My goodness! Where do I begin? This month is a huge milestone -- you're three months! You've officially finished the "4th trimester" that I read about, where you spend the first 3 months getting used to life outside of the womb. They say things start to get easier now that you've started settling into a bit more of a routine and that you're more aware and interactive. So true! It's definitely easier now (although by no means easy!!) than it was when you were just born! Your dad and I are more in tune with you and can understand your cries so much more. You're a wonderful baby. You really only cry for one of these reasons: you're hungry, you're sleepy, you have a burp, you have gas, you're uncomfortable (too hot, too cold, dirty diaper) or you just want to be picked up and held. Your dad and I run through this checklist frequently!
This month, you've definitely found your voice. You purse your lips and "gooooo" a lot, it's the cutest thing! You also realized that you can make little spit bubbles and you seem to have fun with it.
You haven't really laughed yet, but you do smile really wide and make noises. As much as we love hearing you, the one thing we don't like to hear is your cries! You've started crying a lot louder -- especially during the middle of the night diaper changes -- you scream bloody murder!! Your face gets all red and you even scream so loud you go silent in the middle of the cry! There are even tears!! I can't tell you how much it breaks my heart and although it may not seem like it to you, believe me -- I change your diaper as quickly as possible so I can feed and comfort you!
The other thing you're starting to figure out is that you have hands and they're yours to control. You see the toy that is dangled in front of you and you can slowly reach out and grab it, and you're just starting to even put it in your mouth! It's so fun to watch.
You like to suck on your fist. I don't think you've figured out that there are fingers there, so you just go for the whole hand, haha! It makes these hilarious slurping sounds while you suck and it makes your dad and I laugh.
It's amazing how much you're aware of your surroundings now. Your dad and I watch TV in the evenings when you are in our laps and you've discovered the big black box with the people inside of it. You turn your head to watch and even when we turn you around, you arch your back to catch a glimpse! Your dad swears that it's that you love sports, but I think you just like the flickering light and the moving objects. I tell your dad that I think he's trying to brainwash you into liking sports, haha! Don't worry though, your tv watching time is limited -- you only watch a few minutes so your dad and I can eat dinner but other than that it's The Mommy and Daddy Show that keeps you entertained!!
In the evenings, daddy comes home and plays with you while I make dinner. You love his games! You have dance offs where you wiggle your legs and then daddy wiggles his arms and you go back and forth. You always beat him though! There's just no competition with your cuteness!!
He reads you stories like "I Can Do Anything!" and the Elmo colors book that your Abuelita got for you. Your aunt Cindy just got you some fairy tale books in spanish for your baptism gift and we'll be reading those to you next!!
You and Daddy also play with toys together. Your favorite seems to be Jumbo Dumbo. He'll lay you on the blanket and then he'll dangle Jumbo Dumbo in front of you and pull it up and down. When it goes down and gets near your face, you open up your mouth real wide like your surprised! You do it over and over again whenever he gets close -- it's so incredibly cute!! The funniest thing though is watching you stare at the couch or the mirror above the couch -- you just giggle and smile as if they are entertaining you! You seem to have become good friends with them. But then again, you make friends with everyone! And speaking of playtime, the most amazing thing you've done this month is rollover!!! We couldn't be more proud of you!
Your feeding time has also gotten a bit more interesting. When I put you down in front of me to nurse, you now know what's coming and you open your mouth real wide! It's amazing that you know what's coming next! It does scare me sometimes, because you open your mouth so wide you almost remind me of a vampire! Haha! You also like to grab my shirt and pull it towards you while you're nursing, almost like you want to pull me closer. It's really sweet. You just love cuddling and being held!
Speaking of eating, you've definitley gained weight! It's so obvious in your chunky little baby legs. I looooove seeing how much weight you're gaining -- it means you're healthy! We've had several clogged milk ducts this month that were so painful for me, that it makes me realize why so many people switch over to formula so quickly. But when I see how much you love nursing and how much you've grown, it really makes me want to stick with it as long as possible. You've gotten so big that you've totally outgrown all your newborn clothes, and even some of your three month clothes already! Daddy even had to adjust the carseat headrest for you! You definitley seem to be on the higher end of the growth chart now, but we'll have to wait until your 4 month check up for the doctor to confirm. You've also gone from a size 1 diaper to size 2! We took so long to move you from the newborn diaper to the size 1 diaper, that you outgrew the size 1 in no time! I'm certain you're doing so well because you're breastfed and I really want to keep it up as long as possible. Let's hope the clogged milk duct days are behind us!
Your hair has also continued to grow. The mad scientist hair you had last month has tamed, but it's still a bit crazy in the back. Everyone comments on your hair, especially now that I've starting putting those cute little ribbons on you. You look like such a big girl!
You and I are now getting out of the house a bit more. I'm always reluctant to go out just because there is just so much baby gear to take along, but I realize that when we do go out, you and I seem happier. You love exploring and seeing new things. We go out on playdates and the highlight for this month is that we went grocery shopping by ourselves and that was quite an experience! The first time we went grocery shopping didn't go so well! We went with your Abuelita to Publix. We put your carseat in the shopping cart and your Abuelita pushed you in the cart while I picked things up. Well, your carseat was so tall that your Abuelita couldn't see past it and we ended up knocking over a display stand! This time I was by myself and it was more difficult since I didn't have an extra set of hands, so this time I put you in your new Ergo baby carrier (given to us by our friend Diana!) and I went shopping with you in it. You seemed to like it and I loved being hands free. Not knocking things over was a huge plus too! The only downside is the car ride over there. You hate it when we have to stop at a red light or stop sign. You scream at the top of your lungs! But the instant we start moving, you immediately calm down. It's almost like an on/off swtich. Thankfully, it's a short trip, but that's just another reason why we don't go out all that often. Maybe if we went out more, you'd get used to it?
This month, mommy also left you for the first time with Abuelita at the mall and then again with Aunt Cindy so she could go talk to her boss at work. When you were with Abuelita you slept the whole time but when you were with Cindy you were awake the whole time and she said you couldn't get enough of the shiny lights and all the activity. I'm sure Aunt Blanca is going to love hearing how much you loved the mall!!
You're also sleeping so much more now! You usually take a nap around 8pm, then you wake up and you nurse and then fall asleep from 11pm until 5am or 6am! I still have to wake up and pump, but it's so nice to see you're sleeping better. But one of those nights was not so great. Your dad and I woke up to you wimpering in your sleep. It looked like you were having a bad dream! We tried soothing you and your dad picked you up to rock you. We put on your favorite bedtime music and tried to softly calm you down. It took almost half an hour for you to get better and stop wimpering. It was such a sad sight! We can't imagine what you were dreaming of that would make you cry in your sleep... a diaper change, perhaps??
Your next milestone is teething. I've read that babies start teething between 4 and 6 months and I know it's right around the corner because you've started drooling like CRAZY! You need a bib at all times now, otherwise you drench our shoulder when we carry you. I know that milestone will be a bit more of a challenge because I know you'll be uncomfortable, but I can't wait to see those pearly little whites!
Keep growing my sweet little girl! I love you!
Your mommy
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