Is Skye giving me a side-eye? Probably, but eventually she will just understand that our family takes 5000 pictures a day and she’ll get used to it! I asked Andrew to share a few thoughts today on life with a newborn from his perspective! Enjoy:)
Hi everyone!!! Andrew here, Sooooo, before I tell you my perspective on having a newborn, I thought I would show you a few pictures. Pictures equal a thousand words right? And trust me, you don’t want to read that much from me. Let’s be real, you and I would both fall asleep. Skye is even yawning already…
This picture doesn’t need an intro other than I think it was taken sometime before 10 am. How can I tell… Brooke is still in pjs and I’m passed out on the couch. I have turned narcoleptic.
This was a battle where I clearly lost. Janae and I switch off getting this girl to sleep at night, so we can at least get a few consecutive hours of sleep. I didn’t think I was doing too bad until I read one of the comments on the blog where one of the readers asked, “Why does Andrew look so much more tired than you Janae?” I mean c’mon I don’t think I look too bad in pictures and then I see this, enough said:
I legitimately don’t know how this happened. My mind was definitely foggy this morning and I don’t think I realized that the shoes didn’t match until after I realized that I needed socks first before I put them on. The best part about this is Janae and I have almost the same size feet so it makes it a little easier to make this mistake.
I made it outside yesterday in my tshirt and shorts for a run… It was beautiful! I’m surprised I didn’t trip and fall into the river from being so tired.
Sometimes… you/we/everyone just don’t have the words… Everyone just needs a good cry.
And just like that… We have turned into a family of 6 (of course the dog counts). Janae and the hospital administrators might have frowned over my idea of bringing our “highly” energetic lab into the hospital.
Janae and I didn’t even know each other 2 years ago. I can’t believe how much we have grown!!!
She is a cutie….
There are no words that describe the emotion of having a baby. I joke and I laugh and repeat about 20 more times about life as a new parent, but in all seriousness I sobbed like a baby when Skye came to join our family. We already love this little girl and I couldn’t find a picture that described it more than this. I love this woman and so stoked to add to our family.
I couldn’t ask for a better teammate in life. I don’t know why she chose me, but I’m grateful EVERY DAY.
Alright, alright, alright…. getting too sappy on the internet :) So I like to think in lists sometimes and I think many of the posts I have written on this blog have included one, so here is another one!
15 Reasons You Know You Are A New Parent
1- It looks like Babies R Us threw up all over your house. There is baby stuff everywhere you look! Also, we thought we were prepared before having Skye with everything we needed and the night we got home from the hospital I had to do a midnight run to Target for some essentials.
2- Things that were instinctive before the baby came, now take almost every functioning brain cell that is available…. like choosing a matching pair of shoes (see above) or picking out a reasonable outfit.
3- Narcolepsy is a REAL thing. I don’t think Janae has made it through the opening credits of any show/movie we have started once since Skye was born.
4- You somehow forget how many kids you have and start using your fingers to count.
5- You learn how to do everything one handed because the baby is in the other hand… tying shoes, cooking a meal, opening a candy bar and pretty much everything else.
6- Calling the new baby, or I guess anyone in the near vicinity, the wrong name. I’m looking at you Janae (Thank you to Janae’s mom for reminding her what she named the baby).
7- I relapsed on my diet coke addiction—> caffeine (Janae hasn’t…. don’t know how she is doing this).
8- When you are swaying back and forth and/or pacing and you aren’t even holding the baby anymore.
9- You experience real life versions of tetris—> fitting 2 boosters and carseat in our car. It requires too much energy, measuring and FAR too many swearwords
10- You consider four hours of sleep as a really “good” night’s rest.
11- There is enough sanitizer in your house to completely sterilize the whole neighborhood.
12- Laundry has gotten so bad that you have lowered your standards of how many stains are acceptable to wear out in public before you really have to wash it.
13- You find yourself in the newborn section of every store you go to and you don’t know how you got there and of course walk out with something new for the baby, that you don’t really need.
14- Every baby cry is like a game of charades and you have no idea what to do or say to make it stop.
15- Despite all the craziness and loss of sleep, you definitely wouldn’t change it for anything! Skye has all of our hearts.
Here are a few more pictures from our last couple of days!!
Brookie LOVES her role as a new big sister. We were very curious how it was going to be for both of our kids and they have completely fallen in love with their baby sister.
I literally think we try to steal the baby from each other to hold her….
Cafe Rio has never tasted so good! We have some great friends/family/neighbors who have brought us meals and taken good care of us.
————————————————————————
Do you ever run with gum in your mouth?
-This is a random question I have been meaning to ask. During my IM training I would suck on candy and sometimes I run with gum but I feel like it changes my breathing up a bit.
Anything you would add to my list list, How You Know You Are A New Parent?
Do you drink caffeine? If so, what’s your go to?
What is the strangest/funniest thing you have done with too little of sleep?
108 comments
Rk
My coach (swim coach, but she still made us run all the time!) once told me that chewing gum while running helps regulate your breathing, reducing the likelihood of side stitches! I have found this to be true for me!
Erinn
Love this perspective from Andrew – seriously that was the sweetest thing ever. I laughed out loud at the New Parent list ;)
I’ve run with gum in my mouth before, but usually it makes my mouth really dry. So that’s no bueno for me.
I drink 1 glass of iced coffee every morning (has to be dark roast) with a splash of milk. That’s it!
P.S. The dog definitely counts!
Elizabeth
New parent exhaustion is real! I remember a week or so after my second son was born, I decided to get out of the house and get a facial. I fell asleep during the facial and bc the aesthetician didn’t have an appointment after mine, she let me sleep for an entire 2 hours. It was glorious. She said she didn’t have the heart to wake me up.
Take care of yourselves. You are doing an amazing job.
Andrew
This is AWESOME!!! I hope she checked your pulse to make sure you were still alive hahahah.. I can see Janae doing this!
Olviya
Best aesthetician ever! That sounds glorious!!
Kathy
This post is wonderful. So cute and whimsical….love the picture of Skye sleeping on you Andrew.
kimberly
i love this!! there’s not much sweeter than seeing a daddy’s excitement for a new bebe and his love for that bebes momma!! i fell in love with my husband all over again with each baby! :) i so remember the baby stuff explosion the first few weeks. i HATE messes so it was very difficult but of course it eventually gets back to (a new) normal. i love how much y’all are holding skye. our youngest little boy was in the nicu because his lungs needed some help and when we brought him home, my husband and i took shifts every night for about 6 weeks holding him in a glider/recliner while he slept in our arms. we just had this unspoken fear of putting him down because after seeing him struggle to breathe, we were so scared he would stop breathing if we weren’t watching him constantly. ahhh! and contrary to what everyone thinks, holding them does NOT spoil them!! he’s super independent now! :)
janae- HOWWWW are you not drinking caffeine?!?and andrew, no guilt allowed for needing diet coke. it’s just necessary. ;) i dont sell this so i feel like i can say this but i am addicted to this stuff that advocate makes called spark. i always say it’s like a cold shower for inside your body. it’s all natural and the fruit punch flavor is so yummy! we’ve tried to go without because it’s not cheap but it’s just 1000% necessary. ;)
sorry for the novel! bet you nodded off a few times!
Andrew
Thank you so much for commenting!!! I don’t know how Janae is doing it… Yeah my DC is my lifeline. Yeah Skye definitely likes to be held. It is a miracle that she sleeps anywhere without waking up instantly.
Amy
Sorry about the comment about you looking more tired than Janae! Take it as a compliment, please! It shows that you’re being a good dad/husband and letting Janae get some sleep. I think she’s right, the lashes and lip gloss go a long way. You could always try that ;0) Funniest thing I did with lack of sleep due to a new baby: It was the first night my oldest son slept in his own room. He was five weeks old. I woke in the middle of the night and saw the empty co-sleeper next to me and started freaking out. Where did the baby go? In a panic, I started checking the POCKETS of the co-sleeper. The pockets are big enough to hold a couple of diapers. He was a 9 lb 12 ounce baby at birth.
Andrew
Oh Amy…. don’t even worry. I laughed it up when I saw it. You didn’t hurt my feelings!!! My wife is a rock star so of course she is stunning. You also gave me some content to write about :) Have a fantastic day!!
Rhiannon
I used to chew gum all the time on runs! Now I only do it on longer runs – not sure why, I guess it makes me feel less thirsty?
I do not drink pop at all, and haven’t for years, but I am a big fan of coffee… probably too much. But I try to limit myself to two cups in the morning. Sometimes I have iced or hot tea if I want something other than water. I can’t get by without caffeine though.
Skye is SO cute, and I am loving seeing this insight into your adorable little family!
Andrew
I love that you just called it POP…. A LOT of people say that its weird we call it pop. Thanks for saying hi!!
Mel_OutRunCF
So nice to hear from you Andrew. You guys are so awesome, the kids are so lucky to have you ;-) I used to call my little guy “the rock star” because he would sleep all day and party all night for the entire first year of his life. Hours of pleasure haha Caffeine pretty much got me through the days (I couldn’t breastfeed because of medical issues so I wasn’t feeling guilty about all the coffee!). I remember misplacing stuff a lot during that first year, i.e. putting the milk in a cupboard ;-) But it does get better!
AmandaM
That is so funny about your gum question… I hadn’t thought about this in over 20 years. Ha. I only ran one season of high school indoor track (sophomore year 1994). And I ran every MEET (and I ran the 600 so basically trying to sprint) with gum. My coach was so perplexed. He thought I’d run faster if I weren’t chewing gum but I managed okay. I don’t even know why I started running with it! Since then I have never run with gum :)
Great post! Thanks for sharing.
Andrew
Seriously… there are TONS of people that chew it!! I thought I was weird because I did it.
Natalie
This is so sweet!
I’m not much of a gum chewer. I remember once running with gum years ago and regretted it. And I don’t like caffeine, so my go-to drink is Capri Sun (yes, I’m an adult). :)
Andrew
Nothing wrong with a Capri Sun…. I still crave those sugary drinks that come in those clear barrels… I’m an adult too but Janae counts me as one of her kids. :)
Rachel
I totally relate to the swaying when you are not holding a baby, mine are 8 and 5 and I still do it on occasion.
Elizabeth at Reserved for Running
Loved this post! After I had our second baby, I was so exhausted caring for a newborn and toddler that I was seriously sleep deprived. I took the baby to his first doctor’s appointment wearing my husband’s shirt inside out AND backwards. Tag and all just hanging out in the front. I did not notice until I got home and walked past a mirror. No one said anything to me. They totally got it!
You will sleep again……someday. :)
Chelsea @ Just Me Chelsea B
I totally laughed out loud at that list!! You guys are awesome and doing an amazing job!!! What a sweet story that you guys went from total strangers 2 years ago to a family of 6! Love it!!!
Jackie
I start out almost every run with gum in my mouth and spit it out after two miles or so. I am always surprise if I get home with gum in my mouth.
We drink one double shot of espresso in the morning. We used to have two but my husband started getting migraines any time he traveled because lack of caffeine so we had to cut back. Yesterday I had a latte at a breakfast meeting but that is unusual.
My kids were adopted when they were older so we missed the tiny baby stage but I traveled overseas for my last job had had jetlag about two weeks a month. The first thing that my coworkers and I noticed when we were sleep deprived was the inability to do simple math. It is 9:00 and lunch is at 1:00? Gosh, that is only 2 hours from now!
Andrew
Okay I have this dilemma a lot. I usually come home with the gum because where I run there are no garbages. I can’t swallow it because I still feel like i have a big ball of gum in my stomach when I was a kid and I can’t spit it out on the ground….for so many different reasons.
Katie
This post is so sweet! I love hearing your prospective Andrew! My twin boys just turned one this week- it goes too fast! Those first few months of newborn cuddles are the sweetest but the exhaustion level is crazy! I was so stressed in the beginning because they were my first and we brougt them home at 4.5 pounds so every little thing worried me!! Are they warm enough/gaining weight/sleeping etc? I don’t think I slept four consecutive hours till they were almost 4 months! I want another baby already just to be able to enjoy everything more! Your list is spot on! Especially, how you end up in the baby section of every store! I still can’t seem to leave a store without checking the baby section!! Haha
Andrew
TWINS??? I was kinda hoping for twins, but now I know that it would of killed me hahahaha. You are awesome, 4.5 pounds???? that is tiny!
Kelly
Andrew, you are an amazing special guest blogger! I can hear my own husband reading aloud from your list and it makes me laugh so hard!
I am so happy you mentioned forgetting your baby’s name (even if Janae was the culprit). For a few weeks after my (now 20 month old) daughter was born, I had to pause to remember her name; instinctively I wanted to call her by my niece’s name because my niece was the last baby I had held so many years ago! Thanks, Janae – glad it wasn’t just me!
You’re both doing so great and us readers love sharing in your special moments, laughs, and stories :)
Andrew
You are so sweet! Thank you!!!!
Alyssa
I have a 9 month old. For me the sleep deprivation’s biggest funny thing was my habit of putting things in strange places. So I’d make a cup of tea or decaf coffee but then put it in the cabinet or the fridge and have to hunt for it 5 minutes later when I would tend to the baby and not find it on the counter where it should be! Or take the kitchen scissors or a plate and put them in the laundry bin on the stairs, because I set them down to tend to the baby. We found a lot of weird stuff in a lot of places months later…
Alyssa
And my hubby and I met in 2014, started dating in Feb 2015, and our son was born in March 2017… not quite as short of a time frame, but also a mad dash through life goals in two years!
Andrew
Now this sounds like a fun game. hahaha
Jenny | Running On Life
One time my mom wore two different she’s for the whole day. It took her until we were visiting with my grandpa in the afternoon to notice lol. To be fair, I was the new mom and too tired to notice and tell her.
Victoria
Andrew, have you tried run gum? Caffeine AND gum made for chewing while running and biking. It has saved several of my races.
Andrew
You know what I haven’t!!! That sounds like something I REALLY need to try.
Victoria
Yes, it’s awesome! Great for super-early morning runs when you need a kick in the butt to get out. And also for a mid-race jolt when you are losing focus. I like the fruit flavor the best.
Erica
Thanks Andrew for the post.
I have a huge soft spot for Dad/Daughter relationships.
Gum running, yes……..helps me with any acid that seems to get sloshed around.
Andrew
What kind of gum??? I grew up with mainly brothers (4), my sister is 10 years older than me, so its been a different experience for sure :)
Cathy
Aww, I love this post! So impressed that you are able to keep up with running Andrew!
I am not coordinated enough to run with gum…probably would result in some sort of mishap!
Caffeine – yes, but only after my a.m. work outs /runs. Coffee in the morning, occasional diet coke (trying to cut back on the DC) in the afternoon/evening.
Once I was working a ton of overtime, and my boss had to send me home because I was talking nonsense. Now that I look back, why did he let me drive???!
Andrew
I honestly don’t know how I’m still running. I’m planning on doing a marathon with Janae next year so Its gonna take some dedication and training to do that.
Literally I have fallen asleep walking to my room when I was a teenager. My cousin watched it happen and my dad came out at 3 am to tell me I couldn’t sleep in the hallway and I needed to go to bed. I don’t remember falling asleep … and how I got to the hallway.
Sara
I use gum to pace slowly on my easy runs. If I can chew gum with my mouth closed, I’m going easy enough :)
Betsy
My babies are 14 and 12 now but when I had a 2 year old and a new newborn my 2 year old had an inner ear infection. I was already sleep deprived from caring for a newborn (breastfeeding, supplementing with a bottle & pumping ALL AT NIGHT). I was so exhausted I didn’t notice the classic symptoms of an ear infection until 10 PM!! That was a horrendous night. I think I cried right along with them and I didn’t have the heart to wake my husband to help me. I was up literally the whole night. Bright and early the next morning I called my dad who came down and stayed with my newborn and I took my toddler to the doctor. When the doctor said he’ll prescribe amoxicillin I said, “Do I put that in the ear???” I instantly realized what I just said and how crazy that sounded and then explained with tears in my eyes that I hadn’t slept all night.
Alyssa
I don’t like running with gum. I don’t love tasting something too strong as I’m running but I love really minty gum otherwise. Sooo no gum for me. Even though I definitely use shot blocks, the hard thing for me is how strong the flavor is in a moment where flavors are blah to me.
I don’t drink caffeine very often. Maybe 1-2 times a month at most. But I either do DC or DDP.
Lisa
I always run with gum in my mouth and I can’t stand when I forget it! The scariest thing I did when sleep deprived was drive us my youngest 1 week check up and really felt like I had no idea how I had gotten there. I have definitely become a coffee person, my youngest is not the greatest sleeper and I’ve become more of a caffeine person than ever before.
Jordyn
I have a 4 month old (will be 5 months on the 26th already) :'( and she just is getting past a bad sleep regression. One night around 2am, after about a week of only 2-3 hours of sleep per night, I woke up holding my Yorkie in a cradle position trying to rock him back to sleep…….my husband couldn’t get back to sleep after he saw that because he was laughing so hard lol
michelle
This is hilarious!! Congrats on your little one (and, well your lucky Yorkie)
Jordyn Hilger
Haha thank you! Yes, he was loving every moment. “Mom loves me again!!” Lol
Andrew
OKAY…. I died laughing reading this!!! Literally the best story!!!
Jordyn Hilger
Haha yeah….sleep deprivation is real. And so is Mom brain
Michele at Everyday Snapshot
Great post. very sweet words about Janae and your family and the new little addition. Great (very true) list. I can’t run with gum. I like that it helps with thirst/dry mouth, but it just seems off to me. And I’ve bitten my cheek which is not fun. When I’m sleep deprived, I tend to put things in the wrong place…such as, left over cheese & broccoli soup went in the cupboard and another empty container went in the fridge. I thought it was odd the next day finding an empty container in there. But didn’t realize or find that cheese soup for a few weeks. And it had “green fuzz” seeping out the cracks of the lid. GROSS. Strange things are found in strange places when I get too tired. I also get the brain fog where you can’t think of the simplest word. Such as I say “You remember that thing that I got that is supposed to do that, um, you know, anyway do you know where it’s at?” My husband clearly has a look that says there is no way out of this at all. GOOD LUCK TO YOU ALL. haha Skye is the cutest little peanut ever.
Andrew
HAHAHA this is awesome. Yeah this happened the other day. We had some VERY important mail and I told Janae not to touch it because I knew how tired she was. I came back and couldn’t find the mail and found it in the garbage….. Lack of sleep hurts
alisha
Andrew!!! You made me cry with the comments on how much you love Janae and what a great partner she is, then you had me laughing in your list! Awesome post!! Yall are doing great!
Andrew
Thank you!!! I have a sensitive side in me :) I married up… that is the key though.
alisha
Oh you are awesome for responding! Made my day! Bless yall!
Corey
Love this post! Great job, Daddio Andrew! Number 8 — I think I swayed until my youngest kid was 4. And, of course, number 15 :)
I used to always run with gum in my mouth to avoid dry mouth. When I switched to doing more gym workouts, I was afraid I’d choke on it & stopped.
I drink decaf coffee with a bit of hazelnut caffeinated added to it; had to switch to that because the rebound from caffeine-to-crash was too real.
Definitely did the mismatched shoes (more than once). One time I was so tired I called *myself* by the wrong name.
Enjoy that sweet family!
Andrew
hahaha…. this is GREAT!!! I haven’t called myself a different name but I’m sure that is going to happen soon.
Marie
Loved this so much; made me laugh so hard! It wasn’t funny then, but we were so tired that my husband and I, on two different occasions SEPARATELY, went to Target to get detergent and then proceeded to leave it in the cart and take off. No gum here during workouts, I would probably choke on it. Definitely coffee for caffeine. :) I feel your pain with the car and tetris. We had two Honda Accords at the time and couldn’t yet afford a larger car.
Andrew
Literally this made me laugh out loud. Talk about pain…… Did you both drive back to get more???
Marie
Haha, glad I could make you laugh. I can’t even remember who went back, but probably my husband. Like you guys, we took the dr’s suggestions and didn’t take the babies out for the first few months, aside from their appts. They were concerned about RSV, etc., as they were preemies and only 4.5 lbs at birth. Our twins wouldn’t sleep unless they were held, just like Skye. When my husband went back to work after a month, I held one in a carrier on my chest, and held the other with my free arms. Have a great day Andrew and thanks for replying!
Liz Reid
Hahahaha! Loved the list! And it’s all so true! I’d add that having conversations is difficult because it takes new parents twice as long to compute what others are saying, they’re so tired.
I used to run with gum in my mouth. Then I realized it was too hard for me to chew and run at the same time. For real.
Andrew
Literally this happened the other day. We were trying to talk at night and have a conversation and seriously we couldn’t get what we wanted out and the other one couldn’t understand. So we just gave up hahahaha…. Sleep deprivation really racks your brain.
Hollie
Ha this is too funny! I wear a women’s size 10-11 and I’m only about a size shorter than my husband. I’ve worn his shoes before and not even realized it because sometimes I buy mens as well and we happen to both like the same ones LOL.
snowecho
hello Andrew! nice to hear your perspective
Do you ever run with gum in your mouth?
no not ever – ! yes i would probably guess this changes your breathing
Anything you would add to my list list, How You Know You Are A New Parent?
there’s nothing to add, you definitely covered it all !
Do you drink caffeine? If so, what’s your go to?
coffee, but i can’t do much coffee for long, so i switch to tea mid morning thru the afternoon and it’s really relaxing. in the winter i need a hot beverage!
What is the strangest/funniest thing you have done with too little of sleep?
it’s probably all the talking i do in my sleep – it freaks everyone out –
Andrew
Thanks for commenting!!!!
Blair
Love the list. I will say having kids close together has its perks, you’re used to the sleep deprivation so it isn’t as debilitating after the 2nd and 3rd :) Its only been 6 years since I’ve slept longer than 4 hours.
I tend to chew gum to the beat of my feet when I am running, just like I count everything … weird yes do I like it yes. My husband wears a size 14 to my size 8 so I’d really have to be deprived to mistake our shoes, I may or maynot have gone to work a time or two in my slippers completely forgetting to change my shoes altogether though :)
Andrew
What kind of gum?? This is a bigger trend than I thought!!
jessey
I kind of shutter when I think of those early newborn days. Sleep deprivation is scary! Before my first was born I used to have nightmares about having to go to her room afraid I would fall down the stairs by mistake – so even when she was born I would walk through the bathroom that had an entrance in our room and also a door right by her door, so I wouldn’t have to go near the stairs.
And you guys so quickly had to go back to “life goes on” in terms of Andrew having to go to the hospital and bringing the kids to school. That must be what my mom was like – me and my brother are 5 years apart so he started K a few weeks after I was born.
We found that the sibling rivalry really started when #2 was about 8 months old and crawling around and getting into her stuff.
With #1 I would go back to sleep once my husband left to go to work and I felt like I was in more of a haze because I would fall back asleep her and would wake up to her crying. With #2, I would take a shower every morning (#1 was still in daycare so I did get time home alone with him) and I felt so much better.
I thought you guys don’t drink caffeine, or is it just coffee you don’t drink? I was introduced to coffee ice cream as a child and when I was in college i quickly learned that if I was to drink coffee to taste like coffee ice cream it would not be healthy at all, and I don’t really like hot drinks, so I am not a coffee person. I do like Coke (regular Coke, I can’t stand Diet) but that is a habit I really try not to stick to – when I do have 1 it is more of a treat with lunch occasionally, not as a pick-me-up.
Enjoy your first Christmas with Skye!
Andrew
No doubt sleep deprivation is scary! The other night I fell asleep studying medications for a big test I have coming up and I woke up to me trying to explain them to Janae and Skye.
We drink caffeine, but try not to do tooo much. We don’t drink coffee, alcohol or some teas, but yeah there are times when caffeine is the only thing going to get me through the day.
Thanks for commenting!!!!!
Kaci
Aw this post is so sweet! And funny. And true. Especially the Babies R Us explosion.
I have a 6 week old. Last week I texted my friend and asked her to pick up me a coffee from The Blug instead of The Blue Mug. I knew it looked funny but it took me about five minutes to figure out why.
And yes, I drink all the coffee. Okay, actually a max of two cups a day and that’s only once in awhile. I’m so impressed with Janae going without caffeine!
~R
Andrew’s #9 – so true. I actually don’t let my husband help move/buckle the carseat anymore – too many swear words, too much anger.
The funniest (now) thing that I did sleep deprived after having a baby was nurse the bottomless, never sleeping , always crying child, then rush to the grocery store so I could be back in an hour to feed him again. I always park in the back of the lot and halfway up to the store I thought “Wow, it is colder than expected” (March in Colorado). Then I happened to look down and saw that my shirt was still unbuttoned all the way to my waist…um, yeah, needed some more sleep.
Andrew
Okayyyyy…. I literally laughed out loud when I read this. These stories all rock. I think we need to post where people share there stories about this. Good times!!!
Kristie
Janae and Andrew – Congrats on the new baby. Here is a link about how to calm a crying baby – just in case you need it. If it really works, it should not only comfort the baby, but also help to calm tired parents.
https://www.today.com/parents/pediatrician-shows-how-calm-your-baby-seconds-hold-t59466
Andrew
I have totally tried this!!! Thanks for attaching the link, I need to watch it again to get the technique down. It makes me nervous holding her like this – but obviously there is a right way. You rock!!! Thanks again
Heather
Love this! Yes, I run with gum in my mouth if an afternoon run. Not enough time to get a piece when rushing out the door for an am run.
Question- which rocker/bassinet do you have? I love that one and the only few I’ve found I really don’t like. Thank you!
Andrew
Now the real question is, what kind of gum? I think this is it? https://www.amazon.com/Fisher-Price-Auto-Rock-Sleeper-Stone/dp/B00NEO5UTU/ref=sr_1_4_s_it?s=baby-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1513885620&sr=1-4&keywords=rock+and+play Janae can you double check that?
Heather
Stride, usually the Peppermint Cobalt flavor. I get the pack at Costco :) Thanks, that looks like the rock and play! I’ve seen so many that are bears or another animal flattened as the cushion and don’t feel like that would be very comfortable to sleep on. Congrats on the sweet baby!
Kayse
I have a seven month old and I totally understand all of it (except the multiple kid part, this is our first). We have Costco jugs of sanitizer, we argue over who gets to hold the baby more, I called him kevin the other day (not his name). Its all real and still amazing and wonderful. Congrats on your new bundle of cuteness.
Katie
I recently started running with gum and I love it, but also I feel like it might be a little dangerous haha.
Great post!!
Andrew
I agree! Dangerous!!!
michelle
Andrew, this post made me laugh so hard, probably because it’s so true. The fog of the newborn days is real! i’m glad you have a great sense of humor (one reason I can see why you and Janae get along so well) because as hard and messy as parenthood is, it lets you see the immense joy in it too. You guys are doing great; that pic of Skye on your chest says it all, tired yes, but you wouldn’t trade it for anything.
Kim
You know how, as a man, you win the hearts of every single HRG reader? You unashamedly gush about your family, your new baby, and your wife! Janae, I love your blog and have read for years now, but oh my gosh, this might seriously might be my most favorite blog post ever!
Andrew
Glad you loved the post!! No shame in gushing over here, I married way up and I think everyone that reads this blog knows it.
Hannah
OMG! I cried again when I saw the pic of Janae crying just after birth! Seriously you guys are the cutest couple ever!!! Blessings to you and the kids!
Katie
Thanks for sharing Andrew!! Such a great post! LOVE the sappy beginning and the funny ending :)
Christine
1. You know you’re a new parent when caffeine no longer works
2. You know you’re a new parent when you’ve forgotten the last time you showered/brushed your teeth/anything with hygeine
I have a 3 year old and 4.5 month old so some things are still fresh in my mind! But caffeine is working again and I’m able to keep up with my hygeine again! Ha! All things are temporary
Jordan
This is great!!! Also random question, is Andrew’s right big toe slightly cut off? If so, how did that happen? Or is it just the angle of the photo?
Andrew
I knew that I would have to talk about this sometime…. Well one time I was surfing in Hawaii and all of a sudden I felt a huge sting/burning feeling and I looked down and all I could see was a bunch of red and a fin…….. Now wouldn’t that be a cool story? haha Sorry…. its just the angle of the camera, But literally how cool would it be to say you had something like that happen right??? I hope you laughed…. have a great day Jordan!!
Andrew
Janae might kill me for that comment hahahahha… good thing I’m doing the comments today :)
Kirsten
I loved Andrew’s comments – especially #6 – that made me laugh out loud! Thanks for that!!!
Marissa @ Run Riss Run
Oh my gosh, my youngest is 10 and I still sway back and forth!! Janae, I totally get teary eyed when I see that pic with you and Skye! I love it :)
I almost always run with gum, especially when it’s hot outside. I feel like it keeps my mouth from feeling so dry.
I didn’t drink caffeine until I turned 30 ;) And now it’s all about coffee and Diet Dr Pepper! I blame teaching ;)
I have definitely made coffee (the pod) without having a coffee cup to catch the coffee when I was too tired.
Maureen
I love Andrew’s commentary! At least he didn’t leave the house with wrong shoes on, that’s a plus!
Laura
Haha, I remember after I had my first I wrote this blog post, “ways being a new parent is like camping”
-you never know when your next shower is going to be
-you never really get a good nights sleep
-and, your meals are all reheated!
My 3rd is 4 months now. Sending you (and me) good sleep vibes tonight!
Stacey
She is so cute! We are getting ready to welcome our first child and May so it is always good to read what is about to happen to your life.
xoxo
Stacey
@stylingsofstacey | http://staceylyynn.wixsite.com/stylingsofstacey
Nina
Don’t let Janae fool you, she is getting her caffeine through her hot cocoa. :)
I cannot run with candy in my mouth, I’d swallow it and start choking.
I love coffee but I can only have a cup or 2 per week. I generally stick with tea, which I also love. (and I have hot chocolate on occasion).
My dog is elderly and gets me up in the wee morning hours to go outside. There are days I’m trying to stick the milk in the closet and walking into the laundry room to get something from the fridge. (sleep deprived brains do crazy things). And I lose my train of thought as well as not being able to think of a word when I’m speaking. the struggle is real.
Suzy
Hi guys! Good post, Andrew! I always start with a piece of gum in my mouth when I run and then I have to spit it out when I start breathing harder; it distracts me. And I know all about sleep deprivation and the most recent thing that happened is I freaked out during a run because I saw a jellyfish in a puddle, but it was really a tissue that somebody had littered.
Sara
I’m grateful you guys can post these updates with humor – it makes a big difference for this mom-to-be. I’m expecting twins in the Spring and so I kind of laugh when parents talk about only having one arm/hand free. I’m going to have zero! But seriously, I love the perspective both of you bring to this – it takes the edge off some of the really foreboding ‘you will never sleep again’ advice I’ve been getting about my own pregnancy.
Caffeine: I love, love love a shot of straight-up espresso, or in the morning espresso + steamed milk (macchiato).
On too little sleep I’ve left my housekeys in the freezer, and then spent the next hour driving my husband crazy looking for them. No idea how they even got in there!
Rosie
I loved reading Andrew’s post-this was great. I don’t run with gum but just recently heard about something called run gum (has caffeine) that I may try on my long runs. As far as new parenthood goes, my days were almost 10yrs ago and its amazing how much one forgets. I just remember falling asleep so incredibly easily. Caffeine: I love my two cups of nespresso coffee every morning. Its as much of a ritual as it is for the caffeine. Hang in there Andrew-you two are doing great!
Ali
I totally remember rocking and bouncing without a child in my arms. #8 is so true.
Shay WLBM
Skye is so cute! You all look amazingly happy!
I have a question… I made the crockpot candy last night. It was not good. The peanuts burned. I read the updates on the recipe and it mentioned making sure to use a crockpot with less than a certain wattage. Did that! Mine was lower. Not sure why it burned. Any thoughts? Do you follow the recipe exactly or make some changes? I want to try it again, but hate the thought of wasting another batch. It smells and taste like burnt popcorn! :-(
Wendy
Great post Andrew!! I always feel the need to run with gum — helps with thirst I think — but then after about 5 km it is hard and I want to get rid of it…after 10 km I NEED to get rid of it, but refuse to spit it out on the ground so I usually swallow it…I am sure my gut is a mess!
I have 3 kids but never drank coffee until my youngest was 5! I didn’t think I liked it, but then I discovered CREAM! I have always mixed instant coffee with vanilla based ice creams, and have had my fair share of hot chocolate — for the caffeine, I’m sure now.
Sleep deprivation is NASTY!! I remember when my 3rd was a newborn still, driving down a busy road and realizing I had not shut the van side door! And he was in the van! YIKES!
Keep up the posts Andrew — you’re a natural! And mama needs her rest! You two are awesome!
Lee
Skye! Loving all the pics. You all are festive in this newborn period!
For caffeine, matcha green tea. Where to begin? It’s a good idea to make sure it’s organic. Coffee beans and tea leaves are heavily sprayed crops and the first time they are washed is when brewing unless drinkers do a pre-brew process. It’s a lot easier to prepare and clean up than coffee or loose tea – there’s nothing to throw away after prep. Matcha is best at lower temperatures – no boiling water – great during the summer. It’s best prepped with the bamboo whisk – prep with warm water in the pan – clean with warm water at the end. Plus it has chlorophyll. It’s a ceremony in itself, no scone required to keep digestion and other systems happy depending on the absorption rate. During times like the newborn period, consider the thick style. It’s awesome!!
There’s also something about not swaddling during the “day”/ “awake time”. Swaddle at night and associate with sleep. Some do this and get to better patterns in 5 days. They might even go down to diaper only during the day to promote awake/ active time and have the circadian rhythm kick in.
Debbie @ Deb Runs
My youngest will be turning 28 in January, but I totally remember #8. I did it all the time! I would also push the shopping cart back and forth to sooth the baby even if I’d left him home with my husband. LOL
Congrats again, Skye is gorgeous!
Sue
Once when I was up in the middle of the night nursing my third kiddo, I thought I would be super productive and take care of some banking on my iPad with my one free hand. Unfortunately, I was so tired that I kept falling asleep while typing my password….enough times in a row that I got locked out of my account! I had to call the bank the next day to get my access back. Hang in there!
Colleen
Hi! You guys look so happy and brought me back to my boys newborn days. Thanks for that! Enjoy every sleepy moment.
I ALWAYS run with gum. If I forget it, I go back for it. I feel like it makes me less thirsty?
Enjoy your Christmas and your sweet little family.
Loribeth
Love it! So funny! I have 7 siblings and my dad would call out about 4 names before he got the right one, ha!
I don’t run with gum anymore, trying to get away from chewing it all together……….it does change up my breathing because I breathe through my mouth more and end up with a scratchy throat in the winter.
I need caffeine. I hate the taste of coffee, and although it is a lot of sugar, I prefer regular soda…………mello yello is my necessary evil! I just got back from a week in San Diego and they had Coca Cola everywhere, but (even though coke makes mello yello) I couldn’t find mello anywhere. I couldn’t find any citrus soda! Crazy Californians!! I wanted it more since I couldn’t get it!
Sarah
Once in awhile I run with gum in my mouth. My go to is Strawberry Crystal Light with caffeine or Diet Coke. I love a nice icy Diet Coke with pebble ice of course. I have 5 kids and always call them the wrong name. You know you’re a new parent when there are binkys everywhere. The funniest thing I ever did when I was sleep deprived was pack a binky in my husbands lunch. ???
Congrats, Skye is gorgeous.
Maggie L
The Retail Me Not app is also handy! Right now I’d go for the 20%off at Ulta!!
Ashley
I don’t have children but I loved this post from Andrew. I was laughing so hard! This one though seriously made me LOL.
“4- You somehow forget how many kids you have and start using your fingers to count.”
Skye sure is a cutie! You are the cutest little family!
Melissa
I love this. You guys are so sweet and funny. I raised a puppy from 6 weeks old (no human children, yet) and I turned the wrong burner on and was waiting and waiting, wondering why things weren’t cooking. I would fall asleep on the floor at 6pm. Haha. You have a beautiful family. Merry Christmas
Nina
Of course the dog counts! :) How is he adapting to the new family member? How did you introduce them?
Olviya
This post (and the comments), are awesome! Your family is the sweetest! <3 This post takes me back to the newborn days, and all the mom brain moments I had.