3 Months Old
My how time flies! I can't believe she is already 3 months old! And I can't believe how much she has changed already! I have heard that babies change so much in the first year, and it is true. She came home from the hospital a helpless little fragile baby. Now I feel like she is a little person (ok, still helpless, but not as fragile!). She interacts so much with us. She smiles ALL the time, which just melts my heart. Every morning when we wake up, she sits in her bouncy seat while I shower. She is all cute, waking up and stretching (after being swaddled all night, suddenly she has hands!). When I get out of the shower and she sees me, she squeals with delight and grins at me. It is so precious. I don't ever want to forget that!
She is meeting all of the milestones for her age. She smiles, she can track objects (she tracks me like nobody's business. If someone else is holding her, she will watch me walk away, or turn her head so she can see me - so cute!), she is sticking everything in her mouth - toys, her hands (fists really, she doesn't separate her fingers much!), my hair, etc. Very cute , but probably shortly very annoying!! But for now, it's just super-cute! She will mimic us - she sticks her tongue out at us when we do so, and recently has started making raspberry noises as well. It is so fun to watch her think, and to listen to how her breathing changes when she is concentrating on something. She still hates tummy time with a passion, but she is able to lift her head at least 45 degrees. And overall she is quite strong and has very good neck control. We can hold her up in a standing position, and she can bare her weight on her legs and keep her head still for quite a long time.
As for her weight and length, I don't have another Dr apt for a month. But our friend has a digital scale, and Kayla weighed about 13 lbs. And we have a play mat that has a measure stick on it, and I've measured her to be 25 inches long on that! So she appears to be growing and thriving!
I wish I could report that she is sleeping through the nights consistently, but that would be a lie :) She still wakes up once or twice to nurse, but that is ok with me. I am getting enough sleep, so I really can't complain. And she seems to be ok with the arrangement as well.
She is having a shorter and shorter "fussy time" at night. Sometimes we don't have a fussy time at all! And then there are times when she is angry (choking on her own rage kinda angry), which breaks our hearts. But nothing a little comfort nursing can't cure.
She has an intense love of the outdoors. If she is fussy and we take her outside, she instantly calms down and starts to take things in. We often will take a walk around the block in the evenings if we notice she is starting to fuss, and that cures it! Sometimes I walk to the local grocery store in the afternoons, and she just stares at the scenery. I am hoping this love for outdoors continues, as David and I love the outdoors and want to do things together like that as a family.
A few notes for my reference:
1. Her eyes are still a slate blue color, almost blue-gray - just like her dad!
2. Her left tear duct is still plugged :(
3. She has not cried real tears this month, so maybe it was a fluke last time
4. She is cutting down on her spitting up, or maybe we are just being smarter about catching it!
5. I have seen her wiggle her left ear several times, and David has seen it too!!
As for me, the "forth trimester" has come and gone. I am at times overwhelmed by the responsibility of being a mother - of being in constant demand for my time, my attention, my milk, etc. The truth is, I really don't get much time away from her, and sometimes that is hard for me. At the same time, I love her so deeply and care about her so much that I really don't want to be away from her. I can't put into words the joy she brings to my life. There are times when tears of happiness stream down my face. She has a way of lighting up my life - her smiles and her squeals of glee absolutely overwhelm me with happiness.
When I was pregnant, I was told, "9 months to put on the weight, 9 months to take it off". Well, with the um (cough) 46 pounds I gained, I figured it would likely take the 9 months to get it off. But I told myself that I wasn't going to worry about that for at least the first 3 months. I was going to spend my time learning how to be a good mom, and not worrying about eating or exercising or dieting. And all but about 10 of those pounds have come off already! You'd think that maybe some of my pre-pregnancy pants would fit, but I assure you they don't! And sadly, those 3 months I gave myself to adjust have come and gone, and I suppose I better start to get my body back into some semblance of what it was before. I have started playing on our soccer team again, but would like to start working out at the YMCA again... it's been more than 3 months since I have stepped into those doors, and I am finding that I miss it. I'm not sure how exactly I would be able to squeeze that in, but I will try to make an effort to do so. In the mean time, I have been trying to do my Pilates tapes daily, and take brisk walks as well. Now if I could just forgo the nightly desserts, perhaps I'd see some results!! :)