I’m actually writing this as Liam is 13 weeks (3 months) because man does time fly when you have 2 kids! If I didn’t have this blog and make notes to keep up with these posts I probably wouldn’t even know what day it is!
How big is Liam?
We are pretty sure Liam is about 13 pounds, which is absolutely astonishing to me. Marina might have been 8 or 9 months before she was 13 lbs, which made her so easy to carry around at this age. I can’t carry Liam around for long at all, so I’ve been wearing a carrier more than I ever did with Marina. It’s become a necessity in order to get anything done around the house or with an older child!
What is his eating and sleeping schedule like?
It’s still really similar to the thorough schedule I shared in his 8 week update. The only changes are that 1. He wakes up a little later now, more like 7pm, which is when I do the first feed, and 2. I pump now after his 9am feed. I found that I was too tired at the end of the day to pump, and so far doing it in the morning hasn’t changed my output or comfort level at all. Win win!
As for where Liam sleeps, a bit has changed there too. He sleeps in a bassinet for his first 45 minute morning nap, then is usually on a walk around 10:30/11 for his second nap. The afternoon nap is usually in the bassinet again, and then if he naps again it’s usually in the Dockatot or car seat around dinner time. I want to get him in Marina’s crib more, but it’s been tricky with her schedule, and might have to re-think buying another crib option for him.
What is his demeanor/personality like?
His personality is really starting to come out! He needs a LOT of attention, and tends to scream or cry if you leave the room or not focus on him. This is tricky with a 2 year old, but I try to have her read to him, show him her toys etc., to try to bring him into the playtime. When he gets attention, he is all smiles, and loves to play peekaboo and laughs when we kiss his neck which is just the cutest, most addicting sound. I can tell he’s not going to be as great of a sleeper as Marina, as he needs much more calming, singing and soothing before he sleeps, but I’m still trying to test out some of my tricks that worked with Marina to see if my theories work. If they do, I swear I’m writing a book some day! hah!
How am I feeling physically?
I have lost all the baby weight that I am going to at this point, with the rest to hopefully come off after breastfeeding. For the past week or so I haven’t been thinking much about weight, and more about getting some strength back. I haven’t done many ab exercises since I had diastasis recti, but now that that is mostly healed, I did my first ab workout 3 days ago and can barely roll over I’m so sore. It’s insane how weak my abs are, so that is something that I will be focusing on over the next few months.
Mentally I am keeping it together. Some days I really struggle because it just seems as if the world is falling apart and speeding up at the same time. I can’t catch my breath. I am lucky to be able to work part-time during this pandemic, but I can barely keep up with the 20 hours of work that I have, plus my blog. The second one child goes down for a nap the other one wakes up, which makes writing a blog post or going to the store impossible. I have help 3.5 days a weeks with Marina which is great, but it doesn’t mean the rest of that time I get to focus on work or me. I still have Liam to care for, which I love to do, but can be hard when you have deadlines looming over your head. I am truly not a great mother for him when I know I have something else to do, and I feel terrible about it. I am considering asking for help with Liam 1 day a week so that I can have 1 day to truly just get work done, but it’s hard to justify that in a pandemic with nowhere to go. I don’t know… questioning yourself and your plans are part of motherhood I guess. I know that other mothers and families are struggling more than me with homeschooling, technology issues, no childcare, lost jobs, etc., so truly I can’t complain. But what a world to bring a newborn into!!
What products are our baby saviors right now?
Right now our Lille baby carrier has been resurrected as our most used baby tool, as is our trusty bouncers. We have one from Bloom baby and one from Baby Einstein that are in different rooms because I firmly believe that you need to have a place to put the baby in every single room. Seems crazy I know, but even a bed will work to allow you a minute to go to the bathroom or drink some water!
Interestingly enough, Marina has had a toy ‘baby’ for over a year and never played with it once, and right on cue she started playing with it just like mama, feeding him milk, changing his diaper, helping him crawl and even naming him Liam Desi as well. Now she wants a stroller for him. I refuse to buy her one but think we will get out some cardboard and tape and make a stroller with one of her rolling toys this weekend :)
