What week

8

How big is baby

14lbs/6.3kg

What’s something new this week

We pulled the rocking chair out of storage this week and so we have been enjoying rocking our girl in the chair, she loves being outdoors. It’s the first time I’ve realised just how much fresh air is her thing! If she gets sick of the rocking chair, we will whip out our Plum and Sparrow wicker Moses basket and she lies in that on the grass and watches the trees blowing in the wind. Sometimes I just sit in the rocking chair and watch her watch the world. It’s so nice.

I also ordered my new batch of Baeo which arrived a few days ago, so I began baby massage this week and she LOVES it so much. Baeo’s products are completely organic and smell amazing so it’s been a really nice little activity to fold in to our week. We heated the pool up this week too and Poet had her very first swim! It was so cute. I put this little hand me down bikini nappy that we were given on her and it didn’t fit. She’s too chunky haha! So, the photos are extra adorable, rolls galore. The boys all loved having her in the water. Reminds me though.. I have to start swim lessons for Forest!

Most challenging moment

Poet has decided that she only finds comfort in mama! So whilst that’s really adorable and sweet for me, Mark is really struggling. My mum can’t settle her, she screams with Mark but as soon as she is in my arms she is happy!! So, there’s been lots of baby wearing going on by me and she will also go in the baby swing when I need to put her down for a moment. I can generally work with her on me. I’ve found a spot to lay in in the kids toy room. I stick a bunch of pillows behind my head and she sleeps on me there and I can write away on my phone. I have a big deadline coming up for a writing project, so I’ve been trying to steal moments to write. I know in ten days it’ll all calm down, but finding the little moments to actually concentrate on work has been hard, especially with Poets new found favouritism.

Favourite moments

Our chunker girl has met so many of our friends now, and it has been so lovely introducing her to them. It’s also been really nice just hanging at our house all together back in LA. Isaac is back home with us and watching him love on Poet is so special. She has been offering up so many smiles and coos, little laughs and just being so happy in the mornings. I really understand her routine and feel very in sync with her. She’s our little ray of sunshine and we all still are in awe that she is with us.

Mama time

I have done a couple of nice dinners out with my friends this week and have brought Poet with us. We also had a 40th on Saturday night and brought miss P. It felt like Mark and I were on date night with only Poet to look after, she was asleep most of the time and Mark and I had so many uninterrupted moments to connect without little ears listening in. I miss having that with him, we both do so we are actively trying to carve time out for just us.

My body

Is feeling great! I went back to pilates this week, and Megan my trainer from Mind and Motion said I have zero separation in my tummy so that means it’s all come back together again. Mark and I are making pilates our weekly date! I’m hungry as anything and experience a little energy dip in the middle of the day but all in all I’m feeling really well.

What am I eating

Buffalo cauliflower, smashed avocado, Lovewell smoothies, Brussel sprouts, green juices, salads, tons of kombuchas, Zevia, Vega pasta from this amazing new vegan Italian restaurant we discovered in LA. We have been ordering in so much and not cooking, we have to get our act together. In LA it’s just so tempting to use Postmates because you can have the most delicious food from basically any restaurant in LA delivered to your home. I’m such a homebody but LOVE eating restaurant food so the combination for me is deadly! I’m sure once the excitement of returning to the LA restaurants has work down that we will actually stay in and start cooking again!

What’s working

Poet’s sleeeeeep!! She has been doing a stretch from 10pm-5am and it is an absolute godsend! I’m not being fooled though. I know it’s probably very short lived. I’m remembering with Forest he was a remarkable sleeper and then BAM 4 month sleep regression! She loves her little routine of being nursed, changed, swaddled, nursed, then laid down in her Dockatot on our bed. She will nurse again at 5am, we will change her and then she will sleep until 7:30/8am. Trying to bank up the hours of sleep now as I know that there are some big transitions coming up, and I’m sure things might take a turn for the worse ohhh and not looking forward to my 4am alarms for work! Wahhhh

Checking In

I’ve been thinking a lot about how much it feels like I’m a first time mama again. Not in the sense that Motherhood feels new, what I’m talking about is time.

With your first, you just have so much time to stare into their eyes and get to know them. The days feel long as it’s just this small little gang together. You have all this free time without any other children to distract you, the baby comes with you everywhere, you’re attached at the hip and the days revolve around your little love.

With my second, I found that Forest was always in a carrier being pulled here, there and everywhere as I continued meeting all of 3 year old Bodhi’s needs; playing with him, attending ELC with him, taking him to play dates, extra curricular activities and Forest just came along for the ride.

Now third time around, Bodhi and Forest are these two little peas in a pod and instead of Forest needing me all the time to play with him and shepard him from play date to play date, the boys have each other and would much rather play together than with anyone else. Even when I take them both to a play date, I notice that they’ll gravitate back towards each other. It means that I’m finding myself with loads of free time to be really present with Poet, we are having so much girl time together, and the bond feels so deep and strong.

Week 8 Post Partum Vlog by Teresa Palmer