skip to main |
skip to sidebar
Josephine's first Monthly Portrait. Taken in her nursery on the 18th of every month.
On Saturday Josephine turned 1 month old. Already. In so many ways it's hard to remember what life was like without her and in others it seems like she only arrived yesterday.
Everyday this little bird of ours changes and develops and learns something new. Over the last week she's started chatting away - to us, to herself and to random objects she spies around the house. When we talk to her she looks right into you, concentrating on every word you're saying and every facial expression. Taking it all in and learning how to replicate it. And we've been getting the occassional smile. Her legs and arms start moving excitedly, she starts cooing away and then she flashes us a big ol' grin. Dimples a-plenty. It's the most beautiful thing and we can't wait until those gummy smiles are a daily occurance..
She's always been strong, but now Josephine can hold her whole upper body and head away from you for minutes at a time. Slowly looking around the room, familiarising herself with her home. And she's as laid back as ever. Only crying when she wants food, a change or has a bit of wind. But even then it's pretty fake, stopping as soon as she gets what she wants.
Our first month as a family of three has been beautiful, surprising, tiring, unforgettable, emotional, challenging, life-affirming, tough, fun...the list could go on. In the vast majority it's been divine. But there have been some tricky times too. What's awesome is that we've worked through them. Our little team, figuring out how to make things better. Waking to each new day with a different action plan, testing new methods and slowly working out what works. An ongoing process that will change and develop as Josephine does. But that's all part of this amazing adventure, and we can't wait for every aspect of it. The good, the bad, even the ugly (aka very poopy nappies and Mama's greasy hair).
We're so in love with our Teeny Phiney, she inspires and amazes us every hour, every day.
ps. I'm just editing our birth story... come back later in the week for the full 40 hour journey. Oh yeah. 40 hours. It's a long 'un people.
pps. Like the knitted dungerees? Head to Happy Circus and grab a pair. They come in a whole array of fruity colours and patterns and are downright cool.
ppps. And speaking of Etsy, check out my lovely friend Liz's new Etsy shop. Josephine has one of those little owls hanging in the nursery and it's beautifully made. Go buy one x
Wow, blogging with a 3 week old baby is tough. How some of these other ladies do it, i'll never know. Right now Dora is sat snuggling Josephine so I've got some time to tidy, eat and write a quick blog but it's quite possible that over the next few weeks the posts round here will be pretty sporadic until we get our little routine a bit more sorted.
In a nutshell though...
*Day by day Josephine and I are learning more and more. Cuddles aside, nothing calms her quicker than a bit of white noise so the bathroom fan and sound of the shower, the fan in the kitchen and my hairdryer all keep her occupied (and often send her to sleep) when Mama's trying to get clean, wash up or make herself look a little presentable. A quick shower and non-frizzy hair make me feel so much more with it and prepared for anything, so have become vital 'to-do's' in the morning and the fact Josephine sits quite happily in her bouncy chair while i'm doing them is a blessing.
*I've started to understand that a bad night, with little sleep or things not going to plan, doesn't mean a bad day or visa versa and it's best to just take every moment as it comes. Plans are pointless with a newborn. For example, on Tuesday night our little bird woke up at least once an hour and I got about 2 hours sleep in total. When Ben left for work I wondered how I was going to make it through the day, but it turned out to be one of best yet. Josephine slept the whole time I was showering (I even shaved my legs and moisturised), we visited my Mum for a bit of lunch and then headed into the village to meet fellow new Mama and lovely lady Ash to introduce our little girls to eachother. A pretty tough night was followed by a really great day.
*I'm so thankful I treated myself to an iPhone (and internet access at my fingertips) before Josephine arrived. Typing comments with my left hand can be tricky, but i'm still visiting all your blogs as much as ever; they're keeping me going through those 4am feeds so that, thank you!
*And speaking of blogs, I have to say that these are fast becoming some of my favourite posts in all of blogland. Kellie is one cool cat and quite possibly my new style icon. Also, check out these wedding pictures. Oh so pretty.
*Little by little I'm writing our Birth Story and Breastfeeding Saga and hope to get both finished over the weekend. Neither went as planned and it's amazing how theraputic writing down your feelings can be in coming to terms with things not turning out how you expected.
*Finally, with blogging a little tricky right now, come follow us on Instagram where I've been adding little snapshots of our first weeks together. Just search FirstDayOfMarriage.
And the picture? Beautiful Josephine soundly dreaming, wrapped in blankets and snuggled up against the February snow.
Well, after two blissful weeks enjoying our little cocoon as a family of three, our Babymoon is over and Ben went back to work yesterday. A week ago the prospect of being at home on my own with Josephine was a little terrifying, I'll admit. I wondered how on earth I would ever shower, do the washing up or make some lunch without Ben here to hold her. But over the last few days our little girl has learned to sleep quite soundly in her bouncy chair, allowing me to get a few things done here and there. It's crazy how fast we're getting to grips with this parenting malarkey.
And, with two days down, I can happily report that I've washed my hair, done some washing up, hung out some clean clothes and put more in the machine. How quickly the type of tasks that equate a productive day can change.
Mostly though, I've been spending my days talking to Josephine. Ben and I adore getting to know her more every day and it's the most wonderful thing watching her change and develop with every hour. She's the sweetest creature with such a good nature and only cries when she needs something. She stares directly into your eyes when your talk to her, listening intently, and gets oh so excited when we give her plenty of kisses. You can see her trying so hard to smile.
She adores bathtime with her Papa before being wrapped in a warm towel for snuggles with her Mama. She is always chattering away; sometimes with delicate little kitten purrs and sometimes with noisey growls that make us chuckle. And her quizzicle expressions have been keeping us entertained for hours on end. Everyday is more fun than the last and everyday we love her more. It's already impossible to imagine life without Josephine, completing our little home.
Josephine's first Monthly Portrait. Taken in her nursery on the 18th of every month.
