Short Clip for Gigi

Mom, it's at the very beginning, he only does it once on the clip and it's not as coherent as some of the other times he's said it. He's done it about a dozen times now so I know it's not a fluke...and he'll often do it while holding either his hand up to his ear or a phone up to his head.

"Hi Gigi"

Language Skills at 12.5 Months:

1. Baby
2. Bye Bye
3. Gigi
4. Grrrrrr {yes, a growl is a word in my book}
5. Hi
6. Me
7. Momma / Mommy

Questionable Words:

1. "Baba" for "Bottle"
2. "Dada" {he's actually called a guy friend this}

Uh oh, we're going to be late to late service but I'll try to think of more words later...

World Turned Upside Down

We were miserable this week...

The nasty tummy bug got us both. At the same time. We were both helplessly sick Wednesday night- I'll spare you the details. And Thursday we were recovering. Friday I was still horribly fatigued but Mason appeared to be happy...immediately {thank goodness he was only a little fussy when he was fully sick}.
Thank God neither one of us got dehydrated. My champion child {who doesn't care to drink anything other than milk...not even juice!} drank down 26oz of Pedialyte on Thursday; although his appetite didn't begin to recover until Saturday night. BRAT diet for us both {Bananas, Rice, Apples, Toast}. I've heard a nasty rumor that this is recurring...according to our nurse, it's typically due to introducing regular foods too soon. We'll play it safe and stick with BRAT.
So while our world was turned upside-down, we got through it okay. Thankfully no visits to the Dr. office, nor the Emergency Room, and after 3 days we're feeling back on track.

Mason's quite the goofball...he loves doing these random headstands.

And since someone was feeling quite well on Saturday, we made a trip to the playground...our first this year {yay!} and first since Mason's been walking {another yay for beautiful weather!}. And Mason ran around the park, played on the swings, and when I put him at the top of the small slide, he propelled himself forward and down...on his own. This Someone has no fear!

A Day In The Life

Demolishing string cheese...

All done- yay!
Time to dial Gigi up...
"Hi"

What can I say? Just another day in Hollywood!

Toying Around

Guess which little man is enjoying being spoiled with all the new toys?

He needed to test drive that Kawasaki...
So we took a short trip to the deck on Sunday
{ohhh how we love pretty days in the Winter!}

Revvvvv it up Mace!

Mason's Little Man Birthday Party

It was a banner day!

And while Mason's Mommy was still dressed in pajamas and decorating when the first 3 guests arrived {no lie!}, everything came together.

And of course, the cake was ahhhhmazing- Laura and Mallory make the best fondant cakes...in the world!

And if you couldn't tell, there are a few things of note:

1. I decided to not take any photos myself so I could enjoy the day and not stay preoccupied with trying to be both mommy hostess, AND photographer.
2. I maybe should have hired a photographer so that sweet Gigi and Uncle Sean could have enjoyed the day and would have been in pictures too.

Bethany & me

Mason and his buddy Hudson.

I'm not exaggerating when I say that Mason was the most gracious 1-year old host EVER. I didn't have to worry about him being overwhelmed by the crowd of 20+ people as he walked from room to room jibber-jabbering with hand gestures {he thought he was talking and carrying on a conversation} and he would smile and go from one person to another. He never protested when someone wanted to pick him up and hold him OR put him down. It was like he drew energy from the crowd...if I ever had any doubts as to whether he's a social butterfly, there's none now. And everyone else witnessed this too!

Early during the party, Mason looked over and saw Baby Madisyn waking up. He went over to check her out...and was very sweet on her {and surprisingly he was gentle with her}. Mason was careful to hug her and he even laid his head on her head...I think he has a crush! Madi was of course her precious lovely self and she planted a birthday kiss on Mason.

Here's Hudson sporting his bowtie and Julie his mommy {party favor...there's also a photo floating around somewhere of Hudson and his chocolate mustache}

Party Guests

Each of the kiddos were given a necktie bib. {of course Madi's was pink with a pink bow on the closure to be girly}. Check out how my child is the only one in the picture who knows to pose for the camera...ridiculous.

Mason was ready to open his gifts.

He enjoyed digging through tissue paper to find what was inside the bag. Mason sat in that chair patiently waiting as he opened each of the gifts. I don't know how many 1-year olds would be able to last that long.

Aunt Mary and Uncle Josh gifted Mason with a Kawasaki 4-wheeler.

He knew it was a cool toy.

And then at the very end of unwrapping the gifts, he stood on his chair as if to say "Thank You everyone. I love you all very much!"

I'm quite certain all of Mason's Birthday wishes came true. This kid is supremely blessed!

Check out the Birthday loot {which doesn't include Gigi & Grandadder's gift-a large kitchen playset that'll be transported when Grandadder drives in to visit the soon-to-be-born Baby Sophia}:

What a wonderful Birthday for Mason Tinsley!

Phone Calls

Pardon me, I have to take this call...

Why, it's so very good to hear from you. How are you doing?

Mason says "Hiiiii"

Loving My Funky Monkey

Happy Valentine's Day to my Funky Monkey!

No more sweets for Mason though...

But Mommy gave him lots of love!

I was reminiscing back one year ago. We'd only been home from the hospital for 1 day; my Mom and Dad gave me a heart box of chocolates, and I remember the difference of how it felt having Mason in my life. He was my Valentine, my tiny newborn, my joy, and my crying baby who didn't let me sleep. I loved love him for all of these things.

Favorite Mommy Things

This is a quick list of some of my favorite baby investments. I've meant to do this for some time but I suppose late is better than never. Oh and I've had a year to let my opinions on the purchases "marinate" so perhaps they can be of help to others:

1. Storksak Gigi Diaper Bag- I'd had another bag for months, but realized that I don't really like the "baby looking" diaper bags and preferred something more discreet and with more pockets and dividers for organization. This bag is beautiful, the handles adjust for a stroller accordingly and the only negative is that my small infant child chewed on the straps and there's a mark on one of them.2. Pottery Barn Bassinet- This was a sizable splurge. And Mason only slept in it for maybe the first 2 or 3 months of his life. But I don't regret it one bit. It's still an heirloom piece that I've aesthetically enjoyed more than any other bassinet I've seen. 3. Polo Ralph Lauren Clothes- An infant hits growth spurts and will shoot out of his clothes in no time, but I've had too much fun playing dress up to notice. And admittedly, I've made horrible clothes choices probably spending somewhere close to $300 on smocked clothes; with at least half of those that will end up never being worn {wrong size for the season or I just decided it was too frilly} or that will only be worn once. Bad, bad investments...must RESELL!

But I waited and purchased all of his Polo RL clothes on clearance so there's not been one complaint from me. Mason is petite so he was able to stay in the infant sizes all year; although Polo RL runs small {well, I like to say it runs "true to size"...potatoes...potahhtoes"}. But his 12-month outfits are starting to fit snuggly. Thankfully the great thing about button-down shirts is that you can roll the sleeves up when they're too large and do the same thing again when it's too small for a preppy casual look.

4. CatBird Baby Pikkolo Carrier- I have 3 different baby carriers, and babywearing is something I support...particularly for nursing newborns. My all-time favorite is still the Pikkolo. I rave about it {HERE}. Oh and I can still carry Mason comfortably, only now he's worn like a backpack.

5. Pedipeds- These shoes are the bomb! They have a flexible leather sole that's durable enough for outdoor wear, but it ingeniously allows for movement...considered "the next best thing to being barefoot." I'm still sick over the fact that I lost one of the shoes. Mason is walking in stiff-soled shoes, but something I think around the house it'd be better for him to wear these rather than just his socks {which can sometimes bunch up and trip him}. 6. Boon Squirt Feeding Spoon- I cannot count the number of times that people have stopped us in restaurants after they're in awe of this cool contraption. It's a huge lifesaver when feeding on-the-go. The squeezable rubber compartment acts as an insulator for the baby food and you can actually fit about 6 oz of baby food inside. I've learned however to make sure that I only use Stage 1 or very pureed Stage 2 foods because anything with lumps will not squirt correctly.

7. Boon Flair High Chair- Wow! Can I just add that this high chair may be my all-time favorite purchase PERIOD. It's extraordinarily easy to clean up, I roll Mace around the floor like he's on an amusement park ride, it's a sleek and non-invasive design, and I really like that it easily adjusts heights so I can sit him at the kitchen island, the table, or even wheel him in front of me while I'm on the sofa. Amazing!

8. BOB Sport Utility Jogging Stroller- I use my Chicco travel system stroller for store trips, but there's no way that I'd be able to run without this jogger. The BOB was graciously gifted to us from Gigi and Grandadder before Mason was even born. It's been a life saver. I've kept sane by being able to exercise with Mason and right now I'm just itching for it to get warm again so we can go back out to the park for a jog. It's also the best BOB for us because of the natural park trails where we run; the suspension is a great feature!

Mini Celebration

After Mason's cupcake coma, I let him open up a few of his gifts.

Of course the bulk of them are reserved for his party...

No more sugar for Mason!

But he did get to blow out another Birthday candle...

And opened some gifts...

I think he liked his 2 wooden pull toys. M likes anything with wheels on them...such a boy!

It was a great Birthday and thank goodness my little guy is feeling better.

He should be back to full health by his Little Man Party so he can enjoy that too!