Pumpkin Patch & Cider Mill

Last weekend we took Mason to our favorite local Pumpkin Patch and then to our favorite Cider Mill. He really enjoys getting out, especially when we are outdoors exploring things. He loved the pumpkin patch and was even willing to touch the pumpkins. At the Cider Mill he loved touching the corn stalks and hay and even had a chance to sit on the tractor with his Dad.

I love this picture because he was looking back and smiling at his Dad :)

Exploring the pumpkins....

Cider & donuts with Mom (can you tell who inherited my super fair skin?)

With Dad by the cornstalks

Sitting on the tractor with Dad

Big Brother

We have a very special announcement. As you can tell from the title, Mason is going to be a big brother! We are all very excited to add another member to our family!

We discovered in August that we were pregnant and I am now 12 weeks along. Our official due date is April 27th. We just had our first early ultrasound on Friday and the baby looks great so far with a strong heartbeat. We have some detailed testing coming up next week and again in 6 weeks.

The recurrance rate for isolated CDH (which is what Mason was born with) is only about 2%. It is usually referred to as a sporatic event, having no known cause as of yet. Even though the risk is low, it will always be in the back of our minds until the baby is born.

When we tell Mason he is going to be a big brother, he smiles :)

Update & Pic's

I don't really have any good excuses for why I haven't posted in a while. I guess I decided to take a little break to get some much needed house cleaning and organizing done.

In the last few weeks, we have been enjoying whats left of our nice weather before the real cold stuff comes. Mason has really developed a love for being outdoors and I try and make it a point to take him out everyday. When it is colder, sometimes we just sit on the porch for a while and watch for Dad to come home. Today the weather was nice so we pushed him around in his wagon and let him play in his Cozy Coupe.

We have had some routine doctor appointments and follow-ups. Mason had his well baby check a few weeks ago and received some vaccines. To our surprise, he only cried a couple of times and once I picked him up, he stopped. Yesterday we had a follow-up with his Pulmonary team. They were very happy with his progress. He was even recovering from a cold and his lungs sounded clear and equal. Since he is doing well with growing and lung function, he will not need the shots to prevent RSV this winter. This was great news. We received a referral to a Pediatric Dentist since some of Mason's upper teeth are coming in discolored. This is most likely due to all of the antiobiotics he received during his NICU stay. The good news is that adult teeth start to form around 4 months, and by that time Mason was home and off of all antibiotics.

A couple of weeks ago we took Mason on this first trip to the zoo. We met up with my sister and Mason's buddy Austin and his parents. It was a pretty chilly day, but we had a lot of fun. We saw lots of animals and I think Mason enjoyed himself. We waited until the end to take the boys on the train, but they both fell asleep before we could ride. We decided to let them sleep :)

Mason and his partner in crime.

Pick me up please...

It's only a matter of days before I can pull this open....

Can I please have that camera?