We did it. We finally made it *outside* for our first family stroll of Fall… And when I say stroll, I mean literally via stroller.
It’s been four weeks since we brought Beau home from the NICU and, during that time, we’ve *only* left the confines of our condo for groceries or hospital/doctor’s visits.
But now that Beau is starting to stay awake for longer than 30 minutes every three hours and becoming more alert and aware of his surroundings, we figured it was time to get out for some much needed vitamin D.
In case you’re new to this space, nature walking and hiking is a shared hobby that Charles and I realllly enjoy. Peak pandemic season last year and transitioning into my 1st and 2nd trimester this, we were walking a new trail almost every weekend.
But as I progressed into my 3rd trimester, my pelvic floor starting getting weak and sore after walking for more than a mile so I took a break starting in July.
Here we are three months later and I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect day, weather wise, to share this experience with Beau.
At the time of our walk, he was under 8lb so we put him in the stroller and went on little 20 minute walk around our neighborhood. The whole time he was sooooo chill… Just looking around, sucking on his pacifier, squinting his eyes and breathing extra deep whenever a breeze hit his face. It was the best.
As of last week’s 2 month check up, Beau is officially over 8lb and meeting the minimum weight for the baby carrier we have! This means we can strap him onto our chest and take him with us on some unpaved trails in the area. :)
^^ Oh hey there bags under our sleepy but happy eyes.
I can’t believe it’s already November and we’re two months away from 2022. Like, whaaattt?
Despite life around us starting to transition back to pre-pandemic norms, Charles and I are planning to spend majority of the holidays with just the three of us this year… Similar to how we spent it last year. Since Beau’s a preemie, our Doc strongly recommended that we continue to isolate as much as feasible to give him more time to pick up weight and develop/strengthen his immune system before putting him in big group situations. So isolate we will until next Spring.
As we prepare to wind down the year, this month I would like to:
– Finish prepping the guest room for my My Mommy Ma to move in with us in December. Her retirement and Beau’s birth lined up so perfectly and I’m extremely grateful she’ll be with us for a year to help out with care. Also, looking forward to having her as our one plus one for the holidays. Also also, looking forward to her yummy cooking.
– Set aside time to take our first ever holiday family self-portrait… With the goal to send out cards by the first week in December. Still unsure about concept tho… Do we take the photos at home or should we go outside to a holiday-ish location? Hmmmmmm.
– Finish editing our Maine Babymoon vlog. It’s a project I started but then had to pause on and I just need to finish it regardless of how long ago the trip was. I need to finish it for the sake of affirming that I can indeed edit my own videos. I also need to finish editing it or I will never follow through on my vlogging goals for next year. I know myself. This is a creative internal roadblock I need to get over and finish in order to move forward… Finish it Setarra. Finish it.
– Send out thank you cards to everyone who showed up for us during our whole ordeal and afterwards. Our family, friends and colleagues have come through for us in the most supportive ways, either by sending us gifts/baby registry items, getting us diapers or dropping off food. I’m super grateful for our tribe and want to make sure each person knows we appreciate their support. Actually, now that I think about it, I’ll send an additional thank you note with our holiday cards to knock two stones out with one bird.
– Send thank you flowers and a card to the NICU nurses who helped care for Beau while he was there. This is something I meant to send earlier but time has gotten away from me.
– Try to cook one meal a week. Trader Joe’s frozen aisle has been holding us down but I’d like to get back to trying my hand at making a fresh homemade dish. Didn’t think I’d miss being able to cook as much as I have.
– Be intentional about loving on Charles whenever possible.
– Give myself more grace as I settle into motherhood. October was a month filled with ‘new mom anxiety’. I haven’t been able to shut my brain off, always wondering if I’m doing something right or wrong. Constantly thinking and worrying about whether I’m being a good mom to Beau. Hovering over Charles when he has Beau because I feel weird being away from Beau… And that’s just a surface view of how I’ve been all over the place. Sooooo this month, I’m making a point to do my best but with wayyyyy less stress.
What are your November To-Do’s?
Until next post.
xo, Setarra
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