Dana Burland

Six weeks ago six week could fly by unnoticed. I’d go to sleep in March and wake up wondering how it was almost May. Today it’s almost September. Six weeks ago I had no idea what this September would look like. Now we’ve made it here. To be honest I’m not tracking time in months right now. Every day feels incredibly similar from the last with little hints of change as Cameron develops. It’s like a treadmill where the speed and incline kick up slowly without me knowing it. Somewhere in the blur of the last six weeks we started getting gummy smiles. Cam may be too young to doll them out with purpose, but when he makes eye contact and beams it’s all the currency these hard working parents need. As time goes by his curled in frog legs and folded in arms are quickly learning about the air around him. Now he’ll spring off us when we hold him as if he’s set on climbing a mountain, and he waves his arms around wildly trying to make sense of bumps and sounds. We’re watching his person...

One of my favorite, favorite things is to see other people love on our little boy. This past weekend my family was in town to do just that. We spent hours and hours in our living room all gathered around him cooing at his cuteness and giggling over his every little move. Bushi, G-pa and Uncle E gave him lots of love and cuddles. They played with him on his playmat jungle gym, cheered him on during tummy time, helped him soothe away his cries, cuddled him when slept and held his hands. We have a few more visitors coming in the next couple weeks. I can’t wait!

How are we here already? How is this itty bitty baby filling out and filling in to his personality? BRB, taking a break to eat a cookie and cry. Ok, I’m back. Let’s get to it. At one month old Cameron is an expressive, squirmy and strong little boy. He’ll lift his head up while on our chests and has enough leg strength to scoot himself around during tummy time. He waves his arms around like a conductor, makes eye contact with people, tracks objects visually and is “talking” more every day. He loves cuddling on his parents but isn’t stranger shy either. He naps for 30 minutes to an hour a couple times a day, sleeps in lovely 3-4 hour stretches at night and lives in a constant sure-I-could-eat mode. I love his stretching routine when he’s freed from his swaddle after a snooze. He has faint blonde eyebrows near impossible to see making his curious and mad faces pretty funny. We’ve caught him cooing, sighing, squeaking and giggling in his sleep. He likes: being wrapped up ...

From meal deliveries to gifts, diaper drop offs to yard work assistance, house cleaning help to email/text check-ins, we’ve been wonderfully spoiled with new baby support and love from family and friends. Living through the whirlwind of bringing a newborn home has me thinking about all this and other ways to help out new parents. Here are some ideas and tips for showering a new parent you may know with love. Food Ready to go meals have been a huge help to us. I’ve especially appreciated meals that include fruit and vegetables. At one point our fridge was packed, but now that’s dwindling a bit. If you want to gift new parents with food consider bringing something over 2-4 weeks out and including things like wine, coffee, lactation cookies and easy-to-grab snacks. Your presence Are you free to go on a walk with mom and baby? Can you hold and rock a drowsy newborn while mom takes a break? I look forward to visitors just for the sake of adult company. So many of our friends and fa...

My days with a newborn are vastly different than they were B.C. (before Cameron), but they’re also rewarding and fun. There’s no routine but here’s what my typical day on maternity leave looks like. 3am Cameron is hungry. Ben has been on the “night shift” and is finishing his second bottle feed and putting Cameron back to bed. Then we’ll switch and Ben will get some uninterrupted snoozing hours while I’ll pump for a half hour then fall back asleep myself. 6:30am Cameron is hungry. I feed him then change him then he chills with Ben for an hour. I shower taking stock of my new stretch marks, unexplainable left eye rash, new oily skin and other labor related wounds. I make myself breakfast and lunch, the latter goes in the fridge so I can grab it fast later. 8am Ben gets ready for work. Cameron and I watch Good Morning America, and by “watch” I mean I entertain him with one hand while feeding myself breakfast with the other. 9am Cameron is hungry. I feed him then change him th...

My boss—who lives and works in France—sent over onesies for C before he was born. The French text on them translates to “little boat in complete freedom”. A free little boat is exactly what this babe is, I’ll tell you. While this parenting a newborn thing is not without frustrations I do love that he’s wildly free to eat, snooze, play and snuggle whenever he wants. Total freedom. This weekend I pushed myself and my little boat to get out on the town. Saturday I wanted to go to the farmer’s market but a fit in the car meant downgrading to a coffee/grocery run and walk in a town closer to home. Sunday we had a mostly successful Target trip, except for a rough ride home. Despite the challenges we made it on the other side of both those events better, wiser and bolder for even trying. I definitely don’t have complete freedom these days, but man I sure do love my adorable little boat.

Today is Cameron’s two week birth day and our fifth day with him home. Cameron is a mostly calm and content little boy. He sleeps for three to four hour stretches and feeds ferociously. Sometimes he gets in a fussy spell but he’s so dang cute even mid-sob it’s hard to get too angry at him. Ben and I have settled into a good nighttime routine taking shifts “on duty”. Thanks to this snoozy babe we’re both managing to clock enough sleeping hours to function the next day. Today was my first day home solo with him. Late last week that idea felt terrifying, but I feel more confident being this little guy’s mom with every day under my belt. Today, dare I say, felt empowering. In theory newborn care is easy—feed, clean, burp, lay to nap, repeat. The challenge comes in decoding a big ugly cry or getting a bathroom/food break when you want one. Ben and I look at each other often and say: “We’re doing it! We’re doing it!” We’re still pretty thrilled this little boy has joined our family...