Three Months: An Update on Life with Baby E

How has it already been eight eleven thirteen fifteen weeks?! I ask myself a version of this question with every week that passes. It seems impossible that so much time has gone by, but it's also hard to imagine life before or without E. She consumes most of my physical, mental, and emotional space these days as she comfortably fits herself into our family life. We do many of the things we've always done - going out for coffee or breakfast, taking the dogs for walks, visiting with friends, getting groceries and cooking delicious meals - but now we do them with some modifications to accommodate the needs of a baby. It's a pretty fun and fulfilling new way of life and I'd be hard pressed to find anything to complain about, especially with this chubby, snuggly and smiley baby in my arms!

I have gotten behind in posting updates here because I was feeling the pressure of writing the L&D story and then was busy soaking up some unseasonably spring-like weather with E before going back to work. I'm ready to jump back in, so look for more regular updates to the blog (I hope). I'm going to tackle a laundry-list-style update below just to catch us up.

• Evie has some fabulous new skills that delight us:
• Following things that interest her with her eyes, especially faces, toys and her puppies (E's delight in the dogs is very, very mutual)

• Turning her head in the direction of sounds she enjoys, especially the sounds of Mama & Daddy's voices (even better if they're saying her name!)
• Reaching for and grasping objects that she wants, waving them around and putting them in her mouth (everything goes in her mouth these days!)

• Talking with lots of "oohs" and "ahhs," varying her pitch (and volume!) and really learning the range of her voice
• Loudly sucking on her fists or fingers with drool galore

• Sitting up if supported (in fact, she prefers to sit upright and fusses when held in a cradled position!)

• Reaching for Mama & Daddy and hanging on like a sweet little monkey when we hold her
• Smiling, chatting and giggling at friends, family and strangers alike. If you genuinely smile at E, she will almost always smile back - she's a very happy girl! Recently, she has been delighted to smile at her own image, whether seen in a mirror or when taking pictures with mama during our lunch dates at work/daycare.

• Speaking of smiling and giggling, enjoy this video of E yukking it up:

• And because it's so darn exciting, check out one more (poorly lit) video of E showing off her brand new skill: rolling over (front to back):

• E has met so many members of her family already. Her grandparents all came to meet her in Minnesota, as did some of her aunts and uncles! She took a road trip and an airplane ride to meet her great-grandparents and many of her great aunts and uncles, plus the rest of her aunts and uncles and her ver own cousin! Most recently, all four of her grandparents and her Aunt K visited over Easter weekend to share in her very sweet and exciting baptism! A few photos that R has had time to edit are below:

 

• While Mama was on leave, E had many fun adventures and firsts, including a trip to the Science Museum, a few trips to the Minnesota Zoo, walking around Lakes Calhoun, Harriet & Nokomis with baby friends and their mamas, a picnic at Minnehaha Falls, visiting Wild Rumpus book store to see the tiny chickens, and enjoying countless sing-alongs, dance parties, story times, shopping trips, photo shoots, girl talk sessions, naps and snuggles with Mama. It was the best three months of this Mama's life and the only three months of E's, but we think she enjoyed them well enough!
• I started back to work on April 3, 2012, the same day E started daycare at my office. She is in the Blue Room (one of nine total babies in her room) with several wonderful teachers who really care about and enjoy spending time with her (they keep expressing shock at how strong she is for such a young baby, but R & I have long proclaimed the above average nature of our little peanut). I love that she gets so much interaction with other babies (she enjoys watching and smiling at them) and so many new experiences. I like to think that the best part for us both is lunch time each day, when Mama heads down to the Blue Room for a lunch date with E! There are nursing rooms in each of the daycare rooms, so E and I settle in for some one-on-one time and shut out the world for a bit. That little bit of reconnection and comfort buoys our spirits for the rest of our day. I am currently working part time (three days a week in April, four days a week in May) and have shifted my schedule to 7-4, which gets us home in time to spend a little time together before E heads to bed between 6:30 and 7. It will take a little time to dust off the cobwebs that have taken over my brain, but I will get there.
• Speaking of sleep, we're working on gently adjusting our sleep arrangements to something more satisfying for all of us. While a part of me would happily have E sleeping next to me in her bassinet forever, it's not a viable long-term option for us (she is already almost too long for the bassinet!). We had attempted to move her into her crib cold turkey after she slept through the night for three nights in a row. That attempt was a dismal failure, so we've been trying to a) make the crib a fun and enjoyable place for E to be and b) make the shift occur more gradually by slowly moving the bassinet further across our bedroom and into her own room. E's bedtime routine has provided her with a great sense of comfort and helps her fall asleep very quickly each night. In addition, she has been sleeping from roughly 7-4:30 each night, with one dream feed when I go to bed around 10. This has helped make going back to work and shifting E into her own room more doable. We anticipate having her in her own room for good will help all of us sleep better in the long run.

Okay, that's a wrap for now. With that lengthy update completed, I am ready to update more regularly going forward, so check back soon!