3 months - a bit late

Dear Baby Rose,

In some ways it is a surprise that you are already 3 months old.  The time has flown by.  In some ways though, you are such a treasured part of our lives I cannot imagine our lives without you!

We took you to the doctor today because you have had a nasty cough. You seem to have some drainage that is making your tummy a bit more upset than normal.

Your height is 23.5 inches, you weigh 13 pounds and 14 ounces

You sleep very well.  We do your last feeding around 10 pm, and then you generally sleep until 5 or 5:30 a.m., then you go back to sleep until 7:30 or 8 am, when I nurse you.

You are a morning baby.  You are full of smiles and love to hang out on your changing table a bit.  You always seem to stare just off to the side a bit.  I ask if you are smiling at your guardian angel.   You have started laughing just a little bit.  I'm excited to hear more of that.

You are not rolling over yet, but you can definitely shift onto your side.  You love to be out facing the world.  When we hold you, you prefer to be facing out.  You enjoy laying on your activity mat with things hanging over you, but you still prefer to be up and able to see.  We decided to buy a different bouncy seat that has an bar to hang items down, so you can play and be sitting up a bit more.  You also will sit in your bumbo chair for a bit while I get food ready, or clean your bottles.

Sleep Arrangements

When your daddy is working days, we sleep in your room.  You were sleeping in your crib, and me in the bed.  But, now you have a bit of a nasty cold.  You cough quite a bit sometimes.  So I like to be able to sit you up and pat your back to help you get things down.

Weight and Height

We took you to the doctor on Wednesday to check out your cough.  The doctor said you are fine, and that you weigh 13 pounds and 14 ounces! You are almost 14 pounds.  That means you are almost out of size 1 diapers.

Schedule and Feeding

We are still on the every 3 hours feeding schedule during the day.  You usually nurse between 7 and 8, then have a bottle at 10, 1, and 4.  At 7 we usually nurse.  My supply has been a bit low so when we nurse at night you usually also get a bottle.  You usually wake once at night.  Most nights it is between 4:30 and 5:30 am, so we are quite lucky.  Lately you have started taking a nap in the afternoon after your 1 pm feeding.

You are starting to be awake and alert much more.  You still really love to be held, so I am learning how to do most things 1 handed.  We have not found a carrier that does not make my back feel weird.  You are able to hold up your neck quite well now.  So, hopefully we can try the ergo soon.

I am about 130 pounds.  We have now scheduled a houseboat cruise on Lake Powell for late May.  So I have some serious motivation to lose the last 10-15 pounds!  I have had a hard time working out much with your daddy's tough work schedule.  I have started doing some yoga in the mornings while you sleep around 6:30 a.m.   Hopefully I can do more of that.

We love you baby Rose! You are such a sweet reminder of God's love.  We are so lucky that he has entrusted you to us.

Love you!

xoxo

Mommy

Eight Months Old This Time Next Year

Hi Baby Rose!

You are moving around a lot more now.  I can feel you quite often during my day.  Your kicks are getting a bit harder.  They still are not super obvious from the outside.  But I love the constant reminders that you are in there.

I have been reading up on what life will be like for us this time next year! You will be eight months old on July 15th.  You will be crawling around, and picking things up with two fingers.  We will be giving you "O" shaped cereal and other chunks of food.  If we are able to get breastfeeding going you might still be doing that several times a day.  You should not be watching TV until you are two years old! So no Disney movies for you yet.  You could start learning sign language at eight months.  You also will respond to low and serious reprimands, so we will have to start letting you know if certain things are off limits.  We could start playing memory games with you looking at baby flash cards or family pictures.  You might be pulling up on furniture.

Love,

Momma

Fun activities to try:

• Let your baby put tennis balls or toy cars in the cups of a muffin tin. She'll also love playing with shape-sorting toys.
• Create a miniature obstacle course using pillows, cushions, chairs, and boxes for Baby to crawl between and over. Join in the game to show her how to navigate it.
• Ask your baby questions and wait for a response. Encourage her to shake her head yes or no. Teach her to wave "bye-bye" and clap when she is happy.
• Baby understands more words than you might suspect. Mention a favorite toy, pet, or a family member's name. If she immediately looks for it, you'll know she understands.
• Offer your baby objects such as a toothbrush, cup, hairbrush, or toy telephone. When he treats the object appropriately, such as putting the toy phone to his ear, react positively and enthusiastically.
• Introduce your child to a variety of foods. He will love the ways different foods feel and taste. Let him start drinking from a sippy cup. He will have fun imitating you at mealtime.
• Some favorite food choices for this age include dry cereal, scrambled eggs, diced soft fruit and vegetables, cubes of cheese, yogurt, cottage cheese, diced meat, teething biscuits, crackers, pasta, and mashed potatoes.
• When you are reading to your little one, ask her to find and point to the tree, cat, ball, and so on in the pictures. When you are dressing Baby, ask her to point to her head, tummy, and toes.
• When you are reading to your little one, ask her to find and point to the tree, cat, ball, and so on in the pictures. When you are dressing Baby, ask her to point to her head, tummy, and toes.
• Whenever your child does something accidentally, such as dropping his sippy cup from his high chair, say "uh-oh!" This lets him know you are not upset and that everyone makes mistakes. Eventually he will begin to imitate these phrases, and sometimes there won't be a real reason.
• Play games with your little one when you're dressing her. Play peekaboo when her head pops through her pajama top. Kiss her hands when they appear through her sleeves. Ask her to step in her pant legs. Clap when she follows directions.

Activities from here.