Eight AMAZING Months

Mason turned 8 months on Easter Sunday!  Where has the time gone?!?  This month was full of so many firsts that we decided to make a quick list so here it goes!


First Tooth (aka. Toofer) - This actually got its own post but then,on Easter morning, the second one came in!!  He looks so different with his two, little bottom teeth.

First St. Patricks Day - We celebrated the Irish holiday with delicious Corned Beef and Cabbage and a Gluten Free version of Great Grandma Dell'Aquila's recipe for green cake.  We plan to make this an annual tradition and can't wait for Mase to get to try it out next year.




First Finger Foods - Mason has started to eat finger foods.  He has tried Mum Mum's (which he loves), watermelon and puffs.   Check out this video of him stuffing the Mum Mum' in his face!

First Time on a Swing - Aunt Christina and Cousin Jack came to visit and we had a a great time at the neighborhood park.  Mason LOVED the swing!  Check out this video of him enjoying the breeze.

First Visit with the Easter Bunny - We also made sure to visit the Easter Bunny while cousin Jack was in town.  Mason was very interested in the funny bunny!

First Easter - Auntie Diana took the trip down to celebrate Mason's first Easter.  We had a great day which included a trip to the park and delicious dinner.  Couldn't help but put some bunny ears on the little man and take a few pictures.

Other Monthly Highlights~

Mason with his duckie.
He started sitting up  like a big boy in the tub this month!

Mason and Connor @
Mexican Night with the Wingates

One of his favorite things-
PULLING blankets!

HAPPY 8 MONTHS HANDSOME BOY!   

CLICK HERE FOR MASE 8 MONTH PICTURES
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We have our FIRST tooth!

It was a big day in the Valente household-Mason cut his FIRST tooth!

We have been waiting for months and his bottom tooth finally came in this morning.

Such a big boy!

Seven Whole Months Old!

Mason is a whopping 7 months old and becoming more and more independent by the day.

YUCK!

After a fun start to this month with family and friends in New Jersey, we arrived home with a very sick little man. Mason had RSV this month and as a result we all had a very rough 3 weeks! Our little dude was absolutely miserable and there wasn't a whole lot we could do to help him since the virus just needed to run its course. He managed to have a GREAT 1st Valentine's Day though and was still an adorable little Heart Breaker, even with a faucet for a nose!!

Mase gained a lot of balance this month. He is full-on walking (or should we say "running") in his walker now. Its funny to see the dogs run the other way as soon as they see the wild man coming! He is also sitting up by himself and does NOT like to sit still for a minute. Mason finally rolled from his back to his belly, which we have been working on for awhile and we actually caught it on video~ Check it out below!

Mason is learning how to get into a little trouble now too! His new favorite past-time is to run to the window in his walker to pull on the blinds! We have started childproofing the house as well as he is infatuated with the outlets and the knobs on the cabinets!


We have a power eater on our hands just as Dr. Dorsey said. On a normal day, Mason will have 4-5 bottles of 6-8 oz of formula as well as solids and cereal twice a day. He cannot get enough of his favorite food which is Sweet Potato Chicken but also loves his carrots, bananas. squash, green beans, corn, peas, pears and peaches! Really he is just NOT a fan of spinach, lentils and also HATES apples.



We are really enjoying how vocal Mason is becoming. He is babbling up a storm and full of new noises and shrieks every day. Most of what he is saying is babble but his favorite sound to make is usually DaDa. Not quite ready to claim it as a first word but Daddy gets excited every time!!


We started swim lessons last weekend and had a great time splashing around in the pool. Mase did great for the first 15 minutes and absolutely LOVED the pool. Unfortunately, he got sooo excited about blowing bubbles that he gulped a bit of water and scared himself a bit-so the last 10 minutes were a little rough. All in all, it was a great experience and we can't wait to go again next week!

Mase in AWE of washing machine!

Mason still spends a ton of time in his playroom reading books, playing with toys and watching some of his favorite shows! He especially loves his talking and dancing puppies and tool bench as well. His favorite Mickey Mouse episode is the Hibiscus Hula and we hula together every time it comes on!


March is already off to a wonderful start!  We are soo excited for Spring and getting outside for walks and visits to the park. We have a few special visitors planned and a few first holidays to celebrate! Cannot wait to see what Month 8 holds for us!

CLICK HERE FOR ALL 7 MONTH PICTURES

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Six Month Photo Shoot

A week before Mason turned 6 months old, we took a ride to Davidson for our family photo shoot.

Mason hardly smiled and was a real crank pot but Angela still managed to capture a few great shots!

We have added the images to our albums for downloading purposes but here is the slideshow link she sent us... ENJOY!!

http://www.angelasheaphotography.com/slideshows/Valente6months/

Six Months - Happy 1/2 Birthday to our BIG BOY!

To say that time is flying on by is a complete understatement.  We feel as though all we did was blink and WOW -- Mason is a whopping 6 months old!  My how quickly it went!

This past month has been a BIG growth period for Mason.  He is becoming stronger and more alert by the minute it seems!  His days are spent reaching and grabbing for EVERYTHING and we are watching his hand eye coordination improve by leaps and bounds!  He loves standing up (with a little help of course) and is just starting to sit by himself; still a bit wobbly but getting better each day.

We went to the doctor for his 6 month check up today!  Mason was in the 50 percentile for weight and height and 90% for his head circumference; a big melon just like Daddy!  :)  He weighs 18 lbs 5 oz now and is a whopping 26 1/2 inches long.   He is a great eater and night sleeper but is still pretty bad at napping.  He is getting a bit better but still definitely a challenge to get this boy to sleep when he knows people are awake and having fun!  He doesn't want to miss a thing-just like his Mamma!  

Mason has always been a happy baby but he now has started to giggle and laugh out loud.  He LOVES playing peek a boo and cannot get enough of our doggies, especially Hershey!  Check out this video of Mason giggling at Hershey.

We were lucky enough to be visiting with family and friends in New Jersey for Mason's 1/2 birthday.  While there, we had a ton of fun celebrating the birthdays of  Grandma Lynn and cousins Jack, Katie and Allie.  We also got to celebrate Mason's very first Superbowl with a big GIANT win (Go Blue!) and got to see Mason's first snowfall.

 

Mason finally got a chance to celebrate Christmas with Grandpa Gebby and B as well as the Haddock clan.  He also got a chance to spend a few quality days with Auntie Diana, GaGa and Pop Pop Valente.  Even though he was teething and getting a little cold, Mase managed to have a great week and enjoyed every minute he had with his family.  They really do spoil him!

We spent a day in Hoboken and got to visit Mason's newest girlfriend, Ellie Cohay.   What a cutie pie!  We also managed to spend some quality time with his other lady friends-Livie Q, Amelia Geier, Olivia Smith and Reece and Sami Levinson.  He is such a ladies man and he loved all their time together.  

He was a real trooper on the road trip - slept most of the time and while awake enjoyed some Mickey Mouse on the iPhone and also had some fun reading (or being read to) a few books and playing with some of his favorite toys!

When we finally got back home to Charlotte, we made sure to take Mase's monthly tie shot (a few days late)  While looking over at Mase, now sitting up in his crib, Ant said  "Can you imagine what the 1 year shot is going to be like?  Remember when he barely fit on that pillow for his first picture?"  Its true.  He is such a BIG boy and has changed so much in 6 short months.  I didn't think it would be possible but we are in even more in awe today then the day he was born.  It is AMAZING!

Happy 1/2 Birthday to you buddy! We thank God every day for the beautiful gift He gave us 6 months ago! We love YOU with every bit of our hearts!! 

CLICK HERE FOR MASON 6 MONTH PHOTOS
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Five Months and COUNTING...

Happy New Year!

Mason is now 5 months old and we cannot believe that time is flying by so fast! Our baby is feeling less and less like a baby every day and we just want it all to SLOWWWW down!

Mason is babbling up a storm!  Not only is he loving all of the newfound sounds he is capable of creating, we are too!  He giggles and coos and is constantly telling us stories.  He recently started shrieking and is just a ball of fun watching him grow.  We still are more in awe of him each and every DAY!

Mason loves Starbucks just like Mommy and Daddy!

The last month we have noticed the so many changes, both physically and  developmentally.  

Mason is becoming quite the pro at grabbing for his toys and his hand eye coordination has improved so much in just one short month.  He is not quite sitting up on his own but he is rolling from front to back with ease and has almost mastered his back to front roll as well.  He also finally discovered the toy bar we added to his crib.  Check it out!

Mason spends a lot of his time during the weekdays being moved by Grandma Lynn from station to station is his play room;  especially since it just got a major upgrade at Christmas time!!!! :)  Mason loves to read books, jump in his bouncer and has recently started moving around in his activity table walker.  He loves our Iphones and Ipad but really loves Mickey Mouse!  Check out this video with Mase enjoying the best of both worlds:  Mickey and his activity table! 

We celebrated Mason's First Christmas with Grandma Lynn, Great Grandma Gebby and Auntie Diana. We had a great few days together preparing for Christmas and then enjoyed our holiday feast and gift exchange before Daddy surprised Mommy with a trip to Las Vegas.

How could he NOT be Santa's Favorite?

"Daddy what are you doing up there?'

Making his handprint ornament from Auntie!

With Grandma and Great Gram!

Auntie and Great Gram stayed until the Friday before New Year's.  We enjoyed the last few days we had together playing card games, watching Mason play with his new toys and enjoying the beautiful weather!  Great Gram even strolled Mason around in our newly renovated backyard for a few minutes as this is now his preferred way we get him to nap during the day.  Whatever works right?

On New Year's Eve we had a nice visit from some fellow pirates and their little pirate Jordan.Mason had a good time playing with his new friend and crazy Daddy!

We rang in the New Year at home and barely saw midnight!  :)  We were actually EXCITED about our low key holiday plans and enjoyed every second at home.  Mason had such a tough day (yeah right!) that he was sleeping by 8 pm---a little late for him actually!  :)  This month things have become rather consistent with his sleep patterns.  He starts dinner between 6 and 7 and is usually asleep by 8 at the latest and usually sleeps through the night.  We think this is because Mason is eating solids now- here is a video of his first bout with peas.  They are growing on him but we think his favorite food is bananas!  He would eat an entire jar if we'd let him!

We are preparing for another trip to New Jersey in the beginning of February to celebrate the birthdays of Mason's favorite cousins and have another action packed month ahead.  Can't wait to see some of you then!  

Wishing everyone all the love, happiness and joy 2012 has to offer.  We are definitely looking forward to all it has in store for us and those we love!

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Viva Las Vegas!

We woke up Christmas morning and had lots of fun and good times with Mason, Great Gram, Auntie and Grandma. The very last gift Anthony gave me was a bag with toiletries, a Vegas Magazine and two boarding passes. My response was "We're going to Vegas?" followed by "When are we going Vegas - this week?" I proceeded to pull out the two tickets and looked at the date and shockingly said "We're leaving for Vegas tonight???" I was off to pack my bags and we left that NIGHT!

I didn't know whether to cry hysterically or laugh and be excited about going away. With having no time to prepare mentally or even physically, I was left laughing and crying as we said goodbye and left Mason for a few days. He was in EXCELLENT hands with Auntie, Gram and Great Gram but that didn't make it any easier.

Anyone who knows me well is probably wondering how Anthony got me to leave Mason for a few days. Let's just say he didn't do it easily. I had gotten myself so worked up about leaving that our trip started like this-GROSS!!!!

Once at the terminal I was feeling much better but saying goodbye and missing out on a few days with the family made me sad and obviously SICK at first!! Poor Anthony-he was a wreck! 

We checked in at our hotel, Treasure Island, grabbed a quick bite to eat and crashed once we got our room.   The next day we started off our morning learning how to play Craps!  We'll call it a learning experience since it didn't really go that well :)

~Good Morning From Fabulous Las Vegas!~

Had to make sure to get a shot with the Zoltar Machine from "Big".

Grabbed a bite to eat on Freemont Street. Hugo's Cellar had an old school feel with GREAT service. They greeted the ladies with a rose. :)

Stopped at Toby Keith's Bar and Grill. Had a few drinks and shots. Probably the most we drank the whole time!!

We did a lot of walking and monorail riding, got to take in a ton of the different hotels, and taste some amazing dishes as we tried a few restaurants. The Wynn was by far our favorite hotel; it was absolutely beautiful and since we got there on Christmas everything was decorated for the season. We snagged a few pictures but they don't do it justice. Our favorite dinner was at SWITCH in Encore - the decor changed every 20 minutes with swapping walls! 

Mosaic Tile Art! The vibrant flowers were at the Wynn and butterflies at the Encore.

Real flower balls!!!

The ceiling was beautiful at the Wynn!

The real flower balls from a distance! Just GORGEOUS!

Drinks by the Lake at Wynn before heading to dinner at SWITCH!

We did some gambling and also got to see a few shows! Here is a picture with Anthony and Mr. Jerry Seinfeld who was HYSTERICAL!

We got a chance to see the Volcano Eruption at the Mirage which was also beautiful and kept us warm for the whole five minutes it lasted!!!

Yummy Frozen Hot Chocolate at Serendipity 3!!

Had lunch at the Eiffel Tower Restaurant in the Paris hotel. Yummy food and a GREAT view of the strip!

A lit up Strip on our way home from Zumanity --the CRAZIEST & MOST SENSUAL Cirque show!

At the Venetian, we took some pics by the beautiful fountain and stopped by Bouchon Bakery for some Gluten Free Macaroons!

Finished the trip with the morning at the Oleksandra Spa (AMAZING) and one last stop at the Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign!

Thank you to the most wonderful husband for such a FANTASTIC surprise! Although I thought it was VERY CRAZY at first, we ended up having such a great time! I cannot thank you enough making sure I had absolutely no WAY of turning down out little getaway! We all know that if asked for permission... I would have NEVER agreed!!!

I love you today, tomorrow and always!!

Christine