4 Weeks Old / A Day in the Life

Somehow 4 weeks have gone by.

On Friday the little bug will be a month old.

!

It's amazing how much she's grown and changed already. 

She turns her head when I speak into each ear and she loves looking at lights. And at the glasses in our hutch. Either she's already curious about alcoholic beverages or she likes the way the light reflects off of the glasses. Either or.

Everyday she gets closer to a real smile and giggle. I know it's coming. The giggle feels like it's just waiting to burst out when we play belly button pie.  

Anyway, I thought this week I'd try to do a day in the life, sort of a photo diary of what we do most days. 

So here it is. 

Prepare yourselves for the adventure.

Sometimes we sleep very well (remember kid, you sleep this well forever and we'll talk about that pony), other times we never sleep more than 2 hours at any given time. Over the weekend we were up more than we slept but Sunday night the bug went down from midnight until 4:15 am. It was a glorious rest. 

She usually wakes up around 8 or 9 am and is up for a few hours before falling asleep again. 

We watch Breakfast Television, CityLine/Kelly & Michael, then (confession) Let's Make a Deal while we play tickle games.

Expressing her judgement at the shows we watch

At some point I head to the kitchen to make some breakfast and fill up a mug of much needed coffee.

We have breakfast in bed, mostly because we can. 

I think I've mastered the feed-the-bug-with-one-hand-and-eat-my-breakfast-with-the-other move.

Bran flakes and yogurt, the breakfast of one-handed champions.

My sister comes over a few days each week to provide me with adult company and to help out with the bug so that I can get some housework done and so that I can have a bit of me time. 

Plus every now and then she brings me McDonalds. 

It's wonderful. 

Aunt Robin also learned that babies instinctively know to pee as soon as you take their diaper out from underneath them. 

We do a combination of reusable and disposable diapers which means those reusable bad boys need to be washed frequently. 

Thankfully baby poo is not offensive in the least.

Also thankfully - John tends to do this chore most often as a trade-off for not being the feedbag who wakes up at all hours of the morning. 

Most afternoons we catch up on some shows in between feedings, playing "look at things", and diaper changes. On Mondays we catch up on The Bachelor from the week before. This week we also took an outing to get candy. 

It made for a nice afternoon.

Candy and terrible TV prove that two wrongs can make a right.

Then we repeat. Feed, change diaper, watch TV, play. Start dinner.

Fit in one cry everyday, either watching parenting commercials or thinking about how much I love this kid.

Throughout the day I also try to make time for the pup. Poor girl hasn't been getting the same quality of walks/plays as she used to. The cold weather hasn't helped any.

Bad pet parenting 101: open back door, leave open a crack so the dog can let herself back in when she's done.

John gets home around 6:15 pm. We catch up on our days (spoiler alert: mine is fairly consistently the same) over dinner, then cuddle with our bug on the couch. Some nights we give our girl a bath. Some nights we indulge in an adult beverage.

I missed you so much, old friend. 

We make our way to bed around 10-10:30 and the bug usually goes down around 11:30-12. 

Then after a few early morning feedings, we repeat.

And that, more or less, is our day.

Thursday we have a doctors appointment and hopefully the weather will warm up a bit so we can get back outside for some walks.

3 weeks old / What I Know About You

Who needs personal space when you get snuggles like this

Today you are 3 weeks old. 

I remember thinking those first few nights that time was standing still and that the hours between sunset and sunrise had never felt so long. 

But now where have those 3 weeks gone? 

I'm learning your routine and learning a little more about you everyday.

Here's what I know about you so far:

• You don't like when I tickle the back of your neck. You shrug up your shoulders and give me a very unimpressed look. I still do it to you though. Get used to it. 
• You don't have silent poops. You let that gas out loud and proud. Don't ever be ashamed of this.
• You're a bit of a night owl. You seem most wide awake (and fussy) between 9 pm to 1am. Recently I've discovered that letting you be upright or laying on your back and letting you look at things seems to calm you. I think you're already inquisitive and you're probably the smartest baby. Ever.
• You're strong. When you get tummy time on my (or your daddy's) chest you can push your head up and hold it up for what seems like far too long for not even a month old. I'm sure this is normal but I'm pretty convinced you're going to be one strong kid.
• We had a bath with you last week and you loved it. I think you might be a natural water baby. I'm excited to take you swimming this summer. 
• You look more and more like your dad everyday. I thought I wanted a little mini-me but I absolutely love seeing his features in yours. And I know he does too.
• You're growing too fast. You're still my tiny little bug but already your hands and feet are filling out and less wrinkly. Even your face seems more grown up.
• In the dark, early morning hours when you wake up to feed, with your bald little head, your little noises, and your movements, you sometimes look like Voldemort. My little dark lord. 

Here's what I've learned about myself:

• I actually enjoy being able to get some housework done in the morning. I try to keep the house clean more now then ever before. Last week, when you were enjoying a morning/afternoon nap, I cleaned the bathroom and the kitchen and enjoyed it. Weird.
• My breastfeeding metabolism is the best. Just the best. I'm going to miss being able to eat cookies for lunch when I stop breastfeeding.
• I am capable of pure, unconditional love. I've never been more in love with both you and your dad. I cry about once a day. 
• I'm getting really good at doing things one handed. Baby in one arm, multi-tasking with the other. 
• I have an amazing network of family and friends who bring us food and company and new parent advice.
• It took me about two weeks to stop googling things, convinced I was doing thing wrong. Now I only do it occasionally. 

It's been fun spending everyday with you, my bug, and I can't wait to learn more about you and watch you grow in the weeks to come. 

And if you want to slow down how quickly you're growing up, I'd be fine with that too. 

2 Weeks Old / Mat Leave Confession

This is my first week home alone with a newborn.

John went back to work yesterday after a few weeks at home with me and I have to admit I was dreading this moment.

The first few nights at home with our daughter were rough. 

We were learning what to do with her and she was figuring out her new surroundings.

She was awake almost hourly or at least it felt like that. 

I spent most of the night watching TV on the couch with her then eventually slept with her beside me in bed once she did fall asleep. 

She didn't seem to be a fan of sleeping in her bassinet but I realize now it was because we were putting her down before she was really asleep. 

It's horrible to admit but I started to dread sundown, knowing I was in for a long all-nighter and I started wishing away time, googling when babies usually start sleeping through the night.

After that we started putting her in the bassinet when she'd nap during the day.

And after her long evening fuss session, when she fell asleep, we'd get her to sleep in the bassinet for 3-4 hour stretches!

Sweet, sweet girl, letting us sleep for decent chunks of time.

I am well aware that baby's schedules change all the time and so I'm enjoying these long overnight sleeps while they last!

So here I am, alone with my baby.

I got a decent sleep again last night and I guess as a trade off she really hasn't been down for a day nap longer than 30 minutes. 

Despite having a baby attached to me almost constantly, the day hasn't been as long or as lonely as I was anticipating. 

I'm enjoying these days when she is still little and new and relies on me for everything. 

I'm excited to watch her grow and learn new skills but I'm also no longer wishing away time.

I know the newborn baby smell will fade and the cuddles will get less frequent so for now I'm soaking them in.

It's crazy she's already 2 weeks old!
She's now going through diapers like crazy and I can see that she's grown. Her hands seem bigger, her eyes seem to see more, and her face looks a little more grown up everyday.

My days now consist of setting small goals for myself.
These include having a cup of coffee, doing one or two household chores (dishes, laundry, etc), attempting to make dinner (Monday night was a success - thank you slow cooker!), and keeping the little bug entertained and fed in between catching up on some tv.

Today I'm going to have a shower.
Lofty goal?
We'll see! 

I Am Someone's Mom

Having a child is, at times, overwhelming.

It took only a moment for my whole life to change.

One Saturday night in early April I was at a wedding drinking champagne and wine, eating raw tuna and beef carpaccio. 

On the Monday, only a day late, I took a pregnancy test. I think I took it early because I wanted to know and not let more days go by where I could get my hopes up.

2 minutes later I had my answer: I was pregnant.

And ecstatic.

John and I laughed, cried, and had a mild panic attack that night.

We were going to be parents.

Skip ahead 9 months of waiting anxiously to see a baby bump, crying at seeing a tiny heart beating on ultrasounds, finding out we were having a girl, recognizing the feel of the first kick. Somehow the weeks and months flew by.

A week after her due date, my water broke and we had plans to go to the hospital to move things along. 

After 15 hours of labour (I opted for the epidural so those 15 hours were relatively pain free), all it took was one final push and then we had a daughter.

We were somebody's parents.

Just like that, the focus of our lives changed. 

I didn't cry when she was born though I was sure I would sob.

I think I was so full of adrenaline and was just in awe of her.

Believe me, I cry enough now to make up for it.

All I have to do is look at her and think about her growing up or how much I love her and I start tearing up.

She is amazing. 

She terrifies me.

She is strong and expressive and so very loved.

At times it feels overwhelming and I know there will be trials and tribulations galore ahead but my goodness, being a mom is the best feeling in the world.

My daughter, Evelyn Grace, was born on a Tuesday.

And conveniently the old rhyme goes, 

"Mondays child is fair of face, Tuesdays child is full of grace..."

I plan to blog every Tuesday about life as a new mom.

Join me on the adventure!