On Returning To Work Post-Charlotte

Today marks my second day back to work since Charlotte was born. I never imagined I'd work once I had children. Hubs and I decided that with my income and job flexibility, it was best that I go back to work after our baby girl was born. 

I have to say the transition has been harder than I imagined. It probably didn't help that I didn't even think about going back until the day before, essentially in denial that I had to go back. On Monday, I cried as I got Charlotte out of her crib in the morning, and at every other moment I'd be missing once I headed back to work. Bedtime was the hardest, probably because my baby looks so big in her crib now, and also because I didn't want to put her down. 

The past two nights she's gotten up to eat in the middle of the night, and I've been okay with that. It gives me a little extra time to enjoy her and hold her close. 

The hardest part of this transition is that I worry about not seeing her enough. Yesterday, I went straight to my sisters after work and nursed her around 4:30. By the time I got home and unpacked our bags, she was ready for a nap. I held her in her glider until Hubs got home so we could start dinner. She went to bed around 8, which meant we saw her for about 3.5 hours all day. I worry that I'll miss something in her development by not being with her. 

Coming back has also put things into perspective. While on leave, I felt like I was always on her time, and it's hard to be depended on so much, but once that's taken away from you, you want it back. I'd give anything to be at home with her. 

I didn't mean for this post to be so down, and I hope that this transition gets easier and better for us as a family. I'm just thankful that Hubs supports whatever decision I make as far as staying at work full-time. 

Newborn Must-Have's Part 2!

After completing my first post on our must-have's, I realized I forgot a lot of other essentials! 

One of the things I was most hesitant about with Charlotte was putting her in her crib in the nursery. By the time she was 4 weeks, Hubs demanded that we put her in her room for my own sanity. 

I'm a huge sleeper, and Charlotte isn't a sound sleeper by any means. Most nights she ends up 180 degrees from where she started. She talks in her sleep, groans, and grunts. 

The biggest lifesaver in gaining sleep while being able to spy on her is our Angel Care Monitor. My only complaint is that because she's a mover and groover in her sleep is that we've had our fair share of false alarms with the sensor pad. 

We used the motion sensor feature for the first few weeks, but then had to turn it off because it'd wake us up in a panic. I will say that the video is so crystal clear that I can often see her breathing on our monitor, which is super comforting when the sensor pad is off. 

Here is a glimpse of Charlotte on our monitor (she loves staring at the green light on the monitor):

Another huge must-have for us is a stroller fan. Yup, they make them and it is one of the best things I purchased. Charlotte hates being hot, so I invested in this so I would be able to go out for walks without her sweating. Now, the fan acts as a toy/distraction while she's being buckled into her car seat.

I mentioned our booster seat in my last post, but I love that ours is suitable for infants. Hubs and I always ate dinner at the dining room table, and that changed when Charlotte arrived. I really wanted to get back to our tradition, and Charlotte is able to sit with us while we eat. We used to put her in her bouncer on the floor, but she couldn't see us or anything but the toys dangling in front of her. Now, she gets a higher view of our dining room and new views she's never seen before! Plus, she loves to push on the table with her feet. It does seem a little cheap since it's plastic, but we registered for it as a portable high chair so it won't get too much use. 

We all know how Charlotte hates to be wet (waiting on THIS to end!), and most diaper companies don't have overnight diapers in her size, but what seems to help a little bit at night are Pamper's Baby Dry diapers. My only beef is that they don't have the wet/dry strip on them, so you have to do the old "stick your finger in" to see if they're wet, and that's just plain gross.

Our Boppy pillow has been a lifesaver for me, especially with nursing. I've even gone as far as bringing it with me to family members homes so I can use it while I'm visiting to nurse! Charlotte is a petite little thing, so I know that she'll grow out of me using it soon, but while she's little, it's perfect for nursing. It rests perfectly on the arms of my glider, and elevates her to the perfect level to nurse. 

Now that she's getting better at holding her head up, we can use it for propping and tummy time. The only thing I didn't think of before I had her was to have more than one cover. My first cover was always covered in breast milk, especially during the engorged phase, so being able to switch out covers would've been key, had I thought of it. I ended up purchasing a second cover a few weeks after she was born and it's been so nice to have! 

I hope this has helped anyone looking for necessities! 

Mimosa & Bloody Mary Bar!

Who doesn't love a Sunday full of church, family and both a Mimosa AND Bloody Mary bar??? 

When planning Charlotte's Baptism party, we knew immediately that alcohol was a must. I always think that bars of options are wonderful and can appeal to a lot of different people and tastes. 

For our Bloody Mary Bar, we used Zing Zang mix (which is by far the best, most amazing mixer out there!) and Sky Vodka. We pre-made 4 bottles of this, and put the mix into pitchers for easy serving. 

Now for the fun part...the skewers! These skewers were adorable and perfect to adorn your cup of Bloody Mary! 

Our skewers contained the following ingredients:

Cherry Tomatoes

Spinach

Buffalo Mozzarella

Pepperoni

Prosciutto

Green Olives

Baby Pickles

Additional adornments included:

Pepperoncini's

Shrimp

Celery (duh!)

and....

BACON SWIRL STICKS!

Yep, you read that right! I found this awesome idea on Pinterest and made these. They were so easy to make and super popular, hence why my picture of them only has 2 remaining...

All you have to do is twirl the bacon and place on a cookie rack on top of a baking sheet, and bake at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until cooked. 

Now, for our Mimosa Bar, we chose 3 different juices with corresponding fruits. 

Pomegranate Juice- Pomegranate Seeds

Orange, Peach & Mango Juice- Peaches

Orange Juice- Strawberries

We used glass champagne glasses, which did limit the amount of alcohol in each, but they were super pretty and classy, much like our special little girl ;)

Cheers & ENJOY!

2 Months Old!

Happy 2 Month Birthday, Charlotte! Time is flying and Hubs and I are enjoying every minute of this munchkin. We never thought she'd bring us this much joy and happiness and a love that grows stronger every day. 

Here are some recent pictures off Miss Charlotte!

Fourth of July! Dress

 Got her thumb! Onesie

Still looks like her newborn self when she sleeps... 

We feel so blessed to have such a good baby! She loves to smile, especially when she gets up in the middle of the night. It makes it just a little bit easier to be awake :) 

She recently started cooing/talking, and makes the cutest face when doing so! Her upper lip curls and she seems to be using all her energy to talk to us. 

She found her thumb the night of the 4th of July. We knew we'd have a thumb sucker from the second night in the hospital. She has been able to put herself  to sleep with it which has been amazing!  

We pulled out her Mama's and Papa's chair, which she enjoys but only for short periods of time. She also likes sitting in her booster seat as seen here: 

She loves being able to see everything up high! 

Charlotte's sleep is still inconsistent and it's hard to know if she will sleep for awhile or wake to either eat or be changed. She still hates being wet, so we've been changing her in the middle of the night without feeding her hoping she goes right back to sleep. She has been able to go about 7-8 hours in between feedings, typically 8:30-4:30 with a diaper change in between. She will normally fall asleep within a half hour or 45 minute of eating, but sometimes it takes longer. 

Altogether I'm really pleased with her sleep and her pediatrician is as well! 

Charlotte got her first round of vaccinations at her 2 month check-up. Aside from the initial pain from the shots themselves, she didn't have any side effects. We gave her some baby Tylenol for pain, since she was really uncomfortable, especially when you held her. 

As for stats, Charlotte weighed in on Friday at 10 pounds, 1 ounce, falling in the 25th percentile. She was 22.75 inches long, which puts her in the 75th percentile. 

Charlotte's Baptism!

Yesterday we celebrated the baptism of our baby girl! It's hard to believe she's 8 weeks old today, and we're loving every minute of her.

She's developed so much of a personality and is such a little diva at heart, but more about that in her 2 month update! 

My sister, mom and I picked out her dress and shoes, and the headband and bracelet were gifts she received that both happened to match her outfit flawlessly. 

The headband was a gift my mom got for her baby shower. It's a headband that turns into a garter for her wedding! Such and amazing idea!

Here's a picture of her right after we got her dressed:

Another close up:

We were so excited and emotional during the ceremony, and she did great! I thought she would have been hungry during mass but she held out until we got home. Such a champ! 

Family shot:

Hubs is such a good and proud Daddy. I did good!

Me and my girl! 

We had the most fabulous assortment of food (of course!) and an amazing Bloody Mary and Mimosa Bar! They both deserve their own post so I'll do another post soon!