I blinked and another month passed us by. I find myself sitting here, monitor within reach wondering how another month has flown by while simultaneously questioning what we did since our last post! A well-meaning friend had sent a voice text over the other day saying something like, “Thank God you’ve made it to five months, whew,” and it hit me like a ton of bricks… I’m sad we’re already here and that time is flying by so fast. I’m willing it to slow down because knowing Quinn is my last just makes every day a little bit more tender. As she grows out of clothes, graduates to newer toys, and grows inch by inch, I’m clinging to each day of her tininess, knowing it’s all so fleeting and feeling an urgency to stay awake to it all.

This last month was finding our groove at home with work, Coco being in school part-time, and Quinnie getting into a routine. We did our first trip away from both girls and it was honestly so wonderful — I needed it! Thanks to my parents and sister for giving us a weekend away to celebrate a friend’s 40th birthday. We had a blast and came back missing our little ladies and feeling refreshed. We spent time with family, got some good cousin time in, celebrated Easter, and enjoyed everyday life with the soundtrack from Sing playing in the background!

This last month held a few milestones:

Quinn rolled over, mom and dad got away for a weekend, mama recorded her audiobook, Quinn slept through the night five times, Coco stopped wanting to wear her sleepsack and diapers at bedtime, we spent time with both of our families and Coco got to run around with her cousins, Quinn’s first Easter, and mama celebrated another birthday.

Items we can’t live without this month: 

1.) Our new air fryer: Okay, my sister got one and I didn’t pull the trigger until she convinced me it was worth it. Air fryers are everything and more and I am obsessed with ours. I honestly got mad at Drew the other night for using our oven because somehow the air fryer makes everything taste better. It’s also been amazing for quick meals for Coco! We got the double drawer one and we use both drawers a ton. We opted to make space in our pantry and have it in there so it’s always accessible! The only downside is that it’s massive and if we didn’t have our pantry, it’d be annoying to store/take out every day. It’s not the prettiest appliance but dang, it’s worth every penny!

2.) Compression leg massagers: I am only mad I didn’t get these while pregnant. Dang, that would have felt so good! When we were in Miami, we got to try a pair of these and now I get the hype. They are definitely not a cheap tool to purchase but so far, Drew and I have used them daily (in fact, I’m using them as I write this post!) Essentially they use a dynamic compression system to massage your limbs. The boots inflate and squeeze through a series of zones from your feet to your hips to enhance blood flow. All you have to do is set the session time and level of compression and then press play. Mostly used for runners and athletes, these suckers are making me wanna get out and run just so I can enjoy them even more.

3.) This beautiful playmat: Trust me, I’m laughing at my former self who only wanted aesthetic everything as I look around my house that now has Easter eggs in every corner, playdoh in the floor cracks, and an easel that has taken permanent residence in our living room… I mean, it took us three years but our house finally looks like a house with children. When one of my followers, a small business owner from Canada, reached out to share her homemade playmats, I was so excited. Not only are these gorgeous, but Quinn LOVES it! It’s been the best to keep in our living room and gives us a place to lay Quinnie down!

What life with Quinnie is like:

Oh man, this sweet girl is so dang easygoing (praise the Lord!) We’ve had a lot of people say, “If I was guaranteed a baby like her, I’d have another one.” Drew and I often talk about how she has this just pure soul — like, yeah, weird to say about a baby, but she has this little calm, sweet spirit that is just felt. We’ve found a good groove with her naps and wake windows (rocking the 90 minutes awake, 90 minutes asleep life currently) but she’s super flexible if we’re on the go or out and about.

She’s still sleeping in her bassinet in our walk-in closet which honestly has worked super well (minus when we need clothes and she’s snoozing!) but it’s in close proximity to our bed, super dark and quiet, and Coco doesn’t have to be quiet or worry about waking her! This month we went to an Airbnb with Drew’s family and she slept in the tiny closet there and it worked great!

“I’m the best big sister EVER:” 

Coco’s little voice “reads” her book to us, and it’s true, while she’s been giving us a run for our money with a little attitude and some three-nager tendencies, she truly is the best big sister. I’m shocked at just how much she loves Quinn and how perceptive she is of her sister’s needs. She never gets frustrated with her and loves to be our helper! They already share a sweet bond that I can’t wait to watch grow.

Quinn literally lights up when Coco’s voice enters the room, and Coco loves baby talking to her sis. As a momma of two, I definitely felt the juggle a bit more with more emotions coming from Coco this month and some big horizons around the corner for us. I have a hunch Coco is going to be ready to scoot to her “big girl bed” soon with her new desire to ditch her sleepsack for pajamas and her wanting to lose the diapers and wear undies at bedtime, so I’m bracing myself for how that will go.

Work Updates:

Work has been a bit busier as we start to inch closer to launching my book. As a team, we love working way ahead so we’re not urgent or stressed, so that means while the snow is falling (literally, still falling as I type this), we’re prepping content for August, which allows us to just be methodical in our processes, batch work all of the things, and launch my book while avoiding burn out (which is great, since navigating burn out is a big theme in the book itself ;-))

I’ve watched a lot of incredible authors burn to a crisp while launching their books and I’m just not able or willing to do that. I want to feel vibrant and excited and energized, and I can’t feel any of those things if I’m overcommitting, so we’re working ahead, planning thoughtfully, and agreeing carefully so that I can continue to live out my mission inside the pages of my book while honoring this deep desire to impact thousands of lives with my words. This next month will be a full month of interviews, travels, and more prep for the launch!

Check out past posts of our Quinnie:

• Click here for our Month 4 Recap
• Click here for our Month 3 Recap
• Click here for our Month 2 Recap
• Click here for our Month 1 Recap 

 

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