Sweet Eloise Jane, today you are 3 months old!
You continue to be such a joyful, alert, smiley little girl who watches the world with the biggest, most beautiful blue eyes. You love to make direct eye contact and smile/coo with people around you. You have a very even keeled temperament; you are a pretty chill, self contained little one EXCEPT when an external factor makes you mad. And those external factors are very predictable: car rides, stroller rides, and being in arms other than Mama's when you get tired. You generally calm very easily once these external factors are resolved, and if we get a day with NONE of these events, you spend your day happily cycling through eating, playing, & sleeping.
Here are your 3 month updates!
How big? We don't go back to your doctor for stats until your 4 month appointment, but geez you are still HUGE. When I see other people holding you I re-realize how giant you are. You are fitting very comfortably in 3-6 and 6 month clothes, and also getting more and more adorable chins and rolls on you daily!
Eating? By day you are like clockwork, eating pretty much every two hours almost to the minute. You are still a great nurser, and totally happy to take a bottle if one is offered.
Sleep? Humph. This has been an interesting month for that! You'll recall that after your vaccinations your system seemed to reset itself, and we got TWO GLORIOUS WEEKS of pretty awesome nights where you would only wake 2, maybe 3 times. Then suddenly things went to s*** again- and I fully blame both a growth spurt and the 12 week "Leap" for this (I refuse to accept that you might just be a bad sleeper by nature!). Anyway... we were again up 6-7x/night, and you often liked to throw in a 2 hour leg thrashing session for good measure.
However... the last couple of nights have been pretty darn good. And Thursday night? The most AMAZING night yet. You went into a deep sleep at 9pm (I laid you in your Rock n Play at 9:30), woke to nurse at 1:30am and went right back to sleep, not waking again until 6:30am.
WHAAAAT?
You have never EVER done a 2nd sleep cycle that long. That was FIVE HOURS. Oh how I loved it. Oh how I hope hope hope we get more and more nights like this!
UPDATE: You did this AGAIN last night! Ahhhhhhh! Go baby Eloise, go!
Here are a few things I've done differently in your evening routine this past week, and I'm curious if a combination of these tactics has made a difference.
*Letting your bath salts SOAK in the hot water for at least 20 minutes before we get in. I heard from another Mama friend that the calming benefits of Epsom salts only occurs if they are able to saturate the hot water for at least 20 minutes, so we've been doing that the last few nights. I also am trying to keep YOU soaking for as long as possible to get the full restorative effects.
*Having a pumped bottle at bedtime. I had been doing this months ago and decided to reintroduce it. You've been taking one ounce right before bed and another at your first waking.
Naps haven't yet taken on any definitive shape or timing. You pretty much operate on a two hour cycle all day long: wake and nurse, stay awake to play for around 40-60 minutes, then nap until hungry again. You are still most often napping on me in your wrap (as you are this very minute!)- and I also try to nap WITH you in the afternoon, as I appreciate those naps too!
New skills?
*You are SO good with your hand/eye coordination! Like, exceptional in the baby world. You rock manipulating the toys on your Baby Bjorn, and you also will systematically grab one finger at a time on my hand working your way from the pinky toward my thumb. You furrow your brow and really focus, and it's like watching both a mad scientist and a skilled pianist combined as those long fingers move along.
*Many more vocalizations! Today for the first time you were using a lot more intonations and longer coos, along with practicing being LOUD. You still make this hilarious sucking in gasp sound that is an expression of joy and happiness for you.
*Noticing your FEET.... these are one of your favorite "toys" to observe.
*Excellent tracking. You follow voices and if someone you are watching gets up you will completely turn your head to follow where they are going.
*Rolling to one side. When laying next to me in bed you can turn your body to face me. You still haven't rolled OVER yet, but that will come.
Favorite things?
*Your hands and feet
*Ceiling fans
*When in the right mood, laying on your play mat and practicing grabbing the toys.
*Sitting in your baby bouncer in the kitchen. You LOVE this chair and use that time for serious foot studying or toy studying if I lay a toy on your lap.
*"Talking" with us. You love to make eye contact and coo back and forth with us!
*Your Baby Bjorn toy bar.
Not so favorite things?
*The car. Oh how you cry your little heart out in there! It's still so rare for you to be awake and content while driving; usually if you aren't sleeping you're crying.
*Tummy time. You do best on the big pillow in your room, but other than that we get maaaaybe 2-3 minutes before you start fussing.
Of note this month:
*You've had some pretty decent baby acne that comes and goes on a daily basis. It's mostly gone now and seemed to peak just after you turned 2 months old.
*After a month of 4x/day thrush med applications and NO results, we finally got your medicine switched. I'm happy to say after several days of the 1x/day Diflucan application your thrush has pretty much disappeared! Why or why didn't they START you on that medicine to begin with?
*Your eyelashes are really starting to grow. Like Iyla, you were born with tiny blond lashes. Iyla now has insanely long and dark eyelashes and so far it looks like yours are following a similar trajectory. Time will tell!
Your new nursery chair FINALLY arrived! Wahoo! Now we just need an ottoman and your room will be complete:
Here are a few more photos from your adventures this past month:
Went out to many family dinners, usually at Launderette or the Driskill:
Got dressed up by your big sister:
Got lots and lots of love and snuggles from your big sister:
Tried out new baby seats:
And overall were just a jolly little lady whom we enjoy every moment with!
We love you so much sweet Eloise Jane! Happy 3 months to you.
You continue to be such a joyful, alert, smiley little girl who watches the world with the biggest, most beautiful blue eyes. You love to make direct eye contact and smile/coo with people around you. You have a very even keeled temperament; you are a pretty chill, self contained little one EXCEPT when an external factor makes you mad. And those external factors are very predictable: car rides, stroller rides, and being in arms other than Mama's when you get tired. You generally calm very easily once these external factors are resolved, and if we get a day with NONE of these events, you spend your day happily cycling through eating, playing, & sleeping.
Here are your 3 month updates!
How big? We don't go back to your doctor for stats until your 4 month appointment, but geez you are still HUGE. When I see other people holding you I re-realize how giant you are. You are fitting very comfortably in 3-6 and 6 month clothes, and also getting more and more adorable chins and rolls on you daily!
Eating? By day you are like clockwork, eating pretty much every two hours almost to the minute. You are still a great nurser, and totally happy to take a bottle if one is offered.
You curl your little arm & knead me just like Iyla used to! So sweet.
Nursing at the Driskill Hotel
Sleep? Humph. This has been an interesting month for that! You'll recall that after your vaccinations your system seemed to reset itself, and we got TWO GLORIOUS WEEKS of pretty awesome nights where you would only wake 2, maybe 3 times. Then suddenly things went to s*** again- and I fully blame both a growth spurt and the 12 week "Leap" for this (I refuse to accept that you might just be a bad sleeper by nature!). Anyway... we were again up 6-7x/night, and you often liked to throw in a 2 hour leg thrashing session for good measure.
This was about right
However... the last couple of nights have been pretty darn good. And Thursday night? The most AMAZING night yet. You went into a deep sleep at 9pm (I laid you in your Rock n Play at 9:30), woke to nurse at 1:30am and went right back to sleep, not waking again until 6:30am.
WHAAAAT?
You have never EVER done a 2nd sleep cycle that long. That was FIVE HOURS. Oh how I loved it. Oh how I hope hope hope we get more and more nights like this!
UPDATE: You did this AGAIN last night! Ahhhhhhh! Go baby Eloise, go!
Here are a few things I've done differently in your evening routine this past week, and I'm curious if a combination of these tactics has made a difference.
*Letting your bath salts SOAK in the hot water for at least 20 minutes before we get in. I heard from another Mama friend that the calming benefits of Epsom salts only occurs if they are able to saturate the hot water for at least 20 minutes, so we've been doing that the last few nights. I also am trying to keep YOU soaking for as long as possible to get the full restorative effects.
*Having a pumped bottle at bedtime. I had been doing this months ago and decided to reintroduce it. You've been taking one ounce right before bed and another at your first waking.
Naps haven't yet taken on any definitive shape or timing. You pretty much operate on a two hour cycle all day long: wake and nurse, stay awake to play for around 40-60 minutes, then nap until hungry again. You are still most often napping on me in your wrap (as you are this very minute!)- and I also try to nap WITH you in the afternoon, as I appreciate those naps too!
On some mornings after we drop Iyla off at school I take you to my favorite coffee shop, where you'll usually nap for about 30 minutes while I eat.
Haha. The good 'ole Merlin Sleep Suit was pulled out this week for a nap! You slept soundly for about 35-40 minutes, which is your typical nap MO right now.
New skills?
*You are SO good with your hand/eye coordination! Like, exceptional in the baby world. You rock manipulating the toys on your Baby Bjorn, and you also will systematically grab one finger at a time on my hand working your way from the pinky toward my thumb. You furrow your brow and really focus, and it's like watching both a mad scientist and a skilled pianist combined as those long fingers move along.
*Many more vocalizations! Today for the first time you were using a lot more intonations and longer coos, along with practicing being LOUD. You still make this hilarious sucking in gasp sound that is an expression of joy and happiness for you.
*Noticing your FEET.... these are one of your favorite "toys" to observe.
*Excellent tracking. You follow voices and if someone you are watching gets up you will completely turn your head to follow where they are going.
*Rolling to one side. When laying next to me in bed you can turn your body to face me. You still haven't rolled OVER yet, but that will come.
Favorite things?
*Your hands and feet
Intense foot studying session
*Ceiling fans
*When in the right mood, laying on your play mat and practicing grabbing the toys.
*Sitting in your baby bouncer in the kitchen. You LOVE this chair and use that time for serious foot studying or toy studying if I lay a toy on your lap.
*"Talking" with us. You love to make eye contact and coo back and forth with us!
*Your Baby Bjorn toy bar.
Not so favorite things?
*The car. Oh how you cry your little heart out in there! It's still so rare for you to be awake and content while driving; usually if you aren't sleeping you're crying.
*Tummy time. You do best on the big pillow in your room, but other than that we get maaaaybe 2-3 minutes before you start fussing.
Of note this month:
*You've had some pretty decent baby acne that comes and goes on a daily basis. It's mostly gone now and seemed to peak just after you turned 2 months old.
*After a month of 4x/day thrush med applications and NO results, we finally got your medicine switched. I'm happy to say after several days of the 1x/day Diflucan application your thrush has pretty much disappeared! Why or why didn't they START you on that medicine to begin with?
*Your eyelashes are really starting to grow. Like Iyla, you were born with tiny blond lashes. Iyla now has insanely long and dark eyelashes and so far it looks like yours are following a similar trajectory. Time will tell!
Eyelashes and baby acne
Your new nursery chair FINALLY arrived! Wahoo! Now we just need an ottoman and your room will be complete:
Here are a few more photos from your adventures this past month:
You went on date nights with Papa and I:
2nd Bar and Kitchen downtown
Visited your first pumpkin patch:
Went out to many family dinners, usually at Launderette or the Driskill:
Got lots and lots of love and snuggles from your big sister:
Enjoyed lounging in the beautiful fall weather:
Went to a weekly Mama Meetup group with me, where you made 9 new baby friends:
And overall were just a jolly little lady whom we enjoy every moment with!
We love you so much sweet Eloise Jane! Happy 3 months to you.
