We are celebrating 1 month of life in 3 short days. Bennett has been here for 22 days. 22 wonderful days have flown by and I can’t help but feel a little sad at the fact that we only have 11 more months until 1 year. Oh the weird thoughts of a first time mom.

How has my first month as a mom been? Wonderful. Hard. Challenging. Beautiful. Full of love. Learning curves. Tiring. Emotional.

The first week was without a doubt the hardest for me. After 30 hours of labor, there was no recovery period. You are handed a newborn who wants to constantly eat (at least mine did), you’re in pain from the delivery (at least I was), and you only get to sleep for a couple of hours at a time. Not necessarily from your baby waking you up, but the nurses come in to check in on you constantly. I remember that first night in the hospital with Bennett, I was scolded by a nurse after I fell asleep with him in my arms. Whoops! Unfortunately, I fell asleep sitting up multiple times during the first week.  I physically couldn’t stay awake.

The first couple of nights home were rough for us. It was a learning process for both Mr. B and us. We found out quickly that he didn’t like to be swaddled. He loves to have his hands free. He sweats. He talks the entire night. He is hard to wake up when he really is asleep. The second night home, we couldn’t figure out why he wasn’t sleeping so after the millionth time of getting up to soothe him, in sheer desperation, I took a shallow tub that slides under a bed and lined it with sheets and blankets and placed it in the crib. Sleeping in the tub was enough to comfort Bennett whenever his moro reflex startled him. We quickly learned that the crib was just too big for him just yet but we were determined to have him sleep in it from the start. Sorry sweet Bennett but mama needs her bed to herself. SO for two weeks he slept in a miniature crib made out of a tub and blankets that sat inside of his actual crib. All that expensive furniture we bought him and he slept in a tub. Patrick kindly referred to it as his kitty litter box. Hey, whatever works. After two weeks he outgrew the tub and we placed a twisted sheet in the shape of an oval under his crib sheet which has the same effect that the tub did. Oh I also found out at 2 weeks that he can roll onto his side. Scared the crap out of me the first time I went in to nurse him at night and I found him on his side!

After we figured out the sleeping stuff, everything else seemed to slowly get better. Those post postpartum hormones are no joke though. Remember that I didn’t cry during my pregnancy? Yea, totally made up for it after he came out. I cried everyday for like 2 weeks. Poor Patrick would get home and I would just unload all of my hormonal mess onto him. I remember reading a blog about “If your child marries mine” that was floating around Facebook and I LOST it. I couldn’t even finish the blog post. I cried every time I thought of Bennett no longer being a small baby. I cried about everything. I couldn’t even hold a conversation without my voice shaking and me tearing up. At our second doctors appointment, our sweet Dr. was voicing her concerns on Bennett’s weight loss (thank the Lord, we are back on track), and I sat there in my yoga pants and messy hair and sobbed. She thankfully reassured me that I wasn’t the first mother to sit before her and completely unravel. Luckily those hormones stabilized and I’m back to my usual level of sappiness.  Our Pediatrician even commented on how I look like I’m doing “much better” after I was able to show up with my makeup and hair done and hold a conversation without losing it. HA!

After the first two weeks of barely leaving my house, trying to recover from birth and learning what this new mommy life was going to look life, the Tobler household started to normalize again. The days are flying by and everyday Bennett and I are venturing out more, staying away from home longer and slowly rejoining the world.

Things we did in our first month:

1. Doctor appointments

2. First trip out of the house by myself with Bennett was to CVS for diapers and wipes and Target for a few food items.

3. Trips to target

4. Sleeping for 6 hour stretches at night

5. Finally exceeding his birth weight

6. Meeting his Meemaw who flew in from Texas

7. Lots of picture taking!

8. Family photos with Brittany Pelegrino

9. First sit down restaurant was a Mexican restaurant near the mall. He slept the entire time.

10. Rolling on his side

11. Wearing his first cloth diaper

12. Being worn in the Moby wrap – LOVES it!

13. Outgrew Newborn diapers at 2 weeks

14. Outgrew his first pair of newborn pj’s at 2 weeks

15. Still fits into most of his newborn clothes but starting to fit into his 0-3 months clothes

16. SMILES all the time!

17. First trip to church at 3 weeks.

18. Started tummy time at 2.5 weeks

19. Following things with his eyes

20. First sponge bath home during the first week. First submerged bath at 3.5 weeks. LOVES bath time.

21. First chiropractic adjustment at 4 weeks. He fell asleep during it.

22. First time he was left with Daddy was so I could go find non maternity pants. @ 2 weeks

23. Lots of head control – He’s a strong one.

24. Starting to find his hands

25. Peeing on the walls, pooping on the couch. Ohhhh yea.

26. Lots of snuggles with mama

27. Baby acne

28. LOTS of laundry

29. Picking pumpkins and carving them

30. Learning to jump and pull himself up with Daddy

31. First giggle was in the bathtub – can’t wait to hear it more often

Learning how to be a mom has been awesome yet challenging. Thankfully we are slowly getting into a routine which this mama loves. I can’t believe the first month has already passed. Before we know it, we will be celebrating 1 year. My goals for this next month are to venture out more, make new mama friends and watch my little man grow. Leaving the house still seems daunting for me. I haven’t mastered nursing in public so it really limits how far and how long we can be gone. My goal is to become more comfortable nursing away from home so that we can experience greater adventures.

There is NOTHING like being a mom and loving your child. It is a complete joy even on the hardest days to be Bennett’s mom. I am so thankful to be able to stay at home during this season for our family and really enjoy every moment. I am even more thankful that Bennett makes my job easy. He is such a laid back baby. Sure, he has his fussy moments but for the most part, he’s cool and calm. Love him to pieces.

We will be taking his picture on the 25th so look out for that. 🙂

OH and can you believe that Patrick and I are celebrating 4 years next month??? I sure do love my husband and I am SO thankful to be doing life with him!

^ First night home. So tiny in that big crib

 

We have a side sleeper yall.

Tummy time with Daddy 

First cloth diaper

Tummy time fail.