Blogging is hard (time-consuming)...

When you have a baby, that is. Goodness gracious. I'm so sorry...it's been almost 8 weeks since my last update. Mason has changed so much in 8 weeks; it's truly incredible! I could seriously type and type about how much he's grown, but instead I will give you some bullet points, and then lots of pictures and videos!

•  Week 10 started to "giggle". Lots of open mouth smiles!
• Week 11 Mason really started to chew on his hands! We now have drool on everything (drool has quickly taken the place of spit-up). Mason also began to coo a lot!!!
• Week 12 we ALL began sleeping through the night (thank you so much Mason!) - 7-9 hours each night. Also,  mason started holding on to toys or chewing blankets for short periods of times...loves to chew on things. Mason changed from newborn formula to infant!
• Fits in all normal, on-track, clothing sizes, and is currently wearing 3-6 month sizes!
• Week 13 we moved up in diaper size...wearing a size 2 now! This week he also developed a huge interest in looking at himself in the mirror!
• Week 14 began to "roll over"...well, start to roll over. He can move on to his side, but not a full rotation yet. I also put Mason in the baby bjorn facing forward for the first time; this was really fun (for both of us!). 

 

My co-workers gave me this idea...Mason was a burrito: Chicken w/Guac

There was no way he'd go trick-or-treating in the burrito outfit, so we opted for Scooby! He hated the head piece.

I tweeted Chipotle, hoping they'd give us free burritos since we dressed Mason up as one...but nope!

We HAD to take those classic pumpkin patch pictures!

Diaper change at church...

Sitting up "all by himself" (we're getting there)

Auntie Annette was SO excited to meet her first official nephew!

Grandma Paulette's boys. Mason's first cousins: Weston (left), and Landon (sitting next to Mason)

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As a family, plus Uncle Kyle and several friends, we participated in the Alzheimer's Walk in Long Beach: Team Rowe! In honor of my Grandma Yolande and remembrance of my Great Grandma Poppy

Mason's first experience at Dominico's (our favorite pizza place on 2nd Street)!

Our first softball game to see daddy play. Mason was asleep pretty much the whole game...whatever :)

Mason's first piece of mail!

The sweetest sign my Dad made for our baby shower in Grass Valley. This sign meant so much to me, and brought me to tears immediately. I was so touched, and I knew my dad meant every word. I love you dad! :)

3 Generations, plus Mason! My mom (Lolly), my Grandma Yolande (Mason's GREAT-Grandma) and me :)

Our Mason is 8 Weeks old...TODAY!

                                         

 

      

He's beautiful, right!? Our baby boy gets cuter and cuter every single day. Personally, I have no idea how it's possible; he's SO cute! Mason has developed quite a personality now, which is so fun to see! Finally at week 6 he started to smile socially; I was so grateful, as I had been getting very anxious for this moment to come. He loves to stick out his tongue, which has turned out to be a very cute game that we play. He loves when Ricky makes a coo sound and brings his hand around his face - he coo's right back, and almost giggles - the CUTEST thing. He loves to look around at everything, and therefore is very easily distracted when I am trying to make him smile. Mason loves to be on top of his changing pad (which is high up, on top of his dresser)! When we put him on it, he is so content, and so happy. Mason is incredibly at ease when taking a bath and seriously loves it...as soon as we take him out, that's a different story! When Mason is hungry, he is HUNGRY. He will go from cute, smiley boy, to all out terror, screaming fits, when he is hungry; it's actually pretty funny...yet very stressful. Mason is still eating every 3-4 hours during the day, 5 ounces. At night he wakes up on average once, usually in the 3am hour. So nights really aren't bad at all. Finally he is wearing those adorable 0-3 onesies I've had since before we were blessed with Mason! Up till last week he was still in newborn sizes and newborn diapers! We've now gone to 0-3 onesies, and size 1 diapers! Very exciting!!

We had a pretty incredible baby shower for Mason last weekend with a small group of 60 or so of our closest friends :) It was amazing! We had so much fun. Baseball theme, with baseball foods of all kinds, jumper/bounce house for the kids in the front yard, cotton candy machine, popcorn machine, and sugar cookies in a Dodger theme (Thanks McKenzie Ricks!)...it was the perfect shower, just what Ricky and I wished for. Next week we are sooooooooooooooo excited to travel to Grass Valley to see my parents, and have another shower there with our local family and friends. We couldn't be more excited for Mason to see his Lolly and Poppy again!

This adventure with Mason is....amazing? I seriously feel there's got to be a better word. But amazing, incredible, etc. just don't do it justice. I love every single second I spend with him (same goes for Ricky). We love him so much, and are so thankful to be his parents.

MASON

"I will do the 12am shift, you do the 3am shift." This is a common phrase heard in our house, since the arrival of our newest, smallest, and cutest family member: Mason Michael Marengo!

Ricky and I have been so blessed. Truthfully it's hard to express just how blessed we've been, without sounding like we are bragging about our many, many, blessings. I gotta get religious when talking about it, because we know we had nothing to do with it. Our recent, life-changing blessings, have been given to us directly from our Heavenly Father. We are so thankful. Ricky and I know that our son was given to us at the perfect time, when our Heavenly Father knew we were ready, when our perfect son was ready for us, and us ready for him. Mason is our son, there are no if's, and's, or but's about it. We could not...literally could not, be happier.

Our adoption story is such a beautiful and fortunate one. We were chosen by a courageous, selfless, incredibly intelligent, and kind couple (truly there are several more adjectives I could have added to that description). I remember the day we received their first email, June 24th, a Sunday afternoon. Ricky and I were "watching" golf (I wasn't really watching), when my iPhone made that fun tone, alerting me to a new email. There it was. Beautifully written, and heaven sent. After I read it aloud, Ricky and I looked at each other and knew. Without a doubt in our minds, we knew that this would be our baby, and we HAD to proceed. We continued contact with these incredible people daily for weeks (it was so much fun; we became such a great friends)! Ricky and I had the honor of meeting them and seeing her baby belly, on July 10th. Ricky and I weren't nervous one bit... again, it was like we were seeing old friends; people we were very close to, and entirely honest with. It was a perfect visit, we talked logistics of how this whole process will work, what to expect, questions for the hospital, discussions about parenting, our family backgrounds, and topped it off with pupusas for lunch! Luckily we even had the opportunity to visit and tour the hospital where Mason would be born. It was a terrific and emotional day; one we will never forget. Ricky and I kept thanking our Heavenly Father for placing these unbelievable people in our lives, a couple that would change our lives forever, and make our dreams come true.

Mason's due date was August 4th. He didn't arrive. Mason was then scheduled to be delivered through an induction on the morning of August 7th. Thankfully Mason had the forethought to get the ball rolling, and started some early morning contractions at 4am, eliminating the need for an induction. Ricky and I got that early morning phone call that I had always anticipated getting, and raced to the hospital. Ricky and I spent the next 4-5 hours enjoying every moment with the couple, our friends. We killed time watching Shark Week, sharing family stories, and watching the contraction monitor go higher and higher. It was honestly, so much fun and filled with laughter and excitement. Mason was born at 1:33pm - 7lbs 5 oz, 20.5 inches long, and a head of hair! You know how everyone says "Oh he's so beautiful" when they see a newborn, and most of the time they don't really mean it? Well this time it was genuine and true...he WAS/is beautiful! The moment when we saw Mason for the first time was a moment we will never forget. There he was, our son. Our life would never be the same; it would only be better, every single day.

Ricky and I will be in debt to this selfless couple who gave us everything we had hoped for, dreamed about, and prayed for, eternally. We wish nothing but the very best for them in all things. We pray for them and hope their lives will be as enriched and blesses as they have made ours. We are so thankful to be parents and are enjoying every single second, cry, burp, poop, pee, bath, load of laundry, diaper purchase, and spit up. We wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. Plus seeing Ricky tear up when he looks in Mason's eyes is priceless, absolutely priceless.

Mason is 2 weeks old today! He's eating like a champ, and gaining weight as he should. He's in the 50th percentile for weight and height! He's got an in-y belly button, and the cutest sneezes known to man. I give him so many kisses, and when I finally come up for air, he's got this look on his face like, "Mom, geez! Enough already!" it's really funny. He loves to be swaddled, however at the same time, loves to have his hands on his face - it's the cutest thing. He's got such a fun personality already, and definitely lets us know when he's hungry. We're so thankful he's a great sleeper; we've got a very steady routine going. Our family and friends have been incredible and so supportive! We were lucky to have my parents stay with us for the first 4 days at home; it was so much fun. Mason's middle name is Michael, after my dad, so it was very special to see them cuddling together on the rocking chair. They also cooked for us, cleaned the house, and took over a few of the night shifts; we're so thankful to them. Our days since bringing Mason home have been spent doing this simple routine: feed, burp, feed some more, burp again, change diaper, sleep. Repeat. Babies live a very simple life. We've been pee'd on more times than I can count, seen projectile poop, and some crazy spit-up. We've laughed so much. We sincerely love our little son so very much...there's really no words to describe it.

Here are some (lots) of pictures for your enjoyment (really for you to "oo" and "aww" over how cute he is, cause seriously, he's cute!). Including some pictures taken by Julie Preseley (Pics By Preseley) at the newborn shoot we had at our house last week, when Mason was a week and 2 days old.