Hello long lost readers!! If you are a follower of mine you may have noticed a brief absence on my part….6 months, but who’s got time to count? Time flies when you’re pregnant, moving houses, having baby from said pregnancy, and COVID all hit. Why, hello 2020!
Sooooo….where to begin?? We have a beautiful new baby girl. Rose Ellen Ehret entered the world on June 22nd at 1:15am. It was a long 41 week pregnancy and I actually went into labor the night before I was scheduled to be induced. Relieved would be the most accurate word. Relieved that I was no longer pregnant (Lyla was born at 37 weeks….so 41 was a long time, y’all!) Relieved that I didn’t have to be induced. Relieved that Rose was healthy and finally here! Relieved that it was a quick 4 hour labor. Relieved that I didn’t have that child in our car as my contractions went from 5 minutes apart to 1 minute apart during our 20 minute commute.
I will say it was odd having a baby during the pandemic. Not bad, just different. No baby showers or sprinkles leading up to the big day. No visitors or even flowers were allowed at the hospital. I had to have a COVID test done two days before my scheduled induction. Masks everywhere obviously….this was especially fun while I was contracting in the small cubby during check-in at the hospital (yes, I pre-registered but the admin apparently enjoy hanging out with women in active labor). Tim was allowed to be with me and could actually leave the hospital and come back which was a huge relief as cafeteria food loses its appeal after meal one.
All in all, it was a quiet and uneventful two day stay. I wish our family (especially Lyla) could have visited, but it was nice to have time with our new girl one on one as well. It also made the coming home that much more fun. We did a modified quarantine with only grandparents being allowed to see her for the first two weeks.
Speaking of quarantine, we had just moved into our new house when the shut-down happened. Thank goodness! We went from our 2 bedroom 1100 sq ft townhome in which we were busting at the seams, to a much more accommodating 4 bedroom free standing home with a yard. Lyla and I actively went nowhere for about 7 weeks. I can say with honesty I would’ve burnt that townhouse to the ground had I been trapped there day and night with no socialization (aside from Tim in the evenings and an almost three year old). You can imagine the day-time conversations were less than mindbending. The new house was a perfect distraction from the isolation. Plus, Lyla finally had a yard….and a swing-set to boot! This was a Godsend as all local parks had been shut down and communal swings burned at the town square.
Luckily, I am a homebody by nature. I didn’t mind being stuck in the house. The hardest thing was being away from friends and family. Being pregnant made the friend part a bit easier as it’s not like I would’ve been participating in boozy brunches or girls’ nights. But, staying away from my mom and aunt who are my main social lifelines during the week as well as our only source of child care was what almost broke me. Parenting is hard. You take away play-dates, her two day a week Mother’s Day Out program (which she loves!), and sleepovers at Granny’s house, and you start to feel like a mom is all you are and all you’re ever going to be. It takes a village….and my village was stuck at arm’s length….or 6′ to be precise. We distanced as long as we could. It was the best reunion ever and I feel so strongly for the elderly and others who are still in confinement. Mental health starts to waiver and I wonder if it doesn’t affect us on a physical level as well after a while.
Fast forward to today. Rose is almost 6 weeks old and we are adjusting surprisingly well since becoming a family of four. Lyla’s first few weeks are just a blur. With the second baby I feel that you’ve already been stripped of your freedom, so there’s no adjustment there. Plus, you know what to expect and have more confidence. Sleep deprivation still sucks, but unlike with the first where you feel that you’ll never sleep again, I know that each phase is temporary. Perspective helps a ton as I’ve realized how quickly they change and grow. I know I’ll get to sleep through the night again some day so I’m enjoying the late night online shopping sessions in the mean time.
Work wise, I have given up the online part time job that I’ve held for the last five years. It was time. It was a great way to bring in a little extra income, but it was unfulfilling with no advancement opportunities and I am now a mom of two with very little time for much else. We knew I wouldn’t have the 20 hours a week to commit and it would just become a stress point.
While being a SAHM is very important to me while the girls are young, I have to honestly say it doesn’t fulfill me completely. I have to have something else….which is one reason I decided to start this blog in the first place. I can’t make any promises to be as active on here as I would like to be, but I do plan to stretch my writing legs when I’m able. Every day is different and routine will come eventually, but for now I’m in survival mode and making it as enjoyable and stress-free as possible.
I have also made the decision to be a Wellness Advocate for doTERRA. Y’all know I’ve been using these oils for several years now and I just got to the point where it was on my heart to share them. Plus, my mom and Tim are probably so sick of hearing me talk about these oils that for the sake of my relationships, it’s time that I expand my audience. I plan on producing quite a bit of content to help you learn how to integrate these amazing essential oils into your wellness routine and household. I truly can’t imagine not having them at my disposal and believe everyone interested in being proactive with their and their family’s health should have them. I am more than happy to help you get started when you’re ready!
Anyone who has taken the time to play catch-up with me, I’m truly grateful for! I hope that you are doing well and look forward to jumping back on this healthy lifestyle bandwagon with you xoxo
