Ava Rose at 3 months

Woo Hoo!  3 months!  Nugster made it out of the "fourth trimester"!

Fun new facts:

• Prefers her thumb, or any finger really, to a pacifier.  She will still take an Advent Soothies on rare occasion.  Home girl knows where her hands are.  And she loves to look at her feet too.
• Likes her daycare assistant, I haven't seen her much with the teacher but she seems very happy with the afternoon assistants.
• Smiles a lot, happiest in the morning and we are so close to full out giggles.  She has been experimenting with her "voice" with lots of new sounds.
• Loves to "converse" with mommy and daddy.
• Her 3 month photo is her "super baby" pose, she throws her arms up a lot.
• Can "grab" items a little better, she has a Carters teddy bear, a Bunnies by the Bay lovey and an Oball that she can grab and hold onto easily.
• She still prefers to be held and is really particular about how she is positioned.  She enjoys sitting on my knee at meal time and upright on the couch so she shares my viewpoint.
• Can hold her head up really well, she doesn't fight tummy time like she did a few weeks ago now that she can lift herself up.  We are so close to our first roll!  She can prop up on one side but she hasn't let herself tumble over yet.

Weight: At the beginning of the month we had our 2 month appt and she weighed 8 pounds 9 ounces and now she weighs 9 pounds 14 ounces.  

Length:  She was 22.5 inches at our last appointment the first week of June.  We won't have another appointment until 4 months.

Eyes:  I think they're hazel, lots of green. 

Clothes:  0-3 months are fitting great.  She can wear some of her newborn onesies as well.  We still wear newborn Zutanos but I have another pair lined up in a bigger size that are still a tad loose around the ankle.  I think we are going to be in this size for several more weeks.

Diapers - Size 1 fits great.  We prefer pampers at home but we bought luvs for daycare and both brands fit and perform well.

Sleeping:  We had 3-4 hour increments and then she got a cold toward the end of the month so she woke up a lot more congested.  We had to stop laying her flat and she's been sleeping in the Rock n Play at an incline or propped up with me on the couch or recliner - anything to help her breathe.  She wears a Levana monitor to bed and it's given me some peace of mind.

Likes:  Faces and voices.  She loves to make faces and "converse", she loves to hear us talk and sing, and she loves to dance around the house to music.  R plays her lullaby music at night and we read a story before bed to help her sleep.  She still likes to be carried in the sling and to sit up on someone's lap.  She is very interested in the cat and gets into staring contests with her.  We have a few toys that she likes, mostly rattles, she loves to hear different rattles.

Dislikes: Baths some nights (other nights she is happy as a lark), being cold, being ignored, wardrobe changes and sometimes she fusses to fuss - we say if the wind is blowing in Idaho it makes our nugget unhappy. She is super demanding at mealtime, the daycare teacher told us she refuses to wait if she thinks it's time to eat.

Feeding:  Breast milk only so far with Tri-Vi-Sol in the morning bottle.  She gets 10.5 ounces at daycare during the work day and we nurse the rest of the time.  We have nursed a lot more since she's been sick - she's wanted more comfort and also to keep her hydrated.

Ava's favorites:  Morning talks, Carters 1st teddy, Lullaby Themes on Pandora

Milestones:  First vacation, first street fair, first fathers day, first cold, and her first time in the ocean.

Postpartum: I'm still upset that I have to spend so much time away from her during the day and pumping is difficult.  I'll do it as long as I can and I'm blessed that I have had such a positive breast feeding experience. The OB warned me that as long as I'm breast feeding that my hormones will not be "normal".  Oh and I'm starving...all the time.  All the time.  I don't care what I eat as long as there are copious amounts of it.  I'm losing weight slowly but certainly not because of a diet, I think going back to work and getting on a schedule has been good in that aspect.  I eat meals on time, I am diligent about drinking lots of water, and we have the baby on more of a sleep/wake cycle.  I'm still very tired though, most nights I get up at least 3x to feed her and it can be quick or it might be a hour...when she was sick we were up quite a bit and that makes the workday really long.  Oh, and my hair is falling out.  I knew it was going to happen and my hair is thick to begin with but goodness it is frustrating to have clumps come out every time I brush or shampoo. It gets all over my clothes and all over the house.  I'm going to get my hair cut soon so I hope that will help with styling...between the NC humidity and the added length it just won't hold my usual curl.  I haven't had much "free" time to blog, free time with an infant is next to impossible.  I purchased a book and picked up a magazine to read during my long weekend, we'll see how far I will get into them.