It was quite a journey to get here but I made it. I feel like I’m barely producing just enough for Emmett so building this freezer stash took almost 2 months. But my goal was to have enough just to last my first day back at work and I’m so glad to say goal is met!
3 months with Emmett
We haven’t had him do tummy time much (bc it hurts my heart seeing him uncomfortable) but when we do, he seems to be quite ambitious.
I go back to work in 1.5 weeks and I’m sad I might miss seeing him learn how to roll over. But the other part of me feels so ready to go back. I miss having some me time and I miss chatting it up with coworkers.
I’ve also been trying to encourage him to express himself more whenever he’s upset or sad about something. The result is a lot of babble in between whining. It’s the cutest.
Definition of self-control
Is looking at these cheeks day in and day out and resisting the biggest urge to bite them. 1,000 smooches will suffice for now.
Success is…
Watching Daniel Sloss’ comedy special and did NOT want to break up with my husband. Loved his relationship bits and couldn’t agree more.
And seeing this guy’s satisfied face after a feeding. Now going on almost 2 weeks of just breast milk.
2 months with Emmett
He is becoming un-bear-ably cuter each day! He is also quite the chatterbox and it’s my favorite watching him talk to himself and occasionally burst with giggles. I don’t know what it is but he finds the ceilings and the decorations on the walls really funny. It’s the cutest. I guess from his perspective he’s on quite an adventure discovering the world bit by bit and I’m really glad he’s enjoying the ride so far.
He had his 2 months wellness check and he’s now 24inches and 12 lbs! He’s literally growing so fast!
He went to his first “party” when we took him with us to our coworker’s Christmas gathering. He slept the entire time, which we certainly appreciate. Something about being in a carrier really soothes him. He can sleep for hours in it. If it weren’t so strenuous on our backs and if it were more healthy for him we’d totally wear him all day.
Kallen and I rarely see each now since we’re sorta on opposite schedules as he works during the day and I go to bed super early to get a few hours of sleep in before I’m with Emmett through the night. Our relationship is kinda on the back burner for now. I can see now how marriage can fall apart with having kids. Communication is of the utmost importance now more than ever. Couples without a strong communication will certainly feel the strain of raising a child, but really even ones with already strong communication can suffer as well. Kallen and I definitley had to have a few talks. I have to remind myself he’s not a mind reader, expectations need to be reasonable, and mostly that he also needs reminding of my needs too (that was a whole-lota “needs”)! So far we’re making it work!
Emmett’s first thanksgiving meal
Fresh breast milk. Not pictured: ham, mashed potatoes, brussel sprouts, butternut squash, turkey, dumplings, and lots of desserts that eventually made their way through said breast milk.
Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday and this year was extra special because of this new little man and Kallen’s family joining us for the first time.
I complained quite a bit about breastfeeding but thankfully, it has gotten better. Emmett’s 7 weeks now and I think somewhere between 5 and 6 weeks things began to improve. So I can now vouch for when people say breastfeeding can be difficult but it does get better. I wasn’t sure if I was going to make it to 6 months, let alone a year, of breastfeeding but it’s looking more possible now. There’s nothing wrong with formula and at times I wanted to give up BF just for the ease of it. Emmett seems happier and more satisfied after a formula feed as well. And so even though I’ve probably produced just enough for him to exclusively drink breast milk, we still supplement with formula 1-2 times a day just because there are moments where fussy Emmett doesn’t have the patience yet for milk to warm. Fed is best, as they say.
I feel like there’s so much pressure to breastfeed that we forget to focus on baby. A happy, calm, and confident baby is our goal and I’m positive it has more to do with how you love your baby than what you feed your baby.
I get it now…
I understand finally why people with kids love to always post photos of their kids.
Because this is all I see, do, eat, breathe 24/7. It’s basically my life now. We’re just posting our lives.
This is …
Fatherhood:
Motherhood:
But for this face? Worth it.
Help
Kallen’s parents are finally here! They’re staying with us for 2 weeks to help and I’ve probably asked them to stay forever about 100 times. So appreciate any help we can get!
I can maybe finally make some shopping trips and perhaps indulge in a haircut (it’s been >2 years since my last one!).
And I almost forgot to mention this past Sunday I second shot a wedding at 5.5 weeks postpartum! I think I made the commitment before I found out I was pregnant and I couldn’t bare to back out but honestly, it felt so good to be out of the house and away for a day. It was the longest I’ve been apart from Emmett (8+ hrs) since his birth and truth be told I didn’t feel guilty one bit. The stir-crazy was real and spending some time apart definitely helped.
And as much as I enjoyed the time away and interacting with other adults other than Kallen, I also really missed this face.
He’s getting so big and his appetite shows no signs of slowing down. A part of me feels nostalgic for when he was so new and tiny but another part of me can’t wait until he’s more communicative and is able to sleep for longer stretches. There’s a good chance he might be our only one so I’m trying to cherish each milestones including little nuances like his cute but blood curling cries. When laying next to him last night I had a quick thought about him becoming a teenager and I almost broke down and cry. Days can be long right now with him but time seemingly flies by.
We did a thing today
Emmett’s second adventure today was taking a walk with me to the voting poll (first adventure was to Costco last week).
I must admit I almost didn’t want to participate in voting this year mostly because there wasn’t a candidate or proposition I particularly cared for. But honestly seeing how passionate some people are about having this right, I decided to take some time yesterday in between feeding Emmett to do some research. Sure enough, there’s a prop proposing to end daylight savings and truth be told, that’s what brought me to the voting poll.
On a different note, it felt really nice to be out of the house. It gives me a much needed resurgence of energy. Though it takes a bit of planning (i.e. Making sure he needs to be fed and changed beforehand), I should make it a priority to get out more often. Definitely easier said than done when having to deal with feeding, pumping, and diaper changes (and the occasional blowouts) around the clock.
This super soft solly baby wrap has been quite useful although at only 10lbs, he’s already feeling pretty heavy. This was one of our splurge baby items and I was worried we wouldn’t know how to use it or that he wouldn’t like being in it. Glad to report that it only took a couple of tries to get use to putting it on and Emmett doesn’t mind it as long as he’s well fed. I highly recommend.
