Life With Canaan: 5 Weeks In

Ready for a big ol baby and mommy update? We’re 5 weeks in and I can’t wait to tell you everything! I have a ton of pictures and favorite things for you!

FIVE weeks?! I can’t believe it! I have a feeling I’ll be starting every baby update post like that!

Ok, so where did the 5 weeks go? We brought him home, had newborn/Christmas photos done, celebrated Christmas with all of my family camped out in my house, and then the weeks blurred by…

{photo: Elizabeth Looney Photography}

There are so many things I don’t want to forget about these first 5 weeks of being a mom. And I also could never have fathomed how enamored with him at all hours of the day and night I would become. I stare at him for hours! And my face hurts from smiling whenever he’s awake and looking at me.

I can’t believe how tall he is! He drapes across and down me with his feet resting on the couch as I nurse. He’s already tall enough for 3month pajamas and he’s so lean too. I call him my chunky monkey though because he’s gotten so pleasantly chubby and has so many chins! He’s definitely a good eater and I couldn’t be happier with how breastfeeding has turned out for us.

And he is SO strong! He starts kicking and shoving and I’m afraid he’s going to fly right out of my arms! He even rolled himself over while playing during tummy time on the floor. It’s crazy.

Canaan has the most beautiful, infectious smile. He has a dimple in his left cheek and he gets little dimples over the corners of his mouth when he bursts into a smile. I love saying “mommy’s nose…Canaan’s nose!” and he lights up. He also starts to talk, making little faces and saying “ooohhh” and it’s just the cutest. When my husband gives him kisses, his little faces are priceless (my husband has a beard that tickles C’s face and I love seeing him react to it).

{ELP}

I don’t think I could have ever predicted the mindset shift I experienced when I became a mom. I don’t get stressed out when I don’t finish my list for the day or when I don’t get any work done. I have infinite patience for this little guy, which is something I never had before. I also don’t seem to care as much about little things that would have sent my mind in a whirlwind before (ie when my husband broke an ornament as we were putting them away…and I just shrugged. WHO AM I?!). And the fact that I can tolerate things that would otherwise be considered disgusting (poop everywhere!) is just proof that being a mom totally changes you.

Canaan “talks” and jabbers when he’s first asleep and it is adorable during the day and heart attack-inducing at night. I’ll hang my head into his bassinet in a split second when he starts making noises at night because I am so terrified of him spitting up and not being able to breathe. I had no clue I’d be so worried about this!

{ELP}

So far I’ve been pretty much home-bound. Canaan hasn’t had his 2-month vaccinations yet, so we’re choosing to lay low. I’m so lucky because my husband goes to the grocery store for me whenever we need anything and my mom has come to stay with us a couple times, and she grocery shops and cooks too. I’ve been to Starbucks a few times (the drive-through mostly, because I don’t want to get out of the car and because Canaan likes to sleep on drives) and finally went to Target this last week, where I carried him in my Solly just to make sure nobody got close enough to touch him.

I’ll just say, I have an epic case of “mom guilt” too. Like, epic. If he hasn’t been looked in the face in 5 seconds, I feel bad. If his bottom lip starts to tremble, I promise him a new car if he’ll just cheer up. When he cries during his nap time, I’m in his room within 2 minutes, feeling like I waited 20 for him to “cry it out” and it just didn’t work. I’ve got it bad.

{ELP}

I’ve started working out a bit too. I started walking just 2 days after we got home from the hospital, taking it slow. I have run a couple miles a few times now, keeping a slow pace (but my legs still feel shredded the whole next day). I also have been lifting light weights and doing some yoga at home too. I don’t have any clue when I’ll get back to my gym classes or yoga classes, but my at home workouts are working for me and I’m still not trying to push it yet. I already look significantly smaller than during my newborn photos so I’m already more comfortable with having my photo taken…can we go back and retake those now?! Kidding. 

Ok, products I’m loving and using just 5 weeks in:

I love my Solly wrap. I use it the few times we go out and I even use it around the house because he falls asleep the second he’s wrapped up in it.

We have a 4 Moms Mamaroo but he doesn’t really use it that much yet. He’ll sit in it when I’m taking a shower, but he loves the sound of the bathroom fan AND the shower water, so he stays distracted long enough. If I try to just put him in it in the living room though, he cries pretty quickly. We use it at night for the sound machine and we all sleep like the dead. At just 5 weeks in, Canaan can already sleep 6 hours at night, then a 3 hour shift after eating! It’s magical. I’m hoping he likes sitting in the Mamaroo when he’s a few weeks older. (We also have the 4 Moms tub and LOVE it! I had no idea that baby bath water was going to be so much cooler and less warm than I anticipated. I feel so comfortable giving him a bath knowing the water is just right)

He LOVES sitting in his Leachco Podster though. We place him in it on the couch or on top of the kitchen table while we’re watching TV, working, cleaning, etc. He’s so content in it and will sit in there for such a long time!

I’ve been using the Brest Friend nursing pillow and love it. It’s very firm and sturdy which makes it so easy for him to stay right where I need him.

Aden + Anais swaddles. I am a terrible swaddler and Canaan tends to flap his arms like a banshee if I try to wrap his arms up, but he does like having a swaddle around his legs and torso. I use the A+A swaddles for everything! We tuck them around him in his Podster and stroller, I grab them for burp rags, use them to cover us up when he’s nursing…I have a TON of them and still seem to go through them pretty quickly. I also love their washcloths because they’re really big and so much softer than typical baby washcloths.

I’ve been using the Ava Anderson baby soap, lotion and diaper cream. I love that it’s all natural and smells like calming lavender. My friend Lindsay is an affiliate of theirs and you should totally contact her if you have any questions about their products!

Aden + Anais dream blanket. I chose this blanket because I loved the striking black and white patterns, but we truly love it. It’s quite heavy which is wonderful because I can lay it on top of him and he feels like he’s being “hugged”. I know he’ll stay warm at night with this tucked around his legs and I also use it on him in the stroller too. I would buy a me-sized one if they made it! LOVE this thing.

The BOB jogging stroller. I had my eye on this beauty the second I got pregnant. As a workout fanatic and runner, I wanted a quality jogger. This stroller is so smooth and easy to steer. So far I’ve only walked him in it (it’s not good to jog with him while he’s still so small) but he LOVES it and passes out within minutes of our walks starting. I use a car seat adapter and his Chicco infant car seat. I can’t wait until I can build up to 5K’s again and have Canaan be my running buddy.

Anything with bear ears. Enough said.

He’s been hooked on his Wubbanub pacifiers too. He barely sucks on them but he loves having them close to his mouth and hugging the animal that’s attached. Whatever floats his boat and keeps him happy is fine by me.

I really want a few slouchie beanies for him. And some Zara leggings.

I also just ordered a baby book for him from Mushy Books and need to get it caught up. Anxiety has already commenced about being behind!

That’s about it! Follow me on Snapchat (mking3000) because I snap way too many baby pictures!

Note: this is NOT a sponsored post. Amazon links are affiliate links. All opinions are my own.