One whole month with our angel baby, how is that even possible? He’s sleeping as I type these words and the house is quiet on an overcast Sunday morning. There’s a piece of me that can’t remember life without him…. and just reading that last sentence makes me roll my own eyes at myself. But everyone is right when they talk about the blur that is parenthood and the first month of it. It’s chaotic and messy and beautiful and something I never want to forget.

How can you sum up a month of figuring out life as a family of three? It’s nearly impossible and I’ve been trying to remember all those little, fleeting moments by writing them down here, or in my journal when I have a second, or filling my phone with photos and videos so I’ll never forget this tiny state with the cutest grunts and the eyes that sometimes cross. I know that soon I’ll be late on these posts or probably stop them all together, but I figured if I don’t start now, I probably never will. So here’s what one month with Jack Walter has been like…

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How is it really going?

I think we really lucked out because Jack is a super easy, super happy, super good at sleeping/eating/being cute baby. But most importantly, he is healthy and we thank our lucky stars for that. This first month went so fast, it almost makes me sad to think it’s over even though it was such a blur. Maybe he’s not as perfect as we think, but is content and quiet demeanor that mimics his dad is something I know we are lucky to have. Keep it up baby boy!

Not only did we bring home a newborn in the month of June, but we also moved from our little downtown condo to a larger home in the suburbs of Denver. Something we did not plan to do until quarantine hit and we realized we needed a little more space. It has been the best decision we ever made, and as we settle into our new home, it feels like life is exactly as it should be. And the extra closet space and journal storage in the basement doesn’t hurt!

What has surprised us

I feel like being in our mid-30s and having our first child has been a true advantage for both Todd and I. We knew having a baby would be a life-altering experience, and it was something we luckily were able to prepare for and didn’t rush into. So in that sense, i feel nothing has truly surprised us or has come up that we can’t handle together. And please don’t kill me for saying this, but we also have an easy baby. Honestly, I hate to even say this because I want to knock on wood, but I can say that our transition into parenthood has been less challenging than we believed it would be. We have a baby who barely cries, who sleeps in stretches, and who we sit in awe of most days.

I think what has surprised me the most is how quickly the days are going. I mean, they fly by and I literally am doing nothing but sitting on the couch most days – feed, poop, sleep, repeat. I try to do one thing a day that is productive, but sometimes that doesn’t happen and thats ok. Feeding him take up a LOT of time, and somehow 3 hours from one feeding to the next happens at the blink of an eye. I do feel that parenthood will continue to humble me and my always-needing-to-be-productive ways. Because sometimes the most important thing is getting up and getting him fed and cleaned and that is a win. If he is happy, I am happy. Our life is now consumed by a gurgling newborn and we wouldn’t want it any other way. Im just surprised it actually happened like everyone said it would 🙂

Sleeping has been ok too, and I don’t feel as sleep deprived as I thought I would. Sure the first 2 weeks are rough but I had prepared for that. Right now we usually feed him at 10PM, put him down, he sleeps for 4-5ish hours, wake up and do one night feed, then he gets up around 7AM, we do a feed, and then we sleep until about 8AM if we can. It’s not too bad to wake up once in the middle of the night. I have never been a great sleeper, so I think that comes to my advantage here. I know I’m not supposed to be drinking a lot of coffee, but one cup in the morning is truly a lifesaver. We are following the Taking Cara Babies course, and it has been wonderful to watch and try to get on some sort of schedule. As much as we can, I’m trying to give myself some grace.

So what about Pack This Journal?

I have completely put marketing the journals on hold for June, July and August and I am 100% ok with that. I am still shipping out orders that come in weekly from my Etsy Shop and PackThisJournal.com but I am truly enjoying not worrying what else I can be doing. Always doing. Right now I am ok just existing with this little one, and the rest will happen when and if it does. In the long run, blogs and social media and marketing campaigns and courses are all important. But right now, this is the most important thing to be focusing on. So thank you for being patient and part of the journey with me.

Month one can be summarized…

As the biggest, most beautiful whirlwind of our lives. Like we blinked and all of a sudden our little love is growing out of his newborn clothes, his eyes are open more, smiles are more frequent, and he is enriching our lives in ways we didn’t know possible.