Category / Wrenn

by Bethe

Happy Two Months Wrenn!

***Note: Wrenn turned two months old on September 10, but I went back to work two days later, and am just now getting around to posting this because all I want to do in the evenings if come home and snuggle my baby girl. Her photo is from the two month mark and it’s amazing how much she has changed since then! Stay tuned in a few days for her three month post!

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Dear Wrenn,

Oh baby girl, I can’t tell you how much I adore you. This month, around week 5, you started smiling at me. It’s one of the greatest feelings in the whole world – I will come in to your room to wake you up at 7:00 each morning and you greet me with a big grin as if to say, “Oh hi mama – I’m so happy to see you!”

You are definitely a morning person. You have fallen into a routine of going to bed between 7:30 and 8:00 and waking up at 7:00 each morning. Most nights you only wake up once, which has been a treat for your mama. You still love to be swaddled and it’s the only way you’ll sleep in your crib, but it works like a charm.

You’re such a talker already. It makes sense, seeing as both your daddy and me are quite gabby. You talk and coo and have long conversations with me, smiling and singing. You have the sweetest little high-pitched voice. Sometimes I’ll repeat your coos back at you, and you smile like you think it’s so funny. I love our little conversations.

We took you on two road trips during your second month – the first to a family lake house – just the three of us – in Oklahoma, and the second to Midland to celebrate the birthdays of cousins Ella and Jack. You are a good traveler, sleeping most of the way. But packing for a baby – oh my goodness, you require a LOT of luggage! Your daddy and I love to travel and we can’t wait to show you the world.

You still have colic, which made for some tough moments this month, mostly because as your mama I hate to watch you suffer. Toward the end of the month things improved a little, and in the meantime we continue to give you Mommy’s Bliss Gripe Water after every feeding and try our best to console you as you cry. I can’t wait for you to feel better.

Your favorite color is red. You get so excited when you see something red from across the room and get a big smile on your face and stare intently. I’ll admit sometimes I wear a red shirt just because I know you’ll like it. You love to sit up like a big girl – with our help, of course – and can hold your head up for long periods of time. You don’t like to be cuddled up to our shoulder – no, you like to see what’s going on around you. I have a feeling you’re going to be quite social as you grow up.

You’re becoming more observant. You love to lie on the floor under this toy/play-thing and kick at the toys dangling above you. You don’t yet know what to do with your hands, but those little feet of yours have great aim. You are a wiggly little thing.

You’re still long and lean. You started the month in preemie clothes and finally got too long for those and graduated to newborn clothes. Even though you’re a skinny little thing, you’re a great eater and the doctor says you’re quite healthy, which we are so thankful for. And you have the biggest eyes I’ve ever seen on a baby – everybody who meets you comments on how beautiful they are, and how alert you are. I could stare at them for hours.

I got to stay home with you again this month and went back to work just a few days after your two month birthday. This second month was so much easier – we seemed to know each other better, I was able to anticipate your needs better, and I just loved getting to play with you, cuddle you, and tote you around. You are such a fun addition to our little family. Sometimes your daddy and I look at each other and wonder how God could have chosen us to be parents of someone so wonderful.

Baby girl, you are a delight and an answer to my prayers. It is an honor to be your mama. I love you, Wrenn Olivia!

-Mommy

Check out Wrenn’s One Month Post

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by Bethe

Back at work… And the winner is…

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Reflections on my first week back at work…

1. I miss my baby girl. That goes without saying. However, I survived my first week away from her. We both made it, and each day it got a little easier. I mean, sort of.

2. Man alive, packing for a newborn and a nursing mom each morning is like packing to go to Europe. I’ve got a check list for both of us, and I think between the two of us, there are at least five bags a day, plus a bouncy seat and car seat that travels with her. Each day has gotten easier – the first night it took me an hour to pack, and now it takes us about 10 minutes.

3. Pumping at work is a bit of an adventure. It’s like having one of those “if they only knew what was going on behind this closed door” moments. Frankly, it’s strange. But I’ve started to get my system down… thanks to a hands-free pump I don’t miss a beat with work, other than a very elaborate set up-tear down if you know what I mean. The strangest place I’ve had to pump so far was in a patient room in the ER after an event.

4. Speaking of pumping (man, this is turning into a women’s only blog, huh?), I’ve been trying to go to the gym on my way home from work (Mr. Right picks up Wrenn so I have a window of time before they get home), but it’s been blazing hot in Texas and I’ve been afraid to leave that precious milk in my car, even if it is in a cooler. And so, every night I carry my little cooler with me into the gym and leave it next to whatever machine I’m doing cardio on. Again, it’s one of those “if they only knew what was in this bag” moments.

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I guess motherhood is full of secret “if they only knew” moments. Like, “If they only knew there’s dried spit-up on this shirt” or “If they only knew that I was covered in poop 30 minutes ago” or “If they only knew that I haven’t washed my hair in three days” or “If they only knew I’ve been awake since 3:30 this morning.” On second thought… I bet they do know. Whoever they is.

5. I really missed my coworkers. It was so fun to get to see them after 10 weeks. I work with some really great people.

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6. I had 4,500 emails waiting for me when I returned. A week later and I’m down to just 2,000. In my defense, I didn’t have access to emails the first two days I was back, so technically I’ve plowed through 2,500 in just four days. I’m a machine.

7. Mr. Right called me Friday afternoon to tell me that he had bought me a 90-minute deep tissue massage for that evening. Like seriously, he’s the best husband ever. What a perfect way to end your first “week” (as in, two days) back at work.

8. While I was getting my massage, my masseuse told me, “I wish there were more people like your husband in this world. I agree, Ms. Masseuse. I agree. He’s obviously a client of hers too – he’s actually won over everyone who works there. I’m a proud wife.

9. I’m thankful for family who have watched Baby Girl while I worked. My sister, my mother-in-law, and Mr. Right have each take turns keeping her. And they send me pictures like this, which make it easier to make it through the day… (Wrenn with her cousin, who adores her. And do you recognize the quilt I made him? That vintage reproduction fabric is some of my favorite I’ve ever worked with.)

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For the record: cute babies + my quilts = me very, very happy.

9. Yeah… not sleeping so much. Wrenn had a growth spurt that coincided with my first two days back and woke up several times during the night, and then this week I’ve had two mornings where I woke up at 3:30 and 4:00 a.m. and never went back to sleep. That makes for a long day. As I wrote on Facebook the other day, I’m making it thanks to a little bit of coffee and a lot of denial. I can’t complain when she only wakes up once a night, I just need to learn how to go back to sleep even when I only have 45 minutes before my alarm goes off for the day.

10. The best feeling in the whole world is when I wake Wrenn up in the morning, and she looks up at me with this big smile, like she’s saying “Oh hi mama – I’m so glad to see you!” I get the same smile when I see her after work. Oh my goodness, how it makes me melt.

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One week down and we’ve all survived. I think we’re going to make it.

By the way – thanks to everyone who left the sweet comments on my last post. I realize I’m not the first – or last – girl to be a working mama, and it helps to have friends who have walked that road before me, and stay-at-home friends who have offered to fill in whenever we get in a bind. I am truly a very blessed girl – thank you.

I’m so excited to announce the winner of the Be Still print give-away.

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Congrats Kelly! Email me at bethe@texaslovely.com with your address and I’ll drop your print in the mail. For anyone else who wants their own copy, it’s available in my shop as an instant download here. That means you could have it in your hands TONIGHT. What a great reminder to all of us to “Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among all the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” Psalm 46:10

PS–I’m very VERY close to getting my 30,000th hit THIS YEAR on the blog. When that happens, expect another give-away. Tell your friends and maybe it will happen even sooner!

by Bethe

The Latest, The End of Maternity Leave, & A Give-Away

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Sometimes I worry that all folks pull from this blog is that motherhood is hard, that baby has colic, that life is hectic, and I’m overwhelmed.

But our life is so much more than that. And let me tell you, Month Two with my baby girl has been So. Much. Fun. It’s like we woke up around Week 5 and everybody understood each other (I think the fact that we also started sleeping more has a lot to do with it). We have found a routine. She smiles and coos and is so cute I can barely stand it. She only wakes up once a night (PRAISE THE LORD, HALLELUJAH). And we’ve found some ways to help soothe the colicky spells – not totally eliminate them, but GREATLY reduce their frequency and duration.

But more about little Wrenn in her Two Month post, which will be soon. This post is just a hodge podge of what we’ve been up to.

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I’m back at the gym and loving it. Because my pregnancy was so darn difficult I hadn’t worked out a bit in 10 months, which meant that those first few workouts were humbling. Like, the first time I tried to do crunches and push-ups I could barely do five (those poor stomach muscles had been stretched to the max). But it’s amazing how quickly your body gets strong – each day I feel more and more like my old self.

I’ve never been one to love working out, but now going to the gym has become my “me time” and something I actually enjoy. I still haven’t figured out how I’m going to fit it in after I return to work, but we’ll take it one week at a time.

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In addition to working out, I’m also trying to eat healthier to drop the last 15 pounds of baby weight that I’m still holding onto. Mr. Right, his parents and I are doing the My Fitness Pal app on our phones, which tracks your fitness and food intake. I’m a fan because I get an extra 500 calories a day from nursing – which certainly helps when I feel like a little splurge.

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We took another roadtrip last week, this time to Midland to celebrate our niece and nephew’s birthdays (she’s four, he’s one). This time we felt like pros, knowing what to pack (and packing lighter), and Wrenn did great in the car. The only bad part was when she puked ALL OVER me (dripped down my shirt and gathered into a pool in my pocket) and Mr. Right was gone with the car and hotel key and I had to wear my vomit-soaked clothes for three hours. Yep, rookie mom mistake. I’m learning.

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Mr. Right and I have managed to have several fun date nights without Wrenn. As much as I love my baby, let’s face it – mama loves her date nights. I think Mr. Right kind of enjoys them too! Now that they’re less frequent, they seem to be “bigger” – we’ve done dinner at Reata (my fave) and Texas de Brazil (his favorite), as well as a night at a movie tavern (I think dinner WHILE watching a movie was invented for nursing moms who live in three-hour chunks of time).

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Speaking of nursing… (boys close your ears)… I’m now taking a few supplements because Little Miss has suddenly become a VERY good eater and frankly I’m having trouble keeping up. One of my vitamins makes you smell like maple syrup. All. The. Time. It’s like the International House of Pancakes over here in our home. But I guess there are worse things to smell like then my favorite kind of breakfast. (If you’re wondering, I’m taking Fenugreek and Mother’s Milk tea, along with chugging gallons of water.)

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I’m headed back to work tomorrow. I’m a little sad to leave Wrenn (a lot sad, actually), but also excited to see my work friends. I’m not really sure how the morning routine is going to go, and I’m pretty sure it’ll take me an hour to pack both of our bags tonight, but we’ll figure it out. I know it will get easier… but in the meantime you won’t waste a prayer on me this week. I’m determined not to cry!

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In honor of another transition, I’m holding a give-away for a free “Be Still” print in my shop. All you have to do is leave a comment on this post – it can be encouragement about going back to work, a motherhood tip, or just a random “hi” – whatever it is, just leave it and I’ll hold a drawing on Sunday.

PS–Mr. Right has added a few of his own creations to the shop – leather goods! Go check it out – I’ve used one like this one for almost two years now and LOVE it.

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Other places you can find Texas Lovely:
On Facebook: www.facebook.com/texaslovelyshop
On Instagram: texas_lovely
On Etsy

by Bethe

I think she looks like…

In case there is any doubt who this baby girl looks like… see for yourself.

Mommy… (man, I was a chunky monkey!)

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Or daddy…
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Yep… she is definitely her daddy’s child. Luckily I’ve always been a sucker for his big brown eyes and am really excited that Wrenn’s going to have them too.

by Bethe

Oh no! Not Colic!

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When I read my baby books (just two – I’m trying to be one of those laid-back mamas… ha), every time I came to the section on colicky babies, I would stop and pray, “Lord, please don’t let my baby have colic.” I think it was the part where they said the definition of colic was crying for three hours a day at least three days a week.

Whoa.

And what do you know, we are one of the 10% of babies who have colic. And you know what? It stinks. REALLY stinks. But you know what else? We’re getting through it, because just like everything else, you don’t have a choice. Kind of like that prayer I prayed before we got pregnant: “Lord, please don’t let me be one of those girls who gets morning sickness.” Yeah, we all know how that one turned out – six months of eating nothing but baked potatoes and tortilla chips and popping Zofran like the were Skittles.

Sometimes life throws you a curve ball, and you just have to adjust. Which is what we’re doing. We have a wonderfully delightful baby girl about 21 hours a day. She smiles and coos and is just so much fun. But the other three hours that happen every evening where the poor thing screams bloody murder, clinches her little fists and kicks her legs because her little tummy hurts her so badly?

That part really stinks.

I’ll admit – I’ve even shed a few tears along with my little Wrenn – it’s hard to watch your baby hurt, and I have yet to figure out how to tune out the crying. My more tenured mom friends have assured me that at some point you can ignore it – but right now it both grates on my nerves and breaks my heart at the same time.

I just want to make it better, you know?

So, fellow mamas, here’s where we need your help. We are willing to try almost anything to bring Baby Girl some comfort. So far we’ve tried:

1. Mylicon drops

2. Mommy Bliss/Gripe Water drops

3. Tummy massage

4. Baby Probiotics (we’re buying these today, so we’ll let you know if they help)

5. Swinging (sort of kind of occasionally helps a little)

6. Taking her outside (her favorite – but it’s 105 degrees outside so it’s not our best option for the whole three hours – mama gets kind of sweaty)

7. Driving her in the car (people keep suggesting this, but she just screams bloody murder, which just makes mama cry… so not our solution)

The number one thing that seems to soothe her is nursing, which means I typically nurse her off and on all evening – on several occasions she has nursed for 90 minutes straight (which wears this mama out). Her doctor said it was fine because my skinny mini could benefit from a little extra weight. Eventually the nursing makes her fall asleep, which is the only time she feels relief. Which is the point where mama and daddy then breathe a sigh of relief and consider taking up drinking.

I kid. Kind of.

The good news is that she gets so worn out from crying every evening that she sleeps like a CHAMP at night. She has started going six hours from her evening feeding to her first night feeding… and last night we only did one middle-of-the-night feeding. It was like Christmas, New Year’s and the 4th of July all wrapped in one. Wow. Thanks Baby Girl, your mama has missed her sleep! And if I had to choose, I guess sleeping through the night is worth a few hours of incessant crying.

So, fellow mamas who have walked this colicky road before me – do you have any other secrets? And how long did your baby’s colic last? Tell me it stops before they leave for college?

by Bethe

Our weekend get-away

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I’m a bit of a gypsy at heart–I have a NEED to travel and explore and get away from my everyday responsibilities. But a difficult pregnancy meant that the only place we travelled in the past 10 months was a 2-day anniversary get-away (where I was still mildly nauseous). So we were due for a trip, I was off work with maternity leave, and we weren’t going to let a little challenge like traveling with a newborn stop us.

We came THIS CLOSE to booking a few plane tickets to go on a BIG adventure but then we realized that was insane, taking a big trip with a newborn. We came to our senses and came up with Plan B, a trip within driving distance with no agenda.

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Y’all, packing for a 5-week-old is HARD!! Thank goodness for a strong husband and a big car. And car adapters for breast pumps.

Mr. Wright, Wrenn, Harley the Wonder Schnoodle and I loaded up and drove 800 miles round-trip to a relative’s lake house on Grand Lake in Northeastern Oklahoma. We split up the drive by staying with our grandmother outside Oklahoma City one night on the way up and back, and while there got to show off this precious baby to all of Mr. Right’s relatives.

I had a very simple to-do list for my lake get-away:

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1. Drink my morning coffee on the patio overlooking the lake.
2. Go on a long walk.

I did both, and not a whole lot else. The weather was a perfect 70 degrees most of the time, and we laid out by the pool, cuddled with Wrenn, ate leisurely dinners, went to bed early, and relaxed. I was able to clear my head, come up with some new goals (like start cooking healthy again), and break out of my new mommy fog for a bit.

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I came home feeling more like “me” than I have since I got pregnant. In the 24 hours since  I’ve been home I have cooked a healthy dinner, organized my home office, sewn, and taken a bubble bath.

I’m back, my friends. I’m back.

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Don’t forget about my  “Fearfully & Wonderfully Made” print on sale – it’s an instant download, which means you can print it yourself – no shipping charges. Sale price is just $5. It makes for a wonderful baby gift.

by Bethe

Happy One Month Wrenn!

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Dear Wrenn,

Happy one month birthday! I can’t believe that it’s been a whole month since I held you in my arms for the first time. It seems like a lifetime ago that I looked into those big blue eyes of yours for the first time. You are the answer to my prayers and it is a joy to be your mama.

The three of us have hit a groove lately – your daddy and I now know what you like – and don’t like. You’ve settled into a bit of a routine, and you’ve turned into a great sleeper at night (thank you!), often sleeping 3-4 hours at a time and always going right back to sleep after I feed you. You’ve got a little bit of colic that makes your afternoons/early evenings a little rough. I wish I could fix that upset tummy of yours, but we will get through it and I hear in another month it should be much better. In the meantime, feeding seems to be the best way to soothe you, and so that’s what we do.

You love to be outside. You love lullabies, especially when I sing along. Luckily you haven’t noticed yet that I’m tone-deaf. You have been to many restaurants and always sleep through dinner in your car seat, completely oblivious to the chaos around you. You’ve been to the Perot Science Museum, to both of our workplaces, to the hardware store, to show houses with your realtor daddy… and of course, on a few ice cream dates with us. You love to ride in the car and are wonderful on the go (and everybody who sees you comments on how beautiful you are… I agree).

You are long and lean – so lean in fact, that you’re still in premie and newborn clothes. Pants and bloomers don’t stay on, so you live in onesies and dresses, and you always look adorable. You have the cutest wrinkles on your arms and legs, and the longest feet I’ve ever seen on a baby. You love to be swaddled, and you love to sleep on your daddy’s chest. He is exceptionally good at calming you down when you’re upset, and he’s the one that gives you all of your baths, which you don’t love yet, but I bet that changes next month.

You are wide-eyed and spend 3-4 hours at a time awake and taking in the world around you. I love to prop you up against my legs and have conversations with you – you stare so intently at me and smile and coo and make the funniest faces. I will never get tired of admiring you, sweet girl.

I love you more today than the day I met you, and I can’t wait to see what next month brings. You are my joy and my delight. I love you, Wrenn Olivia!

-Mommy

by Bethe

Fearfully & Wonderfully Made – Print Sale

Is there anything better than baby feet? I kiss those tiny toes every single day, and still can’t get enough. {Sigh}

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In honor of that precious little one of mine, I’ve put my “Fearfully & Wonderfully Made” print on sale – it’s an instant download, which means you can print it yourself – no shipping charges. Sale price is just $5. It makes for a wonderful baby gift.

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Interested in another print? Go check out the shop! Miss Wrenn has already been along with me on several shipping runs – I guess that makes her my honorary Texas Lovely assistant.

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Photo courtesy of McGowan Images

by Bethe

On a lighter note: This week

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For those of you wondering, this has been a much better week. Life is starting to gain an almost predictable rhythm. I’m learning that Wrenn is wide awake ALL MORNING (that’s not normal for a newborn, to be awake four straight hours… right?), and so I’m trying to just be open to creating a routine around playing, tummy time, carrying her around, etc. during her awake times, and then trying to get things done (or sleep… usually sleep) in the afternoon when she finally sleeps. At night, we’re still all over the page, but thankfully she’s mostly awake to eat, which is much better than those early days where she spent much of her nights crying. She’s sleeping in her nursery, and I am on Season 4 of Weeds on Netflix, which I watch on my iPad while we feed… it gives me something to look forward to during those 3:00 a.m. feedings.

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It has been a pretty good week. Last night we had our very first date night where we left her at home with her grandparents. It was crazy hard and also a little bit wonderful – it’s a huge priority for me to continue to date Mr. Right now that we have a kiddo. It felt kind of amazing to put on heels and (maternity… shh… don’t tell) skinny jeans and my new thrifted shirt and go out to a fancy dinner at Texas de Brazil as a belated birthday date to celebrate his 30th, just the two of us.

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I got cleared by my doctor to take baths and go swimming. Considering hot bubble baths are my favorite hobby, this was a welcome development.

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Mr. Right brought me breakfast in bed. And not just any old breakfast – no, he pays attention to even the smallest details. Isn’t it pretty?

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Other than that, we’ve mostly been playing and snuggling and mall walking and dining with family and playing dress up and celebrating every poopy diaper. Things are good.

by Bethe

How to love and care for a new mom

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I have a confession. Caring for a newborn while recovering from childbirth while never sleeping more than 90 minutes at a time while serving as a round-the-clock drink dispenser is HARD.

Add in some crazy hormones and, well, it can be a little overwhelming.

Hello understatement of the year.

These past three weeks as a first-time mama have yielded some wonderful, precious moments of cuddling a content newborn against my chest, inhaling her new baby scent, of watching my sweet husband love on this itty bitty thing that we created together and kissing those tiny baby toes. The past three weeks have also brought me to the edge of a nervous breakdown, making me cry more tears than I knew was humanly possible. I have never been more tired, more run down, more worried and more unsure of myself than ever before.

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Obviously I’m rocking this motherhood thing… about 20 percent of the time. The rest of the time – when this cute baby was refusing to eat, crying hysterically in the middle of the night, or I was waking up drenched from hormonal night sweats while hurting in places I didn’t know could hurt… well, that’s a different story.

That’s where our friends and family stepped in and helped keep me sane. Being a new mama means that every ounce of energy you have goes to caring for (and feeding) that adorable baby. It helps to have other people who want to care for (and feed) you so you can take care of your baby.  In that spirit, here are some ways to love and care for a new mom:

1. Offer to come watch the baby so she can sleep. This is by far the greatest gift folks gave me – friends, family, heck, at some point I would have welcomed a stranger off the street. They graciously offered to simply snuggle the baby so that I could take a 2-hour nap… uninterrupted, not worrying about every little peep she made. After several sleepless nights in a row, two hours of uninterrupted sleep is one of the sweetest things on earth.

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2. Bring snacks. Right after we came home from the hospital, some friends of ours came to visit and brought an entire gift bag full of snacks for me to eat while breastfeeding. Since the rumors are true – you really do drink like a camel and have the hunger of a lion – and you’re living in a fog where things like feeding yourself move to the bottom of the priority list, having a bag full of granola bars, fish crackers, wheat thins, and even candy (for those especially hard moments) handy to grab during a middle-of-the-night feeding helps so much.

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3. Bring take-out. I’m one of those who feels guilty when I bring a new mom take-out because by the time I get off work, make the dinner and deliver it, it would be 9:00 p.m. and no new mom wants to eat at 9:00. So, I typically just offer to pick up take-out from the restaurant right next to my work that carries EVERYTHING. Turns out – it’s a welcome treat.  I’ve found that it doesn’t matter if someone brings a home-cooked meal or something from McDonald’s, it’s just nice to not have to worry about feeding yourself, and I have welcomed the company on days where I was starting to get stir crazy. So go ahead, don’t feel guilty about not cooking. Mama cares more about having an adult conversation anyway.

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4. Send an encouraging note/email/text/Facebook message, and don’t expect a response. Like I’ve mentioned before, I have been blessed with so many notes of encouragement over these past three weeks. Folks have told me they’re praying for me. A friend I haven’t seen since high school told me that the best thing I can do to keep from getting run down is to keep myself fed and hydrated. Others sent encouragement about breastfeeding, told me about their own experiences with raging hormones, and shared that they had been there and knew exactly what I was going through… and told me that soon things would get easier. Those notes, which I usually read in the middle of the night, were so helpful. For most, I didn’t even have the mental energy to reply, but know that they meant SO much to this overwhelmed mama. So go ahead – send some encouragement, and don’t be offended if you don’t get a response back. Soon that mama will emerge from her fog and act like a normal human again.

5. Tell her she’s doing a good job. And that soon, things will get easier. And that she’s normal. (It’s also a good idea to tell her husband that she’s normal… I’m thankful for a few people who told Mr. Right what to expect so he wasn’t surprised to wake up to baby and mama both crying during a 3:00 a.m. feeding).

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In the meantime… things seem to be settling down a little and we’re starting to see glimpses of a routine. Yesterday I rocked her to sleep while singing along to lullabies on my Pandora station and had one of those “so THIS is motherhood” moments that made my heart swell. I got a mommy massage and Mr. Right gave her her first bottle (a success!). We spent yesterday making funny faces at each other and doing tummy time and she “supervised” while I quilted (meaning, she slept in her portable seat-thingy). She even slept in her nursery for the first time last night (a huge accomplishment for me… I’m not sure she noticed the difference).

This motherhood thing is already getting SO MUCH BETTER.

Mamas – what other ways did people love and care for you after you brought baby home? Share your ideas in the comments section so we can bless the next new mom.