Hi there! I’ve been away for a while – we’ve been busy snuggling this sweet kiddo…
…and figuring out how to be a family of four (with an infant and toddler) during the middle of a pandemic.
Baby Caden Stuart was born two weeks early on April 6, 2020 at 8:46pm, weighing 8 lbs, 7 oz. It was a very different experience having a hospital delivery during the pandemic. The birth was very different from my first – Caden was induced and the epidural didn’t work all the way (a little scary), and it was just me and Daniel at the hospital for two days. With Carson, there were no delivery scares or complications, and all of our immediate family was there at the hospital to welcome the baby into the world after he was born. Maybe I’ll share Caden’s labor and delivery story another time. Regardless, everything ended up fine, and baby is healthy and perfect. He instantly filled a space in our family that we didn’t know existed.
Long before Caden was born, I had booked a “Fresh 48” session to get photos of our family in the hospital, but we obviously had to cancel that session. We found out while we were at the hospital that there was an onsite newborn photographer, so we took full advantage and had an impromptu session! I wish our sweet Carson could have been in the photos, but we plan to do a family photo session in a few months. Here are a few of my favorites:
Caden is such a laid back and happy baby. He loves to just sit back and watch his big brother run around. For the first few weeks, Caden did nothing but sleep and eat, an experience that we did not have with Carson in the newborn phase (Carson did not like naps!). As Caden’s awake windows have widened, he is still fairly predictable with his naps and will sleep for a total of 3-4 hours throughout the day. [Edit: This was true up until the last few days!]
Carson is doing a great job as Big Brother. He loves to help bring things like pacis and blankets to help with the baby, and he will sometimes blow kisses to him. He’s never once acted angry toward Caden, so that’s a win in my book!
I want to post a little more often here, sharing our new life stories and also eventually getting back to my backlog of travel content. Right now, the goal will be two posts per month. Daniel and I are working together to create a little more free time for ourselves once or twice per month by trading off watching both kids. Up until now, there has not been any extra time. Honestly for me, the postpartum phase just doesn’t lend itself to creativity or spending time on anything other than caring for babies and sleeping as much as possible. I looked back on my “welcome to the world” post for Carson, and the timing from Carson’s birth to the post was nearly exactly the same as this one (a little over three months). Some of my blogger friends seem to be able to jump back into somewhat of a rhythm much more quickly than me after having babies, but I’ve accepted that I just need more time to adjust than most.
Welcome to our family, sweet baby! You are so loved, and we cannot believe we get the privilege of watching you grow up and become your own little person.
{Thanks for reading! Want to know a little more about me? I’m a CPA learning how to balance a career with motherhood and regular travel while planting roots at home in the Austin, TX area. When I’m not exploring my home city with my husband Daniel and baby boys Carson and Caden or cuddling with my chubby orange cat Banana, I’m probably either out on a playdate with my son or planning, packing for, traveling to, or daydreaming about our next adventure. After all, my travel mug collection is never complete. If you have wanderlust too, be sure to follow me on Instagram (and InstaStories!), Pinterest, and Facebook, or subscribe to my blog!}