Our Mason Man

Here's a look at our little Mason at 17.5 months    

*He is adding words to his ever growing vocabulary faster than I can keep track off.  We were at the grocery store with him and Kiwi in the cart and as we walked by the bakery he pointed and said "cookie" clear as day (you better believe I got that boy a sample cookie).  We'd never even heard him attempt that word before.  It is amazing to watch him communicate and all of us can't get enough of his cute little voice.   

*Equally as amazing as his speaking skills, but not nearly as fun, is his resistance to diaper changes.  I have never seen a child hate to be changed as much as he does.  Back arched, straining with all his might to get away, wailing over whatever distraction tool (singing a song, asking him what a dog says, a sibling trying to hand him a toy) we are trying to use.  I know every kid goes through this, but I have been daily changing diapers for almost 6.5 years now (with only a couple of months break between when Kiwi was potty trained and Mason was born) and I am at a loss for what to do.  Our mellow child can turn very...not mellow, when the diaper changing pad is brought out.

*I think he may be the busiest of the three children at this age.  He's not that hard, he is just busy.  As in, he can pull twenty books off the library shelves in the amount of time it takes Kiwi and I to locate the Bernstein Bear section. Speaking of books, he loves to pull them off shelves but won't often sit through an entire story unless it's very short or it's a word book.  We have a couple of books that are just full of pictures and their names and he will sit and look at these with you for a long time pointing at all the different things.  TV doesn't hold his interest at all.  If the kids are watching something, he may point up at it and look for a minute, but then he's done.  The only show he's ever sat through is Curious George and that is when he wasn't feeling well.

*He loves shoes.  Any color, any size, any style.  If there's a place for a foot, he will try them on and attempt to walk around the house in them.  It is not uncommon to go to put on a pair of shoes and find that these is only one.  Kiwi encounters this the most since her feet are closet in size to Mason's and he can get the farthest in a pair of her shoes (he especially likes her pink, sparkly ones).

*He likes to hide things.  Play food from the kitchen set, remotes, shoes (see previous bullet), his little lovey that he drags around and needs to sleep.

*He is a fantastic sleeper as long as he has binky and lovey (a soft, small blanket, with a bear head attached to it).  He is very attached to these two items.  We are trying to cut binky time down to just bedtime, but I have no plans of eliminating it for sleep anytime soon.  He will wake up at night a couple of times a week still, but all it takes is putting the binky back him and tucking him in and he is right back to sleep.  

*He brings an amazing amount of joy to our little family.  Every morning when I pick up that little p.j. clad body and he snuggles his soft, sweet smelling head into my shoulder, I am overwhelmed with love for this sweet boy and am so thankful to be his mommy.  

Below are some pictures of Mason experiencing snow for the first time.   He mostly just wanted to play "cafe" where he stands in the playhouse, we order food, and he gives us sawdust and laughs.  It's pretty much his favorite thing ever.  When I uploaded these, I realized he has the remnants of mac and cheese on his face.  Mac and cheese is another love of his these days.