love, Charlotte

Ex x qawvaa cqwaQ. V.   CZ. AA xxheltenham. AA b6.5hj nb tvz.  Egged awum

Ldcc    Toll,lo old,,omji,, m.

 Somebody has been busy playing with plants and writing blog posts. :)

Post-partum tips

If you are squeamish (or a man) I highly suggest you stop reading right now and check back in a few days for less personal content (and maybe a few cute pictures of Charlotte!).

In the shower this morning, I was reflecting on the early days after Charlotte was born and mentally listing a few things I learned. Some were tips from other first-time moms, some were things I read online, and some were trial-by-error ideas that came from my own experience. 

Feel free to chime in and add any of your own great post-partum tips, but here are a few of mine, in no particular order: 

1. Take a shower every day (or more than once per day, if you choose). Having a baby is messy. The days/weeks afterward can be messy, too. I felt a million times better after my daily shower, even though I was exhausted and emotionally shaky. Hand the baby off to your husband, mom, or dad and jump in the shower even for 3 minutes. Or, if nobody is around, get in the shower the second your baby falls soundly asleep in his/her preferred safe location. I am so serious about this one. So serious that I made it my number one tip. That's serious. 

2. Encourage your husband in his new role. This is HARD but so, so life-changing. I did not do this well at first, so please hear me out. Postpartum hormones are crippling. Sleep deprivation is brutal. Screaming babies are soul-crushing. But your husband is on your side and he needs your support, too. Give him a chance to do things for your baby, even if you think your way is better. Let him change some diapers and have some snuggles. Try to carve out quiet time for just the two of you to snuggle and talk together when the baby is sleeping. Try to apologize quickly if you yell at him for something inconsequential. Try to explain your flow of tears, but also help him to know that sometimes tears (especially post-partum) have no logical explanation and that's normal. Try to ask how he is doing and try to listen well, even if your beautiful, perfect, amazing baby is there distracting you both. 

3. Ask for help, but set some limits. I really wanted my parents to come as soon as possible after Charlotte was born but I couldn't handle the idea of a crying newborn interrupting their sleep. I asked them to come and they (very graciously) agreed to stay somewhere else at night for three nights. Their help and presence during the day was invaluable, but I think it really helped us unite as a little family to be without them during the long, hard nights. Joel, Charlotte, and I figured things out on our own and I'm so grateful for that time. 

4. If you really want to breastfeed, don't give up. Our first three days were soooo rocky. They were probably the hardest days of my life. But now that we are past them, breastfeeding is easy and awesome. I got great support from some local lactation consultants, as well as my midwife, which made a big difference. I also bought a nipple shield, which saved my butt. I also knew Joel was on my team and he did whatever he could to be encouraging and helpful- total game changer. (Also- if you don't breastfeed, that's fine, and you need to give yourself some grace about it.)

5. Get some post-partum necessities. You can check out my pregnancy, birth, breastfeeding board on Pinterest, or just Google what to have at home after delivering a baby, but there are some drugstore-type things that will make recovery a lot smoother and more comfortable. Email me if you want specifics but there are lots of good lists online so I will spare you the details here.

6. Rest. Sleep. Stay in bed for 2 days, only getting up to shower, use the bathroom, and change your baby. I know, I know, I know... Everyone says to rest but how can you rest when there is so much to be done? I am telling you that nothing needs to be done except caring for yourself, your husband, and your baby (and other children, if you have them!). The dishes and laundry and cleaning can wait, or they can be done by someone else. As soon as you come home, take a nap and lay around and gaze at your baby and revel in the newness. Just rest. Trust me- you will not regret it.

BONUS: a few great reads on this subject...
Own the Night
It's Their Day, Too
Infancy, Again.
Ten True Things
Things for Dads to Know about Birth
Things for Dads to Know about the First Few Weeks

What tips helped you make it through those early, hazy, newborn days? 

Fall bucket list

It was great fun to make a list of ideas at the beginning of the summer, then to reference it as the hot days went flew by.

I'm making a new list for fall, in hopes that it will hold me accountable to teach my daughter new things and give her unique experiences. It's easy to stay at home all day, every day, protecting the naps and falling into lazy habits. Some quiet, home days are great, but I also want to take advantage of the cooler temps in the fall and show Charlotte some sights.

Here's my fall bucket list: 

• Go apple picking
• Bake with Charlotte
• Let her try eating an apple
• Sit in a leaf pile
• Visit Longwood Gardens
• Take early evening walks together when it's cool and crisp
• Look at the stars (all summer it's been broad daylight when Charlotte goes to bed, so this hasn't been possible yet!) 
• Make new crock pot meals
• Celebrate turning 30 with my little family
• Baby-proof (this needs to be done STAT! Charlotte can roll all over the place now!)

Dear Charlotte, 8

Dear little worm,

I have tried to marvel lately at your sassy little self. The way your toes point when you kick them in the air. How your eyelashes flutter when you are drowsy. The feel of your hands on my arm, or my shoulder, or my knee. Your uncanny ability to turn your neck incredibly far in both directions so you can see whatever is outside your peripheral vision. The way you giggle when I tickle your cheeks or your feet. How you roll and roll and roll and squirm and roll some more, to get the toy that has caught your attention. Your ability to play quietly and happily while I work. Your toothy grin greeting us after naps. The way you smile at strangers and wave your hands excitedly.

Your personality is really starting to shine. I can see some independence and some sass and some tenderness, all mixed up.

One funny story- yesterday you were ready to nurse before I had eaten lunch so I was super hungry myself. I grabbed a cheese stick to eat while I fed you, but you were distracted by me having it so nearby. I set you on the bed to grab a burp cloth and half a second later you were reaching for my cheese stick and putting it into your mouth. Like, "Oh, Mom, you aren't feeding me fast enough so I'll just take matters into my own hands." Ha!

I love you, Charlotte,
Momma 

solids are messy!

Let's talk about the mess of BLW.

Basically, there's a lot of mess. Like, a whole lot of mess. 

I told Joel yesterday that I wonder how much time we're saving by doing BLW... because even though I'm not spending hours blending up baby food, I'm doing a lot of wiping and scrubbing and picking food out of a million crevices... He pointed out that purees are messy, too. Good point, husband. Very good point.

Anyway, after about a month of solids we have a pretty good system and some helpful gear that makes this process great. Here's our routine:

• Charlotte usually eats solids for dinner, so while Joel is playing with her, I'm prepping the meal. Since she eats whatever we're eating, I often take a couple pieces out of the hot dish and let them cool on her tray. We got this chair which has an easily removable (and dishwasher safe!) tray that pops right on/off. It's the right height for Charlotte to sit at the table with us (we just move the seat away from the table enough that she can't grab onto the table cloth :) ) and is very easy to clean. She can also entertain herself by carefully examining the straps when she is done eating, so that's a nice bonus. I am a HUGE fan of this chair and highly recommend it!
• I get her tray ready with 2-3 different foods, Joel buckles her into the chair, we pray together, then we pop the tray on and let her begin. She drops a lot of food, so we put an old twin sized sheet under her chair before she sits down. Depending on the meal, we sometimes take off her clothes. If it's not terribly messy, we just put on a big bib that will cover most of her body. Her hands, lower arms, and face get COVERED with food. When dinner is close to being over, I grab a burp cloth (not so often used for spit up anymore!) and put some soap on it, then get it wet. One of us removes the tray while the other wrangles the baby and gets her as clean as possible with the wet, soapy cloth. Sometimes a bath has to happen right after dinner, but usually the wet cloth is enough. 
• We pick up the chunks of food that fell onto the sheet, throw them away with whatever was left on her tray, then shake out the sheet. It goes back in a cupboard until dinner the next day. So far we have only washed the sheet a couple of times... definitely not after every meal. Aint nobody got time for that.

I'm trying to make sure Charlotte eats a wide variety of foods each week, and that her diet is balanced with all kinds of delicious (mostly healthy!) stuff. Here's a sample of what she has eaten lately:

Sunday - waffles, raspberry, blueberry (smashed)

Monday- mashed potatoes

Tuesday- broccoli, sweet potatoes 

Thursday- corn on the cob, two blueberries, mashed potatoes
Friday- asparagus, lasagna

Monday-  cheese stick, mango slices, broccoli
Tuesday- strawberries, chicken sausage (skin removed), green pepper
Wednesday- colby jack cheese stick, sandwich crusts
Thursday- pesto rotini, strawberries, spinach, shredded carrots
Friday- Rotini with no-salt-added sauce and ground beef, asparagus
Saturday- pear, green pepper, roasted sweet potatoes, tiny tastes of Rita's water ice/soft serve:)

the baby pool

This lucky little lady got an inflatable swimming pool from her grandparents last month. Joel filled it up for the first time this week and right before dinner one night, he came into the kitchen with Charlotte and said, "Hey Mom! Mom! Do we have time to go swimming before dinner?!"

Dinner was basically ready but how could I refuse her adorable face? #makememelt

Charlotte had SO much fun splashing, playing with her duck, smiling at us, and even lounging back with her head on the edge of the pool and her feet kicking away. We had SO much fun watching her.

beach, beach baby

A few weeks ago Charlotte visited the Atlantic Ocean for the first time.

I knew from previous experience that she would be all about the water, but I wasn't sure how the sand and waves and hot sun would go.

It went great!

Our dear friends let us borrow their beach umbrella and it was AWESOME for keeping Charlotte cool and safe from the sun. I also read that baby powder removes sand from skin, so I took some along... amazing!

Charlotte played in the shallow water with me and with one of the junior high girls. She grabbed for the sand and rolled around on a big blanket under the umbrella. She also took a nap in the car both going to and coming from the beach, in addition to a short cozy nap in the ring sling after lunch.

I accidentally left my camera in my car at church (sad face!) but here are a few pictures from someone's iPod: