Kindergarten Gets Two Thumbs Up!!!

Jackson had his first day of kindergarten today and he loved it! When I dropped him off this morning he looked so handsome! Both Jeremy and I took him to his classroom, got him settled in, gave him hugs and kisses, and said goodbye. He looked a little apprehensive as we were leaving, and I made it all the way outside his classroom before the tears started falling. I only cried for a minute though! I was pretty proud of both of us for doing so good!

When I got Jackson at the daycare this afternoon he practically tackled me with a hug. 

Me: “Did you have a good day at kindergarten?”

Jackson: “No, I had a GREAT day!”

There were only six kids in his room today because of their staggered start dates, and they got to do a scavenger hunt around the school to help them explore everything. Jackson especially loved playing on the playground, eating pizza in the cafeteria and he said that Mrs. Smith was really nice.

I’m so glad that Jackson had a wonderful day. I’ve never had a day pass more slowly than today, with me watching the clock waiting until time to go get him. He’s super excited about going back on Thursday, and I guess I can’t ask for any more than that!

Enjoy the pics from his first day of kindergarten!

Jackson telling Anderson all about what he’s going to do in kindergarten!

Modeling his Batman backpack

Silly face!

My big boy!

Sitting at his desk

Sweet smile before I left

Jackson with Mrs. Smith

Jackson told me that he wants to pray for Mrs. Smith, for her to stay safe, that she helps him learn a lot this year, that they have lots of fun, and that she stays just as nice as she was today.

I’m pretty sure I’ll be praying for the same things!!!

A Big Day For My Big Boy!!!

Today is Jackson's first day of kindergarten. I've got such mixed emotions right now about everything. I'm so excited for him, because, well, he's so excited! And I'm so sad for me because it means that my sweet little guy is growing up. I know he's going to do great, I just hope I can make it through the drop off process without letting him see me cry! Here are some pictures from his Kindergarten Open House that was last Tuesday night. I’ll post pictures from today when I get home from work.

Jackson doing a coloring page

Fun wall decorations!

Media/Technology center. They don’t even have chalk boards anymore…just fancy projector systems!

Barn in the room where they can listen to books on tape

Jackson and his friend John Michael with Mrs. Smith. He looked more thrilled than this in person!

I’ll post new pictures soon! Please pray that he has a great day, and pray that I don’t lose it (at least not in front of him). It’s hard watching him grow up so fast, but I’m so proud of the boy he’s growing into!

Dear Jackson

Dear Jackson,

I can't believe that today is your 5th birthday. It seems as though just yesterday we were bringing you home from the hospital, and here you are today turning 5! When you were just a baby someone told me that I would blink and you would be starting kindergarten. I laughed it off, having no idea just how true that statement was. Now the time for kindergarten has come, and I'm not quite sure where the time has gone. I joke with you all the time about how I didn't give you permission to grow up, and that I'm going to put a brick on your head. You laugh at me, but I'm only partly joking! I wish that I could just freeze time and enjoy every second possible with you.

At five years old you are such a smart kiddo! You are so ready for kindergarten, even though you are going to be one of the youngest kids in your class. You can sight read some words, count to 10 in Spanish, tie your shoes, and even do some basic math. I know that as hard as it is going to be to take you to kindergarten on Tuesday, you are going to do great! I hope you don't see me cry when it's time for me to go! They won't be tears of sadness for you, but for me. It's hard for me to even think about you growing up and me letting go of you a little more. At any rate, you will do wonderful, and I know that you will love Mrs. Smith!

Jackson you are such a kind, generous, and funny little guy! You've really come out of your shell in the last year and your personality has just blossomed. You still look just like your Daddy, but you act just like your Mama! You pick up so many of my sayings and surprise me with using them at just the perfect time! You have been such a good big brother to Anderson, and it makes me so happy to see you loving on him, especially when he smiles back at you! You two boys make me so happy! Every single day you make me proud to be your Mama!

During your birthday party, in the middle of opening presents, you leaned over to me and whispered a "secret" into my ear. You said, "Mama, I love you!" Time stopped for me in that second and I grabbed you and gave you a big hug and I told you that I loved you too. Until you have kids of your own you won't understand just how much I love you. I wear a necklace that is inscribed with your and Anderson's names, and it reads, "Love you to the moon and back." I wear my necklace all the time, and as much as I love it, the inscription is only party true because I love you to the moon and back a million times!

Happy 5th Birthday, Jackson! I love you!!!

Love,
Mommy

Big Week in Wade's World

This has been a crazy, busy week around here, hence the lack of blogging. Tuesday night was Jackson's kindergarten orientation where we met his new teacher. She was super nice and Jackson really liked her. His room is decorated like a barnyard and there are 16 kids in the class. I'll post pictures of his classroom soon.

Wednesday night was church with mission friends and GA's, so that busy but good.

Tonight Jackson has karate and this is his last practice before he tests for his belt next week. The craziest thing going on right now is getting ready for this weekend. We have Jackson's 5th birthday party Saturday afternoon, but his birthday is actually Sunday. Also on Sunday is Anderson's baby dedication at church. I've been going crazy trying to take care of all the last minute party details and I just know that something important is going to get forgotten.

As if all that wasn't enough, Jackson starts kindergarten on Tuesday. I haven't even begun preparing for that emotionally yet. I just need to make it through this weekend in one piece.

I guess that's about it for now. Oh, I forgot to tell ya'll that I won a Kindle 3G with wifi by entering a blog giveaway! I've been wanting a Kindle since they came out and this one is going to be super nice. I'm so excited!

Ok that's really it for now. Have a great day!

What All Women (And Apparently Their Hubbies) Wish For

It's been one year to the day since I wrote about my quest for the perfect bra. And no, I didn't mark that date down to remember it. I just searched on my blog till I found the post and I noticed that it was a year ago exactly.

Anyways...

I'm still searching for the perfect bra. The girls aren't quite the same as they were before Anderson made his grand appearance. The word "deflated" comes to mind. I thought the problem was, perhaps, just in my mind, but this morning Jeremy confirmed my suspicions that the problem was right out there in the open.

Jeremy: "What's your shirt size?"
Me: "Why?"
Jeremy: "Because I found the perfect bra for you on TV! All I need is your shirt size to know what size bra to order for you."
Me: "Please tell me that you're not talking about that bra informercial."
Jeremy: "You've seen it? The Genie Bra? Pretty cool, huh?"
Me: "You're serious?"
Jeremy: "Yeah, I've seen the commericial several times when I'm feeding Anderson his 3:00 a.m. bottle. It's supposed to be some super material that lifts everything to where it's supposed to be."
Me: "So you think the girls need lifting?"
Jeremy: (insert crickets chirping) ".....That's not what I meant."
Me: "Riighhtttt...."

I'll let you know when he's out of the dog house.

I Feel As Though I Should Warn His Teacher...

I took Jackson back to school shopping Saturday morning at Kohl's. We were attempting the trip on our own with Anderson and I was trying to hurry through the store. I was busy checking out the clearance racks when Jackson popped up with a comment that owned me.

Jackson walked over to me holding a navy blue, size 4 three piece suit that was just his size. He said, "Mama, you have GOT to look at this." I glanced over at it and said that I liked it. He then said, "If I wore this to kindgergarten, I'd have to beat the girls off of me with a stick!"

After I caught my breath from laughing I realized that he was completely right...I'm definitely going to have to warn Mrs. S about Jackson. He's just too cute for his own good. He's definitely a danger to those little girls!

Weekly Confessions

• I’ve been so tired this week that I’ve slept through Anderson waking up at night. Granted, he doesn’t really cry when he wakes up, but he does start grunting louder and louder until someone hears him. This week, it’s been Jeremy.


• I’m going to have Anderson by myself tomorrow night. This should prove interesting!


• We went to the McWane Center in Birmingham last weekend and as we were waiting to catch the elevator to leave, I noticed a cute little boy standing beside his dad. I got a good look at him, tapped his dad on the shoulder and said, “Is his name Jake?” It was the youngest son of Katherine from Grass Stains! I adore her blog and it was like meeting a mini celebrity for me! Katherine was at the lake with her two oldest sons, so I didn’t get the chance to meet her, but maybe one day we will! And FYI, her son Jake is so stinking cute that it’s not even funny!


• A lady at the McWane Center told me (about Anderson), “Your baby is so cute he makes my uterus hurt.” I took it as a compliment, but what a weirdo!


• I’ve never watched a single episode of Glee, but I love the Glee Project.


• I’ve finally got all the thank you notes done and the birthday invitations mailed. Next up is the birth announcements. They are sitting in my kitchen waiting to be addressed. My goal is to have them done sometime before Anderson is 6 months old!


• We finally heard from Jackson’s new kindergarten teacher and we got our first choice! We’ll just call her Mrs. S here on ye olde blog. She was so nice on the phone and I think she will be the perfect teacher for Jackson. I found out that his class will have about 15 kids in it, and 9 of them have birthdays around Jackson’s which means that he won’t be the only young kid in the class. I’m so happy about that! And I’m super excited that one of Jackson’s best friends from preschool will be in his class so at least he will have one buddy in there to start with. I just hope they behave!


• This is just about the funniest thing I have seen in awhile. Gotta love the combination of desperation and stupidity!


• A thought occured to me the other day; When I was pregnant with Jackson I gained 20 pounds and lost 40. When I was pregnant with Anderson I gained 11 pounds and lost 25. If we had another baby, I could be back to my high school and drivers license weight. Just a thought...

I guess that’s enough random for today. Y’all have a great weekend!

I'm Sorry To Neglect You, But Not So Sorry That I Actually Blog About Something Worthwhile...

Three days back in the the swing of things with work has kicked my butt. I'm worn slap out. Without exaggerating, I think I'm the most tired I've ever been in my entire life. I have two more days of work this week, and then Friday night Jeremy will be out of town overnight again.

Kill.Me.Now.

I make no promises about blogging for the rest of the week. You may see me. You might not. I'm just too tired to think about it right now. Y'all take care...

Biscuit Goes To The Biscuits

Back in June Jeremy, Jackson and I went to a Montgomery Biscuits game a few hours before I was induced with Anderson. For that reason, my Dad has taken to calling Anderson, “Biscuit.” This past Friday night our little “Biscuit” went to his first official Biscuits game. We were given tickets to another suite with Kellyn, Jason, Luke, and Jason’s family. The staff at the game even remembered that we were the couple that left the game to check into the hospital! We had a great time, and Anderson was such a good little man. Enjoy the pics!

Our last outing as a family of 3!

Love the suite!

Biscuit wearing his little Slugger outfit!

Anderson’s “First Game” Sticker

Our little Slugger was worn out from the excitement!

Back To Work

Today is my first day back at work, and Anderson’s first day at daycare. I have had a wonderful maternity leave with the little guy, and it’s hard to believe that it’s already time to go back to work.

Please be in prayer for us today that things go smoothly, and that I don’t have a breakdown when I have to leave him. I’ll be back later with an update on how things go.

Update: Things went good today. I cried when I dropped him off and left, but of course he did fine. He stayed on his schedule perfectly, and was really good for his teachers. It's now 10:00 at night and I'm worn out though. It's going to take a little while to adjust to working both inside and outside the home again. Please continue to be in prayer for us as we figure out our new normal!

My Little Karate Kid

Jackson started karate at the YMCA a few weeks ago and he is loving it. He has class every Tuesday night for 30 minutes, and he is doing great. So far he has learned some self defense moves included blocks and some kicks, practiced his karate form, and learned how to get away from a stranger in a dangerous situation.

I’ve been very pleasantly surprised at how just a few weeks of class has really built up Jackson’s confidence. He has really found his voice, literally, when he is practicing which is a nice change from the time not too long ago when Jackson wouldn’t talk to anyone in public.

Right now Jackson is a white belt and he has earned 3 stripes for demonstrating his new moves. In a few weeks he will test for his next belt.

Here are some pictures of my cute karate kid. I know I’m biased, but I think he’s just about the cutest thing ever in that uniform!

Have a great day!

I Avoided The Mouse Trap for 1,809 Days

Despite my efforts otherwise, Jackson has discovered  that Chuck E. Cheese’s exists, and that there is one practically in our backyard. I have the DisneyXD channel to thank for bringing the animatronic mouse to life for my little boy.  For almost 5 years I have intentionally left him in the dark about this little kid treasure trove. There are several reasons for this:

1. The location near us is not in the best neighborhood. It’s downright in the ghetto, and there is no way that I would EVER venture there at night or by myself.

2. It’s expensive. I’m about to drop $30 on pizza and oriental trading plastic toys won playing cheesy arcade games. I’m betting that not a single prize will survive the car ride home.

3. It’s germy. Thank goodness for Germ-X especially where kids, food and play sets are included.

Despite my reservations, I’m spending one of my final days of maternity leave taking Jackson to Chuck E. Cheezits (that’s what he keeps calling it) because I’m head over heels for that kiddo of mine. I think my sacrifice deserves some kind of trophy or medal or something. Jackson even roped my Mom into going with us, so at least I don’t have to suffer alone!

I’m sure Jackson will have the time of his life, and that alone makes surviving the mouse trap worth it. Almost.

Adventures In Brotherhood Have Begun

Jeremy and I were getting ready for church this past Sunday morning and we left Anderson sitting in his bouncer seat in the living room with Jackson. Jackson was watching TV, so we put him “in charge” of watching A while Jeremy and I were brushing our teeth. We hadn’t been gone from the room for more than 2 minutes when I walked back in to discover that Jackson had gotten bored with watching TV and decided to play with A instead. This is what I found….

That would be A with a lizard on his head.

And the guilty party was grinning like a Cheshire cat behind him!

These boys are gonna have so much fun together, I just better hang on for the ride of my life!!!

An Agenda Of Sorts

One week from today I start work again. I've had a great time on maternity leave, and although it's going to be hard to leave the little guy I know he's going to be in good hands. There are a few things that I have on my agenda to do before I go back to work.

• Finish my thank you notes. I only have about 10 more to do, but it seems as though as soon as I get the stuff out to do the notes, A needs me. It's like he has thank you note radar. You might be asking yourself, "Why doesn't she just finish the notes instead of blogging?" That would be a very good question to which I don't have a logical answer. My only excuse is that I'm a master at procrastination.



• Get Anderson's 6 week footprint done, despite the fact that he's now almost 7 weeks. Ssshhh..this will be our little secret.



• Get control on the ever mounting laundry situation. It doesn't matter how much I wash/dry and fold clothes; there are ALWAYS clean clothes in our laundry basket that don't seem to get put away.



• Take lots of naps. 'Nuff said.



• Get Jackson's birthday party stuff squared away. We're having a pool party for him over at my Mom and Dad's house on August 13th. I bought the invitations last night, but I need to fill them out and address them. I figure I need to finish the thank you notes first before I start working on something else!



• Get Jackson's kindergarten stuff squared away. We're missing just a couple of school supplies and he will be ready to go. He picked out a Batman backpack and Superman lunch box this weekend. My boy is growing up way too fast!



• Watch Jackson at his karate class tomorrow night. I'll post pics soon. He is so stinking cute in his uniform!



• Find a new dress for Anderson's baby dedication. We are having his dedication on August 14th which is Jackson's 5th birthday and I have nothing to wear. We figured it would make things easy on family that will be coming in for the party to go ahead and do both at the same time.



• Attend a paint class this Thursday night at my friend Kasey's art studio.



• Try to see Harry Potter one more time.



• And most importantly, spend lots and lots of time with my two boys. I'm keeping Jackson out of school most, if not all, of this week. I'm hoping Jeremy can take off on Friday and we can enjoy one last family day together before I go back to work and Jackson starts school in a few weeks. These days are precious, and I'm going to soak it up as much as I can!

I'll catch up with y'all later!

We Survived. Barely.

Jeremy got home last night and I promptly thanked the good Lord above, handed Anderson over to him, and I went to bed! I have never been that tired in my entire life. It wasn’t that the week was bad, because it wasn’t. It was more of the fact that my right hand man was gone, and I was having to do both of our jobs by myself day and night, coupled with the fact that all 3 of us came down with a bad cold while Jeremy was gone.

I wasn’t completely on my own while he was gone. We had dinner over at my parents house on Monday and I took the kids to a museum with a friend on Tuesday, so we did get out some. Mom’s dinner was amazing (fresh cooked veggies), and the kids had a blast at the museum, so both of those were a lot of fun. Jackson had karate class on Tuesday night and then Mom and Dad watched the boys while I went to girls night out with friends from church for a couple of hours.

By late Tuesday night we had all come down with a pretty good summer cold that had us all sniffling, sneezing and congested. Jackson got some cold medication that helped him, but because I was home alone I didn’t feel comfortable taking anything that would make me pass out. I took 1 cold pill, and it didn’t do much. All I can use with Anderson is saline solution, a bulb aspirator and a cool mist humidifier, none of which did much to help him during the middle of the night. I think on Tuesday I might have gotten 4ish hours of sleep just because I was listening to every little sound he was making. I would get up and check on him and he would be sound asleep, just making awful noise. 

Wednesday was, simply put, the longest.day.ever. Jackson stayed home with me and drove me bonkers. It was raining all morning and all he wanted to do was go outside and play baseball or have me play karate or football with him in the living room, never mind the fact that we all  have colds, I had 4ish hours of sleep, and I’m watching 2 kids. I love that child more than life itself, but he drove me nuts yesterday morning.

Then yesterday afternoon Mom watched Jackson while I took Anderson to his first sick baby visit to the doctor. My nephew Luke was diagnosed with strep yesterday and he had been around A and J on Monday night. His exposure, plus his bad cold, made me want to get the little guy checked out. It turned out that he was fine, just a summer cold, and he’s up to 11 pounds, 5 ounces.

Jeremy got a late start home from his meeting in GA, and they ended up not leaving until 5:00 our time. I took both boys to church, taught GA’s, and then went home where I camped out on the couch until Jeremy got home at 9. I let him get settled in for about 10 minutes and then I handed the boys off to him, took some cold medication and went to bed. It was hands down the best sleep I’ve had in weeks! 

I’m still exhausted, but I think overall I did pretty good. The clothes got washed, the bottles clean, the house is still standing, and both kids are still kicking, even if I’m not! At least I have a couple of weeks before I have to face this when Jeremy goes on a church conference this time! After that, I’ll probably check into a hotel and sleep for 2 straight days!

Solo Parenting

I'm on my own for the next few days because Jeremy has to go out of town for work. Fun times, I tell ya! Needless to say I'm very apprehensive about this because, hello, this means that I get all day and all night on.my.own. Jeremy got Jackson to school today, but I'm already calling defeat on even attempting it by myself tomorrow and I decided to just keep Jackson home. We're going to go to a local museum that has a kids area with some friends to let the kids play. I can face that thought much easier than trying to get myself out the door with Jackson and Anderson alone before 8:00 in the morning.

I know that my parents are going to help out while Jeremy is gone, but it's still nerve racking. That being said, I'm going to be hit or miss in the blogging department for the next few days.

I'll catch up with y'all soon. Wish me luck!

Harry Potter…The End Of The Story

Jeremy and I are going to see Harry Potter tonight, and I’m sitting here with mixed feelings. I’m so excited about seeing the last movie, but I’m so sad that the series is about to be over. I’ve been  HP fan since 2001, and a big part of me just can’t believe that this is the end of the road for Harry and Hogwarts. I own all the books and have read them all repeatedly, and we own all the movies. 10 years is a long time to have followed something, and I know that I’m going to cry tonight when we are sitting in the theater, even if it embarrasses Jeremy!

In case you are wondering, I also cried when the Cosby Show, Friends, and ER ended. Apparently I attach to fictional storylines very easily!

So I’ll let you know what I think about the movie after we see it. Stay tuned!

My Guilty Pleasures Of Maternity Leave

• Taking naps...I may not be sleeping in much these days, but occasionally dozing off with the little guy is wonderful. We have a system; I prop Anderson up on Jeremy's pillow (where he can't move around) and then I snuggle up to him and we both fall asleep. It's simply heaven, especially when it is storming outside.


• Daytime television...And no, I'm not talking about "soaps" as my Nanny would say. I'm just hooked on lots of shows right now. First thing in the morning I watch I Love Lucy reruns on Hallmark, then I switch to Golden Girls, and then sometime mid-morning I start watching some of the baby shows on TLC intermixed with episodes of Millionaire Matchmaker. If I'm feeling particulary wild and crazy I might throw in some Today show, The Price Is Right or Keeping Up With The Kardashians.


• Oreos and Ice Cream...I love the reduced fat oreos and any of the sorbets from Bruster's. I've lost my baby weight, and then some, so I do like to have them for occasional treats. They are so delicious and are worth every single calorie!


• Internet when I get the chance...The little guy gets most of my attention during the day, but it's nice to get online every few hours and see what the rest of the world is up to outside the walls of my house.


• Unlimited air conditioning...Our heat index is going to be 110 today. I'm thrilled that I don't have to get out until it is time to pick Jackson up from school. Our air conditioning is getting worked overtime with me being here all day, but it feels like Heaven inside, and it's totally worth it. Remind me of that when we have to pay our power bill in a few days.


• Spending time with my two favorite little guys...I'm with Anderson just about all day, every day, but I'm also spending several days a week with Jackson. With him starting school in a few weeks, and me going back to work in less than 3 weeks, I'm just savoring my time with my boys. Without a doubt, they are the best part of being home on maternity leave!

I'm Tired Just Listening To Him

Jeremy and I have noticed that lately Jackson has been talking nonstop. It's like his mind doesn't shut down. Ever. And the best part? He won't let our minds shut down either! He pretty much speaks in one long run on sentence that just never ends. For example, this is Jackson's dream from last night, in his words. He is sitting here beside me as I'm typing, so honest to goodness, this is what life is like around here right now.

"I had a dream that me and my friends went skating and there was this big dinosaur slide that you slide on the water and then you go on some ice and then snow and then uhhhh you go on some tables and then uhhhhh we went to play on dinosaur city and there were real dinosaurs with two slides on each side, one on the right and one on the left, and then we we went zooooommmmmm down the slide and then I went on ummmmm the other slide and went zoooommmmmm down it and then we went to go outside and we went snow tubing and then we left and we only got to do it 20 times and then we went to leave and we went on another field trip and then guess what...we went to 20 places and we didn't even take a nap! But then we took a nap in the school van because it took a long time for Mrs. Angie to drive us to Disney World and then we spent the night at the mountains in Tennessee and then we went to 100,000 places and then we went to the movie theater and saw Harry Potter and then we went back to daycare."

See what I mean? I'm exhausted just listening to him! Maybe he should handle the 2:00 bottle for Anderson since he's obviously got more energy than Jeremy and I do!

Jacksonisms

It's been awhile since I've shared some of the hilarious things that Jackson has said lately. So here goes...

After seeing a baby at Walmart: "You see that baby over there? That kid has the hugest arms I've ever seen. We're talking fat!"

After taking several family pictures for our church directory: "I've got a secret to tell you Daddy! If we take any more family pictures, I'M NOT!"

After listening to me sing Kung Fu Fighting to him one too many times: "So why was everybody kung fu fighting?"

After getting stung by a bee/wasp/fly thing on Saturday when he was playing outside: "I need you to go to facebook and tell everyone that I got stung by a bee or a wasp or a fly."

After figuring out Anderson doesn't know how to do much these days: "So pretty much all Anderson does is eat, sleep and poop?"

After seeing Anderson peeing in the bathtub: "When Daddy comes in here you should point Anderson at him!"

After realizing that I'm not nursing anymore, he pointed to my chest and said, "If you're not nursing anymore, why are those things still so fat?"

How I love that kiddo of mine!

One Month Ago Today...

One month ago today we welcomed sweet Anderson into our family.

One month ago today I became a mother of boys.

One month ago today I learned first hand that you really do love your second child as much as your first.

One month ago today a little boy stole my heart just like his big brother did.

One month ago today I realized that motherhood is easier with the second child.

One month ago today my life was made a little sweeter, and I can't wait to see what the future holds!

Everybody Was Kung Fu Crying

Jackson has decided that he's interested in taking karate lessons. We found out that the YMCA offers lessons, and better yet, they even let you try a few classes out before you sign up and invest money into the uniform. So I arranged for Jackson to try karate out last night. We talked before hand about him not being shy and just having a good time. The class we are thinking about enrolling him in is the Tiny Tiger class for 3, 4 and 5 year olds. When we got there he was the only kid probably because of the 4th of July holiday.

So Jackson went up to the teacher and she started showing him all the "stuff" that he would need to know before getting into the actual karate kicks, like bowing when you enter the arena, and shaking hands with your opponent. She waited for a few minutes and when it appeared that no other kids were going to show up she started the exercises with him. He did push ups, jumping jacks and sit ups and then she had him do a running exercise from one wall of the room to the other wall of the room. She warned him to keep his hands out when he got near the wall because for some reason, some kids like to stop with their heads instead of with their feet.

So Jackson takes off running, and listening to her advice, he runs full force with his arms stretched out across the entire room. He got to the wall, and just like she said, he kept his arms out. Except Jackson wasn't accounting for the rebound he would have off the wall, and just after his hands touched the wall, the force of centrifugal motion got him and his head slammed against the concrete cinder block wall. It was like it was happening in slow motion and even though I knew what was about to happen even before it occurred, there was nothing I could do.

We watched him hit the wall and in typical kid fashion there was the 3 second delay before the tears started. We made it to him in seconds and already there was a quarter sized goose egg starting to come up. The teacher got him an ice pack and about that time a couple more kids showed up for class. Now I was afraid that Jackson would be embarrassed for crying in front of them, and that there would be no way that he would finish the class, but after a couple of minutes he was ready to go back out and give it another shot.

Of course, I might have helped his desire to go back out on the floor by promising a trip to Walmart for a new toy, but hey, a Mama's got to do whatever it takes, right? Right?

So anyways, Jackson is trying another class on Thursday. I'll report back on his progress!

Just A Few Things On My Plate

Anderson is 4 weeks old today, and the little guy is still doing great. He was a trooper yesterday during the 4th of July parade we went too, and even more of a trooper when he was stuck on land with his KK and Uncle Jason when the rest of us were paddling our way back in to shore after the boat we were in ran out of gas during a venture out. I'll tell you all about that story when I get the pictures. It's priceless!

The biggest thing on my plate right now, besides taking care of a 4 week old, is that I just realized that Jackson's birthday is a mere 5ish weeks away. Normally I'm just about done planning his party by now, but I've been slightly distracted for the past few months. I can't imagine why...

So now I'm busy researching themes and I've already ruled out Spider man and Batman. I just can't handle the thought of sending kids home after they have eaten cake covered in red, blue or black icing and all the clothing that could potentially be ruined by the butter cream deliciousness.

So Jackson and I settled on a theme that we both agree on, and we're going to attempt a pool party since it will be in the middle of August. It should be fun and I think Jackson will really enjoy himself.

I guess that's all for today. I must return to the little kiddo now. He's calling my name!

Anderson's Magic Tricks

I got word a little while ago that Jackson is on his way back from Mississippi. It's been so weird not having him here, but I know he's had such a good time at Papa and Gigi's. I haven't quite known what to do without having him around, but it was interesting only having to take care of one child again! I just know that I miss my big boy and can't wait to see him again!

In other news, it seems like Anderson is rotating his arsenal of magic tricks around. On Wednesday he managed to assist me with dumping (pun totally intended) poop in my car, then yesterday he peed on three outfits, his changing table, the wall, me and himself in the course of just a few diaper changes, and then today he completely hosed me down with spitup. It was quite impressive if I do say so myself. He had some sort of hiccup/cough/sneeze/burp just after he finished drinking his bottle, and then he erupted like Old Faithful. I had to call Jeremy in for backup because I was just covered in spitup. There's nothing quite like handling the 5:00 bottle and then being covered in spitup to completely wake you up!

So now it's my turn to pull a Houdini and disappear during the next diaper change. Jeremy owes me big time!

The Post About Poop In My Car

Just yesterday I was telling y'all about how it feels like I don't have anything funny to share because, well, I'm not really getting out a lot. Last night, however, Jeremy and I ventured out with Anderson to go get dinner before church. Little did I know that our little venture out would in fact give me something new to share with y'all.

Jeremy and I went to our favorite Japanese steakhouse. We got there early, giving us plenty of time to get to church. In fact, we got there so early that we were seated at the hibachi table all by ourselves. This worked out nicely because about 5 minutes into our dinner, just about the time that the soup and salad came out, Anderson decided that he would start fixing his constipation issues that we had been dealing with for most of the day. After a few minutes it was clear that Anderson was finished with his business and I got up with him to take him to the bathroom to go clean him up. As I was walking towards the bathroom the sweet little Asian waitress told me that there was no changing table in the bathroom.

Can I just interrupt this story for a minute to say how much this drives me crazy! What is the point of having a huge bathroom with 5 stalls if you can't bother to put one of those folding changing tables in the bathroom? Come on folks...get with it!

Now returning to my story...I decided that the easiest thing to do in this situation would be for me to take Anderson back to my car and change his diaper on the front seat. Keep in mind that it is in the high 90's outside, and I'm taking a sqirmy, poopy kid to change his diaper. I get Anderson all settled on the passenger side front seat, and armed with a fresh diaper and wipes I get to work. Y'all, Anderson had done quite a good job filling this diaper up and it took about 8 wipes to clean his hiney. I was just about done and about to remove the dirty diaper when Anderson started wiggling around. He moved just enough for me to lose my concentration as I was pulling out the dirty diaper and I fumbled the diaper and a big plop of yellow poop fell squarely down onto my floorboard. So now I'm dealing with a sqirmy baby, a dirty diaper, trying to put a clean diaper on him, and poop on the floorboard.

It took about 5 more minutes to get the situation under control and I deposited the evidence in the trashcan outside the restaurant where I'm sure it was nice and ripe in no time with the heat outside. The two of us headed back into the restaurant where I promptly passed Anderson off to Jeremy and informed him that he owed me and my floorboards big time!

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday

Here are some random pictures from the last few days that have made it onto my facebook page, but not the blog. Enjoy!

Macy with Anderson. She loves him!

We can’t keep Jackson out of Anderson’s portable swing!

Jackson is such a good big brother!

Sporting the mohawk!

My big boy!

Sleepy sweetness!

I Consider Myself Reprimanded

I got fussed at yesterday by three people in the span of less than an hour about my slacking in the blogging department . I believe it was my sister who said to me at Girls Night Out last night, "Amy, you always blog Monday through Friday, and now you maybe blog twice a week That's just not you."

I guess bringing a human into the world doesn't count as a reason to temporarily ignore my blogging responsibilities.

So here's the deal: I don't have much to blog about, especially with Jackson gone this week. Life is kinda slow right now, and my routine for the last 3 weeks has been pretty off because of a certain little guy that needs/wants/deserves some love and attention. After all, he's the newbie and what he says goes!

If I'm being honest with y'all, I should tell you that I'm not particularly good at this stay-at-home stuff, although I certainly commend those of you that do stay at home. When I do get the chance to sit at the computer for a few minutes, it seems as though there is nothing "fun" to say. We're not getting out much, although we do venture out occasionally, so I don't have any fun adventures or stories to share with y'all from our outings. I highly doubt y'all want to hear about how I've washed yet another load of clothes, because helloooo, that never stops around here now. Or I'm once again washing the million parts of Dr. Browns bottles because I do that about 4 times a day. And I'm fairly certain that y'all don't want to know about how many poopy diapers I'm changing because Anderson has definitely lived up to his "Anderson Pooper" nickname.

So with those topics out, how about I leave you with a something Jackson shared with me the other day. He happened to come into the bathroom as I was changing and I caught him staring at my stomach. I said, "Can you believe that Mama's big round belly is gone?" Jackson said, "You just look squishy like Jello now!"

Thanks kiddo!

So from now on I'll do my very best to post something Monday through Friday. It might be some new pictures, or the occasional funny story, but I can't be held responsible if the post has something to do with laundry or bottles or poopy diapers. Consider yourself warned!

Minus One Kiddo

Jeremy's parents came into town to spend the weekend with us and the boys and Jackson left with them yesterday to go to Camp Papa and Gigi for the week in Hattiesburg. We had a wonderful visit with his parents, and they sure ate up some Jackson and Anderson time! Papa and Gigi are going to bring Jackson back on Friday. It's going to be so weird only having one kiddo around for the week, and I'm not sure what I'm going to do with myself, but I'm sure I can find something to occupy my time, like laundry (which never seems to stop around here), or cleaning bottles or cuddling with Anderson. I'm sure going to miss Jackson while he's gone, but I know he's going to have such a great time. He probably won't even miss us at all!

In the mean time, the little guy is calling my name, and when he beckons, I must go! I hope y'all have a great Monday!

Our New Alarm Clock

We got a new alarm clock 2 weeks ago. It goes off like, well, clockwork every 2-3 hours during the day and every 4 hours at night. You can count on it. Everytime. Without fail. The clock's name is Anderson, and we wouldn't return him for all the money in the world!

Charting A New Course To The Milky Way

My Mom and I had to take Anderson to the doctor yesterday. It wasn't with our regular doctor in this practice, but the doctor was amazing! I was concerned with a spot on his recently sharpened little pencil (if you catch my drift), which turned out to be absolutely fine, and while we were there they did another bilirubin check because he was still a little jaundiced, and another weight check. His bilirubin levels were much higher than when we left the hospital. He went from 5.9 to 12, which is the on the lower end of "high" levels, but they aren't concerned with it.

His weight was another issue completely. Anderson was born at 8 lbs 2 oz and left the hospital at 7 lbs 13 oz. When he had his follow up visit the day after we were released he was still 7lbs 13 oz, which was fine. The doctors would like for breastfed babies to gain an ounce a day. Well, my little guy went back to the doctor on Monday and he was up to 8lbs even, which means that he had only gained 3 oz in 10 days. The doctor recommended that we start supplementing with formula right away.

I feel so conflicted right now because I had already been toying with the idea of stopping nursing because it just felt like too much when trying to juggle taking care of Jackson and Anderson. I was so torn on deciding what to do because I felt like nursing was going okay, but it was just about killing me because it was taking so much time away from other things. It feels selfish to want to stop nursing just because it would make my life simpler, but at the same time I know that I have to do what is best for my entire family.

So hearing from the doctor that Anderson is not gaining weight like he should lets me off the nursing hook, but I'm still disappointed because I really did feel like nursing was going okay. I thought that this time I had figured out this nursing stuff, and I'm super disappointed that he wasn't getting from me what he needs, and what I thought I was giving him.

So here I am, glad that I get the "okay" from the doctor to start with formula, so he can start gaining some weight, as if somehow that will relieve some of this guilt that I'm feeling because if the doctor recommends it then somehow it's not my fault that we're going the formula route just to make my life easier. I'm upset at the same time that I'm not providing him with something that I know will benefit him in the long run because it will make my life easier. Gotta love postpartum hormones!

So for now I've stopped nursing, although I am pumping a few times a day. I have some milk stored up, and we're spacing those bottles out, and trying to figure out which formula works best for him. It's been a very spitup-ish day! I guess at the end of the day I'm just glad that we figured out that he wasn't gaining weight now, as opposed to 2 weeks from now at our next well baby visit, when he really could have lost a lot of weight.

This new baby stuff is hard, but it's so worth it!

On My Own

Today was the day that Jeremy had to go back to work since he's been off with me on vacation leave for these first couple of weeks with Anderson. I have loved having him home, especially when I had my hands full with the little man. But alas, all good things must come to an end. Apparently you have to work to get a paycheck. Go figure!

So Jeremy got ready for work, let me get ready for the day, we both got Jackson ready, and then he headed off into the murky fog of the real world. I'm still sitting here in the house in the murky fog of maternity leave.

So far they have been gone for over 30 minutes and I'm holding down the fort just fine. Of course this may have something to do with the fact that Anderson has been sleeping the entire morning. I've been fairly productive so far; I have clothes washing, dishes going in the dishwasher, and I've even vacuumed. I'm so domestic these days that I shock even myself! (LOL!) I will have to emerge from my fog to make a trip to the doctor with Anderson this morning. He is having an issue in the diaper department, and the doctor needs to take a peek. I'm sure he's going to love it.

I guess that's it for today. Enjoy a couple pictures from a photo shoot we had done with Anderson and Jackson on Saturday. I'll have more pics soon. Take care!

Every 5 Days

Because most second borns end up not having as many pictures taken of them as the first born child, I've challenged myself to post a picture of Anderson every 5 days so I can see how much the little guy is changing. I've started a new blog to post the pictures and I would love for you to "follow" the journey with us.

So head on over to "Every 5 Days" to see how the little guy grows. It's gonna be fun!

Dividing and Conquering With Two Kids

Last night after Vacation Bible School Jackson said that he had a tummy ache and wasn't feeling good. We tried to get him to use the bathroom, but nothing was happening. He then said that he felt like he was going to throw up, so I sat in the bathroom with him, rubbing his back and trying to make him feel better. After a few minutes he said that he was ready to go to bed.

Fast forward to 1:00 in the morning, and I'm awakened by the sound of Jackson coming into our room, sobbing. I glance over at him and he is covered in throw up. I get him into the bathroom and sent Jeremy into his room to assess the damage. He had been sleeping on top of his covers, and from the looks of it, he threw up in his sleep and pretty much covered most of the top part of his bed.

I quickly got a throw up bucket ready, put Jackson in the tub and gave him a bath in the middle of the night. It was around this time that I realized how different my life has become in a week and a half. Now I have two kids to worry about, and I didn't have any idea how torn I would feel when trying to decide which child to take care of. On one hand I have my 4 year old that is literally covered in throw up, crying in the bathtub about not feeling good, but on the other hand I'm also thinking about my 10 day old that is due to nurse in less than an hour. I can take care of one child, Jackson, at the time, but am I unwillingly going to expose Anderson to a vicious tummy bug if I do that? What's a mom to do?

We ended up getting Jackson set up in the living room on the couch, covered with sheets and towels in case of an accident. I made a pallet to sleep on in the floor for me, and I had a throw up bucket nestled right next to Jackson. Whenever he gets sick like this I sleep so lightly, and any sound he makes I'm right there, wide awake, with the bucket under his mouth. He did end up getting sick several more times, all of which were contained.

Jeremy meanwhile was on Anderson duty. We got a bottle ready from what I had pumped earlier so he was good to go. Anderson got up around the time Jackson fell back asleep, and then we all called it a night except for when Jackson got sick again. We slept late in the morning and we were all ready for a nap by 9:00 in the morning.

I think, all in all, we did pretty good on our first "parents of two kids" disaster. It was really hard being torn between the needs of both boys, but I'm glad that we managed as well as we did. This parenting stuff is hard, but it's so worth it!

The Difference In Baby #1 and Baby #2

I had one of those "aha" moments the other day with Anderson. I had just taken a shower and actually took the time to dry my hair and straighten it. We weren't expecting anyone, I just needed to feel a little more human. I finished up with my hair and then it was time to nurse (again!). It seems like that's all I'm doing these days. Anyways, we nursed on one side and I was burping him before we started on the other side. He was propped up all content on my shoulder when it happened; he burped and spit up all in my freshly cleaned hair which was now dripping in spit up.

Now with baby #1, I probably would have gagged and as soon as was humanly possible I would have jumped back into the shower to get cleaned up again.

With baby #2, I performed a quick sniff test of my hair (diagnosis: smell was not too bad because it wasn't formula), waited a few minutes for my hair to dry on its own, ran a brush through the newly enhanced section of hair to detangle the mess, and then proceeded to put my hair up in a pony tail for the day.

It's a good thing he's so cute!

Anderson's Birth Story

*I wanted to go ahead and write this before most of the details get fuzzy with time. I know some of the details were shared on facebook and on the blog, but this is the whole story. Feel free to pass if this isn't your thing!

Monday, June 6th I had my last regularly scheduled OB appointment. Everything felt fine so I was super surprised when my blood pressure was elevated again. After Dr. Lawhon saw my numbers (140/90ish), he asked me how I felt about being induced a day early. Honestly, I wasn't thrilled by this. There was still lots to do around the house with last minute stuff, and I was really looking forward to our last family of three outing to the Montgomery Biscuits game scheduled for that night. We had been given tickets to one of the suites at the stadium, so I knew that we would be able to enjoy the game in the comfort of air conditioning, and I also was really looking forward to spending some more time with Jackson. The new plan was for me to check into the hospital around 9 or 10 that night, start the pitocin at 2:00 in the morning and to have Dr. Lawhon break my water at 5:00 in the morning.

After we left the appt we started making phone calls to let our families know the change of plans. It was then that I decided to go ahead and plan on going to the baseball game since we would already be that much closer to the hospital from the stadium. We rushed home, finished packing, Jeremy did some yard work, got cleaned up and we headed to the game. We had such a good time at the game, and it was so nice getting to spend time with Jackson before everything changed. We met so many people at the game that were amazed that we were leaving the game to go to the hospital.

We ended up leaving the game around 8:30 that night and headed to the hospital. One of Jeremy's coworkers has a wife that is a nurse at the hospital and she reserved the biggest birthing suite for us. We got right into our room and made ourselves comfortable. The room was huge! Because things weren't going to be started until after midnight I had a few hours to kill. Jackson loved checking the room out, and around 9:00 my parents came up to the hospital to pick Jackson up. It was at that point that Jackson lost it. He started crying and that got me all choked up. It was so hard saying goodbye to him because he was so upset. Of course by the time they got to the car he was fine.

After they left I played on the computer for awhile and read a magazine until 11:00 when I got up to go take a shower and fix my hair. I was settled back into the bed at midnight and was given a dose of a mild sedative to help me rest. At 2:00 on the dot the nurse hooked the pitocin up and checked me. I was still 4 cm. I fell back asleep and woke up at 3:30 in the morning to go potty. It was at that time that I learned from Jeremy that my pitocin had been cranked up twice while I was sleeping. The nurse told Jeremy that I would know when it was time to get my epidural. Well, by the time that I got back to the bed after pottying I was feeling some pretty strong contractions. I guess me moving around had gotten the medicine moving, and I went from feeling nothing to being in a great deal of pain. About 15 minutes after my potty break I told Jeremy that it was time to let the nurse know that I was ready for an epidural. By the time Jeremy made it from my hospital bed to the door I felt my water breaking. I said to Jeremy, "My water just broke!" He said, "Are you sure?" I laughed and said, "Yeah, I'm pretty sure!" I had 5 strong gushes of water and the nurse confirmed that my water had broken. She checked me again around 4:00 and I was at 5 cm, and she told me that I had sprung a leak, but that my water hadn't broken completely.

We started making phone calls to our families to let them know that things were moving pretty quickly. The nurse wasn't sure if I would make it to 5:00 for the doctor to finish breaking my water. The anesthesiologist arrived and got my epidural started. It wasn't fun having it put in because I was having some pretty strong contractions by that time. The epidural was amazing! Dr. Lawhon described it as, "the perfect epidural" because I had complete control of my legs, without feeling any pain. I was able to push up and move around the entire time, which was really nice. After I got the epidural I was able to relax without feeling any pain, and everything stayed pretty calm for awhile. Our families got to the hospital around 5:00, and at 5:30 Dr. Lawhon arrived and checked me. I was at 9 cm. He broke my water and decided to hang out since it wouldn't be long. He stayed in the room chatting with our families which we thought was really cool. He's an amazing guy, and it was such a normal thing to have him chatting with us while we waited. The plan was for our families to stay in the room with us as we delivered, but behind the curtain, away from the action.

A few minutes before 6:00 Dr. Lawhon cleared the room out to check me again. I was 10 cm and ready to go. My sister Kellyn was standing outside the door and she heard Dr. Lawhon saying, "Push!" They all snuck back into the room behind the curtain and waited for Anderson to make his appearance. At 6:01 am on June 7, 2011, after only 4 hours and 5 easy pushes, Anderson Moore Wade was born sunny side up and screaming loudly! He weighed 8lbs 2oz, and was 20 inches long, coming in just shy of Jackson's birth measurements of 8lbs 4 oz and 20 1/2 inches long. They placed him on my chest and I got to meet my new little boy. It was such an amazing moment, and from the moment I laid eyes on him it was love at first sight. He is the spitting image of Jackson, and he has been such an easy going and laid back baby. Jeremy and I have been truly blessed with two amazing little boys, and I can't wait to see how God is going to use them!

He's Pretty Amazing!

We've been settling into our new "normal" around here, and for the most part it's going okay. I firmly believe that its much easier to bring baby number two home becasue at least this time around we knew what to expect. Anderson has been doing great, and he continues to be a very laid back and easy baby. We're nursing around 10-11 at night, again around 2-3, and then maybe 6-7 in the morning so it hasn't been too hard so far. Anderson loves to be swaddled and he will stay in froggy mode for as long as you will cuddle him, which of course I don't mind at all!

Jackson is doing great. He loves Anderson so much, and is always wanting to give him hugs and kisses. The only problems we've had is when both boys want/need something at the same time and neither of them is willing to be patient for even a second. We did send Jackson back to school today just so he can get back to a normal routine. We have Vacation Bible School tonight and I'm hoping to venture out to see the opening ceremony part if I'm feeling up to it.

Recovery wise I'm doing okay. I've had a killer headache for 3 days now which hasn't been fun. I have another call into the doctor to see what they recommend I do. Most of the milk cow issues I was dealing with on Friday have eased up greatly which was a huge relief. So far nursing has been going great, and I'm super pleased with how well we are doing. I'm not going to stress myself out about it this time, but we'll just take things a day at a time.

I guess that's it for today. Enjoy a couple of new pics!

When Words Aren't Necessary

Wade, Party of Four

We walked in our front door today for the first time as a family of four, and y'all, it felt great! We are doing wonderful! Anderson is weighing in at 7 lbs, 13 oz. and his bilirubin levels are really good. We take him back to the doctor tomorrow for another bilirubin level check, but I'm pretty sure that his levels will stay fine. Anderson is nursing like a champ, latching on with complete ease which is something that never really happened with Jackson. I worked lots with the lactation nurse at the hospital and hopefully we'll get started on the right path with breastfeeding.

I'm feeling really good, and I think part of that is that I am so much more relaxed about bringing a baby home. I have no doubt that we will have our moments, but I'm not nearly as terrified as I was the day we brought Jackson home from the hospital.

Jackson has done really good today, although this morning he was completely fascinated that Anderson drank milk "like a cow does". At least now everything is out in the open, no pun intended.

I'll keep everyone updated on how things are going and we truly appreciate your thoughts and prayers. Love y'all!

Hospital Memories I'd Rather Leave Here

1. Mesh granny panties.


2. Industrial sized feminine products.


3. Sleeping on puppy training pads.


4. Backless hospital gowns.


5. Bath towels the size of postage stamps.


6. Toilet paper that could rival sandpaper.


7. A VCR instead of a DVD player in our room.


8. Vital checks at 2:00 in the morning.


9. All modesty going out the window.


10. Wooden rocking chair after vaginal birth.

The best part of this hospital stay? Need you even ask...