The first 8 weeks of being parents: Q&A // Jessie and Claud 

*Captions are being made* Thank you so much for watching! Remember you can follow us on instagram.com/jessieandclaud/ were we sometimes ask you to ask us questions 😉

I love the idea of Rupert being just a simple lil man lying on the floor watching the sky with his moms and dogs around keeping him company because it all just makes so much sense.

I'm actually a teacher and studied child development. The more you talk, the more it will help him develop his verbal skills so Jessica's self narrating everything she does is actually awesome for his development... and super cute :). My sister in law did this and all of her kids had strong verbal skills.

hearing he likes to be on the floor made me think about the potential for him and jessica to be just hanging out on the floor when shes having a particularly potsy day

"He needs his mobile to move" It took me an almost embarrassing amount of time to realize you didn't mean Rupert had a cellphone which he somehow couldn't move without.

When mine were little, I always coupled the ASL alphabet with the ABC song... So that's the way they learned it. When they got to school later, they used to get so mad because everyone else wasn't doing the signs like they were! I think we really confused the teachers at first, until they figured it out.

It looks like Rupert has old person hair, all I can see is the dark hairs going around the back of his head and then like no hair on top, he looks like a smol grandad and I love it

Re breastfeeding 'envy': as the non-birthing mother, it really broke my heart to not be able to feed my daughters that way. I instead did the singing every evening. I would rock them in their room in the dark and sing for as long as an hour sometimes. My youngest started putting her fingers on my mouth after a bit, just pressing them there as I sang. She was diagnosed with moderate-to-severe hearing loss at 4 months old, so I guess she was feeling the vibrations and movement at my mouth? So I kept doing it. She's 6 now, and I still sing to her every night before bed, though now I sign along. That's something only Maman does, and it's our special thing. And we didn't really have a namesign until Lili started school at 4! Ooooh, I'm so excited to get news, to hear about his routine! Yess, a strong routine for a baby is so reassuring, gives them some real confidence in exploring their world because they know what to expect, it's wonderful. I know I use my youngest as an excuse to dip out early ALL THE TIME!

What's exciting is that Rupert will have his first word in sign language, and his first spoken word. I wonder if they will be the same and how old he'll be. I had an ASL teacher tell a story about her DIL calling when her grandson was 4 months old, describing a sign he was doing and asking her what it meant. She said, "What did you just give him because he wants more!"

Even sleep deprived, you two are as fabulous as always, thank you for regularly bringing your internet children wonderful content.

Jessica's face at 16:36 when she calls Claudia 'an amazing human'....okay fine maybe I do believe in true love

Rupert refuses to be a bouncing baby, he has written a strongly worded letter re: the bouncer and it is a forbidden object. He reserves the right to change his mind at a later date.

So “the baby needs to go down” is the adult “my mom said no”

For wearing a hearing aid vs not, my friend's parents are both Deaf with no cochlear implant or hearing aids. When her and her brother were babies their mom would keep her hand on the bassinet next to her at night. The vibrations of the crying would wake her up to calm them. Not sure what the parents did when the kids grew out of the bassinet. But it's an idea to try if the hearing aids are causing headaches and other issues. So happy for the two of you!

Also, so proud of you Jessica for building up that upper body strength to hold the baby ❤️

It's funny bc I don't have kids and have no plans of ever having kids and these videos have done nothing to change my mind about it, _but_ they're still just so nice and life-affirming to watch. Sort of warm and soothing and optimistic. Makes me feel like maybe things will turn out okay.

He (or at least the back of him) is so adorable. He's lucky and blessed to have you two as parents.

The automatic swaying even when you're not holding the baby sticks around for a long time!

My baby didn't like the bouncer until she was about 3 months old. You might still get some use out of your bouncer still. I guess you never really know what you'll need until you get to know your baby. ❤

Claudia you need a soaker hose for your garden! You can just leave it laid out in the garden and turn it on and leave it for 30 min

"You have to have a bouncer" Cue me picturing people suddenly having bodyguards for their babies...

I have been signing with my grand babies since birth my two year old can sign her name but can’t say it. The fun thing is her mum and dad can’t sign so I get FaceTime calls to find out what she is trying to say.

*”Three times on hot days…* *THREE times on hot days”* 🤣🤣

I love how why Jessica was holding him and he puts his hand on her chest to feel her heart it was so cute I had to rewatch cuz it was to cute I kept staring at him

I love his "balding old man" hairline in the back! I know he's busy growing it but it's just so cute, and that's just where it's thick for now. Jessica really convinced him he's a Montessori baby and he's like "This isn't what Mama raved about. Tosh!"

My first baby had undiagnosed acid reflux for the first nine months. He cried and cried and screamed and nothing helped accepting feeding and holding. So much sick, no sleep, depression. He couldn't play cos he couldn't lie down and didn't even smile till 11 weeks. He's seven now and totally awesome. He doesn't seem to have suffered anything long term from it and the second was infinitely easier, but my first experience of motherhood was awful.

Rupert is such a darling! Jessica thank you for normalizing that overstimulation can lead to exhaustion even if it is something “passive” like seeing or listening. For those with chronic illnesses sometimes just THINKING is exhausting!

I'm really glad that Rupert gets to grow up with Mums who just understand that people may need assistance, but also need respect. Also, I think a lot of parents my mum's age didn't know that overstimulation was a thing, or that the solution to a kid being upset about having their limbs confined was to...not confine the limbs. You two are already such great parents, and it is really inspiring to see 💜

My mom uses my EDS as her excuse to leave events early she hates something the que is "yes my daughter is starting to hurt I need to take her home so she can lie down and nap" means act like I'm out of spoons and not like I just took a nap before the work party

Doctors: “Don’t lift anything heavier than the baby.” Me: literally dragging my toddler around the house while carrying the baby on the first day home from the hospital

He is just too stinking cute! I'm looking forward to hearing more about how motherhood is going (and impatiently awaiting the Montessori video, Jessica!!).

I am hearing and signed with my kids. It is amazing being able to communicate with them before they are able to speak. Having sign as a second language will be very helpful later in life. I also noticed how Jessica signed much more in that segment. I enjoy seeing the signing. I know ASL but enjoy seeing similarity and difference in BSL. I also know how much/little new parents sleep and the sleep deprivation hardly showed. You also have a silly side so it could be hard to tell the difference. 😂 Great presentation - thank you for sharing with everyone!

Such a fangirl moment! I just heard Jessica's name mentioned on the Finnish national radio station and I jumped from glee. A journalist (who belongs to the disabled community and runs a weekly show with her also disabled colleague) mentioned you as a sharp and hilarious content creator, educator and style icon. 🤍❤🧡💛💚💙💜

Jessie's "Don't worry, I've got a mama sense for you" just made my heart swell omg you two are such sweethearts

Can confirm by observation of my nephew : the bouncer is absolutely useless until they start to roll over. After that it's an interest thing. My nephew can just spend hours just jumping on their bouncer and then nap and start again like there's no tomorrow. So I think once mine reaches that age and they outgrow it, I'll just ask my sis in law to give the item to me rather than buy our kid their own.

Claudia as usual has the best bits! "...this is my life now" deserves to be a gif

I love how you defined Claudia as 'gestational' mother. I think that's beautiful, and better than "biological". Love you guys. You make having a newborn look easy.

I'm almost 7 weeks post partum myself and I love hearing from other parents who are in a similar place with a baby. We also chose a name that was just for our baby, but her middle names are for each of our favorite grandmothers.

I absolutely took/take full advantage using my children as an excuse to not go or to leave social events.

also a thought on jessica not wearing her hearing aid at home, I believe that will lead to baby adapting to your needs more quickly! as in he will definitely eventually learn not to rely on sound cues when communicating with you and will figure out other ways!

You too are good mums ❤. And Jess you should not worry about the hearing aids to much, especially if it harms you. I bet Rupert would rather have a happy mum than a hearing mum.

I love his little half crown of hair, like a little old monk baby

When the subs aren't here yet so you're just vibing with them like the "he's a little confused but he's got the spirit" meme (tbf they are adorable mummy vibes so I'm not complaining lol)

Oh my god I am envisioning Jessica as the BEST story teller EVER, I bet she will never get Rupert to sleep because she will NAIL the story and captivate Rupert so much with her impressive ability to speak with so much emphasis and emotion! "Another one, mommy! Another one!" Love you guys so much. Seeing you together is so endearing.

His personality, combined with the stripe of hair in the back, makes him seem like an old man already! I think he is lucky to have you as moms

Great to see the three of you looking so in tune with each other. Good luck with the privacy thing, my youngest is 23 and still thinks it’s ok to chat when I go to the loo! 🤦🏼‍♀️

I got my hEDS diagnosis yesterday (thank you for your video on it!) - I love seeing you both and how in love with Rupert you are ❤️❤️❤️

I'm disabled and want to have kids (the plan is to start trying in about a year or so). Thank you so much for sharing this. I cried when you were talking about being disabled actually being good for parenting.

I’m in awe that Rupert isn’t a leaky baby, lol! That’s fascinating 👀 My kids leaked from their mouths and bums after every feed. There was no diaper that could hold their endless yellow breast fed blowouts 🤢. My laundry pile was endless. Y’all are so lucky 😂

Tip I wish I’d gotten w my first: put socks on *over* the footie bottoms. Makes things so much easier. ❤️

Are you playing him any music? If so, which songs/ pieces are his favourite? Also congratulations!!! He's so cute💕

I love his name rupert, you dont hear of his name that often. He is adorable and you are both the best mama and mummy he could ask for ❤

In the Waldorf method they call a schedule a “rhythm” and it sounds like that’s a good way to describe the structure of your day!

Claudia looks AMAZING 🥳

In all seriousness. Jess and Claudia make me believe in true love 😍😍 This entire video is just pure love

The routine thing is fact. Kids need routine. I appreciate Claudia not wanting her baby in the bathroom. That's so me.

You two are such gorgeous people and parents! I have three....and as a daughter of an LGBTQ+ mum, you are absolutely rocking it!!! Much love to Rupert too ❤️❤️❤️

Our daughter loved watching trees moving outside! I could put her buggy under a tree and she loved it! Put her in the bouncer next to a window with a view of a big tree and she loved it!

I know its not the same, but what you said about "not being able to give your son what he needs" my mother said about my kids as she was ill and with mobility issues by the time they came along. I told her do not focus on the things she could not do, but at the amazing things she could do" You both are doing an amazing job and your kid will grow up being fully bilingual and that is such a big plus!

Commenting on what you are doing with your baby is phenomenal for language acquisition/development. When the baby starts making noises, you can “reply” as if he/she is asking you a question or telling you something. Varying your tone, intonation, sentence length etc is all helpful too!

It makes me so happy to see you two loving life as Mom's! It's so clear you both love him so much! I'm so surprised and impressed that he's sleeping soundly as you two talk and laugh

I relate to Jessica nearly going on a rant about school

I’m extremely stressed about finals for the summer classes I’m taking but my favorite gay mums have posted so I feel a bit better❤️

LOL Claudia, the freedom to use the baby as an excude to leave things early is so delicious. my son is ten now and I totally appreciate him as a +1 to events for this reason! hearing the details of integrating sign language into daily life was just so sweet!

Seeing you two as parents is just so wholesome! I look forward to any videos or pictures of your little family!!! Congratulations again!!! ♥♥♥ Thank you for answering these questions. You can just see the love between you three!

That thing about not lifting anything heavier than the baby, I can't get past the fact that they grow. Like you'd get stronger as Rupert gets bigger. and will eventually be able to lift the equivalent of an adult.

"My independence has gone!!" - spoken like a true sagittarius 🤣👌

Claud, if you haven't already, cover your soil with mulch! It helps a ton to keep water from evaporating. My balcony gets super hot in the summer because we have stone tiling, and so all my pots used to dry up within a day, but ever since i added mulch to my pots, they all last a few days easily, and the bigger ones even go a full week of sun without watering :) also it doesn't really matter what you use for mulch, some people use straw, some use wood chips, personally i just collected nut shells as i ate them and covered my pots with about an inch or two of those :p

I've been silent for too long in regards to comments. I've been watching your videos for almost 2 years and I'm just happy to see how you guys have grown. Rupert is a bundle of joy (I'm sorry I can't get over how precious he is and wow it's been 8 weeks already what lol), you both are amazing moms and I can't stop wishing you all the best

You three are the sweetest family ever (and also my life goals 😂 ) 💕🌈

Motherhood looks so beautiful on you two. Claudia is still glowing. ❤️

Rupert is probably too small for the bouncer, still. But trust... when that lil squirt is in sit-up phase at like Month 5-6, the bouncer will be your saving grace. LOL It's the only way I got showers done when mine was that age. LOVED the video. You two are angelic as always ♥

What lovely, loving mothers little Rupert has. 💖🎀💖

You know Claudia, you really do have the most beautiful glow. I have heard people talk about women who become mothers getting that but I have never seen it before. Congratulations you two.

Seeing this video brought me so much joy. I’ve known for along time that I don’t want kids, but it still makes me so happy to see you guys being so happy with your baby.

In my opinion, and in absolutely no way taking anything from Jessica, I think Claud has visibly blossomed. I greatly admire these fantastic, awesome people; they are beautiful, loving, inspirational and, quite frankly, delightful to watch together. I feel that Claud was never always this comfortable in front of the camera, and please do correct me if thoughts are that I'm overstepping here, but now seems to have come into her own. I love these adorable ladies, and wish them the brightest of blessings for the future with lil' man. ❤️🤗

Oh, I remember 8 weeks. I was deliriously happy, or tired. Can't actually remember.

I cried through all this... as you two are such amazing parents. When you both said there was nothing you didn't like about motherhood, I thought "Oh Rupert you are so loved and so wanted, one day you will understand how lucky you are!" every child should be this wanted and this loved.

So excited for this video !

Your story of your pets meeting Rupert made me think of our cat when our daughter was born. Anytime we'd go out with the baby and come back the cat would just glare with a look of "You brought it back" lol.

Does Rupert not spit up? That's the reason the babies I've been around need frequent outfit changes. I've been watching a baby with reflux and we just gave up and let her stay in just a diaper most of the time because it's impossible to keep the onsie dry. It just seems cruel to keep a baby I a wet onsie.

Thank you both so much for sharing! We are ALL smitten with your family!

I was so excited to get the notification of this video being released. So happy to see you both thriving with the early days of parenthood!

Among many other things, I really appreciate how calm and sweet your videos are, especially against the backdrop of very frantic/fast-paced videos many other RU-vidrs go for. So wonderful to see you both so smiley

Seeing you two as parents is so freaking awesome. Rupert has the best moms in the world.

When you shared what you appreciate about each other, I cried. You two are wonderful!

You guys are absolutely glowing with love! ❤️

so nice to hear from you!!

You 3 are an adorable family! ❤

this is the only channel that features children that i watch. im so happy for you two and thank you for haring your experiences with us

So happy for both of you, & glad everyone's doing well! 🥰

your family is just so beautiful and perfect. The love and happiness just shines through. thank you so much for allowing us to be a part of it all.

Oh boy, the first several weeks (months for me) is usually rough. My boy is six now, but those first few months were a blur. The sleep deprivation is honestly why my husband and I haven’t tried for another baby.

His little hand on your chest at the end is so adorable! 🥰 So glad to hear things are going well. My youngest just turned 8 months old, but I remember the newborn stage like it was yesterday.

Well that was adorable 💜 Thank you for letting us in on your life as parents, you both look so content.

The cuteness 😍😍 congrats you two!

It’s so cool to see you both so happy! I don’t think parenting is for me, but you two are amazing at it already! You care so much about him and his autonomy and such, I wish my own parents had had that kind of understanding when I was growing up

I’m glad you guys are having a good time because I’m not 😂 All joking aside, my girl is freshly 4 weeks old and this is hard shit man!

the happiness and chaos of this video is such a serotonin boost

The both of you are glowing!