I’m crushing the {Rookie Moms} Challenges – Part 1

Hi – I’m Leslie from And Her Little Dog Too. My little man, Brooks, just turned 4 months old and while I have been spending the past 17 weeks getting used to my new role as a mom, I’ve also been hard at work crossing items from the Rookie Moms 52 Week Challenge off my list!

I had an initial goal of writing posts from each challenge and sharing how it all went with you, but that was a little bit ambitious for me as a first time mom. I apologize for my posting delay, but today, I want to play catch up and share with you my progress!

I’m proud to say that with my 17 week old son, I have been able to tackle 16 of the challenges so far. Looking back at the past 4 months together, I am more than excited about all the progress we have made. Today I want to share with you a little recap from our first 8 challenges, with a recap on the remaining 8 in a follow-up post {part 2}.

Here’s how Brooks & I have been spending our time crushing the 52 week challenge his first 11 weeks:

#1 – Push the Stroller Out the Door & Pretend We’re In Paris

This was way easier said than done considering Brooks was born in the worst winter EVER. Getting out the door in general without crazy amounts of snow on the ground or it being incredibly cold was a challenge. So at the first sight of Spring, we took advantage of soaking up as much sun as physically possible and enjoyed a coffee outside. People watching for me, nap time for Brooks. We both win if you ask me.

{Our challenge:Â Pretend I’m in Paris}

#2 Grab a Buddy & Go On A Recon Mission

My parents live in Virginia so they aren’t as local as I’d like them to be. When it came time for the baby to soon make his arrival, my mom offered to come up and stay with us for two weeks after my husband, Charles went back to work. This was the most amazing thing ever because life at home, alone, with a two week old, would have been tough for me. Having my mom there to help was amazing and I took advantage of her being there by making the effort to go out into the world as much as possible. I wanted to get used to being out and about with my little man {and all the bells and whistles that go along with a new baby.} During that time we ran errands, walked the mall & went out for lunch. It was great to spend time with my mom, amazing to have her spend time with her new {and first!} grandbaby and invaluable practice for me to feel comfortable out and about with baby!

{Our challenge: Go on a reconnaissance mission}

#3 Join a New Mom’s Group

One of the first things my pediatrician told me to do was to join our local breastfeeding support group, and so I did! Brooks and I went to “class” together, once a week for the first 6 weeks of his life. It was such a great experience for me to have access to a group like this from the get-go. The first 6 weeks of breastfeeding were super painful & difficult for me, so it was nice to have support – plus it was a great way to make new mom friends in my neighborhood!

{Our challenge:Â Join a new mom’s group}

#5 Go to the Grocery Store, For Practice

We took baby Brooks to Whole Foods at one week old. Since we live in the city {in Philadelphia} we walk to the grocery store & hit it up frequently. At the time it sounded more intimidating to do than it actually was – I think it was good that I started taking Brooks out and about so early on because now he is used to being out {and sleeping through} the city noise!

{Our challenge: Go to the grocery storeÂ for just one thing}

#6 Paint Your Baby’s Feet

Brooks was born 2 weeks before Valentine’s Day so I found a cute little arts & crafts project for us to do that would be cute to give to the new grandparents & aunts and uncles in our lives! With a little Pinterest inspiration – we created Baby Hand & Feet Love Prints {which turned out pretty well considering Brooks was still clenching his hands together at this point!}

{Our challenge: Paint my baby’s footprintsÂ onto a keepsake}

#8 Get a Pedicure

Confession – Pedicures are my JAM! I’m obsessed with them, especially the back massage chair! I’ve had 3 in the past 4 months, which I think is pretty good for a new mom. I hope to have more in my life with the warmer weather now upon us. It’s a great way to treat myself to a little pampering {and a little ME time!}

{Our challenge: Get a pedicure}

#10 Plan A Mom’s Night Out

This was more like a mom’s afternoon out, but it still counts since it was the first time I left my husband alone with the baby for more than 30 minutes! It was nice to get out with some friends for the afternoon and I think it was equally alone to leave my boys at home alone together for some quality bonding time. I need more of these in my immediate future.

{Our challenge: Plan a mom’s night outÂ for some friends}

#11 Interrupt Someone’s Workday

This was a fun excursion for me & the husband. I took Brooks to visit my husband at work {aka show him off} after he had his first round of shots at 2 months. It was a nice little excursion for me to get out and about and it as a great treat for my husband at work.

So that’s a little peek into how we’ve been spending time {& crushing challenges} these past first few months together -> Stay Tuned for Part 2!