Jackson {3 Months}

Dear Jackson, I cannot believe that you're already 3 months old.  I realize that I say that every month {and probably always will}, but it really is so crazy!  

In some ways, it seems like you've been a part of our family forever, but other times, I find myself thinking that you've been somewhere or met someone already since I was there or last saw them "just the other day" only to realize that it was actually a few short months ago when you were still in my belly.  I used to think that the days/weeks/months were flying by, but now that you're here, it's going even faster!

 

The past month has been great.  We were able to get you on reflux medicine at your 2-month well check appointment, so thankfully, you don't cry nearly as much as you used to.  You really only cry if you're tired or if your tummy hurts, and when your belly is full and you're well rested, you are SUPER happy.  You give us the best gummy grins, and even though you're not quite giggling yet, you definitely have your own little laugh.  It's so cute, and so are you.

My absolute favorite time of the day is getting you out of bed in the mornings.  You are always in the best mood and give me the biggest grin as soon as you see me.  I unswaddle you, and as soon as I do, you raise your arms above your head and arch your back.  I love it.  You're smiling from ear to ear the whole time, which makes me feel like you're just as excited to see me as I am you.

I've learned a lot in the past 3 months.  I've learned what your different cries sound like, and for the most part, I am now able to tell whether your hungry, tired, or if your tummy hurts.  I've also learned that if I prepare for the worst, things will go well.  I always bring an extra outfit {or two} wherever we go, and I've learned to always bring the "front pouch" with me to the grocery store just in case you get tired of your car seat.  Trying to grocery shop while carrying you AND pushing the cart is not an easy task!

I started back at work this week, and although I was really nervous about leaving you {especially the first day}, I think it's going to be a really good thing.  As my 12 weeks of maternity leave began to run out, I found myself stressing out about whether or not I should go back to work and making the "right" decision, so thankfully, work is allowing me to come back part time.  I really like working, but I also love being at home with you, so I'm really glad that I get to do both.  The plan is for me to work 2 days and be home with you the other 3, and we are so lucky because on the days that I am at work, your Mimi comes over to our house to be with you.  The whole situation really is such a blessing.

I can't even begin to describe just how much I love you so much or how glad I am that I get to be your mommy.  It's definitely one of the hardest "jobs" that I've ever had but is hands-down the most rewarding.

Love,

Your Mom

{3 MONTH STATS}

Measurements: 16 pounds 10 ounces

Sizes:

• Clothes: mostly 3-6 months and some 6-9 months
• Diapers: size 2
• Shoes: size 2 

Eating:  During the day, you eat every 2.5 to 3 hours, but the timing completely depends on what time you get up in the morning.  We never really knew how much you ate during the day since you mostly just nurse, but on the first day that I left you with Mimi, we realized that you eat a lot more than we thought you did, which makes sense considering you are such a big baby.  Before I went back to work, we only gave you a bottle every now and then, and whenever we did, you seemed to only want to take 4 ounces, but that first day with Mimi, we found out that you eat about 7 to 8 ounces every single time.  You won't take that much at your night or early morning feeds though.  Those two times, you only take about 5 to 6 ounces, so all in all, I think you drink about 38 to 44 ounces everyday.  No wonder you're growing so fast!

Sleeping:  We are so glad that you are such a good sleeper.  We had a feeling that you would be since both your dad and I love to sleep, but we really do realize how lucky we are.  We try to not brag about it too much because we'd hate to jinx ourselves, but we moved you into your own room when you were 2 months {the day that you turned 9 weeks old to be exact}, and things have been great ever since.  We give you a bath at about 8 pm or so, feed you one last time, and then put you down at about 9 pm.  You are so good about going down at night.  We turn on your sleep sheep, swaddle you, give you a kiss on the cheek, turn off the light, and close the door.  You are "drowsy but awake" just like every website/book recommends, and within just a couple of minutes, you are sound asleep.  You sleep until about 6 am {about a 9-hour stretch}, and at that point, I get up to change your diaper and feed you and then put you right back down.  The key is to not talk to you at all, which is pretty hard to do, but if I am successful, after a few minutes to talking to yourself, you'll easily go down for another 2 to 3 hours.  After that, you're up for the day.  You take about 3 naps during the day, but the timing and length are not very consistent.  You usually get fussy about 1.5 hours after waking up, so I try to put you down a few minutes before that.  Your afternoon nap is usually about 3 hours long, and the other 2 are 30 minutes to an hour or so.  You usually nap in your crib, but if we are on the go, you'll nap in your car seat or swaddled in the middle of a bed.  You'll always sleep in someone's arms, but we try to stay away from that as much as we can.

Likes:

• Playing with your hands and staring at your feet
• Lying on a quilt on the floor and "talking" to us
• Having your diaper changed, which is crazy because you used to hate it!
• Sitting in your bouncer on the kitchen table -- where you are able to watch us cook, eat, etc.
• Being held by dad like a football -- and drooling buckets at the same time!
• Being held over my shoulder while being patted very firmly on the back -- if you're tired, this puts you right to sleep!
• Sleeping -- we are so glad that you're such a good sleeper!
• When we talk to you and especially when we sing to you

Why look at the camera when you can look at your feet instead? ;)

Dislikes:

• When your tummy hurts and you have gas
• Sitting in your bouncer on the floor
• Being held in the cradle position
• Drinking from the bottle, but hopefully that'll get better the more time you spend with Mimi
• The sound of the phone ringing on speaker phone and other loud noises -- you startle so easily!

Tiiiiiim....

 .....beeeer. ;)