Friday, June 2, 2017

May Recap

May has been the month of sunshine, the end of school, and sweet baby smiles from our precious Eli. I've been cherishing the end of my time off and the start of summer (good planning, huh?). Even though I haven't found as much time to write, I've given myself grace and tried to blog about once a week. I love writing and have missed this outlet, but I just won't choose it over snuggling with Eli and being present as a mom. I've definitely developed a good mom groove, and this month has been my favorite! Here's what we've been up to!


Eli's Three Month Update

Eli turned three months old on May 23, and I honestly can't believe it. I know I've said it before, but he is such a joy and is seriously one of the happiest babies I know. It is so fun watching him discover the world around him and his personality continues to develop with each and every day. This month he is super into playing with toys on the activity mat: he just stares and stares at them above his head for hours. He still loves reading books, taking baths, and listening to Mommy sing, and he's just started to give us a giggle every now and then. We've gone on lots of adventures to grad parties, graduations, pool parties, and patio hang outs.



Numbers wise, he is weighing in at just around 13 pounds, and somewhere around 24 inches long. (No doctor's appointment this month, so my numbers aren't as solid.) He is growing and eating well, and is still sleeping through the night like a champ. We have just started swaddling for naps and being more intentional about nap routines. Although he will be upset for a few minutes, he generally falls asleep very quickly and this mama gets a little break to sit out on the deck with a video monitor for an hour or so, or even get a few things done around the house. Eli is eating about every three hours, so he eats six times and is generally going to bed sometime between 8:30 and 9:30. We are so grateful to have regular sleep, and even though he wakes up around 6:00 or 6:30 every day, it has been nice getting up and getting things done rather than sleeping away the summer mornings like I used to do. Our whole world has changed with Eli, but these past three months have honestly been my favorite. I am so grateful to have family close so that we can have date nights and little breaks that help me come back to Eli ready to be a better mom. I'm excited to write a little more about my general thoughts on motherhood soon.

End of Maternity Leave

My maternity leave officially ended on May 22nd. Although Eli came 10 days early and I technically went unpaid for just a couple of days, I decided that going back for the last day of school would be worth it. Who wants to get docked for a half day consisting of an assembly, yearbook signing, and general happiness that the school year is over? My mom watched Eli for us, and I got to have a little time away to say goodbye to my students and hello to summer with all of my teacher friends. Driving to work was strange; it almost felt as if none of this had ever even happened and it was all a dream. I'm a little nervous about going back to work in the fall, and all that comes along with being a working mom, but I honestly think that I will be ready for when the time comes, and that it will help me have a bit of my identity outside of being Mom.

My First Mother's Day

Speaking of motherhood, my first Mother's Day was the best day! We went to church, and then enjoyed having both sides of our family over for lunch. Eli looked so stinkin' cute in his matching romper and hat, and we grabbed some pictures which made this mama's heart so happy. I felt so celebrated and loved with thoughtful cards and gifts, but the best part was honestly just getting to celebrate the joy of being a mom this year. It's better than anything I could've ever expected.

Summer Reading

I recently posted on Facebook asking for book recommendations, and boy did y'all ever give me some good ones! I went and put them on hold at the library, and of course I ended up getting about 10 of them at the same time. Aaron saw my stack and asked how I was going to get them all read in a month's time, but I honestly don't think it will be a problem. I tend to read sometimes while I'm feeding Eli or pumping, and just a little bit at night when I get some adult time to myself. I have already finished off The Royal We and Room, which were both very good. I'm currently reading The Wonder by Emma Donoghue, and then I have about seven more to read by the end of June. I think I'm up for the challenge!

Summer Perks and Plans

One of the very best parts of being a teacher is that both Aaron and I have all summer off together to explore and adventure. He's taking on a bathroom remodel at his grandma's house, but Eli and I have had no trouble soaking up the sun at the pool, planning out some of our trips, and just enjoying the flexibility of doing whatever we want pretty much whenever we want. I've grown up in a family full of teachers, so my view of summers has always been a bit skewed. Especially as a parent now,  I am definitely so grateful to still have summers off to relax and be with my baby, as I know most jobs don't have summer breaks once you finish college. We're heading out on our first adventure soon, and while it's a lot more work than I'm used to for just Aaron and me to travel, I'm excited to take Eli along on his first vacation, first plane ride, and first visit to the ocean!


In Case You Missed Them: 


That's been our May, friends! I hope you're having a fabulous start to your summer!

Currently,
Kelsie



2 comments:

  1. Your May sounds like it was amazing! And Eli is so darling!

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