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!