7 Quick Takes 70: Coffee, baby snuggles, and sweet sleep
The last time I sat down to write a Seven Quick Takes was before Maeve was born . . . and now she’s five weeks old! Time flies when all of your days blend together into one day full of baby snuggles, feedings, and diaper changes. One of these days I’ll share her birth story, which was beautiful.
We’re in for a quiet weekend of rest after both Joseph and I started work back up this week. But before we settle into a chair out on the porch, here’s a look back at the past few weeks at the Langr casa:
1. Sound sleeper
Maeve is five weeks old this week and so far her favorite things to do are eat, snuggle, and . . . sleep almost through the night. Yep, I didn’t believe it either. For the past two nights, she’s slept soundly in her crib from 10:30pm to 5:00am.
The first night she slept that long, I anxiously googled “Healthy sleep times for a five week old baby,” sure that something was wrong. We had a doctor checkup with our family doctor yesterday and he was happy with her weight and just as excited as I was about her sleep times.
Granted, that means tonight she’ll wake up in two hour increments to throw us off, but that’s okay. This mom is excited to have two whole full nights of rest.
p.s. This three month old’s guide to sleep training their parents cracked me up. It’s a little too relateable.
2. Hello, coffee, my old friend
When I was pregnant with Maeve, coffee and I didn’t get along very well. Despite the fact that I’d drank coffee since I was ten years old, I almost walked away from it completely. In the last trimester I picked up cold coffee again, but hot coffee was still not on my radar.
Lo and behold, as soon as we came home from the hospital with Maeve, I was ready to give hot coffee a try again. In fact, I was craving it. I cautiously made a cup and it was wonderful. I have now mastered the art of the one handed pour-over brewing method, and am back to enjoying my morning cup of coffee (or two. . . or three).
Of course we’re introducing Maeve into the coffee world. In the first weeks of life, she made frequent appearances at Dunkin’ Donuts. No exaggeration, at least two to three times a week. Here’s a picture of her hanging out at Dunkin’:
3. Surrounded by laundry
As someone who despises laundry, I grossly underestimated how much laundry would come with a little baby. Turns out is is a lot. Not only does Maeve burn through clothes like no tomorrow, she also dirties mine along the way. We’re going to need some more stain remover soon.
On Monday, Maeve and I knocked out a full hamper full of dirty laundry. Well, Maeve didn’t fold her share, but we’ll get there one day.
4. Listening to all the podcasts
Joseph and I spent quite a bit of our paternity/maternity leave catching up on podcasts and discovering new ones. If you’re on the road this weekend for Father’s Day (or are just a podcast junkie like I am), here are some of the new listens we’ve been listening to lately:
“Dr. Death” - Up to this point, I’ve avoided medical podcasts because I end up shaky at the mention of all the bloody details. However, Joseph and I started listening to this podcast on a road trip last weekend. We both ended up shaky after the first episode, but kept coming back to the podcast because it is INSANE. Check it out - it’s worth the queasiness.
“Business Wars” - A podcast about two businesses hashing it out for the top place, this one is fascinating. Joseph and I are listening to the Anheuser-Busch vs Miller series and highly recommend it.
“Thoughts I Should Keep to Myself” - I met Katherine in Kansas City and have followed her on social media, and I’m loving the conversations she’s having on her new podcast. She’s starting great conversations, and one of my favorite aspects about the podcast is how authentic Katherine is as an interviewer.
“Coffee and Crumbs” - New seasons of life mean new seasons of podcasts, right? I’ve spent quite a bit of time listening to Coffee and Crumbs and diving into all things motherhood. If you’re raising littles, this is a beautiful mom-to-mom show that I’ve enjoyed lately.
5. This stroller was made for walkin’
Maeve and I broke in her stroller this week while on a walk with a friend. We hit some paved trails close to our house and ended up walking almost four miles. Because of all the rain we’ve had lately, there were some muddy spots along the way.
Maeve’s stroller isn’t really an off-roading vehicle. But we enjoyed our long walk (Maeve slept almost the entire time) and made it back to the car just in time for it to start raining again. Needless to say, we’ll be putting some miles on that stroller this summer!
6. Maeve may pass us up
Maeve had her one month old checkup and is growing, growing, growing! She’s gained almost three pounds in the first five weeks of her life. But what really surprised me was her height! She’s now measuring in the 96th percentile, which isn’t too shabby for someone whose parents are on the short side.
7. One day left to enter the giveaway!
If you follow me on Instagram, you may have seen that I’m giving away a copy of “The Catholic Working Mom’s Guide to Life” by JoAnna Wahlund. It’s the first book I’ve had the pleasure to officially endorse, and it’s been a beautiful resource to have during this first week back at work.
Want to give it a read? You still have time to enter - the giveaway ends tonight at 6pm central. Head over to Instagram to check it out!