I am THREE months old!
I like: my hands (yes, she's found them and loves bringing them to her mouth constantly), my sister (she will crane her neck to find Cara in the room and smile at her every time), when we wag our tongue at her (so it makes a kind of lb-lb lb-lb lb-lb sound) or when I say "waaaah" to her...she mimics the sound, being held in a way that makes it so I have to hold my head up on my own (she is already acting like she wants to do things on her own, including holding herself up already), or when I can stand on my legs with my parents holding me.
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| Shots knock me out too! |
I dislike: waiting for my bottles, when I'm hungry I want my food right then! And for some reason the 5 AM hour (she needs the binkie put back in every 15 minutes. We know she isn't hungry, just fidgety). So far she's pretty simple and I haven't found a bunch of things she doesn't like, although she still doesn't like being cold or left alone for too long (she has some serious FOMO)
I am now: Once again, we didn't have a doctor appointment and I forgot to do an unofficial weight check, but Gwen is in 3 month clothes (or larger 0-3 months, but even that's iffy), size 2 diapers already, and still has her double chin that we absolutely love.
A Typical Day looks like:
7 AM to 7:30) She usually gets fidgety during this time. She's done good with staying in bed until at least 7:30 (although on Saturday she let us sleep until 8!) and either entertaining herself or just having the binky put in and being okay with that.
7:30 to 8) Breakfast time. I changed diapers, outfits and then make her bottle (usually about 5.5 oz - 4.5 are breastmilk and 1 is formula) and Cara's breakfast (oatmeal or cereal) and then feed them at the same time. Now that I get up at 6:15 and get myself ready before this time it's been easier feeding both of them and getting them ready for Larry to take over.
8 to 9) Gwen hangs out in the swing while I clean dishes, get finishing touches on the morning things (my lunch, the bottle makings for Larry, and getting my work stuff put together), and brush Cara's teeth. As usual, around 8:45 Gwen will get fussy she gets ready for her nap at 9.
9 to 11) Nap time. She still gets squirmy around 10:45 in anticipation of the next feeding.
11 to 12 ish) Diaper change, eat a 5.5 ounce bottle (usually 1 oz is formula, the rest is breast milk), get burped and more wiggle and giggle time.
12:15 to 1:30/2) Nap time. Again, she'll last until about 1:30 before she gets more squirmy. If she gets up early then she hangs out until her next feeding.
2 to 3:30) Diaper change, eat 5.5 oz bottle again, get burped, and then she'll end up going down for another nap.
3:30-5) She goes downstairs while Larry works out and she hangs out in her play area (the old octagon one that Cara was put in before she got her new play area). After his workout (around 4:20/4:30) she goes in the bassinet while he showers. He gets done showering around 4:45 just in time for the next feeding.
5-5:30) Diaper change, eat 5 oz again, get burped, and usually hang out with Larry and Cara.
5:30 to 6/6:15) Final nap time. Just a small one to help her last until bedtime.
6:15-6:45) This is when we wake her up and she'll hang out with Larry and Cara while I pump. Around 6:30 we put her on an activity mat while we do "Family Stretches".
6:45 - 7:30) I'll usually read to the girls at 6:45 while dad gets the 7:00 bottle ready (4 oz of breast milk). I'll feed her while we watch our nightly show
7:30) Get ready for bed. She gets a diaper change, lotion, put in pajamas, owlet, and sleep sac (but not swaddled, it just helps to keep her warm), and a nice 3 oz formula bottle to top her off. Most of the time she'll pass right out during this bottle (she now eats most of it, if not all). We do a bath on Sundays and Wednesdays and then the same routine after that. She's usually asleep by 8, we haven't had too many nights that she's been up past that (maybe only 1 this whole month).
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| Trying to capture her smiles! |
A Typical Day looks like:
7 AM to 7:30) She usually gets fidgety during this time. She's done good with staying in bed until at least 7:30 (although on Saturday she let us sleep until 8!) and either entertaining herself or just having the binky put in and being okay with that.
7:30 to 8) Breakfast time. I changed diapers, outfits and then make her bottle (usually about 5.5 oz - 4.5 are breastmilk and 1 is formula) and Cara's breakfast (oatmeal or cereal) and then feed them at the same time. Now that I get up at 6:15 and get myself ready before this time it's been easier feeding both of them and getting them ready for Larry to take over.
8 to 9) Gwen hangs out in the swing while I clean dishes, get finishing touches on the morning things (my lunch, the bottle makings for Larry, and getting my work stuff put together), and brush Cara's teeth. As usual, around 8:45 Gwen will get fussy she gets ready for her nap at 9.
9 to 11) Nap time. She still gets squirmy around 10:45 in anticipation of the next feeding.
11 to 12 ish) Diaper change, eat a 5.5 ounce bottle (usually 1 oz is formula, the rest is breast milk), get burped and more wiggle and giggle time.
12:15 to 1:30/2) Nap time. Again, she'll last until about 1:30 before she gets more squirmy. If she gets up early then she hangs out until her next feeding.
2 to 3:30) Diaper change, eat 5.5 oz bottle again, get burped, and then she'll end up going down for another nap.
3:30-5) She goes downstairs while Larry works out and she hangs out in her play area (the old octagon one that Cara was put in before she got her new play area). After his workout (around 4:20/4:30) she goes in the bassinet while he showers. He gets done showering around 4:45 just in time for the next feeding.
5-5:30) Diaper change, eat 5 oz again, get burped, and usually hang out with Larry and Cara.
5:30 to 6/6:15) Final nap time. Just a small one to help her last until bedtime.
6:15-6:45) This is when we wake her up and she'll hang out with Larry and Cara while I pump. Around 6:30 we put her on an activity mat while we do "Family Stretches".
6:45 - 7:30) I'll usually read to the girls at 6:45 while dad gets the 7:00 bottle ready (4 oz of breast milk). I'll feed her while we watch our nightly show
7:30) Get ready for bed. She gets a diaper change, lotion, put in pajamas, owlet, and sleep sac (but not swaddled, it just helps to keep her warm), and a nice 3 oz formula bottle to top her off. Most of the time she'll pass right out during this bottle (she now eats most of it, if not all). We do a bath on Sundays and Wednesdays and then the same routine after that. She's usually asleep by 8, we haven't had too many nights that she's been up past that (maybe only 1 this whole month).
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| Found a new way to play when it's 1:1 time |
This Month I: learned to sleep unswaddled at night and now I love my arms being free. I also started sleeping through the night as well, I've been such a good 2nd child. I started to try rolling over this past week, just have to get that pesky arm out from under me and I've got it down!
I had to say goodbye to having mom to me all day long, but I still smile for her when she gets home so I don't have issues with her going back to work. I also have discovered my hands and if I could only figure out how to get my fingers into my mouth I'd be such a happy camper :)
I had to say goodbye to having mom to me all day long, but I still smile for her when she gets home so I don't have issues with her going back to work. I also have discovered my hands and if I could only figure out how to get my fingers into my mouth I'd be such a happy camper :)
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| Starting to try rolling over :) |
Parent's Notes: I (mom) went back to work during this month and while it was really hard to be away from the girls all day long (I so miss just being in sweats and hanging around, not to mention Movie Fridays!) it felt good to get back into that routine. I definitely miss seeing Gwen smile during her awake time - she has much less of it than Cara had at this point - and I miss getting hugs and kisses from Cara, but I feel better about my reasons for working. Larry has been a champ handling both girls, even though he's used up the remainder of his paternity leave since I went back and so he hasn't gone back to work just yet.
I was so nervous to start unswaddling Gwen for night time (I get anxious about anything that could mess with her sleep), but we started it right as Larry had the time off and since we temporarily switched sides of the bed so that he's closest to her I get to sleep while he gets her used to sleeping all night like that.
Speaking of sleeping all night, we've found that Gwen now no longer needs any night feedings. She doesn't sleep perfectly all night, but she'll sleep peacefully until around 2 AM (which changed to 4 AM towards the end of the month so the stretches are getting longer) then we give her her binky to help get her sleep stretched out. For some reason she's good until 5 AM (which changed to 6 AM towards the end of the month) and then she gets super fidgety and we constantly need to put the binky back in. I'm hoping by the time Larry goes back to work and I'm back to the side of the bed that is closest to the basinet she is sleeping a bit better haha.
I'm definitely feeling like we're getting into a routine with Gwen easier and quicker than we did with Cara. She goes down for bed really well, she is napping better than before (though still tiny issues), and she's not cranky when she's awake (unless she's ready to be put back down or ready for her bottle). It is weird that she doesn't have as much awake time during the day as Cara did, but I think that might have to be because I kept Cara next to me during my whole maternity leave so if she opened her eyes I assumed she was awake, whereas with Gwen we've learned she usually just wants her binky put back in to help her go back to sleep. Getting used to two was more challenging than I thought or realized, but now we are used to our new normal groove and it hasn't been as bad as it was in the beginning. I actually love having two and couldn't imagine our lives without Gwen, she's such a little sweatheart.
I was so nervous to start unswaddling Gwen for night time (I get anxious about anything that could mess with her sleep), but we started it right as Larry had the time off and since we temporarily switched sides of the bed so that he's closest to her I get to sleep while he gets her used to sleeping all night like that.
Speaking of sleeping all night, we've found that Gwen now no longer needs any night feedings. She doesn't sleep perfectly all night, but she'll sleep peacefully until around 2 AM (which changed to 4 AM towards the end of the month so the stretches are getting longer) then we give her her binky to help get her sleep stretched out. For some reason she's good until 5 AM (which changed to 6 AM towards the end of the month) and then she gets super fidgety and we constantly need to put the binky back in. I'm hoping by the time Larry goes back to work and I'm back to the side of the bed that is closest to the basinet she is sleeping a bit better haha.
I'm definitely feeling like we're getting into a routine with Gwen easier and quicker than we did with Cara. She goes down for bed really well, she is napping better than before (though still tiny issues), and she's not cranky when she's awake (unless she's ready to be put back down or ready for her bottle). It is weird that she doesn't have as much awake time during the day as Cara did, but I think that might have to be because I kept Cara next to me during my whole maternity leave so if she opened her eyes I assumed she was awake, whereas with Gwen we've learned she usually just wants her binky put back in to help her go back to sleep. Getting used to two was more challenging than I thought or realized, but now we are used to our new normal groove and it hasn't been as bad as it was in the beginning. I actually love having two and couldn't imagine our lives without Gwen, she's such a little sweatheart.
Update on last month's goals:
- Gwen is definitely doing better on sleeping through the night. We know she doesn't need to be up for a feeding and now that we put her in warm pajamas and size 2 diapers (to hold more and help her last longer) she's doing better with the sleeping part, but it could still be improved.
- Sensory stuff: we still let her feel so many things. In fact I started to give her little toys to grip when she's in her swing or laying on our legs so that she can start working on her fine motor development AND feel different textures/sensations. We can't do tasting just yet (though SO close), I doubt she knows how to smell (but I'm sure she can smell when we cook a meal so does that count?), and she definitely gets a bunch of seeing and hearing throughout the day with her activity mats, toys, and an older sister who gabs all day long :)
- Napping: she does a bit better, she is getting to where she likes to have on large name in the middle of the day (usually the same time around Cara's nap, lucky for us) and then a few smaller ones, but the night time gets a little confusing for her. She won't always take a nap around 5:45 and if she doesn't we can expect a cranky baby that we have to keep entertained until bedtime (which is harder than it sounds). That's probably our only problem nap time right now.
- Smiles and enjoying my last month: definitely done! I am always getting smiles from Gwen, the ones when she just wakes up are about the best ones! And I soaked up my last few days. When I was in the middle of maternity leave I didn't think I'd be as sad to leave (I was SO ready to be back to work and feel like I had more of a purpose and get into that regular routine), but I really was sad to leave and know I now only get a few hours with them during the weekday instead of all day long.
- Grabbing toys: She's doing SO well with this! We give her this kind of planet-ball toy in her swing and I've seen her move it from hand to hand AND bring I to her mouth a couple times. It's really impressive to watch.
- Tummy Time and rolling: she's getting SO SO close to rolling over! Towards the end of the month she really started to use her legs to go from back to front, but she can't get her arms to cooperate. Cara did tummy to back first so it's been really cool to see it this way first. I'm sure this is going to happen before Larry goes back to work. I hope I'm here for it, but as long as she does it for me I'm okay with that.
Goals for next month:
- Continue working on tummy time to improve her rolling over skills.
- Speaking of skills, keep working on the grabbing one. She's doing good with aiming her hands somehwere to grab something, but still a little random.
- Make sure she's getting attention just like Cara.
- Get ready for starting to add solids to her eating next month (I REALLY can't wait for this!!)
- Start introducing our STEAM activities each night. I feel like when I get home from work it's constant moving with dinner, pumping, family stretches, feeding Gwen her 7 PM bottle, reading to the girls, and watching our show. I want to find a way to add a STEAM activity for the girls (a letter for each weeknight S-Monday, T-Tuesday, E-Wednesday, A-Thursday, and M-Friday).
- Continue working on her sleep stretches to go smoother. She's about 80% there, but there's still room for improvement.
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