as my hard drive crashed and everything was lost. Fortunately, I didn't loose ALL my pictures as I have been putting them on Kodak gallery to showcase for the blog!

http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=60cie9o.7n9601y8&x=0&y=xrm8jh&localeid=en_US

Anyhow, I hope this finds you all doing well. I will try not to wait too long before I post again!

Ciao,

Jenn, Tim, and Mason

WOO HOO!

2008-05-09T17:15:00.000-07:00

ieEEEEEEE! Some very exciting news has occurred in our little family! The most exciting news is that Mason now has a cousin!! Connor Joseph Brown joined us on Sunday, May 4th. He was 8 pounds, 6 ounces and was 20 1/2 long. He is as bald as a cue ball (in perfect Brown-man style) and has the cutest little chicken legs ever! Tim and I are so incredibly happy for Scott and Liz (his brother and his wife) ... we will have enough boys in the family now to field a soccer team!! Liz and Scott are both doing great and are adjusting to their new schedule :) WOO HOO!

The other exciting news is that I found a great job! It is in Folsom (so I don't have to commute far) doing estate planning paralegal work. I am jubilant as I am scheduled for three days a week with 8 hour work days.

The job arrangement is my ideal :) I'm wasting no time and will begin work on Monday! WOO HOO x 2!!

Mason is doing great. He is as big as ever and is nearly out of his infant car seat. His little toes dangle over the edge and his shoulders are almost too big for the seat! Seeing little Connor makes it seem like yesterday that Mason was that small. He can stand on his own legs now, but still doesn't like to roll over ... o-well, he'll probably go strait to crawling. He

doesn't show any signs of being motivated to crawl around yet ... so I am off the hook with child-proofing for a little longer!

Anyhow, I have included some pictures of Mason as well as his little cousin, Connor. The pictures can be viewed at the following link:

http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=60cie9o.1hrwkjx4&x=0&y=hftzmd&localeid=en_US

We hope you all are doing great!

Love,

Jenn and Tim

aahhhhh, serenity .....

2008-04-29T17:04:00.000-07:00

This afternoon I was laying on our bed with my (not so little) peanut cuddled beside me. It was time for a lazy afternoon nap after a busy day. As I closed my eyes and began to drift off, my body became more aware of my peaceful surroundings. As the scented air of jasmine floated in with the breeze, the slight melody of tropical, wooden wind chimes sang me to sleep. Just before I passed to unconsciousness, a hummingbird approached the feeder outside my window. I could hear the vibration of its wings as it hovered and swilled the sweet nectar. Just before it departed, it chirped as if telling me goodbye ..... I opened my eyes and drank in one last look of my little man before I drifted off. The sunlight caught strands of his strawberry -blond hair and his skin appeared to be comprised of buttermilk. I smiled as I watched his chest rise and fall with breath. At that moment, I knew what Heaven was like and I wanted to pause time. Instead, I drifted off with the calming essence of jasmine still in my breath and the slight sound of a pacifier being rhythmically enjoyed.

Anyhow, it has been awhile since my last post! The other weekend, Tim and I had Mason dedicated by our family Pastor, Rick Stowell. It was a nice ceremony that was held on my parent's back patio. The sun was shining and a slight breeze kept the afternoon cool. It was very relaxed and the ceremony had the exact feel we had hoped.

Mason is doing great. He has expanded his food repertoire and is now eating fruits as well as veggies. I never anticipated that I would grow so attached to nursing and I have mixed feelings of the weaning process. Mason is sitting up well, but is not regularly rolling over. Tim and I believe it is because he doesn't want to roll over, not because he can't ... He rolled over today from his belly to his back like he had done it a thousand times.

Anyhow, I have included some video and a link to some recent pictures:

http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=60cie9o.ahk9qps8&x=0&y=-gi0coh&localeid=en_US

I hope this finds you all doing great!

Love,

Jenn, Tim, Mason, and the animals ....

2008-04-10T00:03:00.000-07:00

Wow, a lot has occurred since my last post! Life seems pretty busy for us even though we don't have a lot going on!

This past weekend, Tim, Mason and I went camping for my birthday and were joined by some family and friends. We went to the Samuel P. Taylor campground by Point Reyes and enjoyed four days of eating, drinking, hiking, and relaxing. It was Mason's first camping trip and he managed it like a champ! He was quite the seasoned little camper (more so than his momma). It was a little colder than we anticipated, but we all bundled up and crept a little closer to our campfire. We were quite cozy in our little Motel 6 tent trailer. We were able to use David and Marge's Hilton on wheels for our running water and flush toilet needs (Tim's folks have a 5th-wheel).

Upon our return from our little hiatus, Tim discovered that he had poison oak .... bad. He is still COVERED with it and has banished himself to the guest bedroom. His temporary exodus serves me well as Mason has decided to stop sleeping through the night.

We believe Mason's teeth are bothering him pretty bad as he has been a little crab-apple the past few days (well, crab-apple for him, anyways). In fact, he just woke up about 30 minutes ago screaming bloody murder (at 12:30am)! He is now cozied up next to me in bed, snoring away ....

Other family news ... my brother was deployed again yesterday. Fortunately, he isn't in Iraq. His deployment is for approximately two months and we are looking forward to seeing him, Emily and the kids in June. Liz had her baby shower and is encroaching upon her due date. Tim and I are ecstatic that little Connor will be joining us soon! Mason will have to wait a little while before he and Connor can play.

Anyhow, unconsciousness calls .... I have attached a link for recent pictures:
http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=60cie9o.7epru1mw&x=0&y=-bzdue3&localeid=en_US

I hope this finds you all doing well!
Love,
Jenn

Happy Easter!!

2008-03-23T22:06:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone had a nice Easter! Mason had his 6 month appointment last Thursday. He weighed a wopping 19 pounds, 2 ounces! He is our little BEEF CAKE!! He still has a large head that falls somewhere in the 90th percentile range. He is in the 60 percentile range for both weight and height. Mason received another round of shots and although he was pissed when the shots were received, he was back to normal the next day. Both Tim and I were able to attend the appointment together ... I am glad Tim was there to hold Mason down while he received his shots ... I had the "cushie" job of scooping him up and comforting him afterwards! We are going to work with him a little more in helping him sit up and roll over. He is not doing those activities on his own just yet. All-in-all, our boy is doing great and is within normal ranges of where he should be!!

Our Easter was nice. We went up to Chico and had brunch with the family at the Country Club. Once again, Mason was the hit of the party ... that is, after he woke up. He fell asleep on our way up to Chico and stayed asleep through most of our brunch!! I eventually had to wake him up! It was a really nice visit and the day couldn't have been more perfect!

I finished off the day by introducing something other than rice cereal into Mason's diet. I cooked up some potato, mashed it through a strainer and mixed it with some water and formula ... soungs appealing, right ?! Yeah, Mason didn't think so ... he looked like he was going to gag it back up! I wish I had the camera ready for that one. I think I will keep it close as I begin to introduce new foods. I think I am going to abandon the potato for tomorro night and switch to something more palatable like banannas .... lets hope for the best!

Anyhow, I have included a link below for a few pictures taken recently:
http://adobe.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=60cie9o.ax4oss0g&x=0&y=-nctcri&localeid=en_US

I hope you are all doing well!
Love,
Jenn

Solid!

2008-03-13T10:50:00.000-07:00

Hello from the Brown household!! Things have been going well in our little realm. Tim is done with wrestling season (yeah!) and life is pretty much getting back to normal for us. I have another five weeks at the bank and am now dedicated to finding a new job. The reality of unemployment has hit home!!

Mason is doing great! He has started eating solid foods (and by solid, I mean soupy rice-cereal) and is doing very well. I knew it was time to begin solids when he downed a 10 oz bottle and was still hungry! ... that, and the fact that he would lick his high chair tray and stare at us while we ate dinner!

At first, Mason didn't really know what to make of the texture of the "solid food" cereal. He would work his little tongue and spit out the cereal all over his chin ... eventually he got the hang of it and now opens his mouth like a little bird when he sees the spoon approaching. ... he still makes a huge mess even though most of the food ends up in his belly.

Mason has still been sleeping through the night. He is usually exhausted by the end of the day as he spends a lot of his time bouncing in his excersaucer, playing on the floor gym, and people watching. My daycare provider (on Wednesdays) says that he will only nap when the "big kids" nap ... otherwise, there is simply too much for him to see!

Tim and I are VERY excited as we are approaching new Auntie and Uncle status with the pending birth of Connor Joseph, Scott and Liz's baby (Scott is Tim's twin). I have been helping Scott and Liz paint a mural in their nursery of an underwater sea-scape and a beach scene with palm trees and a sand castle. The room is really turning out well and I wish it was Mason's room! I am having so much fun doing the painting that I wish I could some how capitalize and make my painting efforts into a side business! I will definitely post pictures of the end result as I am rather proud of how it is coming along!

My good friend Kelly is also nearing her due date for the arrival of her son, Luke Thomas! I have been playing soccer with Kelly since we were 5 years old and it is a blessing to have a longtime friendship where we can see our lives come full circle ... in a couple of years our little ones will hopefully be playing soccer together!

Well, Mason is napping and I am still in my PJ's at 11am ... I guess it would be an opportune time for me to quit typing and get myself ready for the day (even though it is half over)!

Mason has his 6 MONTH appointment next week so I am sure I will post after I receive his new stats!

I hope this finds you all doing GREAT! Enjoy the Spring!
Love,
Jenn

yawn!

2008-02-27T20:49:00.000-08:00

Everyone who is a parent is faced with reality that children and sleep deprivation go hand in hand! Tim and I have been blessed in that Mason has been sleeping through the night (consistently) for a little while. When I mention "sleeping through the night," I of course mean somewhere in the ballpark of 10:30pm to 5:30am. The childless would not consider that amount of time a "full night's sleep" - Lord knows I didn't consider anything less than 8 hours a full night's sleep before Mason!! However, when an infant/youngin' is involved, most parents would cut off their right arm for those precious hours!

Just as Tim and I were settling into Mason's new sleep schedule, he hauls off and refuses to sleep well for the past two nights! I felt like the walking dead yesterday as Mason was up and cried until 1:30am on Tuesday night! Oy-vey! It was the hardest thing I ever had to do - for the first time, we let him "cry it out." I thought I was going to start crying with him! It was the hardest thing to look at him in his crib and to tell him "you're OK" while he was looking at me and the tears were rolling off his cheeks! It was so unlike him to cry like that, that I couldn't help but wonder if he was in pain or was scared! I hate not being able to communicate with him! I feel a renewed inspiration to begin signing with Mason.

The weekend before last, Mason, Grandma Kalbach and myself went up to Chico to visit with Mason's great grandparents (my Grandpa Jim and Grandma Rita). It was the first occasion on which my Grandpa Jim held Mason. It was truly fantastic to see the generations represented at our gathering. I feel very grateful to have such a wonderful family and I am happy that my Grandpa was able to hold our little pork chop!

This past weekend we went to Lake Tahoe. Yes, we braved the winter storm and enjoyed a cabin weekend consisting of fuzzy socks, sweat pants, a warm fire, games, wine and good company. The weekend presented Mason's first exposure to the snow and featured a couple of crude (anatomically correct) snow people in the front yard. We had a blast!

Tim is nearing the end of wrestling season. He has State finals this weekend in Bakersfield (one of the State's most beautiful cities - yeah right!!). After this weekend, I will have my husband back! I am pretty excited for Tim to be able to spend more time with Mason.

I have attached pictures of our most recent intrigues .... you can view them at the following link: http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=60cie9o.3wdewgeo&x=0&y=-hpzvad

I hope this finds you all doing well!!

Love,

Jenn

blessed with my baby

2008-02-09T01:01:00.000-08:00

I often recognize and give thanks for how blessed I am. Tonight, I happened to watch Mason sleep for a prolonged period of time. There is a miracle in each breath he takes and I feel overwhelmed with love just watching him. I can't begin to express the feelings I embody now that I am a parent!

I went back and read through some of my older posts tonight. It is truly amazing how fast Mason has grown. It doesn't seem that long ago that I was posting my pregnancy experiences - now I use this little page to showcase my little pork chop!

Thank you all for being a part of this experience with me!

(I was just feeling quite sentimental and too tired to be logical and refrain from posting my sentiments! )

Time to go to bed now ......

Ouch!! part II

2008-01-30T20:53:00.000-08:00

Mason went to the doctor the other day for his 4 month well-baby check-up. He did very well despite recieving his second round of innoculations. He is a wopping 16.8 pounds and is in the the 74th percentile for weight, the 72nd percentile for height, and the 93rd percentile for head circumphrance! Tim thinks his head is large because he is going to be so smart!! Honestly, his head looks just fine - you can't really tell it is an orange on a toothpick! Mason was pretty fussy for two days after his shots, but he is back to normal now!

On a WONDERFUL note, Mason has consistently slept through the night for the past 12 days or so. Tim and I are both hopeful this trend will last. It is very nice that he is sleeping longer now that I am working!

Mason is still working on the rolling over business. He is ALMOST there! He has started grabbing his feet while he lays on his back ... its pretty cute. The other day while on the changing table, he hauled off and let out a big ol' fart while grabbing his feet. His daddy would have been SOOOO proud of his boy had he been there to witness his little musical toot. Mason definitely fits into the family when it comes to passing gas ... he is so very stinky that it practically burns the hair out of my nose when he farts!

Anyhow, all is well in our little household! Mason continues to amaze us on a daily basis and we feel incredibly blessed to have him!

We hope this finds you well!

Love,

Jenn, Tim, Mason, Nahla, Fez and Bells

teeth!

2008-01-18T22:21:00.000-08:00

I can't believe how fast our little pork chop is growing! He has started teething!! He is a little drool-monkey and soaks through at least two bibs each day. He has been fussy and restless a couple of nights (waking every three hours much to my disdain), but has overall been happy. In my last post, I indicated that Mason was suffering from a cold when it was actually the beginning of his teething .... he doesn't really have a tooth, but rather a "bud" in his gums ... nevertheless, he still drools all over the place ... its a good thing he is cute!

I started back at work last week (temporarily). I have enjoyed my immersion back into the work place and have been glad to see and talk to my co-workers and customers. Adult conversation is always appreciated after spending prolonged periods of time with a little one....I believe working part time will be a good arrangement for me as it will help keep my brain sharp! I will miss my work as I have grown fond of my friends in my work environment.

The one good thing about going back to work is that it makes me more grateful for the time I have at home with Mason. Either way I slice the cheese, I am able to spend at least every other day with my little man .... so if I am having a trying time, I can revel in the fact that I will spend all of the following day with him! I have been fortunate in that I have had no mental melt downs and have had no problem pumping at work ...

Tim and I are incredibly lucky for our child care arrangements while I am back at work. Marge (Tim's mom) watches Mason on Monday, we have an in-home day care that takes him on Wednesday, and my mother watches him on Friday. We also have Liz (my sister-in-law) on babysitter standby in case one of the current sitters has a conflict. I am hopeful that once my stint at County Bank is over, that I will be able to find work that compliments my ogh-so-fabulous care arrangements!

Ogh yeah! I almost forgot to mention that Mason is ALMOST able to roll over!!! He rolls on to his side, but his arm is getting in the way of his completely rolling over. Honestly, I am grateful for the inhibiting arm - I don't think I am ready for him to already be at that stage! The little fart will be crawling before we know it! His neck is getting quite strong and he was able to spend some time in his Bumbo chair (rubber chair that helps infants learn to sit upright) the other day.

Anyhow, I have a few pictures and some video .... you can view pictures at the following link:

http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=60cie9o.aasex2ug&x=0&y=-te0jfu

I hope you all are doing well!

Love,

Jenn, Tim, Mason, Nahla, Fez, and Hells-Bells ......

videos

2008-01-09T14:22:00.000-08:00

Mason's First Christmas

2007-12-28T18:15:00.000-08:00

Ho Ho Ho! Well Mason's first Christmas has come and gone and it was a blast!! We enjoyed the company of family and friends and reveled in the music, card playing, and food consumption associated with the season. Mason made out like a bandit and is going to be the most stylin' little stud ever with the cute little clothes he scored! We went up to Chico the weekend before Christmas and spent some time with Mason's great grandparents, aunts and uncles. He was quite the little center of attention as he is the youngest little one on that side of the family. He was such a good little baby and did quite well although in a foreign house with game trophy heads mounted on all the walls! (The party was at Mason's great Uncle Jim's house - Great Uncle Jim is an avid hunter and recently mounted the head of a Cape Buffalo in his living room.)

The newest issue in our little family is my return to work. I attempted to obtain a temporary part-time schedule with my bank (with the intention of returning to full time work in March) but they were unable to make the accommodation I was looking for. They offered me a somewhat reduced schedule (per my request). However, the management position I hold with them is really a full time position and will never be able to accommodate part time hours. Tim and I sat down and had a heart-to-heart to talk about what type of work situation I wanted ... and we decided that it was dooable for me to work part time and I , therefore, gave my notice to the bank. We figured this would be a perfect time for me to transition into the paralegal field. I will, however, be working for them three days a week until they find my replacement or until I find other employment. I didn't want to leave them in a lurch so I offered to help them out ... I believe it is a good arrangement for both parties ... they have help until they find someone else, and I have income until I find something else! Its a win win situation!

Anyhow, I have included a link to some pictures (you may need to copy and paste into your browser) : http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=60cie9o.cdnjqt88&x=0&y=-w4zcd4 and
http://mystudio.kiddiekandids.com/viewshare.asp?c=602005074NUA7YW4R

Mason is starting to giggle more frequently and is smiling all the time. Our favorite is when he smiles while he has his pacifier in his mouth ... you can see the smile in his eyes. He is over 15 lbs and has a doctor's appointment in the coming weeks to receive his next round of shots. He currently has a little cold that is making him a little fussy and is preventing him from sleeping as well at night. Other than that, he is peachy keen!!

Anyhow, I hope this finds you all doing well!

Jenn

muffin top ....

2007-12-14T11:41:00.000-08:00

Today was a major milestone ... I fit into my pre-pregnancy fat pants! Yes, I have a muffin top that would make any baker proud, but I fit into the pants darn-it!! Although I would never normally condone wearing pants where my belly pours over the waistband, I am going to wear these jeans for the rest of the day .... even if they make my eyeballs pop out a little!

Yesterday I chopped my hair off! It is short short short and it is taking a little getting used to! For those of you who have known me for a long time, I used to have this cut in my early college years. I am happy to be rid of the constant ponytail! It is very quick and easy to style!

Mason is doing great! He is already in size 3 diapers! He loves to splash in the bath and he is beginning to giggle and laugh more ....he is just getting so BIG! Har har, I just heard him fart from the other room ... Tim would be so proud!

Anyhow, I hope this finds each of you having a wonderful Holiday season!

Hugs,

Jenn

8 hours!

2007-12-04T09:24:00.000-08:00

Life is back to normal and we are back home. Mason was an absolute prince for the rest of our Virginia trip and was a COMPLETE trooper on the flight home! We had a wonderful time on our trip but are very happy to return to home base (Nahla is happy we are back, too!).

Mason is growing like a weed .... he outgrew clothes that I packed for his trip while we were in Virginia! Mason is almost 11 weeks and is already in 3-6 month clothing! We recently have tried a new schedule with him that is working quite well! Instead of him "snacking" all day long - and then falling asleep after his snack, we have been feeding him every 3 hours or so and then keeping him awake after feeding. The wonderful result of this schedule is that Mason is sleeping longer periods through the night! The new schedule allowed him to go 5 hours or so at first, and then last night he slept 8 hours! HALLELUJAH! - HOLY S%#$ (to quote Clark Griswold in the wonderful Christmas movie classic, Christmas Vacation)!!

I am very much enjoying my time at home with my little man and am saddened the (dreaded) return to work is fast approaching. Mason and I have so much fun together during the day! He is so interactive now - - he coos and smiles, kicks, farts and has even laughed a couple of times! He's a HOOT to be around and it is only going to get better! If only I had a secret money tree in the back yard from which I could harvest cash ..... then I could stay home with Mason! Hummmm ........

The other weekend we packed up our little family and went to cut a Christmas tree. Grandma Marge bought Mason a cute little hat that kept his cranium warm during our tree hunt adventure. This year was probably the only year that we would get away with dressing him like that because he physically couldn't yank the hat off his head! His ensemble was too cute!

Anyhow, you can check out pictures from Virginia and the following days at the following link:

http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=60cie9o.ak2creps&x=0&y=swlvgi

I have also uploaded some video taken recently. Enjoy!

With Love,

Jenn, Tim and Mason

DC Honeymoon

2007-11-20T19:05:00.001-08:00

Tim and I just returned back to my brother's house from a wonderful "lightning trip" to Washington DC. Since we were in Virginia, we thought it would be foolish to not take advantage of the proximity of our Nation's capitol! Washington DC is 3.5hours (as the crow flies) from Norfolk.

I was very excited as I booked a hotel online that was right across the street from the White House. When we arrived at our hotel, Tim and I were impressed by the fancy lobby. However, when we got to our room, we came to the realization that we were staying in "the chateaux de la dump" ..... the plumbing in the shower was exposed out of the wall and we had a wonderful view of an industrial vent and a bird shit-covered roof! Although disclosed on the website, we did not have a refrigerator or an expansive view! We were disappointed in the room, however, we did not let that hinder our spirits as we knew we wouldn't be spending the majority of our time there anyway!

We arrived around 1pm on Sunday and began our stay with a walk of the memorials. The Capitol p

ark was about 1.5 miles from the hotel - we crossed in front of the White House on our way to the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial, the Korean War Memorial, the Washington Monument, and then we finished our day tour with the World War II Memorial. Each memorial had an ambiance during the day that is difficult to describe. Tim and I were fortunate enough to ride to the top of the Washington Monument (500 feet). The views were breathtaking .... however, we had to cut our sightseeing short as someone dropped a stink bomb fart that started to burn the hair out of our noses ...that experience was breathtaking as well, but not in the same respect!

After our day walk, Tim and I returned to the hotel to get ready for dinner. We started to drink and ready our selves for our honeymoon night on the town! We ate at a wonderful (reasonably priced) restaurant and had an opportunity to enjoy each other's company, uninterrupted, once again. After we finished dinner, we decided to walk the memorials once more at night. Each memorial has impressive light set-ups that create a unique

ambiance. Since we were "warm" from the alcohol, the chilly temperatures of nocturnal DC did not hinder our adventure. We returned back to the hotel around 11pm. We were surprised that each of the memorials touted small crowds late in to the evening.

The next day Tim and I cruised the Smithsonian Natural History

museum, strolled in front of the Capitol and enjoyed the Capitol's botanical gardens. We also (quite unexpectedly) saw Ford Theatre (where Lincoln was shot) and the house in which Lincoln died. We went on a hunt for a waffle restaurant - when we found one, we looked out the window and saw the theatre! It was a pleasant surprise! We figured that we walked on average of 10 miles each day for a total of 20 miles for the whole trip. By three o'clock on Monday, I (and my boobs) were ready to return back to my brother's house as it had been too long since we had been parted from our wee baby! It took us 4 1/2 hours to drive back to Norfolk from DC.

We recovered from our DC trip today by watching C2's and hornet jets land at the FCPL field again. I thought C2's were a blast to watch ... the hornet jets were LITERALLY a blast to watch - I could feel the pass in my chest as the jet touched down and powered back up to take off again.

We then jetted (get it? har har ... I know, bad pun) over to the base and took a tour of the George Washington aircraft carrier. It was amazing to see how many people and resources go into operating the floating city. It was fascinating to see the aspects of my brother's job. The whole process of organizing and coordinating operations on a deployed carrier is quite complicated and involved (and we only saw the flight operations part)! It was mind-boggling to see what goes into the operation of that military machine!

Anyhow, tomorrow we will be taking a trip to historical Jamestown and will be readying our bellies for the massive feast on Thursday!

We hope this finds each of you doing well!

Love,

Jenn, Tim and Mason

P.S. In the coming days, I will have a plethora of video and pictures to share from our Virginia trip. I had to save everything to my brother's computer and I just can't quite figure out how to get my pictures off his computer and to a CD to take home!!

ouch!

2007-11-18T03:50:00.000-08:00

This past week has been a big week for Mason! On Monday, he went to the doctor for his two month check-up and received shots! OUCH! I have never seen a human face turn purple before! Poor little guy, he was not happy AT ALL! It felt good to scoop him up and comfort him after he was stuck with three needles ....

This was also a big week for Mason as he had his first plane ride! On Wednesday, Mason and I headed out to Virginia (where I currently am). We flew Southwest and Mason was an absolute prince the whole time! He even waited to poop his pants until we arrived at our destination (my brother's house)! What a good boy .....

The last couple of days have entailed happy chaos! Between Mason and my brother's two children, Rudy (6 weeks old) and Ella (21 months) we have had screaming banjos in the car, toddler meltdown in the portrait studio, and "mommy, mommy, MOMMY" yelled at the top of the decipal chart! Having a house full of young children has been trying, but truly a joy at the same time. My brother's little

girl, Ella, is the cutest thing since Christmas ... she is truly a delight and has the ability to put a smile on the sourest of faces. She referrs to Santa Clause as "Ho" ... we have to be careful where and to whom she exclaims that expression!

Mason and I have had the opportunity to partake in some pretty cool activities since we have been out in Virginia. My brother (as many people know) flys C2's for the Navy. The day before yesterday, Mason and I headed out to an air field in the middle of nowhere to watch "Field Carrier Practice Landings" or more commonly referred to as FCPL's ... basically, I was able to stand right next to the runway while a 500,000 lb turbo prop plane did touch-n-go's ... it was pretty damn cool! I have more pictures and video of the experience, but have had trouble uploading it since I am using my brother's Mac. For some reason, the Kodak gallery is operating really slow on his computer as well!

Anyhow, our babysitters have woken up and Tim and I are on our way to Washington DC (without Mason) for an over night escape ... we are staying in a hotel right next to the White House! I am sure we will have some great pictures to share in my next post.

Until then, I hope this finds you all doing well!

Love,

Jenn, Tim and Mason

Pumpkin

2007-11-01T20:10:00.000-07:00

Mason celebrated his first Halloween last night. He was a ridiculiously cute pumpkin! Tim and I ate his share of candy, pie and carmel apples. In the coming years, he will enjoy his own goodies so we thought we would get our fill while we could!

Anyhow, not much is new since my last post. I did include some recent videos taken. Each of them are relatively short ..... You can also see more pictures at: http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=60cie9o.azvx3ohk&x=0&y=66d0nc

Anhow, we hope this finds all of ou doing well!

Love,

Jenn, Tim, Mason, Nahla, Fez, and Bella ....

Our little weed ....

2007-10-22T20:42:00.000-07:00

Mason is almost 6 weeks old and I can't believe how fast he is growing! He has started to smile and definitely has taken on a personality of his own (is the middle finger attitude?). Each day, Mason continues to amaze me. It is really awesome how much his presence has changed our life. Yes, I can say that having a child has been one of the biggest challenges I have faced. Competitive and collegiate soccer is a cake-walk compared to the physical demands of raising an infant. Although Mason has been my greatest challenge, he is also my greatest accomplishment. I look at him every day and think, "geeze, he belongs to me (and Tim, of course)!"

Just tonight, Tim was holding Mason on the couch and Mason was studying Tim's face intently. I peeked over Tim's shoulder and said, "Hi Mason!" and he gave us both a HUGE smile! I honestly think it was the first time he recognized both Tim and I as being ourselves. I think he primarily smiles at me because he thinks, "ogh, good ... here comes my snack!"

Both Tim and I are doing well. Although Mason is not sleeping more than 2 1/2 - 3 hours at a time during the night, we have adjusted a little better to our reduced hours of sleep. During the week, I get up with Mason at night to feed and change his diaper. I have to be up to feed him anyway and it just doesn't make sense for us both to have our sleep interrupted! However, on the weekend, interrupted sleep is fair game and Tim tag-teams by changing his diaper so I don't have to get out of bed. Gooo team, yeah!

Many of you know that Tim is the head wrestling coach at Union Mine High School. We are fast approaching wrestling season which means that I will soon be a "wrestling widow" and a single parent! Our transition to wrestling season will be manageable for me but will become increasingly difficult when I go back to work in January. Luckily, Tim and I have a tremendous amount of support in family and friends who will help us get through the difficult months ahead ....

I am slowly getting back into shape. I have begun playing soccer regularly on Wednesday nights. Although I still "jog and dog" during the game, I have noticed a significant improvement since my first game. I try and get my kiester to the gym as much as I can, but am unable to attend regularly as the gym daycare will not take Mason until he is 3 months old. I went shopping today in my mom's closet and was able to score some new clothes. My mom has been on Weight Watchers and prides herself in being a smaller size than I ... however, this works great for me as I was able to reap the benefit of her now-too-large clothes as I transition from maternity back to my (hopefully) pre-pregnancy size!

Tim and I continue to take Mason on outings, but we are careful to not expose him to too much as he will not receive his inoculations until next Month. Mason had his first visit to the pumpkin patch last weekend with Trish and Tegan (Jarv's fiance' and daughter). Both Trish and Tegan were visiting all the way from Australia! We will also be taking him to two Halloween parties this Wednesday ... we have to show-off his little pumpkin costume. I have to dress him up as a pumpkin because he IS my pumpkin!!

Anyhow, I have included a link to some more pictures. Now that Mason is awake for longer periods of the day, it will be more likely that I capture pictures of him doing more than sleeping! There are also a few videos at the end of this post.

I hope this finds each of you doing GREAT!

Hugs,

Jenn, Tim and Mason

http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=60cie9o.4qrvu8x4&x=0&y=rm2vjs

One Month!!

2007-10-16T19:26:00.000-07:00

Yesterday marked the first month of Mason's life with us! Time has flown by!

This past weekend hosted a number of visitors from Tim's side
of the family. We had several little ones running around.
It was pretty cute to see how fascinated all the little ones were with our little Mason! All the little ones were kissing him on the forehead and wanted to "give him lovies."

Mason was also able to meet his other great grandparent, Granny Suzie, his great aunt and uncle Jane and Rich, his cousins Gretchen, Graham, Jason, Erin and all the little ones: Emma, Jamie, Braiden and Kellon. He also attended his first wedding! Karan (Tim's cousin) was married here in Sacramento on Saturday. He did very well at the wedding and hardly made a peep until we started our ride home .... he really let us have it on the way home but eventually calmed down once we were settled in to our little abode.

Well, there is not much more to report for now!! I just thought I would post some pictures! I hope this finds each of you doing well!

Love,

Jenn, Tim and Mason

stupid? .... you be the judge

2007-10-11T10:45:00.000-07:00

Cooking and scrubbing can wait till tomorrow,
But babies grow up, we've learned to our sorrow.
So go away, cobwebs and dust, go to sleep.
I'm rocking my baby, for babies don't keep. - Erina Parks

Although the dust jackalopes are invading our hallways and the toilets remained uncleaned, our little household is as happy as can be! Can you believe it?? Mason is already three weeks old!! Our little man has changed so much! He has already moved into the next size diapers and he is growing out of his little clothes faster than I would like to admit!

I have included some pictures here on the blog as well as some video .... Mason is SOOO much like his daddy: he already has man cleavage, and he sleeps in the same position! He is very mouthy and likes to stick his tongue out and make silly faces (daddy trait??).

We took a trip up to Chico this past Sunday for Mason to meet his great grandparents and extended family. My Grandpa Jim and Grandma Rita were ecstatic to meet their first great grandson (sorry, Rudy James is two weeks behind the eight ball on that one!). Mason also was able to meet his great uncles, Jim and Mike, great aunt Dorothy, and cousins Kim and Jamie! It was a very nice trip and it reminded us how fortunate we are to have a wonderful family.

So what was the whole stupid title about you may ask?

Tim plays on a Wednesday night co-ed indoor soccer team. The manager of the team put me on the roster so I could play once I was ready to return.

Well last night, I got a burr up my butt and decided that I really, really wanted to play soccer .... so I did! Three weeks postpartum and there I was out on the field! I felt like I had led weights in my shoes! I thought I was going to trip and "sniper out" on every step that I took! I couldn't pass the ball worth a darn, but it sure felt good to get out there! Surprisingly, I don't feel like a lump on the log today! So, was that a stupid move on my part to return to soccer so early after giving birth to Mason? I dunno, you be the judge!

We hope you all are doing well! Mason's next appointment isn't until November, but we will be sure to post updated pictures as they trickle in! Check out the videos below if you have time! They are approximately one minute each!

Hugs,

Jenn

The other pea - no longer in the pod!!

2007-10-04T08:18:00.000-07:00

What did I say about when it rains, it pours?? As many of you know, my brother flies C2's for the Navy and is expected back from Bahrain this Friday afternoon. Both Jon and Emily were hoping he would be back in time for the birth of their first son, Rudy James Kalbach.

Well, God had different plans .... Rudy James was born this morning! Emily welcomed Rudy into the world around 9:30am eastern time ... although Jon wasn't at the hospital for the birth, he was able to be on the phone while she pushed.

Emily's labor went very well. She labored for 4 hours and pushed for approximately 15 minutes. She was already 7 centimeters dilated when she arrived at the hospital and they were still able to administer an epidural. Rudy is 8 pounds, 6 ounces and is 19 3/4 inches long - - he also has a good set of pipes on him as he was "sayin' it proud" during his bath when I spoke to Emily on the phone!!

The icing on the cake?? Emily and Jon welcomed Rudy in to our world on the 8th anniversary of Emily's mother's passing from cancer. The Lord works in very mysterious ways, indeed!

I am sure some of you (family) will have a personal account of the details in the coming days from Emily .... however, since I am such a proud Auntie, I had to spill my guts and tell the story NOW! (Hopefully, I didn't steal Emily's thunder!) I know that it can be difficult reaching out and telling everyone after just having a baby .... but Emily has the extra element of a MIA husband... so I am going out on a limb and guessing it is OK to tell the story in my blog!!

OK, proud auntie is signing off for now!
I hope this finds each of you doing well!

Love,
Jenn

P.S. Mason is doing just fine and is grunting and stretching in his bassinet as I type!

two weeks today!

2007-10-03T15:42:00.000-07:00

Today marks my first day flying solo with the wee baby ... Tim returned to work and I have to admit, I was a little emotional about his leaving the nest! The last two weeks have been glorious as we have had time to bond as a little family! We have had many opportunities to spend time with family and friends which, has been very nice for us.

Mason had his two week check-up yesterday. Our little man is in great shape! The jaundice is all but gone and he has gained a pound and grown an inch in two weeks! He now weighs 9lbs, 1oz. and is 21 1/2 inches long. The nurse practitioner said his growth spurt was because of his "liquid butter diet" .... hopefully, I am passing on some of the weight gain to him while taking it off my self!! I still have what I refer to as "the Santa belly" ... it likes to jiggle when I laugh! Slowly but surely the weight will come off ... I am not in a race to loose my paunch....and although it is attached to me, I am not particularly attached to it!!

The doctor said I could start lifting light weights in 9 days after I am done with a course of antibiotics I am taking ... I came down with a case of mastitis that landed me in the ER on Saturday in the wee hours of the morning. My brother-in-law, Scott, took me to the hospital while he was working (he is a deputy Sheriff for Sacramento County)... I felt pretty cool having a police escort to the hospital!! I was released after a blood draw and two shots in the butt. Joy!

Anyhow, Mason has been an angel since my last post .... I keep waiting for the big bang when he all of a sudden turns to Mr. Hyde and gets colicky or changes his temperament.... we will see what life throws our way in the coming months! For now, I am just taking each day as it comes and I am trying to relish each moment with Mason. I am off of work until January so I will have plenty of time to spend with my little man. These past two weeks have gone so fast that I better not blink as it will be January before I know it!!

Anyhow, I hope this finds all of you doing well! I have attached a link with a few more pictures.....Until the next update!

Love,
Jenn, Tim and Mason

Grandma checking the back

of her eyelids with Mason!!

http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=60cie9o.56qk3j68&x=0&y=-ntvvnh

Little squirt

2007-09-26T10:48:00.000-07:00

Well, well, well .... our little squirt is FINALLY here! Life has definitely been a ride for this past week! Tim and I finally feel like we are hitting our "stride" with Mason. He has truly transformed our lives in the BEST way! We have a new meaning of love since Mason has arrived.

It all started one week ago .......

My water broke at about 3am on September 19th. Luckily, I was able to make it to the bathroom and avoided making a huge mess! We called Kaiser and they gave us instructions to proceed to the hospital. I did not actually start contracting until we were on our way to the hospital ... even now, I don't really like to call the pains I was feeling "contractions" because they were so mild. After being examined in triage, I was admitted into Kaiser's South Sacramento hospital. I felt very fortunate to "get a spot" because about 20 minutes after arriving, the labor and delivery unit became full!!

At this point, I was still feeling pretty good .. I told Tim that I should have brought my Billy Joel CD so I could get dancin' and start the process as the "contractions" I was experiencing were not strong. Around 7:30am the nurses came in and said it was time to check to see how dilated I was. I had to be 2 centimeters dilated before the anesthesiologist could administer the epidural. Well, I thought that process was uncomfortable before - - let me tell you, I would have rather broken my leg again than experience the pain I did when the nurse checked me. My cervix was pointed the wrong direction so the nurse had to stick her whole hand in to determine my dilation. Tim said that if the nurse was wearing a watch that my va-jay-jay would have known what time it was. It truly was the most pain I experienced throughout the entire process. The nurse determined that I was two centimeters (yeah!). The "catch" at this time was that I had not really progressed as fast as I needed to be progressing .... the "P" word was discussed (petocin / a.k.a. labor-inducing drug from hell) and it was determined that I would be checked again in another two hours to see how dilated I was - the idea was that my contractions would come stronger and allow me to dilate further and avoid petocin.

Well, what ever rootin' around the nurse did completely kick-started my labor. It was at this time that my contractions TRULY began. I tried walking around the ward, but barely made it full circle back to my room. My contractions started coming two minutes apart and were lasting one minute each. My contractions were mostly felt in my back (commonly referred to as back-labor) and were very unpleasant. The part that really sucked was that I was third in line for the epidural and one of the anesthesiologists was in an emergency C-section - I was informed that it would be an hour and a half before I could get the juice. In order to help relieve some of the pain, I got into the shower and labored for about 45 minutes under the steaming, sauna conditions. The shower was nice because it helped relax my contorting back muscles. Tim was in the bathroom with me and was awesome in helping me through the contractions. His coaching skills truly were an asset through the entire process. I had wonderful support from all who were with me through my labor.

Finally, the moment came for the epidural. I had to sit still through two contractions while they inserted the "pointy straw" into my back. The nurses were actually more concerned about Tim because of the look on his face when he saw the needle. His forehead started to get all blotchy and he looked like he was going to pass out. Tim hates needles with the fury of a thousand suns (yet he still manages to donate platelets and plasma on a regular basis - ironic). Anyhow, after a few minutes, the juice kicked in and I once again, felt like a human being. I seem to recall telling the nurses and the anesthesiologist that "I loved them" like I was a drunk college student!

After the epidural, my contractions were a fleeting memory. I would have to ask others in the room if I was even having one! There was a computer monitoring my contractions and the baby's heart beat. Everyone was pretty relaxed at this point - Tim, Scott, Crystal, and Marge were all playing cards, Liz was reading a magazine and my momma was massaging my feet. It seemed like a peechy-keen Sunday to me!

Around 2pm the nurses came back in and said it was time to check my dilation. I did not bat an eyelash at this point as my lower body was delightfully numb from the juice. Everyone was kicked out of the room and I once again, lost my dignity on the birthing table. It was determined that I was 9 1/2 centimeters dilated and that it was getting close to pushin'-time. One of the doctors commented to the nurse that she needed to have my petocin turned down as my contractions were coming too fast. The nurse found it quite humorous to inform the doctor that I was not, in fact, on petocin and that my contractions were of my own making!

I started pushing around 3pm. Tim, my mom, and Marge were in the room with me. Again, Tim was the best coach one could ask for. It was quite funny because as he would count, his voice would strain like he was doing the pushing with me! As he counted up, the strain in his voice augmented. The midwife had to ask him to slow down his counting at one point because he started to get excited and count too fast! We welcomed our little Mason Brown into the world at 4:21pm.

The nurse put Mason on my chest and it was the most magical experience. Mason had his head turned toward me ... he opened his eyes, looked at me, and smiled! Yes, the smile could have very well been his first gas fart ... but he really did smile. We discovered at that moment that he has a little dimple on his right cheek. I was instantly overcome with emotion and started to cry. It was the happiest moment I have yet to experience in my life. I told Tim that marrying him came a close second - he thanked me for "throwing him a bone." It is true what they say, one does not know how deeply they can love until they have a child.

As I was being sewed up (I had a 2nd degree tear), Tim went out and announced to everyone in the waiting room that our little Mason had arrived! It was his proud-papa moment :o)

Tim, Mason and I stayed at the hospital until about 3pm the next afternoon. Mason passed all his tests with flying colors (our little over achiever). He ended up being 8 pounds, 3 ounces and 20 1/2 inches long. We have had a little bout with jaundice since he has been home; however, the doctor is monitoring it and he is on his way back to normal levels.

We are adapting to a new life at home with our little one. The first couple days were trying, but we made it through. Last night was our first night were Mason slept pretty soundly in the bassinet. He woke up every two to three hours for feeding, but did well overall.

Anyhow, I would like to take a moment to thank everyone for their support through my pregnancy and post-partum days. Tim and I feel incredibly blessed to have such a wonderful support group in all our family, friends and co-workers.

I will try to post little progress reports in the coming weeks. Mason has already started to change and I just can't believe how fast time flies by! I have included a link to the Kodak gallery site. You are all welcome to view pictures (and I believe you can order prints from the site as well). There are many pictures, so you may need a few minutes!! You can visit the site by clicking on the following link:

http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=60cie9o.3f1xze7k&x=0&y=-xjopje

Well, Mason is sleeping soundly (for now) in his bassinet, but he has a wet diaper that I need to change!

Hugs to all!

Jenn, Tim and Mason

Welcome, Mason David Brown!!

2007-09-21T19:34:00.000-07:00

Hello from non-preger land!

"Current Conditions:" 8lbs 3oz, and 20 1/2" long

we welcomed our little bundle on Wednesday, September 19th at 4:21pm -I labored for 12 hours

Mason, Tim and I are doing well .... we will follow-up in the coming day or so with the details and more pictures .... most of the pics are on other cameras and have yet to make it in to our household .....

You can check out the few photos we have on our camera at the following link:

http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=60cie9o.aaanw98g&x=0&y=ig3sic

We hope this finds you all well!

Love - Tim, Jenn and Mason

contractions

2007-09-18T11:00:00.000-07:00

Hello there -
Well, it is Tuesday and I am still pregnant. Last night, I was having regular contractions that were five minutes apart and about one minute in duration. Although the contractions were regular, they were painless! I had to touch my stomach to even know that I was having a contraction. Basically, my stomach becomes rock-hard on the outside and does not soften or have any "give" to the skin until the contraction is complete (now, only if I could have abs like that!) ....

Anyhow, around midnight, I called the labor and delivery triage nurse to find out what I should be feeling before making the trek to the hospital. All the books say that you should go to the hospital if your contractions are less than 15 minutes apart and are 60-90 seconds in duration. However, since I want to labor as long as I can at home, I thought it best to call the experts. I described what my current condition was and the triage nurse informed me that I should wait until my contractions were painful. She said that I am definitely on track with the timing of my current contractions, but that I should stay at home until I have to physically begin breathing through each contraction. She said they should be painful enough that I am unable to carry on a conversation through the actual contraction.

I woke up around 5:00am to start timing my contractions again - to see if they were at all regular like the ones I had the previous evening. Much to my disappointment, the contractions were very irregular both in interval and in length. Soooo, I told Tim that he was probably safe to head off to work and then I went back to bed. The nurse recommended that I sleep as much as I can (if I am still able to get comfortable) as I will need every ounce of energy in my pending labor.

On a good note, I asked the nurse if the L&D unit at Kaiser South was full - she said they were empty at that time. Although the loads could change any time, it was encouraging to hear there was room at the hospital! She said that August and September tend to be their busiest times because people don't have much else to do during the Holidays! LOL! I should have obtained her name and asked her to be my nurse - she was funny :)

Anyhow, I am headed off to hang out at my parent's house today. I am going to plop myself on the couch and watch some of the Women's World Cup soccer games that my dad has been recording. My momma (a.k.a. my blankie) is there and I will be glad to have company and not be alone in the coming hours!

Well, wish me luck. Hopefully (like I have mentioned the past two times) this will be my last post and the next time I post I will have a little Peanut!

Hugs,
Jenn

like father, like son -or- like mother, like son

2007-09-17T15:35:00.001-07:00

Well, here it is September 17th and I still have a baby inside of me!!! I had my 40 week appointment this morning with the doctor and the following accounts for the current "conditions" (sounds like I am talking about the weather!):

I am one centimeter dilated and my cervix is 30-40% effaced (cervix thinning). I have been having mild contractions which I thought were strong cramps; however, the doctor confirmed they were contractions as I was having one on the table while being examined! Everyone told me that I would definitely know the difference between the two, so I didn't even give it a second thought that my "cramps" were mild contractions. The doctor was able to strip my membranes -basically the doctor scrapes the inner lining of the cervix with the finger and separates the fetal membranes away from the cervix (once again, not such a pleasant experience). The doctor also said that I could walk as much as I could to my own comfort level (since the hernia only effects my comfort and not the baby's well being).

Sooo, after my appointment Tim and I took a trip to CostCo and went up and down every isle. We took Nahla to the dog park for some exercises and arrived back home not too long ago. We are now just doing random things around the house to keep ourselves busy (I paid some bills and Tim is killing some brain cells playing video games). I have had spotting and have had stronger contractions since arriving home; and although there is no way to truly know when things will progress, I think there is a pretty good chance that we will go to the hospital some time in the next 12 - 24 hours (lets keep our fingers crossed for that)!

The standing joke in our household is that if the baby comes on time (i.e. sometime today) then he is more like his father; however, if the baby comes after today then he is more like his mother (since I have a propensity to be late). I said that if he is truly like me, then he won't come until Wednesday!!! Lets hope he has some of his father's "timing" tendencies!

I will be sure to post any new/relevant information as it becomes available. However, once again you can probably expect to not hear from me until after our Peanut is here!

I hope this finds all of you doing well!!
Love,
Jenn

Houston, begin the countdown!

2007-09-12T15:47:00.000-07:00

Well, I have been receiving a lot of calls and inquisitive e-mails the past few days and I regret to inform that I have yet to go into labor! Tim and I are literally taking each day as it comes and are as prepared as we can possibly be for the big moment... Tim's phone is charged and is on his person at all times (for those of you who know Tim, this is a huge accomplishment), the house is clean, the laundry is done, the bags are packed and the vehicles have gas!

As a reminder, my official due date is Monday, September 17th. I do have a prenatal appointment scheduled for that day, but hopefully I will begin labor before then!

My body definitely feels different - I have started swelling a little and have finally acquired the marks of motherhood (stretch marks) on my lower abdomen. Lucky for me, my stretch marks are very light and I am crossing my fingers they don't get worse in the coming days. I am having more frequent cervix pain. Last night, while laying not-so-gracefully in bed, I swear the baby hauled-up and socked me right in the cervix - I had to go to the bathroom to ensure that wasn't the start of my labor right there! He is getting so big that just getting off the couch becomes an athletic event! I am pretty sure that yesterday was my last day of swimming. I feel so tired and I think it is important to take it easy and rest as much as I can in the coming minutes, hours, or days (since it can be at any time) to ensure I am ready for game time! I can continue with the little nagging aches and pains, but it is all irrelevant as they will be well worth the prize!

My mental state is a whole other ball game right now. Anxious, excited, apprehensive, and scared are all adjectives that can describe my state of mind at present. The "waiting game" has been weighing heavily on my mind. Knowing that I can't travel far or plan things in advance create an angst that can't be described. I am excited to have our little Peanut here, but become scared when I begin to think of things that still could go wrong. Overall, I try very hard to not consider the negative aspects of labor and delivery - and mostly, I try not to worry about the baby (will he have any disorders, will he have the cord wrapped around his neck, etc.). I can't even tell how many times I have woke up in the middle of the night and jostled my belly just to get the little guy to start moving around (movement = good / still = bad). It is amazing that feelings can run so deeply for someone I have yet to meet! I have had to put my faith in God that everything will turn out how it is meant to be and that our little baby will be the most exciting thing that has happened to Tim and I! We both know our little Peanut will be the start of our greatest adventure together; and that he will help us shape and define who we are and give meaning as to why we are both meant to walk this planet. Woah, that was deep!

On to lighter things ....so anyone care to guess what date the little bugger is going to come, how heavy and how long he is going to be? Post your guess as a comment and lets see who is closest! (I have made some modifications so you shouldn't have to register any information to post a comment ....)

It is a very real possibility this post may be the last for a while! I will be very excited to share the news of our little one's arrival; however, being a new parent will take a lot of time and effort and I am not sure how realistic it would be for me to post shortly after Peanut's arrival! I encourage any and all to give us a call, stop by for a visit or send food after Peanut is here (just kidding about the food part .... kind of :)!

As always, thoughts and prayers would be greatly appreciated in the coming days! I hope this finds each of you doing well!

Love,

Jenn and Tim