The Sound of Mason

Mason enjoys making noises, but not as much as we enjoy hearing them. Here's a little clip of MasonSpeak.

It's been a while

So there have been some complaints wondering how come there hasn't been a blog post. I wish I had some elaborate reason, like Mason was climbing Everest or conquering the Incans, but I don't. I guess both of those would deserve a blog post, but why are we questioning my fake excuses. Mason is pretty much continuing to rock it, baby-style. He's starting to smile and coo, though not consistently. Getting him to smile involves me making some pretty odd faces and weird noises, all of which are rather humiliating to me but it gets a laugh. Here are some of current favorite photos of Mr. MB.

Mason Can Dance

So Mason's friend, Daniel, has his own dancing video out on the Internet. Daniel is dancing to the recently deceased, Michael Jackson. In dedication to the late Mr. Jackson and in the line of what could be an eventual "dance-off" between Daniel and Mason, Mason has produced his own dance video. This an homage to the original complete with horrible cheap 80's effects and way too many transitions. When watching, remember he's barely 4 weeks old at the filming of this video, so the dancing still needs some work.

Bathtime!

Sometimes Mason gets stinky, so he needs to be cleaned. Everyone likes a good ol' fashioned dunk in the sink, and since Julie got mad the last time I tried to wash myself in the kitchen sink, only Mason is allowed in there now. This is the first time we have bathed him without him crying. Thanks to AJ (Aunt Jen) for filming.

Baby Hiccups

Another amusing thing like the sneeze is the hiccup. This was tough to watch at first because they move his entire body, but the doctor told us it doesn't bother him. Now it's entertaining to see his whole body jump with each hiccup. He also appears to be fighting off the camera.

Multi-Generation

Mason is fortunate to have a great-grandfather on Julie's side and a great-grandmother on my side. We couldn't pass up the opportunity to take a couple of multi-generational photos. See below for Julie's mom and grandfather in one photo and my dad and my grandmother in another. We love these photos.

Mr. Popular

I guess I'm not keeping my supply up with the current demand levels. Apparently, the public is wanting more Mason, and they're not seeing it. I could claim that I'm just trying to keep demand high, but I'm guilty of just being short on material. He's being pretty baby. He is a night owl like his father, which is not good at this stage. We're trying to get him more in the groove of sleeping at nights, but we have to remind ourselves, he's not yet 3 weeks old. Perhaps our standards are too high. Oh well, we're in the learning stage also. Now, I shall give the people what they want. . . more pictures.

The Sneeze

One of our favorite things since we first heard it in the hospital is Mason's sneeze. It is guaranteed to get a laugh out of me because he winds up and usually spits out consecutive sneezes. Finally, after many failed attempts and near-misses, I was able to capture it on camera. Enjoy!

The Many Faces of Mason

Well, it's been a little over a week, and this little guy has changed. We're enjoying the progress, despite the lack of sleep. See for yourself, the many faces of Mason.

Photos

For all who are interested, here's some photos of the newest Lanier.

He's Here!!

MASON BYRON LANIER arrived today at 6:21 PM weighing in at 8 lbs, 4oz. He's 19.25 inches long and happens to be a really cool guy. Mom and baby are doing well, although both are very hungry.

Coming Soon to a Family Near You

And we're waiting and waiting. . .

It sounds like we're getting really close. The nurse suspects we'll have a new family member by dinnertime tonight. Until then, you guessed it, we wait. This is now in first place in our life as the most surreal moment. It's already been crazy, so we'll see.

At the Hospital

We arrived at the hospital at approximately 1:30 am due to thinking that Julie's water broke. The nurse seemed to think that was the case and after calling the doctor, they have decided to start the induction process. Now. . . we wait.

Car Seat Installation

One of the final steps remained before I felt as prepared as possible for our new arrival, the installation of the car seat. Based on one of the safety classes we had taken, this was going to be quite the ordeal. Our instructor told us that the majority of people fail at installing it properly. I was not looking forward to the task, but I was stressed that it was not yet completed. After a thorough read of both the owner's manual for the car and the instruction booklet for the car seat, I felt ready to go. Now, I'm not the most handy person, but what I lack in handiness, I make up in my attention to detail. After about 3 minutes, I appeared to be done. How could this be? Wasn't this one of the most complicated tasks expectant fathers were required to perform? Three minutes seemed way off, yet nothing was left to be done. I brought the car seat out, and sure enough it clicked in soundly. I pulled on it and it did not budge. The only thing left was to have a fireman or designated police officer check it to make sure it was secure. After many attempts to locate the aforementioned parties, Julie found that I could just pull up to a Castle Rock Fire Station and ask them to take a look. My first attempt resulted in the fire truck leaving as I pulled up. Second time was a charm. Surely this tough fireman would be able to move this car seat around and tell me the flaws. He opened the door and pulled and yanked and could not budge the car seat. He looked at me and said, "I'm impressed, I'm really impressed. Most people come in here and have all sorts of problems, but this really looks good." While I did not show my pride, I was quite pleased with myself and my outrageous feats of strength. Looks like this strongman is a little too tough for the firemen. After a firm handshake, I was on my way back home feeling less prideful and wondering why my hand hurt so bad after a simple handshake. Maybe I'm not really that tough.

Nursery Preparedness

Well, I think we're ready. Thanks to some wonderfully handy and generous cousins, our nursery is pretty much set. As far as we can tell, there's not a whole lot else to do, other than wait. Julie is in pain, with most of it confined to her hip, and she is more than ready to have this little guy delivered. Due date speculation is increasing with each day. Julie becomes irritated with anyone who guesses past her due date. The thought of carrying him around two weeks late is unbearable for her. I for one would love to see him born on the 4th of July (his due date). Fireworks on your birthday!! How cool is that? Stay tuned to this blog for future updates and baby delivering news.