Plaid Dress (on sale) / Monthly Milestone Cards c/o / Blanket
I’m a few days late in posting this, but Amalia turned two months old on Sunday. It’s crazy to think that only two months ago I was still pregnant. It feels like an eternity! While the second month was definitely easier than the first, it’s had it’s share of challenges… However they pale in comparison to those first few weeks home. For any new mamas out there, I am here to tell you that it doest get easier very quickly. Not easy, but easier for sure. A big turning point for us was around six weeks, if that helps.
Also, if you thought you were in love with your baby when she was first born, just wait until her whole face lights up when she smiles at you. My heart skips a beat or two every single time. That’s been the biggest difference in her personality this month, the way she interacts with us. She responds to funny faces and sounds, and it feels more like a two way street. She’s trying so hard to laugh, too, but it just sounds like a cough. We’ll get there…
The Biggest Lesson I’ve Learned this Month
As I’ve mentioned time and again, we have her on a sleeping and eating schedule that makes her happy, rested, well-fed, and calm… When we’re at home. We’ve learned now that we’re going out more that she has a hard time sleeping outside of the house because we hadn’t practiced it very much. We’re trying to get her out more often so we don’t feel so stuck in our house with her.
It’s a challenge because she has consistently slept through the night since 7 weeks and that has made the whole family happier and calmer, but we also need to have a life!
So the lesson is that I need to remember that she isn’t a robot and it’s ok to have her be off-schedule once in a while so that we can be more mobile! Any tips for that are more than welcome.
Her Schedule
I usually have to wake her up at around 7:30. I like to get up at 7 and shower and drink some tea before I get her so that I can be fresh and alert for her first feed of the day. Sometimes she wakes up on her own at 7 and I skip that, but it’s nice to have on most mornings. She’ll eat then be awake until about 8:30 and then she goes down for her first nap. Here is what the rest of the day looks like:
7/7:30am- Wake up and feed
8am- Awake time (We usually read books and listen to music in the mornings)
8:30am- Nap
10am- Wake up and feed
10:30am- Awake time (Tummy time, bouncer)
11:15am- Nap
1:00pm- Wake up and feed
1:30pm- Awake time (Walk, play mat, sit outside)
2:15pm- Nap
3:30/4pm- She usually wakes up on her own and she eats again
4/4:30- Awake time (This is the longest stretch she’s up each day so we’ll try to go for a walk, play on the playmat, or really keep her occupied)
6pm- Bath/massage
6:20pm- Swaddled, clean, lullabies on, last feed of the day (for me!)
7/7:30pm- Asleep
10:30pm- Dream feed (Done by Anel with a bottle)
The time between 3:30 and 6 is a little dicey so sometimes she gets another “power nap” for 20-30 minutes. We’re still trying to figure this out but it basically depends on how well she sleeps during the day before that. I’m still working on a post all about sleep training but it’s taking a long time because apparently I have a lot to say about it!
Her Disposition
When she’s on or near the aforementioned schedule, she’s happy, giggly, and so so sweet. My mom likes to brag to all of her friends that this baby never cries. And while that’s true most of the time, we’ve found that when we’re out and about and she misses a nap, she definitely gets fussy. But it’s crazy, I can wake her up out of a deep sleep on normal days and the first thing she does is look at me and smile! Or she’ll be spitting up all over herself and laughing. It’s unreal and so so cute.
Anel and I both strive to be very calm whenever we’re around her and I think it pays off because she’s usually very calm as well. She likes to look around and will stare at a tree or a pattern for 5-10 minutes at a time, just taking it all in. It’s very sweet.
The biggest exception to her sunny disposition was actually yesterday. She had a major nap regression, and wouldn’t sleep all day. She was crying and fussy for most of the day, and definitely wanted to be held more than usual. After asking about this on Instagram, I heard back from a ton of people that it’s probably a developmental leap, and will pass soon. We’ll see! Per your recommendations, we got the Wonder Weeks app, and have found it so interesting.
Breastfeeding
It’s gotten a lot easier and we’re in a groove now. I’ve actually found that she will eat more and get less frustrated with bottles so I breast feed her 2-3x/day and then give her pumped milk for the other three feedings. For her dream feed, she gets formula which helps her sleep through the night. I was originally going to try to breastfeed her for a year, but now I’m not so sure. I have no idea what the right amount of time is so I’m kind of taking it month by month and going to go with my gut and what feels right for her.
I mentioned this yesterday but I’ve yet to breastfeed in public… Not because I don’t want to, but because we really haven’t taken her out that much, and when we do, it’s mostly in between feeds, so definitely haven’t mastered that yet but will have to practice before our flight next week!
Earlier this week on Instagram stories I talked about how I am craving carbs and sugar like crazy (and I mean bread, pasta, and cookies, not quinoa or farro). A ton of you responded that you had the same thing happen to you, and it feels good to know that I’m not alone! A few of you even said that when you tried to cut the carbs, your milk supply went down. So crazy!
Child Care
Right now I am still with her most of the time. Anel takes Wednesday afternoons off (the perks of having his own business!) so that I can have three hours off. I’ll usually get an hour or two one other day a week too between his clients. It’s nice to be able to go out and get groceries, work out, or get lunch with a friend. We have a friend who is going to start babysitting for a few hours a week starting next week. I’m excited to have that specific time to focus on work and photo shoots!
Worst Moment
Last week she had a stomach issue and I’m pretty sure it was because of something I ate which made me feel extremely guilty. The poor kid didn’t poop for almost three days and she was spitting up every time she ate. She was fussy and clearly in pain and it broke my heart.
Yesterday’s nap saga was a close second…
Best Moment
In the mornings after her first feed, we like to listen to music and “sing together” which consists of me singing along to Hamilton and her making sweet baby noises and smiling like crazy. She absolutely loves it and it still brings tears to my eyes most days. There was also one specific day when she was really tired before her bath and she was super cuddly and fell asleep on me, something she never does. I was in heaven and never wanted her to wake up.
Read her one month post here.
The best advice I have for getting her to nap while being out is to start taking her for walks at one of her nap times everyday. Put her in the car seat in the stroller and go for a walk, she should start sleeping like normal but in her seat with movement and sounds around. I live in the city so my 10 month old has been napping on the go since birth because I’m always walking to run errands. If we are out at a restaurant during nap time he will just sleep in his seat next to us no problem (now that he’s older at bedtime it’s more important to be home but we can be out all day and he will nap fine!) you could also practice nursing her while you are out for walks, just on a bench somewhere. It’s tricky at first but gets easier and you definitely get more comfortable with it. If you want to cover up with a muslin blanket or nursing cover you will want to get her comfortable with that as well, try using at home first! You’re doing a great job Mama!!
Do you find your baby sleeps better during walks/outings in the car seat attached to the stroller versus the stroller seat? Thanks for the tip! 🙂
I know every baby is different but mine prefers the car seat attached to the stroller as opposed to the actual stroller seat!
what about the basinet? would she sleep in there? how many oz of formula does she get in her bottle? she’s adorable!!!!!! too cute!!!!!!
Thanks Sarah! Turns out the nap regression was a one day problem (thank goodness) so we didn’t have to pull out the bassinet again 🙂
I found early on he preferred sleeping in the car seat but I also suggest it over the bassinet or stroller seat because it’s the most versatile while you are out and if they fall asleep in the car they can go into the stroller without waking up and vice versa. I think once your baby gets used to napping on the go then any stroller/seat combo would work. To be honest I was never a huge fan of the bassinet only because we live in a city with lots of hills and I felt like all the blood was rushing to his head when I’d walk down a big hill haha. That being said it was great to bring over to friends/families places so he had somewhere nice to nap while we visit.
My son was a great sleeper from early on (we also followed Babywise). That said, he never napped great on the go, but we decided we were okay with it. They grow so fast that we got our lives back pretty quickly. He’s now 2.5 and goes to sleep easily on his own at 7:30. Those few hours by ourselves at night are a lifesaver. I guess my advice is even if you’re not able to get her to nap outside the house, you’ll get more of your life back soon!
So great to hear that! When was that for you that he was able to sleep more on the go or you felt like you had your life back?
Even though it hasn’t been that long, it’s a little hard to remember! I’d say somewhere between 3 and 6 months. When they go a little longer between naps, it’s easier to get out more without interrupting their schedule.
I loved that formula for my older daughter, but just as a heads up, a lot of babies get backed up on it. My daughter struggled a little bit when we made the switch around 5 months, and after doing some research, I found that this particular formula is notorious for giving them constipation trouble. We used to add a little prune juice to her bottle each morning and that worked well, but not sure you can do that when they are this little! My new baby, ten weeks, seemed to have trouble with that formula early on, so we switched to Similac probiotic. Hoping to switch back to Baby’s Only when her digestive system has matured!! Sounds like your daughter has been drinking it for a while without issue, but since you mentioned her little back up situation, I wanted to let you know!! Love your motherhood posts!
Oh wow, good to know! So far she’s had the opposite problem (we go through a crazy amount of diapers) but I’ll keep an eye on it. Thanks for the heads up!!
I have an 11 month old and I breastfed/pumped until about 7.5 months or so — after that, she started daycare at around that time and also started getting sick more frequently. While it certainly could have been from daycare and being around other babies, I really wish I had tried to stretch out breastfeeding as long as possible and hit that year mark – it’s amazing the antibodies in the milk and how it can’t be duplicated perfectly! Just a thought, I wish someone would have talked to me more about all the benefits of breastfeeding! Every mama is different, of course, but I definitely would have tried a little harder to pump more or supplement earlier to grow a frozen stash, etc., if it could’ve prevented one cold! xo!
can you share what your pumping/breastfeeding schedule is? (ie when do you pump vs when do you breastfeed)? i’m trying to get my husband more involved with feeding (and to help me get more sleep!) but not sure when to pump vs breastfeed (without messing up my supply or becoming uncomfortably “full”).