Mom of Two: Seven Months In
This past month was filled with travel. We went to Atlanta, Cedar Key, Solomon's Castle, and explored parks around the area. We are blessed with great traveling kids. Daisy and Amy both enjoy (or at least happily tolerate) car rides, waking and sleeping.
Here's a little of what happened this month.
This month marked one entire year since I quit my day job and moved towns. I have been a full-time stay at home mom for over a year. I feel all the feelings of SAH parents which I have blogged about previously in my "Mom of Two" series. I don't intend to go back to regular work anytime soon.
This month I also discontinued selling custom pillows in my Etsy shop. I was just bored of it. I knew that would happen, because I like change. The pillows were such a great extra income the last two years, but the idea of zig-zag sewing another outline of Kentucky just makes me want to whiny cry. I have other projects coming down the line, but no more pillows (I may still make exceptions for friends).
I have several creative goals for the next couple months, so I really hope I have time and energy to pursue them: drawing, voice-over, and learning a new instrument. I'll keep you updated.
She also sits up on her own, which makes eating at the table easier. She's a champ at being spoon-fed pureed food and has even started eating Cheerios, kind of. Most of them end up on the floor or stuck to her arm, but every now and then she gets a couple in her mouth and gnaws on them until they're soggy.
She sleeps well through the night, but doesn't have much of a nap schedule. I think this is because we're often on the go, so she sleeps in her carseat and at home when she can.
She had been nursing every 3-4 hours consistently. Every once in a while, I'd let her go 5 hours when we were driving, but that was causing a drop in supply on my part. Last Sunday she nursed every 2 hours, which was WAY out of character for her, but significantly helped my supply. She nursed like that every 2-3 hours for a few days straight, but I think she's back to her previous schedule. My guess is teething, but they haven't popped out yet.
Now that Amy can crawl around and sit up, she's much happier exploring and playing by herself, which makes mommy happier too.
This last month has been the least stressful for me since Amy's birth. I really think that six months is the magic age for when a mom and baby fully acclimate to new life - at least in our family!
I even did a beach day with a few moms last week without Zane. Amy cried through most of it, which was stressful, but she finally fell asleep in her carseat under a tent on the beach. Even with all the extra work to get kids on a beach playdate, it was very fun to be with other moms and get out and about. I rode with another mom, and the toddler conversation in the backseat was to die for! "I fly something green. It's the trees!"
I think that the main reason last month was easier for me is that we were out a lot. Every morning Daisy says, "Where are we going today?" The few days we have at home are the hardest and longest. The extra effort to leave is worth it for happy kids.
As you can see, my photo shoots have changed from the blue chair (sold on Craigslist) to the floor, where Amy can now crawl toward me. She likes shiny objects like cameras and cell phones. Also, it looks like I'm going to have two brown-eyed girls!
Here's a little of what happened this month.
Personal Changes
I quit Facebook this month. I've written about my struggle before, and I finally just called it quits. That's the short story. I may write a longer post about it in the future. (Update: Here's the why I quit FB post!)This month marked one entire year since I quit my day job and moved towns. I have been a full-time stay at home mom for over a year. I feel all the feelings of SAH parents which I have blogged about previously in my "Mom of Two" series. I don't intend to go back to regular work anytime soon.
This month I also discontinued selling custom pillows in my Etsy shop. I was just bored of it. I knew that would happen, because I like change. The pillows were such a great extra income the last two years, but the idea of zig-zag sewing another outline of Kentucky just makes me want to whiny cry. I have other projects coming down the line, but no more pillows (I may still make exceptions for friends).
I have several creative goals for the next couple months, so I really hope I have time and energy to pursue them: drawing, voice-over, and learning a new instrument. I'll keep you updated.
The Baby Keeps Growing!
Amy is chunky and adorable at 19 pounds. She started legitimately crawling on our trip to Atlanta. She can now get around the house pretty well, and we've had to officially move all small objects to higher surfaces.She also sits up on her own, which makes eating at the table easier. She's a champ at being spoon-fed pureed food and has even started eating Cheerios, kind of. Most of them end up on the floor or stuck to her arm, but every now and then she gets a couple in her mouth and gnaws on them until they're soggy.
She sleeps well through the night, but doesn't have much of a nap schedule. I think this is because we're often on the go, so she sleeps in her carseat and at home when she can.
She had been nursing every 3-4 hours consistently. Every once in a while, I'd let her go 5 hours when we were driving, but that was causing a drop in supply on my part. Last Sunday she nursed every 2 hours, which was WAY out of character for her, but significantly helped my supply. She nursed like that every 2-3 hours for a few days straight, but I think she's back to her previous schedule. My guess is teething, but they haven't popped out yet.
Now that Amy can crawl around and sit up, she's much happier exploring and playing by herself, which makes mommy happier too.
This last month has been the least stressful for me since Amy's birth. I really think that six months is the magic age for when a mom and baby fully acclimate to new life - at least in our family!
I even did a beach day with a few moms last week without Zane. Amy cried through most of it, which was stressful, but she finally fell asleep in her carseat under a tent on the beach. Even with all the extra work to get kids on a beach playdate, it was very fun to be with other moms and get out and about. I rode with another mom, and the toddler conversation in the backseat was to die for! "I fly something green. It's the trees!"
I think that the main reason last month was easier for me is that we were out a lot. Every morning Daisy says, "Where are we going today?" The few days we have at home are the hardest and longest. The extra effort to leave is worth it for happy kids.
As you can see, my photo shoots have changed from the blue chair (sold on Craigslist) to the floor, where Amy can now crawl toward me. She likes shiny objects like cameras and cell phones. Also, it looks like I'm going to have two brown-eyed girls!
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