getting ready to plant

i'm using the mom's tactic and just posting pictures.

vaughn is helping grandpa change the plates on the planter

mason is picking up last year's beans

vaughn and mason are putting their vice grips in their pockets

facebook's fault

i feel awful that i've abandoned my blog. i hardly posted anything, and now i post nothing. and i blame facebook. i can just post something cute and fast that the boys said or did, and everyone can see it. it isn't as hard to write as a blog entry. but i'm trying to do better. at least for mason's sake. i've written quite a few posts about vaughn, and i don't want mason to think i didn't take the time to write his story, too. especially when my sister rachel can find the time and she has two children as well. so my faithful followers, if any still remain. i resolve to post more often. know i just have to have the follow through.

a month of firsts

it's hard for me to believe that mason's eight months old today, and that i'm actually getting the post written the same day is even more unbelievable. mason's really started to crawl this month. he's actually managed to get his tummy up off the floor before he moves his arms and legs. this has led to turning over during diaper changes and getting dressed making both tasks difficult without something to put in his hands to distract him. with this new movement, he's also become more of a nuisance to vaughn. he wants to do everything vaughn is doing, much to vaughn's outrage. vaughn will take a toy, book, or whatever mason is chewing on, and say 'mason doesn't chew on that!' because this results in screaming, we've been working on toy trading, and i was glad this evening when vaughn managed an adequate trade with mason.

it seems that mason has finally gotten into more of a sleep routine. he usually takes two naps, and if we're very lucky, one will be at the same time as vaughn's. he will drink his bottle, and then turn on his side, or fuss until i put him on my chest to tell me he's ready for sleep. he is sleeping fairly well through the night, waking up usually once or not at all for a mid-night bottle. we've had to start giving him some ibuprofen since he's finally gotten some teeth. the bottom two came in a few weeks ago, and he's working on the top two now.

now he's working on standing up and trying to walk like the rest of us. often we'll find him in his crib standing at the railing and crying for someone to come and rescue him. he also raises his arms to be picked up, then wiggles around to my hip so he has a better view of the world.

all about vaughn

i've chosen the title in reference to 'all about eve' since this post will detail the cunning of my 'eve.' also i've been posting about mason lately, and don't want to leave vaughn out. vaughn says something new and hilarious almost every day. it's funny to hear words and phrases that josh and i use come out of his mouth. when he says things like 'you don't spank me, that not nice!' it's almost impossible not to laugh. he's also adopted our facial expressions which find a little scary that he can imitate us so perfectly. we've moved toward time outs and away from spankings, because he'd just take a quick spank and get on with whatever he was doing. he finds sitting on his bed by himself much more irritating. we make him apologize for what he did wrong and give a hug before he can get up, which is probably a mistake since now he thinks a quick 'sorry' and a big hug fixes everything.

he's still attached to his blue pillow and brings it with him into our room in the wee hours of the morning. he was doing really well at staying in his bed all night. but has regressed to coming in almost every morning. i must confess i have mixed feelings about this pattern. i do think he should stay in his bed during the night for fear i'll soon have a teenager snuggling next to me. but i know that this time is precious and all too soon he won't love me most anymore, so i'm willing to put up with the size 10 feet in my back or sleeping on the very edge of the bed because he's sleeping parallel to the headboard. i like to think he likes sleeping with us, but i think he just prefers our bed. when we try to put him down for a nap, he fights a lot in his bed, but when we concede to put him in our bed, he has no problems (well, he's better about) falling asleep.

he continues to get along really well with mason. he always wants to include him in his activities whether it's watching george, or playing trains. he's also very attentive when mason cries. he will still sometimes climb into mason's crib or tell me 'i get mason, mommy.'

his logic and reasoning have also much improved. he knows i'm a sucker and will almost always give in when he asks for one more story or for me to scratch his back or another cup of milk. josh has started making a little bed on the floor in mason's room so they can all sleep together at naptime. josh and mason will fall asleep in the recliner, and vaughn on the floor.

mason's six month check

mason is now six months old! well, he's a little older since i'm always late on these postings. he's 18 lbs and 28 inches long. i actually expected him to be heavier, since he eats like a hog. he loves his solid foods. peaches still seem to be his favorite, although he scarfs down just about everything except peas and green beans. we've added yogurt to his diet and he loves that, too. josh has been loading him up with food before bed and he's extended mason's sleeping to six hours at a stretch. he's also getting better at napping. he'll usually sleep for an hour twice a day, instead of the usual ten minutes. he hasn't started crawling yet, but he's been trying. he'll lie on the floor and lift his arms and legs up in the air. he's gotten so good at rolling over he does it when we are trying to change his diaper, much to his parents' annoyance.

mason continues to be a very happy baby. he's almost always smiling or laughing. he especially finds vaughn particularly entertaining. he giggles at just about everything vaughn does, and vaughn is more than willing to perform for mason. no teeth yet, which is surprising since he's been chewing like mad on everything for several months now. he can sit up by himself for longer, too. i still make a mini-barricade behind him since he does fall back occasionally. he's interested in just about everything now. he loves to grab and chew on books, toys, fingers, and my necklace. he's also an expert hair puller. not only mine, but vaughn's as well. and its difficult to get his little fingers out of vaughn's hair.