Parenting :: We made this!

It has been two whole months since little Milo made his grand entrance into the world so I thought I would take a bit of time to document how I feel about being his Mom so far.

I don't think anything can really prepare you for being a parent. One of our friends who had a baby in January told us that we might think we know what it will be like but really we have no idea. That was so true.

The first day I think Ivan and I were both just really happy. I don't remember feeling much else. The first night we didn't want to sleep at the same time and leave Milo "alone". He slept on a cookie tray between us or in one of our arms as the other person slept. The day after he was born I felt amazing. I was under strict orders to take it really easy but I felt so fantastic and I wanted to go out and show Milo off to the world. I obeyed orders and we stayed home and relaxed but both Ivan and I felt so great about everything in life.

The next couple of days were still good but I dealt with some crazy horomones and cried about absolutely everything. It was also sinking in how different things were going to be. I was still really happy but crying so much was definitely annoying. By the end of the first week I was feeling a lot less teary but I was frustrated that I was still so sore and couldn't get back to regular activities.

Ivan had two weeks off of work and I am so glad it wasn't any less. I was sad to see him go back but at that point I felt like I was back to feeling like myself emotionally.

One thing that has been important to both of us is to make sure we still go out to do things and don't just stay home all of the time. We just forced ourselves to start doing things and now it feels pretty normal to do regular stuff with the added bonus of a baby. We have been out for dinner, visiting people and even away for the weekend a few times.

We say all the time how lucky we are that Milo is such a good baby. He is pretty calm most of the time and sleeps well at night. Saying he sleeps well really means that he consistently has at least one stretch of 3 hours at night. He now sleeps in a cosleeper with mesh sides between us or sometimes on me if he won't settle down. (Don't worry, I'm careful, very aware of his movements and I never move in my sleep) Ivan and I both feel like we're getting enough sleep most of the time which definitely makes it easier to function and enjoy our little guy.

We have had a few rough patches where Milo has just cried and cried and we weren't able to calm him down in the usual ways. Thankfully that period only lasted a few days (although I'm sure it will happen again at some point) and I discovered Wonder Weeks which I found very interesting and it helped me feel better about the whole situation.

So, yeah. Being a parent is really awesome so far and I am enjoying the newborn stage but also looking forward to what is coming next. It is awesome to see Milo smile more and more and I have been told that I will pretty much die the first time he laughs! Ivan and I love Milo so much and can't wait to get to know his little personality better.

♥elycia