3 Month Pics

I told DH not to argue with me- we are having pics taken at the 1,3,6,9, and 12 month marks. He thought it was excessive at first, until he got to pick out one of her outfits for the most recent ones. I'll let you guess which one he picked. We didn't print all of these poses, but some were too cute not to share.

For some reason this one make her look so much chubbier than she is, but it's still cute!

I have Timberland boots like Daddy

I don't like this tummy time stuff

3 Months Old

Well, time continues to fly. I wish I could put things in slow motion. I'm enjoying every single second with my precious girl, but not I really know what people mean when they say "they grow up so fast." It feels like Sadie was just born. 

Age: 3 months

Weight: about 12 and a half pounds

Length: 23 inches at her 2 month appointment

Size: 3 months and some 3-6 clothing. She is still wearing a few 0-3 things but they are getting snug. We are also using cloth diapers now! It was a bit of a production trying to figure out my wash routine and she ended up being allergic to the fabric on one kind of diapers so I had to rethink my stash, but we have it figured out now and things are going well. I'm so glad I didn't give up (I wanted to several times.)

Hair: Dark and getting pretty long around her ears. DH said we should cut it and "even it out." He is CRAZY. She's adorable even with a little top baldness and no one is going near my baby with scissors yet. Her eyes seem like they are turning hazel. DH has hazel eyes, mine are brown.

Teeth: None, just loads of drool. We go through 2-3 bibs a day.

Sleeping: She usually wakes up once per night. She goes to bed with us, around 9:30, and she will wake up any time between 2-4 am for a short feeding. Most of the time I have to wake her at 7 to get her ready for the sitter. She's been taking long naps there, and will still catnap in the evenings. I can usually lay her down semi awake at night and she will go to sleep on her own. She is still in the rock-in-play by our bed. I will probably transition to her crib over my Christmas break. I really don't want her to leave my side though. I love being able to reach over to her during the night if needed.

Eating: still 100% breast milk. I feel very lucky that breast feeding has gone so well for us. Since returning to work I've been able to pump plenty of milk for her during the day. She really doesn't eat much when she's away from me and seems to wait and nurse more in the evenings. Her middle of the night feedings are only about 10-15 minutes now. We've come a long way from the hours and hours she would nurse at night during those first few weeks. I have to admit it makes me a little sad. I love the extra sleep, but it's just another sign that she's growing too fast. Such a bittersweet feeling.

Movement: She looks less like a bobble head and can hold her head up very well. She has started to grab onto things. If I cover her up while she's in her carseat she has learned how to grab the blanket. She sucks on it sometimes. She also seemed to have figured out that her hand is attached to her body. I catch her just lifting her fist and staring at it, almost making herself go cross eyed. It's so fun to watch. She sucks on her hand a lot now too. That usually wakes me up before her whimpers in the middle of the night. I hear a loud "suck suck suck" and she almost has her whole hand in her mouth, so I know she is ready to eat.

Milestones: Oh, the baby babbles. They are so stinking cute. I love hearing her "talk." She almost laughs, but we have yet to hear it. I can't wait for that! She responds to raspberries on her tummy and we are able to make her smile easily now. She has also been going to her sitter for two weeks now and has been doing great. They love her and I'm so glad. My sitter's 3 year old son said to me, "I wish your baby was our baby." She's gone to storytime at the library twice now with them and the boys read to her all the time during the day. I am so incredibly fortunate to take her there.

Favorite Toys/Activities: She still loves the ceiling fans. She is starting to respond more to toys, especially ones with faces, but she really doesn't love any toys yet. I think her favorite thing is just sitting and looking around. She will sit happily on my lap and I usually hold her while we eat dinner. She just likes to take in her surroundings.

Dislikes: She is still not a fan of tummy time, and she fights her naps if she gets overtired. Honestly we are lucky she is such a happy girl. There isn't much that she truly dislikes.

Words & Sounds: The baby babbles mentioned above. I love them so much. She still does her fake cry which cracks us up.

Hey woman, stop taking my picture!

Tomorrow we are having some 3 month professional pictures taken. I will share some soon!

The Exciting Life of a Baby

I've been so busy lately there hasn't been much time to blog. Lots has happened in our lives in the last month though! I went back to work last week. It was difficult, but we managed. Sadie was an angel at the sitter and made everyone fall in love with her. I'm so lucky to have my sitter- she's wonderful and I feel completely comfortable with her taking care of my daughter. She is the wife of a coworker. She is also a nurse, but stays home now with their 4 kids. They are all boys- 6, 5, 3, and 1. You might think she has her hands full with all of those boys plus Sadie, but she is amazing. She handles 5 kids better than I handle one. Every Wednesday she takes the kids to story time at the library (she brings her mom along for help) and this past week they held it at a local pumpkin patch.

Here is Sadie enjoying all the pumpkins. Or sleeping.

Even though Sadie is just a few months old, the thought of her going to weekly story time excites me. You're never too young to start reading! This week they have trick or treat at the library so I am sending Sadie's costume. We weren't going to do a costume besides her Thing 2 outfit (more on that in a minute) but I found an elephant costume at a garage sale for 50 cents! Score!

The best part about my sitter is that she is less than 5 minutes from the school. I ran over each day (except Wednesday) and nursed her at lunch. I thought I would be so rushed, and I am, but once I get there it's nice to sit down and relax for 15 minutes or so with my girl. Plus it gives me a break from the pump. Next week I have recess duty so I'm not sure when I will eat lunch, but I will figure it out. It's a small sacrifice to make for my little girl who will grow up so fast. Pumping has been going well too. Since I've been nursing at lunch, Sadie has taken less than 8 ounces from a bottle each day. I pump once each day during my plan and still had almost 18 ounces left over to freeze on Friday! I'm so glad I can keep up with what she eats. I think it makes a big difference that my sitter nursed all her boys (and still nurses her youngest) because she will hold her off if I'm coming soon because she knows that I will have to pump if I don't nurse. Again, I am so blessed to have her.

Sadie also became a traveling girl. We took a mini vacation to Boston to visit some dear friends and see the sights. She was an angel. She slept almost the whole 20 hour drive (with nursing/changing stops) and slept in the stroller during most of our sight seeing. We got very good at nursing (discreetly) in public. One my favorite places was on the 50th floor of Prudential Tower. There were no chairs, so we just plopped down on the floor with my nursing cover. She also ate on a park bench and in several restaurants. The best part of vacation was spending time with one of my best friends that I have known since elementary school. Her son is about 5 months older than Sadie.

Sam and Sadie sittin in a tree....

Getting off the T at Harvard. You can tell Sadie is really enjoying herself. Or sleeping.

Yesterday we had a very exciting day. A couple of years ago Shorty and I entered a pet costume contest at a local outdoor mall, and it's become a yearly tradition. The first year she was a banana and I was a gorilla. Last year she was a Dayton Dragons cheerleader. This contest is serious. People go ALL OUT. So I knew we had to be extra awesome to win a prize. My wonderful sister-in-law got Shorty and Sadie Thing 1 and Thing 2 shirts as a shower gift last May. My talented grandma took an adult wig and separated it to make a wig for Shorty and Sadie. I dressed up as the Cat in the Hat.

We got second place in the pet/owner duo category! It was so much fun! I remember last year telling my grandma, "I hope I have a baby to bring next year." Of course, I thought I would have a baby through the gift of adoption. Little did I know we would be so blessed with Sadie. I am the luckiest mom in the world. I'll leave you with some more costume pictures and I'll be back in a few day to post her 3 month update (sob! My baby is growing too fast!).

My stepsister, Apryl. She lives in KY and met Sadie for the first time yesterday.

Shorty is thinking "Why do you people do this to me?"

Sadie says "Yeah, I know I rock the blue hair. I'm awesome."

2 months old

Where has the time gone? I can't believe Sadie is 2 months old already. 

 

Age: 2 months

Weight: 11 pounds 4 ounces

Length: 23 inches

Size: Completely out of newborn clothes :( and in 0-3, mostly 3 months. She also fits into our cloth diapers now. We haven't completely made the switch but hope to soon.

Hair: Still dark, getting very long on the sides and filling in a little at the top. She still has "male pattern baldness," but it is adorable.

Teeth: Not yet, but she has been drooling a lot lately!

Sleeping: She is still a good sleeper. She will go anywhere between 4-6 hours at night. One night she gave me 6 1/2 hours! She usually has one long nap during the day and several cat naps.

Eating: Exclusively breast milk. Now that I made it past the first six weeks, I am determined that she be exclusively breastfed until she is a year old.

Movement: She has great head control. She looks like a bobblehead, but can hold it up herself fairly well. She can sit in the little seat I have for her (similar to a Bumbo) for a few minutes. She can also roll from belly to back! She hates tummy time so she had to figure out how to get out of that :). The first time I thought it was an accident but now she consistently rolls. It's not easy for her though. Sometimes it takes a good 5 minutes of work! She is also grabbing at things some. She has gotten my hair a few times.

Milestones: Smiling! She smiles like crazy when I talk to her. It's so adorable. Rolling, 2 month appointment with her first set of vaccines, going shopping several times with mom and nana.

Favorite Toys/Activities: Nursing, looking at ceiling fans and lights.

Dislikes: Tummy time, waiting to eat, trying to fall asleep. She will fight and fight going to sleep sometimes.

Words & Sounds: She does her fake cry, which is starting to sound more like a shout, and she does some babbling. She tries to imitate me when I coo at her (if only she would imitate me when I pretend to sleep!)

Reflections on PAIL

PAIL= Parenting After Loss or Infertility.

After reading this post from a fellow PAIL blogger, this has been brewing in my head for awhile, I just haven't had much time to write. Katie and her husband just adopted a baby after years of fertility treatments, and she writes about parenthood on her blog From If to When.  Suddenly you are on the other side, while those who were on the journey with you are still waiting for their happy ending. It's difficult not to feel a sense of guilt for overcoming infertility and loss. I felt it during my pregnancy and often wondered why God chose to bless me while so many others still suffer and remain childless. Katie also writes about how being a parent- whether PAIL or not- is hard. Really hard. After wanting a child so bad, you think you have to be a perfect parent, which is just not possible.

Taking care of a baby is all consuming. There are days when I am overwhelmed and all I want is a moment to myself. There have been a few days where Sadie is fussy and I feel like I can't do anything right. But I will say that PAIL has made me a better mom. Even when I'm in the thick of it- those moments when I feel like a total failure- I look at my daughter and I am overwhelmed with emotion. I am so grateful for her, especially on the tough days. Because I get to have tough days. I get to experience the exhaustion and difficulty of being a parent. Even when I'm nursing at 3 am, I can stare at Sadie and realize how lucky I am to be awake in the middle of the night with my baby. My 1% baby that my RE said I probably wouldn't have. I would never wish the pain of infertility or loss on anyone, but for me, I am grateful for it. Every day I get to look at a miracle. Not everyone can say that.

Professional Photos

We had some one month pictures taken of Sadie. Here are some of my faves.

1 Month Old

 I stole this template from my friend S so I can do monthly updates. Hope you don't mind, S. How is my baby getting so big?!

Age: 1 month

Weight: About 8 lbs 8 oz (using a non digital baby scale I have at home)

Length: 20 3/4 inches at 2 week appointment.

Size: She is almost completely out of NB sized clothes and diapers :(. Some of the 0-3 months are still a little big though.

Hair: Still dark, getting very long on the sides and filling in a little at the top. It drives DH crazy that she is "bald" on top.

Teeth: Not yet!

Sleeping: She is a good sleeper so far. She will do between 3-5 hours at night and takes 2-3 hour naps during the day.

Eating: Exclusively breast milk. She is doing wonderful and I feel so fortunate to have such a great nurser. The only issue we have is my fast letdown makes her gulp so we have to burp often. She has taken several pumped bottles from other people (she won't be fooled into taking one from me!).

Movement: Her neck is getting so strong! We don't have to support her head as much. She follows us with her eyes, and pushes off my chest with her legs when she is mad.

Milestones: Learning to like the swing and walks in the stroller. She is also reacting more to sounds and her burps and farts have startled her a couple times.

Favorite Toys/Activities: Eating, eating, eating. Also eating. Oh and sleeping.

Dislikes: Getting her clothes changed, waiting to eat, and getting dressed after a bath. She doesn't seem to mind the actual bath, it's when she is wet and I'm trying to dry her off and dress her that she really gets mad. She also hates when we first strap her in her carseat. Sorry girl, it needs to be snug!

Words & Sounds: She does a lot of grunting in her sleep. I've learned to distinguish between her fake cry and real cry. Her fake cries sound a little like a duck...lol.