"MY CUP RUNNETH OVER": 3 MONTHS OLD!

My girl is 3 months old (13 weeks) today! It's crazy to think that if my work would have let me take a 12 week maternity leave, I would have just returned back to work, because I feel like I've been back at work F.O.R.E.V.E.R. However, I feel like she was born just yesterday. Funny how that works. Next baby, I am going to beg and plead for 12 weeks, because it's amazing how much she's grown in the last 7 weeks! She's such a big girl now! Although I still get upset, it would have been much easier to go back now versus then.

She is still such a good baby. I took her out to eat for the first time this past weekend (I know, 12 weeks is kind of late to do that, but with all of the sickness going around I just figured I'd wait until it all passed before I started really taking her out in public) and she didn't make a peep the whole time we were at the restaurant. She was just as pleasant as could be. Tra and I joke that our next baby is going to be so bad since she has been so easy (knock on wood). I'm really not just saying that. She truly is a really easy baby to take care of right now. She sleeps like a champ and is pretty go-with-the-flow. I love her more than anything!

Love her!

- My girl has moved on up to size 2 diapers. She actually started wearing them about 2 weeks ago, but not because she had to. I buy the big box of around 230 diapers that lasts us about 3.5 weeks and I was afraid she wouldn't make it that long in size 1, so I just bought size 2. She definitely has growing room in them, but they fit pretty well. (Just an FYI on diapers: Pampers is the way to go. I am not a fan of Huggies!)

- She is pretty much in size 6 months clothes! She still has some size 3 months clothes that fit, but it's all spring/summer stuff. Anything with the feet in it now has to be size 6 months. I guess it's because she's so long. I'm finding that baby clothes are just like adult clothes in the fact that depending on the brand, she may wear a different size. Anything smocked, even if it is spring/summer, has to be size 6 months now as well. I would say pretty much 75% of what she is wearing is size 6 months. I'm kind of nervous about some stuff I bought really cheap for next spring. Who knows if it's going to fit if she keeps growing and is a size ahead of what she should be. Oh well, I'm just thankful that she's healthy and growing!

- She finds her feet really interesting these days and has started trying to grab at them when she is laying on her back. She hasn't quite gotten the hang of it, but actually gets them and holds on sometimes.

Checking her feet out!

- She really likes a show on Nickelodeon called Bubble Guppies. She was sitting in Tra's lap watching TV the other night and he turned her around to talk to her and she about broke her neck trying to turn her head all the way back around so she could see the TV again! Guess she's going to be a TV watcher.

- She is definitely a good sleeper. For example, last night, she fell asleep about 8:00. I held her until about 10:00 and then fed her again. She ate with her eyes closed and immediately went back to sleep in her bed. She then slept until about 7:00 the next morning. Thank you Jesus for giving me such a good little sleeper, because we all know that I like to get about 8 hours a night if I can!

- She is still eating 5 ounces every 3-4 hours during the day and usually goes about 9 hours at night. Since sleeping through the night and cutting out 2 feedings a day, she is now eating 6 times a day. 5 of those bottles are breastmilk and 1 is formula. I always give her the bottle of formula right before bed, because I've read that formula doesn't metabolize as quickly as breastmilk and will hold her over longer. I am still hoping to be able to give her breastmilk for at least another 3 months. It's my goal to do it for 6 months, and even after that I may still continue to give to give her a bottle of breastmilk in the morning and at night for a few extra months. It is all sooo worth it for my baby girl, but I can't wait to not have to pump every 3-4 hours anymore. I will have so much more freedom to go and do as I please without having to pump.

- She has started trying to hold her bottle. Sometimes, when she's got a good grip, you can let go and she will hold it for 10 seconds or so and then drop it. It's amazing how strong she is because sometimes she grabs onto her bottle and pushes away, and you really do have to fight to hold the bottle there. I don't know why she does that because you can tell she wants to eat. I really don't think she realizes what she's doing though. It seems more like she's just starting to be able to control her hand movements and she doesn't know exactly what she's doing, but is just trying to use them.

Holding her own bottle.

- She has laughed out loud twice now. Each time it only happened once and I couldn't get her to do it again, but it was the cutest thing, ever! I can't wait until she starts to laugh more.

- I have kind of dreaded this day because I am somewhat of a germ freak, but she has started putting things in her mouth! We were at lunch on Sunday for my dad's birthday and I was waving her toy wand in front of her face and out of no where she grabbed it, pulled it to her, and stuck it in her mouth. She had never done this before, but continued to put it in her mouth for the rest of the day. I guess I need to get over the germ thing before she starts crawling, but so far I have kind of been a freak about boiling nipples and pacis and not using them if they've touched anything, and making sure I clean toys after I buy them. It's just one of those things that really grosses me out. I don't want anything going in her mouth that isn't clean.

-She really likes to sit and watch me put my make-up on in the mornings! She will be so good and quiet and just stare at me.

- She still LOVES to cuddle in the bed in the mornings. I have discovered that on Saturday and Sunday mornings when she wakes up around 6:30, if I put her in the bed with me she will go back to sleep until about 8:30. So, I don't think she's hungry when she wakes up, she just wants someone to get her out of the pack'n'play. She nudges right up next to you and puts her arms on you. I think she just wants to be touching. I absolutely LOVE this cuddle time and wish I didn't have to get up so early and could do it every morning!

Me and my baby girl on St. Patrick's Day!

Also, BIG shout out to Samantha (and Addi, of course) for all the smocked clothes she let me borrow that were Addi's. It's mostly size 12M - size 2T, but it easily saved me HUNDREDS of dollars in clothes. I have a thanksgiving outfit, about 5 Christmas outfits and all kinds of spring outfits for next year! That's the beauty about smocked clothes, all of the stuff I got from Samantha looks the exact same as the new stuff I bought. It never goes out of style! Guess Addi being the best dressed kid around is paying off for me and Anderson as well!