Waaa waaa waaa says the mommy

For some reason this post from September 9th didn't publish. An update on my condition is that it's not in hernia but a blood clot, my incision is finally healing, and the blood clot will reabsorb on its own. No worries.

Here's the post:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Wanna hear my latest drama?

I think I have a hernia. I've never had one but I have a knot the size of a golf ball above my incision (which is still somewhat infected), the knot is tender to the touch and it's not going away.

Day before yesterday I was sitting in the recliner and they sat my darling niece on my lap, which is the best I can do because I can't lift the wiggly 4-month old. (she's such a ball of adorable fun that it's sooo hard to not pick her up and play with her!)  She was getting sleepy so I turned her around and started rocking her. She decided to fight me and kicked me squarely in the owie/guts. Lets just say ouch is an understatement.  I couldn't figure out why it hurt soooo bad because she didn't kick my incision, she kicked above it.  So I was feeling my lower abdomen that night to try to isolate the main source of the pain and that's when I found the lump.

Best part? (Enter sarcasm)
This is my last week off work and when this week's over I'll also be completely out of sick leave, vacation days AND comp time. So, in short, I don't friggin have TIME for a hernia.
And to add insult to injury my sister and her little family go back to Washington Tuesday. Super-duper sad face.

BUT...
The beautiful part of being Mason's mommy is that even as I type this he's snoozing away in his cradle and I'm so full of love for my little angel that I'm not even mad at my situation. I couldn't have imagined a love this big and pure a month ago. Mind = blown. 

A quick minute...

Guess who is 4 weeks old already!  It seems like it happened all of a sudden...like I blinked and its passed us by.  The 4 week mark means I have to go back to work...Monday is the dreaded first day back. It would be easy to lose my weekend to the dread of Monday but I'm trying to focus on the amazing 4 weeks I've just experienced instead of the upset of what's coming.

Mason's growing like a weed.  He's got himself a little Buddha belly and it's adorable.  His big cheeks make his smile all that more precious and he's making all sorts of new noises, coos and such.  He's sleeping an average of 3 hours between feedings at night and if I play my cards right he only gets me up twice.  We're trying "dream" feeding, which is where you put them down and once they're asleep you feed them (carefully) while they sleep and it helps them stay fuller and sleep longer before the first wake up of the night.  He's getting the hang of it. :)  

He's bumped up to 4 ounce bottles and during the day eats every 2-3 hours.  He's definitely a growing boy. I got on mom's scale with him day before yesterday and he weighed in at exactly 9 pounds.  Love my little Moo.  

He smiles a lot and loves to stare at shadows and shapes.  He's a pacifier baby and loves his wubbanubs (pacifiers with stuffed animals attached...he has Dino the Dinosaur and Leo the Lion).  He's a great snuggler and is starting to really like tummy time.  He holds his head up really well but isn't quite sure what to do with it from there.  He's very strong and has gained a lot of strength in his arms and legs in the last couple weeks. He "flops" a lot less now than he used to.

His eyes are a beautiful blue still and he's still got a full head of hair.  His eyes and his hair are lightening up and I'm excited to see what he ends up with.  His hair gets really fluffy after his baths and reminds me of a hedgehog.  Fitting, right?  He seems to like his baths in his tub, but isn't a fan of sink baths or sponge baths. 

He's still hopelessly addicted to his hands and they're always at his face.  He does this adorable thing when you put a paci in his mouth where one hand automatically goes to the paci and the other goes up and plays with his ear or hair.  It reminds me of Prince John on the Disney cartoon Robin Hood...

We had some help from a friend (Thanks Melissa Blue!) yesterday and managed to get some great 1 month shots.  He's just so easy to be around and even easier to take pictures of because he's not only adorable but he's also very expressive.  I can't help but think I've hit the lotto with this kid.  He's pretty cool.

Here are the pictures that Gene Russell's studio took while we were still in the hospital and then the pictures we took yesterday for his one month.  :)  

In these 4 photos he was 2 days old.

These are the one month pictures from yesterday.

It's so cool.  Every day I wake up and wonder what he's going to do next.  I can't wait to watch this kid grow up.

A Mother's Prayer

I came across this today.  It's almost as perfect as my little boy.

A Mother’s Prayer

I hold you in my arms

And together we softly sway

As I rock you to sleep

And this is what I pray:

I pray for your safety

Your health and happiness, too

I ask God to wrap you in his love

In Everything You do

I pray you’ll never know

A single ounce of pain

That you carry no burden

And that you smile through the rain

I pray you have the will

To make all your dreams come true

And that you find success

In all you set out to do

I pray for your future

One that I hope is bright

And if you have the choice

To always do what’s right

I pray you have peace

And love inside your heart

Not just for yourself

But for those less fortunate than you are

I pray you grow into a person

Who values those you love

And that loyalty and honesty

Are not just things you speak of

I pray so many things for you

Because I love you so

Because you are a little piece of me

My heart and my soul