Melificent

Life with Luna: 6 Weeks

6wks

Oh, this perfect little creature only gets better. Although we are struggling with constipation still and all the joys that come along with it (mainly hysterical screaming for hours), Luna is starting to become more aware of her surroundings. What does that mean? A whole lot of social smiling, silly expressions (I love her one eyebrow raise), and cooing. She’s awake a whole lot more during the day, which means I actually get to play with her instead of just stare at her sleeping. It’s pretty magical.

She still hates tummy time, but is ridiculously good at rolling over – as in, she does it over and over again anytime I put her in the activity gym. She’s now fitting into most 0-3M clothing, but her feet are so big, sometimes they don’t fit into the footsie pajamas (like father, like daughter). She is starting to snuggle after feedings, and whether it is involuntary or not, I love that she strokes my shoulder and back. It’s kind of the sweetest thing ever. 🙂

With the holidays upon us, I am so excited to start new traditions with Luna and incorporate her into old ones. Not being one for the holiday spirit, I’m thinking the tables may turn now that she is in the picture. What are your favorite holiday traditions with your fam?

ps; I realize this isn’t the cutest shot of the little moon, but I absolutely love it because she is making the same exact face I did in one of my own baby pictures! I gotta take what I can get since she looks just like her daddy! 😉

Life With Luna: 1 Week

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It’s pretty hard to wrap my head around the fact that it’s been a week since I gave birth to my little girl (at the time of this post). It seems like only yesterday that I was in that hospital bed wondering what you would look like and if you would be healthy and strong. You have defied all odds since. An amazing eater, a peaceful sleeper, an all around incredible baby. I find myself just staring at you as you sleep, and thinking how I could have possibly gotten so lucky to have such a magical little being in my life that I get to call my own.

Every day I worry: I put you in warm clothes, wrap you in 2 blankets, and always make sure you are wearing a hat to maintain your body temperature so that you don’t expend all your calories trying to keep warm. I can’t sleep when you sleep because I always have to have an eye on you (whether it be myself or Daddy). You smile from gas, but we like to think it is genuine. You love it when we laugh, hold you close and play you music.

I’d like to join the masses and say this transition has been super difficult and that we are in “baby boot camp,” but honestly, I thought it would be worse. I am happy to stay up and be sleep deprived if it means I get to look at your face. You have brought your Dad and I even closer after last year’s struggles. I value family more. All in all, you are the best thing I have ever done.

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Do you want your own Luna Cat pillow (or any other fandom plushness for that matter)? Check out The Geeky Giraffe on Etsy and make sure to use my coupon code for 15% off: Meli15

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I am a Geekie Award Winner

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As if the week of Luna’s birth wasn’t eventful, emotional and full of so much happiness and love on its own, I woke up all bleary-eyed for one of those early morning feedings in the hospital to find my phone being blown up by Twitter notifications. As I picked it up in the darkness, I could barely believe what I was reading. I had won a Geekie Award!!!!!

After working so hard to make this blog something special and unique during a time where everyone and their mother has one, there were no words to express how I felt to see it being recognized. I am so floored and humbled by everyone that voted for me and helped me win. I am constantly thinking of ways to make my blog interesting – not only in terms of fashion and beauty – but also by injecting a slice of humanity and reality into {almost} every post.

My number one goal is always to be real and I hope I am accomplishing that. I was worried about keeping up with posts and bringing quality content once Luna was born, but now I realize that this is not just a hobby for me. It is a passion, and you will always find time for your passions.

Thanks again for all the support because most of the time, it is my driving force. I love sharing things with you all, and by doing so, hope to help – whether it be minimally or more profound. So thank you for letting me into your lives.

You can see my silly little speech here & a list of all the winners here.

Luna’s Birth Story

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Luna and I are safely back at home now, while we continue to transition into parenthood and attempting to get a little routine going. I wanted to make sure I shared my birth story on the blog before the details got hazy (truth: they already are) because I really enjoyed reading other bloggers’ recaps. A lot of the time, people won’t share the nitty gritty of their labor experience, but I think it’s important to be truthful. It helped me anticipate and prepare for what that day would possibly bring in store for me and I’m glad it did.

At about 36 weeks, Luna was diagnosed as being IUGR (Intra-Uterine Growth Restriction). Basically, that means your baby is not growing as they should be. Case in point, she was measuring 33 weeks at 36. I was immediately ordered to get ultrasounds done twice a week leading up to the end of my pregnancy. It was then that they discovered that she was in the 4th percentile in terms of weight. I was terrified. I looked up IUGR online (bad idea) and terrible scenarios like stillborns and emergency c-sections were immediately thrown in my face. Because of this diagnosis, my doctor believed it was best to induce me at 38 weeks so that we could be in control of her growth and nourishment rather than my body. Cue: anxiety.

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Things I Want Myself to Remember…

As I near the moment when I will be made responsible for another person’s life (I’m being induced today!), I have been putting a lot of thought into the kind of parent I want to be. What values I want to instill in my child – the kind of child I want to raise. I know a lot of people will be weighing in on what we should or should not do, so I want to jot down these reminders that I have learned (some the hard way, others not) as I grow older (but none the wiser, it seems).

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This has been resonating very strong with me lately. I’ve had some experiences this year that have exposed me to the power of “hive mind” and “groupthink,” and its ability to make you feel guilty or shunned. Never lose yourself and don’t be afraid to make the right decisions for YOU. Now, I saw this on a professional level, but I will definitely be applying it to my new family. I know many people will have opinions, but the only one I’m going to take into account is my own and my husband’s because ultimately, we will know what is best for our little party of 3. But, again, this applies to all areas of life. Don’t let yourself be roped into making a decision (or not) because you don’t want to let people down or feel like you would be mocked, ignored or ostracized. No one is living your life but YOU and you only have one, last time I checked. Be selfish.

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