Swim Lessons - Day 5

5 classes down, only 3 more to go! Where did the summer run off to?!? Seriously, I feel like the whole month of July escaped us. In just a few short weeks, school buses will be jamming up my morning commute again {making me even later than I already am for work}!

I guess that is why it's called Sweet Summertime!

Saturday morning I went in and to wake Jackson up, yep I had to wake him up at 10:15. I love it when this happens! I started to sing him a little song about going to listen to the fish and he went crazy. He knew it was time for swimming. I love that he is such a water baby!

I finally wrestled his trunks on and we headed out the door. As usual, our lesson went really well. Jackson was the class flirt, especially with the new coach. He continues to light up whenever he sees other kids. I can tell he is going to be very social. He will look at you and say Hi-ya repeatedly until you acknowledge him and say Hi back. Jackson has gotten very comfortable going under water. He even takes it upon himself to put his face in the water during bath time. I guess blowing bubbles was getting old?!? Anyway, I'm impressed.please take note of the little boy (below) staring at Jackson. he thought Jackson was a little too wild for swimming!

Surprisingly, when it's time to "jump to momma" Jackson refuses. Every time I put him on the side of the pool he wants to sit and splash. Or wave hi-ya to all the spectators. I have to grab for him and pull him back in the pool. Mr. thinks it's hysterical. Me, not so much!

How's everyone else doing with swim lessons this summer? I've read about a few of you doing them as well. Are you glad you did, are you going to continue them in the fall?

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Then vs. Now: Working Momma

I came across a picture of myself {a frightening picture of myself} that was taken the day before I delivered Jackson. A local photographer asked if he could come to my office and take pictures of me at work. {I had waddled through a client's photo shoot with him the week before} Philip was submitting photos for a story about pregnant women in the workplace. The topic was how it is no longer uncommon for women to be found in the workplace up to their delivery day.

This was true for me. The day that I had Jackson I sat through an entire lunch meeting with a new client. Contracting every 4 minutes the.entire.time. I apologized for grunting a few times and explained that I was in labor. I had just come from my doctor's office and was 6cm dilated, 100% effaced with a bulging bag of water. I don't know what's worse - the fact that they weren't really impressed by that information or that I came to work and didn't go home and prepare for baby?!?

Anyway, I digress. The point of all of this was looking back on what my office looked like before Jackson. My white office was really bare. I had two pictures, one of Jackson's ultrasound and one from my wedding. That was it. Pens, pencils, and a notebook.


And today, you have to move the pictures of Jackson to even find a pen. My bulletin board is now a collage of pictures. My notebook sits on top of my Mom Agenda and my breast pump stays plugged in 24/7.


No matter where I look I'm reminded why I'm sitting at this desk. I work to help provide a lifestyle for Jackson. Do I wish that I was home with him? Of course! But I can't spend my days thinking about that. Instead, I think about all that I can afford for him because I'm here. At work. For him. For us.

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July Giveaway, better late than never!

It's no secret that I'm a sucker for monograms, nice paper, and great design. Which is why I am so excited for this month's Pear Tree giveaway.

One of you lucky readers will get up to 16 personalized note cards of your choice along with shipping absolutely FREE. I told you this was better late than never!

Pear Tree sent me a sample of their new line of cards, and trust me, you want to win:) Their products are very nice quality!


In order to win, here's what you have to do:
1. Be a public follower of my blog and leave me a comment!

That's it. Nice and easy.

If you want to up your chances, here are some other things you can do:
2. Vote for us on Top Mommy Blogs, click on the button on the top left of my blog.
3. Follow us on Twitter.
4. Mention this giveaway on your own blog.
*Be sure and leave separate comments for each!

Winner will be selected via random.org {or Jackson}. All entries must be done by 5pm CST on Friday, July 30th.

Good luck!

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Jackson's first boo boo

Jackson is quite a bruiser and has had more than his fair share of scrapes and bumps to prove it. As a Momma, I try not to panic or make a big deal out of them. Of course, I comfort Jackson and kiss his boo boos to make them all better. However, I try not to baby him too much. I don't want to raise a boy that needs his Momma after every little bump!

With that said, last night Jackson's little bruiser status got to a whole new level...

Mr. had to spend a good part of they day working. So, Jackson and I decided to do some pool hopping. The weather was gorgeous, I have way too many tan lines to prove it. We started at Loli & Pops {my mom and step-dad} and swam in their big pool. Jackson showed off his swimming skills and wore himself out.

After his long afternoon nap, we packed up and went to meet Mimmy & Beh {Mr.'s dad and step-mom}. They belong to a club that has a kid area with water slides and fountains to splash in. Jackson was in heaven! We were having such a good time that Mr. decided to come and join us. Jackson took his daddy's hand and led him all around the club. On there way back to our sitting area, Jackson tripped. I watched it happen and really wasn't too alarmed, he does this a lot...

When Mr. picked him up I panicked a little. There was blood pouring out of his mouth. This is the second time I've seen my son bleed. And let me tell you, it is like someone is cutting your heart out. Jackson was crying, but not hysterically. I thought that he hit a tooth and his gums were bleeding {like the first time I saw him bleed}. No biggie.

As I got him cleaned up, we realized this was much worse than we thought. Jackson had actually hit his chin when he fell. This caused him to bite completely through his bottom lip. OMG!!! Mr. was ready to run him to the ER. Literally, he was going to run there.

Luckily, minutes before Jackson fell I was talking to a girl that I knew. Wouldn't you know, her husband is an ER doctor. Score. Instead of running to the hospital, I ran Jackson to her. Her husband came over and took a look at Jackson's lip. He was even so generous as to have us follow him to their house so he could fix Jackson up. He basically glued the cut closed on the outside. Once he's all healed up, the glue will fall off on its own. This should take about 5-7 days. Jackson probably won't even have a visible scar.

Jackson started to moan in his sleep last night, so I brought him to bed with us. Poor lil guy can't suck his thumb because he has such a fat lip! He's in great spirits though. He blew me a kiss bye this morning and laughed as he said ouch. He melts my heart.

Thankfully we didn't have to spend hours in an ER last night and Jackson didn't knock any teeth out. This was definitely his first real boo boo, and I hate to see him in pain. I know that there will be many more boo boo's in our future, but it's still hard. I have a feeling that I'm going to need to toughen up a little. I about lost my dinner when Jackson was laughing as he was sticking his teeth through his lip. Boys will be boys:)

Jackson and his Beh playing in the fountain

It's amazing what Jackson can get grown men to do:)

checkin' out the water

lil water boy:)

Jackson showing Momma where he wanted to go next

down the slide we went, a few times...

right before his big fall...

Jackson and his fat lip, and scraped chin...lil bruiser!

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Swim Lessons - Day 4

Jackson continues to amaze me with his ability to learn to swim. He is even grasping the concept of kicking to move himself forward. I should probably note that I hoped this class would have been more of an infant survival swim class. Instead, it's more of a Mommy & Me swim & play class. Don't get me wrong, Jackson is definitely learning to swim and be comfortable in the water. However, I don't believe he could get to the side or float on his back in the event of an accident just yet. I watch my child very closely, but accidents are just that. No one means for their child to fall into a body of water. The thought of a child drowning haunts me, seriously.

I digress. 4 classes in, Jackson is making progress. There's no denying that he loves the water. He also proves to be quite the flirt and social butterfly. {I haven't the slightest idea were he gets this;)} The class was very small this past Saturday so we got a lot of one-on-one time with the coaches.

Do you see Jackson, he's completely under the water swimming towards me.

See, there he is!

Jackson was getting pretty tired from all of the individual time he was getting. We're working on grabbing for the side of the pool here.

My lil shark:)

Jackson is getting good at blowing bubbles these days. He likes to practice in the tub every night.

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Totally Jaw-some

It's no secret that Jackson has been having some rough nights. His dang molars and allergies have been to blame for too many sleepless nights lately. As much as I wish I could take away all of Jackson's pain, I know I cannot. However, I can try to make him feel better {isn't that what Mommas do?}.

In fear of drowning in a pot of coffee, I set out on a mission to find things to comfort him. I made a list of everything that makes me feel and sleep better when my insomnia gets the best of me. At the top of my list: clean sheets, fresh pajamas and a relaxing bath. So, I ran out on my lunch hour and bought Jackson some new PJ's. Not just any PJ's, but totally Jaw-some PJ's.

When Mr. came home to find Jackson in his Jaw-some new jams, he thought I was crazy. But, he went along with it...in desperation for a full night's sleep. I laid Jackson down for bed and gave him a little pep talk {with his Motrin and teething tabs}. I also proceeded to bride him with a new toy if he slept like a big boy.

Wouldn't you know folks, but my alarm clock was the only thing that woke us - this morning! Totally Jaw-some success, if you ask me:)

And of course, I stayed true to my word. We took Jackson to pick out a new toy as soon as we got home from work. We're pretty sure he loves his tool bench, and he better sleep all night again tonight:)

*Update: He slept all night again folks! Jackson may be getting new PJ's and toys every night from now on:)

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Tips & Tricks for Pumping Mommas

It's been brought to my attention that I have been keeping the best kept secret for pumping to myself. I promise, I had no idea that I was keeping this little gem from you! Totally wrong of me to assume that you all knew about the hands free pumping bra by Medela. That's right Mommas, you can pump and do whatever else you need to do, like type a blog post about pumping hands free!

Before I went back to work I visited a local hospital that had a great lactation department in their gift shop. The Lactation Consultant even sat with me and shared some of her knowledge {I was very nervous about pumping and going back to work}.

The LC showed me all of the accessories that I would need to pump at work, like the hands free pumping bra. She introduced me to Lily Padz. She helped me understand the supply & demand concept as it relates to breastfeeding. And she helped me figure out my pumping schedule. Sometimes you just need someone to spell things out in black and white for you!

Her best piece of advice for starting out was to pump an hour after each nursing session, during the hours of my work day ONLY {because I was going to pump at work, nurse at home}. Again, supply and demand. If I would have pumped night and day, my body would produce too much milk at night when I didn't plan on pumping.

I started pumping about three weeks before I went back to work. And by the time I went back I had a pretty good frozen stash. Even if it was just an ounce at time, it built up! Once I was back in the office my pumping schedule followed Jackson feeding schedule. Pretty easy, right? I pumped when he was at home taking a bottle of my breast milk with the nanny. At first, totally OCD, I even made my nanny text me when she started giving Jackson a bottle. You do not have to be that exact:)

The best part about starting out the way the LC recommended was that my body was used to producing double what Jackson needed during the day. Remember, I was nursing and pumping again an hour later. When I went back to work, I was only pumping during these times. So, I was able to pump almost twice as much as he ate in a day. This calmed my crazy Momma nerves quite a bit. I was so worried that I'd run out of frozen milk. Now I think I have enough frozen to feed a small village:)

I've followed the LC's advice for the past year and she lead me down a great path. As Jackson got older and dropped feedings, I did the same. I would panic that my supply would go away as I went from 3 sessions to 2, and then from 2 to 1. Obviously, it didn't go away. But, it did take about a week for my body to adjust.

Sleep, hydration, diet and stress can really do a number to your output! I know its hard to do, but relax. The more you stress about your supply, the worse it gets. Some days you just pump less. Before you know it, you'll be filling up those bottles again and bragging about how much you just pumped:)

P.S. I pumped 6oz. in the time it took to type this;)

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Pedipeds to the rescue

It turns out that my great shoe mission was a huge failure. I should have done my homework and saved myself a few bucks!

Over the 4th of July {yes, I am still catching up on my posts. blame it on the lack of sleep} we were in St. Louis and Jackson was wearing his new shoes. He looked so cute in both his walkers and his Keds. However, he started to get pretty fussy after wearing them for a couple of hours.

Before we headed downtown to the fireworks, we stopped in to Nordstrom with my mom and sister. Jackson continued to fuss, which is not like him. Especially when we're in public. He loves people!

My sister decided to take off his shoes. Immediately Jackson was a happy boy! The Keds were too tight on his feet. They must have really been bothering him. Insert huge Momma Guilt for not realizing my baby was in pain.

So off to the baby boy shoe department we went {Jackson loves to walk everywhere, allowing him to be barefoot downtown was not an option}. The sales girl raved about the Pedipeds. And to my surprise, they truly are the best thing besides bare feet. Jackson loved them. Pedipeds totally saved the day!

I should have realized that Jackson didn't need the support so much as just protection. Babies walk much better barefoot than with big ole clunky shoes!

He started out happy in his Keds...

and these Walking shoes sure were cute,

but they don't even compare to his Pedipeds!

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Mr. Cool Guy

Jackson's molars are seriously kicking all of our butts. We got more sleep when Jackson was a newborn then we are this month. I guess they bother him more at night?!? I'm all ears fellow Mommas...any tips or tricks to get him back on track?

Popsicles are helping in the evening, but I'm ready for some sleep again! This handsome little guy seems to think he's too cool for sleep.

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