My big boy is lookin’ so smashing!
The strangest thing about little babies is how FAST they grow – and you don’t even realize that it’s happening until you look at pictures. Just check out this comparison.
My other updates are right here.
Alright – I will be the first to admit. As you can tell by the pictures, things were rather rough for me the first month or so post-partum! I feel – and look – so much healthier, awake, and alive. Gone is the gray and sallow skin and dark circles under my eyes. It is amazing how rough pregnancy, delivery, and the initial few months of parenting can be on a woman. But – I’m happy to say – we are definitely on the ‘other side’ now. Although there are still challenges, things are overwhelmingly awesome with Henry.
Mind After Baby
Over the last six weeks or so, I’ve really begun to feel like I’ve figured out how to be a mom. Babies do change very fast, and it can be difficult to keep up with Henry’s evolving personality and needs, but overall, more often than not, I feel like I’ve ‘got it.’ One of the great momma myths is that mothers ‘just know’ how to be a mom – trust me, that is NOT true. I’ve arrived that this place by 1) talking to lots of other mothers for advice; 2) reading books for advice; and 3) taking all that information and going with my gut. After all, I know Henry like no one else knows him (well, except the Husband), and I try to be confident in my ability to make the best choices for him.
Henry’s needs are different than they were at Month 1. In general, I would say he is much less ‘intense.’ Newborns really are soooo intense. And I mean that in the most loving way possible. They are so totally dependent. Henry grows more and more independent by the day. He can amuse himself with a toy or in his jumper while I do the dishes. He can hang out on his play mat and practice crawling. He can take naps in his big boy crib and goes down relatively easily. I foresee some BIG challenges in the immediate future – I think when he begins to crawl, it will be super intense again in a whole new way. But right now, I feel like we are in such a sweet spot! He is just so fun.
I am so grateful that I get to stay home with Henry and spend so much time with him. I realize it’s not something that everyone gets to do, and I try to savor every second of it… even the poop explosions and occasional hissy fits. We play a lot, we sing a lot, and we go for lots of walks outside. Life with a four-month old is a simple life, but it’s a really nice life.
On an un-baby note, I have been dealing with really bad anxiety at night. Well, I guess I shouldn’t say it’s un-baby because I focus my anxiety on Henry. I’m terrified of him smothering himself at night by sleeping on his face (his new favorite thing). I know the source of the anxiety – I’m dealing with some personal stuff that is non-baby related – so I don’t feel that it’s specifically due to post-partum hormones, but I’m sure it’s not helping! Any tips for soothing nighttime anxiety? So far, my only remedy is to check on Henry obsessively. Not very healthy.
Body After Baby
Let it be known – Month 4 was the month that I fit back into my absolute favorite pair of jeans ever. And yes, this DEFINITELY requires a photo montage of jean happiness.
I was checkin’ myself out in the mirror last week and thought, “Hmm, maybe I will fit back into my goal jeans now. Naw, probably not. If I try and they don’t fit, I’ll be so disappointed…. But what if they do fit?†So I pulled them on, and low and behold, THEY FIT. Cue closet angels bursting into happy song. I gained a grand total of 35 pounds during pregnancy, and I am officially down 31.5! This month, so much of the extra baby weight just seemed to melt away – it’s because I’ve really stepped up my running, clocking in a few 15 or 17 mile weeks. Also, I just think I needed to give it time – like I said before, I felt and looked so rough right after delivery; my body was still trying to recoup, and the last thing it was worried about was shedding the unnecessary weight.
Does my body look the same? Um, no. I still have my linea nigra (the dark line that runs down the center of your pregnant belly). It’s slowly fading, though. And my abs still feel – and look – super weak. But being able to fit back into all my old clothes is amazing, both practically speaking and emotionally, too.
Here’s my Henry update for the month…
- Favorite things: His jumper, anything he can put in his mouth, talking to his grandmomma on Facetime
- Hair and eye color: Still holding onto a bit of the red, but I think it may go blonde, and his eyes are definitely BLUE!
- New skills: Holding onto toys, reaching for things, rolling over, hanging out in crawl position but going nowhere fast.
- Nighttime activities: Goes to bed at 7 PM, wakes up at 10 for a bottle, sleeps until 1 – 4 AM for another bottle, and wakes up around 5:30 – 7 for the rest of the day.
- People he hangs out with the most: His momma, his daddy, his Uncle Nicky, and his grandpoppa.
- Personality prediction: Henry will be a very active, talkative kid who NEEDS to play sports or he goes insane with energy.
- New interests: Watching momma eat things, watching the dogs play, iPhones, listening to his momma
brainwash himtalk about politics (she’s alone all day and listens to a lot of NPR).
His cute little bowtie is courtesy of Uptown Boys – I’ll be doing a giveaway soon!
He is the cutest kid! Look at that smile 😀 What a happy baby!