Three Months Old (yesterday)

(A.K.A. They're getting so big, the Ella edition)



I love this little girl. LOVE!

She is an amazing baby. Very predictable. Sleeps through the night. Every night. She eats well, comforts easily. Loves to be held. Smiles at her brothers. Coos at Daddy. (Isn't the third one supposed to be difficult, so you can make the "never again" decision more easily? :)

She sucks her thumbs contentedly. (Her brothers never really did, though I have pictures of each of them doing it once.) She takes a paci well. Loves her elephant lovey. Will tolerate the bouncy seat, but I think she prefers the swing--even though it makes her socks come off and results in cold feet. She's patient with me as I dress her in all manner of impractical outfits. She rarely gets inconsolable, but the few times that she has were easily conquered by a nice, relaxing bath. She will sit there in her tub, still sighing reflexively from the otherwise-forgotten fuss and just chill as I pour the water onto all of her, taking my sweet time.

She's been sleeping in her own crib at night for a few weeks now. I still swaddle her, but I have to use a huge blanket to do so and always leave her arms free. The crib mattress is just the perfect height for me to lean down and give her multiple kisses all over. She doesn't seem to mind too much. If I kiss her face (and I do. often.), she lifts her lip in a little Elvis-like tug, as though each kiss is the start of another nursing session. Lately, she's returned to an early morning (between 5:30 & 6:30) feeding, so we have reinstated our side-lying nursing/snuggle fest in my bed for now. I can't say I'm terribly upset about this.

She holds our fingers tightly. It calms her I think. Jackson especially loves it when she does this to him. He'll sit next to her for about as long as anything can hold his attention these days and just go on and on about how pretty she is, telling me about each little thing that she does.

She weighs close to 14 pounds now and is nearly out of all her 0-3 months clothing. She should be wearing size 2 diapers (judging by the way the size 1's become low riders on her as they expand), but I'm trying to use up the last of the 1's. She can roll from her back onto her (usually left) side, and I think she will be going all the way over any day. She can lift her head up ever so slightly from the floor and keep it there for a few seconds at a time. She's able to go longer in tummy time before becoming upset. Her legs are crazy strong; she can manage a good percentage of her weight when she stands up in my lap. She has amazing head control in an upright position. I think she's ready to rock the Bumbo!

So that's my girl. I can't believe how firmly she has positioned herself in my heart, how quickly she's growing, and how much she's accomplishing in such a short time. I love being her mommy!

♦