Being Mama: Workin' It...again

I decided I would go ahead and post this here, just so it will be included when I finally print a book of the blog posts.

About Me:

Hi! I’m Alisha - a 29 year-old Kansas girl married to my high school sweetheart (Dac). We dated through high school and college (long distance). Once I graduated from Oklahoma State, we got married (2006). I’ve had various gynecological issues which resulted in some infertility troubles.

Still, I’m fortunate enough to be mama to an alllllmost 10-month old baby boy (Reid) and a 7-year old amusing pug-dog (Peety).

I’m a working mom - doing public relations for a school district by day and co-running a photography business with my husband on the side.

You can find my blog here. I just post about daily life… it’s kind of a virtual scrapbook for us. I post a weekly random update which has now kind of turned into a dumping ground for photos of Reid! =) I documented my pregnancy with “Monday Morning Pop Tart” updates, and now have a couple series’ - “Being Mama”, where I talk about mom-type things and my limited experience with them; and “About Me” where I work through a list of things I want Reid to know about me.

I’m so happy to be here. I’ve quietly followed Melissa’s blog for a few years now and I’ve enjoyed seeing how she has made working outside the home work for her family. I signed on to write this post before I really thought it through. The truth is - I have SO much to learn about being a mom who works outside the home. I hardly feel adequate enough to write much more than “HELP ME!!” on this topic. Maybe if nothing else I can provide a sense of  “you’re not alone” to someone else struggling to find balance. =)

Then:

I’ll start out with the words I blogged the day I went back to work after maternity leave. “Pregnancy hurt. Labor hurt. C-section recovery hurt. Going back to work hurts worse.”

Oh my, it was hard. I knew it would be. I just underestimated how hard it would be. It hurt big time, and there at first it was all I could do to just keep going each day. That in itself was a victory but it sure didn’t feel like it. I felt like all I did was work, pump milk, and prepare for the next day of working and pumping. Repeat.

Now:

Since then, I’ve given the pump the boot and have become a little more relaxed in our daily routine. I really try to keep myself in the moment and enjoy Reid as much as possible in the little time we get together each day. It’s still a struggle and sometimes (probably more often than not) I fail, but I’m working on it. =)

Our typical daily routine/schedule:

Since I knew I’d be returning to work, we started Reid in a routine fairly early. We weren’t strict and it wasn’t scheduled per se, but we did kind of help him find the routine that worked for him then tweaked it as we needed to. Here’s a look at a normal day NOW.

5:00 a.m. - I wake up, shower, eat something quick for breakfast, do makeup, hair, etc... This is also when I might unload the dishwasher, prep some items for supper, get my lunch ready and other quick, fairly quiet tasks.

6:30 a.m. - I usually wake Reid up, change his diaper and feed him his bottle (he really feeds himself at this point but I still like to hold him so I can get some snuggle time in.) Once he’s fed, I’ll usually let him play for a few minutes while I finish getting dressed and get stuff ready to walk out the door. Then, I get him dressed and off we go!

7:00 a.m. - We’re usually loading in the car by shortly after 7. Sometimes, if I realize we’ve left a little early, I’ll swing through Sonic for a drink. =) I drop Reid off at daycare at around 7:15 and am clocking in by 7:30. I usually spend my lunch hour running errands or doing quick chores at home. Sometimes I fold and/or put laundry away, load the dishwasher, do some basic surface cleaning, or vacuum. I’m fortunate to live close to work so this can be a pretty productive time in my day.

4:30 p.m. - I get off work and pick Reid up from daycare. When we get home, I go ahead and re-stock his daycare bag so I know it’s ready to go the next day.

5:00 p.m. - I usually feed Reid around 5 or so. He has just started eating more little table foods, so a lot of times I’ll set something on his high chair so he can munch while I start supper. Then, once dinner’s underway, I’ll feed him some baby food. Or - if supper prep is more intensive, Dac will feed him while I work on that. It just depends. Then, of course, we eat! =)

6:00 p.m. - I’ve really started making it a priority to get on the floor with Reid. He is just SO busy and it’s a blast to watch him explore and interact with him. If it’s Reid’s bath night (usually every other night) we may not get long, but those few minutes really make the day seem a bit more right. We try to go for walks some evenings too. On nights when I have a meeting or something, Dac and Reid get boy time - which is important too.

7-7:15 p.m. - By 7:15, we’re usually done with his bath and I’ll get my second cuddle session in while I feed him his last bottle. Reid is typically in bed asleep by about 8. When I put him in his crib, I set out his clothes for the next morning.

8:00 p.m. - By this time, I’m usually worn out! Whew! =) BUT - I’ll spend the next half hour or so finishing up housework, or, on a good day, Dac and I will have a chance to sit and chat. Then, most nights I’ll watch a tv show while Dac does some work or edits photos. This is my ME time and I use it to just wind down before bed. Dac stays up later than me most nights but I have to go to bed by around 9:30 or 10 in order to not be a grouch. =)

Our weekends are spent doing laundry, mowing the yard, grocery shopping, shooting photo sessions, editing photos, hanging out, church, etc… They always seem to go too fast.

Time with the Big Guy

I have always struggled with quiet time. I’m someone that goes, goes, goes until I crash in front of the TV at night. When Reid was a newborn, I would hold him and pray. Strong, from the heart prayers. I prayed for guidance, for his safety, I thanked him for such a wonderful gift. Sometimes I just cried out in desperation. If Reid was extra fussy when I’d pray, he would almost immediately calm down. Perhaps he sensed my sudden calmness as God gave me peace. I’m not sure. Our church got a new pastor this summer and she started a Bible basics study. We’re working through the Old Testament in chronological order. Now, Dac and I have attended church our whole lives but we’re still learning a lot. This study has helped get me back in the Word and it’s great.

Working Out

Until just a couple weeks ago - I flat wasn’t doing it. Now, I’ve started going to a morning Zumba class 2-3 times per week and try to walk a couple times on top of that. On the mornings I do Zumba, I get up at 4:40, Zumba from 5:15-6, then rush rush rush like a mad-woman to get us ready and out the door on time. It’s doable though. =) When we walk, we usually go as a family after supper. It’s a good time for Dac and I to visit uninterrupted and I’m really starting to treasure it.

Friend/Family Dates

Generally speaking, we see a group of family-friends every other week. We take turn cooking dinner and basically just sit and chat and hold babies. I have other close friends that I make little mini dates with. Sometimes it’s just a coke or ice cream, sometimes it’s a walk or lunch on a Saturday, sometimes it’s birthday pedicures and a day of shopping. We each have a good group of out-of-town friends (Dac’s friends from high school that are scattered and my college roomies/friends in Oklahoma). We really value these friends and try to get together AT LEAST a couple times a year and we’ve started skype-type sessions with some of them too. As for our immediate families, they both live close and we usually see them every other week or so. We’ll go out to eat on a Friday night, or they’ll stop by to play with Reid, etc... Our family and friends have both been huge assets in the babysitting realm when we have weddings or photo sessions on weekends. We are fortunate to be surrounded by so many great people.

Dac+Me Dates

Dac and I used to be pretty dang good at having a weekly date night. I knew at the time it would be even more important for us to have that once we had kids. Now that we’re here... it’s not seeming quite as easy to pull off. The truth is, we already use a babysitter more than we’d like with daycare, photo sessions, etc... Plus, we enjoy spending time with Reid and as a family. Our marriage has certainly felt the impact of an “in passing” relationship and it needs to become a top priority again. Recently, we’ve made more of an effort and I notice the difference. We might stay up and watch a movie after Reid goes to bed, take a lunch+Target trip together sans Reid, or, like earlier this month, we took a mini trip (my first night away from Reid) to celebrate our anniversary. It always feels good to be ‘us’ again but we just don’t make it enough of a priority all the time.

SO, clearly I don’t have it all figured out. It’s gotten easier in a lot of ways - sure - but I still feel like I’m spinning my wheels trying to fit in all the ‘work’ of life while trying to just be relaxed and enjoy our family. It’s tough! I know this phase of life will all too quickly pass and Reid is just... wow... growing up way too fast. Each day gets a little more manageable than the day before. We’re making it and that’s what matters. =) Life is good.

A recent blog post I wrote on working mom guilt.

We are currently re-vamping our photography business website/blog - but you can still visit www.dacandalisha.com/blog or find us on facebook under On The Wall Photography! I’m also on instagram as alishacall and pinterest as acall.

Being Mama: Workin' it

Today, I have the pleasure of guest blogging for Melissa over at Stafford Stories. She's running a series of guests posts about the lives of working moms. I hope you can take a minute to visit her blog and read about a typical day in the life of Reid's working mom! =)

In copying the post over, some of the formatting and links were lost - but since you guys come here anyway, you know where to find them. =)

Midweek Randoms

• Isn't fall weather fabulous? I sorta love it. Until it gets super cold and wet. For now, it's all puppies, and rainbows, and chocolate chip muffins... fabulous.

• We had Wii Night Thursday. We went to Cori's this time so I could catch up on Sons of Anarchy. haha! I made chili and cinnamon roll cake. We stayed out past Reid's bedtime so he fell asleep in the car. When I got him out, he was all warm, cuddly, and sleepy - happily snoozing on my shoulder. =) We may be staying out later more often. ;)

• The next morning, Reid didn't want to wake up. He looked so sweet:

•  After work Friday, we took our monthly trip to Target for Reid-essentials. We ate at Panera then did some other shopping too.

• Saturday, Reid slept in a wee bit. We played and did some housework before shooting a senior session that evening. We really enjoy seniors. It was fun!

• A little computer screen shot...

• Sunday, we skipped church to have some downtime. That afternoon we went to Dac's mom's house to eat then we photographed one of my favorite families that evening. That night, we got to chat with other some friends too.

• Monday was just one of those days. You know the ones. A stereotypical Monday. I was tired, woke up grumpy, and things just seemed to be going against me. Good thing things always look up!

• Dac's been running wild with work and working on other things... We don't get to see much of each other during the week.  Boooo.

• I made this for dinner last night. It's a sweet potato, smoked sausage, asparagus hash basically. My sweet potatoes were a bit too mushy but that's an easy fix. It was pretty tasty.

• Once I had supper pretty well cleaned up, I gave Reid a bath (he was covered in blueberries and carrots... it was baaaaaad) then we played.

• In other news, fall TV is starting. Holla!! 

• I had two warts removed several days ago. One off my pointer finger (right hand) and one on the bottom of my foot. OUCH. They're just now starting to feel better. The doctor had be soak my foot before he worked on it. When he and the nurse came back in the room, he asked the nurse why she had me soaking both feet. I chimed in, letting him know I did that on my own. I told him there was no sense in having only one of my feet be clean. =) Might as well treat it as a spa day. He laughed. I should maybe be embarrassed by this, but I am not! ha!

Being Mama: Sleep-teachin'

This is the fifth post in my "being mama" series.
----

Let me start out by saying (again) that I'm writing this post for documentation purposes and if someone out there in the interwebs happens to find something helpful or encouraging from it, all the better. What I'm NOT trying to do is make someone feel doubt, guilt, hurt, or worse - judgement. Lord knows there's enough of that to go around in MomLand - you don't need it here too! =)
----

First of all, this isn't a "how-to" blog post. So if you stumbled upon this looking for answers, I'm sorry to say, you've come to the wrong place. I'm a new mom and an expert I am NOT. =)

Dac and I had grand plans of having a perfect, sleeping-through-the-night (mostly) baby by about the time I went back to work at around 9-weeks. Spoiler alert... this was hardly the case. =) Who could have seen that coming!? ;) But our plan wasn't a total fail either...

Sleep was probably my most studied, researched, worried about issue when I was pregnant and when Reid was a wee little babe. I spent hours delved into this topic. There is so much information out there about baby sleep - much of it contradictory, most of it overwhelming.

One day, I was asking a friend some questions about her favorite products, etc... just as I asked many friends, many times during my pregnancy. She mentioned that a co-sleeper was one of her must have items and quickly followed that up with a "if that's something you're interested in - to each her own!". That immediately made me feel secure enough to ask more questions and to share what I was considering. When I shared my hopes for a sound-sleeping baby, she shared what worked for her kids. That at least helped me narrow down our direction and while we didn't follow her plan to a 'T', it helped us establish a framework that we could tweak to fit Reid's and our needs.

We just knew co-sleeping probably wasn't going to work for us - for a number of reasons. So, our plan was always for Reid to sleep in a pack-n-play in our room for the first few weeks then switch him to his crib before I went back to work.

If you've followed this blog for a while, you may remember me mentioning that Reid would NOT sleep in that dang pack-n-play. Would not. Plus, we weren't in our bedroom anyway b/c I had to sleep in the dang recliner. We've certainly got our money out of that thing! The first two nights were absolute hell in the sleep department. I was still completely out of it and exhausted from surgery (and let's face it, pregnancy!) and all the breastfeeding drama we were having. I was also an emotional wreck and the continuous lack of sleep was not working... for any of us. Night one: when he actually slept, he did so in Dac's arms. Night two; Reid slept part of the night in his carseat - not our proudest moment but I don't regret it for a minute. Night three: we were loaned a Fisher Price Rock-n-Play bassinet. It saved our lives... or at least our sanity. Reid slept like...well... a baby. Aaaaahhhhh. Sweet relief.

So - for the next few weeks, even once we moved back to the bedroom, Reid slept in the rock-n-play and woke 2-3 times a night to eat. He really wasn't ever an awful sleeper so we had that in our favor. Even though we weren't worried about a routine or sleep training yet (we knew he'd find one eventually and really just wanted to enjoy him... plus we were kind of just getting by, ha!) we did start instilling some habits to help him learn to fall asleep on his own. We used some white noise (this was out of necessity), put him down groggy but awake a few times a day, we swaddled him up snug as a bug, and just tried to let him put himself to sleep when possible. We never forced it and trust me, the kid got plenty of rockin' and snugglin'. =) There were also plenty of nights we paced the floor with him bouncing in our arms to keep him asleep. Plus, right around that 5-6 week mark, the little dude hit that growth spurt I thought might throw me over the edge. =) At that point, anything went. We did what we needed to keep him happy and to keep ourselves alive.  (Good thing I'm not dramatic at all.)

No baby ears were harmed in the making of this photograph.

When Reid was a little over 6-weeks old (and coming off the growth spurt), we put him in his crib for naps... just to test the water. The first time was a fail but the next couple seemed to go pretty well, so a couple nights later, we put him in his crib at bedtime. Aside from waking to eat, he made it through the night and seemed to actually sleep better in the crib. That was it. We never looked back and we all began to sleep better.

At around 10-12 weeks, we started to focus more on routine. Once he was in a good routine, following a basic eat, play, sleep pattern and going approximately three hours between feedings, we started trying to wean nighttime feedings. We chose to ease into it instead of going cold turkey - just because that plan seemed to be working so far. In every parenting move we'd made in those few short weeks, we kind of tested the waters before diving in. Once we decided we were all in, we did hold ourselves to the plan but always knew his needs were the top priority. He still got plenty of comfort and nothing was rushed or forced. If we felt he truly needed something, we provided it. We never made him suffer or go without.

If I remember correctly, he was going to sleep around 8 p.m. (still does) and waking at around 1 a.m. and 5 a.m. to eat.

We started working on the 5 a.m. feeding first... with the goal of him sleeping until 6 a.m. When he would wake up, we'd let him fuss to make sure he was truly awake and not just trying to get comfortable, etc... if he fussed for at least 5 minutes, one of us would go check on him and rub his back (but not pick him up) until he settled down. If he fussed again, we'd try to hold out for 10 minutes. Next time, we'd try 15, and so on. If it was clear that he was awake for good and/or if he was truly in distress, we'd absolutely pick him up, comfort him, change him, etc... We followed this pattern for a few days until Reid was sleeping until 6 a.m. At that time, I'd get him up and feed him and give him lots of extra lovin'. =) He always seemed to wake up happy.

Next up was the 1 a.m. feeding. We followed the same plan.  I know all babies are different and each will sleep through the night at different times, but it became clear to us very quickly that Reid was no longer hungry during the night... he just wanted comfort. After a few days of nudging the feeding back, we were able to make it to 3 a.m. At that point we decided to try to go all the way until 6 a.m. and we did! We comforted him a few times but did not feed him. That sealed the deal. He didn't receive another night feeding after that. He was happy, rested, and continued to grow so we felt confident what we we had done the right thing... for us.

Was it hard to hear him cry and not rush right to his side? Absolutely. Did we question and doubt ourselves? Every. Single. Day. Deep down though, we felt we were doing the right thing for him. I believe there is a lot to be said for "baby-led" parenting. I also think that if babies were born with all the knowledge and skills they needed to live their lives, they wouldn't need parents. As with everything, it's a balance. We wanted to help give Reid the skills he needed to have good sleep habits. That was important to us. It was also important to us to get rest. It's amazing what rest can do for a mama and for this mama, it made a world of difference.

Our experience with sleep teaching is that it wasn't a quick-fix. It wasn't a 3-day bootcamp with no more sleepless nights to follow. It was major improvement, sure, but even now, there's nights he doesn't sleep through the night. Sometimes he needs us to find his pacifier and sometimes he needs his diaper changed. We did, however, see improvement almost right away and for the most part, we can count on getting a good night's sleep now. =) The good certainly outweigh the bad.

The routine we helped him (and he helped us) into is the same basic routine he continues to follow. My thoughts on routine will likely be another post but I think it was crucial in helping him sleep through the night. Deep down I believed a routine was good for him and, quite frankly, it was necessary since we both work during the day, but I was a little worried he might become less flexible. Now, it seems to me that because of his routine, he's able to be more flexible. Maybe I'm just making that up? Who knows.

Gah-lee, I sure do love to see that sweet, sleeping face. =) (Sidebar - I just, a couple weeks ago, started giving Reid a muslin blanket to snuggle. He loves it and I feel better knowing it's breathable material =)).

Like I mentioned before, each baby is different and so, even with my super limited mom experience, I have to conclude that each situation will be different. For us, this is what worked. I'm fully aware (and slightly terrified) this may not work on any possible future baby. That's ok. I suppose, just like this time, we'll figure it out as we go.

Other thoughts:

• I'm glad we did this and I'm glad we started early. I think getting to it before he got to set in other habits made things easier on all of us. 

• I read and practiced a lot of tips from the "Happiest Baby on the Block" book. This book promotes the 5 S's - swaddle, side/stomach position, shush, swing, suck. We did all of these and found them helpful. We did not put Reid to sleep on his side or stomach though, just held him like that while swaying him back and forth. Also, though I didn't read it, I was familiar with the philosophies of "Baby Wise" - which is what prompted me to guide Reid's feeding patterns. For the first several weeks of his life, I fed him when he was hungry... then, once I noticed he was falling into a natural pattern, I just kind of tweaked it a little as needed with our work schedules.

• By the time Reid was sleeping in his crib, I had stopped rocking him to sleep. I rocked him while he ate and while we were just hanging out, but I stopped doing it right at bedtime. We wanted him to learn to fall asleep on his own. He falls asleep for naps and at bedtime without assistance. Occasionally, I'll still hold him and rock him while he sleeps. A little spoiling never hurt anybody. ;)

• I can't stress enough that I feel this is a very personal decision. We chose to sleep train. We chose to do it earlier than what some experts suggest. I have great friends who have handled baby sleep much differently and they still have happy, healthy kids. I honestly believe that within safe limits, what works for your family is what's best. All we can do is our best right? I, for one, am thankful to have had support and encouragement as we waded through this particular hurdle. This parenting gig is tough. I'm not sure you can ever really know you're doing the exact right thing. I'm not even sure there is an exact right thing. =)

Thanks for listening to me ramble and sleep tight!

About Me: Three wishes

In case you missed it, I recently started a little "About Me" series. I'm working through a list of things I want my kids to know about me. I thought it was sort of a cool getting-to-know-you project and would also be nice for this scrapbook that Reid will eventually look through.

Here's what I've done so far:

1. List 20 random facts about yourself

2. Describe 3 legitimate fears you have and explain how they became fears

3. Describe your relationship with your spouse

4. List 10 things you would tell your 16 year-old self, if you could

5. What are the 5 things that make you most happy right now?

6. If you could have three wishes, what would you wish for?

• I wish for everyone, everywhere, to have enough to eat and to be protected from the elements.

• I wish for every baby (fur-babies included) to have a mama and daddy and every mama and daddy to have a baby.

• I wish for more courage.

About Me: Five things that make me happy RIGHT NOW.

In case you missed it, I recently started a little "About Me" series. I'm working through a list of things I want my kids to know about me. I thought it was sort of a cool getting-to-know-you project and would also be nice for this scrapbook that Reid will eventually look through.

Here's what I've done so far:

1. List 20 random facts about yourself

2. Describe 3 legitimate fears you have and explain how they became fears

3. Describe your relationship with your spouse

4. List 10 things you would tell your 16 year-old self, if you could

5. What are the 5 things that make you most happy right now?

• Drawing a line through items on my millions of lists.

• Exchanging smiles with Dac. It's the best reassurance in the midst of total chaos. Some days, that's really all the time together we get... a smile as we pass by each other. I've learned to not brush that off as nothing.

• Watching Reid learn something new then letting him stay up a bit too late while at a friend's house, just to have him fall asleep in the car, so when I get him out, he's all curled up and sleepy on my shoulder. It's a day-maker people. He normally doesn't hold still long enough for that.

• Having good conversation or just regular ol' everyday moments with loved ones.

• Cozying into a pair of sweat pants then sitting down for the first time all night, on the couch, with a snack (something of the pumpkin variety sounds nice today), and watching a TV show while it rains outside. =) Not to be picky or anything. 

About Me: Words to my 16-year old self

In case you missed it, I recently started a little "About Me" series. I'm working through a list of things I want my kids to know about me. I thought it was sort of a cool getting-to-know-you project and would also be nice for this scrapbook that Reid will eventually look through.

Here's what I've done so far:

1. List 20 random facts about yourself

2. Describe 3 legitimate fears you have and explain how they became fears

3. Describe your relationship with your spouse

4. List 10 things you would tell your 16 year-old self, if you could.

Hey mini Alisha! =) Have I got some tales for you! In the meantime, here's some little tidbits that might be helpful to know.

• If you haven't already, you're going to start getting burned out playing so much tennis. That's OK, just be sure to stay active! You're going to want to go to the donut shop more frequently and have junk food parties in journalism class... Just. Say. No. You won't be working out enough to pull that off anymore.

• You might as well start liking orange now. Get used to seeing yourself in it. It has to be bright (not to be confused with neon) orange too. The brightest orange in the nation. In a couple years you're going to buy your first orange t-shirt and are going to feel a little ridiculous wearing that thing. Never fear, you were born to wear that color and you will continue to do so proudly. 

• I know you've been hearing this for a while now, but seriously, slather on that sunscreen. Then do it again... and again...

• Don't laugh, but you're actually going to like regular ol' iced tea one of these days. IIIII KNOW. Can you believe it? Sure, sweet is best, but it's ok to like both.

• Over the next few years you're going to feel a little awkward about the fact that you don't drink when everybody else seems to. Hang in there - you have another ten years of this. The good news is, you still have lots of friends along the way - most of them (and all the important ones) don't give a care about whether you drink or not... they just kinda like you for whatever reason. =) You also end up with a pretty cute husband (yep, same guy) and the most precious child you'll ever meet. You're life is pretty good - drinks or no drinks - so don't worry about being an outcast. Just be you. 

• You are currently considering a career in journalism (I think at this particular moment you're probably leaning more towards broadcast journalism but you consider all forms. Anyway, you're going to ultimately pursue a public relations career. This sounds like you're going to make lots of money... and you could... just know that not all PR jobs are created equally. Pick and choose wisely. PS - save your money too. Being broke is the pits.

• This is important. 2010 is going to prove to be a rough year for you. You're going to lose a couple people who are close to you... staples in your life. Take the time now to talk to your family and friends. Spend more time with them. Do everything you can so that you won't have regrets later. 

• You might think about going to the gynaecologist now instead of when you have to. You'll save yourself a whole lotta pain (now and all through your twenties too), uncertainty, and more pain and uncertainty. It's too long of a story to go into, but just trust me, and do it.

• The world is going to change a lot in just the next few years. You wouldn't believe half of it if I told you. Just know that the world becomes a little scarier and you'll have more fear and doubt than you should. You won't be the only one, just don't let it eat you up. Know that there is still good in the world... so much good.

• See in yourself what you see in the people around you. You are good to give people the benefit of the doubt and to see the beauty in them. Throw some of that grace back at yourself occasionally. God doesn't make mistakes and He loves you in such an incredible, un-comprehendible way.

Hang in there, enjoy your life - you have a great one!

Midweek Randoms

So let's see here. Last week - Reid finally had his 9-month appt. He got a rave review... healthy, happy, and is growing into his head. =) Bonus - no shots this time!

After his appt, we were starved. SO - after much debate we ended up at the donut shop for a fried heart-attack-waiting-to-happen meal. It was delicious. Cheeseburger and pickle-o's for the win.

We topped it off with donut sundaes - which, surprisingly, I wasn't super impressed with.

The next day, I went to a KanSPRA meeting. That's really all I have on that topic. haha!

That evening, I did lots of cleaning and laundry before we went out of town. I also made these cinnamon streusel muffins. I also held on to my boy a bit more than usual. =)

Saturday morning we left for OKC. Like I mentioned before, my parents were kind enough to keep Reid for us while we were gone. I knew he was in great hands but this was my first time away from him overnight. =/ I really did pretty well until his bedtime. That was a little rough. He did OK though and I was SUPER excited to see him the next day. =)

I think I also mentioned we made it to Bible study Sunday night.

We've actually been home the past couple nights which has been nice. Allows more time for this:

And making this to eat with dinners...

We're running super low on baby food right now so Reid had his first real "table food" last night. He had cut up green beans and some of his sweet potato puffs. He's not great at pinching the food yet... still does more of the whole-hand grasping. Also, he had a bit more trouble swallowing the green beans but all-n-all, he did well.

I can't get over what a big boy he's becoming.

In other random news:

• I'm still doing Zumba 2-3 times a week. I enjoy it... but I say that loosely, b/c while I do enjoy it, it's still exercise and I hate being reminded of just how out of shape I am.

• Payday is this week. Praise Jesus. It's been a loooooooong month.

• I'm kind of over the whole Sports Illustrated supposed OSU scandal. It seems to me like while SI brought about some shocking revelations like some college kids do drugs, some have sex, oh and some cheat on tests like, it really didn't bring about (in my opinion) any super scandalous tidbits. I think Pistols Firing summed it up nicely. I certainly don't condone any of the alleged actions but continue to be a proud Cowboy.

• I need to get on finding some outfits for our family session coming up!

• Might I just add how stinkin' excited I am for fall. LOVE IT.