3 Months

Mason turned 3 weeks old on December 11th and we think he gets cuter and more fun everyday.  He's very smiley and makes lots of cooing sounds now.  We've realized that Mason is very social.  He doesn't like to be left alone any amount of time at all and his face lights up when Alan, Spencer or I talk to him.  I think the isolation of his car seat is the reason he dislikes car rides so much.

Mason started sleeping 8+ hours at a time at night the first part of December!  Hallelujah!  He goes to bed at around 8:00 and will wake up at around 4 or 5 to eat and then sleep for a couple more hours.  I'm counting that as a huge tender mercy because it started just a few days before I got called to be the Primary president in my ward.  

Mason's eating has improved a lot in the last month.  His digestive system has developed enough that he doesn't have any gas issues on the sensitive formula anymore.  (We gave up fighting to get him to eat the smelly soy formula.)

Mason has the most beautiful eyes!  I hope they stay blue like mine.

This is his serious face.

Hooray for being able to hold toys!

Mason's favorite place to read stories is on the changing table.  He really likes books with textures.  I know a lot of people don't like to bother with changing tables, but both Spencer and Mason have loved interacting with me while getting changed there and I love it.

Christmas is going to be so fun with a baby this year!

December Stuff

Life has gotten extra busy the last couple of weeks so I'm behind.  Here's a bit of what we've been doing:

Spencer was SO excited to decorate for Christmas this year.  He wanted to get stuff out the week before Thanksgiving, but I wouldn't let him.  We started the day after Thanksgiving, but I realized that everything takes 4 times longer with a baby and it took us a week to get the tree up, lights on, and decorated.  Still fun though!

Spencer's playing basketball again this year.  His team is the Blue Devils.  He loves it and it's good for him to have an activity away from home.  (We tend to stay home a lot these days.  It's just easier with Mason.)

Finalization Day!

 We got to finalize Mason's adoption in court yesterday!  Up until this point, we have had physical custody of him, but LDS Family Services retained legal custody.  The only thing that really meant for us was that I had to keep our case worker informed of illnesses and doctor's appointments.  We were originally told that it would take about four months to finalize in Oregon, so we are very grateful for how hard our case worker and attorney worked to finish everything in just under three months.  (Finalizing before the end of the year was important for tax purposes.)

Our court time was 11:45 am, so we sent Spencer to school for a couple of hours before driving to the courthouse in Hillsboro.  Spencer was NOT happy to miss school and there were a few tears trying to get ready to go, but everything was fine once we were in the car. 

Security at the Courthouse was pretty tight - just like an airport.  It wasn't that way when I worked in a courthouse in high school!  We weren't allowed to take any pictures until we were actually in the courtroom.  Darwin, Debbie, Grandma and Grandpa Larsen, and Maren Dunlop (just back from her mission to AZ last week!) were there to support us.  We are so grateful they could come!  I put Debbie on picture duty.

Spencer LOVES to give kisses and hugs to his little brother even though he doesn't love Mason's crying. ;)

The ceremony with Judge Kirsten Thompson was quite informal.  She didn't sit on the bench, but came right down to our table.  She just talked to us for a minute about how were were already a family, but this ceremony just made it official in the eyes of the law.  Then she signed two documents and we took a bunch of pictures.  Mason got really upset about something right when the Judge started talking and we had to stand up so Alan could bounce him.  It didn't help much though and Mason cried through the whole ceremony.  You can't see his face in any of these pictures because Alan was trying to get him to take a pacifier.  Of course, Mason was completely fine once it was over!

Judge Thompson was really good with Spencer and let him be her "deputy" to help.  He refused to talk to her, but I think he liked it.

I hadn't expected to get emotional, but Alan and I both did.  Nothing in our relationship with Mason has changed.  We're still the same family we were yesterday morning, but watching the Judge sign the judgement that makes Mason's adoption final was pretty special.

Our hard-working attorney, Scott Adams.

 

I wanted a few pictures with my phone so I could text them to family, but we forgot to take any inside the courtroom.  We tried a few outside the courthouse, but between Spencer's silly faces, all of us closing our eyes, and a photo bomber, we didn't wind up with any great shots.  At least Spencer was feeling happier about being there!

 

Mason was such a little stud in his button-up shirt and "dress pants."  Yesterday was the third time in his life he had worn actual clothes instead of comfy sleepers.  I couldn't get enough of his cuteness!

 All of us went out to lunch at Izzy's Buffet to celebrate afterwards.  Not my favorite, but Spencer got chicken nuggets, macaroni and cheese and four desserts so he was happy.  Mason drank a bottle and then slept all the way home.

As wonderful as yesterday was, we now have an even better day to look forward to: sealing day!  That will probably happen in January.  We are so blessed!

Happy Thanksgiving!

It is a fact of life for us now that Thanksgiving will revolve around Alan's Turkeython race on Thanksgiving morning.  Alan was busy preparing for the big race all week and had to pull an all-nighter on Wednesday to get everything set up.  That left me on my own with the boys and it was more exhausting that I thought it would be.

Spencer really wanted to run the 5k instead of the short kid's race this year.  He "trained" by running laps around the playground at recess all month beforehand.  :)  I was nervous the weather wouldn't cooperate enough for me to be able to take Mason out in it, but it worked out fine.  The low was in the 50's that morning and the rain held off until after the race.

Before race selfie:

I thought Mason would sleep during the race, but he stayed wide awake and happy the whole time.  That was the first time I had tried running with him so it was a relief that it worked.  I was afraid that he'd start crying and I'd have to get him out of the stroller and carry him.

Spencer totally knocked our socks off with his performance.  I had told him to stay with me at the first so I didn't loose him in the other 1,200 runners, but he took off fast and I couldn't keep up while trying to maneuver a stroller through the crowd.  It took me two miles to catch up to him and he did those two miles in about 18 minutes!  The last mile was harder because it was farther than he had ever run before.  He walked a little, but still ran most of it.  Spencer wound up finishing his first ever 5k in 31:10.  That's pretty awesome for a six-year-old and he was the first one his age to cross the finish line.  Way to go buddy!

The whole race was very organized and professional.  Uberthons just keeps getting better and better at what they do.  I am proud of Alan and what good events he organizes.

After the race, Mason had a good, long nap while I showered and finished preparing our contributions for Thanksgiving dinner.  Alan finally got home around 2:00.  He took a shower and this is how I found him about 30 seconds later.  Dead asleep.

We headed over to Darwin and Debbie's after everyone woke up and had a delicious Thanksgiving dinner as usual.  Here are some after-meal pictures:

Alan (and Darwin) couldn't keep their eyes open.

Debbie, Teri, Darwin, Aunt Peggy, Grandma Larsen, Grandpa Larsen

Big Spencer and Little Spencer played Mancala.  Jim and Teri's kids are always so great with Spencer.  It was really fun for him to have someone new to play with.

Teri and Mason.  Jim and Teri's oldest daughter Brenna is the reason we have Mason.  She was Heidi's roommate and told Heidi about us last January.

Pie!  Little Spencer, Big Spencer and Jim

Clara and Mason.  He loved her long hair!

Trouble!

Alicia and Mason

Debbie also did the 5k.  Here are the two proud finishers with their medals.

It has taken Alan and I a couple of days to recover from Thanksgiving, but we're about back to normal now.  We have so much to be grateful for this year, but I'd have to say that adoption is number one on my list.