20 Things That Change

Found this on a parenting website and loved it…thought I would share for any momma’s who still read my rarely updated blog :)

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Everyone warns you that having a baby will change your life. Sure, you'll have less money (and sleep), and a lot more responsibility. But when the centre of your universe shifts to your baby, there's much to celebrate too.

You discover an inner strength you never realized you had.

You accept that the last 15 pregnancy pounds you can't seem to shift are absolutely worth it.

You don't need a clock any more - your baby now sets your daily schedule.

You respect and love your own parents in a new way.

Any pain your baby suffers feels much worse than your own.

You don't mind going to bed at 9pm on a Friday night.

Your heart breaks much more easily.

You discover how much there is to say about one little baby tooth.

You look at your baby in the mirror instead of yourself.

You're no longer disgusted by babies' bodily functions - in fact, you're fascinated by them (hooray, a poo!).

The sacrifices you thought you'd made to have a baby no longer seem that big a deal.

You respect your body ... finally.

You realize that a baby's blankie has magical powers!

You give parents with a screaming baby an "I-know-the-feeling" look, instead of a "Can't-they-shut-him-up?" one.

You make time for one more baby hug and kiss, even if it means you'll be late.

You realize that it's possible to love a complete stranger.

You learn that taking a shower is a luxury, never mind a trip to the hair salon.

You finally get to speak to the shy neighbour in your street, because you've got a baby in your arms.

You find that things that once seemed important are now meaningless.

Every day is a surprise.

Day in the Life (6.5 months)

Monday, 1/7/13

5:04AM – I wake up to hearing Toby stirring on the video monitor.  He is moving around but not fussing.  I try to fall back asleep as I don’t go in there now unless he’s truly crying.  He’s been sleeping since about 7:45pm (no wake-ups).

6:52AM – He must have fallen back asleep as I wake up again to hearing him whining.  I go into his room, say “Good Morning”, take him out of his sleep sack and do a diaper change.  Then he nurses for about 20 minutes, I burp him and we hang out in the glider for a little.  Maggie  comes in to see what we’re doing.

7:30AM– We go downstairs so I can eat breakfast and turn the Keurig on.  Toby sits very well on his own now so I feel comfortable leaving him on his mat in the living room while I microwave my oatmeal and make coffee.  I come back into the living room to watch him play while I eat.  After I finish, I sit on the floor with him and we play with blocks and rattles, I help him use his sippy cup to drink some water, and we also play with some wooden car toys. 

8:05AM – He starts to get fussy so he’s probably hungry.  First we do another diaper change (he’s pretty on schedule with pooping in the AM before 8:30).  Then I bring him into the kitchen, strap him in the high chair and prepare breakfast.  He will get 2oz of oatmeal and 2oz of applesauce this morning.  He eats all the oatmeal and about half of the applesauce before he starts to get uninterested and make the sour face (that means he’s full).

8:30AM – I clean him up and give him a few toys to play with while still in the high chair so I can empty the dishwasher and wash some stuff in the sink.  The cats have been jumping on the counter all morning so I know they smell something in there they want.  After about 15 minutes, he starts to get fussy so I bring him upstairs to wind down before putting him down for a nap.  We read a couple stories using the Boppy to prop up the books.

8:55AM – I turn on the white noise machine, put him in his sleep sack and sing the ABC’s to him.  I head to our room to grab the monitor and my laptop and head upstairs to the loft.  Toby falls asleep in about 5 minutes.  I log into work to check emails and Skype with co-workers.

9:30AM - I log out of work, head back downstairs to our room and spend some time paying bills online, checking out blogs, and watching the local news.  After about 20 minutes, I take a shower, get dressed, brush teeth, apply make-up and fix hair.  Toby is still napping so I go downstairs to make a couple bottles.

10:30AM – Toby is up!  It’s so nice when he sleeps longer than an hour in the mornings (he’s not consistent with it yet).  He’s not fussing but I head into his room to get him dressed for the day.  We head back downstairs and I warm a bottle up.  He takes about 15 minutes to finish it (7 oz).

11:10AM – We get ready to leave for a grocery shopping trip.  I usually go on Sundays but didn’t get the chance to go yesterday.  I plop him in the shopping cart cover once we get to the store and he’s pretty content with just watching everything around him.  He loved when I showed him a couple limes.  Received four comments on how cute he is.

12:30PM – Back home - groceries and Toby are unloaded.  I sit him down on a blanket right outside the kitchen with a few toys so I can watch him while I make a quick lunch for myself.  We then head upstairs to play and read a couple stories before he takes a nap.

1:15PM – I put him down for a nap.  He takes about 10 minutes to wind down before he falls asleep.  I pick up some clutter in our bathroom and bedroom and then use my laptop for a bit.

2:20PM – Toby is up…grrr for no 90 minute nap.  I wait 5 minutes but he’s definitely up and fussing so I go in to get him.  Hubby gets home at this point and comes upstairs to see what we’re doing.  Hubby takes Toby and I go downstairs to make a green smoothie for me and warm up a bottle for Toby (7oz).  Hubby sits down in the living room to feed Toby and I then head back upstairs to the loft to log into work. 

5:30PM – I am done with work for the day so I come back downstairs.  Toby has played, used his jumper, and ate while I was working.  He is on day three of trying mashed potatoes with a little unsalted butter and he HATES them.  First solid food he’s really disliked.  Hubby gave him yogurt (about 2oz) since he didn’t eat the potatoes.  Guess we’ll try a new veggie tomorrow.  I start to make dinner which is Sloppy Joe Cups tonight.

6:20PM – Hubby and I eat dinner in the living room while Toby plays on the floor.  Normally we eat at the dining room table but Toby had enough of being in the high chair or sitting in the Go Pod.  After dinner, I clean up the kitchen while Toby plays with Hubby.

7:00PM – Hubby takes Toby upstairs to get ready for a bath.  I make his last bottle of the night (7oz).  I come upstairs to straighten his room and put clothes away while bath time is being finished.  Hubby brings Toby into his room and lays him on the changing table to get him into a nighttime diaper, apply lotion, and dress him in PJ’s.  I take over and feed him the bottle, apply Vaseline on his cheeks when he’s done, and then sing the ABC’s to him while I dress him in the sleep sack.  He is crying already so I try to calm him down a little by patting his head.  He turns onto his belly so I rub his back.  After a minute, I head quietly out of the room and head downstairs.

7:40PM – He cries for about 5 minutes before falling asleep.  Hubby and I watch TV and do stuff on our laptops. 

9:15PM – Hubby heads upstairs to go to bed since he has to wake up at 4AM for work.  Tonight I stay downstairs for awhile longer but sometimes I’ll go up to bed early.  I watch TV, clean up a little downstairs, and then finally pump for 15 minutes.

10:30PM – I go upstairs to bed.

This is a typical day for the most part.  Obviously it can change based on his naps – sometimes he will wake up after 45 minutes and not fall back asleep.  If that happens, Hubby will take him out in the afternoons and then he’ll take a cat nap in the car in the late afternoon.  But he has definitely become more consistent over the past month taking longer naps which has been really nice.

I usually try to get out of the house with him a couple times a week and do errands.  If we don’t end up going out, it just means more playtime in the middle of the day.  Hubby takes him out a lot in the afternoons when they’re together. 

Curious to see how this will change in the next few months!

Losing It…again!

I’m about 5 pounds away from my pre-pregnancy weight, however, my weight shifted around so much that clothes just don’t fit right.  I’d like to get into better shape before I do a shopping spree.  This time I will start with small goals for each week that will translate into a healthier living style.  Here’s the weeks and goals I came up with:

Week 1 – starting 1/7:

• Drink 32oz of water each day.  (Right now I’m lucky if I drink one glass of water – I drink milk, coffee, seltzer, and tea during the day but hardly any plain water).
• Do not eat anything after 9pm.
• Start using LoseIt.com again to track calories and exercise.

Week 2 – starting 1/14:

• Start 30 Day Shred video and do at least 3 days a week. (I bought this months ago and did it for 4 days straight before I stopped.  It’s a killer 20 minute workout that I should do while Toby is happy in his jumper.  Technically I should do 30 days straight for max results but I will aim for 3 days a week now.)
• Keep up with drinking 320z of water each day, tracking on LoseIt.com,  and not eating anything after 9pm.

Week 3 – starting 1/21:

• Increase water intake to 40oz each day.
• Eat 2 servings of fruit each day. 
• Keep up with doing Shred video 3x per week, tracking on LoseIt.com, and not eating anything after 9pm.

Week 4 – starting 1/28:

• Eat 1 serving of veggies each day.
• Keep up with drinking 400z of water each day, doing Shred video 3x per week, eating 2 servings of fruit each day, tracking on LoseIt.com, and not eating anything after 9pm.

This takes me to the end of the month so I will re-evaluate in early February to see what new goals I can add in or if I wasn’t being realistic with something.  Hopefully this will keep me on track :)

Source: addicted2success.com via Emily on Pinterest

 

 

Half a Year

The most common statement I hear from fellow parents?  “It goes by so fast, enjoy it!”  Very, very true.  I have no idea where the last six months went.  I look down at Toby sometimes and think “who is this little boy?”  I was just snuggling a floppy little newborn yesterday.  Or what it feels like was yesterday.  In reality, though, he’s not that tiny infant anymore.  My baby went from laying on his back to rolling to sitting on his own in six months.  He’s grown so much this summer, fall, and now winter. It blows my mind as to how fast they develop, just like how surprised I was after comparing my 7 week ultrasound to the 12 week ultrasound.  

Though, each month keeps getting better and better.  There’s a lot to look forward to.  More milestones to hit, more pictures and videos to take, more “firsts” that we will enjoy together.  However, if there’s anything I’ve learned after the tragic events from Friday is that we need to just live for today and not always be so worried about the future.  I used to be such a planner and now I have a hard time even making plans for the next weekend.  Since becoming a parent, I have noticed myself taking more time to appreciate the little things and to be grateful.  I am thankful every day for so many things.

Does time slow down after the 1st birthday? Please tell me it does!

Toby,

What a journey these past six months have been!  You are the light of my life and such a joy to be around every single day.  My favorite part of my day?  When I’ve found a new thing that will make you giggle.  Lately it’s been “Quack, Quack!”  You are silly one moment and so determined the next.  Whether you’re being serious or talking up a storm, you take everything in stride and thoroughly enjoy just checking out your surroundings.  I love seeing your personality blossom and it makes me laugh when I see you do things resemble me or Daddy.  Everyone always comments on how “good” you are and it’s true…you are such a good baby.  I am so proud to be your mommy. 

“The day I become yours, you became mine.”

Love, Mommy

Toby: 4 Months!

Lots of changes in our household this past month!  Hubby is now on a 5am-2pm shift because he’s working with UK clients.  It’s been hard adjusting to him going to sleep by 9PM, but it’s been nice having him home in the afternoons.  And because he’s home earlier, it means I can go back to work part-time…but I’m working from home.  Goal is to hopefully get an hour done in the mornings when Toby’s in a good mood and enjoys playing on his own for a bit and then getting a few more hours done in the afternoon while Toby hangs out with Daddy.  Hoping these new changes work out for the best for us and we can make the most of them!

Other than that, this past month has been full of more smiles and giggles.  If you get Toby “talking” and then start tickling him he will give the best throat-y, gurgly belly laugh.  He talks the most when he’s laying down on the couch next to you or on his changing table.  He’s typically in a pretty good mood now most of the day.  Definitely still has his fussy moments here and there, but they’re rare and usually only in the evenings as we’re still trying to figure out his bedtime.  When he’s not smiling, he is usually checking out his surrounding and being very serious.  We went to Panera a couple weeks ago and he didn’t make a peep the whole time we were there because he was too busy watching everyone.   Guess he’s a little nosy :)  Who doesn’t like to people-watch, though?

We are still going to baby yoga on Friday mornings – I love it and I’m pretty sure Toby does, too :)  It’s nice to get out of the house and do something besides errands, and Toby loves checking out everyone in the class, including the instructor.  He is always smiling when she is talking!  Such a flirt.  There are 6 other families in the class and the babies are all boys, ranging from 2 months to 5.5 months old.  Toby never fusses doing any of the exercises and has gotten much better with tummy time.  I can also tell he’s getting pretty flexible, as he grabs his toes all the time now.  I’m sure he would have started doing these things on his own in time, but I really feel like yoga has helped to speed it up.  And apparently the class relaxes him, as he always falls asleep 2/3 of the way through.  I can tell he’s starting to get sleepy, so I’ll sway him back and forth while sitting down and he’ll just pass out.  At least we get to try most of the moves out before he falls asleep :)

Weight: 12 pounds, 5 ounces (5th percentile).  His doctor wasn’t too concerned about his weight but said it’s probably a good idea to give him some formula in the afternoon or evening for an extra calorie boost. 

Height:  26 inches…still long and lean!

Medical Issues: Cradle cap just will not go away – I put baby oil on his scalp twice a day and then gently scrape with a comb at night and it’s still so dry and flaky.  His doctor recommended to use dandruff shampoo twice a week and let it soak into his scalp during the bath.  Also has a rash on his neck from where he has a couple of fat rolls that stick together :)  She said vaseline may help keep moisture away from it but it probably won’t clear up completely until he’s sitting up better and his neck isn’t so squished. 

Sleep: We were doing pretty well with him being put down in the crib sometime between 8-9pm and then sleeping until 2ish.  I would go in, put in the pacifier at this point, and he’d fall back asleep until 3:30 or 4AM.  After a quick nursing session he would fall back asleep until about 8, which was AWESOME.  Waking up at 8 is the perfect time as it isn’t too early in the morning and yet it still gives us enough time to get ready and do errands with feeling like we didn’t waste the day away.  So that’s how sleep went for a few weeks and then we decided to wean the swaddle after he rolled a few times from back to tummy last week on his activity mat…that threw the sleep schedule off completely the first two nights we tried it.  He would cry as soon as we put him down in the crib and would wake up once an hour several times a night, mostly because his arms would flail around and wake him up (one night we tried swaddling one arm still in and that didn’t go well so we had to stop it cold turkey).  However, most times he would put himself back to sleep after fussing for a few minutes (we always wait 10 minutes and then go in to soothe if still necessary since usually he works it out by the 8 minute mark on his own).  After the first couple rough nights, he had two really good nights where he slept straight through from 8:3o until 4, up to eat, back to sleep until 8.  The last two nights he’s woken up a few times from 8:30 until 11, but then falls back asleep until 3:30.  He adjusted fairly quickly without the swaddle for naps – he still fusses for about 5 minutes when I put him down but I do not rock him at all for naps anymore so I know that’s why.  He has been napping about 30-40 minutes without the swaddle.  I tried getting him to combine two of his afternoon naps into one long nap and it didn’t work, so I guess he’s just a short napper.

Clothes/Diapers: We switched to 3-6 month and 6 month clothing when the weather started to cool down in late September.  He was growing out of a lot of the 0-3 summer stuff lengthwise anyway.  I thought he’d be swimming in the larger clothes but basically everything fits him pretty well with the exception of pants being loose around his waist.  For diapers, we are just about out of size 1’s…guessing we only have a week’s worth to finish up before moving onto 2’s.  We’ve had a few close calls so it’s definitely time to switch.  Still loving Pamper’s Swaddlers – they’re so soft compared to other diapers and I can see why they’re expensive – definitely worth the cost and I really don’t mind spending the extra money on them as we’ve probably only had about 5 leaks since he’s been born (never pee ones, though). 

Diet: One week shortly after his three month birthday, we added formula to a bottle before bedtime to see if it would help him sleep longer at night (did half formula and half breastmilk).  Did it work?  Eh, not really.  Some nights he slept an extra hour, some nights he woke up earlier than normal.  Really all the formula did was make him poop more…lovely.  We decided to just go back to only breastmilk, but now we’ll be adding a bottle of formula to help him gain some weight.  He is nursing every 3 hours during the day (usually at 8AM, 11AM, 2PM, 8PM and an early AM session).  For the 5PM feeding, we usually do a bottle and he gets 5oz.  I think for this bottle, it will be all formula and then I’ll just freeze whatever I pump. 

Baby Gear Love: Board books – he loves the simple touch and feel ones with large pictures and just one word on each page.  And “Crinkly Star” is a new hit – it’s a lightweight teething blanket.  He loves cuddling with it and is starting to realize the corners are fun to put in his mouth.

Milestones/Firsts: Rolled from tummy to back on 9/19 (knew it wasn’t a fluke since he did it twice in a row!).  He started cooing weeks ago, but he really started “talking” and shrieking the last week of September – totally found his voice!  Rolled from back to tummy a few times on 10/10 on his activity mat.  Started grabbing his feet the second week of October.  First time to Pumpkintown in East Hampton, CT on 10/6.  First time apple picking on 10/11.  Started bringing toys to his mouth on his own in early October.

Likes: Talking, talking, talking!  He will really start having a conversation with you if you lay him on the changing table or a couch where he can look directly up at you.  Also loves being read to and looking at books.  And unfortunately he has started to turn his neck around to watch TV…trying to not make that a habit.  He also prefers to always stand instead of sitting.  And the fascination with hands and putting everything to his mouth has started. 

Dislikes: Mommy and Toby are not fans of cold weather clothes…just takes too long to put on pants and long sleeve shirts.  Also not happy when he realizes he’s being put down for a nap.  He knows as soon as you bring him over to the crib and will start crying.  He’s gotten very easygoing but will let you know right away if he’s not happy with something – can go from happy to frustrated in literally 2 seconds :)

Postpartum: I have to admit I feel guilty and sad about Toby’s weight gain – it’s a lot of pressure for him to gain weight when I’m his main food source and because he hasn’t gained a lot over the past couple months I almost feel like I failed.  I’ve been debating switching him to formula for the past couple weeks so I guess this is a sign it’s time.  Still undecided if I want to continue breastfeeding and supplement with formula or just completely switch to formula.  Not an easy decision.  For other stuff, I started to do the 30 Day Shred but that lasted 4 days before I stopped.  Let’s just say the last thing I want to do during nap time is exercise…but I know I have to do it to get the last 5 pounds off.  Once I figure out the work-at-home routine, I’m making it a goal to get some exercise back into my day.  At least all my jeans fit now, though!  My hair was still falling out in clumps until my hair-cut last weekend so that’s helped with the shedding. 

TGIF

This pretty much sums up how I'm feeling today:

 

Source: someecards.com via Emily on Pinterest

 

I'm praying that someone takes a longgggg nap after yoga today because I'm dragging big time.  Toby went to bed at 7:35pm last night, which is the earliest he’s ever fallen asleep.  It was awesome…especially because he didn’t even cry when I put him down.  So him going to bed early should be a good thing, right?  Well it meant his 6 hour stretch ended around 1:30 so he was up then.  Normally he doesn’t get up until 3:30ish now for a feeding so I tried to get him to wait until then but he was NOT having it.  Let’s just say he definitely has some of my personality traits…he gets pretty frustrated when something doesn’t go his way.  Long freaking night.  SIGH.

 

It’s a good thing he’s so cute ;)

Life with a 2 Month Old (10 weeks) – AM Schedule

“So what do you do all day?” is the one of the most common questions I get asked now since I’m a SAHM.  I decided to recap a day-in-the-life post to recap what Toby and I do currently on a daily basis.  This took forever to put together (I saved little notes on my Notes app on my phone all day to remind me what we did), but it was worth doing and I’d like to do it again in a couple months to see the changes for our schedule!  I’m going to separate this into two posts, since it’s pretty long.

Day of the week: Monday, Aug. 27th – morning schedule

2:50AM – I wake up to Toby fussing on the monitor that sits on my nightstand table.  He’s been asleep since 9:30 so it’s time for him to eat.  Grab my phone, head over to the nursery, un-swaddle, sit down with the Boppy on the my lap.  Toby nurses for 20 minutes (I usually time all of his nursing sessions on an app on my iPhone).  I’m surfing the Internet or checking Facebook while he eats.  After burping, I re-swaddle him in his Miracle Blanket and lay him back in the crib.  He is asleep almost immediately.  I head back to bed for a few more hours of sleep.

6:50AM – Wake up again to Toby crying.  Grab my phone, head back to the nursery.  He stops fussing as soon as I say “Good Morning, Toby!”.  He is all smiles and bubbles.  Un-swaddle and bring him over to the changing station to do a diaper change.  As soon as I lay him down, he realizes he’s not being fed right away and freaks out so I try to do this quickly.  Back to glider, he nurses for 20 minutes.  Hubby comes over to kiss us both good-bye since he’s ready to go to work.   I decide to try to get Toby back to sleep and rock him.  After about 10 minutes, I re-swaddle, put him back in the crib and give him the pacifier.  Maggie comes in to see what I’m doing and peeks in on Toby before we leave.

7:45AM – I go back to my room and turn the monitor on to see if he’ll fall asleep on his own since rocking didn’t make him drowsy.  I watch the Today show (biggest news is Hurricane Isaac that is going to hit Florida and New Orleans this week) and also check the video monitor every so often.  Toby is wiggling like crazy in his crib but not making any noise except for an occasional grunt so I close my eyes and hope we’ll both doze off for a bit.

9:15AM – Success!  I wake up to Toby stirring on the monitor.  We both got an hour or so of sleep.  I head back to the nursery, un-swaddle and start nursing.  He’s all smiles again.

9:40AM – We come downstairs after he’s done eating, I put him in the swing and turn it on.  After cleaning up cat barf, I grab a bowl of Rice Krispies and come back to the living room to eat breakfast on the couch.  We go back upstairs, I pick out an outfit for Toby, change his diaper, apply lotion, and dress him.  Then I prop him up in the Boppy on the floor so I can change his crib sheet since I’ll be doing his laundry later.

10:10AM – We go into Hubby and I’s bedroom and I put Toby in his infant chair so he can punch the toys that hang above him.  I hop in the shower, then brush my teeth, dress in my standard mom outfit (stretchy shirt that can be pulled down for nursing, yoga pants), apply some make-up and throw my hair into a messy bun.  By this point, Toby is fussing and I know he’s ready for a nap. 

10:35AM – We head to his room to read a book to calm him down before napping.  I choose Love You Forever which always makes me tear up at the end.  He is closing his eyes as I finish so I swaddle him in an A&A blanket and give him a pacifier.  I quietly leave his room with his laundry basket and go downstairs.  I fold Hubby’s laundry that was in the dryer and stick Toby’s stuff in the wash.  Then I relax on the couch, work on an Etsy order on my laptop and check out some blogs.

11:40AM – Toby is up!  He usually wakes up pretty cranky from naps so he’s not too happy until I walk into his room and say hi.  Quick diaper change and then nurse again.  We come downstairs and he lays on his activity mat to play for 20 minutes or so.  I make lunch quickly and then eat in the living room so I can watch him.  Then I move him over to the swing so I can vacuum the downstairs and throw the laundry in the dryer. 

Up next I will post the PM schedule!

Toby: 2 Months!

What happened to the snuggly little newborn who loved cuddling on our chests, and was perfectly content with just snoozing all the time???  He’s grown into a wide-eyed, curious little guy who is constantly wanting to move and squirm ALL the time.  Month two has flown by so fast – the biggest changes have been seeing Toby become more aware of his surroundings.  He recognizes both of our voices and if he hears someone new, he will search the room with his eyes trying to find the person attached to the voice.  He loves being outside, feeling the breeze and warm summer air.  He prefers for music or some kind of noise to always be on.  The louder a room is, the easier it is for him to fall asleep – and to stay asleep for longer.  He is definitely growing now.  I keep looking at his fingers and his nails and am amazed at how bigger they seem.  He’s also filling out clothes at a much faster pace.  He’s still longer than wider, but I can tell he’s getting chunky.  He keeps getting lint and other stuff stuck in his rolls, which has made baths a necessity :)

I have to admit, I miss the little new baby cuddles and just how tiny he was!  He will still fall asleep in my arms, but it’s just not the same as it was when we first took him home.  I never thought I would say I’d miss the first few weeks since they were tough, but I do!  However, I’m really excited for month 3, though, since he’s so much more into playing and interacting with us now.

Weight: His doctor is on vacation until next week, so his 2 month appt isn’t until the 28th.  Maybe he’ll be close to 10 pounds by then?

Height: Still long and lean – some of his 0-3 clothes are pulling already at the bottom of his diaper bulge and getting short.

Medical Issues: Baby acne is finally going away!  Still dealing with some eczema but it doesn’t seem to itch or bother him.  Not an issue, but I accidently made him bleed when cutting one of his nails tonight…oh I feel so awful right now :(

Sleep: Pretty good!  He usually falls asleep on his own if we put him in the crib drowsy and not completely asleep.  Same routine of being in the crib by 9:30 at the latest, sleeping until 2 or 3, eating, then back to sleep until 6:30 or 7.    Now I’m trying to feed him again quickly and put him back in the crib to see if he’ll sleep for another hour or so before we actually start getting ready for the day.  Some days it works, some days it doesn’t :)  Naps are going well, too – he’s finally starting to sleep longer than just 3o minutes at a time, though he still isn’t on a set schedule yet.  He will fall asleep anywhere – the crib, pack n’ play, swing or car.

Clothes/Diapers Sizes: 0-3 stuff finally all fit.  Still 1 for diapers.

Diet: Pretty proud that we’ve made it two months with breastfeeding!  We’ve had some frustrating moments but we’ve gotten through it.  Sessions last about 20-30 minutes and he’s even getting good at latching on himself without help.  When eating from a bottle, he takes close to 4 ounces (I usually put 3.75 in).

Baby Gear Love: Nothing really new – he still loves his activity mat, the swing, the Ergo, and now he’s getting more comfortable with his high chair (it reclines back for an infant) so we’ve been able to eat dinner together at the table. 

Milestones/Firsts: Daddy taught him how to “stand” and now he wants to do it ALLLL the time.  He loves holding his legs as straight as possible and putting all his weight on them.  Even while laying down, which has made diaper changes and putting him into footed pj’s very difficult.  He also grabbed onto the leg of one of his toys by himself but I’ve only seem him do that once. 

Likes: Baths.  Being outside.  Loud noise and listening to people talking.  Punching and swatting toys.  Looking up at the mobiles in his crib and pack n’ play.

Dislikes: Tummy time.  Sigh – we were trying to work up past 5 minutes each day but as soon as I put him on his belly, he fusses immediately.  Also not a fan of being in the car seat for an extended period of time.  I have a feeling we will be using the Jeep stroller instead of the seat caddy much more in the next few months.

Postpartum – Mommy: Last ten pounds are coming off very, very slowly.  I’ve heard that you burn more fat calories in the 3rd-6th months of breastfeeding…wondering if that’s actually true and maybe I’ll finally drop the pounds then?  I did try on a pair of my jeans that I was wearing right before I got pregnant when I was at my lowest weight ever, and I can zip them up but I’d have a serious muffin top and my thighs were sucked in.  Thank God I saved a few “fat” pairs :) 

Love these half smiles.  Makes my heart happy :)

New Career

I’m definitely still in the process of adjusting to being home full-time, and I think I’ve had to come to terms with it being a “career change”.  I never wanted to think of being a stay-at-home mom as a job, but since Toby’s been born, I’ve realized it really is like being employed since it’s a lot of work.  A ton of work.  I don’t know how working moms do it – I have a hard enough time fitting everything into a day and I don’t go out of the house for 8-10 hours and have a commute to deal with.  The biggest adjustment I’ve had to make is that being a parent is a 24/7 job.  You don’t get a “break” unless you work something out with your significant other or get a baby-sitter, and even then, you have to think “did I leave enough bottles?, “will he be easy to put down for a nap?”, etc.  It’s no joke when people tell you being a parent is the hardest job you’ll ever have.  But I’ve learned very quickly it is the most worthwhile.  Toby and I are still working on a schedule, but each day gets a little easier.

We’ve started to play more the past couple weeks so instead of him napping all the time, I’ve encouraged him to stay up more during the day.  We do a lot of this:

And this:

And we’re practicing a lot more smiles, too:

 

If you asked me a month ago if I was happy being home, my answer would not have been that positive.  The first six weeks with a newborn are rough, but you eventually get through them.  Then the little person you gave birth to actually starts to interact with you more, making those sleepless nights and days of refusing to take naps more bearable.  Now I’m grateful every day I get to stay home with this little guy instead of being holed up in an office.  Sure, I miss the adult interaction and the extra money but seeing these smiles and hearing the little coos more than makes up for it :)