Our First Month as a Family of Four!

We made it. Well, the first month, that is. Going from one to two is definitely hard in the beginning, especially with a newborn. It is a constant workflow, and of course you still have another child to take care of, so it is not as laid back as the first time around.

I know it will get easier as the newborn gets more comfortable with life on earth and routines start to form, but right now I have a velcro baby who does not know day from night and an almost four year old who absolutely needs someone to play with him at all times.

I am loving the chaos, especially since I have the best husband who is here helping, but gosh are we tired. Whenever I get a free minute I am usually catching up on housework or cooking, but we have still managed to squeeze in a lot of walks and outings together for some sanity.

Since I am currently nap trapped, I figured I would get a recap blog up!

When Kyle’s mom came to visit the week after we left the hospital, we packed up and headed out of the house to grab dinner, our first family restaurant outing. We headed to Margaux’s since my toddler finally found a food he will eat other than cheese and crackers: pizza. And trust me, I am ecstatic.

He went his whole life only eating the crust, which he called the “extra,” and now he eats almost three slices. So if a pizza restaurant is what he requests, by golly, we are going!

Kyle and I split a green apple pecan salad and a pineapple ham pizza. I love the pizza at Margaux’s because it is super thin and crispy.

We have been trying to make the transition for our toddler as easy and unnoticeable as possible. We have been spending as much one on one time with him as we can. So the Saturday after coming home from the hospital, I took him to a friend’s birthday party.

I had been spending a lot of time with the baby, so it was important for me to make him feel included and get some mommy time. He had the best time, and it was so nice being able to spend the afternoon with him. I even took him out for his favorite donuts afterward, and I think he really appreciated it.

Our church, including some of my son’s teachers, put together a dinner to drop off for our family, and that was the sweetest thing ever. It made us feel so special and was very appreciated.

As week two went on, things started to fall back into place again with making good breakfasts, baking with my son, and going on smaller walks around the block with Leo.

I told myself that this postpartum time around I was not going to eat like garbage when I got home from the hospital, which is what I did the first time. I was just so tired, and when you are tired and breastfeeding, you kind of grab whatever is easiest.

I have been doing so well eating super high protein meals, healthier carb sources, and a lot of foods that have made me feel so much better without the sugar crashes and lack of sleep. Honestly, I have been living off eggs.

There is nothing like a cup of coffee after a night with a newborn. I have been getting about a two hour stretch, then an hour up, another two hour stretch, then two hours up, and then Kyle comes in at 4 so I can go sleep in my toddler’s room for two more hours. I am getting sleep, just very broken.

The longest stretch we have gotten so far is three hours. I forgot how hard it is for people who are not night owls to stay awake at night.

It was so nice having my mother in law stay for a week to help out and give us time to transition into a family of four a bit easier. My mom stayed with us for a week, and then my mother in law came after that, so we were very lucky to have extra help during the days with our toddler and newborn.

We were even lucky enough to get some mom and dad outings with our toddler, which I know he appreciated.

My mother in law loves my turkey meatloaf recipe, so I decided to make it the Friday before she flew out. I made it with whipped mashed potatoes and green beans.

We are in the age of birthday parties. I took my son to one of his friend’s parties the following Sunday morning when he got home from church with his dad. It was so much fun at a bowling alley and arcade. He was happy being able to eat all the pizza and play all the games!

Most of the days are blurs, but I love them.

The weather has been phenomenal, so we have been spending a lot of time outside. We have been baking bread, going on outdoor walks, having coffee and Lego time, and spending time in the backyard. We love sitting out on the porch!

We made so many loaves of sourdough last week. One to send home with my mother in law, a few for the house, and some for my son’s teachers to enjoy for Teacher Appreciation Week.

Sourdough definitely fits a schedule for a newborn since they are up to party at 3 am, so I might as well make some bread! I made my favorite flavor, the jalapeño cheddar pepper jack.

We made cute little cut outs on Canva and printed them out for the loaves.

I always keep bread bags from amazon on hand for gifting sourdough bread to people.

My son does not have school on Fridays, so we decided to make it a day dedicated to whatever he wanted to do. He chose to have lunch at Southern Touch Bakery in York (one of our favorites) with the whole family and grandparents, followed by a farm visit. The weather could not have been more perfect.

I love their coffee, so I enjoyed a hot roast with half and half and a garden salad. And my son, who has only been eating pizza lately, now eats chicken strips and french fries too, as long as they have ranch and ketchup. I am so excited that we are getting somewhere with him!

We also do not let him snack, which I know is controversial, but if he snacks he will not eat a meal. So far, it has been working well for us.

After lunch, we headed to Bush N Vine to enjoy the entire afternoon sitting on the porch while my son played on the swings, in the sandbox, and on the fun farm slide. He made a friend while he was there, and it was nice because they played together for almost four hours.

For parents with playhouses, are they worth it? My husband and I are in a battle between yes and no. I am a yes because I would love to sit on the porch while my kids play on the playset, but he thinks they will never play on them. Do your kids love theirs?

We let him have ice cream after lunch, get completely filthy in the dirt and sand, and it could not have been a better day for him. I plan to have many summer days like this.

And to top it all off, after his bath I let him sit on the porch and wait for his surprise. We have never ordered pizza to the house before with him, and for some crazy reason his favorite pizza is Domino’s. He has had it at birthday parties. So to end a day all about him, I ordered Domino’s pizza.

While we were sitting on the porch, they dropped it off and he was over the moon excited. He had two slices and then a cookie for dessert while doing a Lego set with Dad on the porch as the sun set. He went to bed completely zonked but super happy that night.

We have been trying our best to make sure he feels extra special and loved during this time of bringing a new sibling into the family. Honestly, he has deserved all the extra attention and little treats because he has been the best big brother. He is always helping, giving him kisses, being so sweet and comforting, and he is so in love with him.

4 am latte deliveries. He sleeps the best on me, and it is so tough. I did not have a velcro baby with my first, and I know I am enabling it by letting him, but please tell me I am not ruining sleep for him forever?

We started going on our regular walks again in the third week postpartum. We got a scooter for the Mockingbird for my toddler, and since my newborn did not like the bassinet, I added blankets and leaned back the seat and it worked perfectly. He sleeps the three miles, and it has been so good to get back to our walks. My recovery this time has been so much better, and as soon as I feel any pressure I stop, but walking has brought me so much joy during this postpartum period.

And as sad as I am to say this, after four years of almost four miles every single day, our Mockingbird cracked in half at the frame. I was so sad, so I think we have to get another one.

I have mentioned this in other recaps, but we love trying new coffee shops together as a family, especially on the weekends. Since my husband has been on leave, we have been trying to visit a few as much as we can for some healthy outings. We tried a new one in Rock Hill called Borboleta Cafe, and it was so good and so cute inside. The coffee was fantastic!

When my son went back to school, my mom came over to hold the baby and I was able to get to work on some summer neglect in the garden. The entire yard had somehow collected a new species of weeds that needed to be pulled, and I had some trimming to do with the roses and limelights. It was a gorgeous day, and she sat on the porch to keep me company while I got to work!

I took my son to the library last Monday and he found the kids history section. You are going to laugh when you see his selection. He picked out president books and has been loving them.

He has a fascination with the presidents, the country, history, and prominent people, and he can name all 47 presidents by their faces. It is so impressive for a kid who is not even four yet. I put the video on my TikTok and Facebook.

And after our library trip, we grabbed protein foam iced Americanos at Tega Cay Coffee, which were so good. I am craving one now! Then we headed out for our family walk. He brings his explorer kit and it makes the walks so fun for him. Sometimes we throw little treasures along the path and he thinks he is on a hunt the entire walk.

My husband got me the Bird Buddy for my birthday, and it has been the best gift yet. I am a crazy bird lady, always watching hummingbirds on my porch with about four feeders and so many feeders in the back. I used to try to camp out just to grab a photo. I am in love with the Bird Buddy and the app.

The only problem I am having is the darn mourning doves scarfing down the entire tube of seeds in under an hour! I don’t know what to do about those birds.

I have been doing morning power cleans after my son goes to preschool. I try to get a load of laundry put away, tidy up, and vacuum. With all the baby stuff laying around and my son’s Legos and cars, it can get pretty messy pretty quickly.

On Thursday, I put the loaves of sourdough in the oven, sliced them up for the week, and then we made a trip to Walmart for a few things. Of course, I always manage to find myself in the clothing section for kids. Walmart has seriously stepped it up for boys clothes, and I love getting basics there. Their collaboration with Carter’s was also super cute! I cannot wait to get the boys in the new summer clothes I picked up.

Hoppy Easter with Blue Shorts
Sea You Later Embroidered Bodysuit
Yellow Stripe Cotton Set
Pickleball 3 Piece Let’s Play Set
Toddler Two Piece Collared Set

We had our one month appointment last Thursday, and we made it a family date with a visit to a new coffee shop on the way home. We tried Javesca Coffee Roasters and it was amazing! I had an iced Americano with half and half.

On the way home, we stopped at the grocery store so we could pick up ingredients to make chocolate chip cookie dough, one of my toddler’s favorite things to do with me.

Late nights. Early mornings. It is funny how it is all a blur and I hardly remember anything from the newborn stage with my first son, but all the natural rhythm of it comes right back in the moment.

We baked a batch of cookies Friday morning. We put together a box for my neighbor who just had their baby a few weeks after us.

We filled the box with cookies, yogurts, and homemade granola.

For dinner, I threw together a quick Caesar salad and steaks cooked in the Dutch oven. It is truly one of my favorite ways to make steak at home. I heat up avocado oil in the Dutch oven on very high heat, season the steak with salt and pepper, cook it on each side until it is super crispy and reaches my preferred steak temperature. Sometimes I do medium rare and sometimes I do medium. When it is done, I sprinkle the smallest amount of garlic powder on top.

After letting it sit for a good ten minutes, I slice it and serve it on the salad. We are actually having it again tonight with homemade French fries!

The salad is romaine, Panera Caesar dressing, fresh parmesan, avocado, sourdough bread, and steak on top. So good!

Taking it slow, but I am still so glad to be back on our three mile walks. When the days are hitting 85 degrees, we try to go later in the evening before dinner and bath. And if it’s a non-school night, we go during sun set!

On Saturday, I did my very first outing with both boys. I do not know why the first time is so nerve wracking, especially when it is during a wake window for the little one, who tends to cry a lot, but it went successfully. We went to my son’s swim lessons and then I treated him to a chocolate donut at the Donut House afterward. The perfect way to start a Saturday.

I was a little nervous to do it, but we figured it had to be done at some point. We took the entire family to church on Sunday. Of course I overslept after staying up all night with the baby and we had thirty minutes to get everyone up and ready, but we made it, and the little one slept the entire time! The key for us is to bring a bottle. It is his go to for soothing, which is probably why he has already put on over six pounds in the first month.

We had a great service, and the cherry tree in the front took my breath away!

We spent the morning playing Legos and cuddling up with some books. When my husband was done with his workout, we got ready and surprised my son with an afternoon at one of his favorite places, Carowinds! We ended up renewing our passes this year because of how much we used them and loved them last year.

I didn’t get to spend too much of summer and early fall there because of how sick I was, but I’m so excited to spend all the days there this year with my family.

I have been buying all the Charlie Brown themed outfits at H&M for the summer. Not only does my son love them, but it is also the theme of Camp Snoopy at Carowinds. I also love the material of the H&M shirts.

A little vulnerability.

I always address this, but I know I do not have to.

During my last pregnancy I gained over 65 pounds. This time I gained about 46 pounds. I have lost twenty in the past five weeks, but I still have about 25 pounds to go. I know a lot of it will come off as time goes on, my hormones regulate, I start moving more, the stress levels decrease, and the extra fluids leave.

I have never been someone who wants to try weight loss drugs or do anything that could harm my natural health. Why is every commercial and ad a weight loss drug these days? This summer I will be focusing a lot on healthy eating, workouts, and my overall nutrition. I know that is not everyone’s cup of tea, but last time I ended up losing all of my baby weight within a year through healthy eating, walking, and the Peloton, and I plan to do it again. Of course I need to wait the six weeks and get the OK from my doctor. Right now I am doing my part by eating healthy and going on walks that feel good.

I do not feel great or happy in my postpartum body, and I would be lying if I said I did. I know it’s only been a month and I have to give myself grace. I am not someone who easily bounces back, and I have to work hard at it, so that is what I am going to do. I am going to try my hardest to be kind to myself in the meantime, but if you have been there you know it is tough.

I just keep telling myself it is only a season. The good thing is that last time I met my goals and proved to myself that I could do it, so hopefully I can do it again.

After Carowinds, we took the family to our son’s favorite pizza spot, Margauxs. It was his request! I got a house salad with chicken and had a slice of pizza.

And now it’s time to get the family ready for our daily walk!