We'll take 5

And just when I was about to get even more mellow dramatic about our precious child that never sleeps.... we seem (knock on wood) to be rounding some sort of corner. Rory slept for FIVE HOURS straight on Saturday night. He hasn't done it again since, but we're averaging 3.5 and even 4 hours last night... so getting better. He even went down for a nap this morning?!  We have a big week ahead, Steph's bringing her kids down and then we're heading back to Almonte after the long weekend for another extended visit and a wedding... Almonte is a place I can not get enough of these days. I have never missed Almonte, my family and all my girlfriends more than I do now that I have a baby. One day....  Until then, get a load of these cheeks....

Sleep Baby Sleep

Today, I need a stiff drink.  Nope, I am not even going to sugar coat it. I am exhausted. An exhaustion that only 12 hours of straight sleep or a double vodka and soda are going to cure. Guess which of those options is even remotely within the realm of possibility? TGIF. Cocktail hour is officially upon us.

So... here's the thing, for the most part Rory is a pretty good sleeper at night. He is still getting up every 3-4 hours but usually he goes straight back to sleep for me. Then we have nights like our last one. He was up every 90 minutes. It was crazy. And I wouldn't even mind it so much if he slept AT ALL for me during the day... but this little guy likes his cat naps. And if I DARE try to put him in his crib during the day he makes a mockery of the situation by LAUGHING into the monitor mere minutes, sometimes seconds after I lay his head to rest.

So... I have quit trying to put him to bed during the day. I let the kid sleep wherever he pleases. Yup, I know what you're thinking and you're right. I need the baby whisperer. But until then, this kid stays put where his last eye closes.

Here is this weeks daytime sleep (rather - catnap) montage. What a guy.

Tipping the scales at healthy

At a healthy 10lbs. Can you believe it?  Our last doctor's appointment was only 5 weeks ago and Rory weighed 6lbs 5 oz, now is he a very healthy 10lbs. I was shocked. I even asked if that was too much weight for him to have gained so fast. But our new and fabulous pediatrician (we switched Rory's doctor because his first one was useless), told me that he is "perfect" (I am quite sure she tells all parents that, but she had me at perfect), and that coming up into the 25th percentile  for weight was excellent at this stage given he was considered full term at 37 1/2 weeks (so not pre-mature) but small and babies generally stay within the same percentile they were born into, which wouldn't have been great in Rory's case for weight.  Oh, and he is 23 inches which apparently puts him into the 50th percentile for height.  So... I can finally relax, our "little" guy is catching up to the other babies his age. Hooray!!!

Two months and growing!!!!

And I was worried he wasn't growing!!!!  Tomorrow is our 2 month dr. appointment where Rory and his thighs will have an official weigh in. I will report back on the verdict. I am guessing  9lbs.  Looking at the difference one month makes has me a bit sad... I was SO anxious for him to grow at first because everyone was so worried about his small size, and now I want him to stay this size forever. Being a mom is so tough. :)

How sweet it is....

Yesterday was a great day...Rory and I travelled out to Markham to see friends of the family- the Hick's and had a great visit. It reaffirmed my desire to connect with more moms, to get out of the house more, and once again made me appreciate family and valley ties.

This morning Rory took a rare nap from 730am-10:15am and I was able to get a ton done, including a great chat with my mom, a shower, the dishes, a fridge clean out, a grocery list and a load of laundry!  Call me Martha.

So... all to say it still surprises me that every day can be so different as a new mom. One minute Rory and I are competing for size and quantity of tears, and the next a friend sends a picture like this from a quick impromptu living room shoot and I am the happiest and most smitten mom on the block.

We're planning a full family shoot for the fall with our friend Heather Lynch when the weather is cooler (it also happens to be our favourite season), and completely appropriate for our Autumn Surprise don't you think? Stay tuned for those...

xo

No matter how you spin it

There are two truths you learn after having a baby. Motherhood ain't easy, and neither is taking off the baby weight. Well... for some it is, but not when you're like me and spent eight and a half months paying homage to your two favourite food groups - nachos and cupcakes. Not.even.kidding.

Anyway, it's been a while since I have felt like, or had time to blog. It's been a busy month with lots of trips and milestones for our little family.  We have attended not one, but TWO out of town weddings (one in which I was the emcee this past weekend - I know, I am crazy), we have spent a long weekend on lake erie, we have celebrated my 31st and champagne birthday, we have met all the Shaughnessy's at a family BBQ and also the entire extended Byrne family at a very large family reunion. It's been busy. Very busy.

So how are things going?  Here's the truth in two parts.  First, things are going really well. We love our little guy to pieces, he makes us smile and laugh every day, he is changing our lives for the better and he is a REALLY good baby. Did you read that list of stuff we have done?  He would have to be a pretty good baby for us to have made it through all of it pretty unscathed. Well... with the exception of a diaper EXPLOSION in Perth on the way to the valley. But we're not talking about that.  One thing is clear, Rory HATES Perth.

This boy is REALLY growing! I can't wait for his 2 month doctors appointment next week to find out what he weighs. I am SURE he has to be over 8lbs now. Maybe even pushing 9. He just feels SO big to me all of the sudden. He is starting to give us those huge smiles that melt your heart, the chatter that makes you laugh and want to talk with him all day long and he will even turn his head to look when we enter a room. He knows his ma and pa and we love that.

So what's part two?  Here is the thing. This ain't easy. The calmness I felt in the first few weeks of Rory's life sometimes gets replaced by anxiousness, irritation, sadness, confusion and fear. Being a new mom is a roller-coaster of emotion I never imagined. In one moment you can be so filled with love you want to burst, and in the very next if given the chance you're sure you could beat Ben Johnson in a foot race to the front door. Then there is the guilt and worry you're not doing enough. The comparison you and everyone else makes to other babies of the same age. The questions... "are you doing this with your baby", or "are you going to do that with your baby".  When did being a baby and growing every day stop being enough for a newborn?? You know, I even contribute to it by the amount of reading I do.  Well.... it's time to take the pressure off and find some of myself buried beneath the weight of being a new mom, and hopefully take some of my baby weight off in the process. All three of us will be happier because of it.

So,  in case you haven't read between the lines, I had a MAJOR moment this week. Rory was super "off" after our time in Almonte and as he was adjusting to being back here...we had a very rough Sunday night and Monday together. Read - Rory didn't sleep well and cried/didn't sleep most of the day on Monday.  When Peter got home I was ready to put the house up for sale and.... actually that is as far as the plan got.  Anyway, today was a MUCH better day.  I tried Rory early this morning in his baby Bjorn carrier and he loved it. And so do I.  We got out for a great walk before 10am and even got most of the errands done in the process. But here is the thing, I don't want to have many more days as intensely off as I/we felt on Monday.

So,  here's the plan or sort of my realization.  I am a MAJOR part of this equilibrium.  Rory and Peter both feed off of my energy, my emotions, my happiness. So I need to do a few things for me, to be able to give back to them. I need to get out more, so I am joining a mom's group beginning in September, twice a week I am going to get out of the house to do a INTENSE spin work out at my favourite spinning gym. I did one tonight and I am a brand new woman and once Rory hits the 3 month mark, we're going to start swimming lessons together.  It's amazing what a little bit of what the old me used to do injected into my life, makes me feel sain again.  Like magic.  I wish eating cupcakes made me feel as good as spinning does.  I am sure I am going to add a few more things as we go, like a music class or something, but I think that's enough for now. I also tend to over commit. I have so much to work on....

Anyway, Here's a new picture take on the play mat today, he likes it for the first time this week. Look at these chubby cheeks...