one month essentials

I can't believe Oliver is already a month old.  Time has flown by.  This past month has been tiring and exciting and we wouldn't change anything about it.  Here are some things that have been absolute lifesavers for us...

1. I bought this wrap before Ollie was born, and I'm so happy that I had it ready to use right away after he was born.  The first time I put him in it, he had been fussing for a while and as soon as he was snuggled up inside, he fell right to sleep.  I love that I'm able to get things done, whether it's browsing Pinterest or doing dishes, while he's cuddled up close.

2. Oliver was nicknamed "barracuda" by the nurses while we were figuring out breastfeeding in the hospital.  By the second night of his cluster feeding, this stuff was my best friend.  Oh, and ps- use this the first couple times you shower.

3. Trevor grabbed these breast therapy packs a few days after we had gotten out of the hospital.  You can freeze them to use them as an ice pack or heat them in the microwave to use as a heating pad.  Again, these were my best friend.

4.  I would use this dry shampoo every once in a while before Oliver came along, but I use it more often now.  It's hard to figure out a time to shower with a newborn around, especially that first week or two when they don't really have any type of feeding/sleeping schedule.

5.  Even though we plan on cloth diapering (soon!), we don't use these for diapers.  Instead, these make the best burp cloths in the whole world.

6.  When we first started registering for our baby registry, I was totally against having a bassinet or rocker for the baby.  I wondered why we would need one if we already had a crib.  Our Little Lounger has been one of my favorite purchases in these early weeks.  It folds and is easy to move from room to room and was so helpful the first couple of nights when we couldn't bear him sleeping in a separate room.

7.  When we were first in the hospital with Oliver, Trevor and I tried to swaddle him dozens of times and he would always break out.  Even when the nurses swaddled him, Oliver proved he was a swaddle ninja.  Trevor and I gave up swaddling until we got tired of him waking up in the middle of the night from hitting himself in the face.  We got a free swaddle sleep sack from our hospital, and the first night we tried that, Oliver slept soundly for hours.  He can't break out of this swaddle and he will often sleep for four to five hour stretches at night.

A few other things:

Netflix, Hulu, Modern Family marathon on TV... something mindless to keep you entertained while baby fusses, feeds and barely sleeps.

Freezer meals- I made over 30 meals and filled our freezer (and part of my parents) before Oliver was born.  One month later and we still have half the meals in the freezer.

I'm going back to baby cuddles and sweet little almost smiles. 

four weeks old

Our little man was four weeks old yesterday and is coming up on a month old in a few days.  I can't believe how much this little nugget has totally changed our lives already and I seriously don't know what I did with all my time before he came along.

Since I've been pretty quiet on here lately, here are some pictures from the past four weeks...

2015

Happy new year!  I love New Years... it makes me think of a brand new notebook- blank, empty lines ready to be filled in.  I remember talking with Trevor at the beginning of 2014 about what our wishes and hopes were for the year.  I remember telling him I was hoping I'd be able to write down an OB appointment or two in my 2014 planner... now I'm able to write down a first birthday in my 2015 planner.  It's crazy how much life can change in a year.

I love having goals.  When I was in college, I was encouraged to include action steps and finish dates for goals I had.  That made it so much easier for me, because action steps gave my goals a plan and dates gave me a deadline.  My goals for this upcoming year are pretty typical (be more organized, work out consistently, read more...), but in addition to resolutions I have a word I want to remember through the year.  

My word for 2015 is "intentional".  I want to be intentional and purposeful in my interactions in this new year.  I've realized over the past few weeks of having a newborn at home how easy it is to zone out or wish for a nap when I'm with people instead of being a good listener and investing in the conversations.  I want to be intentional with my time with Trevor, Oliver and other people close to me. 

What are your goals for 2015 or a word you want to define the new year?