Hi lovelies! I can’t believe Luca is already 6 weeks old already so I wanted to do a baby update! I feel like once you have more than one kiddo everything goes into warp speed! He is such sweet baby and of course we are all SO in love with him! I don’t know if its because he’s a boy or because I feel a little more at ease because it’s my second child but i’m obsessed with him! It still is just such a trip that we are a family of four!!
It’s safe to say that life is a bit CRAY ZAY over here still trying to find a balance but we’re slowly getting there. The first few months are always a bit hazy for me. You’re sleep deprived, your body is recovering, you’re emotional and just exhausted!It’s beautiful, messy, exhausting and rewarding all at the same time!
The biggest thing is it’s just constant (especially if you’re breast feeding)! My husband and I rarely ever bicker or argue (mainly because he is just really awesome and doesn’t take me on lol) but each time we have brought a baby home there’s always that adjustment period and the little back and forth bickering of “well I work all day….well i’m with the kids all day” etc etc. With blogging or social media in general there’s always picture perfect posts but I think it’s important to remember to not compare yourself to peoples “highlight reels”. My house is mess 70% of the day, Ava has her melt downs, the laundry and dishes are always piling up and I have my share of sweatpants (and milk stained tanks) days as well. While I feel super blessed we’re not perfect either. Okay sorry for the ramble it’s just something i’ve been feeling/thinking a lot about lately with social media and felt it was important to share.
Having Ava in school a few days a week is a HUGE help because trying to keep up with two babes (especially the demands of newborn) on little sleep is no easy task. Not to mention trying to blog full time, keep the house together and still make time for yourself and your needy hubby 😉 So those few afternoons when she goes to school and I only have one kiddo to juggle is much easier.
The sleeping is still a bit rough but to be expected at this stage. When we first came home Luca was sleeping a good 3-4 hours stretch in the beginning of the night and then would wake up every couple hours…score! My husband and I were like hell yeah! lol But after the NEW newborn sleepy stage wore off and he was awake more he started only giving us 2 hours stretches and then would wake up e.v.e.r.y. hour! Well that means that after I fed him, stayed up to burp him, swaddle him and put back to sleep I would get 30 mins here or there before he woke up again! WTF talk about brutal! So I would take him in his nursery, let the hubby get some sleep and then in the morning give him to my husband and I would try to go back to sleep for a couple hours. Like I said before its all about the tag team effort right now. The last week or so he has been giving us longer stretches. 2-3 hours in the beginning of the night then another 2 hour stretch then up every hour. So basically you just never know what kind of sleep you’re going to get in the first few months. To say i’m looking forward to a few months from now when he is sleeping better is an understatement!
Breastfeeding has been going great and this little man likes to nurse about every 1.5 during the day so mama can’t go far. I am pumping (the pump i’ve been using for years) but because he is eating so frequently its hard to pump a decent amount. With Ava I used to pump during the night once she started sleeping longer stretches and was able to build up a stash. With Ava we only used Dr.Browns bottles but Luca took to the Tommee Tippie bottles much better so we’ve been using those with him.
Ava is doing SO much better with him now! As previously mentioned the first week she was on ANOTHER level wanting attention but now she is perfectly in the groove with him! She is constantly asking to hold him and read him stories and it is just the sweeeeetest! She helps with diaper duty, testing out all of his new toys 😉 and loves putting his pacifier in for him! I honestly can’t wait for him to get a little bigger to see them interact more together!
Luca loves a ride in the car (his carseat), having his hair brushed, bath time and I can’t get enough of his little smiles even if they are only while he’s sleeping so far. At four weeks he rolled over during tummy time! He’s actually done is a few times but only from his stomach to his back! He’s doing great in his co-sleeper and loves to be swaddled (but has to have his arms free). I know I said I didn’t like a baby carrier with Ava but it has been an absolute necessity now that I have two! Thank you SO much for all your recommendations on my last post! We purchased this Ergo carrier and LOVE it! We have been using this stroller with the second seat adapter quite a bit lately and are loving it so far! Our living room has been over run with swings and bouncy’s and now we’ve added our pack n play in the mix. Oh I cant wait to have all this stuff out of our living room;) On another note I have really lagged on finishing his nursery! It’s about 80% done and now we’re just finishing up the last couple things and will do a full post for you ladies soon!
Also a lot of you have asked about a Shop Honeybee and Shop Babybee and yes I have MAJOR updates coming soon once we come out of this newborn fog and can upload all the goodies!
Y'all make the most gorgeous babies!
XOXO,
Summer Ann
<a href="http://www.simplysummerann.com/2015/03/what-we-wore-wednesday-mint-julep.html:>Simply Summer Ann Blog</a>
Oh girl, I hear you on the working vs stay at home thing right now. I almost envy my husband that he gets the time at work during the day b/c it is constant at home. Wyatt never likes to be put down so I literally have no down-time. But by the time he comes home from work, he feels like he needs a break from being on the job all day long! Ha! Glad to hear it's not just us! 😉
This is just the sweetest, Ava looks like she is loving being a big sister already and his little face is too cute!!! Don't know if you ever saw my comment when you first had him (because there were about 456789 comments on Insta!!! Lol) but Luca has been my favvvvvv baby boys name forever and in the most "not weird" way ever, when I see you post and I even see his name I cant help but day dream and look forward to my very own baby days with hopefully someday our own handsome lil Luca! 🙂 Anyways just sending love from NY as always gf, love sharing in on your beautiful little family 😉 XOXO
hi Andee, been reading your blog for a loooooooong time (before you had your cute kiddios). I had 2 questions for you. 1. your new baby looks so exotic, what nationality is your hubby? 2. not sure if you mentioned or not, but could you maybe do a post of what it was like trying to conceive? my hubby and I are desperately trying and 🙁 no luck thus far. I feel like sometimes I'm the only one that's having issues and like it's so easy breezy for everyone 🙁 (doesn't help 3/5 of my closest gfs are all preggos- obviously i'm thrilled for them, but sometimes makes me feel like there's something wrong w/ me).
PS you look gorgeous as usual 🙂
xoxo Mary
He is gorgeous!!! I especially love the pic of the two of them! Ava looks precious in the fedora!! Congratulations once again!
Hi Andee I love your blog! What a lovely honest post this was, some times I look at your life and think it looks so perfect and in a way it's nice to know that you have struggles etc just like everyone else does! Luca is a gorgeous little boy I'm currently 22 weeks pregnant with a baby boy as well and I'm looking forward to seeing more of him on your blog and insta will be good inspiration for me! So far I'm loving shopping for a baby boy so many cute cute outfits! Ps – you look amazing as always! x
Luca and Ava are the sweetest names, love them! I am 3 weeks postpartum w/ my first and am def feeling the baby brain fog. You seem to be managing really well hun. I am sure your hubby is just excited you're 6 weeks postpartum now… you know what that means 😉
Andee you are my favorite for so many reasons, you are such a good mama and wife. I am so glad things are going well. I hope little man keeps up his long stretches of sleep and maybe adds another hour or two 🙂 Keep up the amazing attitude love xoxo
All mom's are superheros, in my book. There is no way to completely comprehend how much having a baby turns your life upside down until you do it. I'm still figuring it out with one, so all you out there with 2+, you're amazing. I remember sitting down at my desk the first day back at work after maternity leave, and while I had cried all week leading up to it, it was the first time in months it was just me. And I confess it was nice. My working mommy guilt is still very heavy, but sometimes you need a minute to breathe for yourself. You will figure out the balance eventually….good luck!
http://www.everydaystilettos.com
He is so gorgeous!! I find with my second babe I have been coddling him so much more. I never ever want to put him down. Maybe it's because I know it's my last?
I am slowly starting to get out of the two month blur of exhaustion, which is so nice, but also sad my little guy is growing to quickly!
So precious!
Sarah
Flip Flops and Furs
I am glad you shared all the nitty gritty things about motherhood! It is a never ending cycle but it I think Mommas need to be more proud of how we manage to juggle it all including myself! He is gorgeous and little miss thing's face in the last picture is waaay too cute!
I absolutely love your blog and insta. If I ever become a mother… I hope I can do it as gracefully and beautifully as you! Many blessings! Lindsay
You look amazing!! Love following your pregnancies. 🙂 are you back to working out? I am 6 weeks post partum and never had any struggles with my weight before but I caved into my pregnancy cravings and gained more weight than I thought I would and now I'm struggling to get it off even though I'm breast feeding. Any suggestions?
Love following your pregnancies! You are such an inspiration. Are you back to wirking out? I am 6 weeks post partum with my first baby and have never struggled with my weight, unfortunately I gave into my pregnancy cravings and gained more weight than I thought I would and it's not coming off like I thought it would even though I'm breast feeding. Do you have any suggestions?
congrats again love…such a perfect beautiful family…hoping to come visit soon and meet the babes and of course see you!!
Thanks for sharing it with us and being so honest!
Andee, you are my favorite blogger! You and your family are so beautiful and thank you so much for an honest post! I hope you get some sleep soon, gosh, I have no idea how mamas do it (I'm not a mom yet) haha 🙂
Hey Andee!
Congrats again on your new LO! I followed you through your pregnancy with A and am loving the updates with #2! I think it is AWESOME that you are talking about the little perfect snippets in social media life and that its not all perfect. I only have 1 little girl and there are some days where I don't know how I am going to get through the day (10 month sleep regression over hurr!). It really does help hearing other mommas talk about their experiences.
Looking forward to more!
-Melissa
LittleMissOrangeBlossom.blogspot.com
Sigh!!! I'm not the only one… thanks for sharing not just the good but the not so good as well. I always answer YES when I'm asked if I work. Jeez!! Is a 24/7/365 job!! The real kick is that when I go back in time, is with a smile.
Love the openness and honesty of this post! I agree that people can get lost in the picture perfect view that the blog world has to offer, and it's nice to see bloggers actually calling that out. Beautiful fam pics as always!
You are my favorite blogger & this was my favorite post so far!!!
Andee, this is such an honest post, thank you for keeping it real.
I often wonder what's in store for us with a new little one arriving in July, and this helped some.
It's interesting that we've been pregnant a few months apart each time you and I. Even the same order: Girl, then Boy!
We have an older teenaged daughter, so having our second one wasn't a huge ordeal. It felt like I had another "little mommy" helping out on occasion. But having two closer together scares me a little. I think what helps me with it, is that at least our second girl is fully potty trained now, and it's one less worry.
Ahh, I just came across your blog on Pinterest and am in love! I am about to have my first little one any day now and your posts are so inspiring and helpful. Following everywhere! You definitely are an inspiration for my blog. Can't wait to read more 🙂