April Favourites: Small things that have brightened my month
The baby bubble, postpartum walks, our first wedding anniversary, and a three week visit from my mom.
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These monthly favourite newsletters are some of my absolute favourites to write. I normally take a few days to reflect on the month and give a pretty in depth recap of what has brought me joy.
However… I had a baby at the end of March and now have a four week old newborn. Time and sleep deprevation aren’t allowing me to be as long winded as usual.
So, April’s monthly favourites will look a little different. Less words, more photos.
Enjoy!
At the start of April, we brought home our daughter Louise. Cue newborn baby bubble.
The day after we got home from the hospital, my mom travelled all the way from America to be with us for three weeks and help out. I wrote a newsletter all about this here. I treated us to a beautiful lunch on her last day and it was so nice to get out of the house and get dressed up. Louise might not remember her grandmother’s first visit, but I will never forget it.
My husband and I settled into our new roles as mom and dad. Loving (almost) every sleep deprived minute of it.
We also celebrated our first wedding anniversary! We took a photo with Louise and our dog Nimbus in front of the blossoming apple trees just like our wedding photos. These blossoms will remind us of our anniversary each year and I want to make these family photos a little tradition! Our mothers both watched Louise while we went out for dinner and opened the letters we wrote to each other on our wedding day. It was the first long stretch leaving Louise and it was surprisingly easier than I anticipated. Finally, we defrosted our wedding cake (chocolate biscuit cake!!!) and ate that for dessert. Such a perfect day.
I’ve been documenting my daily postpartum walks on Notes
I’ve made a big effort to start walking again, even if it’s five minutes, just to make sure I leave the house and get some fresh air. It’s been a real lesson in noticing the season change. When I started my walks at the beginning of the month, things were grey, bare, and dreary. Now, there are so many new blooms and the trees are green again. I even went outside with just a t-shirt on yesterday!
There’s a metaphor for postpartum in this somewhere, I’m just too sleep deprived to put it together. Grateful to live in the Irish countryside, which, in my opinion, is at its most beautiful in April (why we chose this month to get married!).
Don’t get me wrong, April has had many ups and downs as I’ve navigated postpartum recovery and learning how to keep a baby human alive. There have been many tears, sleepless nights, and moments where I wondered if I would ever feel like myself again. But overall, I’m so proud of myself for seeking out the good things. Fresh flowers. Hugs from family and friends. Hot showers. Baby cuddles!
I was feeling stressed the other day because our house was a mess, the floors were covered in dog hair, and the laundry was piling up. I took a deep breath and reminded myself that it won’t be like this forever. One day when Louise is older, I’ll miss these chaotic newborn days. The first few weeks with her have flown by so quickly. It’s easy to just go through the motions of the day, but I want to make sure I stop every once in a while to take it all in.
Looking forward to what May has in store. Hope you all had a lovely month.
p.s. - what brightened your April? Please share in the comments with everyone. We would love to know what has brought you joy this month ✨
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