Five on Friday

I don't have much to contribute right now besides life with a baby - and this blog is truly one of the only places that captures all of my pictures and day to day happenings, so bear with me! 

::: 1 ::: 

 

The house can get really lonley and really quiet and I find that both Leo and I are much happier when we rip the bandaid and just get out of the house. Yesterday we drove to Joel's office with some Halloween treats and then went for a coffee with Joel. It was such a nice break in the day - and with his office being only 15 minutes away from home, I have a feeling we'll be dropping by a lot more frequently. 

::: 2 :::  

Leo's nails have been growing like weeds and of course he found a way to scratch his face a few times. I bought the "Safety First" baby nail clippers and managed to cut his poor little fingers both times I used them. A nail file was only half way doing the job until my mom recommended trying baby scissors. These are game changers if you're in need.

::: 3 ::: 

Another outing we went on this week was to Old Navy. I have 1 pair of jeans that fit me and I'm just sick of wearing leggings, so I wanted to buy a cheaper pair in a bigger size to get me through this post-partum period. I ended up buying the "rockstar mid-rise jeans" and, they're really, really good. I've been an AG or Joe's Jeans fan for a long time, but these $35 dollar jeans may have me singing a different tune. I also grabbed this striped $9 dollar shirt that is boxy and light and I've worn it everyday since I bought it. 

::: 4 :::

Are you snapchatting at all? Since I have a cute subject, I've been trying to do it a lot more. Let me know if you're on it....I don't follow enough people. My snap name is - tshields622 

::: 5 :::  

I can't believe Halloween is officially here. Leo isn't dressing up, but we have a cute onesie that we're going to have him wear all weekend (or until he is over it). We have another low key weekend planned and even though it's going to be hot, we're going to try and make it as festive as we can in 85 degree temps!

Happy Halloween!!

A Day in the Life [with a 1 month old]

No two days are the same around here, but I wanted to document what a somewhat average day is looking like. These days slip by fast, and I know I'll love looking back at that this sweet time.

4:30am - 

  

Right now Leo is giving us about 4 or 4.5 hour stretches at night, which is about as good as it gets. Joel gives him a bottle at 9:30 so I try and sneak into bed a little beforehand to get a long stretch, and then I'm up between 1-2am and 4-5am. 

7:00am - Joel wakes me up as he leaves for work and Leo is still sleeping, so I take advantage and try and get the bed made and my teeth brushed as quickly as possible. Joel gets my cup of coffee ready every morning (which is adorable) and by 7:45, Leo is up and at 'um.

8:00am -Leo takes a morning bottle (about 3 oz) in just about 15 minutes

8:15am - After his bottle, I pump and try and eat breakfast. Normally Leo will happily hang out in his swing, but this morning he wasn't having it so I set him up in the boppy right next to me. This was a little overly ambitious and I felt like Heidi Klum could basically eat it with her instagram picture of "multitasking". Do you remember that? She was breastfeeding and getting her hair done and make-up done at the same time...

  

I haven't found a breastfeeding app I like so we just keep track of feedings old school style 

8:30am - After I get him changed for the day, we try a few (10) minutes of playtime and then get him ready for a morning nap. 

8:40am - He is down thanks to the miracle blanket and the sound machine so it's high time to get as much done as I can in what could be 30 minutes or upwards of an hour and a half. 

9:00am - I knew today was going to be hectic, so I showered last night. I run a curler through my hair, slap on some makeup, and wear the same outfit that I wore three times last week. And Leo is happily sleeping in his Rock and Play in the room while I get ready.

9:30am - I capitalize on his sleep time and chug out a few thank you notes and make a mini grocery list for the week. I'm attempting to make two dinners this week.

9:45am - I finish up watching the Today show and before I know it Leo is up and ready to be fed again.

10:33am - Lately during the day when I'm nursing I like to sit on the couch with the Boppy. He nurses for about 23 minutes before he decides he's done.

11:00am - Thankfully we have a grocery store about 3 blocks away, so we are walking up to Sprouts today for a quick trip.

 

 11:30am - Leo loves his stroller and sleeps whenever he is in it, so he was a good boy at the grocery store which was much appreciated.

 11:50am - We're back home and Leo is asleep in his stroller so I try to quickly power eat. I picked up a bagged salad at Sprouts, and am having a leftover brat from this weekend.

12:30 - I nurse Leo, get him changed, and load him back into the stroller because we have his 1-month appointment at his pediatrician in Beverly Hills

1:50pm - We see the doctor and Leo gets a clean bill of health! He clocked in at 7lbs 10.5oz and 20 and 3/4 inches. He had to get one shot, but took it like a champ, and we were back in the car by 2:30.

3:00pm - I put together a plate of food for myself because I'm starving and sit down to nurse the baby.

3:30pm - We take the dog for a walk around the neighborhood and catch up on a few phone calls while we are out.

4:15pm - The stroller knocks out Leo again and this time I carefully transfer him into the swing. It was a successful transfer, so I start getting dinner ready.

 

5:00pm - Dinner is prepped and ready to be cooked, so I enjoy the extra twenty minutes of free time the best way I know how. 

6:00pm - I nurse the baby and Joel gets home from work around the same time. Pretty much from 6:00 on, Leo is his fussiest. We try to have dinner with him in his rock and play right next to the table so that we can stick his pacifier in his mouth in between putting food in our mouths. 

7:00pm - This is our hardest time of day, because Joel wants to spend time with Leo, but it's hard to keep him happy. He spends a lot of time strapped on to Joel in the Solly wrap

 

8:00pm - I sneak away to take a relaxing shower while Joel spends some time with the baby. When I came back out, Leo was blissfully sleeping on Joel's chest. I pumped for twenty minutes and we all watched last week's episode of Modern Family. 

 

 8:45pm - Since Joel gives Leo a bottle around 9:15, I sneak into bed as early as I can to get ahead of Leo's 4 hour schedule. When my mom was here she got me hooked on essential oils and this lavender mist is just delicious.

 

Joel brings the baby into our room after his bottle around 9:30pm and then we begin again shortly thereafter. 

And like, I said, I know there isn't anything spectacular or exciting about this average Monday, but it sure is wild to think that all of a sudden.....after 9 months of daydreaming about life with a baby, we're here and living it. 

Weekend Recap

My weekend got started a little early because on Thursday night I had my first official outing. Leo and I went to visit Joel at work, and then Joel took Leo home and I went out with one of my girlfriends for a martini. 

a martini!!

 

My entire pregnancy I knew that my first post-partum real drink would be a French martini from Mastro's and let me tell you, it did not disappoint. 

And I buttoned a pair of jeans, so it was a big day over here. 

Friday night was low key. We ordered a pizza, snuggled with the baby, and caught up with a few shows on the DVR.

Saturday morning, Joel got in a run and hike with my cousins, and then was back on baby duty (he is killing it as a dad). I had a friends Sip and See, so I was gone for about 3 hours during the day celebrating Beth and Grady. 

Our friend Matt came to hang out with Joel and Leo to watch football and grill and I got such a kick out of watching both Joel and Matt so enamored with baby Leo. Men and babies is a very good look. 

 

 

Sunday we spent the day at home with the perfect balance of being productive and relaxing. We crossed everything off our list and felt like we were ready to tackle the week ahead.

 

Leo - 1 Month

Everyone always says that time has a whole new meaning when you have a baby, and holy cow is it true. This was the fastest month of my life, and I cannot believe that just four weeks ago I was going into the hospital to have a baby. 

It's been a month with the highest of highs and some really low lows, but we've found our groove and I go to bed every single night excited to wake up because it means I get to spend the day with Leo.

Weight:  You clocked in at 5lbs 14oz the day you were born, dropped down to your lowest weight of 5lbs 8oz, and just last week weighed in at 7lbs 4oz (with your clothes on). 

Clothes: All Newborn and Up to 7lbs. I did not have near enough newborn clothes and ended up paying a small fortune in overnight shipping from The Gap to load up your first week home.

Sleep:  The first two weeks you pretty much thought you were still inside of me and slept a lot. We had been letting you sleep almost 5 or more hours, but when you weren't gaining enough weight quickly enough, we put a stop to that. By the time you hit your due date though, you had figured out what you needed and how to tell us, and now you wake us up after a little more than 4 or 4.5 hours which we think is pretty darn good!

Schedule: We're going 2-3 hours during the day between feedings. You get a morning bottle when I pump, and then we breastfeed every 2 to 3 hours during the day. Daddy gives you your last bottle between 9-9:30 while I pump, and then you go to sleep until 1 or 2am. You normally eat for 25 minutes and then will go back down pretty easily until 5ish. 

Health:  We are so thankful for your perfect health.

Crying:   You are the most fussy from 5pm-9pm and pretty much only want to be held. I feel bad that I get your best hours while your dad is working, but I appreciate you holding off on the fussiness until there are extra hands to help us out. You love your Wubanub and we are very thankful you take to it as well as you do.

 

Feeding:  After we saw a lactation consultant, breastfeeding got a lot better around here. You take 2.5oz bottles in the morning and at night, and both times we've weighed you before and after feedings (at The Pump Station if you are in LA) you had taken in over 3oz in just about 20 minutes. The consultant said you were a little over achiever. You go 2-3 hours during the day between feedings and 4ish at night.

 

Likes:  You love your Wubabub, the stroller, your car seat, your fingers, and your miracle blanket!

Dislikes: Being cold, baths, and being hungry.

Milestones:  I think just "waking up" this month has been your biggest milestone. We've really loved seeing your bright eyes for so many more hours throughout the day and have started to notice your cry getting much stronger.

Places You’ve Gone:  All around town! We got you out of the house early on when Coco and Grandpa were in town your first week and we haven't slowed down since. I try to get one out of the house activity in everyday.

Visitors:  We've been incredibly lucky to have so much family come into town. Your first week Coco, Grandpa, your Aunt Hannah and Aunt Nellie came to California to meet you. You also got to meet a lot of your Tyrrell side since Aunt Erin got married on October 2nd. After you were two weeks we started introducing you to all of your LA friends and you've been loved on ever since.

 

Postpartum:  I don't have much to compare to but I think my C-section recovery has been fantastic. I was able to walk around the halls after 1 day, and I've increased our walks a little more everyday. I never had to take pain medicine once we got home, and by week three I was almost 100%. I go see my doctor in two more weeks but I'm most excited for clearance to take a bath!

Roscoe: The first week home, Roscoe was really not sure what the heck to do. We found him gnawing on his paws every time you would cry. That started to subside after a little while and everyday Roscoe has been a little more comfortable. We catch him sneaking sniff and licks when you are in our arms. Overall, he has been gentle, shy, and protective of his little brother and we're excited to see him get more comfortable with more time. 

How to spoil new parents...

We've had so many people shower us with love and gifts over Leo's arrival, its been incredibly humbling and eye opening. 

When we lost my Aunt Peggy almost four years ago, I was taught a lesson in "showing up". Our entire community, and then some, showed up for Aunt Peggy, for her family, and for ours....and has continued to do so. I learned that a card goes a really long way and that even the smallest of gestures - like running carpool, or walking the dog - are gestures that are never forgotten.

And I'm back in that humbling seat yet again being shown from friends and family that the outpouring of love, support, and kindness makes everything sweeter.

Now that I've had a baby, it will change the way I help my friends and family who will go on to have the next set of babies, so with that,  I thought I would talk about the three best gestures that we have received and plan to give. 

::: FOOD ::: 

Since my mom was here for three weeks, I didn't have to think about even making my breakfast. My mom had Joel and I eating like kings, and everything she was making, she was freezing the extras. It was a glorious system. But when she had to go back home, I realized that besides freezer dinners, I really had no food that I could eat in a pinch. I was out for a walk with Leo on my first day alone...already emotional from having to say goodbye to my mom that morning....when I got a call that a delivery driver was waiting for me at our building. 

My cousins had ordered Joel and I a huge gift basket of lunches and dinners from an amazing deli here in LA. I honestly started crying in the elevator with the delivery man. Not only was I starving (and hormonal), but I was just so overcome by the gesture. This pack of food gave Joel and I at least three lunches and dinners, plus snacks and dessert, and allowed us to eat healthy, fast, and well.

 

It was over the top amazing and a gesture I'll never forget (and if you live in LA, I couldn't recommend this enough).

::: GIFT BOXES :::

 

The first time I opened up my computer after a week of hibernation, I saw that I had a Facebook message from friends from my hometown. They had started a new business - Care Carton - and wanted to send me a care package to welcome Leo. I felt like it was such a hug from home.....just to be thought of so randomly...was so kind, and the Care Carton was again, just over the top. 

 

A little something for me (bath salt and body balm), and a little something for Leo (black and white muslin swaddle and a book)....all "just because". This little package left a big impact and I plan to use them again for any occasion - birthdays, new adventures, and babies. It's takes the guess work out of putting together a gift basket for friends who don't live nearby.

Kellie, one of the owners (along with her husband Blake), are offering a $5.00 coupon for the next two weeks, just type in TEATIME and you'll get a little discount off your order! Let me know if you take advantage.

Their company's slogan is "A memorable gift made easy" and it truly was just that. 

::: TIME, COMPANY, and WINE ::: 

I think my friends knew how hard it was going to be me for me when my mom left, so all last week I was surrounded by girlfriends popping over to just sit with me and keep me company. Wether it be for lunch, or a coffee break, or even to let me sneak away for a manicure....having the company of friends during the first few weeks of having a newborn was the most comforting hours of my day. 

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We've been spoiled, and Joel and I truly feel like "To Whom Much is Given, Much is Required" and we've been reminded of that during this season of life.