It’s been one whole month of our little Beatrice.

She’s a quiet but intense baby: she makes her needs known but is easily soothed. She has the best faces, especially when she’s working out air bubbles or reacting to noises around her.

For the first few weeks we were a little concerned about her hearing: Michael is rambunctious and loud, and she wouldn’t even flinch at the crashing of toy trucks or other loud noises. Our midwife said she may have gotten used to his noise in the womb — that must have been the case, as we just got back the results of her hearing test and she passed without issue.

Her eyes have lightened, but are still quite a dark blue to match her darker hair. She’s a champion eater, sleeper, and squeaker (her little noises are adorable and happen quite often).

One of the best parts of all of this is watching Michael love on his baby sister. He loves talking about “Baby Bea, his baby sister, who was in mama’s belly but then came out”.

He loves helping pat her back, fetching her burp cloths, and helping bounce her in the bouncer. He’s still not quite happy about the amount of time I have to spend holding her instead of him, though.

I absolutely love being their mother. What a blessing.

It’s been a beautiful period of rest and healing, and now I’m starting to get antsy about resuming as many of our daily life habits as possible. I love wearing Bea in my wrap or sling around the house while doing laundry or dishes — baby wearing truly is lifesaving.

One of the difficult things about the postpartum and breastfeeding stages of life is the wardrobe shift. Much of my clothing doesn’t fit quite right, or isn’t really easy for breastfeeding. I find myself recycling the same few outfits that work with my changed body and priorities, feeling a little discouraged while some of my favorite pieces sit in the back of my closet. So, since baby wearing is a big part of my wardrobe now, I got myself a little treat: baby wraps from Oscha Wraps. They’re absolute works of art. I’ll post a photo of them eventually. If I can’t quite wear the clothing I want to in this season, I can accessorize!

We had an eventful start to April: some of my cousins from the Midwest were in the area and stopped by to meet the newest member of the family.

Just as everyone arrived, our rainy skies opened and began pelting us with hail. I bemoaned my garden many times while looking out the window at my poor tomatoes and beans. Hopefully they’ll bounce back.

Sleep deprivation is starting to catch up to me a little, so I’m slowing down in my handicrafts (as I knew I would). I’m still knitting away at simple projects that don’t take much brain power (like vanilla socks) and hand quilting my queen sized Irish Chain quilt (which Michael loves to help me do).

So much has happened in a month: I can’t imagine life without Beatrice, but I also find it hard to believe I gave birth only a month ago. We’re soaking in this liminal time period, floating between late night breastfeeding sessions, early morning toddler snuggles, and all the quiet moments in between.