Hot Mom Summer Has Begun!

Bonjour!

The tiny human is here! Le Bébé was born on a certain day weighing a certain number of pounds and ounces and measuring a certain number of inches!

Sidebar: For now, I’m loathe to share online the personal identifying information of a minor child with no agency to manage their own privacy. For more on the perils of sharenting, check out the research of former colleague and dear friend, Dr. Priya Kumar.

Le Bébé decided to join us one week early to the day of my due date, preempting the need for my scheduled induction in favor of the Full Labor Experience at the hospital (where I needed almost everything in my prepacked bag but L’Husband said nothing on my list of favorite childbirth quotations).

I can’t believe it’s been three weeks already. Time at home with the new little man has absolutely flown by, and I am thrilled, relieved, excited, awed, terrified, and overall overwhelmed to have a new, healthy, wiggly bébé.

After months of being suspicious oy my baby bump, Le Chien is adjusting to the human puppy. He’s gone from watching warily from the far end of the couch and hiding under the bed when the baby cries to cautiously sniffing and licking the odd finger, toe, and nose to full-on curiosity and protective instincts.

L’Husband and I are getting our sea legs as we welcome the new addition to our family. There is only so much planning, organizing, and preparing you can do for a new bébé, from the clothes to the Snoopy-themed nursery to all the baby gear. Now parenthood is actually happening and I understand so much more about myself, my body, and my baby. Hot Mom Summer has officially begun!

What is Hot Mom Summer, you ask? Dear reader, it’s my time to recover from pregnancy and childbirth and bond with Le Bébé during the so-called fourth trimester. I’m not lecturing at the university this summer and L’Husband is on parental leave. All we really need to do is focus on each other and revel in our family.

Fourth Trimester Self-Care

Part of my Hot Mom Summer recovery is self-care. Part of my joyful living mission focuses on wellness and the pleasure principle; for postpartum recovery, this commitment entails:

• I rest when I can and enjoy a postprandial nap with Le Chien every afternoon (and sometimes in the morning!).

• I try to stay in the moment for bottles, cuddles, and diaper changes because the newborn period goes by so fast (I’m already crying!!).

• I shower every day. (Y’all, this is a très big deal.)

How Girl Walks for Hot Mom Summer

I also try to get out of la maison, which really means going outside because I don’t want to be around a bunch of germ hatches and their COVID (le sigh). Going outside for a walk is good enough.

Apparently, Hot Girl Walks are a thing now (merci, TikTok). On such a walk, one may only contemplate the following:

• What you’re grateful for;
• What you hope to achieve; and
• How hot you are.

The Hot Girl Walk model perfectly complements my Hot Mom Summer idiom. When it’s not 500 degrees outside (le sigh encore), L’Husband and I will take a constitutional around the neighborhood with the self-appointed Dachshund Baby Guardian in tow, and I will reflect on:

• Gratitude: I am grateful for my successful fertility treatment, full-term pregnancy, and healthy baby.
• Achievement: I hope to achieve more peace and confidence in myself, my body, and my ability to parent, care for, and love Le Bébé .
• How Hot I Am: This goes without saying.

What does your own version of a hot [insert noun here] summer look like?

Merci for reading and please subscribe and share!

À votre santé,

Katie