Peanut- 2 Months

What’s new? 

A lot has happened this last month. Jack has discovered his hands! I catch him staring at them on a regular basis. Or shoving them in his mouth. He's getting really good at holding on to the rings of his activity gym and can entertain himself for long periods of time. He especially loves his monkey that plays 3 different little tunes when you pull on it. Wes and I know the songs by heart and the order in which they're played. Jack hasn't been able to pull the ring to make music yet but I think we're just a week or two away.  He coos and makes noises and smiles ALL the time. He has one very big dimple on his right cheek and what I think is a slight dimple that will show more once he's older on his left. He's been very drooly lately. So much so, that I've been putting bibs on him to keep him from getting his outfits wet. With all this extra spit, he has mastered the art of blowing bubbles. 

Stats:

At his 2 month appointment, Jack weighed in at 12lbs 2 oz. and 24" long. He is currently in the 85th percentile for height and the 35th for weight. It's been a little over a week and it feels to me like his head has grown and he's gained another pound. I'm wondering if he'll be tall and skinny!

Hair:

Jack's hair is still very blonde. He has a little dark patch on the back of his head at the top of his neck, (which I love). His hairs are getting much longer too! I'm hoping he'll have a nice thick head of hair like his dad. (Fingers crossed). His eyelashes are coming in long and full as well. Those are from me. 😁

Eyes:

It's hard to tell what color his eyes are. I look at him sometimes and they seem very blue and then other times they look like they could be going brown. Either way, I can't wait to see what they'll become. One thing is for sure- they'll be pretty!

Clothes:

Jack is fitting into most 0-3 month clothes and comfortably in 3 month sleepers. He's very long and his feet are huge! When he starts out growing his sleepers it will be because his feet are too big for the jammie feet or his legs are to long. Not because he's pudgy.

Feeding:

From day one he's been eating like a champ. He has a good latch and can open his mouth fairly wide for it being so little. Lately he's been very touchy feely while on the breast. Already such a boy! He still takes the bottle from Dad but only if I'm not in the room. I pump sometimes but mostly use my hand pump, it's easier for me and I feel like less of a milk cow. I have a small freezer stash collecting, mostly from my haakaa pump.

Likes:

Jack likes getting his diaper changed, his pacifier, playing on his activity gym and as of recently sitting up in mommy or daddy's lap. He still has a fascination with lights and the ceiling fan as well as the paintings in our living room. He's a big comfort nurser and will take nice long naps in his swing. He also really likes going for walks in his stroller or the baby carrier.

Dislikes: 

Jack dislikes being put to bed before we go, he has to be VERY tired to go easily before us if we want to stay up for adult time. He has no problem going to sleep in his swing in the living room. Guess he just likes being part of the party! He really like baths but is not a fan of the after bath routine of drying off and his coconut oil rub down- unless the oil is near or around his mouth. Then he loves it! 

Mama Update: 

Mama is doing well! Starting to feel like my normal self but still feel like there's a ways to go before real normal Kate comes back. I was able to put my wedding ring back on last week, so that's a good start. I've noticed that my beautiful, clear, oil free pregnancy skin is disappearing and my regular, not so clear, oily skin has come back. Lame.😒

Looking Forward To:

Looking forward to our East Coast trip in a couple of weeks. I can't wait to get Jack and Brooklyn together and be apart of Andy and Christine's wedding! Having major anxiety for traveling though. I am also looking forward for Jack to start laughing. He's made a few funny sounds that could maybe be the start of a giggle but nothing pronounced as of yet.

 

Monthly format lovingly borrowed from 'This Season of Life Blog' 😍

BFF's

Baby Audrey 4 months and Baby Jack 2 months

Best friends forever. They say if you can make it through 10 years of friendship, that you'll be friends for life. Casey and I have passed that mile marker and I am now looking forward to our babies being life long friends too. A little less than a year ago, I gifted these onesies to her when she was nearly 3 months pregnant and I had just found out that I was. She was the very first person to know, obviously, aside from Wes. Seems like ages ago now! When she opened the box and saw the two onesies, she didn't put together what I was trying to tell her. For some reason, I thought it would be obvious but looking back I can see that it maybe wouldn't be 😂. Full of nerves, I blurted or maybe shouted (I can't remember) I'M PREGNANT! So cool to share this experience with my closest and dearest friend.Now we have two precious babes to fill out these onesies. I can't wait to watch them grow up together!

Casey made this onesie for Jack as a baby shower gift. When we were doing our BFF photo shoot, I had her snap a few pics of him in it. This one turned out adorable! 

My First Mother's Day

💙💙💙

Being a Mama is unlike anything I could have ever imagined. First of all, it's WAY harder than I thought but it's also the best feeling IN THE WORLD. Before becoming a Mom, I didn't understand the importance of Mother's Day. Sure, I knew it was a special day to show Moms how much you love and appreciate them- but now I Get it. 

A little person was built by MY body. While I was throwing up every day for 3-1/2 months a human was growing and thriving inside of me. All those times I was DD or the evenings where 6:30pm was my bed time because I was just too tired to even sit on the couch, I was creating a life. I watched my body change into a body I did not recognize and dealt with hormonal emotions I didn't know existed. Mother's Day is a day earned and deserved. I earned this day and I have the stretch marks (and the boobs) to prove it! In fact, as far as I'm concerned, it should be Mother's Week not Day! 

I have only been a Mom for 52 short days but in that time I have gained a new, humongous appreciation for all mothers and am even more grateful for my own. Looking back, I laugh at my B.P. (before Peanut) naivety. I had no idea what it truly takes to be a Mama.

B.P. I had envisioned my pregnancy to be so easy and thought because I knew I would love being a mom, obviously I would love being pregnant. Not true. I do love being a mom but I did not love being pregnant. I did have a very easy pregnancy (as far as pregnancies go) and know how lucky I am, but even an easy pregnancy is a hard one. Something I did NOT expect to love was the process of giving birth. Let's be real though, the contractions sucked. I had 12 hours of painful contractions before my water finally broke. But after that, the 90 minutes prior to Jack's arrival was amazing. I have never felt so powerful or so in tune with my body. The pain of pushing is much easier to bear and when it was all over my adrenalin was so high I felt like Super Woman!

B.P. I wanted a baby, we planned for our baby and the whole time I carried him I was happy he would be mine. I was excited to meet him and loved him the moment the pregnancy test read positive. But I have to admit, the love that I never felt before, the love that filled my heart so full it was overflowing, did not happen the second he was born. It took a couple of weeks for the initial shock to wear off and reality to set in before that love came to play. I look at him now and I could explode I love him so much and when I didn't think I could love him anymore, he'll do something new and the love grows even bigger.

B.P. I thought breast feeding was... well... kind of gross. I told Wes I would only go 6 months- 8 months tops! The first few weeks of breast feeding are hard. It's painful. It took some time and some learning from both me and from Jack before we got the hang of it. But now that we do, I enjoy it. No one else can provide for him what I am providing, and its a time we get to bond. I no longer feel like a milk cow but more like a tree of life. When he falls asleep, fresh off the boob, milk drunk and full it's because of me. Or when he stops eating to look at me and smile, I know that he feels happy and safe and my heart melts like butter on a hot muffin. The benefits of breast feeding are incredible and I am amazed that my body can make the perfect milk for him and change nutritional profiles as he grows. Again, I turn into Super Woman! Pre-mom Kate had no idea! I now hope to feed him for his first year.

B.P. I would get strangely uncomfortable around babies and kids. The thought of holding a tiny baby was terrifying and when I did hold one, I was pretty clunky. Now, if someone asked me to hold a baby I could do it with confidence and even really like it! What's that you say? He needs a diaper change? Psh! No problem. I can do that too! 

B.P. I would get annoyed at the crying baby in the aisles of Target and took for granted the ease of shopping alone. I have recently been the victim of a screaming baby while shopping and now feel sympathy for the poor mom that has to endure it. I can say I know how hard it is lugging a baby with the car seat to the store, taking the very heavy stroller out of the trunk while praying for luck that he sleeps through the whole errand. If Mom is REALLY lucky she'll be able to make one more quick stop for lunch and be able to eat it in peace before going home. But I don't count on it. 

B.P. I had lost the patients for sitting in a quiet room pondering my own thoughts. I always needed my computer in front of me and the TV on. One of my current favorite things to do is sit and rock with Jack in his nursery. I do have my phone with me so I'm not completely disconnected. But more times that not, we sit together and I enjoy the peace and stare at him. Admiring the miracle that I created, wondering what he will become and enjoy the time that he fits in my arms.

Today I understand the meaning and importance of Mother's Day and the sacrifices my own mom went through for me. I love you, Mom!

Happy Mother's Day

Our first family photo 👪

Spent a beautiful afternoon playing at the park 🐶🐶🎾

Pretty Mother's Day flowers from Grandma & Grandpa F.

Peanut- 7 Weeks

Today was a good day. You turned 7 weeks old! We started the morning with some reality TV, me drinking my coffee while you nursed. The two of us snuggled in bed with the pups buried under the covers. The sun beamed through the bedroom windows and birds chirped. It turned into a very sunny, warm day. 

Somehow time went by and around 11am I decided we needed to run the errands I've been meaning to run all week. We went to Walgreens to pick up photos of you to send to Grandma Joanie and then to Trader Joe's to pick a few things up for dinners this weekend. When we got home I thought I'd be brave and took the pups to the park. Not something I would normally like to do with you so little but Roxie has been very pitiful lately, she misses all of her outside time. Her and Barney really have been pretty neglected, (compared to what their life used to be like 😉). The park went better than expected and will most likely happen again, as long as it's empty. We came home and took your 7 week photos. My favorite shoot so far! 

You are smiley and happy and so fun to watch. You can focus on things and reach out on purpose- not just by reflex. You make super cute baby noises that melt my heart and your dimples are becoming very apparent. Today you even rolled from tummy to your back. It's a good thing you're not a fan of sleeping in a swaddle anymore. We would soon have to transition out if you were. You love to sit in your swing and watch the bears 🐻 on the mobile. You are also good at chilling in a spot for extended periods of time now, which is helpful. I was able to put a load of laundry in and shower peacefully- starting today. I don't want to jinx it! You had a fussy evening but it's the first one in weeks where I've been able to eat dinner without feeding you at the same time. 

We are currently sitting in the quiet dark of the nursery. My favorite room in the house. I can hear you softly breathing in my arms as we rock together in our glider. The elephant nightlight is on and I'm gazing at the blue stars and planets. Being a mom is unlike anything I could have imagined. It's hard and tiring but joyful and fun. I could sit with you here all night. Time is going by too quickly. I'm going to keep soaking up these days like today and nights like tonight.