Tuesday, May 14th
One week with Finn!
Some firsts and milestones
- Car ride home from hospital
- Diaper blowout
- Dad gets peed on
- Mom gets peed on
- Doctor visit, complete with a diaper leak and lots of crying. Good thing we packed a change of clothes!
- Mom is able to comfort Finn
- Complete diaper change without crying
- Patio time at the neighbor’s house
Tuesday, May 21st
Two weeks with Finn
The new moon baby admired the full moon out the back porch. His umbilical cord stump finally fell off! Mom was so excited during the late night diaper change. Finn was very confused by the commotion.
Tuesday, May 28th
Three weeks with Finn!
Your belly button is finally clean and free! Your hands are getting stronger and you are reaching out and grabbing things with more intention. Today you played with a little elephant toy that makes different sounds and it was so fun to watch you look and listen. You grab my shirt straps when I hold you and you reached out for my face when I watched you play with the elephant. I was so full of joy and pride. I love you so much my sweet boy. You are always learning and growing.
Friday, June 7th
One month with Finn!
Oh sweet Finn! You’re not always the happiest little guy, but you are always so loved. You had a special visit from your abuelo and smelled lots of yummy food. We got a stroller to go on walks and more adventures. I love watching you look around. You are growing so big and strong!
(July 28th reflection) Looking back after another couple months have passed, the first month was quite the adventure. It started off with getting to known Finn, and Finn getting to know his strange new world. He spent his days and nights taking long naps. It felt like we would spend forever rocking him to sleep and then crossing our fingers that he wouldn’t wake up as soon as we set him in his crib. Often times, if I didn’t want to test it or if I just felt like holding him, I would just hold Finn for his nap. Fidel would make sure I had everything I needed – water, snacks, my phone, and the tv remote – and for the next two hours it was me and Finn. I would scroll on my phone, watch House on the TV, or take lots of selfies/pictures of my sweet baby. Sometimes in the moment it felt like I was trapped – if I needed to pee, I just had to wait. But already I wish I could go back and tell myself to slow down and enjoy it a little bit more. I think that will be a recurring theme during this first year especially – to slow down and be patient. Every phase is just that – temporary. I learned that even when it seemed like Finn was awake forever and wouldn’t go to sleep or wouldn’t stop crying, it was only a few hours and everything would be okay again.
The first month was filled with long naps, a night owl baby, lots of middle-of-the-night granola bars consumed, simple cozy outfits, frequently changed bedding and outfits, falling asleep during feeds, and learning.
By the end of the first month is when we were introduced to fussy Finn. We say the Costco trip marked the turning point. Suddenly Finn was rapidly becoming more aware of this new world, but it was hard to adjust and that meant a lot more crying. It felt like we had just started to understand each other and develop a rhythm and suddenly nothing made sense again. With each week since, even as the crying got worse, we learned how to manage better. Fidel and I worked together as a team. And when we all needed a break – a bit of fresh air almost always helps.