Three Months!

I will say this...this last month has been the best yet!  I hope it continues with this pattern!  You are a joy, completely.  We have a routine and you love it.  And when you wake up in the morning, you are so happy and ready for the day.  You love to smile and gurgle and coo at us (or the fan...or the blinds...).

I feel like there are so many milestones that have happened in the last month.  I hope I can capture them all for you....

• You sleep through the night, with just little peeps here and there.  I put you to bed at 7-7:30pm and you get a dream feed (you are barely even awake) at 10-10:30pm and then you sleep until 6:30-7am.  I would prefer that to be 7-7:30am....but I am not complaining!  =)  It took about a week to get you settled into that routine, so by about 10 weeks you were pretty good at it.
• You now are like clockwork for naps too!  We just started this the past week or so.  You wake up and eat and we play together for a while...then by 8am or so, you are ready for a nap already!  You sleep for about an hour and a half and then the cycle repeats!  Except in the late afternoon, you don't nap as much there because we are getting your Sisters, making dinner, etc....but that's okay...we want your Sissy's to see you too!  It's not your most smiley time of the day, but you do okay.
• You LOVE your hands.  You watch them intently, move your fingers and just are intrigued by these things!  I will put up my hand and move my fingers around and you do the same.  I can even (sometimes) get you to mimic me when I put just my pointer finger up.  I can clasp my hands together and you will do that at times too.  You are so much fun.  =)
• You still love to talk to us.  When I am changing your diaper, you will look at me and try and make your lips vibrate together and make a noise because you want me to make that same noise to you.  And then when I do make it, you just smile so big.  And you love making a gurgly, spitty sound in your throat...so we do that back and forth a lot too.  And then you just smile, smile, smile.  
• You love it when your Daddy says "Stinkerbabies!" in that goofy voice of his!  For whatever reason, that is his thing with you and you love it.  You look at him for a second with wide eyes....and then a HUGE smile goes across your face.
• You love your mobiles.  Your doggy one downstairs in your playard is your favorite I think.  When we change your diaper, you are enthralled by the doggies dancing above your head!  Because of this, we thought you would like a playmat and got you a Baby Einstein one with a ton of stuff hanging down for you to play with and look at.  So far though, it's a no go...you don't seem to like it at all!  Hope that changes!
• You LOVE to suck on your hands.  And I thank God for those hands every day because it is part of your sleeping routine.  When I put you down to sleep, you make fuss just a bit, but then you remember those hands of yours and you put them in your mouth.  Before I know it, you are out!  We barely use a pacifier anymore with you (the crib is a no paci-zone!)...so with you loving your hands in your mouth...and taking naps so well and sleeping almost 12 hours at night in crib...there's no time for paci's!  =)

Your Grandma Frances just left and we had a blast with her.  She loved holding you and cooing at you.  And you would love to smile right back at her.  Luckily, she comes back in a couple months so she can hold you again!  I can't even imagine how big you'll be by then!  Here are a couple pics from her being with us....

 It was your Uncle Ray's 40th Birthday while Grandma Frances was here - so we got him some funny "Over the Hill" gifts.  

 All of your cousins!

You two are so cute!

It's crazy how quickly time goes.  The first month with you was kind of surreal and we were in a adrenaline-fed daze.  The second month was when reality all sunk in, you were kind of fussy, and I wasn't sure I would be able to clean the house and cook dinner ever again without being stressed about you crying if I put you down.  Now, the third month was awesome.  You settled into a routine, you are so happy...and we just fall in love with you more everyday.  You recognize me and smile when I come into your view.  I will admit, that is the best thing in the world.  When you are smiley and we are playing, time just flies!  I see you yawn and I think, "Wow, it's nap time already?!".  Sometimes I wish there was a little less nap time!  =)  

You are still breastfeeding like a champ too.  My plan is to breastfeed until six months...then we'll see.  I'd love to say I could go a whole year, but it may stop at six months when we introduce solid foods to you.  We'll see!  Sure can't wait to feed you a jar of smooshed peas and see them all over your face!  =)

Baby girl, you fit so well into our family.  I can't even describe it to you because you just do.  Your Sisters love you to death.  Sometimes I worry that they don't get to see you as much (since they are only with us half the time)...but I'll give that one to God and know that He will take care of that.  Kyndall loves to take you and sing to you....Megan loves to make you smile.  She is still waiting for the day when you are a little bigger and she can really play with you.  They both can't get enough of you.

Each night  before bed while you are eating...I just look at you and soak it all in.  I pray for you to sleep well and have peace...and then I also pray for you and your little heart and that it is filled with love for God.  I love this verse that a friend gave me too...a blessing as a prayer to you before you sleep for the night.

Numbers 6:24-26

"The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace."

You got a little sick last weekend too.  Probably your first real sickness...hasn't been too bad though and I hope that continues.  There is so much talk about RSV (a nasty lung virus in babies) that I am still keeping an eye out even though you seem better now.  You had one day where you were sleepy and fussy - had a little rattling in your lungs and congested.  You still are congested, but you seem normal otherwise.  This is what you looked like the majority of the day last Sunday.

Oh, and there is a new craze around here...have you heard of it?  It's called, "Daily Avery".  =)  It all started when I would send a picture message to your Pa and Mimi every so often of you and I said something like, "here's your Daily Avery...".  Then, I started posting the pics on Facebook too so that other family could see you (and friends).  I didn't realize I created a frenzy until I didn't post a picture of you one day and a couple people wrote on my Facebook wall wondering where their Daily Avery was!  Now, it's kind of routine, and I rarely miss a day!  If I do...I get hounded.  =)  I love that everyone likes to see you so much.  I can't tell you how many people have said that they check out Facebook to see the Daily Avery.  So cool.

Here are shots of you long the way of Daily Avery....

 4 days old

 3 weeks (your legs are so tiny!)

 5 weeks

 8 weeks

 10 weeks (one of my favs!)

 Couldn't resist - had to throw this one in!  11 weeks....

Another 11 weeker

12 weeks - sitting in your Bumbo - so big! 

Another 12 weeker - found your hands!

 Almost 13 weeks!

Baby Love, Babies, Stinkypants, Sweet Pea, Baby Girl....you are a joy.  I get to wake up everyday and take care of you - I get to do that for my job!  I help you learn new things and make you smile.  I am so blessed to have that job.  I used to work in Corporate America and I cannot even fathom ever doing that again..  You and your Sisters make this all so fun and worth it.  You're my little buddy - it's you and me throughout the day - and you just tag along for the ride.  You were just in my arms after you ate...and you were headed to sleepyland already (because you just played in your crib for your 1st nap!), so your eyes were droopy...and I said softly, "you're so sweet baby girl, you're so sweet....do you know that?".  And you just looked at me with those half-open, sleepy eyes and smiled...and then you closed your eyes for good.  That's what this is all about Baby Girl.  You're my smiley, loving, sweet sidekick...and I love you to pieces!