3 Months Old - January 22nd 2010

Dear Emily,

Wow – 3 months old! You’re such a big girl! You are changing every single day. Your little legs have thickened up and so have your adorable cheeks. You smile and “try” to laugh all the time now. While you haven’t fully mastered laughing, I love the little sound you make when you try. You’re also holding your head up…still a little bobble-head, but holding it up nonetheless.

You are happiest in the mornings, but generally, are a happy baby all day long. We haven’t really experienced the “witching hour” of crying with you in the late afternoons/night like a lot of parents experience with their babies. You are just a happy girl. Mimi said that I was a happy baby too, so maybe you have my personality. =)

You are sleeping thru the night pretty good now and we didn’t have to let you cry it out very much. There were a couple of hard nights, but all-in-all, you’ve done great on your own. Sometimes you wake up in the middle of the night, but you generally go right back to sleep on your own after some mild fussiness or with the help of a paci. Mommy’s so proud of your sleep skills! I hope you keep it up!

I love waking you up. You have the biggest stretches after I wake you up. Sometimes, you smile at me when I come to get you in the mornings or when I wake you up from your naps. I try to wake you before you wake yourself, so I can see you smile when you wake up. If you wake up on your own, you tend to cry. Not a bad cry, more like a “mama – I’m hungry” sort of cry – no tears…unless I’m not fast enough. =)

You are also trying to talk. Well, making little sounds. You have the sweetest little voice ever! I could listen to you all day long! Even your little cries are adorable to me.

We have the best conversations while you’re on the changing table. I guess it’s because you are more on my level. You will just look at me and smile and talk and smile some more. You also have started kicking your legs really hard – I call it doing your exercises.

You’re clothes have finally started to fit! I’m so excited b/c I have so many cute things for you to wear. I think I take your picture every time I put you in something new. I can’t wait to take you out and about to show you off to the world. We still don’t get out too much – just too cold and the flu is going around like crazy!

Your favorite toys right now are your lion and glow worm. You just recently have started paying attention to these guys. You also like the little lady bug on your bouncy seat and the little sprout doll Aunt Lisa gave you. You like to talk to them – it’s so cute!

You are eating every 3 hours during the day and are staying awake for about an hour and half at a time (including while you eat). It takes you about 30-45 minutes to eat, so that gives us about an hour of play time before you start getting tired.
I know you are getting tired when you start throwing your head back and to the left or right or you start to get a little fussy. I’ve learned to put you down for a nap BEFORE this happens or RIGHT when it happens or you’ll fuss a bit before you fall to sleep.

You like your paci ok, but prefer to suck on your hands. You recently found your thumb, which has mommy a bit worried – thumb sucking is a hard habit to break – Just ask Aunt Lisa! =)

Mommy started back to work this month – January 13th. It was a hard thing for me to do – to leave you all day, but Granny is watching you for a little while until we can figure some things out. I am still able to see you at lunch though and we get to nurse. I’m so thankful for this!

We have established a great little night time routine. You eat at 9 or 9:30, then it’s time for bath. Next, you get on your PJ’s (while throwing a temper tantrum – not sure what this is about, but you do it every night without fail and for no apparent reason!) We thought you might be cold, so we put a heater in your room before you eat to make it nice and toasty, but so far, it hasn’t helped much. You just don’t like getting dressed. I think you would prefer to stay in your birthday suit!

Then, daddy rocks you while I get your clothes laid out for the next day. Then, it's my turn to rock you. We listen to our lullaby’s and pray for our family – each by name. We also ask God to say hello to Mimi and let her know we think about her each day and miss her very much. Sometimes Daddy will read a book, but for the most part, it’s just me and you rocking and saying our prayers together. Then, it’s lights out and time for “night night”. You go right to sleep!

You’re such a good baby and SUCH a blessing to your mommy and daddy. I have loved getting to know you over the last 3 months and can’t wait to learn more about you and live my life all over again through your innocent little eyes. I love you so much it hurts. I now understand what my mother (your Mimi) always told me about a “mother’s love.” I hope someday you will get to experience the wonderful feeling of being a mother and my prayer is that I’m able to see you become a mother. There is nothing like it on earth!