Mason Shoma

Nothing within my reach is safe from my grasp! That includes you, sea otter!

Hi, guys! Thanks for checking in with me! I’m just taking a break and taking a selfie with Mommy. Don’t forget to like, follow, and subscribe! Have a good one!

They say that it is a baby’s job to sleep. I try to do my job well, and sleep a good part of the day. I’ve been sleeping fairly well at night, waking up every three hours for feeding and in between for burping and diaper changes. But there are hardly any crying fits in the middle of the night and I’m doing pretty good at going back to sleep. Even with a full night’s sleep I still nap very well!

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And what is a good sleep without good dreams. And my dreams are filled with nursing!

I had a really nice chat with Mommy this morning. I think I’m really getting the hang of this “talking” thing. Mommy seems to understand everything I’m saying and that makes me really happy! But I’m a baby so my moods can change very quickly. So a laugh can become a cry in the middle of the laugh. They both sound very similar, often times the only noticeable difference is my expression.

I’m getting to be even more active on my play mat. My fingers are actually trying to grasp things and I am kind of aiming my fists at feet at the toys hanging from my play mat. I’ve knocked a few of them off from time to time. I’ve also got a grip on them nearly pulled them off.

I’m also getting to be a bit too mobile. With all my leg kicking I sometimes kick myself right off my mat. Mommy and Daddy turn away for a second and then next thing they know, my head is on the hardwood floor. It doesn’t hurt or anything, so I don’t cry out, but suddenly I can’t see my mirror and a lot of my hanging toys are out of reach. Thankfully, Mommy and Daddy quickly realign me on my mat.

For me, this is a comfy way to sleep. I don’t know why, but it works. It could be that the summers in Japan are very hot and humid, so I just have to stretch out to cool down with the AC on. Or maybe it’s the feeling of freedom of the position. Whatever the reason, it works.

I’m getting so big that even Daddy is having a hard time carrying me for long periods of time. I was a bit fussy at night and needed to be carried a bit. Daddy put me in the sling so that he could enjoy dinner with Mommy after a long day’s work. Sure, he had to eat while standing up at times, but at least they could eat together instead of in shifts. The sling worked quite well and I fell asleep. One of the advantages with the sling is that it is easy to put on and remove without disturbing the baby. So Daddy was able to place me on my mat and slip the sling off without any unbuckling or unlatching. Simple.

Yes, I understand that Daddy has to got to work. But that doesn’t mean that I have to like it. And obviously that doesn’t me that I have to go easy on him when he gets home. The poor guy. I’m pretty sure that this is the the face he was looking forward to coming home to all day. Despite my stink eye, he was still very happy to see me and hold me. I was too.

Now that I got the hang of it, tummy time is getting easier and easier every day. It is just natural for me to hold my head up high the instant I’m put on my tummy. I still have to work out a few kinks, but I think I’m doing pretty well. Sometimes it looks like I’m holding myself up on only one arm. I’m going to have to work on the balance.

Daddy was at work, so Mommy sent him the pictures from the previous post of me sleeping the morning away. He commented that in one of the pictures I look like Domo, a mascot of a Japanese TV channel.

It was a far stretch until Daddy drew a sketch of the parts that he saw in his mind that weren’t there. Then Mommy saw it. This is a revised version of that sketch. Do you see any resemblance?

I don’t know why, but I was very sleepy this morning. I thought I had a fairly good night’s sleep, but I guess it wasn’t enough for my growing body. Every time I nursed this morning, I ended up in a deep sleep. I fell asleep right on my nursing pillow which pretty much rendered Mommy immobile for the a.m..

I had my first roll over today! Yay for me! Granted, it was from tummy to back, but it was still a big milestone for me. It was my first unassisted roll over ever! Mark it on your calendar folks: August 1st, 2021 (82 days old) Mason’s first roll over.

So I was just grooving with my music during tummy time with my doggy back dancer, and then the music just took me, right over to my side and then my back. I really got the roll of rock and roll!

I was feeling pretty good about my accomplishment so I went back for seconds. I didn’t quite get it because my heavy right foot held me back, but now I understand the concept, so watch out world! Mason Shoma is now mobile!

Did you think that was it? Did you think that I would stop with a half turn over? Well, let me tell you, Mason Shoma is persistent. I wasn’t satisfied with a “half roll over”. I had a taste of the full roll over and I wanted it again. So I just went for it!

Since I am getting so much better at tummy time, I can do it for longer and more often during the day. But I have this odd habit to lean more to one side during tummy tide. It adds a bit of attitude to my posture and it looks pretty cool. It kind of goes with my musical grooving.

Um, yeah, as the title says.

With Daddy at work, Mommy was very busy taking care of me and interacting with me. But smiles like these made the lack of sleep, sore back and wrist, and overall energy drain worth it.

This morning I had some Mommy chair time, where she sang to me. When Mommy sings to me I realize that there are a lot more notes in existence than Daddy’s low and limited singing range. I really enjoyed our time together! And it was in Japanese, which I’m going to have to learn along side English. So busy, but so much fun!

I’m still loving my play mat and am active on it every day. Recently, I’m interacting with the toys that are hanging from it more and more. I accidentally bat and grab them while flailing my arms around. Today, Mommy added a new furry friend to my play mat and put it just within my reach. It actually looks like I’m trying to grab and hug it. Nothing within my reach is safe from my sticky grabby hands!

I had to say goodbye to Daddy this morning. After nearly two months working from home, he had to go off to work today. I don’t know what today is going to be like. I have gotten used to having Daddy at home with Mommy and me. I barely remember what it was like my first month when he had work. I understand that going to work to provide for the family is just something that grownups have to do, but I don’t have to like it. It is good to know that he’ll be back at the end of the day. But his current shifts are 12-hours, from 7:30 to 7:30, so I’ll barely see him. I’ll be thinking about him though and I’m pretty sure that he’ll be thinking about me all day too!

Have a good day at work, Daddy! I’ll miss you!

I’m getting to know my furry friends more and more everyday. We play together and even share our things. You may recognize the black onesie that I outgrew. We spend a lot of time together on my play mat. They are furry, friendly, and very protective of me. It’s nice to have furry friends.

I am a very expressive baby. I have all kinds of looks and expressions. Most of my expressions are happy and cute, a few are sad and fussy, and in some rare cases I have very intense stares. Here is a picture of an unwarranted accusing stare. And Daddy copying me.

I am a very busy baby. It seems that I am always moving. I mean, ALWAYS moving. When I FaceTime with Grandma and Grandpa they often comment that I am always moving. If I’m on my back my hands are up and about flailing around and my legs are kicking out.