Smiles

Deep thoughts....

Since our blog is called "deep thoughts" I decided it was about time to share some of mine. I am already starting to forget things about the last 8 weeks (yes- Mason will be 8 weeks old on Saturday!). I can hardly believe that much time has passed already. I can honestly say not one day or night has been the same. We have had several nights where we didn't think he was ever going sleep. One night I resorted to going to our guest bedroom and just letting him sleep in my arms all night. That was the only way he wouldn't scream. For the most part he is a good sleeper and he is starting to sleep 6 hour stretches which has been great. I am hoping to see some 8 hour stretches soon. I can't wait to get a full nights sleep!! It's funny how your body just adjust to having such little amounts of sleep.

The daytime is getting better. I honestly don't know what I would have done without my mom during the first month. She came over almost everyday and helped me clean, cook, do laundry, she held Mason while I caught up on sleep, watched him while I went to the grocery store, ran errands with us, and so much more. Even now that Mason is a little older she will still sometimes come over during the week to help me get caught up on chores. I seriously don't think I would have made it through the first month without her. Eric's parents love to babysit and have watched Mason so we could go to dinner alone. They even took Mason to party with them a couple weeks ago. (See picture below) I feel so blessed to have so much family around to help us.

I love being at home with Mason but I get anxious being stuck in the house all week. At week 6 it started getting easier. We started going to bed at the same time every night (10:30 pm) so Mason wakes up at the same time each morning. (between 6:30-7:00). Since he was on somewhat of a morning schedule, I went back at the gym because their child care center would start watching infants at 6 weeks. The nursery gives you two hours maximum that they will watch your child each day. I use all 120 minutes that they allow me. It is so nice to have "me" time to work out and to shower and get ready for the day without having to worry about whether or not he is crying. I am able to blow dry and flat iron my hair each day. For those of you that know me well, you know how important that is to me. :) I don't think I have taken a shower at home in a week and a half! At least we are saving money on our water bill.

One thing I have learned is that the pacifer is truly a lifesaver. I really didn't want to him to have a paci in his mouth all the time but I got over that real fast when it is the only thing that prevents him from screaming at the top of his lungs. You can't help but have one on standby 24/7. We don't leave the house without one. (We learned that the hard way)

Mason gets cuter and bigger everyday. This week he is really starting to smile a lot. We had his newborn pictures taken yesterday. I was a little late scheduling them so he will look like a big "newborn" but they will still be cute and the photographer caught some really cute faces. I will post the link as soon as they are available.

The past eight weeks have gone by fast. People are constantly telling Eric and I to cherish this time when he is a tiny baby but we are so excited for him to become a little more interesting and be able to interact with us more. I know that will happen faster than I want it to so I am trying my best to enjoy the present and not rush him.

Shining Eyes

I watched this video recently and I think some of you will enjoy it. My father-in-law will definitely like it since he's an excellent musician & composer.

Enjoy...

The Olympic Update

I'm watching the Olympics right now with Mason - specifically Misty May and Kerri Walsh playing beach volleyball. They are really good. Did you know that during breaks they bring out cheerleaders in bikinis? Is that really necessary? It seems like they should give the crowd a little break and bring out some jugglers or a magician.

Anyways, I've been fascinated by the Olympics this year. Watching Phelps and the rest of the swimming team has made me very proud to be an American. I get the satisfaction of feeling like I earned something without any effort at all. But, isn't that what America is all about? (Liberal readers, I meant that as a joke even though that probably made total sense to you.)

China is getting a lot of Gold medals, but you would probably win too if you're life was on the line. But, is it really that amazing they are winning so much? I mean they have over a billion people there. They have 4 times more people to choose from than we do. I'm honestly not bitter about this at all. Go back to your rice patties! OK, I'm done with that.

I'm trying to figure out if there are any events that I could start training Mason on to be ready for the 2028 Tehran, Iran Olympic games. I don't think I'm going to have a lot of athletic ability to work with. He will have about a 5'6'' frame so basketball, volleyball and the majority of other sports are probably out. I've browsed the sports list and I'm going to focus on archery, badminton, shooting, ping pong, and possibly trampoline.

Before we decide... how in the world did badminton become an Olympic sport? The last time I played was in the 7th grade, only because I had to. I always thought it was just a sport that we played because there wasn't enough room for a tennis court. My question is could I have actually pursued this sport in Tennessee if I had wanted to go to the Olympics? I can't imagine how embarrassing it would be if I was in the Olympic village and ran into Misty May and had to tell her that I was there for badminton. I think I would lie and tell her I was a beach volleyball cheerleader.

So, let me know what sport you think I should go with and GO USA!

Pictures

Mason is so happy when Eric gets home from work. It is the highlight of our day.

Mason and friends. My college roomates came over and brought me dinner last night. We got a picture of all the kids. From left to right: Will Napier, Mason Lackey, Annie Chapman (asleep), and Wyatt Napier.

Mason got a bath today and this is the first one that I think he halfway enjoyed. My definition of "enjoyed" is: he did not scream bloody murder all the way through the bath. Maybe he was just in a good mood today. We will try again on another day to confirm this.

Sunday was so gorgeous outside. Eric got a blanket and we layed in the backyard. Mason enjoyed it too and took a little catnap. I am praying for more weather like this soon.

Despite what people say, our dog was not "dethroned" when we had Mason. We still love her just as much.

Just a cute little face

This is what Saturday mornings look like when we aren't ready to get up.

This is my friend, Emily. She loves to come and hold Mason. She is working on getting Mason a playmate.

Anyone want to buy a jeep?

Eric has come to the realization (without my help) that his jeep is just not a practical car to have with an infant. Besides that I can't really drive it (well, I sort of can but just really bad at it) and during the summer you have to worry about afternoon rain showers with the top being off. Eric learned that the hard way when he thought the seats were dry and he got in it to go to work and rain water soaked all the way through to his underwear. :) In his words, "that was the final straw."
Don't get me wrong, this is a great car in excellent condition and really fun to drive but we are just ready for a more practical sedan type car. Here is the craigslist listing if you or anyone you know might be interested.

http://nashville.craigslist.org/car/781572357.html

Catch up...

We have been bad about posting pictures. Here are some pictures from the last couple of weeks. Enjoy!

This is my neice Harper. She will be two in September. We spent the weekend with her. She is really good about playing quietly by herself. We looked over at her playing and realized that she was "feeding" her baby....through her belly button. Her younger sister Saylor is 5 months old and eats every 3 hours. :)

This weekend we had a great time at the cabin. There were 10 people there including the kids. Mason had a hard time napping. Only Mimi could get him to fall asleep.
Apparently neither of them wanted their picture taken.



Even though this smile wasn't intentional it's still cute. I am sure he just had gas.
Gran knows how to get Mason to sleep too. This was during the thunderstorm last week and the dogs were scared too.

Gran not only takes care of Mason but she brushes Lucy's teeth too. This grandmother does it all!