Our son arrived a little over a week past his due date in a way that surprised us—on October 2nd at 9:35 p.m. Meet Hayes Moon Mehlhoff.
After his birth we debated names back and forth while still in the hospital, and by the time we left he still didn’t have one—despite the discharge nurse’s impatient looks.
Within a few days, Hayes just felt right. We chose Hayes partly as a nod to a San Francisco neighborhood we love and because we liked the name. His middle name, Moon, honors our dog Luna (whose name means “moon”), who passed away last year and was a beloved family member before Hayes arrived. A few other names from our shortlist were considered along the way.
So far he’s a calm, easygoing little guy. We’re discovering his habits—how he grunts and makes cute noises while nursing, how he strongly dislikes diaper changes, and how singing soothes him about half the time. Every day we learn something new.
Adjusting to life with a newborn has been more challenging than expected, but each day gets better. Now that he’s two weeks old and we’ve settled into more of a routine, things feel more manageable. If you have tips for surviving the newborn stage, we’d love to hear them—Jeff and I are improvising as we go.
Also, I wanted to mention there won’t be a major change here while I take a little extra time to adjust to parenthood.
Content-wise, it’s business as usual. I already have several projects lined up: two new makeovers for the “12 Rooms in 12 Months” series, a selection of fall recipes, seasonal decor DIYs, and some Halloween ideas. Check back soon for those posts. I’ll also be popping into Instagram as usual to share updates and photos.