3 months

Oops! I'm a couple weeks behind on this post but better late than never. At three months, Liv Evelyn weighs 11 lbs 2.6 oz and is 24 in long. This month has been my favorite yet. So many changes have taken place and it's fun seeing her personality unfold in front of our eyes. She started laughing and OHMYGOSH there is nothing cuter. I used to have to cheat and tickle her to get a giggle out but now she'll laugh at papa dancing or the dogs licking her feet. She is also babbling more than ever. We have full conversations, taking turns and pausing for the other to respond.

A few days before Liv turned three months, she rolled from her back to her tummy without any assistance. I thought for sure it was a fluke but sure enough, she did it four more times that day. Now, I can barely keep her on her back. She is so strong and scoots herself all around on her tummy with her wiggling arms and legs. I may just have an extra early crawler on my hands.

She is now able to hold her head up long enough to sit in her Bumbo Chair and we are planning to get out her Johnny Jump Up soon since she loves to bounce. My arms could certainly use a break since I brace her while she jumps up and down on my lap all day.

We're very busy these days doing lots of fun things in our neighborhood. We attend weekly Book Babies at our local library, coffee play dates with our fellow baby and mom friends, Baby and Me Yoga, music classes, and have even learned the art of infant massage. Getting out everyday and discovering new things to do with Liv is my favorite joy of motherhood. I am definitely in my element and she has so much fun being exposed to different people and experiences.

There's a lot of drooling happening around here lately. Sis drips like a faucet while frantically shoving things into her mouth and chomping down. It looks like teething behavior to me but I think it's a bit early for that. Who knows...

Although she had been sleeping 4-5 hour stretches at night, we are now back to 2 hour increments and this mama is making herself crazy reading all those blasted sleep books. Do I sleep train to preserve my sanity? Do I subscribe to attachment parenting and follow her lead? Do I do as the French and simply "observe" before tending to her? Do I throw all the labeled techniques out the window and just do what feels right? Probably. I don't know, I'm just hoping it's another growth spurt and we'll be back to better sleep soon.

Speaking of sleep, we've been bringing Liv into bed with us every morning around 5:00am since the day she was born. She wakes up around that time, nurses, then falls asleep on my chest and we get another few hours of sleep (sometimes 4!). I go back and forth as to whether this is creating a bad habit and think we might be setting ourselves up to have a 4 year old who sneaks into our bed each morning at dawn. But ultimately I decide I don't care. I love that time together, snuggling in bed as a family, and if it allows us all to snooze a few extra hours every day, I'm in. Sleep is at the highest premium these days so we are committed to doing what works for now.

Life with this little chicken is just getting better and better. She brings so much joy to our lives and I am grateful each day for the opportunity to be her mama.

*take a look back at months one and two.