Little E is now 26 inches long (95 percentile) and 13 pounds (28 percentile). So basically she’s long and skinny, although she’s getting some nice chub around her thighs. Even though she dropped in percentile for her weight, her ped said that she’s right on track for an exclusively breast fed baby and we should keep on doing what we’re doing. She also said that there isn’t a need to start solids until 6 months, so we’re choosing to hold off on them since breast milk gives her everything she needs at this point and her growth rate is fine.
 
She hit growth spurts at 12 weeks and 16 weeks and has hit a lot of new developmental milestones. She rolls like a pro from back to belly, but still has trouble from belly to back. The doctor was surprised that she’s already grabbing objects out of our hands and stuffing them into her mouth- especially mom’s hair! She was also pleased to see that she holds her head really well and laughs, coos and talks so much. Basically, she’s as good as they get at this stage, which we are so thankful for.
 
She’s sleeping longer stretches at night, which is a relief to me. The first time that she slept for 5 hours at a stretch, I didn’t know what to with myself. After I fed her, I was wide awake at 3am since 5 hours of sleep is what I was used to getting total in a night. It was a weird feeling, but has been remedied and I have no problem sleeping those long stretches right along with her.
 
Little E enjoyed her first flight in October when we went home to Michigan to visit family. She did pretty well considering she was only 3 months old and I was grateful for a short flight and my Beco baby carrier. I couldn’t have done the trip by myself without it. She’ll have her second flight at Christmas and I’m grateful that the WMD will be joining us on one leg of the journey so that I will have an extra set of hands to hold her.

I could go for a walk. It’s a nice afternoon and it would be healthy.

Or, I could stay in and eat this (it’s underneath all that whip cream, really):

And watch this.

Considering this little snuggle bunny is sitting next to me on the couch, I think I’ll go with the latter.

And yes, those socks are her Halloween costume. I know, I know, but I promise that next year she’ll be a pirate to make up for it. And they ARE cute socks, after all.

The WMD decided that this was the year to try his hand at hunting when he landed a killer deal on the bow above.  Believe it or not, the WMD was never an animal hunter growing up. He’s been itching to see if his skill with the bow is on par with his super Marine Corps shooter skills and he’s happy to have this photo as proof that they are. He got this 6 point buck yesterday morning, only his third time out hunting ever. It took him an hour or so to track it after it’d been shot, but he seemed to really be riding a high when he got home with it. It’s already been processed and now resides in our freezer. Looks like I won’t have to buy a lot of meat for a while!

Little E hit the three month mark last week. Along with that came a growth spurt that brought even more talking, grabbing at objects and the biggie- rolling over! She did not have a 3 month appointment, so I’m not sure how big she is, but she’s growing, I assure you!

We spent the last two weeks in Michigan, so the grandparents were able to witness some of these new skills firsthand.  She and I flew home while the WMD stayed in NC, supposedly to do schoolwork, but I think just about everything else was done out of homework avoidance. I was excited to come back to a beautifully refinished kitchen floor (we discovered hardwood underneath the nasty vinyl) and the extension of the brick pavers and rock wall in front of the house.

Little E certainly keeps us busy, but we’re slowly getting back into the swing of things and learning how to juggle a baby with school, housework and work. We’re enjoying every minute (or at least 90% of them!).

As one family member put it, the chair is shrinking! 

Little E hit the two month mark on Monday, September 7. It’s hard to believe that it’s been two months already, but at the same time, it feels likes she’s been with us forever.

We’ve adjusted pretty well to being a family of three. The WMD started school two weeks ago, so that has been another adjustment to make as he is swamped with five classes and a full work schedule. But, we’re cheering him on as he finishes up his undergraduate degree in December. We’re so proud of him for making it through such a tough program in 3.5 years. He’ll start his Master’s of Divinity in January, so right back to the grind, but we’re hoping that the smaller class load at the graduate level will give him a little more free time to spend with us.

Little E is doing great! She had her two month appointment with her doctor this morning and he said that “you can’t grow babies much more perfect than this.” I take it that that’s a good thing. She’s up to 10lb 12 oz now, which keeps her at the 50 percentile, but she grew over 3 inches in the last month and is now 24 inches long, putting her in the 75 percentile!, up from the 40 percentile! Looks like she’s going to take after her daddy in the tall and skinny club. Her head also grew and is in the 75 percentile as well. She gets that from me! The doctor was pleased with her strength and attentiveness. She did have to get a few shots, which she wasn’t happy about, but as is the case most of the time, I think it was harder on me than it was on her!

In the last month she’s become quite the talker and loves to have conversations with her daddy and me about anything that’s on her mind. The WMD commented that she’s going to be really talkative some day. I don’t know if that’s a good thing or not in his mind! She’s also a little wiggle worm and doesn’t stay in one place for long when she’s laid down. I often put her facing one direction in the crib and when I come back in to check on her, she’s usually flipped herself around 180 degrees, so her head is where her feet were. She loves looking in the mirror to smile and talk with the baby looking back at her and is captivated by new faces. She has had the chance to meet several friends at the WMD’s school as well as my former coworkers and enjoyed getting to see new people beyond just mom and dad. She and I are slowly starting to emerge from the house more often to make errands and visits and it’s not as much of an ordeal as I’d feared- yet!

We haven’t mastered a schedule yet, but we’re not pushing one either. We have general patterns and routines each day, but are remaining flexible as far as the clock goes. She let’s us know when she’s hungry and tired and we go from there. It’s working well for us.

We’ve posted her most recent 2 month photos here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/yankee_belle/

And a few videos, one with a conversation she and I had, here: http://www.vimeo.com/user2219729/videos

It’s hard to believe it, but our Little E is one month old already! She’s growing like a weed and is the joy of our home right now, despite the fact that her nights and days are still a bit confused. It’s amazing to see how much can change in a month. Our tiny baby has gained almost two pounds; she can hold her head up on her own pretty well; she likes to practice standing on our laps and she’s fascinated by the toys hanging over her play mat. We can’t wait to see what the next month brings!

More photos can be found on my Flickr site, which is accessible through the widget on the right.

It’s hard to believe Little E has been here for a week already! It’s been a busy one with a few trips to the pediatrician and lactation consultant due to some weight loss by Little E, but as of yesterday she is almost back up to her birth weight.

The WMD took two weeks off of work so that we could wade this new stream of parenting together and my parents came to visit for a few days. They were more than content to sit on the couch for four days and hold their first grandbaby. I think Little E was happy about that, too.

And she’s absolutely perfect.

I’m officially three days past my due date now. I had a doctor’s appointment yesterday. No real progress since last week, so they’ve scheduled an induction for next Tuesday if Little E decides she’s too cozy to come out on her own. I would prefer not to be induced and let it all progress naturally, so hopefully she picks up on my vibe and moseys on out.

As part of my check up yesterday, they did an ultrasound to make sure that she’s doing alright in there. She scored an 8 out of 8 on the healthy baby scale, so I guess that means she’s doing fine. As part of the ultrasound, they did a few 3D scans of her face (can I just say that I love my ultrasound tech!!!) so we could get a sneak peek at what she looks like. Of course, now that she’s so big (8 lbs give or take a 1/2 lb), she’s a bit squished in there,  but it was still neat to see her. I’m just excited that within the next week, I’ll get to hold her in my arms!