Hadley - Three Months

I’m sure I will say this every month, but I just can’t believe another month has come and gone.  Our little girl is 3 months old and is looking more and more like a beautiful little baby girl instead of a newborn!  We didn’t have a doctor’s appointment this month, so I don’t know her stats, but daddy and I did a rough estimate (read: laying her on the bed and stretching a tape measure to guess at her length and using the Wii Fit to weigh her.) (I got on once without her, and then with her to see the difference.)  Now that you know how NOT accurate these are, here we go:

Length: 23 3/4 inches

Weight: 12 1/2 lbs

She is wearing size 2 diapers already – but I think we switched a little early mainly because the girl can fill up a diaper – QUICK.  She can still wear the size ones, but they are snug and don’t hold as much.  She’s wearing some 0-3 month outfits, some 3-6 month and some 6-9!  It all depends on the brand – she is so long that I have to buy her jammies a size up for those long legs!

We have quite the little chunker on our hands.   And I LOVE. it.  It is so amazing to me that Hadley has grown into this chubby little baby solely off of what my body can provide for her.  She truly is a miracle and we are so thankful for her.

Hadley, I feel like it is so necessary to let you know the JOY you have brought into our home.... your presence in our family has been the greatest gift... We love you so much and believe that the Lord has created you for GREAT things... you are so unbelievably wonderful!

This month, a lot has happened!  You got to meet your great grandma and spend some more time with Nana and Poppy.  Having company in town made us realize how much you really do recognize me and your daddy.  You would scan the faces looking at you until you saw mine or daddy’s and then you would just lock in on us. 

Can you tell how much you love your daddy by this picture?  When he gets home from work in the evenings, you are usually eating and you get so distracted when he comes in to join us.  You just have to study his face and stare at him!

Unfortunately, the day after everyone left we found out we had our first cold and ear infection.  Here you are at the doctor’s office being such a little trooper (although this was PRIOR to the doctor looking in your ears which you HATED. ) [And yes.  I did have to put a bow on you just to go to the doctor’s office.  I know the day will be here before we know it when you will be able to take those off yourself, and until then, I am going to enjoy putting a bow on your little head every time we leave the house.]

I absolutely hated to see you sick – it just broke my heart to hear you sniffling trying to breathe out of that tiny little stuffed up nose.  You would throw up because you were gagging on all of the mucus or because you had swallowed so much of it that it upset your tummy.  It was a TOUGH week for both of us.  You had your first dose of antibiotics this week because the doctor was worried about your ear infection.  Although we didn’t want to use them so soon, he didn’t think you could kick both the cold and ear infection on your own.  Fortunately, you seemed to actually like the taste of the antibiotics, so it wasn’t hard to give them to you at all. 

Baby girl, you are a CHAMP at taking medicine.  In addition to the antibiotics we had to give you this month, we also started you on Zantac for your reflux.  I had done some research and read that the stuff is pretty hard for babies to take because it doesn’t taste very good.  I had the pharmacy flavor it grape(something else I learned this month – they will flavor almost any medicine for kids!), and initially started putting it in bottles of pumped milk for you.  Then you got sick and we took a break from it, and when we started it back up this week, I decided I would just try to give it to you straight.  I tasted this stuff and let me tell you, it’s gross.  You are so much better at taking medicine than mommy is.  We have to give it to you 3 times a day, and you are so good at taking it (although you make some HILARIOUS faces while doing it).  It really does seem to be helping, though, so we’ll stick with it! 

Because of your reflux, you’re still sleeping in your bouncy seat.  Daddy and I introduced you to a new little lovey (who we nick-named LB for lovey-bear) and you seem to like cuddling with him.  You’ll notice your eyes are open in the picture below.  Just this last week you have become SO good at putting yourself to sleep.  Now when you wake up, you eat, play for a little bit and then start talking to me in this whiney voice, and that’s when I know it’s time for a nap!  I can put you down like this and you almost always fall asleep within 5-10 minutes on your own – with no crying! 

You still take the paci about 50% of the time when you’re going to sleep.  It usually falls out though once you hit your deep sleep and you don’t need it the rest of the time. 

You still LOVE to suck on those hands.  This is how I find you half the time waking up from a nap…

You haven’t quite figured out how to grasp at something and bring it to your mouth – unless mommy is holding your hand, then you bring my hand to your mouth to chew on.  I think I need to get you a few more toys to try it out with!

Your head control has gotten so much better this month, too!  I brought out the bumbo seat for you, and although you still lean a little in it, and after a few seconds, need mommy to hold your head up, I think you are really going to like it.  Hopefully those chubby little thighs don’t get too much bigger, otherwise you will outgrow it before you can really enjoy it!

You are SO curious, always wanting to know what we are doing, constantly following us around with your eyes and head.  You are quite the little thinker, and definitely already have a mind of your own, with your own likes and dislikes. 

You still like your playmat, although you have to be in the mood for it.  Sometimes you seem like you would rather be held or practice sitting up some more rather than stare up at the little bugs.   You still like your swing, and this month you have realized that the mobile above you has a mirror.  You had never noticed yourself before, but now when I put you in there, you will look up and make faces at yourself – it’s so stinkin cute! 

Speaking of likes – we found you this month that you like diamonds.  Your “aunt” Courtney came over to visit and you were getting fussy while she was holding you, so she held up her arm of bracelets and you just stopped and stared in awe at the big diamonds.  It was hilarious! 

You are also smiling every day now.  I just love it.  My favorite part of the day is usually the mornings (you always seem happier in the morning – and you definitely did NOT get that from momma.)  I love going to get you out of your bouncy seat, and as soon as you open those eyes and focus in on me you give me a huge grin.  Melts my heart to see that sweet joy in your face. 

Our typical day right now consists of waking up between 6 & 7 to eat, then usually going back down for a nap, up again around 10 or 11 (although today you stretched it out and didn’t wake up until 12:30) to eat, play, nap, eat again between 1 & 2, play some more, then nap til 4ish, eat again, play again, and then it’s a toss up whether you will nap or stay up and be a little fussy until sometime between 7 & 8.  Then you usually eat, have a tiny bit of playtime with daddy  and then go down for the night.  You usually wake up between 10-11 to eat, then again between 3-4a.  You’ve dropped the 11 feeding before, and you’ve dropped the 3a feeding before as well (although never both in the same night), so I think we’re getting close to getting a longer night’s sleep out of you! 

Hadley, you are a true gift... to know that our love for you is so insignificant compared to the love Christ Jesus has for you is humbling... because baby girl, we love you more than we love ourselves. You are such a beautiful little girl!

I’ll leave you with just one of her 3 month photo shoot pictures, for now.  I tried this morning and I think I waited too long and it got too close to her nap, so she didn’t have any smiles left for me.  I’ll try again after this next nap and hopefully I’ll have another post with some more of her 3 month pics!