Day 75- happy saint patrick's day wvu fans

Our battle with the teething monster continues. Jackson woke up with a temp of 101. I was able to get it down to normal after 1 1/2 hours with motrin and a cold washcloth to chew on. He screamed almost the whole 1 1/2 hours unless he was being held. Normally that's fine with me, we'll cuddle- but when I'm try to get to school, it's not too easy.

One thing that's awesome about Jackson though, is that once he feels better he's pretty much in a good mood the rest of the day. So I have a messy face Jackson picture in his St. Patrick's day outfit b/c we had to wear our green today to make way for our Mountaineer attire tomorrow. (b/c basketball totally usurps holidays anytime) Those are babylegs from CCBaby if anyone is interested btw!

I also have a picture of him hamming it up in the chair right before bath time. I had to get his thermometer to check his temp before his bath and he loves to sit like a big boy by himself, so I grabbed a quick picture.

Finally, because I love his laughter, I have a video of him laughing about me calling him stinky butt. Let me tell you, he was one gassy kid tonight!

Day 59- Teething Monster

Jackson's been bit by the teething monster again. I really hope his top two teeth pop through soon, poor kid is in misery and covered in drool. I was able to make his fruits and veggies for the week tonight. He's got broccoli, asparagus, zucchini, sweet potato, cucumber, carrots, squash, pears, bananas, peaches, beets, apricots, and apples this week. I also introduced cheese today. He loved it and did really well.

Today's picture is of Jackson with his current favorite teether. It is a really soft latexy rubber and when he chews on it, it vibrates and massages his gums. http://www.diapers.com/product/productdetail.aspx?productid=25195&site=CI&src=gnew&cm_mmc=cse-_-googlebase-_-toys_books-_-LC-218&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=LC-218 He sat there for three minutes today, just clamped on. I can also officially say the RSV is gone. Digger the dog (his nebulizer) is getting put away in the am as it's been 24 hours since he's needed a breathing treatment, he doesn't have a runny nose anymore, and I've turned his humidifier back to low. I'm so glad it's gone- now if he can cut these two teeth I'll have my happy healthy little man back again!

Day 50- Black hole of a stomach

My mom and George are still here so I'm enjoying their company. They took us out to dinner at the Steer. We brought Jackson's high chair cover from zulily (great site for parent's by the way- awesome stuff for great discounts- http://www.zulily.com/invite/eshepherd632 use that link to join for free) and we used the tiny diner from my sister Carrie- http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2908461&CAWELAID=125732153 and picked up a few things for him to eat off the buffet. Little did I know what an appetite he had. He LOVED that food. I actually had to go up for seconds for him. He had peaches (at least 5 slices), beets, green beans, carrots, mashed potatoes, noodles, green peppers, and banana pudding. He created quite a crowd of onlookers amazed at his appetite and self feeding skills. He did wonderfully. We were there for two hours and he wasn't fussy at all. He was in a great mood, but crashed on the way home. He was late to bed- I'm really hoping that means he'll sleep in tomorrow!

George got a picture of Jackson eating at the restaurant and will email it to me to add when I can. But the other two pictures are from Jackson at breakfast- where he ate almost an entire piece of toast with blackberry preserves and from Jackson crashed out after his huge dinner.

Day 39- Snow Day :)

I love snow days! It was a good day to recharge. We also have a 2 hour delay for tomorrow so we can take our time getting ready in the morning. Since we were home, Jackson and I had breakfast and lunch together. However it was a late breakfast and a later lunch (3:30) so we skipped dinner. For breakfast Jackson had greek yogurt mixed with fruit preserves, toast with cream cheese on it, and watermelon. He loved it all and ate everything he could feed himself. The food pictures are from this morning. He's getting better with the spoon and continues to amaze me at how proficient he is becoming so quickly.

For lunch he had part of a whole grain English muffin with preserves on it, apricots, steamed apples, and steamed carrots. He loved the apples and carrots, didn't really care for the english muffin, and ate the apricots, but didn't love them. He loved the apples so much that he started to eat the pieces off of his bib.

I need to go shopping soon to get more baby friendly foods for Jackson. I think him eating with us will also make me make healthier choices because he wants what I have and it makes me think twice about what eating habits I am teaching him.

Yummy Breakfast!

I'm getting better with my spoon- no yogurt on my forehead today!

So tasty I'll eat it right off my bib.

All done mom- just finishing up the toppings on my thumb.

Also, he got a baby mohawk this morning. It wasn't on purpose, but after breakfast he had yogurt everywhere and got a quick bath. After I got him out of the tub I let him play in the crib while I cleaned up, but I forgot to brush his hair- thus the crazy baby mohawk. I have two pictures of him being his happy self :)

Jackson's favorite toy this week: http://www.amazon.com/Fisher-Price-L5739-Chatters-Cookie-Monsters/dp/B00280MB48, http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000W9PXFG/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_3?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B00280MB48&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1M5534VDV8J5SX5NSAWX Cookie Monster or Elmo chatters. You can see cookie monster in the pictures in his nursery. He'll shake him and make him talk and just crack up. He got them for Christmas and as much as they drive Russell and I crazy- they are awesome to have around. I didn't think he would like them for awhile, but they have been a big hit as of late.

mmmm....cookie monster

Crazy hair!

I love snow days with mom!

He has finally taken to Elmo as much as he has Murray. Here he was being fussy since he didn't get to watch TV (normally he watches as soon as I get home from work so I can unpack and get things ready for dinner) so I let him watch Sesame Street with me. I love watching him when Elmo or Murray comes on so here is a video.

Oh and I was totally the person swearing my kid wouldn't watch TV until he was two- well life hit. I'm home alone with him the majority of the week and the dogs need fed, out, attention, dinner needs cooked, I have to pump, I need to unpack from school, and all in all it takes about 30-40 minutes to get everything ready to go when I get home. I tried it without Sesame Street and every time he would start to cry halfway through pumping or right when the dogs needed in and it just wasn't working. So I decided one tv show a day and it had to be educational. So we DVR Sesame street and it's become a part of our routine. So I eat my words b/c ideally he would be TV free, but as we all know- life isn't always ideal. I don't think he will be forever damaged from an hour a day of Sesame Street.

That is all for tonight-I've got laundry to fold and dishes to put away. I'm going to try to make my 10:00 bedtime tonight. I've not been good with this and it's wearing on me!

Day 34- Long Day

What does extinct mean?

Student smells armpit and plugs nose saying "yuck"

Even though it's been a very long week, it's moments like these that remind me why I love my job. A hug and an independently completed paper from a student who was out of control moments previous, a laugh from a grouchy kid, and a semi verbal student greeting a friend. These were the definite highs of my day today.

http://www.mamisandpapis.blogspot.com/ Mami's and Papi's- one of my favorite FB fan pages, stores, and blogs issued this challenge for the month of February, be more positive. Make the best of every situation. So I will try to issue the best moments of each day-moments with Jackson and moments without. I'd love to hear your highs of each day as well!

Speaking of Mami's and Papi's, we just got Jackson's CJ's Carcass cleaner and lotion. They smell awesome, are 100% natural and so creamy. All of her products are cloth diaper safe. You can only get the lotion at Mami's and Papi's. I totally recommend these products and I'm thinking that if we get a little extra money I'll get the wool spray and all purpose cleaners too. I use the CJs BUTTer that we have on my dry skin as well as a diaper cream. It works so well on dry skin, I always have some with me. So baby or not- you'll find a scent you love and it's definitely worth it! http://www.cjsewingroom.com/?cat=5

Today's pictures are from dinner, which was short b/c Jackson was tired and also from afterwards when he was cleaned up and waiting for bath time. I also put a picture of Jackson with his cup. He's doing so well- he didn't spill on himself at all today, he spilled a little when he set the cup back on the tray, but he brought it to his mouth and successfully drank 3 times today!

Day 28-shopaholic day

So Jackson did fairly well in the crib last night. He went down on his belly, woke up at 1:30, 3:30 (ugh- ever since the exorcism of emily rose I'm terrified to get up at this time), 5:00, and up for good at 7:15. I put him on his back after feeding him at 5:00 and he did great. I know it's OK for him to sleep on his belly, but it still just freaks me out. I'll do it if he won't sleep anyway else, but if he's cool on his back, I'll sleep a little better.

So Jackson and I spent the morning playing and had a little nap. We had to wait until 11 for Russell to get up, but when he did we decided to get some shopping and returning done in Clarksburg. We finally got out of the house around 2:30 and hit Kohls. We exchanged 2 things from Christmas and got 3 outfits. We also got Jackson's Valentine's Day present- 3 Eric Carle books. The Kohl's Cares for Kids books are such an awesome deal and they go to a great cause. We already had a The Very Hungry Caterpillar (thanks mom), but we got The Foolish Tortoise, The Grouchy Ladybug, and The Mixed Up Chameleon all for $15. Jackson loves the Very Hungry Caterpillar all the colors and the fun story, so I know he's going to love these books too!

Anyway after Kohl's we went to Home Depot because Russell has to fix the tub so it does more than a shower since Jackson's getting too big for his tub and install a diaper sprayer since Jackson is starting on solid food.

Next, we went out to dinner with Russell's parents at Outback. Jackson was a little fussy and I had to take him out to calm him down, he took a power nap and was good to go. He had a little broccoli and cracked me up. He kept bringing it to his mouth to taste it, he'd make a terrible face, but kept shoving it in his mouth. Finally, he gave up on it.

We spent the rest of the night at the mall doing exchanges. I tried to buy the California Baby cold and flu bubble bath to help with Jackson's congestion- but I guess a lot of people need it this time of year b/c it was all sold out. By the time all of this was done it was 8:30, already past Jackson's bed time. Looking at Jackson, aside from some eye rubbing, you would never know. He was pleasant and fun and smiling. He's such a trooper. He was good and awake for most of the drive home.

He was happy through about 5 minutes of bath time (my picture for today) and then we finished our nighttime routine and he's in his crib again, sound asleep on his back.

I'm so lucky to have such a happy, go with the flow kid. While I try really hard to stick to our routine, sometimes it just doesn't happen and he is so flexible. I'm really thankful for his awesome personality. I'm also really tired and am sorry for this ramble of a post. I'm hoping to get some sleep tonight so it'll be a much better post tomorrow night!

Day 27- Movin' on up

Jackson was up again every couple of hours last night. I miss my sleep through the night baby. Fortunately he did take 2 decent naps today so he was pretty pleasant most of the day. I then began brainstorming why he's up. It could be a lot of things teething, growth spurt, not eating enough during the day b/c he's into EVERYTHING, or maybe he's outgrowing the rock n' play. I then thought about how my reasoning for not sticking with the switch to the crib last night was that he sleeps fine in the rock n' play. Well, he's not sleeping so good there anymore so no excuses. It's time for the crib to become more than a place to play while I get a shower. The pediatrician said I could start letting him sleep on his belly starting at 6 months. He's pretty close, he has excellent head control, he sits up on his own, he can roll belly to back, he sleeps in a sleep sack, and there is nothing in his crib except for his seahorse. So tonight is his first night in the crib. He looks so tiny in there! He went down without a fuss (thanks to the seahorse) about 15 minutes later he started to get fussy, I went in patted his back, turned on the seahorse and he drifted back to sleep. I hope we have a good night tonight! Not getting too far ahead of myself but so far tonight has gone so much better than the last time we tried. I'm probably in for a long night, but I think the longer I wait the worse it's going to be SO might as well suck it up and do it now that he's having trouble sleeping anyway.

So what is this magic seahorse you ask? Well, here's the link: http://www.amazon.com/Fisher-Price-Ocean-Wonders-Soothe-Seahorse/dp/B000W3XEQM/ref=sr_1_1?s=baby-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1296266294&sr=1-1

It's reminiscent of the glow worm, but it has ocean sounds in between the classical music and will play longer. I thought it was pretty ugly, but some friends from my August mom chat group swear by this thing. They were right about the rock n' play and the seahorse was half off on black friday so I thought- why not. The next 3 days after Jackson got it, he slept on his own! This thing does work some magic. He starts to fuss, I turn it on and he's mesmerized. Definitely one of our very important purchases. I recommend any of my friends with new babies or babies due get one.

Our picture today is from Jackson's new toy, a present from his friend Bradie. Brandie and David were kind enough to give us Bradie's old walker. Jackson loved it right away. It took me forever to get a picture of him smiling b/c he was concentrating so hard on the toys and how he was moving. It only took him a minute to figure out how to go backward and about 5 minutes to figure out how to go forward. He had a great time! I know he'll be so excited b/c he's just starting to get frustrated at not being able to move around on his own.

Day-26 Snow, Sippy cups, and cleaning out clothes

So we got to enjoy another snow day today (with tomorrow already called off). I'm starting to feel like a stay at home mom, and it's not too bad. However, I do require more adult interaction to feel human. I give major credit to all the stay at home moms out there- I'm exhausted and I still need to finish dishes and sweep. Though I really enjoy only pumping once a day- that's such a PITA. I also decided to start the post today with a picture of Jackson learning to read on his snow day. He read the book upside down and then chewed on it, but he did turn the pages. Thanks Aunt Bobbi- he loves that book!

The snow is really deep and we're supposed to get a little more tonight. Jackson and I are going to have to suck it up and go out and shovel tomorrow :( I've enjoyed the warmth, but the poor mailman is probably not thrilled. Fortunately a neighbor plows the sidewalk, so it's just the walk up to my door. I like this heavy snow though b/c it really is beautiful. I put another picture in there from today. I really wish we didn't live in the city. I see all kinds of picture from my friends who live more rurally and they are beautiful. There really are no benefits to living in the city now. There is no real running out real quick anymore, it's a task to get all the stuff for Jackson together, then feed, change, and make sure he's rested before we go. A few more years and then Joe, Bernie, and Jackson can have some space to run!

I decided to let Jackson try with the sippy cup again. He was not a fan. I took a picture of how he spent the 3 minutes with the sippy cup before he threw it on the floor and did not whine for it back.

Definitely not impressed. So I switched and gave him the training cup. He wasn't very accurate, but he was a much happier baby. Good thing I'm a special ed teacher, I totally understand that learning is messy and I'm fine with it :)

Finally, our big task of the day was pulling out the 6-9 month brands that run smaller (gap, old navy, gerber) for Jackson to wear, along with all of the footies or one pieces since he's so tall. We also cleared out those smaller 3-6 clothes, his 3-6 jeans, and 3-6 one piece outfits. I got all the socks that are too small out and put away too. There is a picture of the clothes that I'm washing to wear now and the clothes we are saying goodbye too. He is growing so fast!!

Hello 6-9 month clothes!

Goodbye 3-6 month clothes, we didn't get to spend enough time together!

Hope everyone has a great night and stays safe in all of this crazy weather!

Day 26- snow, snow, snow

I'm still having video issues, but I did get one up yesterday. Today was another glorious snow day and tomorrow is already called off. Today I put a picture of Jackson in his onesie from Lots of Laughs boutique with newborn babylegs as arm warmers and comfy fleece pants. We had a busy day full of playing and napping. I had watermelon for lunch and Jackson wanted to try some, so I strapped him in and gave him a piece- he loved it! He did a great job with it too. So I've shared some pics of him working on his watermelon. We aren't officially starting solids for 2 more weeks, but every now and then when he reaches and whines for something we are going to let him sample a small piece. He sang himself to sleep tonight. I fed him and put him to bed where he always wakes up. He usually will suck his thumb and drift off, but tonight he decided to sing himself to sleep :)

I'm also posting some pics of the snow that I took. I know this heavy snow is rough, but it is really beautiful. I'm headed to bed early tonight so I have lots of energy for Jackson and the dogs tomorrow. I've got laundry and grades done so it was a rather productive night, leaving me with very little to do tomorrow except play! I put captions b/c they are all out of order and with the in and out power I'm tired of rearranging them.

Evil Bernie playing at night, mad b/c Joe keeps dragging him in the snow.

Snow at night

Snow during the day

Bernie tasting some snow

Joe getting snowed on

Jackson gnawing on watermelon

yum

Jackson relaxing on his activity mat

Day 24- Big boy cup

Are you wondering why there are random "dones" and "likes" and fan pages that I join in mass numbers? Well I have discovered the great world of facebook giveaways. Most of them focus on things for baby. I've already won close to a dozen things and it takes very little. Tonight I'm playing 2 games to try and win so this is going to be a short entry.

Jackson and I got to Skype with my mom and George tonight. It was really nice for him to hear their voices and see their faces and definitely helps to close the distance.

We also got a package from amazon today. (Moms, moms to be, or people who want to pretend to be moms- you get free 2 day shipping from amazon through the amazon mom program, it is so wonderful. I can read about something or realize he needs something that one of the 3 stores that has kids stuff in this town doesn't have, which happens often, and I"ll have it 2 days later with no extra cost. http://www.amazon.com/gp/mom/signup/info)

Anyway the package has the book "The No Cry Nap Solution" which we desperately need to work. Currently, though sometimes I love it, Jackson will only take naps on me. Every once in a while he'll go in the crib, but most of the time fights it. He needs sleep badly so I usually give in and let him sleep on me. I really hope there are good tips in this book- I'll let you all know if it works. Hopefully it will help to get him ready to transition from the Rock n' Play to the crib next month too.

The other thing we got was his training cup. He HATES sippy cups. Like, throw on the floor and scream, hates sippy cups. However, he loves to drink water from my cup and gets frustrated when I won't let him drink anymore. So I found this training cup. Of course it's messy, but it's better than a regular old plastic cup. He did get the hang of it, but preferred me to hold it. I think he'll be drinking like a pro from it by April. http://www.oxo.com/p-990-training-cup-7-oz.aspx

So here are his pictures, one practicing with the cup and the second his oops pic.

I can do it!

Oops, I spilled some- but I'm cute and just learning so it's OK!

Day 21- I'm a mom

Yes, the title of the blog is obvious, but sometimes there are days that it hits you- you're a mom. Today was one of those days. Jackson slept fine but woke up with a stomach bug. He puked all over me and his toys multiple times, had diarrhea, and a fever. He only wanted to be with me, but wasn't fussy as long as I was right there. Then we had a call to go out to the bar to hang out with friends for a birthday. I was going to take Jackson to dinner with them, but then he passed out. By the time he was up from his nap, it was too late and way too cold. So I stayed home while Russell went out. The funny thing is, I didn't mind it at all. I enjoyed the time to play with him, give him his bath, and get him to bed. I got a nice shower and was thankful that he wasn't too miserable and was doing much better by the end of the night. Looking back, I would have been so sad to miss out on an impromptu get together with friends before, but now it didn't phase me. Would I like to visit with friends- definitely, but I know I'll have time to visit with them. I am just surprised at how many things have changed in my life in the past year.

Ok onto the blog. Today's pictures are of Jackson playing on his play mat in one of my favorite outfits, Jackson in his Seuss outfit with a version of baby legs called Rock A Thigh socks, and two picture to compare for this week's challenge- ISO. There is a picture of Bernie on ISO of 80 and the same picture with an ISO 0f 1600. Bernie was torturing himself just staring at the WV teether- he wanted it so badly. This was a neat challenge that has allowed me to see what my camera can do. I'll definitely try to do more with my pictures!

My review today will be of the Rock A Thigh socks. I'm not so sure if I like them yet or not. The fit is great and I love that I'm not fighting to keep socks on, but I'm not sure how I feel about them on a boy. I'm afraid they look too much like tights. The baby legs that I have are baggy and look more pant like. I think I'll use them at home for now for the convenience and make up my mind about them later on. What is the point of these and baby legs? Well with a sick baby who needed frequent diaper changes, they are wonderful for quick diaper changes. Other days, with all of my cute diapers, I love to pair them with a plain colored tshirt to show off the diapers. They will protect his knees when he gets to crawling in warmer weather without the heat and they show off the cute designs on outfits like his seuss onesie that would be covered up by pants. So I really love the concept, but still not sure how I feel about their appearance. For now they are wonderful to wear around the house!

ISO 80 with sunlight

ISO 1600 with sunlight

Day 20- it's a long week, but it's SNOWING

Even though we had Monday off between watching basketball, doing laundry, and staying late at school- I'm beat! I won't be complaining if this storm has us enjoying another day at home tomorrow! I had extended day today and then Russell, Jackson and I went out for dinner. When all was said and done and we were settled it was already after seven. Russell insisted on hogging the camera today so he's the photographer of tonight's picture. Jackson is playing on his new foam play mat. I'm so excited it is here because now he has a safe place to practice sitting, crawling and trying new things without the punishment from the hardwood floor. I think he'll enjoy it for a long time! I'm really happy with the quality so far. Another mom from the August Mom group from the bump recommended it to me and it is fabulous! http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2786146

Tonight I'll do a quick review of a very popular pocket diaper, BumGenius 3.0. This diaper is great and very, very easy to use. I can't write a whole lot about it because I send it to Miss Brenda, our sitter's house. They velcro gets a little pilly, but there are easy solutions to help it last a little longer. These are one sized and will be the only diapers that my sitter will need for Jackson. They have great fit and don't leak unless I don't have enough in the pocket (which is my fault). They come in a lot of great colors and are reasonably priced. I have one dozen and got them with the buy 5 get 1 free special from cotton babies. Below is a picture of Jackson in his Grasshopper BumGenius when he was 2 weeks old! Bumgenius were my starter diapers and I recommend them to anyone who is just starting out with cloth or wants something very close to disposables that can be easily converted for any situation.

Publish Post

Day 13- Another Snow Day

I was able to enjoy another snow day home with Jackson, Joe and Bernie. Russell was home too today- so I have a few pictures for today's post. I've decided that starting tomorrow I'm going to showcase one of Jackson's diapers/brand each day. I'm going to talk about the positives and negatives of each diaper for him. I hope some of the readers will get to see how cool cloth is now and maybe be tempted to give it a try!

Tonight, however, I'd like to give a quick blurb about his amber teething necklace. People have seen pictures of Jackson in a necklace and were shocked that Russell would let his son wear a necklace. But as shocked as you are, that's how much of a believer you should be. The amber is so cool. It means that even though Jackson's teething, I don't have to constantly be giving him teething tablets, orajel, or tylenol. Now, don't get me wrong, some days call for some or all of those, but for the most part he's going through teething OK and med free. Here's a link to learn about the amber. The amber necklace, might I add, is from another Work at home mom- Inspired by Finn. http://hyenacart.com/stores/inspiredbyfinn/index.php?c=63&p=14913

But, back to the pictures. I've included Jackson buried in the snow by our fence, Jackson with Dad, Jackson, Joe, me and Bernie, and an action shot of Joe and Bernie playing in the snow. Hope you all have a great night!