Today I have the pleasure of sharing a post with you all from my real-life friend, Sarah, who happens to be my big sister's best friend since, oh, toddlerhood. Em and Sarah were two peas in a pod from as early as I can remember, and while the two of them were way too cool to hang with the likes of little ol' me when we were all kids, I am so pleased that as we have grown up I've gotten to be included in their fun.
Sarah made a big move across the country not too long ago, leaving Maine behind (hopefully not permanently!). I'm thrilled that welcoming her own little baby into the world got her hooked on blogging, because it makes the distance disappear for a little while as I admire pictures of her sweet little Eloise and read about her life out there. Sarah and JJ are such obviously loving parents to their Baby O, and I know you are going to fall right in love with this family. Seriously, how could this little face not melt you into a puddle:
Sarah made a big move across the country not too long ago, leaving Maine behind (hopefully not permanently!). I'm thrilled that welcoming her own little baby into the world got her hooked on blogging, because it makes the distance disappear for a little while as I admire pictures of her sweet little Eloise and read about her life out there. Sarah and JJ are such obviously loving parents to their Baby O, and I know you are going to fall right in love with this family. Seriously, how could this little face not melt you into a puddle:
Sarah knows the feeling of making the long drive up I-95 towards our hometown (ha, not actually into a our hometown, mind you--the highway ends an hour south of where we grew up!), heading to a slower paced lifestyle and traveling back in time a bit has high school memories come flooding back when all those potato fields are in sight. I'm so glad she was able to find time to write a little something for my blog between the demanding schedule of feedings-naps-diaper-changes that a 2 month old requires. Enjoy!
******************************************
Hey there, Baby Moo Hoo readers! When Hilary asked me to guest blog for her, my first thought was, “Awesome! I love how bloggers are such a community!” My second thought was definitely, “Uh-oh…I’m going to have to step up my blog game…” Hilary is a long time friend and her blog is witty and well-written and her daughter is so adorable it’s a wonder we don’t all keel over from her cuteness. So, of course, I was stoked when Hil asked me to write a little something while she is away at her high school reunion (By the way, nothing makes a gal feel old like knowing her friend’s little sister is celebrating her 10 year reunion).
Anyhoo...If you’re not familiar with my Baby O Blog, I’m a first time mother to 2 month old Eloise, the light of my life. Please note two important pieces of info: “first time mother” and “2 month old.” Due to these details, I find myself with little to no creativity and so I offer you a “Day in the Life” glimpse into my time with Ellie…completely ripped off from both Melissa of Dear Baby and Hilary herself. Hey, at least I cited my sources, right?
So our typical day begins with the peanut rising somewhere between 9 and 10 am…now before you say, “Wowzas, that’s late!” may I add this is after at least 3 night feedings and going to bed for good around 11pm. Some mornings we get up at by 8am, but mostly I like her to stay in slumber-land as long as possible so she avoids the crankies and I maybe get a chance to actually get dressed. Before I do get her out of bed, I love to linger there as she rouses. We nurse a little and she stares up at me with her big blue eyes. She is becoming a little morning person, as she is all smiles for me right off the bat. It’s a glorious way to start my day.
I change her into something fitting the weather and we play games in front of the mirror. Then we head downstairs and Ellie will be content in her rocker with her animal friends for a little bit while I scarf down some breakfast.
Then it’s generally time for a top-off snack for her to drift back off for her first morning nap. This when I try to catch up on emails, blogging or finish getting ready for whatever adventures we have planned for the day.
After Eloise wakes, we get out the stroller for a nice hour or two walk around our neighborhood. There are some beautiful views here…Ellie may go back to sleep, but sometimes she stays awake to babble away with me and make adorable faces.
Once we’re back, it’s lunch time for both of us. If the babe hasn’t slept much on the walk, she most certainly will conk out once we get in the car to meet up with friends at a local eatery favorite on the river.
There’s also a walking path alongside the water, so I may decide to keep her content and do a little strolling to work off the ginormous crab melt I just devoured.
We do a couple of quick errands, but shortly will head back to the homestead. JJ will be home soon from work (which is a new part of daily lives - he just recently graduated with his MBA and we had the luxury of having family time for over 2 months!). Ellie and I will play on her activity mat, and maybe tolerate about 30 seconds of tummy time before she needs to be in my arms again. We spend a lot of time these days smiling at each other and discovering new areas of development…the girl loves to stand and kick those legs!
Once Daddy is home, he scoops up his girl to get some one on one while I get a little break (truthfully, it may just involve taking a shower). This is also bottle time. We’re trying to accomplish bottle feeding with breast milk, since Ellie will be entering daycare for a handful of hours a week in a couple of months (plus, Momma needs a break once in awhile for sanity’s sake). JJ is heading up this venture and we’ve had some success, but generally it still feels like she’s just not that into anything other than the real deal. Who can blame her, really? After a nosh, Ellie starts winding down and one of us settles her for the night while the other gets our own dinner going.
Sometimes we have more energy to prepare some signature dishes of ours – JJ’s chorico and peppers (Portuguese spicy sausage) or my chicken mirabella. Other nights (read: most nights) we do something simple, like meat & greens or, sigh, take out.
We spend our alone time together discussing the day, making plans for the next and maybe catching up on The Daily Show. Generally, Ellie wakes up once during this time, not quite ready to fully drift off into deep sleep until 11ish. All too often this hour sneaks up on me and, yawning my good nights, I’ll make my way to bed. JJ often will snooze downstairs with Miss E until her first night waking, so that Momma can get a couple of uninterrupted hours of precious sleep.
Because we choose to co-sleep, this has been fantastic for me, but since the man has gone back to work, we have started to shift that process to let everyone get a bit more shut eye for the next adventure-filled day…
So that’s my wonderful baby-filled life! Honestly, there is no “typical day” with Ellie since she is changing all the time and her needs right along with her…and I love every moment.
Love,
Sarah
Anyhoo...If you’re not familiar with my Baby O Blog, I’m a first time mother to 2 month old Eloise, the light of my life. Please note two important pieces of info: “first time mother” and “2 month old.” Due to these details, I find myself with little to no creativity and so I offer you a “Day in the Life” glimpse into my time with Ellie…completely ripped off from both Melissa of Dear Baby and Hilary herself. Hey, at least I cited my sources, right?
So our typical day begins with the peanut rising somewhere between 9 and 10 am…now before you say, “Wowzas, that’s late!” may I add this is after at least 3 night feedings and going to bed for good around 11pm. Some mornings we get up at by 8am, but mostly I like her to stay in slumber-land as long as possible so she avoids the crankies and I maybe get a chance to actually get dressed. Before I do get her out of bed, I love to linger there as she rouses. We nurse a little and she stares up at me with her big blue eyes. She is becoming a little morning person, as she is all smiles for me right off the bat. It’s a glorious way to start my day.
I change her into something fitting the weather and we play games in front of the mirror. Then we head downstairs and Ellie will be content in her rocker with her animal friends for a little bit while I scarf down some breakfast.
Then it’s generally time for a top-off snack for her to drift back off for her first morning nap. This when I try to catch up on emails, blogging or finish getting ready for whatever adventures we have planned for the day.
After Eloise wakes, we get out the stroller for a nice hour or two walk around our neighborhood. There are some beautiful views here…Ellie may go back to sleep, but sometimes she stays awake to babble away with me and make adorable faces.
Once we’re back, it’s lunch time for both of us. If the babe hasn’t slept much on the walk, she most certainly will conk out once we get in the car to meet up with friends at a local eatery favorite on the river.
There’s also a walking path alongside the water, so I may decide to keep her content and do a little strolling to work off the ginormous crab melt I just devoured.
We do a couple of quick errands, but shortly will head back to the homestead. JJ will be home soon from work (which is a new part of daily lives - he just recently graduated with his MBA and we had the luxury of having family time for over 2 months!). Ellie and I will play on her activity mat, and maybe tolerate about 30 seconds of tummy time before she needs to be in my arms again. We spend a lot of time these days smiling at each other and discovering new areas of development…the girl loves to stand and kick those legs!
Once Daddy is home, he scoops up his girl to get some one on one while I get a little break (truthfully, it may just involve taking a shower). This is also bottle time. We’re trying to accomplish bottle feeding with breast milk, since Ellie will be entering daycare for a handful of hours a week in a couple of months (plus, Momma needs a break once in awhile for sanity’s sake). JJ is heading up this venture and we’ve had some success, but generally it still feels like she’s just not that into anything other than the real deal. Who can blame her, really? After a nosh, Ellie starts winding down and one of us settles her for the night while the other gets our own dinner going.
Sometimes we have more energy to prepare some signature dishes of ours – JJ’s chorico and peppers (Portuguese spicy sausage) or my chicken mirabella. Other nights (read: most nights) we do something simple, like meat & greens or, sigh, take out.
We spend our alone time together discussing the day, making plans for the next and maybe catching up on The Daily Show. Generally, Ellie wakes up once during this time, not quite ready to fully drift off into deep sleep until 11ish. All too often this hour sneaks up on me and, yawning my good nights, I’ll make my way to bed. JJ often will snooze downstairs with Miss E until her first night waking, so that Momma can get a couple of uninterrupted hours of precious sleep.
Because we choose to co-sleep, this has been fantastic for me, but since the man has gone back to work, we have started to shift that process to let everyone get a bit more shut eye for the next adventure-filled day…
So that’s my wonderful baby-filled life! Honestly, there is no “typical day” with Ellie since she is changing all the time and her needs right along with her…and I love every moment.
Love,
Sarah
Nice guest post,such a cute sleeping baby
ReplyDelete