Our sweet rescue dog Olive has brought us so much joy since we got her two years ago. I love her snuggles, her playfulness, and so many other things about her personality! However, I was a little nervous of what it would look like to take care of her when our son arrived. Would they interact well? Would I be overwhelmed with the responsibility of taking care of our high-energy dog when all I wanted was to collapse on the couch?

Fortunately, she has pretty much been the best doggy big sister in the world and I have LOVED having her around as I’ve learned to be a (human) mama.  If you’re worried about how your dog and baby will interact, I’m here to say that at least in our experience, it has been really stinking fun and adorable.  Here are my five favorite things about having a pet and a baby at the same time!

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My sweet boy,

When I wrote this letter to you before you were born, I was praying over the impact your arrival would have on my body.  I was exhausted from being pregnant, nervous about the physical effects of labor and those sleep-deprived newborn weeks, and I promised to love you even when my body was broken and hurting.

But what I couldn’t predict – what I didn’t know then – was how much being your mom would stretch and challenge my heart.

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Before I start this post, I want to say it loud and clear: however moms choose to feed and love their baby is fine by me.  I trust that every mom is ultimately making the best decisions for herself, her little one, and her family, and as long as our babies are fed, I’d say we’re doing great! 

Since my sweet boy is about to turn seven months old, it has been over half a year since we started our breastfeeding journey.  Six months was my initial goal for breastfeeding, and now that he’s past that, it feels so natural that I don’t see any reason to stop! Learning to breastfeed has had its share of hiccups for both me and Caleb and I as we’ve figured out our own rhythm, but it has been a joyful experience that has transformed me in so many ways.  As I look back on these first six months, these are a few of the things I’ve been learning.

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Six months.  Wow wow wow.  It’s been over half a year since I headed to the hospital for this little guy’s rapid delivery (have you read his birth story yet?) and I feel like it’s gone oh so slow and flown by at the same time.  This month has had lots of joy but lots of struggles, so if you’ve got a minute to read some long-winded ramblings…enjoy!

The Numbers

Caleb is our little peanut and I secretly I love that he’s still a little guy who fits in the curve of my arms. He’s weighing in at 14.5 lbs and measuring 25.5 inches, putting him at about the 5th-10th percentile weight and 10th-25th percentile for height.  The doctor said he’s gaining fine since he was small to begin with (he’s more than doubled his birth weight, which is the goal by six months!) and that noggin of his is still in the 95th percentile, so he’s doing great! He’s still rocking 3-6 month onesies/tops and 0-3 month bottoms because anything else falls off his teeny little waist.  This is exactly how Jordan was as a kid (and he still pretty much is) so we’re not surprised at all!

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