Three Months.

3 months!!!

12 weeks.
Wearing a headband from my sister-in-law's shop,
Queeny Belle Frills.

Peyton is 3 months old!!!! I can hardly believe it. I gave birth to that little cutie 13 weeks ago. She's so big now. She's in 0-3 month clothes! Finally. That happened a couple of weeks ago. The shirt she's wearing in the picture above is newborn, but Target newborn runs a little big. She also finally moved from newborn to size 1 diapers about 3 weeks ago. It just blows my mind how fast she's growing. Which is funny because people told me she's be in size 1 in the first couple of weeks, but it took her 10. I am really grateful that she's going slower than other babies. I'm getting more use out of her clothes, which is nice. At her 2 month appointment (she was 9 weeks), she weight 9lb 5oz & was 21 inches long. I had to take her back a week & a half later & she was 10lb 4oz & 22 inches long. She had a growth spurt in that week & a half, obviously. That has slowed down a lot though. She's gone from eating 6 hours a day to 3-4 hours a day. It's nice. A break for my boobs. 

10 weeks.

The girl is getting really strong. The picture to the left is from 10 weeks. She was holding her head really well. Now she's a ton better, as you can see from the top photo in this post of her sitting in the Bumbo today. She LOVES to stand. She can hold almost all of her own weight & we just hold her for balance. She started doing it a few weeks ago. It lets her have better control of what she sees. She's still a cuddly little burrito, but she wants to look at everything. When she's really awake she will just turn her head side to side constantly. She loves to look at lights in particular. I'm almost scared that she's going to stare at the sun & go blind or something. Ha! She stares at the lights in Gabe's hobby room for a long time. My eyes hurt immediately if I look directly at them. They're really bright. But she just loves lights. It's so cute. 

Mr. Moo, 13 weeks.

Peyton Loves...

Mr. Moo, her cow.

Making eyes & cooing at my cell phone.

Baths.

Cuddling with mommy.

Being swaddled.

Sucking on her hand.

When daddy makes silly noises.

Ceiling fans.

Lights.

Her bouncer.

Mobiles/hanging toys.

Standing up.

11 weeks.

Peyton hates...

Getting out of the bath.

Tummy time longer than 5 minutes.

Waiting to eat.

Being in her car seat too long.

Silence.

10 weeks.

She's growing too fast. I love where she's at right now though. Looking at everything. Smiling when she sees me. It makes me sad that she won't always be this cuddly little burrito. But I'm definitely excited about what's ahead. I can't wait for her to giggle. She coos a heck of a lot, & little squeals, but no giggle yet. Sitting up on her own, walking, talking... I love watching her grow & see her make milestones, but it makes me sad at the same time. Someday she won't need me! Sad.

This little girl is sleeping SO MUCH BETTER NOW! I don't believe books about sleeping. I think they're crap. I think some people get lucky with their babies, & some people don't. From other reading I've done beyond things like Baby Wise, I've found out that the average baby will start sleeping better around 12 weeks. This was totally true for me. A week ago I started a full on bed time routine, which I think was what helped the most. I now bathe her every night, & then feed her on one side, swaddle her, then feed her on the other. Usually she falls asleep then, but if not, I rock her a bit til she's really drowsy. She usually opens her eyes & wakes up a bit when I put her down, but she goes straight to sleep after that. When she's tired, if she's swallowed & comfortable, she'll sleep. I'm now putting her down 15 minutes earlier every couple of nights. She's down to 930 now. She sleeps until any time between 4 & 6, then wakes up to eat a little, & then goes back to sleep until 730 or 8. I cannot tell you how great it is to sleep longer than 2 hours at a time at night. I'm still completely exhausted, but there's a massive difference. I do my best to nap with her during the day too. She takes 2 40 minute naps usually. I'll usually use one of those to grab a quick sleep with her.

12 weeks.
That's the heart I crocheted.

Not much house work is getting done, which I hate. I vacuum once a week or so, but I really need to do it more than that. & scrub my floors & bathrooms. I guess it'll come with time, being able to do that kind of stuff with her around. I need to figure it out soon though, cause I also need to move things around to start making it baby safe for when she becomes a baby on the go in a few months. Lots to do!

Gabe & I are doing pretty good. We're doing a lot of thinking about what's next for us & where Gabe wants to go with his career. It's all very grown up, talking about that sort of thing. Ha! I am considering going back to school. Key word: considering. I really don't like Wright State. I wouldn't mind doing BYU online. Then we wouldn't have to pay for daycare. I'm also looking in to community colleges. I have so much I want to do with my time, but of course, I don't have that time. My time is no longer my 

12 weeks.
She fell asleep like this at church.

own. It's weird. My body wasn't my own for 9 months, & really, it's still not. & now neither is my time. My life revolves completely around Peyton's schedule & all of her needs. It takes some getting used to. Gabe & I have briefly discussed me taking photography classes. I loved that stuff in high school, & I think it'd be really fun to get in to. This past Friday when Peyton went to bed, I had a mild breakdown & Gabe walked me to my drawer of crafty things, got my crochet hooks & some yarn & sat me down in front of pinterest. I spent the next 3 hours learning to crochet. I'm very thankful he got me to do that. I really like to crochet! It's very repetitive & makes me pretty much unable to think about anything else since I have to keep count. I like it. Friday night I just practiced stitches. Saturday I made a little crochet heart, & that night I started a baby turban (it's a hat) for a Peyton. I haven't finished it yet because I haven't had a chance, but I look forward to it. It's nice to sit down & do something I enjoy. I also really want to learn to sew, but that will take more effort & a lot more practice. Crocheting isn't too hard to teach myself. Of course, I'm not trying anything too complicated at this point.

Wow, this is a really long post just to say that my baby is 3 months old. I just can't believe it. The main thing to know is that she's doing really well. & we love her immensely. She's a very very loved little girl.

Here are a few more pictures that I couldn't resist posting.

9 weeks.

10 weeks. Sleeping with attitude.

10 weeks. Matching daddy in support of mommy's school.

12 weeks. Lookin' cheeky.

Gosh I love that girl. & that man. They're great. =]

That is all.

- Alexa

Home is wherever I'm with you.

I completed this little project like a month ago but I've discovered that it's really hard to type while holding a baby, so this is a little late. I was going to do one of these for Christmas, but by the time I got around to it Christmas was over, so I decided to do something non-holiday related. I love the song "Home" by Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros (they're also really good live, just fyi), & I thought this would make a cute thing to put on a decoration. Turns out it's a pretty popular quote to use. I see it on pinterest a lot. But if you don't know the song, check it out. It's really good.

So anyway. I've made two of these! The first one I made is not very good. It's on my mantle. But my mom liked it so I made her one as well & I used thinner paint pens & it turned out a lot better. I bought the canvas at Joann's on sale, the spray paint that I used (& by "I used" I mean my husband used)  was found in husband's hobby room, & I bought the paint pens at Home Depot. They're the Sharpie brand. I used some crafty ones from Hobby Lobby on the first one I made, but I like the Sharpie ones a lot more. The paint comes out smoother & it's just an easier paint pen to use.

All I did to make this was spray paint the canvas black (again, husband did it for me because I'm not very good at even coats), & then I freehanded the writing. I had sketched it into a notebook a couple weeks before & then just went with that design. No big deal. Nothing flashy. Vinyl lettering, or whatever that is (I'm not the craftiest of people), would be a heck of a lot easier, but I like that I freehanded it. It never looks the same twice. That & it occupies more of my time, which at this point is good for me. The first picture is what the original looks like on my mantle. There's no close up. The second photo is the one I made for my mom. I took these with my cell camera at night so they're not very good quality photos, but you get the idea.

The first one (not so good) on my mantle.

The second one (better) I made for my mom.

It was a really simple project, & I really like the simplicity of it. I'm no artist, & I'm not much of a homemaker, but I'm pretty proud of this project. Maybe someday I'll become more talented & take on something more intense. But in the meantime I'm just trying to get my baby on a schedule. Priorities. 

That is all.

- Alexa

My top products for mom & baby.

I've seen a ton of lists of "necessities for newborns." Since I have a bajillion friends that are pregnant I decided to throw in my two cents. I'm no expert, but there are some things that have just made my life a little easier the last few months. I suppose the only things that are really necessary are a car seat (since you can't bring the baby home without one), & a place for the baby to sleep. & you know, diapers, cause...ew. Those things are obvious. But there are some things that AREN'T necessary that I'm finding that I wouldn't want to live without.


FOR MOM

1. Dermoplast Pain Relieving Spray.

My hospital gave this to me along with the enormous pads, the ice pads, & mesh underwear (sexy). If you are having a vaginal delivery this stuff is your best friend for the next couple of weeks after. I sprayed a bunch down there every time I used the bathroom (which by the way is a tough thing to do right after you have a baby). If your hospital doesn't give you a can of this stuff you're missing out. Bring some with you. It's great. Especially paired with the ice pads. So good when you've just pushed a baby out of you.

2. Boppy (or other breast feeding pillow).

If you're breast feeding, invest in one of these. & bring it to the hospital. I love my Boppy. It makes life so much easier. While it's totally possible to nurse without it, it's a heck of a lot more comfortable to sit there for 45 minutes with the baby resting on a pillow instead of having to support her in that position for that long. It gets tiring.

3. Baby Connect App

OR something like it. It's an app that you can record everything. I have an android phone, but I know itunes has these kinds of apps as well. You can time feedings, left & right, when you change a diaper, how long they sleep, height & weight, etc... It's all in there, & it's so handy to have all of that info in one place.

4. A breast pump.

I didn't originally think I needed a breast pump since I wasn't going to be going back to work or school. But I'm SO GLAD we got one. Baby girl didn't want to eat anything her first week. It was awful. She lost a bunch of weight & there was talk of putting her in the NICU. But also, when my milk came in when she was 3 days old, my boobs were super engorged (plus lumpy & red...almost mastitis) & hurt sooooo bad. If you've never been engorged, it's not fun. Yes, it makes your boobs huge, but they're like rocks that feel like they're going to explode. It's really handy to be able to pump it out. Sometimes when I wake up engorged, I'll feed baby girl but she won't empty me, so I have to pump the rest out or else I'm just engorged all day. Believe me, it's unpleasant. You can get these used if you don't want to invest a couple hundred bucks in a brand new electric one. We bought mine from a friend of my mom's. I just got all new tubing & equipment for it. Really you're just getting the motor thing used.

5. Breast pads.

Trust me. It's really embarrassing to leak through your shirt at church. I forgot them at night once & woke up with milk around my boob area on the sheets.

FOR BABY

1. Noise maker.

There's an app for that! No seriously. Baby Soother. It has a ton of sounds, including white noise. White noise is FANTASTIC! Apparently it's really loud in the womb so the loud fuzz sound calms them. TV static also works, but it's really handy to be able to put your phone in the car seat with it on. (If you want more information on that, look in to Happiest Baby on the Block. We watched the dvd. The method totally works!!!)

2. Head support.

One of those pillow things that curves around their head for the car seat! Baby girl was really tiny so we actually got an entire body support, but took it out when she was about 10 weeks. Now she just has the head support which helps keep her head from dropping off to the side. That really upsets her. 

3. Swaddle Me Blankets. 

Baby girl loves her Swaddle Me blankets. So do I. While husband & I are excellent swaddlers, she's very wiggly now & manages to get herself out of just a regular blanket. I like the swaddle me blankets cause they're velcro & you can do them up nice & tight. There are also the Halo Sleep Sacks. I've heard great things about those. Anything to help swaddle makes life easier. It calms them. (Again, Happiest Baby on the Block.)

4. Swing/Bouncer.

This is one of those things that I was told was definitely not necessary. Well I'm here to tell you that without a swing or bouncer I wouldn't get ANYTHING done without my baby screaming. We borrowed ours from a friend. The swing is really good at keeping her relaxed & sending her off to sleepy land for nap time. The bouncer/vibrating chair thing is great for when she's wide awake. I can set her up in that, turn on the tv static, & she's happy for at least 20 minutes. It's great! Definitely something I'm glad we have. & if we hadn't borrowed from a friend, it would've been totally worth it to buy the bouncy chair.

5. Front pack/Moby Wrap

If you have a baby that likes to be cuddled, get one. I don't like the Moby wrap. My body is awkward & it doesn't sit right on me. But a friend let us borrow the Baby Bjorn front pack & baby girl loves it. It's hard to carry her around the house all the time, so having her strapped to me makes it easier to accomplish things. Of course, I have to stand funny if I want to see something right in front of me, but it's better than having one hand, or a crying baby that wants to be cuddled. 

The only thing I don't use on this list anymore is the Dermoplast, but my baby is 3 months old so I don't need it anymore. I use everything else on a daily basis. It just makes my life a heck of a lot easier! 

I hope everything goes smoothly for you if you're having a baby!!! & for anyone else, I hope you're well!

That is all.

- Alexa

Two Months.

2 months.

This is a little overdue, but Peyton was 2 months old on the 25th of January! I can't believe I've been a mom for 2 months. That just blows my mind. I'm not old enough or grown up enough to have a 2 month old. Well...obviously I am, but it's weird. I still can't believe I'm someone's mom. The good news is I've kept her alive for 2 months, so I'm feeling pretty good about it.

5 weeks.

At her 2 month well baby check up she had to get a couple of shots. She handled them like a champ. Cried of course, but wasn't squirmy, just upset. She weighed 9 lbs 5 oz!! At one month she didn't even have a percentile at 6 lbs 14 oz, so our goal was to get her between 5 & 10 by 2 months. Clearly mommy's boob milk is doing it's job cause we surpassed our goal!! She's now 21 inches long, meaning she's grown 2 inches in 2 months. She's in like the 19th percentile for that...something like that. She's a really petite baby. She's now 10 weeks & only JUST moved from newborn to size 1 diapers. She still fits in some newborn clothes, & in smaller 0-3 month ones. I guess we just have a small baby. But she's so cute!!! I just love her.

6 weeks.

All of the hair on top of her head fell out by the time she was 1 month old, as you can see in the photo of her in a hospital gown above (don't worry, she was just there for a test & it turned out fine). She looked like the cutest most feminine little man you ever did see. But it's grown back now.

She had her first "social smile" at 5 weeks. I looove her smiles. Cause even if I'm frustrated with exhaustion, she can flash me a gummy grin & I just melt. Every morning I lay her on my bed to change her diaper & she just stares at the ceiling grinning (which is why I'm convinced babies can see spirits. There's gotta be something there that we can't see cause she just smiles for no reason all the time).

Here's some of what I've learned about our little girl.

7 weeks.

Peyton likes...
being swaddled.
bath time.
the sound of rolling r's, or similar sound with lips. Usually gets her to stop crying.
the car when it's moving.
sucking the life out of mommy's breasts.
being rocked or bounced.
her swing.
when her dad sings like a goof to her.
her vitamin drops.
her diaper to be fresh & clean.
rolling from side to side.
sucking on her fist.
being cuddled.

5 weeks.

Peyton hates...
being put in her carseat
a wet/dirty diaper.
getting out of the bath.
being hot. & she's a heater so that's rough.
having clothes pulled over her head.
the nasal aspirator with an intense passion.
being hungry.
being half asleep & waking up to find I'm not holding her anymore.
tummy time on the floor.

7 weeks with her daddy.

Altogether I suppose things are going pretty well. Could be worse. Gabe is becoming much more comfortable with Peyton now that she's a bit bigger & more responsive. She smiles, she holds her head up, & she likes to try to stand. She can hold the majority of her weight for a few seconds at a time. Strong girl!! So those things make it a little easier for Gabe to bond with her. She's not a very good sleeper yet so I'm having a bit of a rough time. She'll go anywhere from 2-6 hours being her longest stretch of sleep at night. & she doesn't really nap during the day so I don't get to nap. I've got these big old dark circles under my eyes. I take back any complaint about being tired I ever had. NOW I'm tired. I don't know how moms with more kids do anything. I can barely take a shower! Not because I'm tired, but merely because my child is so darn needy! Good thing she's the cutest thing I've ever seen. I'm bias, I know. But you have to admit, I've got a pretty baby. =]

7 weeks.

As for life without the baby... I don't really have one. Gabe does though. I mean, he goes to work. He has some friends that like RC planes. Not as much as Gabe, but no one likes RC planes as much as him. He goes & flies his planes (after asking my permission) & even has some friends that will go with him. He's been really helpful though. He makes dinner most nights because Peyton tends to be a breast feeding machine in the evenings. & then he'll even do the dishes. I figure it's a fair trade since I take care of his kid all day & night. He's lucky to have such a wonderful wife. =] (For the record, I'm also very blessed to have such a wonderful husband.) I AM planning on learning some new skills though. I want to learn to sew still. Pinterest has infected me with that desire. Even the desire to quilt, which I never saw coming. Pinterest has also told me I need to learn to crochet, which I plan on doing soon...assuming I get a chance. We'll see. Peyton is becoming a little easier. I can put her on her play gym & she's distracted for a good 20 minutes, so sometimes I get "me time." I did just complete a project that I sketched out during a brief nap & managed to finish while I was feeding her. I'll post about that soon.

Anyway, I hope everyone is doing well! Stay warm!

- Alexa