Eastyn 10 Week & Life Check-in

This past Saturday Eastyn turned 10 weeks. It has gone by so quickly, but at the same time it feels like the months have gone by so slow. Christmas feels like an eternity ago, right?! It’s hard for me to remember what it as like when she was just a few days old. Throughout this time, I’ve completely fallen in love with motherhood (even more than I thought I would have…) and Greg and I have adjusted well to this new way of life. Of course we have our hiccups and every day has not been easy. 

First things first – let’s talk about Eastyn!

She’s everyone’s favorite. Here’s her 1 month verse 2 month comparison:

The week before last we had her 2 month appointment. Up from her birth weight and height of 7 lbs 5 oz and 20.5 inches, Eastyn is now 11.6 oz and 23.5 inches. Her head circumference and weight is in the 52nd percentile but her height, as expected is the the 90th. Who knows how she will keep tracking though!

Of course, we had to watch her get her 2 month shots which wasn’t easy but she actually did well. Timing worked that it was time for her to eat so I was able to put her right to breast which made her quickly forget about what just happened – I think it really helped her relax. The rest of the night she acted normal (whew) other than being extra sleepy. I was worried about her coming down with a fever but a good hard sleep leveled her out!

The Zzzz’s

While we are on this topic – I’ll give a quick recap of her sleep. I am not sure if Eastyn is a good sleeper or the SNOO crib is really all it’s chalked up to be. But I consider us VERY lucky.  She has now dropped her early morning feeding, making us down to 1 night feeding! The nights look a bit like this, she goes down between 8-9, wakes up once (usually between 3-5) and for the passed 2 weeks has woken up almost exactly at 7 am for the day. It’s funny, it doesn’t matter if she gets up at 3 am to eat or 5 am – that 7 am wake up call is her jam! We are taking a trip to St. Louis this weekend where she will be sleeping in a normal bassinet and I am a bit nervous to say the least.

As far as a bedtime “routine” goes, it usually starts around 7 pm. Around 2x a week she will get a bath. Otherwise it consists of just rocking her in her chair and sometimes reading, with very dim lights and soft voices or singing.  We will give her a pacifier to start to settle her and at around 8 pm I will try to feed her one last time. Usually she gets drowsy enough to transfer her to the snoo.

As far as naps go, they vary.  Her morning nap is usually an hour long and we usually get another good one, 1-2 hours long. The others will sometimes only be 20-30 minutes. A big thing we are doing is having her take at least 1 true crib nap a day. One, to allow her to get used to the space, and two for practice sleeping without the constant motion provided by the snoo. As I’ve mentioned before we love the Ollie swaddle for naps. We keep the space very dark and bring in her Hatch white noise machine in. She no longer naps in the living room like she did as a newborn. All of the methods for naps and sleep we learned in the Taking Cara Babies Newborn class. Cara is amazing!

Breastfeeding

Breastfeeding looks a bit different than it did as a newborn (not good or bad, just different). I remember when she would nurse for 45 minutes! Now, she will be done in 10-20 minutes. However she is much more distracted and often looking around instead of super focused. Sometimes she is full from one side, which my body has adjusted okay to. My lactation consultant said to start with one side – that is the appetizer and entree, burp, and offer the other side for dessert. Lol. I love that analogy! Sometimes she wants dessert, sometimes she doesn’t. This week we’ve decided our goal is to have Greg give her a bottle of breast milk once a day to help the both of them acclimate for when I head back to work.

In addition to breastfeeding I have also been pumping 1-2 times a day to gather a stockpile of milk. Typically right away in the morning and around 930 pm before I go to bed to empty out before going that long night stretch. Tbh, pumping kind of sucks. It just feels like wasted time. Plus, for me it takes a little while for things to stat flowing so I can’t get it done quickly. I hope that I can have a more positive outlook on it soon as I will have to get used to doing it more frequently. 

Playtime

Eastyn is now through Leap 2 (according to The Wonder Weeks) and is so pleasant during the day. She likes to be held and walked around with but is also very content in her Nuna chair, boppy lounger or on her Lovevery play mat. She does well with independent playtime allowing Greg and I to tackle a task if needed.

Her favorite toys are by far this spiny rattle and any cushion wrinkly book – like this adorable unicorn one by jellycat. She loves bath time and being sung to too!

This weekend at the cabin we broke out her Jumperoo (which I thought she was too young for) but she LOVED it! We just propped up a blanket behind her for some support and she was super content.

How’s Mom?

During my last update I talked a bit about my stint with the baby blues and how I was struggling overall with the adjustment of bringing a baby home. I can happily report I am feeling so much more myself – emotionally and physically.

Now that we are through the toughest part (postpartum-wise) having Eastyn has actually allowed me to relax a bit. I used to be SUPER list and task oriented. And a bit of a workaholic. I am still a “trailblazer” but her presence has made me realize – all that stuff… it can wait. That email? It can wait. That project I “need” to get done.. nah, it can wait. Being her mom undoubtedly has made me a better person. She’s made me far more loving, more patient, aware, and appreciative (especially of Greg). Becoming a Mom has also taught me to honor my emotions. Even though those PP blues have lifted, it’s still okay to cry if I’m feeling overwhelmed.

In January I registered for a 6-week New Mama’s class at Amma Parenting and it has been wonderful for connecting with women going through this huge transition. It just ended last week. We met weekly in a classroom setting and just talk about what we are going through. In addition, we are encouraged to meet once a week outside of class. This has been awesome practice for getting out and about with Eastyn alone and breastfeeding in public (which was a big hump to overcome). Not to mention – help making new mom friends!

Postpartum Fitness

In early January Greg surprised me with a Peloton bike – can someone please tell me where I can get him a husband of the year award? It sounds like just a financial commitment but he did it because he knows how important living an active lifestyle is to me. And that having a child makes time uber limited – i.e. trips to the gym a luxury. I got a weight set for Christmas and am loving the Expecting and Empowered postpartum guide to take me through workouts 3x a week on top of the Peloton. Their guide has given me direction on how to get back to my pre-baby self. 

What about Dad?

It’s worth noting that Greg also has had his ups and downs during this major transition. I wrote this poem to help express my gratitude to him but I also feel like it may have backfired. I’ve always thought that him being a stay at home Dad was the perfect fit, and I might have put too much pressure on that idea. Being a parent all day at home with a baby is no freaking joke. Seriously, it’s exhausting and can be really lonely (and I’m only peaking from the stretches I’ve done in this short time). Lately, we’ve had a lot of talks about how care for Eastyn will be taken one day at a time. Whatever is best for our family, we will do. That may mean a part-time nanny or me taking a step back from work to allow Greg to pursue his own career and passions (aside from being a Dad), hopefully heading back to his roots of basketball.

Now What?

The next thing on the horizon is my maternity leave coming to an end… and I am so not ready. I have started to work 2 hrs/day (or 10 hours a week) from home to ease back into things – but heading back full time in the beginning of March is a huge leap. I do miss that sense of purpose in the workplace, structure and my coworkers but I greatly fear the regret that will come from being away from Eastyn and Greg. Again, it’s just one of those things we will take one day at a time.

XOXO  – E, G & E