Life Update: We Had a Baby!
It’s crazy how much the world has changed in just the few short months I’ve been away from this space, huh?! It almost feels like two different lifetimes (or am I just being super dramatic?) …
Anyways, I asked over on Instagram what y’all wanted me to share, and I was very surprised that y’all wanted a life update! And y’all. So much has happened since February: a pandemic, us having a baby, racial and social injustice, etc.
So grab a snack, some coffee, tea or whatever is gonna make you comfortable, because this post is gonna be a long one as we navigate through the past four months.
March
March was such a busy time for me as I was working hard to prepare myself and my clients for my maternity leave in April. I was also in full nesting mode at 8 months pregnant. I was feeling quite confident and excited because I was so focused that I was checking things off of my list left and right.
Then the pandemic hit. The ironic thing is we had decided to pull Elijah out of preschool (he was going for half a day four days a week), and his very last week there happened to also be the week his preschool closed its doors in response to the pandemic.
I also finally got accepted as a candidate to give birth my birthing center (yes, at 8 months pregnant!), and had to switch from my OB to my new midwives. I was able to just squeeze in one “normal” appointment right before quarantine became mandatory.
April
April is when things started to feel real. I was 9 months pregnant. In a pandemic. And quarantined. With a toddler. With nowhere to go. While trying to wrap things up in my business. And trying to find toilet paper.
But I wanted to savor and document this time, so I committed to getting off of social media and spend time with Eli and Toby for our last days as a family of three. I also committed to taking pictures almost daily so that I could make what I am calling our “quarantine scrapbook,” haha! I am so glad I did this! Not only do I have images of what time looks like right now, but I have the sweetest pictures of Eli and some of our family rhythms.
Oh, and I finally succeeded in getting Eli completely potty trained with no accidents! All the praise because I so didn’t want to have to change two little behinds!
I went on maternity leave ten days before I went into labor, and let me tell you: I spent those ten days ir-ri-ta-ted! With all of the contractions and prodromal labor I had for all of that month, coupled with the fact that “they” say second babies come quicker (Eli was born six days before his due date), I was sure I would go into labor early!
Nope. I went into labor the day before my due date, and welcome our beautiful baby boy!
Sweet Ezra Josiah quickly entered the world on April 30th. My labor and delivery was so peaceful, beautiful, and redemptive! The Lord truly answered my prayers by letting me have a quick and almost pain-free natural water birth at my birthing center. It was truly magical! I just wish we were able to get pictures of the birth - especially since we waited until birth to find out the gender! But due to the pandemic and social distancing, only Toby was allowed at the birthing center with me.
But bringing home Ezra later that evening and starting our new lives as a family of four was the sweetest way to end the month!
May
Having had postpartum issues mentally last time with Eli, I knew I wanted to do all that I could to protect my mental health after birth. I wanted to savor this time of newborn snuggles, taking life slow, and getting adjusted as a family of four. So I continued my social media break.
Toby was home for two weeks (praise God!), and we just took life slow. The Lord was so good to surround with so many loving people who sent meals (thank you, Cervettis for setting up that meal train!), sent gift cards, sent money, etc. Between the freezer meals I prepared and the meal train, I didn’t have to cook for a whole month!
Eli absolutely adores his little brother, but we are in the middle of dealing with some BIG feelings! If you have tips for how to navigate this season, please leave ‘em below!
Then the murder of George Floyd happened. And it seemed like similar story after story was coming to light. And my little newborn bubble popped. As a black woman married to a black man, and a mama to black sons, fear and hopelessness took over me. If I am being honest, I still struggle with this almost daily.
June
June is almost over, and I feel like it’s flown by in a blur! Other than doctor and dentist appointments for myself and the boys, I can’t honestly tell you what happened this month, haha!
This is the first time since the pandemic hit that I’m finally getting cabin fever and wishing for all of this to be over - especially since most of my family hasn’t met Ezra yet, and no one has held him except for us and Ezra’s doctors. It breaks my heart that my mom has yet to hold her grandbaby!
I will say that I am starting to get that itch to get back to my business. I return in the middle of next month, and I am fighting to stay in the present and savor these slow days. Having done this one time before, I know just how quickly these newborn days fly by. And eventually, the hustle and bustle will return and I don’t want to look back and wish that I didn’t take these days for granted.
If you’ve made it this far, thank you for sticking with me! I sure did miss this space, and I am so glad to return! Now that I am back, what would you like to see more of? Let me know below!