8 Months

8 MONTHS OLD! This last month has been quite eventful because Mason is doing something new or eating something new almost every day!

The weather is finally getting warm enough for Mason to wear shorts and I love it! I also love that I don't have to put socks on his little feet because he likes to pull them off and throw them.

Being naked seems to always put him in a good mood...

...and he would sit in the bathtub all day long if I let him!

Mason is very particular about who can hold him. He definitely has his favorites, and I know it is bad to name names, but I don't care. The favorites are as follows: Mommy, Daddy, Grandma Jepson, Uncle Bob, Uncle Brad, Cousin Payton, Uncle Jordan, Uncle Jantzen and his soon to be Aunt Alise!

Mason has to spend as much time as he can with these two because by summertime they will both be gone! Jordan and his soon to be wifey are moving to Montana for school and Jantzen is going on a mission....poor Mason is going to miss them both for the 2 years that they will be gone.

His dimples are really starting to show and I think it is adorable!

I have to admit, I have a serious obsession with baby jammies. Mason owns more jammies than he does outfits. I don't know what it is, but I love him in his jammies! He just doesn't love getting his picture taken when it is bed time.

DA DA DA DA DA DA DA DA DA DA DA DA BATMAN!

Mason had his first taste of chocolate just a few days ago. I let him suck on a chocolate covered pretzel and he threw a fit when I took it away!

I was worried about giving him chocolate because my mom and I are both allergic to it - thank goodness he didn't have any problems.

He is almost always the happiest baby! He claps his hands at everything (especially while watching basketball) and has the cutest belly laugh I've ever heard! (I could be a little biased...)

The squeals I get to hear all day long.

Mason LOVES daddy! Every day when Mason hears the garage door open he gets SO excited because he knows that daddy is home! He claps his hands and kicks his feet and giggles with excitement when Brad walks through the door. It absolutely melts my heart every time. If Brad doesn't immediately acknowledge Mason then he begins to cry until he picks him up. Mason loves to just lounge on the couch with Brad but playing is his favorite! Feeling daddy's whiskers, being tossed in the air, held upside down, flying, playing peek-a-boo and when daddy tickles his toes will really get him going!!

ZERBERT on his neck!

"Mmm...paper."

He loves to eat the ads. He doesn't just put them in his mouth, he literally takes bites out of the ads and chews on them. When I try to fish them out of his mouth he bites down really hard so I can't get my finger in his mouth. Little stinker! He has eaten more than his fair share of paper...

Brad gave Mason some vanilla ice cream for the first time...he thought it was so yummy!

We learned our lesson, though...never give Mason anything sweet before bed....

This was the ice cream aftermath...it lasted a couple of hours!

"But mommy...I really wanted more ice cream..."

On Sunday, March 24th Mason got his very first haircut. I cut some of his baby hairs awhile back, but that didn't really count because he didn't look any different. This was with the "buzzers" and now he looks like a big boy!

First, Grandma turned on the buzzer and let him feel it on his hand and leg just so he knew it wasn't scary. It also helped that he has seen me buzz his daddy's head every two weeks.

Then came time for the first buzz...(and yes, I saved those strands of hair in a ziploc)

...he was doing good and holding so still! Grandma was very impressed!

...Then he wasn't so sure about it anymore and didn't want to sit there much longer...

MELTDOWN...

...and we were done! He stopped crying the second I picked him up.

He most definitely looks older to me...his hair isn't the long, wispy stands that I could sweep into a comb over, it is short and easily mo-hawked.  

Hopefully the hair on the back of his head will catch up...he still looks so bald back there!

FIRST WORDS!

Just last Saturday Mason said "mama" for the first time! I thought for sure he would say "dada" first because that is supposed to be the easier sound to make. I also thought that for the first couple months it would come out "mamamamama" or "dadadadadada" but I was wrong! I kept telling him to say "mama" and he finally repeated it back to me, clear as day! MAMA! He only said it a few more times that night and has only said it a couple more times since then, but I LOVE it! He certainly has his priorities right. :)

Today we were over visiting my mom and my brother Bob came home from work right before we left. When we were getting ready to leave I told Mason to say bye-bye to Bob and, again, clear as day, repeated back to me, BOB! My mom, Bob and I all screamed at the same time! So exciting!

I have such the smart little boy!

RANDOM TID-BITS

-He loves to eat real people food!

-His favorites are bean with bacon soup, spaghetti, chicken and broccoli casserole, apple cinnamon cheerios, cheese, yogurt and banana bread.

-Still refuses to sleep through the night (I'm suspicious it is due to teething)

-He rolled over for the first time from back to front on March 20th

-He said Mama on March 23rd

-He said Bob on March 26th

-He scoots around on his butt

-He can scoot on his tummy, but he only goes backwards

-He is 100% a mommy's boy!

-He is very particular about who he wants to hold him

-He hates being passed around and will have a complete meltdown if it happens

-He loves to clap his hands

-He loves to wave "Hello" and "Bye Bye"

-If he isn't in bed by 8:00 every night he comes down with a bad case of the giggles...just like mommy.

-He eats like a grown man

-He would be held all day if he could

-He loves to watch basketball and will clap his hands and squeal the whole time

-He wears mostly size 12 month clothes 

-His feet are too fat to fit into most shoes

-He can almost crawl; he rocks back and forth on his knees

-He is so snuggly

-He chews on everything in sight

-His tooth has finally come through enough where I can see it in his mouth

-The first comment ANYONE makes about Mason when they see him is always regarding his big, blue eyes! (No joke, happens in the grocery store, at church, out shopping, Facebook comments, etc.)

I can honestly say I love him more each day! Mason has been my greatest blessing and I am so lucky that I get to be his mommy.