First Bowl of Cereal

Bumper and I have been waiting for the day when Mason begins eating food.  We knew it would start slowly but we were still really excited.  It was just our luck that one night in October our wish came true and Mason got his first bowl of baby cereal.  Bumper sat patiently in the kitchen near Mason's high chair and just waited and hoped, but those of you who know me would say "Hercules is definitely not the type to just sit and wait" So of course, I had my nose right there in the action.

 

As you can see, I could not keep my nose out of Mason's face. Lucky for me he didn't mind.  And now we sit patiently (well sort of) by Mason each night as he gets his cereal with the hopes that we will get to lick the bowl.  Dad is a big sucker so he usually gives in and lets us.  Soon we will be eating all sorts of Mason food, but for now we are happy with rice cereal.

Trick or Treat

This year wasn't the first year that we chose to dress up for Halloween, but it was the first time for Mason and we decided that we would coordinate our costumes.

 Since Mason loves Monkeys, we decided he could be a monkey, and we would be his bananas!  We think the pictures speak for themselves.

Fall Favorites: The Pumpkin Patch

Every year we take a trip out to the apple orchard and pumpkin patch. We always make sure to pick up our favorites: apple cider, apple doughnuts and apple for frah baked apple pie.






This year we decided to pick pumpkins from the pumpkin patch and carve them for Halloween. Mason fell asleep early and ended up sleeping the entire time, but we got our pumpkins and carved our little pumpkin family. Mom even dropped pumkpin scraps on the floor for us to eat. She tried telling us that if we eat the seeds a pumpkin plant will grow in our stomachs but so far no plant!





- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Bring it on cold weather

The cold weather is coming whether we like it or not. There are even rumors of snow coming by the end of the month. We have been busy putting away our warm weather clothes and getting out our favorite scarves and sweaters. This year we had to make sure Mason has everything he needs to keep warm this winter. He has two warm hats (we are really fond of the puppy hat), a snuggly coat and even a manly pair of snow boots.


















We cannot wait for the first snow to take Mason out to play for the first time.

Mason a.k.a Mr. Personality

Our computer is on the fritz, so we are trying something new, blogging via email using Mom's phone. Let's hope this works. Mom's iPhone keypad is not paw friendly but we wil do our best.

Our little bro has been hamming it up and really smiling up a storm for some time now. He will give the biggest smiles and on plenty of occasions pretend to be shy by smiling and trying to hide his little face. He has also really turned into quite the chatterbox.  We started sitting at the table more with Mason and he just chatters away (we are still confused about language he is speaking, it doesn't seem to be dog or human).  The other day we got a big surprise during a diaper change. Normally Mason thinks getting his diaper changed is a pretty cool event, but this time it must have been down right halarious because all of a sudden he was laughing out loud!  Of course by the time Dad tried to record it he decided he was done. But we have been getting  more and more laughter ever since. Diaper changes are the funniest but eating dinner at the table is a close second.

Long time no blog!

Alight, we know it seems like forever since we have blogged...well it has, but that is about to change.  The summer days are fading away, which means less things to distract us, and believe me, we tend to get distracted easily.  We are just having so much fun spending time with Mason.  He is just such a strange and noisy little thing with all sorts of new smells and sounds.  Our favorite are the diapers!

Last week Mason turned 3 months old!  It seems like just yesterday Mom and Dad were bringing him home from the hospital.  He is so much more alert now.  He is always smiling and trying to talk to all of us.  He has gotten to take several trips down to Central Illinois to visit his grandparents and great grandparents. He even got to be there for his G's birthday!

These 3 months have really flown by!

Video of the Week: Play Time (Last Week)

Mason is getting more and more playful, we love play time with him!

Video of the Week: Brotherly Love

Check out this video of us with our little brother. We love him so much!

Visiting Great Grandma and Grandpa

Last week Mom and Mason took a trip down to visit the grandparents and great grandparents.  It had been over a month since great grandma/grandpa had seen little Mason, of course they do get to see pictures of him.  Once again he was such a good boy on his first road trip, and didn't cry or have a meltdown in the car.  He was even alert and smiling at his great grandparents!  Mom even took a little video of Mason.

Meeting Great Grandma and Grandpa

The day after we met our great aunt and uncle, our grandparents came up to visit baby Mason again, but they brought up our great grandma and grandpa!  We love visiting with them, they give us so much attention, but this visit, once again, was all about our little brother Mason.  He was such a good boy and slept almost the entire time that they were here.  We ordered pizza, and Mom and Dad got to eat a nice meal without holding or feeding Mason.  They were so excited to meet their first non-furry great grandson!  They all took turns holding him, and even giving him a bottle when he got hungry.

Catching up on Sleep

We know it has been a little while since you have heard from us, but don't worry, we haven't given up on blogging. Mason has just been keeping us really busy and as you can see from the picture, we are exhausted, and are napping whenever possible. We have more blogs coming in the next few weeks, and even some videos of Mason to look forward too.

Meeting my Great Aunt and Uncle

The last Saturday in June we had our great Aunt and Uncle come visit.  They wanted to meet Mason, but we know they really wanted to see us too, after all they did bring treats for us (they were supposed to be chew treats that take awhile to eat, but we are such good chewers that we polished them off in no time).  Bumper even got a chunk of treat stuck in his beard, I wanted to eat it but he looked silly so I left it all afternoon.

Mary and Gary showed up in the afternoon hoping to spend a bit of time with Mason and giving us attention, but Mason had other ideas in mind.  He had been nice and quiet all morning, but decided right before they showed up to really give his lungs a good work out.  Mason screamed and screamed the whole time.  He screamed so much that Mary and Gary didn't stay too long (we were really bummed).  And then he ended up continuing the screaming all afternoon, evening and night.  We just hope that the next time they visit Mason won't have a 10 hour baby meltdown.

Mason's First Bath

Mason finally lost his belly button stump (on June 28th, we apologize for being so behind with our blogs) and so we were able to give him his first tub bath.  We weren't sure how he was going to like it since he didn't like his sponge bath.  Mom and Dad got his little whale tub all ready and filled with warm water.  Like always, Mason was ready for a diaper change when we were getting him ready.  He didn't seem to mind the bath as long as most of his body was in the water or had warm water running over him.  We ended up getting kicked out of the bathroom because we kept trying to lick him and stick our noses in his tub.

When Mason was all clean, Mom and Dad wrapped him up in his puppy towel (we love all the puppy stuff) and he posed for a quick picture before getting dressed and all snuggled up.  It really seemed to relax him, or just wear him out, because he ate and went right to sleep and let us get a few peaceful hours of sleep.

Welcome to the World Mason!

We got up really early Friday June 18th, Mom had to be at the hospital at 7:30 to be induced.  We got our breakfast and extra loves and then Mom and Dad headed out the door.  They went to Panera for breakfast since they told Mom she would not be allowed food once they checked her in.  As soon as they got there, they got checked into the room and the nurse started getting all of Mom's information into their computers.  She had the fetal monitor hooked up to her so they could get a baseline before the Pitocin.  Mom was not having any contractions and was only a fingertip dilated.  At about 8:30, just before they were getting her blood work and about to start the Pitocin, Mom got up to use the bathroom, and when she laid back down, baby Mason was flipping around and his heart rate had dropped really low.  The nurse kept having trouble finding it since he was moving so erratically and they called all the nurses in the maternity wing in to get her IV started and to make sure everything was alright.

Baby Mason soon calmed down the doctor decided to so a Pitocin challenge to see how Mason would react to the induction.  Just before they were going to do the challenge, Mason started flipping around again and his heart rate was fluctuating from 190 down to 60 beats per minute, and once again, the nurses came in and they got him calmed down, but Dr. Dubrick made the call that they would perform a c section since it would be the best as safest way to bring our little brother into the world.  The doctor and nurses did not waste any time prepping Mom and by 10 (only 2 1/2 hours after check in) they were wheeling her into the operating room and Dad was getting into his scrubs.  Our grandparents (P and G) got there just in time to see Mom before she went into the operating room.  They came up for the birth, and to stay with us so that we didn't worry too much when Mom and Dad didn't come home that night.  Dad waited outside the operating room, and P and G went to waiting room while they finished getting Mom prepped, and gave her a spinal to numb her from the ribs down. 

Then Dad got to come in and sit by Mom's side behind the big blue curtain and hold her hand.  Mom was totally numb and hadn't even realized they had started the c section.  Dad kept peeking around the curtain to see what was happening.  Within a couple of minutes, Mom felt a lot of pressure just under her ribs and the doctor was pulling Baby Mason out.  They held him up for her to see and then took him over to get him cleaned up.  Dad got to stay with Mason during clean up and follow him to the nursery while Mom was being sewn up.

Mason Avery Grier Bergeon was born at 10:48 am, 7 pounds 4 ounces and 19 inches long and perfectly healthy.  Dad was in the nursery with Mason and P and G got to see him in through the window in the nursery.  The hardest part about the c section was the nausea that Mom felt for about 10 minutes while they sewed her up, but she was just happy to know that our little brother was healthy and doing well with his Dad.

Mom had to spend about a half an hour alone in her room with the nurses for recovery before she could see her little boy, but the time when by fast and before she knew it Dad was pushing Baby Mason into the room in his bassinet.  The three of them got to spend some time together bonding and then P and G got to come in and hold Mason for the first time.

Since Mom was still numb from the spinal, Dad had to take care of all the diapers, he did such a great job though.  Dad stayed the night with Mom in the hospital while P and G stayed at our house with us.  We were really concerned that they didn't come home, plus on top of that, there were a few huge storms!  They were great taking care of us, and we had fun and got lots of attention.  They spent the next morning at the hospital with Mom, Dad and Mason and then checked on us during lunch, and then they went back home.  Dad came home that night to stay with us while Mom and Mason were in the hospital, but they said Mom would most likely be able to come home on Sunday, and our Nana and Papa were coming in Sunday to visit too!

Saturday Mom was able to get up and move around, really slowly at first and by Sunday she was doing great and was officially able to go home.  It took awhile for her to officially get discharged, Nana and Papa got to see them in the hospital and spend some time with Mason.  And at 2 pm she was officially discharged and they all headed home so we could meet our little brother, and we loved in from the start.

Mason Avery Grier Bergeon

On June 18 at 10:48 am Mason Avery Grier Bergeon was welcomed into the world. Mason was born 7 pounds 4 ounces and 19 inches. Mom and baby are home now resting. We are taking good care of them and have uploaded a few pics from Mom's phone for now until we can make a proper blog post this week...so stay tuned, lots more pics and stories to come. We just met Mason but are already crazy about him.

If you want to receive Mason's photo of the day send us your email address.

Uploaded - 6\21\10

Uploaded - 6\18\10

My Arch Nemesis - by Hercules

We have been going on neighborhood walks since I was a little puppy.  And for the past two summers, I have developed an unlikely arch nemesis.  He stalks me on our walks, runs around just in front of me, teases me relentlessly, and is always one step ahead.  Who is this evil one I am referring to?  A little gray bird who has decided that he needs to spend his days teasing me relentlessly.

Last night and this morning he was really teasing me.  We are always walking along nicely when all of a sudden he flies over us and lands across the street, chirping up a storm and talking trash about me.  He will run along side us and stay just out of my reach.  He always seems to know which path we are going to take and flys/runs ahead of us.  It is almost like he knows that Mom and Dad won't let me just go and chase him, although I don't know what I would do if they did.  He did the same thing this morning, just chirping and running along side of me, calling me names and just being an all around pain in the butt.  I act like I am going to charge at him, I tug on my leash and bark back.  All the other birds run away, but not this guy.  He just keeps teasing and teasing.

Sometimes he even has a few goons (bird friends) that he sends to tease me.  He has never been able to fool me though, I know exactly what he looks like and who his goons are.  I bark at them a bit, but they are a lot easier to ignore than this guy.  I mean really, why kind of bird can convince other birds to follow and tease a dog?  You may think I am exaggerating, but this has been going on long enough for it to no longer be a coincidence, just ask Mom and Dad.  We have never seen a bird that smart and devious.  And I just wonder why he choose me to pick on, probably because he is sure to get a reaction out of me.

Week 2 Home with Mom and Dad

This week was another great one with Mom and Dad.  We found out that our baby brother is coming on Friday!  Mom and Dad are super excited because it is just before Dad starts his ILT class.  Tuesday and Wednesday Dad worked on finishing the tile in the guest bathroom.  We can't go in there yet, and the toilet is still in the bathtub, but it is all done and just has to dry. 

Wednesday Dad also was able to put rear pads and rotors on the T-bird, and he even got all four wheels on it.  We got to play outside with our Cool Dogz Ice Treat and Frisbee with Mom.  We ran around the yard like maniacs, the weather was so nice and we had a great time.  Then I got in trouble for trying to get into all of the neighbors garages and I had to go inside for a bit.  Hercules got to lick on the ice chunk for awhile, but then he had to go inside and it was my turn!  It is the best summer treat ever.  We got to go outside again today, and since it was so hot, we played in the hose (another one our our summer favorites).

Tomorrow Mom and Dad will go check into the hotel, and our babysitters will come up.  We will try to be good, and hopefully we will get lots of treats.  We were just glad that we had these two awesome weeks at home with Mom and Dad, and that we got so much stuff done around the house!

We are having the baby on Friday!

Yesterday Mom had another doctor's appointment and ultrasound.  The doctor wanted to check the baby's growth and also to see if mom had made any progress as far as dilating and effacement.  The ultrasound was pretty basic.  They got to see the baby's outline and little hands.  He is growing well, a bit on the small side, and has plenty of fluid around him.  The tech said that he weighs approximately 6 pounds and 8 ounces.  Then she tried to get a good picture of him, but once again he kept turning his head away.  Dad showed us the pic and we all came to the conclusion that this one is like one of those Magic Eye pictures, and we just don't see it. 

Luckily for us we don't have to wait long before we get to see our baby brother.  The doctor came in and did an exam.  He said mom is only dilated a little bit but she is very effaced.  They want to induce on Friday morning, so Mom and Dad have to be up and at the hospital at 7:30 am.  He also said that if the baby decides to come before then, it is great news.  So we get to go on walks every day up until Friday.  It will be a long day for us, but we are so excited about meeting our baby brother.  Our grandparents (Ms. Pattie and "G") are going to come up when the baby is born, and they are going to stay with us and keep us company, so we know we will have a good weekend, and then the new baby will be here!

Two Weeks of Vacation with Mom and Dad

These next few weeks are going to be great for us.  Mom is home for good now, and Dad has the next two weeks off before his class starts.  We have been going on lots of walks, getting little projects done around the house, and Dad has even been able to work on his car.  Mom and Dad have been doing stuff to make sure they are ready for the new baby all week.  First they had the interview with the pediatrician and the tour of the hospital maternity suites on Monday.

Dad has been spending a lot of time out in the garage doing some much needed work on the T-Bird, we are not sure what his obsession with that car is, we can't even go for car rides in it!  He has been working on the brakes, shocks, painting and was even able to put some of the wheels back on.  Check out these awesome silver rear suspension and breaks (before Dad put the wheel on).

Now he has the front wheels off and has been working on the front shocks, springs and brakes.  Oh and he finished painting the spoiler, and it is semi attached, but he lost a screw so we have to go out and try to find a replacement (it got lost in the trunk).  Between taking us for walks, working on the T-bird, baby stuff, and the Tigers having THREE! games on TV Dad has been really keeping busy on his vacation.  It has been a little rough listening to the White Sox announcers, but it seems to be better than watching it on his phone.

Wednesday Mom went to the doctor, yet again.  The baby is doing great, he is head down and really low.  We are hoping he makes his appearance early next week.  Mom is still healthy, her blood pressure is great, she has gained 24.5 pounds total.  She goes back next week for an ultrasound and appointment. The doctor thinks she could go into labor at any time, and we are all hoping that Baby B isn't stubborn and over stay his welcome in Mom's belly.  We are excited to get one more ultrasound pic of our little bro, so be sure to check back next week to see it!

After Mom's appointment they came back and we got to take a car ride of our own.  Hercules had to go to the vet, he has really bad allergies this season and has been scratching like it's nobody's business.  So we had to go and get him checked out and get some ointment for his eyes.  It was an awesome day to go because there were so many other dogs there for us to greet, even two baby puppies.  Hercules was being kind of a drama queen about going back into the room alone, it took Mom and the vet tech a good 5-10 minutes and a handful of treats to get him back there (he thought he was getting his nails trimmed again, which he hates).  I don't know why he has to be such a big baby about it, he always ends up getting a lot of attention, and this was no exception.  While he was getting checked out, I was in the waiting room with Dad greeting all the dogs, getting compliments and I even made a few friends.

Thursday was another day of Dad listening to the Tigers and just hanging around the house.  Then Mom and Dad went to get their car seats inspected, which was the last item on the baby check list.  Now we are officially just waiting for Baby B to arrive.

In the mean time, Dad started yet another home project this weekend.  He decided to start ripping up the linoleum in the 2nd bathroom and getting everything prepped for laying tile (next week's project).  It took him a whole day to get the linoleum and glue pulled up.  We kept getting into trouble for trying to walk on the glue, and it made our feet sticky.  Oh and Dad even had to pull the toilet out (it is currently sitting in the shower) so naturally we are curious as to what is going on in there.  Today he put the cement board down and tomorrow the tiling begins.

All in all it has been a great week, and the two + walks daily has really left us calm sweet boys.

The Nursery is Finished

This week while Dad has been working on the T-Bird, we have been helping Mom put the finishing touches on the nursery, and it is finally finished!  We hung the shelf, animals and decals last week with Ms. Pattie.  This week we helped Mom hang the ABC's, fix up our bed, finish putting everything away and taking pictures.  We even put batteries in the baby swing.  Mom and Dad wanted us to get used to the swing before they put the baby in it (notice the stuffed animals to simulate our little bro), but we could really care less as long as we can lay on our bed and look out the window.

As you can see, Bumper has spared no time before getting comfortable in bed.  
For more pics, check out or Baby Site: Nursery Pics.