The First Month

Our new adventure began the moment we were released from the hospital. It was bittersweet saying goodbye to all the nurses (or little angels is what I think they should be called). They provided us with the best care & support throughout our entire stay. I was also a little sad knowing baby A would never be this small again (seems obvious but I was having a Mom moment). 

I never really knew what to expect in the first month. I kept trying to picture us coming home with our baby. It was a visualization I had quite often. 

First off, we introduced the baby to her black lab brother, Finn. He had no idea what to think of her. He would run to her side every time she would grunt or cry. Such a gentle soul! I think he was more scared of her than anything.  Thankfully, Chris was off for an entire month to help me. We spent the first few days trying to bond as a family (minimizing visitors) it was a special time for us but also hard. Not only are we adjusting but also healing from delivery (now that's a whole other story) Of course, lots of interrupted/ sleepless nights & learning our new roles as parents. This is the stuff books cannot prepare you for! Well in my opinion. We would try & get through the night & then do the same with the day. It's all about going with how you feel during the day. We would try & get out once a day. Even if that meant a quick trip to the grocery store. It felt like a success clipping the baby into the car seat correctly! Really it's the little things in life... Thank goodness we had a good baby. She was calm, a good eater & slept well during the day. Which made it easy for us to go & do something while she was snoozing away in her car seat. Avery was a sleepy newborn until about 2 weeks. Then she "woke up" found her little voice & started communicating with us about her wants/ needs. 

Highlights of the first month:

. Met cousins Everett & Oliver

. Baby shower (all aunts came Taryn, Christina, Krista & Brittany)

. Being babysat by Grandma 

. Lots of doctors appointments, back up to birth weight by the first visit

. Opening eyes 

. Smiling when she hears Mom & Dad's voices & see's their faces 

. Growing every single day 

. Loves to grab onto fingers 

- Leaving the hospital, I swear if it wasn't for the nurses we would have never known how to use that car seat! 

I never knew how special it would be to become a Momma. I look at her & my heart is melted! I didn't know how much love you could have for such a little person. So amazing! Both Chris & I are amazed every single day & both feel so fortunate that she is here with us. So excited to watch her grow, teach her about life & become her role model. Happy 1 month sweet baby Avery! 

Melissa xo 

Hospital Bag

I think this was my most searched item on Google. I always like to hear what Mom's think & any helpful advice they can pass along! So now that I have had my trip to the hospital I figure it's a good idea to make a post of my own on this topic. Considering I had never had a hospital stay or a baby this was all so foreign to me! 

I had thought that I had been prepared with my bag for about 2 months. It's funny, the day I went into labour I had come home & added more things to the bag! I felt like I didn't have enough things & didnt want to be sending my husband home to pick up a million things (we are lucky where we live our hospital is about 7 minutes away). Here are my helpful tips below:

• A fan (you don't realize how hot you will get, could be a combination of hormones or maybe the fact you are having the most intense workout of your life! They tend to keep the hospital quite warm a well) 

• Cozy pajamas or lounge wear (you want to be in something that isn't constricting & comfortable)

• Snacks (depending on what time of day or night you go into labour you want to be able to have something to eat after. Luckily my sister had brought me Gatorade which was fantastic to replenish my electrolytes after the fact)

• DSLR camera (I really wasn't interested in having photos in the delivery room. My sister decided to use our camera halfway through the delivery to capture the first moments with our baby. These are photos I know I will cherish forever)

• Flip flops (you don't know what's on the floor & they are easy to slip on & off, plus you can wear them in the shower) 

• Pillow (you want to be as comfortable as possible so any comforts like this from home make it much better)

• Boppy or Nursing Pillow (I had forgotten mine at home & regretted this deeply! My back was killing me within no time. Do yourself & your back a favor by propping your baby up on the nursing pillow)

• Lip Balm (it's amazing how fast your lips can dry out, stock your bag with your favorite lip chap as you will be constantly applying it)

• Baby Sleepers (I had brought the sleeping gowns for the baby, so easy for changing during the night & it also has long sleeves. Our baby wasn't the Swaddle type so she wanted her arms out at all times, this way I didn't worry about her cooling down too much) 

• Shampoo & Conditioner (I wanted to shower as much as I could so these were nice to have as the hospital only provided some foaming soap to use) 

Overall the hospital does provide a lot of care items for the baby. These are mostly items to make Momma's feel more comfortable. I hope you find these tips helpful. 

Melissa xo