12 Weeks: A Week of Firsts

Y’all, I’m still in shock…how was it that 12 weeks ago this little man burst onto the scene?! It feels simultaneously like it was just yesterday and also that it was many more months ago that our lives were flip-turned upside down (don’t make me bust out the whole song!) by his arrival. I haven’t gone into a ton of detail, but my pregnancy with sweet Austin was not the easiest. Not that there were issues or complications, but I was just exhausted all the time and struggled a lot with body image while he was baking. I felt completely uninspired, considered quitting blogging on a daily basis, and felt really lost and alone a lot of the time. Getting to meet him made all of that disappear, and while I do still have some work to do on the body image part, I started feeling like “me” again the very second he came out.

 

How’s that for heavy? But it’s true – and I know I’m not the only mom who’s ever felt that way. If you’re reading this and feel the same way, you’re not alone. Trust me!

 

This week was filled with firsts for all of us! Tuesday Wes had his very first time playing in a sprinkler in the yard, and he’s totally a fan. Austin was asleep inside pretty much the whole time, but Wes talked about playing in the sprinkler for the entire rest of the week afterward. I think we may have found our newest favorite summer activity!

 

Wednesday was my first time taking both boys to the zoo, and I definitely learned some lessons with that one. One, I should have taken the double stroller; I was running late and didn’t think to trade the jogging for the double stroller. Rookie mistake. Second, going with friends helps so stinking much. Thanks Mandi for helping me watch my boys! Third, you can’t go with an agenda. We didn’t make it to really any of the exhibits I was thinking we would, but that’s life. We’ll be back and can always see them another time!

 

Friday we went swimming for the first time this summer, and it was Austin’s first time in a pool! We had a blast and both boys were WORN OUT by the time naps rolled around. I was able to have a really solid workout, start and finish some big projects, and just have a few minutes to sit alone. When they woke up all hell broke loose for about an hour though – despite applying a thick layer of sunscreen Wes had a little sunburn (his first ever) on his back, and Austin was super hungry. It took me a solid hour of consoling, ibuprofen, nursing, and promises of pizza for dinner to get life back to normal. Despite that though? We’re totally going as often as we can…and wearing more sunscreen and sun shirts. Done and done.

 

A few other new things? Austin’s holding his head up like a champ these days, smiling ALL THE TIME (yay!), purposefully reaching out and grabbing things, and laughing! We haven’t had a belly laugh yet but I’ve figured out a few tricks to get some baby laughs out of him and I’m totally abusing that knowledge. I can’t handle how adorable he is!

While he and Wes look really similar at each stage it’s fun seeing how different they are too. Wes has always been blond and blue-eyed, while Austin’s hair has more red to it (a definitive strawberry-blonde) and grey-blue eyes. Wes has sweet dimples like his dad, and Austin doesn’t have any, like me. Austin is much chubbier than Wes was at this age, really bigger all around, and is starting to outgrow his 3-month clothes at 12 weeks. Every night I thank the Lord for giving me these incredible boys to raise and love. I can’t believe how handsome, sweet, smart, strong, brave and hilarious they are!

 

This past week was really good for me as far as postpartum stuff is concerned. I started incorporating more plyometric exercises into my workouts because walks are few and far between at the moment cardio-wise. I was scared about doing that, mainly because things are – ahem – different after pushing a baby out. Things like holding my pee in takes a little more effort. I’m happy to say that it wasn’t nearly as hard as I thought, and having a really solid workout is great. I’m hoping to go into a lot more detail soon on my workouts, but wanted to give myself the month of June to try and settle into a better routine.

 

I’m finally at a point where I’m able to fit into my clothes from last summer pre-pregancy, and just working now on getting strong so that I can be mom to these two little men in my life. More than skinny, more than slender, I just want to be strong so that I can take care of and keep up with them…because let’s be honest, they deserve it! And so do I 🙂

 

From now on I’ll be posting on a monthly basis as far as baby updates are concerned, with postpartum stuff strewn in every now and then. Do y’all have any questions? Things you’d like to know? Feel free to email me – heathersdish {at} gmail {dot} com!