Nora: Month Three

Dear Nora-

Three months! I remember thinking when you were born that three months old seemed pretty far away, but here we are. This month has really been a delight. Your fussiness has died down a lot (though you still have your moments, as any baby does). And you've started to realize there's a whole exciting world to explore.

It was a big month for you. Your first plane trip (to Maine), your first day at daycare (we survived!), your first earthquake (you slept through it), your first hurricane (Irene), and your first laughs (we think. They're kind of like "heh heh heh").

Sleeping: We have been so blessed in the sleep department. You extended your sleep this month by about an hour, so now most nights you are sleeping from 10:30pm to 5:30am- 7 hours! Followed by another two hour nap after that. This may partly be because you don't nap great during the day (daycare thinks you're quite the cat-napper with most naps only lasting half an hour or so), but I'll take it! Now if only I didn't wake up quite so often to check the video monitor (I just want to make sure you're okay). We still swaddle you, but you've started to break out more and more, so I think we might have to break that habit pretty soon- pretty sure there's going to be a big adjustment period for that! We're thinking of doing the swaddle-breaking and the crib transition all at once, maybe this coming month (you're still sleeping in the Rock n'Play sleeper in your room).

Eating: Breastfeeding has continued to go fairly well, though I've become immersed in the world of pumping at work. It's fine, but not my favorite thing, and my supply isn't great so I have to do it a lot to get enough to feed you. So far I've had some interesting stories to go with it- like I was pumping when the earthquake happened (ha! I totally ended up standing outside in just my nursing tank because I forgot to put my real shirt back on in the evacuation hustle). And then like the next day the janitor walked in on me- talk about awkward. But overall, I'm thrilled that you made it to three months on breastmilk, which was my first big goal. I'm hoping to make it to six months, but it's likely some supplementing with formula will occur because even with fenugreek and other techniques, I'm barely producing enough, but I've mostly come to terms with this and I'll be happy with whatever breastmilk I can provide for you.

Weight: I don't know for sure, but I estimate it to be ~10.5 lbs or so based on your rate of growth before. You're definitely still a little peanut for your age (I tell you that good things come in small packages).

Diaper Size: Perfectly fitting the size 1 diapers now.

Clothes Size: Perfectly fitting 0-3 months right now. I had to put away your newborn clothes but 3-6 months would be huge on you.

Milestones/Firsts: You've discovered the wide range of noises you can make- including a bit of shrieking, which we hope you decide isn't that fun after all. So many new sounds! The funniest story: your dad and I were talking to you about desserts for some reason, saying "Does Nora want... ice cream? Does Nora want... a cookie?" and then suddenly we both swear you said "Coo. Kie". I'm not even joking! Haha, obviously it was just coincidental sounds you made but we both just looked at each other and were like "Did she really just say cookie??"

We believe you've started to laugh/giggle just in the last few days, a cute little "heh heh" during your smile sessions when we're doing something particularly silly to get you to smile. I'm looking forward to more of these in the future, it's so cute!

You've started to like toys more, like this light-up Baby Einstein toy, which seems to completely mesmerize you. Also, you think your feet are just about the coolest things you've ever seen, though you haven't figured out how to grab them yet. You just stare at them in amazement.

Your head control is great so we've started to use the bumbo (the pink chair up above) and you really like being upright and looking around. When you're flat on your tummy, you can lift your head up to a 45 degree angle (but you're not so much a fan of this).

Likes/Dislikes: This month you decided you really don't like the car. Pretty much I can only count on two minutes of silence before the screams begin in the car, even when we're moving now. I'm just glad daycare is so close! You're actually not much a fan of the carseat in general, and even during walks now (which used to be our go-to method for calming you), you start to cry after awhile. I'm hoping this is a stage you'll grow out of. :) You really like when people talk directly to you, especially Daddy. You just light up when he says hi to you! You have also come around to liking the bath more (yay!) except for the towel-drying part.

It was hard to transition from maternity leave to work (I miss you so much during the day!), but honestly now it's starting to feel good to be back doing work that I love, and you seem to be doing okay at daycare (you really like your teachers, though they've told me you want to be carried all day long and you cry if they put you down). I'm hoping it continues to go okay, and you get more used to being able to entertain yourself sometimes, because I really just want to see you happy, and continuing to learn and grow. I can't wait for all the learning and growing we have to look forward to!