2 Months as Mommy

Catch up with my 1st Month as Mommy.

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MATERNITY LEAVE

Monday was supposed to be my first day back to work, but because we had a little hiccup with our child care plans and because I'm in no hurry to leave my little one, I've got two more weeks until my return. I am so thankful to be returning to a job I love, but I can't say I'm excited to leave my days of cuddling my sweet little one at home. Maternity leave has been so wonderful. My goals of maintaining a home that was Martha Stewart-esque did not exactly come to fruition. My house has been no cleaner than usual and dirty dishes have been par for the course. That being said, my little man is such a blessing and I have loved spending the last two months with him. Taking care of a newborn is definitely tough, but I think it's the sleeplessness that makes it especially hard. I have to admit, I'm supremely nervous about how I'm going to balance a full-time job, plus Mommying, all while running on a totally inadequate amount of sleep.

BREASTFEEDING

Still going well! I had to start pumping to prepare for work. I'm fortunate that my employer has a lactation room so I'm going to continue exclusively breastfeeding for as long as we can get away with it. I have absolutely loved nursing Charlie. It hasn't been easy to make the transition to bottles, but I'm willing to do what it takes to nurse for as long as possible. It's cheaper than formula, that's for sure!

POSTPARTUM RECOVERY (TMI Alert!)

Things are pretty much back to normal around these parts. At my 6-week postpartum check-up, the midwife asked me if we had "attempted intercourse" and I actually thought she was joking. Needless to say, the prospect of sexy time was only mildly terrifying to me. However, we got it over with. Which is a horrible way to describe the first time post-baby, but let's face it- it was not exactly enjoyable. I'm looking forward to things improving in this department, needless to say.

BABY FAT

My body really hasn't changed since the few days after I delivered Charlie. When I weighed in at my 6-week appointment, I was back to my pre-pregnancy weight, but I think that's because over the course of 9 months, I lost all muscle that I may have had. My butt is completely flat from sitting on it for nearly a year straight and I'm hoping I can tone up my mid-section by bathing suit season. I joined Erin's #1800MinuteChallenge in hopes of having some additional motivation. I can't wait for the weather to warm up so I can get back into running again. Charlie and I have taken a few walks on the 40+ degree days, but it's just enough to placate me until I can do the real thing! All this being said, I'm not completely unrealistic in thinking my body will snap back to what it looked like pre-baby and I'm totally okay with that. I've got a darling baby boy and a husband who still thinks I'm drop-dead gorgeous, so my main goal is just to be a healthy, happy example for Charlie.

As for Charlie...

MILESTONES

Let it be known- we have a smiling baby on our hands! Oh my goodness, this month has had it's fair share of sleepless nights, but when that precious baby boys lights up when he sees Daddy or my face, it makes it all worth it. We noticed he seems to favor one side when he turns his head so we've been trying to work on getting him to turn his head the other way. He'll do it, but he definitely has a preference. I ceremoniously packed away his NB-sized diapers and onesies at the 7-week mark. This little guy is still such a pipsqueak, but we're officially in 0-3 Month-sized onesies and jammies. He's still in NB-sized pants because he's so long and skinny. I'm actually hoping he moves onto 3 Month-sized pretty quickly, because I didn't realize how few 0-3 Month clothes he has!

FAMILY

Charlie was so excited to welcome a little cousin into the world on February 10. We've started referring to the babies of the family as the "Peanuts gang" because Charlie has a nearly two-year old cousin named Linus, and now little Lucie has joined the family. I can't wait for them to all grow up together and be the best of friends! It's been interesting to compare Lucie and Charlie. Lucie definitely has Charlie beat in terms of being a deep sleeper and she also can hang onto a pacifier a heck of a lot better than my little man!

STATS

Charlie's 2-month check-up was yesterday and we were super disappointed to find out that our little man has not put on as much weight as he should have by now. He weighed 9 lbs 5 oz and measured 22 inches. Thankfully, his big ol' noggin measured 38.5 cm so we know his brain is certainly growing! Up until now I've just been following his cues and will feed him on one breast and then stop when he stops. The doctor recommended that I burp him and then put him on the other breast and continue feeding. I'm going to do whatever it takes to try and fatten this little guy up and we'll go back to the doctor in a couple weeks to see if he's made progress. If not, we'll definitely need to start supplementing with formula.

C'mon, Baby Pep- get chunky!