Birth Announcements + Baby Update
Hello friends! Today Aidan is 6 weeks old so I thought I'd write a little post to tell you how it's been with a new baby in our life. But first, would you like to see the letterpress birth announcements that I worked with Tara Hogan from Ink+Wit to design? I'm so proud of them! They'll be sent to close friends and family and I plan to frame one for his bedroom, but for now I've posted one on the inspiration board in my office. It thrills me whenever I look at it since it brings me back to a most precious beginning and a beautiful day on Sunday, February 9, 2014. The day our little guy came into our life and things truly haven't been the same - and never will be. Thank God.
In addition to the announcements, I took a few photos of him this afternoon on his changing table to share with him for this little update post. I know, not the best place for a photo shoot (where we change his diapers!) but I had to take a few photos because the poor little guy HATES the changing table. I mean, he hates it. He screams the moment we put him on it, unless he is sleepy, then he's really chill. That's why I wanted to capture his chillin' out on the changing table moment today since it's so rare, I had to capture the sheer bliss of it all.
As mentioned, today marks 6 weeks since he was born but it's truly felt like 6 months because days are so much longer with an infant, there is so much more to live for, and there is SO MUCH TO LEARN and a lot of care and troubleshooting involved that keeps you on your toes initially, especially when you are first time parents and don't have a CLUE or a mother living nearby to bail you out. My mom is in Boston and if she were living locally this would be so much easier. She'd be cooking, cleaning, rocking, singing, and loving her way into Aidan's heart. She just be so ON this grandmother thing. Thankfully, she's coming to spend a month with us this summer so that will be a real treat. And I must mention that aside from the whole newness of being first time parents, we had a kink along the way when Aidan lost 500 grams the first week and we had to really work hard to get him to regain the weight. Our midwife has been an angel and after 4 weeks of following her wisdom, he was back to his birth weight and now he's above it by about 300 grams, so that's wonderful.
Had he not had the weight loss issue, which then lead to him becoming extreme colic-y (we finally realized yesterday that he DOES NOT have colic but allergies), it may have been world's easier during his first 6 weeks instead of being super fussy, crying on and off from morning until night with extreme bloat/gas pains in his stomach, etc. Some days have been nonstop D.R.A.M.A. around here, though I have a sense of humor and patience so I'm able to handle everything well though I can't say I haven't been dying for a glass (bottle!) of wine now and then but I'm breastfeeding and caring for him through the nights so I have to abstain so I can stay on my game (plus wine makes me super tired, I may be putting his diaper on his head or putting him down to sleep in the bathtub instead of his cot). Humor aside, mothering him has come very naturally to me and I love it - nothing gets under my skin because the moment I start feeling irritated I tune out the cries and tap into the whole induction/hospital drama and how just having a healthy baby was all I wanted during those labor moments. The reality check keeps me positive.
I must also report that I take a shower each day! I am below my pre-pregnancy weight already! I wear makeup! I even curl my hair! Yes, really. And our house is neat and clean, laundry done, I'm grocery shopping, prepping meals, showering and getting properly dressed each morning, and this has been since day one. I've even rented a few movies on iTunes and keep up with pinning, blogging and work stuff. We also take the baby out 3 times a week currently for a few hours each time. We have friends over every few days since he was born - and I have been getting out now with friends to shop and eat so I feel like balance is returning to my life (I am someone who really needs my girl time). Looking at how we're doing so far, I am proud to say that we're actually doing really well as first time parents. BUT. The first 6 weeks of his little life have been hard because his symptoms were such a big mystery and I incorrectly self-(and internet) diagnosed colic, but he doesn't have colic but as I said, allergies. Also since he is young, he never wants to leave our arms so I'm going to start wearing a baby sling this week so my hands can be free. Though I still cannot manage to not want to hold him every second because I really love it when he falls asleep on my shoulder as he does so many times each day. I snuggle him and kiss his soft cheeks and I melt and feel incredibly loved and completely, fully happy. If you are a parent, you must get this. It's sublime.
On the flipside of the alleriges, there has been something positive to gain. I was telling my husband that had he not been so fussy, we may not be pouring over him so much, giving him 24/7 care... In fact, maybe if he did sleep all day or was extremely quiet like some babies are, we may just put him in his bouncy seat while we work, or handed him over to grandma to babysit, or perhaps we would have let him lay in his crib and play with his toes or something while I work, travel, teach, write... Perhaps we would have not spent so much time with him. Perhaps these 6 weeks would have flown by. But truth is, they haven't - they've been the longest 6 months of my life and every moment (even the hard moments) have done something to my heart that words cannot explain. I keep telling everyone that having a child closed the circle for me - I'd always felt a gap that I tried to fill with everything else, but the baby has closed the gap and I finally feel the restlessness gone from my heart and head. I feel peace like never before and more creativity and joy than ever before. No kidding. Having Aidan forced me to reach DEEP into my soul, the very unselfish part, the INTERNET CAN WAIT and THE CAREER CAN WAIT part, and it's made me love and value our son even more. Even those times when he's a red-faced screaming pterodactyl. Yes, this little guy below definitely goes there. In fact, he can go from sweet to screaming in seconds as I scramble through the WHAT COULD BE WRONG list until I hit what it is, address it, then BOOM - silence. And this is what that looks like in photos. Golden moments indeed.
So yes, today our little boy has turned 6 weeks and I'm more in love with him than I ever imagined and I can't wait to learn more about him, address his needs and continue to care for him, and watch his continue to gain weight and grow into a beautiful little boy. So that's my baby update. I'll write more about him in about 6 weeks again in case of you would like these mini updates. :)
By the way, have you ever dealt with a baby who has allergies? Or colic-like symptoms? Or colic in general? How did you deal with it? What did you do to help your baby?
xo, Holly
(images: holly becker)