Tag: baby

Six Weeks Old

Leave a comment

Hennie James is six weeks old, which means we’re halfway to a major milestone – the end of the fourth trimester and (hopefully) the end of these colicky days. Having a baby has been a crazy, emotional ride so far but we love seeing Hen become more alert and interactive already.

While Tom was away in Whistler for a work conference, Hen and I stayed at Omie (grandma)’s house for extra help and snuggles. During that week Hennie’s second cousin was born! Hennie and Baby Greyson will be almost exactly a month apart in age and we can’t wait to watch them grow and play together. It has been snowy and cold in Vancouver these past couple weeks (the first time in a long time!) and we are enjoying staying home and staying warm.

Three Weeks with Hen

Leave a comment

 

Little miss Hennie James is three weeks old! Thankfully, the last week was much better than the second – we are sloooowly getting a handle on this kid’s likes and dislikes and feeling a bit more confident in our own abilities to calm her, assess her needs, and basically just survive. Our midwife and paediatrician were happy to see that she continued to gain weight like crazy this week. Hallelujah!

We have been able to get out of the house a little more often, which is nice. I take the baby in the wrap carrier for little walks to coffeeshops, nearby parks and our midwife appointments. We have also ventured further afield to our niece Amelia’s 2nd birthday and to spend a weekend at my moms house. Offers to help us have been coming from all over – friends, family, our lovely doulas – and even though I mostly refuse (I want to get a handle on this on our own first), I have appreciated every single offer. It’s so nice to have a network of people who care enough about you to offer to take your colicky baby for a few hours, even if I suspect that they have no idea what they’re getting into.

November is drawing to a close and the whirlwind of the holiday season (and flu season) is upon us. We will try to stay sane by laying low at home, not making too many social plans, and continuing to attempt to understand this tiny human of ours. Feliz Navidad!

The First Two Weeks

1 Comment

Thought I’d take a moment to write an update on the first two weeks of life with Hennie James – probably a brief update as she is stirring from her short slumber beside me and doesn’t like to give her mama and papa much time to do anything these days 🙂

Our little HenBaby has her daddy’s long limbs and insatiable appetite. Unfortunately, she doesn’t have her daddy’s easy disposition but her mama’s sassy attitude and big voice; Hennie has so far been a difficult, colicky baby. She isn’t soothed easily or for long, she needs to be held almost all the time, and she cries bloody murder from about 11pm to 7am (srsly kid?), as well as sometimes during daytime hours as well. We are experimenting with some gas-relieving tactics, some bouncy chairs and rockers, attempting to get her to come around to a pacifier, and basically trying anything we can think of to see if she likes it. Every day it seems she likes or dislikes something new that used to work and is really keeping us on our toes. Some nights Tom does laps around our kitchen island for 6 hours bouncing and shushing her because she won’t be put down – at least we are meeting the daily step goals on our FitBits!

That said, we know that this crazy newborn phase won’t last forever and are doing our best to adjust and readjust our expectations of parenthood daily while appreciating her short stints of sleepiness. We are staying positive and approaching every day as a team, and trying to give her the coziest, safest environment possible.

Tom is now back to work, some days at home and some days in the downtown office. My goal right now is to get outside at least once every day, whether by myself or with Hennie. We have enjoyed some walks to nearby parks in East Van as well as lots of visits to the corner coffee shop! Thanks, JJBean, for fuelling this mama’s mornings!