3 Months!! Where has the time gone?!

Buddy!  You are already a quarter of a year old!  Can you tell your mom is a glass half empty kind of girl? We have had so much fun this last month!

BABY STATS:

Sleep: You are starting to sleep for longer periods of a time pretty consistently!!  One night we got 7 hours straight out of you!  Usually, though, it is more like 5-6 hour stretches of sleep.  You will usually sleep from about 8:30 until 2:30, then again until around 5:30, and then again until maybe 7:30 or 8:00 am.  A couple nights ago, for two nights in a row, you kept waking up every two hours.  I am pretty sure you just had your 3 month growth spurt, and that caused you to wake often to eat.

Daily Routine:  The only routine that we have established this month is a bedtime routine.  We start the process around 7:45 or 8:00 to have you in bed around 8:30.  Some nights (every other night) we give you a bath, then we dress you, diaper you, and feed you.  I have been reading you a bedtime story most nights.  Right now I am slowly reading you chapters from The Chronicles of Narnia.  Don't worry, we also read "baby" books.  There isn't much of a routine during the day, but we make sure that you get tummy time, play mat time where you get to bat at hanging toys, book time, and lots of music time (meaning mommy sings very silly, mostly made-up, songs to you).

Feedings:  Baby, baby, baby.  What am I to do with you?  You have completely rejected the breast at this point.  You will ONLY take the bottle.  I have tried very hard to coax you back, but you are so stubborn!  You scream if I even place you into the nursing position.  I went to a La Leche League meeting to get advice from a lactation consultant.  We still haven't fixed the issue, despite her advice.  It would just make things so much easier on both of us if I didn't have to pump you a bottle, and then feed you that pumped bottle.  Fortunately, we live in modern times and I have an excellent pump, which makes it possible for you to be exclusively eating breast milk, even if you are refusing to nurse.  You eat 4-5 ounces each feeding, and eat every 2-3 hours!

 

Weight:  

At birth: 7 lbs 3 oz

1 Month: 10 lbs!

2 Months: 12.5 lbs (50th percentile)

3 Months: 13 lbs, 13 oz (I only know this because we had to go to the doctor because I thought you were sick)

Length:

At birth: 19.75 inches

1 Month: 21 inches

2 Months: 23 inches (50th percentile)

3 Months: ????

Head Circumference:

At birth: 34 cm

1 Month: 38 cm

2 Months: 39 cm

3 Months: ???

Diaper Size:  You are a size 2, and we are STILL working toward getting you into cloth diapers.  We have had you in your cloth diapers for a couple 48 hour stretches, but always have to revert back to the disposables because of rashes.  :(

Clothes Size:  You are wearing 3-6 month clothes!  You are definitely outgrowing several of your onesies!

Hair Color:

At birth: dark brown/black with a small blond streak in the front

1 Month:  same, maybe slightly lighter

2 Months: medium brown

3 Months: medium brown

Eye color:

At birth: dark blue/gray 

1 Month:  dark blue outer ring, with a lighter blue on the inside

2 Months: dark blue outer ring, with a light blue inside 

3 Months: dark blue

Funniest Moment:  

Milestones:  You continue to talk quite a bit!  You love to say "a-goo", "a-boo", and "oooo".  You talk to your toys, you talk to your mom and dad, to your grandparents, to other children, you talk to your eye-spy quilt . . . talk talk talk!  I love it!  You are on the verge of making raspberries, I think!  Just today you rolled over for the first time without assistance!  Before we had to place your arms under you a certain way, but not today!  You did it!  You are much less resistant to tummy time these days, and may even enjoy it a bit!  You are now able to do "Super Baby" where we hold you above our heads and you keep your whole body straight like Superman.  I think you like this too!  We still have yet to hear your first laugh, or your first squeal!  I am so excited to hear them.  I think you have done a couple silent laughs, and are close to a squeal.  Anytime now buddy, I know we aren't that funny, but, come on!  When I read to you, you like to grab the pages of the books/magazines and help me hold them up!  I love it!  My little reader.  You will sit through an entire children's story, particularly, The Belly Button Book by Sandra Boyton. You are obsessed with your hands and fingers right now, and are constantly putting your fingers (usually more than one at a time) in your mouth.  This can be quite unpleasant, as you often gag yourself!  Poor guy.

Your favorite toys:  You continue to love your pacifier, your swaddler, your mobile from Aunt J'aime, and now you also love your crib mobile from your grandparents!  You love the octopus that your grandparents gave you -- you stare into its crazy big eyes.  You are enjoying batting at objects hanging from your play mat.

Firsts:  You rolled over for the first time!  You slept through the night for the first time.  Mommy and daddy had their first date night while grandma and grandpa watched you!  You also had your first daycare-like experience.  Daddy and I rejoined the YMCA, and I have been dropping you off at the child watch area while I go to Zumba class.  I don't think you have been awake for the child watch people yet!  

Well, Elliott, you and I have just one more week left together before I go back to work.  It is pretty sad, but it hasn't quite hit me yet.  I am sad to be away from you, missing your prime time during the day, and all of the milestones you might meet while I'm away.  The good news is, you are going to have a GREAT time with Grammy and Grumps!  Also, you will be spending one day a week with Octavia!  You will have a lot of fun, and I expect a full report from you each day when I pick you up.  I am sure it will go something like, "a-boo, a-boo, a-goooo, ooooo, a-booo".  

2nd Month

BABY STATS:

Sleep: You are still sleeping for about 2-3 hour stretches.  There have been a couple rare 4-5 hour stretches, though!  You sleep in your crib usually, but often we bring you into the co-sleeper after your 5 am feeding, because that's when you start the grunting.  You have gotten pretty good at putting yourself to sleep.  You will lie in your bed and look around at things until you fall asleep!  

Daily Routine:  We still haven't established much of a routine.  I think this is something that will happen when your mom goes back to work!  Right now mom's schedule is your schedule, for the most part.

Feedings:  You are still breastfed exclusively.  We had a couple hiccups in this area this month.  I think we were giving you too many bottles, and at one point you decided you didn't want to have to work for your supper and would cry anytime I tried to feed you from the source!  This got especially bad on our vacation when we relied heavily on bottles.  You are finally back on track, though.  When your were taking bottles you were eating about 4-5 ounces per feeding.

 

Weight:  

At birth: 7 lbs 3 oz

1 Month: 10 lbs!

2 Months: 12.5 lbs (50th percentile)

Length:

At birth: 19.75 inches

1 Month: 21 inches

2 Months: 23 inches (50th percentile)

Head Circumference:

At birth: 34 cm

1 Month: 38 cm

2 Months: 39 cm

Diaper Size:  You are a size 1-2, but we are still working toward getting you into cloth diapers.  Your diaper rash is finally diminishing, and I think we can start the cloth diapers this weekend!

Clothes Size:  You still mostly wear 0-3 month onesies, but you fit some of your 3-6 month onesies!

Hair Color:

At birth: dark brown/black with a small blond streak in the front

1 Month:  same, maybe slightly lighter

2 Months: medium brown

Eye color:

At birth: dark blue/gray 

1 Month:  dark blue outer ring, with a lighter blue on the inside

2 Months: dark blue outer ring, with a light blue inside 

Funniest Moment:  

Milestones:  You have really started "talking" this month!  We hear lots of "coos", especially when we are changing you and you are looking at your mobile.  You seem to respond to us when we make your noises.  You have been saying "whoo, whoo", "a-goo", and "aaaah".  You are so cute when you talk, especially the adorable little 'O' shape your mouth makes with the noises.  You are also doing a lot more, visually.  You notice a lot of your surroundings and occupy yourself with looking at people and objects (particularly lights and ceiling fans).  You follow objects with your eyes, turn to familiar voices, and even watch the dogs sometimes!

Your favorite toys:  You love the mobile that your Aunt J'aime made for you!  When we sit you in your vibrating seat, you absolutely love to stare at the animals that hang from it.  I make the animals talk for you, and you find that endlessly entertaining.  You also love your swaddler and your pacifier.  

Firsts:  This month you had a BIG first!  You went on your first plane ride to your first vacation and first wedding!  You were such an excellent traveler!  You barely cried at all on either of the flights.  You tolerated multiple car trips, restaurant outings, hotel stays, lack of air conditioning in some places, being held by tons of "strangers", and hitting up the bar!  Everyone was amazed at how easy going you were for a mere eight week old!  All of your dad's friends kept calling you a "chill" baby!  

You and Mama at your first wedding!

You and Daddy dancing at your first wedding.

You snoozing on the beach at the lake house in New Hampshire.

This month you also had your first "coo"!  I absolutely love hearing your sweet little sounds.  It sure does warm a Speech-Language Pathologist's heart!

You had your first real series of vaccinations at your 2 month check up!  An oral vaccine for the rotovirus, a nice cocktail for tetnus, diphtheria, and pertusis, as well as another shot that protects against pnuemococcal infections.  You were not happy with the nurse when she gave you the shots, as real tears streamed down your beat-red face.  :(  Poor baby.  You got some infant Tylenol and were a trooper the rest of the day.

You met your Great Uncle Jeff for the first time this month!  We met at Pei Wei for his birthday.  You slept the whole time, and then fussed a little toward the end because you were hungry.  Your Uncle Jeff will teach you how to rough house when you are a bit older, I am sure!


To be continued . . .