It has been almost a month since we gave birth to our daughter Autumn, and what a month it has been! Trying to figure out how to be parents and how to incorporate a baby into our lives of travel and adventure has definitely been a challenge. We wanted to take it slow and figure out our day to day lives with a baby. Autumn is such an amazing baby and she made it super easy for us. She's been an amazing sleeper, she eats super well, and loves to be outside.
Lets start with her sleeping through the night already. When we found out we were pregnant it seemed as though everyone warned us about all the sleepless nights we would inevitably encounter. Then, I heard about Taking Cara Babies from a youtube family I follow. They seemed to have great success with the Newborn Class and we were sold! We bought the class and when Autumn was about a week old we watched the courses. It literally changed everything for us! This class better prepared us then the birthing class we took. Cara walked us through how to sooth a baby, how to put a baby to bed, introduced swaddling, showed us the importance of fueling your baby for sleep, and so much more. We used it all and it helped us big time! She was sleeping through the night by 2 weeks old (besides us having to feed her but she usually slept through this feeds) in her own room. It was absolutely amazing! We give full credit to that class and highly recommend it to new parents. Even if you don't use all of the information given, there's still some great advice in there.
Her first two holidays have already come and gone. We were able to celebrate Christmas and New years with her and our family. It was nice having family around because it gave Luke and I a bit of a break (and a much needed nap). Autumn slept most of the day but we all enjoyed watching her. She gave Luke his first christmas present from her (a mug that said Papa with a bear on it). It was great to see how well she does around lots of people and loud noises. My family is definitely not quiet and there are a ton of us.
We were able to take Autumn on her first over night trip. We spent the weekend at the beach with my family. Because she's a newborn and doesn't really have a super strict sleep schedule, it made it pretty easy to travel. She sleeps a majority of the day and we just have to carry her around. We did a few beach strolls, hung out outside, and just enjoyed the beautiful weather. It was nice to get away and just hang out with the family.
Her first few weeks she was surrounded by my side of the family because they live so close. Luke's family lives about six hours away. But his mom and step dad were able to make the trip down to see their new granddaughter. They spent so much time holding her and showering her with tons of love. It was so special to see them with her. It made us super excited to head up north to introduce her to the rest of the family.
Time is already going by so quick and I am not ready for it. I just want her to stay this small forever but at the same time I am super excited to see her grow and experience all her firsts. My heart is just so full!