You're three months old now, and we are so amazed at how much you've grown and changed. You truly light up our days and give us so much to smile about! You and I enjoyed our last month together of my maternity leave, and what fun we had! I'm so grateful to have had so much time with you before having to go back to work.
The weather was great for being outside, so I tried each day to take you for walks around the city. You also got to listen to (and smell) me cooking and baking in the kitchen as you hung out in your swing, and you started to be more amused by toys (you love laughing and smiling at the birds hanging from your bouncy seat!). Your Grandma was able to visit you often, and you enjoyed taking shopping trips with her! You just seemed to grow so much, both in body and spirit.
One of our favorite things is that you show joy with your whole body! You watch intently, and then all of a sudden you start to smile big and laugh, which also involves you throwing your hands up and kicking your feet. Usually you turn your head from side to side too — it's great! There's so much joy emanating from you in those moments, and it's contagious!
You also have a more serious side, and you stay alert about what's happening around you. When Daddy comes home, you turn your head the minute you hear his voice. You have the cutest expressions even when you seem more contemplative. I love those faces as much as the smiley ones!
Sleeping: You remain the sleeping baby champion!! People don't believe me when I tell them how well you sleep. We've continued our routine of bathtime/last feeding around 7:00pm, which means that you're usually asleep by 8:30pm or so. Sometimes you have a harder time falling asleep, but even at the latest, you're asleep by 10pm. And then? Then you SLEEP! You sleep until anywhere from 6:30am - 9am, depending on the day. Mommy really really appreciates how well you sleep at night!
Your napping routine is less exact. You usually get fussy about 90 minutes after you've woken up, and you'll often nap in your swing for two hours or so. And if you don't get a longer nap in during the morning, you almost always take a long snooze in the late afternoon. Towards the end of this month, you started taking shorter "cat naps" where you'd wake up after 30-45 minutes and be ready to eat/play.
Eating: You continue to be exclusively breastfed, and your eating is (as it has always been) stellar! The bottle saga continues though, my sweet baby! You're adamantly opposed to drinking from a bottle, and even though your stubbornness is so frustrating to us, I almost have to appreciate how much you stick to your guns! It's impressive! In your first two days of daycare, you only had a couple of ounces (and even those you drank accidentally or under protest). I had to leave work on my lunch break to come nurse you. Don't tell, but I was glad to have an excuse to come see you!
Stats: I'm not sure! Your next pediatrician appointment isn't until December, so we don't know for sure how much you've grown or gained. But we know it's happening because you're definitely outgrowing your clothes and you have the cutest little baby Buddha belly.
Clothes Size: You've completely outgrown anything 0-3 months, and even a lot of 3-6 months seem like they'll only fit you for a couple more weeks. A lot of your clothes are 6 months or even 6-9 months. You're a growing girl!
Milestones/Firsts: The most notable first this month was your first day of daycare! You started going on Thursday, November 1st, so you (and your mama!) only had to survive two days before the weekend. You didn't cry when I left you, but you only drank about 1.5 oz. of milk from the bottle and I had to come feed you (as mentioned before, I was secretly happy to have a reason to come see you!). The first few days really tired you out, and you "slept like a baby" those nights! We were so proud of you for hanging in there those first couple of days! I think you had a couple of firsts there too — you listened to a xylophone and piano for the first time, you went for your first wagon ride, you saw your first baby, etc.
You also found your thumb this month! For a while you were sucking on your hand/knuckles, but you've figured out how to get just the thumb in your mouth. It's pretty cute, and it cracks us up when you're slurping on your own hand! You sat in the Bumbo for the first time too — you seemed so perplexed about being able to sit upright without one of us around! Your neck is so strong though, so you don't need help holding it up anymore.
You experienced your first hurricane! On October 29th, Hurricane Sandy (aka "Frankenstorm") rolled through the northeast and left a trail of destruction and darkness in her wake. We were so lucky in Philly to not lose power, but your grandparents and other family were without power for more than a week! The weather turned very chilly right after, so we were so happy that we didn't have to worry about you getting too cold without heat.
Likes/Dislikes: You love the moment when you wake up in the morning and see me standing by your crib. You are so happy and give me lots of smiles. No matter what time it is, it makes me so happy to see you! You love when Daddy sings songs to you. Some of your favorites are Three Little Birds, A Bushel and A Peck, and the Good Morning song he sings to you. I sing to you a lot also, but I tend to make up silly songs as I go along. You don't seem to mind yet! You love to snuggle and you're starting to touch and grab things more as you learn how to use your hands. You still love bathtime, and we have fun playing in the tub each evening. You seem to like the ladies who work at daycare, and you give them lots of smiles.
You do. not. like. bottles! I will take it as a compliment for now, but I hope that you manage to get over this the longer you're in daycare. You're getting a little better about being in the carseat, but you still prefer to move vs. sitting still once you're strapped in. You still won't suck on a pacifier, but we try periodically just in case you've changed your mind (you haven't yet!). You're still very vocal when you wet your diaper, so we continue to change you very quickly thereafter!
Visitors: You visited my work with me this month, and you got to meet several of my colleagues. They thought you were pretty cute, even though you cried a little! There was another get-together with the Coulson side of the family so they could see how much you'd grown since they last saw you. And your Great Aunt Kathy and Uncle Bob came to Philadelphia to visit you — how special you are!
