21 Jun The Delaney Diaries: 3 month check in!!
(FYI, I am going to change up these blog posts to diary entries written to Delaney. I want to document our first year together for those reading, but also to refer back myself 🙂 )
Happy three months Laney Bug!!!
Oh my golly. Time is just flying by. As it seems to do. I can remember back to when you were a newborn / alien not even being able to fathom what the next few months would bring. This gig seriously is a take one day at a time, live in the moment sorta deal. Nothing has ever taught me so much about just being present as much as being a parent has. As much as I want to prepare for each next stage of your life, googling what toy is best or what we should be working on developmentally, I really have no idea what is to come. And that’s okay. I have full trust now that you will let me know when you are ready for what is next. That’s what is so freaking cool. Babies just know how to grow older and develop. Without an instruction manual. And deep down we really do know how facilitate it, without getting caught up in the all the books and fancy apps. (Remind me of this when she won’t sleep through the night and I have bought every device possible to help). Ha!
This month I feel like you made some big developmental changes! Your wiggly little legs are filling out quite nicely, your bobbly little head is gaining more control each day and the smiles. OH the precious SMILES. Each one seems to take over your whole body as you arch your back and turn away like your flirting.
We took your first trip to the beach for Memorial Day and you loved the ocean air and sound of the ocean. I’m pretty sure you slept the whole time, which I know will be very different from the summers to come in the future.
Your first baseball game. We spent Father’s Day in Baltimore and watched the Orioles play Toronto. You even had your first crab pickin’ afterwards & Papa showed you how its done.
and even your first cold 🙁 Which other than a snotty nose and the most pitiful cough, you were the happiest little baby and handled it like a champ!
stats:
We haven’t been back to the doctors, but I’m going to guess that you’re clocking in around 14.5 pounds and maybe 25 inches. You have the most adorable little cheeks, some crazy peacock hair and the longest eye lashes that we are all envious of.
sleeping & feeding:
Right now you are sleeping relatively well in your crib (AMEN!) with both arms out of the Ollie swaddle. Right around your 2 month appointment you started to show signs of rolling over. I sent this pic to Daddy one night and said, “I think we have a problem”…
You’re a pretty wild little sleeper. Just like your dad. You shimmy your way all over the crib. Turning in circles and rocking your legs back and forth. We figured it’d be safest to start the transition on out of the swaddle even though you still seem to love to comfort of being wrapped tightly. We started with one arm out for four nights and then graduated to both. As for the middle of the night, you’re still waking up just once a night (typically between 1-3am) to feed and then back down until 6 or so! You’ve even given us a couple nights where you have slept from 7:30pm-6am! We will see how long that lasts…:-)
I think I say it everyday, Delaney, but it’s truly amazing how much you have changed in just three short months. I was talking with an old friend on the phone the other day and she said it best. Each morning is like Christmas morning. Walking into your room and being greeted with the biggest gummy smile is like nothing I can describe. I am convinced there is nothing better than it and you seriously cannot look at a smiling baby and not smile yourself. Instant Prosac.
As for feeding, you’ve taken to the boob from the beginning and I love our breastfeeding sessions so much. Again, it forces me to slow down and take a little rest with my girl and the connection is so special. Even those middle of the night feedings ain’t so bad. As for pumping. That’s another story. Plain & simple. I hate it.
(Um, excuse me. You’re not allowed to be able to do that already, ma’am)
You still continue to take the Comotomo bottles well. Daddy gives you a bottle on nights that I am teaching or try to catch a yoga class. I am (trying to be) a pumping maniac over here in preparation for our trip to Seattle in July. We will be gone five days (AHHH!!!), so I’ve been doing lots of research about storing and transporting milk on the plane, as well as, having enough for while I am gone. Not gunna lie…I’m having some major anxiety over here. But I know your are going to be in the BEST care with my family and I also know that we are going to have the best time celebrating Uncle Chris and Aunt Erin. As well as some Mom & Dad time.
activity:
It has been so fun to see your little personality start to develop. I think it’s still safe to say we’ve got a wild on on our hands. You love being “set free” and nakey. Wiggling and kicking all over the place. You also love to “sing”. When either of us start to sing to you, you start cooing along and it is the darn cutest thing. But you are also quite shy about your talents. Whenever I try to tape you or snap a picture of smiling, you instantly stop and just stare at the back of my phone. Smart girl. No pictures please.
You’re gaining a little more interest in toys, but still would rather look at our goofy mugs more than a toy. The VTech Cuddle and Sing Cora and the Baby Einstein Take Along Tunes seem to be your favorites. They light up and sing, which usually keeps your attention for a couple minutes, especially when you’re unsettled in the car.
Since you love to kick, kick, kick. You enjoy laying on your activity mat and do very well playing for a while all by yourself! A lot of the time you will actually kick yourself to sleep and pass out. Heck, I’ll take that as a win and hope this whole self soothing thing lasts as you get older! Knock on wood.
Our sweet friends also gave us this awesome Fisher-Price Kick and Play Piano Gym which you LOVE!
(Cousin James likes to join in!)
We keep one at the beach house and we also bought one for home, so that we can have it in another area of the house. Our house isn’t very big, but it’s nice not to have to move things from room to room, while holding an infant, in a bath towel, with a half eaten chicken leg hanging out of your mouth. Yep. It happens.
We’ve started to utilize the Boppy for some tummy time action and you seem to enjoy it much more. You’re starting to reach for things in front of you and when you’re on your back your rolling onto your side. Eeek! Slow down!
Other loves:
-Walks in the UppaBaby Bassinet. You still love the basinet more than the carseat attachment. I think it’s because you aren’t strapped in and can kick and move more freely
-Being worn in the Ergobaby. Especially when we go to Target. Or maybe that’s just me…
-Being outside! We’re revamping our deck, so that we have a great space to let you play, especially as you get older. You love all the sights and sounds of the outdoors
-Ceiling fans & the light in your room
-Your hands! Someone definitely found her hands (more like her whole fist) this month
-My hair. You grab ahold and puuuuuuulllllll
-Music and singing
-Being in the bath
Dislikes:
-Getting into your carseat and the first 10 minutes of a car ride
-Getting over tired. There’s a short window from when you are happy playing and then have a nice little freak out before a nap time. You’re pretty consistent with the whole being up for a hour and half-two hours before needing a nap, so that makes it pretty easy on me
-Getting out of the bath
And as for me?
I’d say I’m doing pretty well over here, thank you. Some days are “harder” than others. Not because you’re giving me a run for my money. Actually, I’d say your a pretty freakin’ easy baby. Usually it’s because we haven’t gotten out of the house much, or I am feeling like I haven’t accomplished anything (most days). However, I have found a pretty nice routine which has been my saving grace. I am a creature of habit, so it has been helpful to add some sort of structure to our days. Typically, you send me my morning wake up call with a gentle scream, you eat, I pump & drain the boobies, then you usually you go back to sleep and allow me to get in some sort of a workout for myself. Taking a little me time first thing, sets me up for a much better day. It gives me energy, it keeps me happy and it allows for me to give you all my attention!
I had two of my best friends in town a couple weekends ago and one of them asked what the hardest part about being a parent has been so far. Dad and I threw out some obvious answers first, like lack of sleep, or not being able to get out of the house fast enough, but really I think it’s been how challenging it is to work from home and get anything done. I honestly thought it’d be easier to get things done during the day with just you and I. I mean heck, you aren’t even moving yet and sleep a good deal of the time. But I can’t really describe it. Like, if we’re not playing, then I’m pumping, cleaning up, making food, or eating. Always eating. Before I know it, you’re awake again and that blog post I wanted to write or bill I wanted to pay still isn’t done. (side note: I’m trying to get much better about setting a much smaller to do list. I read this article from Becoming a Minimalist on Accomplishing more with a 3-item To Do List. That way by the end of the day I don’t feel defeated and left with a bunch of half done projects).
It seems to take a million times longer to do the simplest tasks and I have found that trying to get my business up and running, while teaching and training part-time, is darn near impossible. I’d say I have a pretty Type-A personality and love the feeling of accomplishing something. That’s why vacuuming is so therapeutic for me. As well as my new hobby – moving the lawn. (Gosh, life is really exciting these days). Some days I haven’t finished even one task and I feel like I am constantly spinning my wheels. I’ve had to cut myself some slack and understand the process is going to be slow and a little bit each day is one step closer! Dad must constantly remind me that my most important job is being your momma 24/7. Everything else is just fluff. And he’s so right.
Physically, I’m feeling pretty great. I definitely experience much more fatigue than I did before you (obvi.), so I’m learning to pull back some. I think back to the days where I’d train 9 clients and teach two classes and I don’t even know how I was still standing. Most of my workouts are done at home, so they either consist of HIIT body weight work, treadmill intervals or yoga. I still have some Diastasis Recti (split in abdomenal wall about about 1.5 fingers wide), so I’m avoiding exercises that put too much pressure on my abdomen. Plus REALLY focusing on pelvic floor and TA engagement. (PSA: PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE get checked for Diastasis Recti before resuming any workout post-partum. You can do some mondo damage going right back to your previous exercise routine and for the love of God, STOP WITH THE CRUNCHES).
**Read more about Diastasis Recti here.
Otherwise, still just boppin’ along. Yes, I’m a bit squishier. Yes, I definitely feel wider and don’t exactly fit back into all my pre-pregnancy clothes, but that’s okay. This body made you and that is the most incredible thing in the world. I exercise because I love the feeling it gives me. It allows for me to be the best Momma I can be and face each day with energy and clarity. For some reason, I found myself a little fixated on the number on the scale in the beginning. I don’t know. Maybe I was bored. But I know better than anyone, that number don’t mean a damn thing. I’m still up from my pre-pregnancy weight and that’s okay, because I need to be. Between breastfeeding, working, exercise and Mommin’, I need all the extra fuel I can get!
As always, I’m focusing on eating lots and lots and LOTS of whole foods, so that I can continue to heal and you can grow big and strong This is definitely not a time to be restricting and I have found that when I don’t eat enough for whatever reason, I definitely suffer. I truly believe that clean eating is what allowed for me to bounce back so quickly and kept me happy and healthy throughout this whole journey. Lots of water, protein, good fats, CARBS and veggies. All day, everyday. PREACH.
Right now, just trying to keep things simple and give all my attention right here…
I love you more than you’ll ever know, baby girl.
Xoxox,
Your Momma