From Cradle to Crib

When we brought Cooper home the intention was for him to sleep in a wooden cradle that had been passed around my family for 40+ years, I'd even slept in it as a newborn. That lasted about a night & a half. He hated that cradle more than either of us could have imagined.

Then I remembered a friend saying THIS sleeper saved her & her husband when they came home from the hospital. I'd registered for the same & we'd been gifted it at my shower.  So halfway through the second night I stumbled half asleep into the living room, picked the rocker up, stumbled up the stairs & set it up in our room while Eric was changing baby.

He came back, popped Cooper in, we turned on the slow rocker & soothing music options & amazingly got our first couple hours of solid sleep since getting home. Cooper has slept in that rocker ever since (now without rocking or music).

In Sleeper, 3 Weeks Old

Then this past week I noticed his head was almost at the top of it, shoulders were a bit smushed & Friday he learned that he could kick those long legs & the cradle would rock or jump.  A BIG no-no.  So it's crib time- something he hates sleeping in every time we've tried for a day time nap.  But surprisingly the first night in he slept between 6-7 hours, then woke up hourly after.  

1st Night in Crib, 11 Weeks Old

Naps are turning out to be a bit harder & I'm convinced it's because the crib doesn't cradle him the same way as the sleeper.  So (meep) letting him cry it out for a bit during his usual nap times (9, 12:30 & 4).  I'd love to hear some tips on how to ease the transition?  Or what worked for you to get baby re-adjusted to his usual nap times after such a big change?

I swear, every time we hit a growth milestone like this my heart fills & my eyes tear.  Time is flying by so quickly & I'm so excited to embrace everything to come but it's painful to see all of this go by so fast.  I find myself missing being pregnant, the first few days after Cooper was born & even the sleepless nights that followed our return from the hospital.  That's probably why my phone is filled with so many photos that it needs to be emptied monthly (gasp), I want to hold on to every piece & have those memories saved to reflect on in case I forget one along the way.

:)

Cooper's Birth Story

Every time I think about the day Cooper was born my heart fills & tears start flowing because it was so amazing, every second was perfect, even the hard ones.  Now as I write this I have an eleven week old sleeping soundly next to me.  Instead of newborn clothes, he's already in 6-9 month sizes measuring an amazing 25 1/2" tall & weighing in at 14 lbs as of his 2 month check up.

In the months leading up to delivery I was terrified.  Everything from not knowing what to expect, when to expect it or whether I'd be able to do this at all.  Then in the weeks & days leading up to early June I became calmer & calmer about the entire process.  We intentionally didn't create a birth plan, & decided instead to go into the hospital with an open mind to what would come.

At 5am on June 6th I woke up with a cramp, followed by a gush of water.  Our birthing class taught us that only around 15% of women have their water break pre-labor so I assumed I'd peed myself, another beautiful pregnancy symptom.  We'd already had an early morning run to the hospital the week prior & were used to middle of the night contractions that would stop by lunchtime the next day; so going into "time to go to the hospital" labor was far from my mind.  I had it in my head that this baby was never coming out, & surely not before my 6/9 due date.

I waddled to the bathroom as fast as I could, only to have two more gushes on the way.  A few minutes later I realized what was really going on, opened the door to ask Eric for fresh clothes, & nervously share that my water just broke.  When I came out of the bathroom, happy tears flowing, it felt like the house had filled with excitement. We were both wide awake & started gathering bags, packing dog supplies & wrapping up things at work (perk #100 of us both working at home).  

At 5:30 contractions started.  We coincidentally had a check-up already scheduled for later that morning & Eric had a doctor's appointment of his own before that.  I told him to go & let me know if he got held up, then called Mom to bring me to my appointment when he ran late. During the first few hours of labor my nesting kicked into overdrive & by the time she arrived I was sitting on the sidewalk outside weeding our the garden. I'll never forget the look on her face seeing me there plopped on the ground with my nearly 40 week belly. 

At the appointment we learned I was only 1cm dilated.  The midwife then hooked us up to check baby's heartbeat & my own contractions. I texted Eric that we were being monitored only to have him walk in with Mom from the waiting room a couple minutes later. Everything looked good until one heart rate drop came through causing concern.  After that we were told to go home, gather our things & head to the hospital where they would speed things along to get baby out safely.  

Home we went, calling to board our dogs on the way, giving mom Etsy orders to bring to the post office & filling the cooler with freeze pops to bring (best tip ever from our birthing class).  After arriving & being checked we moved forward with the Foley Balloon until I reached 3cm & followed that with Pitocin late-afternoon on the 6th.  To manage the pain hubs & I alternating between walking the halls, massage & using the exercise ball.  Walking was the biggest relief, & with each contraction I'd stop to lean on Eric & we'd focus on breathing together.  He was my rock throughout the entire process.

Then we hit a wall- test results showed preeclampsia. Because of seizure risk we needed to start magnesium sulfate which weakens your muscles & confines you to bed (while making you feel like you're sick as a dog).  I asked if there was time for one more walk down the hallway & broke down in tears as soon as we were out of the room.  I thought I'd gone into this with no plan, but in the back of my mind I'd wanted to keep moving & not be bedridden for as long as possible.  This was not what I wanted, being induced was not what I wanted & now here we were doing both.  But Eric was there through it all, talking me down & putting it all into perspective. So we headed back to start the magnesium & an epidural since there could no longer be any movement to manage the pain.  The epidural was fantastic after it was placed right, which took 4 tries.

We settled in for a long night of TV, dozing & the most wonderful nurse who kept an eye on me non-stop until breakfast time.  First thing the next morning I was checked & amazingly just under 10cm dilated. Woohoo!!  My first thought was that baby had decided he'd have a birthday of 6/7.

Then came 4 hours of pushing.  In between a series of contractions I said "Cooper" through gritted teeth, & we picked our baby name from the short list of favorites right then. Because I was on Pitocin which causes contractions & Magnesium Sulfate which causes muscles to relax we'd have a series of 4-5 back to back contractions, then nothing for 20 minutes & repeat.  After a few hours I decided to keep pushing during the downtime.  The doctor suggested assisting with a suction cup a few times which I refused repeatedly, determined to get this baby out my way.

When Cooper was born just over 32 hours after my water broke I hemorrhaged twice.  Going in & out of consciousness I only remember snippets of what followed- not hearing him cry immediately (his mouth was being suctioned), having Coops laid on my chest right after he was born, seeing Eric & hearing the word transfusion.

Eric told me later that the room filled with Doctors & nurses faster than he could believe, around a half dozen in total.  One giving me a shot to bring my blood pressure back up, another ordering blood to be on standby (which I narrowly missed needing), another working to stop the bleeding, others tearing pads open & running all around.  Cooper was taken from my chest because I couldn't hold on to him & placed in the nearby bassinet.  Then I lost consciousness when my blood pressure dropped down into the 70s, causing the monitors to start beeping.  Our midwife took control & they had Eric step back.

The whole ordeal lasted 10 minutes, 10 long minutes.  Then the next thing I remember was holding a freshly cleaned Cooper on my chest with Eric by my side & feeling the Doctor stitch me up.  I was confused beyond belief, but nothing could come close to describing the flood of happiness at finally holding that sweet baby I carried for nearly 10 months.

There we were, a new family of 3.  Our lives were forever changed & everything was perfect <3

Favorite Reads

Happy Monday all!  At least once a week Coops & I make a trip to our local library to check out a few books from the children's section (& maybe one for me, I just finished Revenge Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger for the second time- such a good end-of-summer read!!).  

Our library also has a great under two playgroup on Fridays that we just started going to which has been great for getting Cooper around a few babies his own age without sending him to daycare yet, & an easy way for me to meet a few other SAHMs in the area.

I add all of our favorite library reads, & a few DIY activities that go with them, to a board on Pinterest (check it out here), so we can remember what to pick up on the next run to our local bookstore, R.J. Julia.  

We're also HUGE Eric Carle fans, in case you couldn't tell; The Hungry Caterpillar, The Very Quiet Cricket & The Very Lonely Firefly are current favorites.  Especially those last two that make noise or light up on the last page, Coops just can't get enough.

Little Green Peas by Keith Baker is another goodie, with only a few words & lots of colors Coops is beyond excited every time we sit down with it. Plus every time we look at the pages I notice something new that we can chat about.

Nearly ever afternoon we head to the backyard with blankets, our Bassador- Scooter & a bag of books.  We'll need to find a cozy spot to replace the lawn in a couple months when the air turns crisp but I'm super excited to turn a corner of Cooper's room into his own library with wall bookshelves, cozy seats & toy baskets <3

What are some of your favorite books?  I'd love to hear your home library must haves for baby, or mama!

blogging + business + bab(ies)

We were so excited to guest blog on The Saltwater Wife this week & share a few baby & home business tips with soon-to-be twin mom, Annalee!!  Of course I had to share the same post here, along with a few pics of Cooper who is now 10 weeks old- can you believe it??

For the next 3-5 weeks, we’re waiting. Patiently, excited, and nervously… waiting. One way I’m staying occupied is by blogging! I’ve loved how this blog as allowed me to connect with other wives, moms, salt water loving, island living ladies like myself!

You might remember a while back we featured these awesome totes by Kristina from Painted By The Shore + Loughs In Love

Well since that post, Kristina has welcomed sweet Cooper into the family, and into the blog world! She’s learned a lot about business and blogging with baby – something I’m sure I’ll learn eventually. But right now that concept blows my mind. So instead, I’m going to let Kristina tell you what she’s learned so far!

Thank you, Kristina for sharing what you know with our readers! I can’t wait to look back on these tips + tricks with our twins in a few short weeks!

Make sure you all go follow Kristina on all the pages!

Instagram, Facebook, Etsy Shop, Pinterest

Toward the end of my pregnancy work became harder & harder.  Events were out (can you really see someone with an eight month belly setting up a tent at a craft fair??), sitting in the studio with sciatic nerve pain meant alternating between a high back chair covered in pillows to the couch to an exercise ball & exhaustion led to shorter hours (I worked my first 40 hour weeks in years).  But even that didn’t prepare me for having such limited time to take care of my needs or the business post baby.  I was completely disillusioned in thinking I could function even close to what I was currently doing & it ended up leading to a lot of stress & less time with Cooper when we came home from the hospital. All because I didn’t set myself up for success.  So I’m sharing what I learned over the past 10 weeks with baby, & am still learning every day.

Be in the moment where you physically are.  

This is a tough one, & something I have to remind myself to do CONSTANTLY.  If you are sitting at your desk then work.  If you are sitting in the backyard with baby then don’t work. If you are juggling dinner & laundry then don’t work.  And make sure to carve out a bit of time to do the things you enjoy (check out this interview with Jada Pinkett Smith about just that).  Scheduling time to work on me so I could be my best self for baby & husband was tough at first.  So I started with baby steps (pun intended), reading a chapter of a book while breastfeeding, blogging on my phone while Cooper played by my side.  But as we’ve gotten into more of a routine that personal time has gone from a couple minutes a day to a solid half hour & has brought smiles to my face & more balance to my life. 

Baby First

This may seem completely contradictory to what I just said, but it’s not.  When it comes to life top 5 priorities should include you, baby, husband, family/friends & (in my case) business.  In the past I had a tendency to put work ahead of myself & loved ones, something that led to me being in a really unhappy place.  Remembering now to prioritize myself, while realizing also that the #1 slot needs to fluctuate when baby is sick or hubby & I desperately need a date night or it’s Christmas & the business flooded with orders.  

Breathe

I was fortunate to have some amazing advice given pre-baby & what stuck out the most is breathe. Just breathe. Example- one of my first full days home alone with baby I had it happen that the washer had a panic attack while filled with things covered in baby bodily functions (think my clothes, his clothes, boppy… the list goes on), at the same time Cooper was freaking out because he wanted to eat, I had to pump before feeding him because of cracked nipples, the business was suffering because I just didn’t have time , the dog was barking to go outside & I hadn’t showered in 2 days.  Yes I’ll admit it, 2 DAYS.  Tears filled my eyes as I stood there, completely overwhelmed, in our family room staring at the washing machine with baby in my arms & Scooter the dog circling.  So I stopped & hit the pause button on everything.  Me in my current mental state wasn’t helping anything so deep breaths ensued until I calmed down, the fog cleared over what to do & attack mode ensued.  Thirty minutes later- rinsed laundry was drying outside, I had a calendar full of REALISTIC business to-dos, Scooter the dog had taken care of business & best of all baby was full of milk & cuddled in my arms.

Put baby down & take that shower.

NOTHING feels as good on your body as a shower those first few weeks.  Seriously. NOTHING.  I was petrified to shower when hubby wasn’t home.  Regardless of having an amazing baby monitor with video, or that our bathroom is no more than 15 feet from where he slept.  Then one day I forced myself to take a 5 minute one while baby napped, & amazingly the world didn’t end.  And I learned it’s okay to take a few minutes when baby sleeps, or even while he fusses in between sleep cycles. That some things are necessary to function & shouldn’t be forfeited in lieu of starring at baby breathing while he dreams (though that is one of the most adorable things in the world to look at).  

Nap time is go time. 

Everyone told us to sleep when baby sleeps, which we did for the first 1-2 weeks after coming home from the hospital.  But after that nap time became go time. I do EVERYTHING that can’t be done with a baby in my arms or by my side. Any work that requires focus or 2 hands- business phone calls, taking out the garbage or cooking to name a few. Things like laundry, dishes & even sweeping we do together; with Cooper on the bed while I fold, in the bouncer on the kitchen table while I wash dishes or in one arm while I swiffer with the other.  

It’s okay to do things while baby does something else.

At first I didn’t want to miss a single thing during baby’s day & essentially tied myself to him.  I would forgo chores in lieu of watching Cooper lay on his play mat, leave the blog by the wayside so as not to miss any milestone, you get the picture.  But it’s okay to miss moments & focus on the bigger picture- a happy household (with clean clothes), happy you & happy baby learning he can play independently without a helicopter mom hovering.  Now I’m not saying go outside & garden while baby’s inside by himself, but sitting on the couch while he’s in the pack ‘n play & within eyesight 3 feet away can do wonders for both of you.

Take the help, & offerings of pre-made dinners.

This was more amazing advice given to me pre-baby.  Those first few weeks I took family up on every offer of visits, frozen meals & support.  We’re fortunate to live in the middle of lots of family/friends on the Connecticut shoreline & had no shortage of visitors those first few weeks. Remember though, there is a line & make sure not to overwhelm yourself; it’s also okay to say no or postpone visits, everyone understands & new baby means no explanation needed.

Get out of the house & be productive, with baby.

A friend gave my husband the advice of taking Cooper everywhere from early on to get him adjusted to travel, & after the first few weeks of recovery I was all about this. We do everything from house to work errands, including wholesale deliveries.  At first I wanted to separate the business out of fear that bringing a baby would show less time available to clients or distract from conversations, but its done the opposite. The congratulations from our retailers were OVERWHELMING & Cooper brings smiles to every space we visit. #mompreneuralltheway

Balance is constant learning & adjusting. There are times I’ll sit and remind myself to breathe for 5 minutes straight and not be able to get a good breath.  But every day we take another step forward, be it a good nap, finding a play (& mom support) group or getting a new wholesale account for Painted by the Shore.  

I’d love to hear from YOU!  What helped make life easier those first few weeks home with baby?   Be it a product, mom community or nap time ideas (especially that last one for our house) we’d love to get some tips & thoughts.