FRIDAY Q&A: MY FAVORITE THING ABOUT OUR WEDDING, BABY GEAR WE DIDN’T LOVE, MY FAVORITE INSTAGRAM ACCOUNTS, AND MORE

Happy Friday! It felt so good to get back into a routine this week. I don’t know if it’s the new year or the fact that Teddy’s now three months and sleeping 7-8 hours a night, but I am feeling super invigorated about what this year has in store. This weekend we have a couples’ baby shower for our friends Shelly and James and I can’t wait to celebrate them and see friends in town and from Bucknell where we all met. Two of my girlfriends also had baby boys in 2019 and three more are having baby boys in early 2020 and I’m just so excited to love on all of them! Teddy will be so lucky to have a built-in crew. 🙂 I hope you all have a great one!

1. Any baby gear that surprised you that you needed or didn’t need? I’ll be a first time mom in April!

Congratulations! I shared our favorite baby products so far in this post and still stand by all of those recommendations! The only thing I can think of that didn’t work for us was this bassinet which we initially had in our bedroom. We wound up transitioning him to the crib in his nursery at five weeks and have all been sleeping better ever since! I now wish I hadn’t spent the money on a bassinet, but of course we couldn’t have known that set-up wasn’t ideal for us without trying it first. And maybe a future baby of ours will love it? I know lots of parents swear by having the baby in their room so I think there’s a good deal of trial and error when it comes to baby gear!

2. I would love to know your daytime and sleep schedule with Teddy! 

You can see our current schedule at three months in this post!

3. Other than Africa, what’s been your favorite vacation to date?

Growing up, we had a family goal to see all fifty states together (I think we got to 38 before I went off to college?) and my siblings and I have so many fun memories and inside jokes from road tripping all over the United States together. With Will, it’s hard to pick between France for his 30th birthday or Australia right after we found out I was pregnant!

4. How did you get on a breastfeeding schedule with Teddy instead of allowing him to eat on demand?

I fed him on demand for the first couple weeks and started introducing a schedule around two weeks once we’d gotten the green light from our pediatrician that he was gaining weight. At that point I started feeding him every three hours for a total of eight times a day. You can see our schedules at one month, two months, and three months if that’s helpful! We’re not rigid about it but having target feeding times was a really helpful framework in those first few weeks.

5. I’m going back to work after baby and really sad about it. Any tips on how to deal with it?

I’m so sorry. This is something I’m really struggling with as well even though I work from home and I definitely don’t have all the answers! Right now I’m squeezing as much as I can into his naptimes and asking my parents to babysit when I really need to get something done, which is a luxury I don’t take for granted! If you’re headed back to an office, I would just try to focus on having the highest quality time together (whether that’s feeding, playing, going for walks, whatever is most meaningful to you) to make up for the quantity of time you probably shared together on your maternity leave. I try to remind myself that my siblings and I benefited from having a mom who worked full-time and that my career success will benefit Teddy in so many ways, but some days are harder than others. I’m rooting for you!

6. What was your wedding song with Will? And your absolute favorite thing about your wedding?

“Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of You” by Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons. We took way more dance lessons than was probably necessary and I think I blacked out our actual first dance because I was so nervous, but I still love the song and play it for Teddy during the day! You can see a glimpse of it in our wedding video (five minute version here and twenty minute version here). My favorite thing about our wedding was just how personal it was. It was such a gift to have all our family and friends in one place for one weekend and to get to share our favorite Nantucket traditions with all of them. We had our rehearsal dinner where my parents had had theirs 31 years prior, had our welcome party in my parents’ backyard with a food truck from the restaurant where my siblings and cousins all worked, got married in the same chapel as my parents where my Grandy and her friends had needlepointed the kneelers, and had our reception at the restaurant where my mom worked summers as a teenager… Every place had such personal history and meaning and I think that made it all the more special! (You can read more about what Nantucket means to me in this post!)

7. My son is turning thirty. Any suggestions for a meaningful but not over-the-top gift?

What’s something he would love but might not buy for himself? The first thing that came to mind is something like a Barbour jacket, an investment piece that will last him for years and never go out of style. Alternatively, I’d come up with a fun experience the two of you can share to commemorate the occasion, whether that’s tickets to a sporting event or a gift certificate to his favorite restaurant. I shared a list of 40 experience gift ideas here! 

8. Did you have a lot of heartburn because of Teddy’s hair? Or is that an old wives’ tale?

It must be an old wives’ tale because I never had heartburn but I had more than enough nausea and vomiting to make up for it! (You can read about my first trimester with hyperemesis here.)

9. As a new mom, how do you dress while nursing?

I’m fortunate to work from home and so many days are spent in pajamas or workout clothes. It’s not ideal for making me feel productive but when I’m being spit up on multiple times a day, it really is the easiest for right now. When we’re out and about, I wear one of my favorite button-downs and bring this nursing cover (which doubles as a car seat cover) so I can feed him on the go. 

10. Which Instagram accounts do you like most?

The people whose stories I watch most often lately are @kellyinthecity, @lemonstripes, @lizadams, and @purejoyhome — all moms with kiddos a little older than Teddy who also share fun home and fashion stuff too. I also love @jenniferlake (truly one the kindest people I’ve ever known), @bornonfifth (a new-to-me blogger with killer style and a baby on the way), and @caitlingeierfisher (just love the way she dresses her precious little ones). Would love to know your favorites in the comments!