favourite things ~ first month

getting prepared for baby number two was quite a bit easier than it was for baby number one.  namely because we've been there done that.  and let's face it, things get easier with experience.  having gone through the "first month" before, i knew that there were definitely a few things that made life just a little easier for both me and baby.

blanket in the nursery ~ this is a must for those late night nursing sessions.  i usually try to throw on a sweater but sometimes it's missed in my sleepy walk to the nursery.  i found a super soft throw blanket at bouclair and love it.

bouncy chair ~ this is super handy to have around, especially for those moments when you need to put baby down for a minute so you can actually go pee.  we have this version, given to us by friends and it's awesome.  liam loves playing with it too.  he turns the music on and off for averie, to "help baby sleep."

swing ~  having a swing on our main floor is an absolute must for us.  averie usually has her afternoon snooze in it and liam was exactly the same.  it is also one of the few things that helps to calm her down if she's being fussy (in combination with her soother).  both of my children love motion.  they instantly fall asleep in the car and it's the same in the swing.  love the fisher price ocean waters swing.

sling ~  this is how i wear my baby.  i tried a variety of slings and wraps when liam was a baby, but the hotsling was the best fit for me.  it grows with baby and within the first two weeks, averie was big enough to fit in it.  we took it for a test drive this week when we went grocery shopping ... just the two of us.  she slept through the entire trip.

nursing pads ~  i never needed these with liam, although i did buy them just in case.  with averie it's a whole different story.  my milk will often "let down" if i even think about feeding her.  so getting some good nursing pads was a definite must.  it's never okay to walk around town with two wet circles on your t-shirt.

lansinoh cream ~  this literally saved my nipples and my ability to breast feed with averie.  she did not latch very well at the beginning and i had two very sore and very cracked nipples.  even after we fixed our latch issue they were still very very excruciatingly painful for a few days.  not a fun experience.  however, using lansinoh helped to heal them quickly and provided some relief.  an absolute must for nursing mamas.  

sleep is also a very important part of the first month.  take it when you can.  it was something i didn't do very well when i was at home with liam, but this time 'round i'm all over the naps.  

show & tell ~ what if

monday again already?!?  today is thanksgiving for us here in canada, so it means eating us some turkey and having a long weekend.  love that we get another day with rob at home.  we've been making more progress on getting the house into a more organized state of affairs.  it's a slow process when you have a one month old and a toddler.  but we'll get there ... eventually.

decided to do becky's show and tell again this week.  who doesn't like playing the 'if game?'

1. if you could relive any memory in your life, what would it be, and what/if anything you would change about it?

i would have to say that it would have to be our honeymoon.  we spent ten days (including christmas and new years) in the maldives and then three days in singapore.  we were on a tiny island in the indian ocean with a bungalow to call home.  we spent our days lounging, scuba diving , snorkeling and sailing.  best vacation i've ever been on ... not to mention it was with my best friend.  wouldn't change anything.  

2.  if you could be any celebrity, show who you would be.

 

3.  if you won the lottery, would you take the lump sum or take the money over time, would you continue working or quit right away, would you reveal who you are, and what are some of the first things you would spend with your money?

i think i would take the lump sum ... in canada you don't have to pay tax on lottery winnings.  i would probably quit teaching so i could spend more time with my children and would most likely follow my other passion, interior design.  not sure if i would reveal who i was.  one of the first things i would spend the money on would be a vacation with our families and then travel, lots and lots of travel.  perhaps pack up the family and live abroad.

4.  if you could live anywhere, show where it would be and tell why.

paris.  i absolutely adore this city.  we spent four days here while backpacking through europe and i've had a desire to live there ever since.  the fashion, the coffee, the pastries, the museums, the food, the wine, the people.  everything.  j'adore paris.

5.  if you could have one magic power, what would it be and what would you do with it?

i think i'd want to slow time down.  enjoy all the moments in life ... well maybe not temper tantrums, but everything else.  things just move too quickly these days.

happy monday

one month new

our little girl is one month old.  i remember how fast things seemed to go with liam, but this passed month has really flown by quickly.  i feel like we just brought her home and yet i feel like she's been here always.  i love this girl to bits.  she has really made me feel like our family is now complete.

how are things around here?  well they are starting to get a little easier.  averie is starting to move towards some sort of predictable schedule.  we know that she gets fussy at night, particularly between seven and ten.  but this has been helped by the introduction of a soother.  this was life changing.  both of us went from crying messes because we couldn't help each other figure things out to complete calmness.  never occurred to me to give her a soother because liam flat out refused them.  she's started to show more of her personality, she's stubborn just like me.  and she's awake more during the day, this has made nights better.  we do a feed around eleven and around two and again around five-ish.

how's liam doing?  well he has his moments.  there are days i feel like i'm living with dr. jekyll and mr. hyde sometimes.  one minute he's totally fine and we're playing ... the next he's in complete meltdown mode.  i know it's just a phase and that this will eventually pass, but wow, does it ever make for long long long days.  we were hoping to transition him into his big boy bed this month, we may postpone it just to get him a little more settled into our new routine.  it's been a lot of change for our little dude.

month one highlights

week one

averie made her appearance; 7 lbs. 21"

first car ride home

met her older brother

met her grandparents and cousins

made it back to her birth weight by day five, she's a good eater

week two

first trip to the zoo

two week check up, already up to 7 lbs. 10 oz.

first shopping trip with mommy

moved into her crib in her own room

grabs liam's fingers and holds on, he just loves this 

week three

starting to wear "real" clothes, not just her jammies

she's awake more during the day and sleeping a little better at night

she no longer looks like a newborn, starting to look like a baby

averie coos and squeaks all the time, it's super cute
we learned that she likes soothers, what a difference its made

week four
attended her first wedding
had her first "camping" trip (we spent one night in the trailer)
wore her first dress
weighed in at 8 lbs. 5 oz. at her four week appointment
moved into size one diapers
saw her first snow storm (yup you read that one right, we got snow this week!)
tons and tons of smiles that are not gas induced
definitely more awake these days
went four hours between night time feeds this week (woo hoo)

for as hard as it can be sometimes, i keep reminding myself that i will never get these days back.
so enjoy them.
all of them.
even the sleep deprived and not so good ones.