Hi, y’all! We’ve officially had Kaiser home for over a month and talk about a whirlwind. There have been so many transitions, memories mad and photos taken (🤣 I can’t even tell you how many I have of him sleeping). Here’s how the Kaase fam has been adjusting, postpartum items that saved me and Kaiser’s newborn photos!
Adjusting to Two
Everyone’s roles have changed and that change comes with joy, stress and love all bundled up together. Emmett has done a pretty good job taking on the big sister role! My favorite moments by far are when she’s helping me take care of him. She sprints to me anytime she hears him cry and will not stop pointing his way saying “Kais” until I take care of him. Her protectiveness over him both cracks me up and melts my heart all at once. Emmett also loooooves to help him with his paci but we’ve had to work one being gentle. She has a habit of shoving it in his mouth whether he needs the thing or not 😆
Bryan and I are taking it day-by-day. Some days I handle the kids with grace and patience and others I have smoke blowing out of my ears by the time he gets home. We’ve learned listen and pay attention to to each other. If he’s having a rough moment with the kids then I step in and visa versa. One thing I value above all else in our marriage is our communication. I really don’t think we would survive 2 under 2 without our brute honesty.
Another thing that really helps us day-to-day is game planning. We game plan everything – our plans for the day, what we need to do in order to get out of the door (Lord knows that’s the hardest thing on Earth to do!), bedtime… EVERYTHING!
Postpartum Must-Haves
- Dock-a-Tot: This is basically a portable bed and makes nap time easier and more versatile! He can nap safely by me in any room or I can put him in a room and know that he’s safe, contained and cozy. We also use this to co-sleep, which is a personal choice, because it makes nursing through the night easy. You can find our exact one at Nordstrom, Target, Buy Buy Baby and Amazon.
- Ollie Swaddle: He LOVES this! And Emmett did too. This swaddle is easiest because all you do is lay the baby on it, do up the 3 velcro patches and you’re DONE! You can find our swaddle here.
- Boy Shorts: I used pads on and off for the past month and have been most comfortable in a boy short or hipster style. My favorites are these.
- Lanolin Cream: Nursing mamas need this for sure. I used this during the first week and again when he was about a month old when he was feeding longer and stronger. You can find this stuff anywhere but here is the exact one I use.
- Hatch Sound Machine: A sound machine helps the kiddos nap in peace without being disturbed by the tv, dogs… or the other kid! We have this one in the nursery but this one would be great for an adult room. We need sleep too!
- Nursing Bras: Kindred Bravely bras are a must for nursing mamas and especially for any busty nursing mamas. They have the regular small, medium, large and extra large sizes BUT also have small-busty, medium-busty, large-busty and extra large-busty sizes. These additional sizes are amazing because they include even more body types and make us all more comfortable during our breastfeeding journey. I wear this one at night and this one during the day.
- Loungewear: I’ve went out a few times since Kaiser was born but I’m mostly at home and prefer to be comfortable when I’m hanging out there. Below are some pieces I’m loving during my postpartum recovery!
Newborn Photos
Mandi with Mandi Thompson Photography took our at-home newborn photos and I. AM. IN. LOVE! Newborns change in a blink of an eye and getting photos during those first couple weeks is so important. Kaiser already looks more grown up compared to these photos and I’m cherishing these so I can remember him teeny, tiny forver.
I’m sure we’ve all experienced that awful “elbow bump” situation where someone goes for a high-five only to be met with a dry elbow. Well, don’t worry about any weird situations like that during a newborn shoot because Mandi airs on the cautious side when shooting in people’s homes. Although I wouldn’t have minded her not wearing it, she was respectful of the current COVID state and wore a mask during the shoot. She also washed her hands and asked before touching the baby. I imagine most mamas can appreciate this added care regardless of viewpoint on COVID! Outside of COVID things, she also made me comfortable during the shoot and directed the whole thing! The less thinking I have to do, the better 😉
I could go on and on about why I love shooting with Mandi but I’ll just give y’all one more: she’s a mom herself. She has survived the newborn stages, knows how unpredictable toddlers can be and makes moms less stressed by capitalizing on shooting candids regardless of the chaos. Photoshoots with kids are HARD and having a photographer that gets it is key!
Book her via email at mandithompsonphoto@gmail.com!
