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One Year Out // My Third Postpartum Journey

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It’s hard to believe that one year ago today I was… anxious. Anxious and excited. I was beyond ready to meet our final and missing piece. It would still be two more days of waiting before Miss Mila Rose made her way into the world. And I spent these days doing a lot of walking and a lot of impatiently awaiting the start of labor.

But let’s back up — because if you had asked me if I wanted to have any more children after Remy was born 3.5 years ago, I would have emphatically said “Hell to the no.” And I’m not certain what changed. But at some point, I realized that our family needed a little bit more craziness. Enter our 3rd (and final) pregnancy.

Looking back on those last moments as a family of 4, I realize that, although I was anxious, I was also calm. I was ready — perhaps more ready than I’d ever been to tackle labor. I knew my body was capable of handling a rough 24-hours or so, all to help this beautiful new creature enter the world.

But what I didn’t realize at the time is that my postpartum experience would be drastically different this third time around. I was heavily prepared to be on the struggle bus shortly after delivery.

When I was okay, I decided not to hold my breath. I was just waiting for the other shoe to drop. But it didn’t. At least, not really. Or not in the same way as before.

And as I round out these last couple of days with my final baby, I’m celebrating the fact that we did it — we made it through our last postpartum period. Hoorayyyy!! Now let me snuggle my last ever newborn for just a teeeeeensy bit longer! Thursday will be here before I know it. ♥ ♥

Mila Rose // 10 + 11 Months

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Guys — SO much has changed in just TWO MONTHS! I seriously don’t even know how it’s possible. Perhaps it’s the fact that Mila is my last baby, or perhaps it’s the fact that she’s a joyous baby in general… but time is flying and I’m over here just crying, y’all! I didn’t mean to go two months without updating on Mila, but things happened and I got distracted (as life goes).

The reason I haven’t been able to update is that we had ALL THINGS SICKNESS going on — again! Remy had another TWO UTIs and Mila had another ear infection followed by a 6-day fever of 104 degrees.

No worries — we’re on the mend now.

But here’s what you’ve missed in the last two months…

On The Move  //

Girlfriend is MOBILE! Considering how late Remy began to walk, I was not at all hopeful that this baby would walk early. But she is walking around furniture and with help (ie. fingers or a walker). I’m eating it up and I just know she’ll be walking, unassisted, before I know it!

A Strong Will  //

Remy always was and always will be my number one drama queen, but over the last two months, I’ve noticed a ‘spunk’ in Mila that cannot be ignored. She wants what she wants and she doesn’t want what she doesn’t want. As I navigate motherhood, I’m beginning to truly respect this aspect. Sure, it’s difficult, but isn’t all of motherhood? So as I see these little pieces of strong will shine through, I keep wondering what our future holds.

Stay tuned, friends!

Boob + Food  //

This chick loves all of the food! Between nursing and real food, she’s practically eating nonstop. She will nurse in the morning, once again mid-morning, followed by a jar of food and some puffs, then nurses again before naptime, nurses after naptime, then will eat two jars of food and yogurt/puffs after naptime, more nursing before bedtime, and then sleeps. I feel like my life revolves around providing her with food!

Her favorite foods are peach puffs, pear and oatmeal baby food, and Annie’s Organic Mac and Cheese! I honestly don’t remember giving my big kids mac and cheese until they were about 18 months, but Mila sees them eating it now and needs it! So I just cut it up and she will seriously eat an entire bowl!

Sleep  //

I still count myself lucky. She’s still a decent sleeper. During times of crisis (ie. 104 fever and double-ear infection), she has wanted to be awake with me in the middle of the night; but other times she sleeps through the entire night. So yep. I’m definitely lucky.

Weight + Height  //

Soooo she’s still a peanut. Despite her very healthy appetite, she is in the 6th percentile for weight.

Y’all, I get comments all the time about how tiny she is. But I guess my kids are just tiny? Cause she won’t. stop. eating!

Truthfully, I’m not sure how tall she is, because I pretty much check out after the weight portion. But she’s not tall. Ha!

Health  //

Despite the double-ear infections, she is quite healthy. She’s my first baby to ever have an ear infection (let alone, 3!), so that’s been a bit jarring, but we’ve really rolled with it.

When she developed a high fever last week, I was super concerned. Neither Ari nor Remy have ever developed a high fever (I truly think they are not kids that really get fevers), so I was extra concerned. We ended up in Urgent Care on day 4, where they diagnosed her with a general virus; but by day 6 I decided it was time to see our pediatrician. He diagnosed her with a specific virus — Hand Foot and Mouth Disease — based on three sores found near her tonsils. I was surprised but somehow relieved that we had an answer. And two days later all symptoms were gone.

Favorites  //

Her favorite people are her brother and sister — hands down. She lights up whenever she sees them and I totally love it.

Other favorites include her (outdoor) swing, her binky, trying new foods, nodding yes, and waving bye-bye.

If you need me in the next month, you can find me crying into my coffee (or wine) about how my last baby will be turning one at any moment. ♥ ♥

Mila Rose // 8 Months

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How. HOW?! How is my littlest babe 8 months old?! I am in SHOCK, y’all. Straight up shock. I meant to do a six-month update… and then time got away from me so I planned on doing a 7-month update… but time got away from me again. So here we are at 8 freaking months.

Mila Rose is known to those who love her as Meebs.

I know I’ve mentioned this before, but she now answers to it! Remy calls her Meeba because she can’t say Mila. So she shortened it to Meebs and it kind of stuck. Everyone that I work with and most of the extended family refers to her as Meebs. I really don’t think it’s going to be something she can escape as she grows. Chick will always and forever be “Meebs.”

She’s my happiest baby — even when she’s under the weather. 

She’s been sick a couple of times in the last 8 weeks or so with various viruses that have caused her to be a snotty mess. Honestly, I’ve handled it worse than she has (because, lack of sleep). But she still manages to be a happy little camper.

The worst part? Meebs hates the Nose Frida. She sees me coming at her with it and she loses her mind. I can’t say I blame her, but the Nose Frida works like a charm!

Rolls on rolls on rolls.

She is still tiny (5th percentile for weight), but she’s the first of my three kids to ever have any sort of rolls! She has a roll on each thigh and the chubbiest cheeks when she smiles! It’s so perfect.

And — in addition to the rolls — she is terribly ticklish. Her thighs, her neck, the bottoms of her feet, and (of all places) her back are very sensitive.

Sleep? Kind of.

Meebs is my best sleeper, but she’s still a baby and babies wake in the middle of the night. I try to remind myself that her pattern of waking twice a night is completely normal. Do you hear that, friends?? It’s normal!

I have found solace in the fact that this is my last newborn stage, and so this lack of sleep seems to be easier this time around.

Movement.

She’s not quite crawling, but she’s so very close. She’s sitting for hours at a time on her own. I’ll set some toys in front of her and she will just play while sitting — which is completely different from my other two kids. She’s pushed herself up onto all fours several times and will rock back and forth, but not yet crawling!

That’s not stopping Mila from getting where she needs to go! She rolls all over and turns herself to wherever she wants to go.

Food? A teeny bit. 

But truthfully? Mostly still boob. It’s honestly fine. I am relishing these moments because I know they are fleeting. She has eaten some baby food — carrots, bananas, and avocados. She is definitely very interested but still makes a face with every bite. It’s so funny!

LOVES…

…Mommy, Baby Genius Nursery Rhymes, chewing on bristle blocks, her coffee cup teether, and her binky. Pretty much in that order. I don’t recall whether or not my other two ever had mommy-separation anxiety this early on, but I truly don’t think they did. And I kind of love it.

I can’t wait to see what this upcoming month holds in store for this little lady! Happy 8 months, Mila Rose! ♥ ♥

 

Mila Rose – 5 Months

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If I could wrap up this last month in one word it would be the following: bittersweet.

Bittersweet because over this last month Mila has changed dramatically. She’s no longer a squishy little baby that just eats, sleeps, and poops. Nope. Now she laughs, smiles, and watches her siblings play. She’s, like, a real human now! Ha!

But I’m sad because that was the last time I’ll ever go through the newborn stage. My last baby is already FIVE MONTHS OLD — and that just seems crazy to me. I want, terribly, to relive these days again, another time.

In the same breath, I’m really okay with moving on with our lives — away from newborn ‘things.’ I am looking forward to watching Mila grow into an even bigger little human. I can’t wait to see her continue to interact with her siblings (and me!).

Here’s what else we’ve been up to over the last month —

As mentioned before, she laughs and smiles… a lot.

And apparently, she’s a fan of slapstick comedy. We found out by complete accident. The whole family was lying in bed when we playfully pushed Remy and she ‘fell’ back and laughed. Mila cracked up. Like, full-on belly laugh. It was hilarious so we did what every parent would do… we kept on ‘pushing’ the kids. And every single time, she would belly laugh.

A bit of a health update: She’s perfectly fine. Well, mostly.

This past month has been a whirlwind of appointments. We The first appointment was an echocardiogram at Akron Children’s Hospital. The technician let us know that there was nothing that required immediate attention and sent us on our way.

The second appointment was a dermatologist appointment at the Cleveland Clinic. These world-renowned doctors let us know that, again, while it’s odd that her hands and feet are still purple (a condition that should correct itself the first few weeks after birth), there didn’t appear to be anything causing it. At least not outwardly. I was asked quite a bit about whether or not autoimmune diseases run in our family (none to which I’m aware of), and we decided that if she still has this condition at her six-month well-visit, we’ll do a blood draw to test for things like lupus.

Just as I thought we were totally in the clear, I received a call from our pediatricians’ office. They called and said that the echo showed a hole in her heart and they wanted to refer her to a pediatric cardiologist at Akron Children’s Hospital. And, sigh, my heart fell. It wasn’t quite what I was expecting, but I knew that if it was anything serious, they never would have let us leave her echo.

So we saw a cardiologist and it was explained to us that 20% of all grown adults have this hole in their heart (from birth) and they may never be aware of it. She’s perfectly healthy, heart-wise — no murmur, nothing. In fact, she doesn’t even want to see us back! Hooray!

We’ll just be awaiting our 6-month well-visit to see if her hands and feet are still purple. That’s it!

Food? Not yet.

We haven’t yet started on food or cereal. But we are still EBF (exclusively breastfeeding). She’s gaining weight, which is a good sign. Truthfully, I’ve never doubted my ability to nourish my children. But the fact remains — she was born my largest baby at 8 lbs, which means she ‘should’ be following a heavier growth curve than she is. But my children are small — they always have been. So I’m not surprised that she dropped off her original curve and she’s trending more like my first two babies.

We never used cereal or rice with the first two babies (personal decision), but I considered it this third time around. I haven’t ruled it out (yet) but I’m holding off until our 6-month appointment. From her specialist appointments this past month, I have zero weight worries. She gained and gained with every appointment!

Sleep? Sometimes.

We’ve been super hit or miss this last month. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t frustrated. She’s been doing an awful lot of cluster feeding lately (thanks to a growth spurt and teething), so there are many . nights where I’m basically pulling an all-nighter. And then other nights she seems to sleep for 6-hour stretches. It’s weird. I can’t find a pattern. I’m just hoping it levels off soon.

We’re technically still co-sleeping (same room, not bedsharing), but as soon as we’re in the new house she’ll be in a separate room. I know it will be an adjustment, but we’ll all be adjusting to our new home, so fingers crossed that helps.

No more babies.

I honestly cannot wait to spend this holiday season with my little (big?) family of 5. I’m finally comfortable saying “We’re good with three kids. Believe it or not, I was considering a fourth just a few months back. But now that we’ve moved into our new home, I’m ready to settle into our family as it is. I feel like this new house may be our fourth ‘baby’. Ha!

So for now, I’ll just be over here eating up this last baby stage. Ever laugh, every thigh roll, every breastfeeding punch, and every sleepless night… I’ll just eat it all up.

Happy 5 months, Mila Rose. ♥ ♥

 

Mila Rose // 3 Months

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Oh, sweet baby girl. I cannot believe you are already three months old. You have taught me so much in these last 3 months — much more than I thought I needed to know.

For one, I didn’t know that as a mom of 2 already, I could possibly have any more room in my heart for love. But I do. I have so much love.

And that’s just it — you have taught me that even though I feel completely spent and completely exhausted at the end of each and every day, I still have so much room in my heart for love.

I finally admitted it last month — you are such an easy baby. I was afraid to say it, but it still stands. You are easy peasy. Sure, we’ve had hiccups along the way. Like this darn 4-month sleep regression that seems to have popped up a whole month early.

And speaking of popping, you already have a tooth through the gums. A TOOTH! at just three-months-old! How is that even possible!?

It seems as if Miss Mila Rose is doing a lot of things ahead of schedule. Like rolling over.

Yep, she’s already rolling over.

Admittedly, I was not in the room when she rolled over. But hang on sanctimommies — she was safe. I just happened to leave her on the living room floor for 30 seconds while I went to the bathroom. In that time she managed to roll over. Since then, she’s rolled over two more times from her back to her belly. It’s so crazy to see at such an early age, especially since Remy seemed to be so late on rolling over, crawling, and walking.

And she’s so. darn. chatty.

She talks and talks and talks and talks and talks. It’s insane.

Oh, and she’s teeny tiny. Even for my ‘largest’ baby — born at 8lbs — she’s still incredibly small. However, I’m not surprised. Both other kids were always in the 2nd percentile for weight so it really doesn’t shock me that she’s so little. But we’ll have to wait and see exactly where she falls on the growth curve until her four-month appointment!

Gahh! I can’t believe a four-month appointment will be here before I know it! Time is just flying by. And I can’t wait to see where this next month takes us!

Mila Rose // 2 Months

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I. cannot. believe. it’s. been. two. months! SERIOUSLY. It feels like she’s been around for way longer, but also? HOW is it already two months since her birth!? Crazytown. That’s how.

But real talk — I’ve been holding out on telling you something. Because I’ve been afraid to say it out loud:

Mila is such an easy baby. There. I said it.

It’s been one of those situations where I’m afraid to say it out loud. But here I am… saying it. She’s a really good baby.

She’s a great sleeper, she’s a wonderful napper, and she’s an overall happy baby. And I’ve just been afraid to tell you out of fear that I would jinx it.

From the night we brought her home from the hospital and slept for 5.5 hours straight, I was spoiled. Since then, she’s been sleeping regularly from 8:00 PM to 3:00 or 4:00 AM. So, basically, waking up at 3 AM and then again at 7 AM. That’s a huge change from my previous children. Having had two children that were awful newborns, I’m certainly not used to this.

But, after Mila’s two month well checkup, I’m learning to accept that this is real life.

She’s just a fantastic baby. And if she was my first baby, I would have 17 babies. She’s easy. She sleeps. She eats well. She is (mostly) happy. She is lovely. Truly… lovely!

While I still have moments of postpartum hormones (anxiety and sadness), it’s been fairly manageable. I suppose that’s one of the joys of having an easy baby.

But just do me a favor, okay? Please reach over and knock on wood for me. I’m still just a tad bit superstitious. 😉