Three Months!

Weight/Length- No official doctor's weigh in this month, but our home scale says that you're about 14.3 lbs!  You'll probably be double your birth weight by this time next week! =)

Eating- You definitely prefer boob to bottle.  You eat so well when you are home with mom, but not so much at day care.  Right now you're only averaging about 8 oz per day... one day you didn't eat AT ALL!  I guess you figured that you'd just wait for the fresh stuff. =P  Stresses mommy out, but you're doing fine otherwise, so I guess I'll try to just let you do your own thing here.

Sleep- You are rocking this sleep thing!  (I almost hate to put it out in the world and risk jinxing it!)  Going to bed for the night anywhere between 8 and 9 usually and then not waking up until 4-5.  I love that you get 8 hours or so of sleep... I just wish that your 8 corresponded with our 8, too. ;)  Usually when you wake up at 4-5 you're pretty good about going back to sleep until about 7 or 8.  This weekend you slept until 10:15!  (after waking up at 4 and then again at 7).  Even though it wasn't in one long stretch, it was still pretty fantastic to not get up until so late on a Sunday morning again!

 Clothes- You're wearing a variety of clothing sizes right now.  Some of your 0-3 month stuff still fits, but it's mostly too small.  Some of your 3-6 month stuff fits, but some of it is too short. lol  You are mostly in 3-6, with some 6-9s thrown in there.  So, I guess on average you're wearing about 6 month clothes. =)

Personality- Generally speaking, you're a pretty happy baby... especially first thing in the morning.  You are SOO happy to see me when I come in to get you!  It's an awesome feeling to see you smile so big when you see me!  You're trying really hard to laugh now, and I can't wait until I get to hear it!

Likes/Dislikes-

-You like to be high up and moving... which means that mom walks around the house with you in her arms a LOT!

-You like to play with the stuffed octopus on your play mat.  You are starting to grab him with all fours these days!

-You like to look at trees... whether it's from your car seat on road trips or in your stroller when we're walking... you're going to love hanging out in nature just like your parents! 

-You like to look out at the world and would much rather be carried so you're facing outward and seeing what there is to see!

-You are not a fan of riding in the car.  You will put up with it for a short period of time, and you will fall asleep if you're tired, but if you're awake and you're in there for more than 15 minutes, you will let us know that you aren't happy... unless someone is in the back seat to play with you.

-You don't like sitting still... you want to be constantly moving.  Momma doesn't get to many couch-cuddle-nap sessions anymore. =(

-You are also not a big fan of wearable baby carriers.  We have a couple that we've tried, and have found one that you'll stand, but you'd just prefer having mom or dad's arms around you.

Milestones-

-You are starting to consciously reach for and grab things.  When I realized that you were actually grabbing things on purpose I almost cried.  You're growing up so fast!

-You're drooling up a storm!  I'm worried that there are teeth coming soon!

-You started day care this month.  You seem to enjoy it... and you sleep a lot better at night on day care days... all that extra stimulation and other kids to play with must be good for you!

-This month you had your first 4th of July!  I slept through the fireworks... ALL of them! Even those big ones that went off in our neighborhood before and after the 4th.

-This month you also had your first solo road trip with mom.  You slept the WHOLE time!  It was fantastic!   

My Kid is a Frickin' Genius (#1)

I marked this as "#1" as I expect that there will be other installments. ;)

So, a little bit of background before I go into why Emily is absolutely brilliant....  Before she was born a friend of mine gave us a gift of a lamb crib toy thing.  It attaches to the inside of the crib and, when you push on the lambs stomach, it plays music and does a small "light show".  Just within the last couple of weeks have I started to sift through the various toys that we have (as Emily is just now started to "play" with things) and I found this.  I strapped it into her crib and tested it out.  Fifty-percent of the time it doesn't actually do anything for her sleep, but 80% of the time I can get a 5-minute break to pee or make myself a sandwich while she watches the lights and listens to the music.

Well, last night, at 4 am, I woke up to "Old McDonald" coming through the baby monitor.  At first I thought that she had accidentally kicked it and turned it on.  But then it went off before it finished it's cycle (you can stop it by pushing the belly again).  I then expected to hear Emily start to cry and have to get up to get her.  But, I waited and nothing happened... for about 5 minutes.  And then "Mary Had a Little Lamb" came on!  And then I heard Emily do a little "giggle" (her happy noise... she's trying desperately right now to figure out how to laugh).  This went on for HALF AN HOUR! lol  Music on, music off, happy noise.  I was lying in bed just listening to her with a big ol' grin on my own face.  Finally, at 4:30 she started to whimper and I went in to feed her and put her back to sleep. 

Just goes to show that my kid is a frickin' genius and is starting to figure out cause and effect!

Jumping on the Bandwagon!

One of my fave bloggers (who I've been following now for over two years) posted this on her blog: From Match to Marriage.  I like these Q&As, and needed a "starter" to get my mind in writing mode again, so I thought I'd give this a go. =)

1. How long have you been blogging? And what got you started on blogging? Has your blog changed?
I've attempted to blog before... way back in high school (more than 10 years ago now), but I really started blogging "regularly" in 2009 when I moved to Canada to go to grad school.  You can read about those adventures at An American Girl in Canada.  Toward the end of my Canadian adventure, my boyfriend (at the time) proposed and I started a wedding planning blog after seeing so many of them pop up in my online searches for wedding ideas (p.s. this was one of the best things I could have done while planning the wedding... these other blogs helped me out a lot, both with ideas AND keeping my sanity!).  After the wedding (and all the re-caps!) I decided to keep my blog going and see where it led.  It led to home purchasing, then pregnancy, and now mommy-hood!  I'm sure that it will keep evolving as my life does!

2. Did you go to college? If so where, and what did you study?
I graduated from Southern Oregon University in Ashland with a BA in Criminology.  After a few years "in the field" I decided to go back to school to get my Master's and moved up to British Columbia to attend Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, BC.

3. Where have you traveled?
I've traveled through about half of the US, as well as parts of Canada, New Zealand, Melbourne, London and Paris.  I LOVE to travel and hope that I'm able to get back to it soon, once the little one has her "sea legs". =)

4. If you won the lottery, what would be the first thing you would buy?
I would pay off debts first... student loans, cars, house (if the lottery prize was big enough), and then I'd probably upgrade our house to something a bit bigger and/or in a different part of the city.

5. What are your 3 biggest pet peeves?
I was just thinking today that it really bothers me when perfectly capable people wait 10+ minutes for a city bus and then take it for, like, 6 blocks... WALK PEOPLE! lol  I don't know if that's one of my top three, but it definitely bothers me. =)  I also can't stand when people are lake (if you're not early, you're late!) or people that thrive on drama.

6. What is your favorite movie?
I don't think that I have a favorite, but some of those that I watch over and over again include:  Serendipity, Love Actually, Sweet Home Alabama, Benny and Joon.

7. What is your drink of choice; wine, beer, or liquor. Or Water, Soda, Tea?
I love cocktails... but I've also over the years gotten a taste for wine. =)

8. What is something you enjoy to do when you have me time?
When I get "me" time (it's pretty limited these days) I like to sit back and watch tv/movie and relax. lol 

9. If you could have a $10,000 shopping spree to one store, which store would it be?
I'm going to agree with Shannon on this one and say Target.  I feel like I pretty much live there these days.

10. Share with us an embarrassing moment of your past? Or present.
One thing that you should know about me, I don't do well with blood or anything having to do with vein/artery tampering (I have a hard time getting a foot massage because I don't like people even touching the tops of my feet because of this).  When I was in middle school I was in a biology class and we were doing a first aid unit.  The conversation was on how to use a tourniquet.  I couldn't handle it.  I passed out.  Right there in class.  On top of one of my classmates, who, apparently, then pushed me onto the ground.  When I came to, I was looking up at a circle of heads.  My teacher called the office, who brought a wheelchair to take me to the nurse and, eventually, to my dad's car.  Seven years later, when my youngest brother was in middle school, someone told him the story.  My legacy lives on. =)

11. What day would you love to relive again?
My high school graduation... I had to give a speech and I was so nervous that I pretty much blocked out everything that day. lol  I don't really remember any of it.

12. If your life was turned into a movie... what actor would play you?
I would like to say Reese Witherspoon because I think she's adorable... but the only thing we have in common is the blonde hair. lol

13. What are the jobs you had in high school/college/the early years?
I worked in a couple of bookstores, did some freelance work for a couple of local newspapers, worked in a couple of retail clothing stores, did some telemarketing, worked at a Papa Murphy's and did some hosting in a restaurant.

14. Show us a picture from high school or college.

My high school graduation with two of my best friends... that's me on the right!

I would love to go back to Europe... specifically Greece and Ireland.  I'd also like to go back to England someday.

16. Show us the most current picture of you or you, or your family, or anything of meaning to you.

I think that this is the only "family shot" that we have right now. lol  Getting that remedied soon, though!

17. Where do you see your life 5 years from now?
Hopefully another child, maybe a different house... but really, just enjoying each other and the life that we've made together!  I've reached so many of my life goals to this point, I'm ready to just relax and take it all in! =)

Baby #2

No, this is not an announcement of conception, nor of planning to conceive, but rather, a thought that I've been having lately.

Jacob and I want to have two kids, but the question has always stood of how long to wait between the two.  Jacob and his brother are 2 years apart.  In my family, the four of us are 2-3 years difference.  I guess that I just always assumed that my kids would be about 2 years apart, too.  But then I got to thinking, that means that I'll have to get pregnant again roughly this time next year.  Emily will be just over one year old.  Which means, that we should start "trying" around the beginning of the year (maybe a little later), when Emily is less than a year old.  Which means that I have, roughly, 6 months to prepare to be pregnant again.

I am NOT ready to be pregnant again, and I don't know that I will be in 6 months time.  I can't imagine caring for one infant while pregnant with another.  Nor can I imagine paying for daycare for TWO kids... we can barely do it for one!

I then started to think that maybe we should wait until Emily is ready for pre-school/kindergarten... in about 4 years time.  I have several friends who are 4ish years younger than their siblings and they are super close.  Plus, only one kid in all-day day-care, and a 4/5 year old can be (slightly) more helpful/independent than a 1-2 year old. 

But wait!  If we want to wait 4 years between kids, than that means that we should start trying in early 2015.... when I am pushing 33... no spring chicken!  Even back when I was about 26 and went for my yearly exam my doctor "recommended" that I start thinking about having children soon, as it gets harder and harder as the years go on.  Jacob and I were VERY lucky with how easy it was for us to get pregnant with Emily, but who knows if it will be as easy 4 years later... and I really don't want to put myself (and Jacob) through all the stress of trying unsuccessfully for a second child only to watch Emily get older and older without a sibling (and Jacob and I older and older, too).

It's a big conundrum.  Maybe we'll just get a dog instead.

Weekend of Babies!

This weekend was all about babies and birth in general... and it was a blast!

First, on Saturday I was able to attend a good friend's baby shower.  She's due in about a month and I'm so excited to see the adorable little guy or girl that she and her husband are sure to produce!  =)

Then on Sunday Jacob and I hosted a BBQ for my "Moms Group".  When I was pregnant I joined a Pregnancy support group via Meetup.com.  It was one of the best things I did during my pregnancy because it allowed me to meet other women going through the same things as me, and it gave me a forum to bitch/complain/ask questions/advice to others who understood me on a completely different level than my other friends and family members.  Now, almost a year after I joined the group, we have all had babies, and on Saturday several of them came over for a potluck BBQ and to play with Emily. =)

After all of Emily's new friends went home, her Nana and Papa came over for ANOTHER BBQ and to celebrate her Papa's birthday.  Emily also took the opportunity to play around in her new swimming pool.

It was a good weekend! =)  I'm we are all so excited that the weather is FINALLY starting to get summery!

Emily's First Fourth of July

She slept through it.  Sorta. =)

Jacob and I both had the day off, and I was hoping to get some errands done but, of course, everything was closed for the holiday.  So we decided to check out a local movie theater that had a "Mommy Matinee" show during the week.  The tagline is: "Moms, dads, grandparents, nannies and their babies are welcome. Let the kids fuss – we don’t mind!"  We figured that this was probably the best opportunity to see how Emily would do in a movie theater... go somewhere with other babies, and at a discounted cost!

We say "Dark Shadows".  The movie was decent, and Emily was awesome.  She slept through the first quarter of the movie, bounced around on our laps for the middle half, and slept through the last quarter.  She really only fussed a little bit when she got bored, but she was easily distracted by Alice Cooper on the big screen. =)

After the movie we headed home for a little bit, and then out to Jacob's folks sailboat docked in a marina on the Columbia, where we BBQ'd dinner, got Emily to go to sleep (soothing a screaming baby in a sailboat is difficult... more on everyone in the boat than the baby), and then sat on the boat and watched all of the fireworks going off in Washington (just on the other side of the river), and the show that the local marinas did together.  (Jacob and I have both been surprised over the course of the last few days how good Emily is at sleeping through loud noises.  Even tonight we have LOUD fireworks going off in our neighborhood, and she's sound asleep!) All in all, we had a pretty good holiday! 

Emily's first movie!

Back to Reality

I have been back to work (part-time) for four weeks now.  It was really weird going back to the office because it WASN'T weird.  I felt like I'd never left.  After two months away, everything just picked up where it left off... except I had a kid's picture on my desk, and a breast pump under it that I have to remember to use 2-3 times each day.

For the first two weeks Emily stayed here at home with her grandmas.  Jacob's mom watched her the first week (she lives near by) and my mom came to visit the second week to spend some time with her granddaughter while she (my mom) is on summer break.  The third week Emily started day care.

We totally lucked out with our daycare provider, who has been a friend of my mom's for over 30 years and who I've known my entire life.  She just happens to run an in-home day care just five miles from our home, and had an opening when we needed it.  =)

It's been interesting having to figure out my schedule and logistics for getting myself and Emily up, fed, dressed and out the door by such an early hour.  And then get her picked up, home, fed (a couple times) and to bed in the evenings.  This is what our day looks like:

6:15 -- My alarm goes off.  Usually I'm already awake feeding Emily breakfast or have been (and went back to bed for a half hour or so) by this time.  If Emily is awake, she hangs out in bed with her dad while I take a shower and do my morning bathroom/breakfast/get dressed routine.  If she's asleep, Jacob gets some extra zzzz's.

6:30 -- Jacob's alarm goes off.  He hits snooze.

7:00ish -- I get bottles, pump, diaper bag and work bag ready and next to the door.

7:15 -- Jacob gets up.  Emily is usually back to sleep by now... or just waking up again.  Either way, I'm on-call baby duty.

7:30 -- Jacob goes to work.  If I remember, I ask him to take the various bags out to the car for me (so I'm not carrying 4 bags and a baby out the door!)  I try to check my e-mail/facebook/blogs/etc... though usually end up getting Emily who wakes up again about this time.

7:40 -- If Emily hasn't woken up yet, I wake her up, get her dressed and feed her.

7:50 -- I change Emily's outfit as she has, without fail, poop-sploded all over the place while eating her breakfast.

7:55 -- I put my work-shirt on (I leave this to the very last minute to (hopefully) avoid getting spit-sploded on).

8:00 -- We leave the house for day care.

8:15 -- Drop Emily off at day care, leave my car there and walk a couple blocks to catch the bus to work.

9:15 -- Arrive at work.  Pump before clocking in at 9:30.

12:30 -- Pump again, eat lunch.

3:00 -- Pump again.

5:00 -- Off work, catch the bus back to day care.

5:30 -- Jacob arrives at day care, gets Emily, leaves his car and drives mine (with the car seat) home.

5:50 -- I get to day care, drive Jacob's car home.

6:10 -- Get home, play with Emily.

7:30 -- Attempt to put Emily to bed.

8:00 -- If attempt was successful, make and eat dinner and watch some TV with Jacob.

9:30 -- Wash bottles/pump.  Getting bottles ready for the next day.

10:00 -- Get ready for, and go to, bed.

And then I start the whole thing over again the next day. 

Since I decided to work out my maternity leave so that I could ease back into it, I'm currently working 20 hours/week, 3 days/week (Tuesday-Thursday).  Starting the second week of August I'll be back full-time and will need to leave the house 30 minutes early (about).  I think I can make it work without having to get up any/much earlier, it just means I'll have a little less *me* time in the morning, and that Emily will need to get out of bed a bit earlier. 

So far we are managing ok.  I think that day care has been good for Emily, even just in the two weeks that she's been going.  She even slept through the night one night last week!  She hasn't done it since, but I always go to bed with my fingers crossed. =)  Now that she has "friends" to play with, I almost feel bad on Mondays and Fridays when it's just her and I at home.  I don't think I'm exciting or stimulating enough for her. lol  But she puts up with me!

Portrait of Emily by one of her daycare friends!