Ingenue Mom

I love people's Wordless Wednesday posts. And I would like to start doing it. But today when I was picking out a picture to start, the one I kept coming back to was this one. And honestly, it needs some words to explain why it sticks out to me. Pictures by Sara Corman Photography I love my birth pictures . Like really love them. I will cherish looking back at those and remembering that day and that pain and that joy and those tears. It was an amazing day. The thing that is so interesting to me is that something about the way they look makes the whole experience seem so quiet and so peaceful. Maybe it's the black and white, maybe it's the fact that she somehow caught every beautiful moment and when I look, even though I was there and I experienced it, I don't see the fear and the wave of up and down that was going through me in those hours. But this picture says more. In this moment, you can't tell, but I was screaming. Literally at the top of my lun

Today was a little rough. With newborns, I feel like your whole life revolves around eating, sleeping and pooping, and if one of those goes wrong one day, things feel a little out of control. But with my new decision to focus on the things I am loving at this point, I decided to sit down and focus.    First of all, I made a list of things I'm loving right now... I'm loving when Lux snuggles her face as close into my neck as it can get and then lets out this little sigh. I'm loving when Isis asks to hold her sister and then tells me, "mom, she's really special." I'm loving the me-time I get on good nap days! I'm loving the fact that Lux sleeps really well at night. (We've had 2 different 5+ hour stretches this week!) I'm loving the moments when Lew and I look at each other and just laugh or smile or shrug because we're sharing this experience and although we get tired and frustrated, we do it together.   Then, I spe

This week has been better in some ways and harder in others. Ah, the journey with a newborn.   Gas: She still isn't showing any gas issues. I'm thankful for that!   Nursing: Nursing is still going well. She's eating a full feeding every time. I'm doing single side nursing and she's nursing for anywhere from 12 to 20 minutes on a side when she nurses. I did this with Isis, too when she was a newborn & there was a growth spurt where she started eating from both sides every time. We'll see if Lux does the same. There still hasn't been a growth spurt yet, so I'm waiting for that.   I did have a slight problem with her latching on the right side. She would do great on the left, but it always hurt pretty bad when she'd first latch on the right. I talked to my midwife about it at my 2 week appointment and she helped me get it right. It's been better since then. I did have a couple of those nights this week where I woke up supe

My friend Emily sent me this article yesterday & I have to say I laughed out loud & then read it to Lewis & then sat down & went "whew!" Because it is so refreshing to hear someone else say exactly what I'm thinking. And that is... I do not like the newborn stage. I thought I would enjoy it more this time than I did with Isis. And I do, for sure. But I really hated it with Isis, so there was lots of room for improvement there. This time I'm enjoying it more and emotionally I feel 100% different, but that doesn't mean I love this stage.    Don't get me wrong, I love my newborns. I loved Isis the moment I found out she was really in there! I loved Lux from the same moment and I loved them both throughout the pregnancy and birth and now. But being a mom and loving your kids does not mean that you love every stage of childhood. I am just not a newborn kind of mom.  I love when babies start sleeping more consistently. I love when

First of all, the birth pictures were all taken by Sara Corman Photography .  Please check out her blog for more!    39 weeks, 2 days - the morning of the induction I spent the last several weeks of this pregnancy in a lot of discomfort. It was difficult for me this time to work at the end. My heartburn was really difficult to deal with as time went on. My body was more fatigued than it had been with Isis as well. I just found myself ready to be done with pregnancy earlier than I’d anticipated. As I’d started dilating, I thought that things were progressing and that labor was coming soon, but my body continued to progress and labor continued to wait. I met with my midwife for my 38 week appointment and I started going in 2 days in a row so she could sweep my membranes and try to move things along. Still nothing. So she told me that since I was at 4-5 cm and since I had a vaginal birth with Isis and progressed to 10 cm on my own, that she was willing to break my

With this being baby #2, I find myself constantly checking back on my blog to try to see what Isis was doing at this age and what strategies I was trying for her to eat and sleep well. I can't remember and I didn't keep consistent track as specifically as I would've liked. I realize this isn't really a benefit for everyone or something that everyone would want to read, but I need to post it for me because we plan on having a 3rd child and I want to be able to go back and look at what I was doing this time! So if these are interesting to you, then great, if not, ignore and move on because I'm posting them for me! I'm also using the guides that the Chronicles of a Babywise Mom blog uses because they just make sense to me! Her blog is fabulous and pretty much a daily read of mine in the first year! Newborn Summary Label on Babywise Mom blog Newborn Index on Babywise Mom blog   Gas: So far Lux hasn't shown any signs of gas issues. She had a couple

It's so crazy to me how different it has been going from 1 child to 2. The transition from 0 to 1 for us was really rough. If you read back through some of my posts from when Isis was first born, you'll find that it was incredibly emotionally draining. I didn't know how to deal with the emotions, the hormones, the lack of sleep and the fears. It took me at least 2 months to really work through some of that and probably the first 6 months before I felt like I was really back to myself again. This time, it has been completely different. I think part of it is knowing what to expect. It's also helpful when your labor is a total of 4-6 hours rather than 21. I didn't start Lux's life with a huge sleep deficit just from labor. It's also different because I have lots of tools in my belt to figure out how to adjust to Lux's needs and personality. I know what I tried with Isis and I have been able to try those things with Lux and find what works. It was a l

Lux Violet Born Friday, October 12 at 3:56pm 7 lbs 15 oz 20 inches long I've been enjoying the last week or so & haven't taken the time to blog about everything. Lux finally arrived & it has been really amazing! Welcoming a second child into the world was extremely challenging, but also so fulfilling! I have loved adding a new member to our family & seeing how it changes the dynamic between all of us. It has been a really enjoyable change & I'm happy to say that Isis is dealing with it really well! She loves helping & holding her & always wants to tell me how pretty she is.   I've been working on my birth story. It's a little long, but I think I'm just going to leave it as it is. I want to remember it fully. I also had a birth photographer this time & I'm excited to share some of her pictures! All of that is coming up in the next week!

Weight : I've gained 35 pounds total. Each appointment now, I'm right at that point, not really gaining anymore. I was even a pound less last week and now back up to 35 pounds total this week. I'm happy with my weight gain. It's about 5 pounds more than I gained with Isis, but it's a second baby and it's warmer outside, so I've noticed more fluid retention and a little more swelling in my feet and legs than I had with Isis. I can still fit in a few non-maternity shirts, but with pants, there are 2 pairs of maternity capri jeans that I can fit in, a pair of maternity leggings and a couple of pairs of sweatpants that I fit in. That's it. So considering the temperature dropped today, I'm hoping she comes soon because I don't really have any warm weather pants that fit me right now! Aversions : None! Yay! Cravings : Ice cream - Graeter's Black Raspberry Chip or anything from Orange Leaf. I want it all the time. Not indulging myself, th

Maternity pictures by Sara Corman Photography   I am laying in bed, trying to take a nap, and I can't stop thinking about what is coming soon. With Isis, I didn't start dilating until I was 37 weeks. I went from 1 cm to almost 4 cm in 2 1/2 weeks and Isis was born 3 days early. This time, I was having lots of strong Braxton Hicks contractions from 23 weeks or so on, so when I got to 35 weeks and was feeling a lot of pressure in my bottom all the time, I asked to be checked. I was already 1 cm at that point. I am now 38weeks and 3 days. I'm at a full 4 cm and 100% effaced. I've decided that with baby #3, I will not be checked until I hit my due date - if I get that far. Because clearly it doesn't mean anything and it just gives me anxiety to sit here thinking that things could get started at any moment, but they don't. It's also interesting this time because it's a second birth. I had Isis with no medical interventions, no IV, no medication, et