Max's First Day of School

Thursday, October 13th was a very big day for the little man. It was Max's first day of school and my first day back to work, and I am happy to say that both went very well. I've been mentally preparing myself for this day for about 6 weeks, so when it came down to it, I was just ready to get on with it. I woke up extra early to make sure everything was ready for his day and to spend a little time with him. I actually woke him up for a change! I have to be at work early, so Tyler dropped Max off at school. That's probably a good thing, because I'm not sure I could drop him off and walk away.

I wasn't nervous about going back to work, but I was very nervous about how Max would do on his first day. He is very particular about a lot of things, and I was afraid he wouldn't cope well. Max did great! I waited to call Ms. Bridget, his teacher, until lunch time so I didn't sound like a crazy parent. She assured me I can call and or visit anytime I would like and as often as I would like. That is so reassuring to me!

Everyday, Ms. Bridget will fill out a daily sheet that details how Max's day was. It is very specific and includes meal times, nap times, diaper changes, his activities for the day, and anything else she thinks we might want to know about the day. I love that sheet because it lets me know everything that happened during his day. Here is part of Ms. Bridget's note...

"Max had a great first day! He is so sweet, and I got him to smile! He's a very curious boy and loves to be cuddled. He did well around others and enjoyed laying on the play mat in the big room. He listened to all the sounds and music. We introduced him to a lot of new and exciting things today!"

What a nice note and a great first day! My day at work was a good one also. Everyone was so sweet to ask about Max and how he is doing. It felt good to get out of the house too and everyone said they were glad I am back. I'm very thankful that work has been flexible and is allowing me to only work 2 days a week instead of three.

Tyler picked Max up early (at 3:30) so he wouldn't have to be there all day on his first day. I was so thankful for that! He must have been exhausted because he took a 4 hour nap that afternoon, then ate, and went to bed for the night. Overall, it was a good day for us both!

Rise and shine sleepy head! Today is a big, important day!

"Ok, ok, I'll wake up."

Stretch it out!

"You want me to do what today and go where? I don't think so!"

Mommy and Max on his first day of school

"I'm going to miss my Mommy so much today, but I'm going to have fun too!"

"What a day; I'm pooped!"

3 Months Old

Today was a special day! Not only did we meet Max's teacher at his school today, but he is also 3 months old today. Tyler and I enjoy him more and more everyday. He's really getting a little personality of his own and it's so fun to see what new thing he will do next.

This morning Tyler and I met Miss Bridget, Max's teacher at his school. We toured the school and got a mini orientation of what each day will be like. We also saw his classroom that he will be sharing with three other baby girls - what a lucky boy! We loved Miss Bridget and think she will be a great teacher for Max. She seems really sweet and I can tell she loves babies. She said some of the things they will be learning in class are baby yoga, baby sign language and lots of sensory training. We are very excited Max will be going to such a great school. We feel very comfortable with the staff and have friends whose kids go there too and love it. It seems like a really great place and I'm excited to see what Max learns. I definitely have a lot of anxiety about going back to work, but I know it will be a good thing for me and Max. It will help me get out of the house, and Max will learn things at school that I wouldn't know to teach him. It's just very difficult to give up that control and let someone else take care of your child. That seems very weird. Like I said though, we know it will be a great place for Max to learn and grow and I will enjoy him every other day of the week.

3 months old and such a happy baby!

Max loves to sit in his Bumbo chair

Southgate Children's Academy

This is where Max will go to school

Brigit, Max's teacher

Max's crib

The classroom Max will share with 3 other babies - all girls and Max!

Pop and Max

We took a quick trip to Memphis this week to visit family and buy my wedding rings (for the second time).

Dede, Amy, and Max

Max loves to swing! It's one of his very favorite things

A Play Date at the Park

We had a play date at the park this week with Max's friends Lily, Walker, and Jack. It was a beautiful day and we all hung out for a few hours under a big shade tree. It was so nice to visit with other new moms and pick up tips and advice. We laid the babies on blankets and let them kick and coo. I think it was very relaxing for us all!

"look at me!"

"I'm so funny!"

"This is my dramatic face"

"Strike a pose!"

Our great friends, Allison and Walker. Walker and Max were due 1 day apart and are going to be great buddies.

Meg and sweet Lily. Meg is another great friend and Lily is 2 weeks older than Max. We hope Lily will be Max's first girlfriend ;)

How much fun is this? I could have watched them lay here all day!

What a Little Houdini!!

So, we had a very interesting night last Monday night. Max has revealed his first magic trick, and it was a good one! He went to bed around 8pm with no problems. Normally he should sleep straight through the night until 3am when he's ready to eat again. Not that night; he basically woke up about every 2 hours and I think it's because he needed to poop (which will make more sense in a minute). After waking up at 9:30, and we thought, "huh, that's weird for him to wake up right now." Tyler put him back down, not expecting to hear from him again until 3am. Not the case. When he woke up at 12:30am, I discovered that his diaper had slid off his booty and he had pooped all over himself and his pi's. I cleaned him up, fed him, and put him back to bed.

Then, Max woke up at 2:30am. This time Tyler went to get him and he had pooped all over the place again! I heard Tyler say (through the baby monitor), "Why is he so wet?" and then "How the heck did this happen?" I continued to listen through the monitor as Tyler yelled for my help. Max had once again pooped outside his diaper. This time it was all over him, his pi's, his swaddle wrap, and the bed. He had to be completely stripped down and changed. Tyler grabbed the first pi's he could find, fed him, and came back to bed.

At 5am, Max was awake again, and I just could not imagine what he could need or want. So, I turned off the monitor for a little while. (I'm clearly not going to win the "mother of the year" award any time soon, so please don't judge me). He continued to cry, but I fell asleep anyway from being exhausted. I woke up at 6am and he was still screaming, so I jumped up and rushed into his room. I felt so bad that he probably had been crying for that whole hour. Anyway, when I leaned down to pick him up out of his crib, I was shocked to find a NAKED BABY! He was completely naked (except for his diaper), and laying in the crib screaming. He had kicked his legs so hard that he had wiggled off his pi's and his snuggle wrap. For those of you that don't know what a "snuggle me" wrap is, it's more or less like a straight jacket for babies. It's another way to swaddle them and uses velcro to secure it. You wrap them in it instead of using blankets and it's nearly impossible for them to move or get out of. Max is the exception! Not only was he naked, but we forgot to turn the heat on upstairs and it was 68 degrees in his room. He was NAKED and FREEZING! I scooped him up, dressed him, snuggled him the best I could and rushed downstairs to tell Tyler. Before you go calling DCS on me, I will tell you that he was actually completely fine, but I felt like the worst mother ever for turning off that monitor while he lay there crying and freezing for an hour. I certainly won't do that again! It was a crazy night; what a "Little Houdini" we have on our hands!!