Boy Oh Boy!

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Uncle Rick made this cookie cake- prepared for either boy or girl!

Our sonogram today revealed that we are having a boy! Rob and I were a little surprised as we both felt that it was going to be a girl. In fact, we had not even discussed any boy’s names! The best part of the sonogram was when the baby started opening his mouth and it looked as if he was trying to lick his hand! It was pretty neat seeing his tongue moving and his little fingers stretching! We learned that he is healthy to date and all of his parts and organs are present and working.
Mason was the one to inform Rick, Cathy, Bradley, Ben and Blake. I made a little sign that he wore around his neck that said “It’s a Boy!”. I will have to get a picture of him and the sign to post on here. It will be great having two boys so close in age growing up together. The other nice part is that we don’t have to buy much to prepare for baby boy #2! We are defiantely working on a baseball team of boys between Rick and Cathy and their three boys, our good friends Joe and Julie who have two boys and ourselves!

Snow Day!

Not sure what to think about that cold white stuff!
Notice that this is actually Rick and Cathy's road- that is how much snow we were driving on!
Belly last week at 21 weeks

Yesterday was an adventure! It started snowing about 7:30 am. Mason had an 8:45 am doctor’s appointment. Since I have never driven in snow before, I was a little anxious as I kept seeing that white stuff pile up! We left for the appointment early which was a smart idea since the roads were already in bad condition. Our road was completely white and it looked as if no one had traveled on it for awhile. We made it to the stop sign which is two miles from our house and I figured the main roads would be in better condition. However, I realized that stop signs are a bad thing! It is very slippery to get going again. We finally made it to the appointment going about 25-30 mph on the main road. I felt as if I had to pry my hands off the steering wheel as I was gripping so tight!
Mason’s ears checked out good and he has gained 1 pound 5 ounces in the last three weeks! This good news made me feel better about our drive. We are still waiting for the results of the anemia test. However, Mason seems to be in very good health now!
So, now we must venture back on the road. I decided to head towards Rick and Cathy’s house as they are closer to where I was and closer to my doctor’s office for which I had an ultrasound appointment. It is still snowing hard and I get a call from Rob saying he is staying in Charlottesville for awhile because the roads are so bad. Mason and I take it really slow towards Rick’s house. We get almost there and I start up this little hill. The hill is so slick that my car won’t go up and it starts sliding. I call Rick and he came to our rescue with his four wheel drive truck. We ended up leaving my car in a nearby parking lot since he couldn’t get my car up the hill either.
Unfortunately, the weather was just too bad for my doctor’s office to stay open. My ultrasound was rescheduled for January 25th which of course is a major disappointment. After several hours, Rob finally made it to Rick and Cathy’s too. He has his own stories of slipping and sliding all over the road! Fortunately, we are all safe and I guess I am an experienced snow driver now!

Holiday Update

Mason's new lounging chair
Overwhelmed by presents!
Cat riding- a new sport!

Well, here we are in the new year...2008! We had a wonderful Christmas with Rob's side of the family. On Christmas Eve, we had the family over to our house for dinner. Christmas morning we ventured out early to Rick and Cathy's house to open presents and start the day of eating! Mason was a bit overwhelmed with the whole thing. He was not sure about all of the presents and people everywhere. In the middle of opening presents, we put Mason down for a nap and he slept for two hours! I am sure next year will be a whole different experience for him.

For New Year's Eve, we had Rick, Cathy, Brad, Ben and Blake over for game night. They received the Wii for Christmas and brought it over for us to try. It was a lot of fun and you actually do get a bit of a workout depending on which games you are playing.

Mason had his 15 month checkup last week. He still has an ear infection so he is back on medication. the other concern was that he has not gained weight in the last three months. He has grown taller and is actually average in that category. However, he has dropped to the 5th percentile for weight. So, we are trying to fatten him up! I am sure it is due to the fact that he is very active and I am guessing he has a fast metabolism like Rob and I do. We go back to his Dr. in two weeks to check his ears again.

Besides the health concerns, Mason is doing great! He is very smart and learning every day. He has recently showed us that he knows some sign language. I had good intentions of teaching him baby sign language but fell off tract of doing the signs myself. Mason watches a couple of sign language videos though. This week he signed "ball" and "more" while saying the words at the same time. Rob was not convinced at first that Mason was actually signing intentionally. So, Rob asked Mason "Show me the sign for ball." Mason promptly signed ball. I guess those videos really work!

Adventurous climber

Mason has learned how to climb! We find him in odd places like on top of his desk or on top of the dining room table! He has been talking a lot and I can't even count how many words he can say now. His latest words have been "all gone" or "all done".

I am now in my 18th week of my pregnancy. I am feeling pretty good too! I barely passed my first diabetes test and will have another one in about ten weeks. Luckily, I am okay to eat Christmas goodies! We have our sonogram scheduled for January 17th and we hope to find out the gender!

We wish you all a Merry Christmas!

Handsome Boy!

Yes, I brush his teeth... that is orange crayon on his teeth!
Bath time fun!
Big belly! Taken last week- in my 15th week

Mason had his first haircut last week! He was such a big boy and didn't cry. He only squirmed a little! I think he definitely looks like a little boy rather than a baby now. I tried to have Mason sit with Santa but he would have nothing to do with it. I will try again and maybe he will warm up to the idea of sitting on a strange old man's lap!

We have put up our Christmas decorations. So far, Mason has done pretty well with leaving them be. Our tree looks a little funny though since I only put a few non-breakable items on the bottom branches!

Happy Thanksgiving

Mason's Christmas present from Grandpa and Grandma Chiovaro

Rob's mom, dad, sister Cris and nephew Ryan came to visit for Thanksgiving. We had a great time the few days they were here. On Wednesday we had brunch at our house and played some wiffle ball. We had Thanksgiving at Rick and Cathy's house and there was no shortage of food! The one great thing about being pregnant is that I am not so worried about the holiday weight gain! We also celebrated Christmas on Thanksgiving night since Rob's parents and sister are staying in New York for Christmas. Friday we ventured out for some bowling. Mason kept us running as he was not content to just sit there and watch!

Mason enjoyed having all four of his boy cousins around f0r several days in a row. He has fun chasing after them and trying to join in. Mason has been "talking" more. It is really funny to listen to his baby talk. It is like he is having a conversation with you although you don't know what he is saying.

New pictures... Finally!

Mason as a Dragon for Halloween. Aunt Cathy Made this costume about 10 years ago for Bradley!
Mason and Cousin Blake as Puss in Boots
New Elmer Fudd hat!
Self feeding... some how more yogurt ended up outside of his mouth!

Well, we have been very busy! Thus, I have not posted for about a month! We have been working around the house a bit. Rob has installed new hardwood floors in our loft. We are preparing the house for Rob's family who are coming for Thanksgiving. We will soon then be preparing for turning the guest room into a new babies room! If you haven't heard the news, we are expecting baby number two in May 2008.

Mason has really blossomed. He loves to imitate us! It is amazing how well he remembers things. I showed him one time how to brush Clemens the dog. About a week latter he saw the dog brush, went over to Clemens and started brushing him! Mason's upper front teeth are finally erupting! He definitely looks more like a little boy instead of a baby. He loves to play outdoors which may become a bit of a challenge as the weather is getting colder. Mason also enjoys coloring, playing with Thomas trains and blocks. He is saying a few more words and tries to copy what I say. The other day I called for Bob (Rob goes by Bob here... I know confusing!) and Mason said "Bob" as well!

We will keep you all updated on the baby news and Mason's accomplishments!