Three Months Old!

Happy 3 month birthday, John!

I can finally say that people aren’t lying to parents of newborns when they say “It gets better.”  Yes, it’s actually true.  It’s pretty amazing to see how much John has grown, physically and developmentally this past month.  He’s so much more alert and interactive.  He smiles all the time and I’ll get a big belly laugh out of him a couple times a day.  The kid likes to be entertained and has yet to learn how to entertain himself.  Bud and I are basically monkeys that perform for him all day long.  He’s become very….ummm…opinionated.  That’s a nice way of saying that he knows what he wants and will bitch until he gets it.


He’s also so much stronger.  He can hold his head up with no trouble now (although it’s still a little wobbly at times) and is getting better at “tummy time.”  He’s starting to have better control over his arms and legs and will kick his big, chunky legs for fun.


Sleep:
SO good.  I’m thrilled!  At about 10 weeks John became pretty good overnight sleeper.  He’s sleeping between 10 and 12 hours every night, waking up once to eat at about 4:00 for about 15 minutes.  Middle of the night feedings used to take about an hour or more so it’s awesome that we’ve gotten them down to 15 to 30 minutes max.  His longest stretch has been 9 hours, but 6-7 hours is now standard.

As I mentioned in my last post, John is in love his room and sleeping in his crib.  I still have a hard time getting him to take a good nap every day, but if I bring him in his room with the curtain drawn and the white noise machine on, his little brain knows what’s coming and he gets sleepy almost immediately.  A couple days ago he was playing on the floor and started to get fussy so I thought he might be sleepy.  I put the white noise machine on and saw his eyes roll back in his head within 30 seconds.   

I really need him to start taking a decent nap at least once a day so that I can get work done during the day. 

Eating:
Haha….clearly we don’t have an issue with eating.  His nursing times are getting shorter and shorter.  I don’t know if he’s becoming more efficient or just doesn’t want/need as much, but that’s ok with me.  The first couple months I think John would have been happy if I nursed him all day long, but he’s not like that anymore.  He’ll eat when he’s hungry, but when he’s done, he’s done.  He will not eat if he’s not hungry and will actually get pretty upset if I try to feed him when he’s not in the mood.  This is good because I’m not glued to the couch or rocking chair quite as much, but it’s also kind of annoying because I like to “top him off” before people come over or I’m about to go out and I can’t do that anymore. 

Like and dislikes:
His daddy:  Don’t get me wrong, John as always liked Bud, but in the past couple weeks he seems much more connected to his dad.  He’ll strain his little neck to see Bud when Bud gets home.  He’ll give the biggest smiles when Bud is the one to get him out of his crib in the morning (instead of boring old mom).  He’ll cuddle in and pass out when Bud walks him around the living room.  It’s very sweet.

Singing is always a hit.  Always.  His new favorite songs are any songs with hand movements.  They are mesmerizing.

He’s not really into toys yet, but likes this moose the best.  It TOTALLY tortures Uma.  He also likes this thing, which we call his iPod.

A few weeks ago he decided that being carried like a baby (his back parallel to the ground) is the worst thing in the world.  He wants to be carried upright (his chest on your chest, looking over your shoulder) and will LET YOU HEAR IT if you try to carry him any other way.  I mentioned he’s demanding and opinionated, right?

He LOOOOOOOOOVES ceiling fans and skylights.  They are endlessly entertaining.


He’s starting to notice the dogs more, but doesn’t have too much of a reaction.  Thankfully he doesn’t really mind that Uma is all-up-in-his-business all day long.

Size:
His growth rate has slowed.  Phew.  I didn’t think we could keep that rate forever.  I’m sure he’s gained some weight the past month, but is still wearing the same clothes (3-6 month mostly).  He graduated to a size 2 diaper at 9 weeks old, but there’s still plenty of room in them so I’m sure he’ll be in them for a while. 

He’s a chunky little marshmallow man, but I love it and wouldn’t want it any other way.  Why have a baby with 1 chin when you can have a baby with 3 chins?

Me:
I’m doing a lot better.  This month I’ve been able to pump a lot more to have “reserves” in the freezer for John.  This has allowed me to get out of the house a lot more…sometimes with him, sometimes without him.  I’ve had 2 long, social outings this month which have been heavenly.  Until a couple weeks ago, the longest I’d been away from John was 2 hours and almost every time I was away from him it was for an errand or a doctor’s appointment…nothing purely fun.  On April 4^th I went to happy hour and to see Rock of Ages with some friends.  I was gone over 5 hours (including his bedtime) and everyone was perfectly happy when I got home.  This past weekend I got a massage with some friends and then had a nice boozy-brunch complete with the most delicious lemon-ricotta pancakes ever.  It’s so, so, so wonderful to get out and do these things.  Makes me feel like me again….like I’m not a zombie after all.

Oh…and a nursing update just for fun:  312 hours, 32 minutes.  Wow.

John’s highlight of the month:
Easter Sunday.  He was such a little angel that day.  We spent time with both sets of grandparents.  He’s so lucky to have 4 grandparents in town who worship him.

John’s low-point of the month:
Getting round 1 of his vaccinations.  Poor boy.

Favorite picture:

Brother and Sister

I love that they have the same expression on their sweet little faces.

Others:

Mom, is there someone behind me?

I KNEW IT!

Morning cuddles = my heart melting

(plus, a Juno photobomb)

San Francisco shirt

Easter 2013

We need more pictures of the 3 of us.  I only have 4 so far.  My ultimate goal is a picture of all five of us, but that might be a pipe dream.