We are so excited about the center that he will be at, and we know that he will be in good hands. I love my job, and I am so excited to work on City Target and our new format, Target Express, a project that I have been on since it's initial concept stage, which has been great. Work is a big part of who I am, but being a mom has definitely redefined who that person is. I hope to find a great balance between the two, to be a great working mom, it will be a journey for all of us!
I wanted to capture the highlights of these last 12 weeks at home with our little man. I have been keeping a journal every day capturing how we spend each day and key milestones, but I figured I'd only share a highight from each week for the blog, it's still kind of long, sorry! Enjoy! :)
Week 1: Most of our first week was spent in the hospital. Because of the eventful delivery (see earlier blog post) and recovery for both me and Connor, we got some quality time with daddy and doctors and nurses! We had lots of great visitors to come meet Connor. Our little dude spent most of the first week as a "glow worm" due to his jaundice after all of the bruising from delivery!
Week 2: Because I ended up having a c-section, Mike was able to take an additional week off of work to be home with us and help out. This was so great given I wasn't able to do much, like drive, or carry anything more than Connor, so it was great to have him around! We also celebrated some special birthdays during week 2, starting with Uncle Joe's 23rd birthday on Nov. 19th and cousin Kensley's 5th birthday on Nov 23rd. We enjoyed taking him out that week including his first trip to Target, and his first Friendsgiving with the ISU crew.
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| Connor's first restaurant experience for uncle Joe's birthday! |
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| He was not a fan of bath time in the beginning, he loves it now! |
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| Our little dude has been pretty chill right from the start! |
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| Connor loves his Cousins Kensley, Mason and Emma! |
Week 3: The third week of Connor's life was Thanksgiving! We were able to spend thanksgiving with both the McQuillan and Harper sides of the family. He was a huge hit at both outings, and he got lots of snuggles! Another great thing about week 3, was even though daddy had to go back to work, Grandma Mac came and hung out with me and Connor every day. It was so great to have my mom there to visit with!
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| Afternoons with Grandma Mac |
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| McQuillan Thanksgiving |
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| Harper Thanksgiving |
Week 4: During week 4 we had a lot of mommy and Connor time, including our first New Momma class at Amma parenting. Little did we know at the time that this would become one of our favorite parts of maternity leave and that we would both meet friends we would have for a lifetime. Speaking of friends for a lifetime, we also had some time spent with Mike's friends from Farmington and all of their babies. It's so fun that they are all with in one year of each other!
Week 5: This week was pretty incredible, when Connor showed us just how strong he is. He rolled over one day before he turned one month. I couldn't believe it! At first I thought it was just a fluke, but he has continued to do it since then, minus a small break while gaining some chunkiness :) ...but now he's back at it and can roll over both ways from his tummy to his back, he hates tummy time!
Week 6: This was a great week because we started to get "real" smiles. Non-gas induced smiles. We also took trips into both my work and mike's work!
Week 7: Christmas took on a whole new meaning for us this year! It was so great sharing Christmas with our little man. We enjoyed get togethers with lots of family members and started our own family tradition of reading "The Night Before Christmas" on Christmas Eve, setting out milk and cookies for Santa, and opening presents under our tree on Christmas morning!
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| Great Grandma Glo Harper flew in from Montana to surprise us! |
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| Harper Christmas |
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| Santa paid Connor a special visit since we missed the McQuillan extended family Christmas! |
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| Christmas Eve with the cousins! |
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| Christmas morning at home with his gifts! |
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| McQuillan Family Christmas |
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| Approximately 11:59 |
Week 9: January proved to be one of the coldest months I can remember. The first deep freeze due to the Polar Vortex happened during week 9. We stayed in and didn't go anywhere for 3 long days! Connor didn't mind, he was as smiley as ever, and we discovered his love for music! We also moved Connor to the crib this week, the first two nights were rough, but every since then he has been a champ! He loves his Halo swaddles and he only wakes up 1 or 2 times a night!
Week 10: This was a busy week! It was our last new mom class at Amma, which was extremely sad! We also had Connor's 2 month check up, and he measured up to be a BIG healthy boy, 14lbs. 2oz!! We also took Connor to his first Wild game, which was SO much fun! I'm hoping his love for hockey is firmly established! :)
Week 11: We discovered mom and baby yoga at Blooma about week 9, and it became part of our regular routine, once we could get out of the house and escape the cold. Connor LOVES it, especially some of the massage and stretches that help him get out some of his gas!
Week 12: On this last week of maternity leave, I have been soaking up every single snuggle and cuddle that I can. We have gotten together with lots of friends this last week, enjoyed mom and baby yoga, and done a trial run at daycare. I can't believe how fast time has gone, how quickly he has grown and changed and how I am overwhelmed by love every time I look at him. We are just so blessed, and I have been so blessed to have a husband who has allowed me to have this time with our son, and a job that allows me to take this time, and is welcoming me back with open arms. I know the best parts of my day will continue to be every minute spent with this little man, and I look forward to coming home to him every night!
Wish us luck!
