The word of the day is: Choice.
Having Trevor home has been sublime for my soul but a bit blue for the blog as a I'm called to make a choice, over and over. The choice to either catch up on writing or do a million other things--or so it feels like it! Being a new mom has been an adjustment but with both of my boys home with me now, life has been busy! And really, sometimes I just want to rest. Rest with my husband, rest with our baby. Just rest. We like to go on walks, watch a movie or just lay in bed together. This is all much needed recuperation for me and for our post-deployment military man, so the choice to close my laptop hasn't been easy although necessary.
With that said, I'm pleased to be all caught up! Trevor and I have arranged time for me to blog daily now so keeping up with my one-year-post-birth goal will still be on track.
With that said, I'm pleased to be all caught up! Trevor and I have arranged time for me to blog daily now so keeping up with my one-year-post-birth goal will still be on track.
Parenting alongside Trevor is helping me heal. Little by little I'm feeling better--though not completely 100%. Even at 11 weeks pp, I'll have an occasional sharp pain through my crotch which indicates I'm not out of the woods quite yet. This is still a time of healing and I'm anticipating it'll be a few more weeks, maybe even months, before this journey of recovery is over.
7 February 2018: 2nd Bottle Attempt (10w1d)
While it's not necessary to bottle-feed David, on two separate occasions Trevor has tried to feed him by himself. At first, just for bonding purposes--as it's an especially sweet moment to hold a baby close as he feeds. Moreso, it's good to have feeding options in the event of an emergency or, ya know, for the occasional date night.
8 February 2018: (10w2d)
9 February 2018: (10w3d)
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| Snuggles while watching the Olympics! |
10 February 2018: (10w4d)
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| Enjoying the lights on his rock n' play |
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| Trevor surprised me with a date night :) |
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| My two guys waiting patiently while I try on clothes at Target |
11 February 2018: Breakfast with Marilyn (10w5d)
We met up for breakfast with a close family friend so we could catch up (haven't seen her since the baby shower) and, of course, introduce her to our son! If ever Mariyln finds anything Indiana-Jones themed, she'll send it our way--she's so sweet. If ever you see David donning an Indiana Jones onesie, no doubt she gifted it to him. David also received a super cool Air Force Bomber Jacket from Marilyn for Christmas and as soon as it fits him I wouldn't doubt he'll want to take it off.
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| Daddy cracks him up! |
12 February 2018: David's 1st Roadtrip ---> San Miguel, California! (10w6d)
Some of you are aware that Trevor may be switching from his part-time gig with the Air National Guard to full-time active duty. It's a decision we've been prayerfully considering since before his deployment; however, it's not exactly an easy choice to make. After living in Colorado for five and half years apart from family and friends, we both miss home. With that said, the cost of living is too great here and we have dreams of purchasing our first home in a few years. And so, by the grace of God, we keep moving forward.
With a possible move on the horizon, I made the suggestion that we take a roadtrip up north to visit his family. I suppose this surprised him as I've been quite the homebody since his return home--but that's just it. Some time away from home was needed--a small getaway, if you will. We talked it over with his parents and they eagerly awaited our arrival.
Traveling with David was a breeze but initially leaving the house was a... conundrum. At first we were sure we packed way too much stuff but I'm not joking, we used every single item we brought!
Just to give you an idea, we shoved all of this in the back of our Jeep:
Dinner was just about ready when we walked in and so after Trevor's uncle (and his wife) joined us, we all ate together around their family table. We enjoyed the meal and conversation with Trevor's loved ones but not before long, it was time for bed. That's when ishhh hit the fan.
Some of you are aware that Trevor may be switching from his part-time gig with the Air National Guard to full-time active duty. It's a decision we've been prayerfully considering since before his deployment; however, it's not exactly an easy choice to make. After living in Colorado for five and half years apart from family and friends, we both miss home. With that said, the cost of living is too great here and we have dreams of purchasing our first home in a few years. And so, by the grace of God, we keep moving forward.
With a possible move on the horizon, I made the suggestion that we take a roadtrip up north to visit his family. I suppose this surprised him as I've been quite the homebody since his return home--but that's just it. Some time away from home was needed--a small getaway, if you will. We talked it over with his parents and they eagerly awaited our arrival.
Traveling with David was a breeze but initially leaving the house was a... conundrum. At first we were sure we packed way too much stuff but I'm not joking, we used every single item we brought!
Just to give you an idea, we shoved all of this in the back of our Jeep:
- Pack n' Play (Brought this because he sleeps well in his bassinet--which is flat).
- Rock n' Play (Brought this in case s!*t hits the fan and the pack n' play idea goes south--which it did).
- For David: 5 sleepers, 5 bodysuits, 3 pants, 2 pairs of socks and his swaddle sleeper
- An endless supply of muslin blankets and receiving blankets
- Baby monitor
- Blankets and pillows (His family prompted this one)
- A whole sleeve of diapers and two large packets of wipes
- Laundry detergent and these amazing color catchers
- David's bathtub--because I don't like the idea of David being touched all day and not having a bath.
- Our trusty Canon T6i to capture cuteness and such (which I ended up taking 0 photos with while during our stay--all photos were taken with our phones)
- And, of course, clothes and stuff for Trevor and I
It felt like we packed a lot but with a baby in tow, these are the bare necessities. And as I mentioned, we used it all!
So it took awhile to leave the house. We kept running back in for the just-in-case items like the newb parents we are. And, wouldn't ya have guessed, just as we drove off David loaded up his diaper.
So we had to pull over. And then he had to nurse. And then Trevor and I were hungry... Roadtrips aren't quite the same with a baby on board but he's the cutest passenger that's ever been in our backseat.
So we had to pull over. And then he had to nurse. And then Trevor and I were hungry... Roadtrips aren't quite the same with a baby on board but he's the cutest passenger that's ever been in our backseat.
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| Roadtrip Diaper Change |
We arrive a little after 5pm and were greeted with hugs all around. Desiree (Trevor's sister) greeted the baby and I with a group hug while Trevor (in true Trevor fashion), bear-hugged, lifted then carried his dad toward their house. Terry (Trevor's dad) faced towards my direction as his son luged him across the lawn and says to me, "Hi there sweet girl! You hold your baby and I'll hold mine!"
Dinner was just about ready when we walked in and so after Trevor's uncle (and his wife) joined us, we all ate together around their family table. We enjoyed the meal and conversation with Trevor's loved ones but not before long, it was time for bed. That's when ishhh hit the fan.
13 February 2018: 11 Weeks Old! + Away-From-Home Struggles + Bathtime with Grandma + Grandpa
Even in the few months since David's birth, he's kept a pretty regular schedule. I'm not sure if it's due to anything I've done or if it's just him--honestly, although I wish I could take credit, I think he's just a super easy-going, great sleeper! I had imagined we might run into some issues being away from home so Trevor and I did our best to stick to our routine and bring David's bedtime essentials to help him rest.
Well, I hate to admit it but our pack n' play is kinda crappy. Trevor excitedly purchased it years before we conceived David and it was our very first "big ticket" baby purchase. Every time I see it I'm reminded of how zealous Trevor was to become a daddy and even though it's just a travel crib, it has a special place in both our hearts. But yeah, it's not the best. The mattress doesn't lay evenly and so little David inevitably slid into a corner and cried. It wasn't long before I gave into my backup plan and placed him into the rock n' play.
And really, the hesitation behind using the rock n' play stems from horror stories I've heard of babies refusing to sleep in a crib after allowing them to sleep in the rocker. I wasn't sure if this change meant he would now insist on sleeping at an incline and thereby refuse to sleep in his bassinet back home. However, it was a risk I was willing to take because other than co-sleeping with him, I had no other options. The rock n' play swayed for about an hour until David fell into a deep sleep and then I turned it off.
Needless to say, Trevor and I were running pretty ragged the next morning. Desiree offered to watch the baby while Trevor, his mom and I went to the store to collect a few things for dinner. At first I declined the offer but Trevor encouraged me to consider joining them as the baby was sleep and the store just a few minutes away. If it weren't for David's relatively solid sleeping routine, I wouldn't have left but I was fairly confident he would sleep through our time away so--I went. And man, I'm glad I did.
The three of us hopped in the family's zippy BMW convertible, brought the top down and enjoyed the ride! Trevor and I agree, riding in the convertible reminds us of our dating days when we cruised around town with the soft top off, blasting music and dancing in our seats to the beat. I was initially hard-pressed to leave the house without the baby but man, we enjoyed ourselves. When we returned home just a short while later our little guy was still sound asleep.
By the end of the night David wore a little bit of everyone's cologne and perfume--so a bath was in order. In my family, bathing the grandbaby is a grandparent's right of passage, so to speak. So we offered to let Sabrina and Terry join us in bathing our son. They opted to spend a few minutes with him while he soaked in the warm water.
Well, I hate to admit it but our pack n' play is kinda crappy. Trevor excitedly purchased it years before we conceived David and it was our very first "big ticket" baby purchase. Every time I see it I'm reminded of how zealous Trevor was to become a daddy and even though it's just a travel crib, it has a special place in both our hearts. But yeah, it's not the best. The mattress doesn't lay evenly and so little David inevitably slid into a corner and cried. It wasn't long before I gave into my backup plan and placed him into the rock n' play.
And really, the hesitation behind using the rock n' play stems from horror stories I've heard of babies refusing to sleep in a crib after allowing them to sleep in the rocker. I wasn't sure if this change meant he would now insist on sleeping at an incline and thereby refuse to sleep in his bassinet back home. However, it was a risk I was willing to take because other than co-sleeping with him, I had no other options. The rock n' play swayed for about an hour until David fell into a deep sleep and then I turned it off.
Needless to say, Trevor and I were running pretty ragged the next morning. Desiree offered to watch the baby while Trevor, his mom and I went to the store to collect a few things for dinner. At first I declined the offer but Trevor encouraged me to consider joining them as the baby was sleep and the store just a few minutes away. If it weren't for David's relatively solid sleeping routine, I wouldn't have left but I was fairly confident he would sleep through our time away so--I went. And man, I'm glad I did.
Video: Cruisin'
The three of us hopped in the family's zippy BMW convertible, brought the top down and enjoyed the ride! Trevor and I agree, riding in the convertible reminds us of our dating days when we cruised around town with the soft top off, blasting music and dancing in our seats to the beat. I was initially hard-pressed to leave the house without the baby but man, we enjoyed ourselves. When we returned home just a short while later our little guy was still sound asleep.
By the end of the night David wore a little bit of everyone's cologne and perfume--so a bath was in order. In my family, bathing the grandbaby is a grandparent's right of passage, so to speak. So we offered to let Sabrina and Terry join us in bathing our son. They opted to spend a few minutes with him while he soaked in the warm water.
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| His "11 Week Pictures" at 11w3d |
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