Adjusting to going back to work after eight weeks of maternity leave was a very difficult time for me. I experienced the typical "mommy guilt," and I still wish I could stay home with her. Belle stays with both grandmothers during the weekdays so I know that she is in the best care possible. Now that we are used to the daily routine it is much better. She is finally used to her all-formula diet, and her gas issues only occassionally cause her problems. Belle was never a good breastfeeder because she was a premie and could not latch well. I pumped for her while I was home on maternity leave, but I had to stop when I went back to work. She never really co-slept with us because I was always afraid of SIDS. For awhile she slept in her bassinet beside our bed, but she made so many noises that I could not sleep. We moved her to the nursery and we use the baby monitor at night. It also helped when Sean and I would switch off on night duty in the beginning because one of us could sleep in the guest room with the monitor and the other one could sleep in our bedroom without any noise to wake us up. Now that she sleeps for 4 to 5 hours at a time at night instead of 2 to 3 hours, we can both sleep in our comfortable, king size bed. She was sleeping in her bassinet until just last week. Our girl grew too long for the bassinet and it is hard to believe she was once a 3 lb, 9 oz premie!
Now that she is three months old her little personality is shining through. She loves to play and her favorite time of day is early in the morning (6 a.m.!) I can't resist sticking around later than I should before going to work to kiss and play with her when she is so happy. Today we got two big smiles out of her while she was on her changing pad doing her aerobics (i.e. lying there kicking her legs like crazy). As soon as Sean got the video camera out she stopped, go figure. This is my absolute favorite time of day because I get to see her so awake and happy!
3 months old on 3/12/12: What a big girl in blue jeans!
She has outgrown her bassinet and now sleeps in her crib as of 3/9/12 and loves it!
Here are a few things I want to write down before I forget:
-Belle, when we last weighed you a few weeks ago, you were 10 lbs, 1.5 oz. I'm pretty sure that you are closer to 11 lbs now!
-In the past two weeks you have really enjoyed playing. Your favorite thing to do is to lay down on your changing pad and kick your legs like crazy. You also enjoy laying on your activity mat and looking at the toys and mirror. Last Sunday I was able to leave you there for almost an hour while you entertained yourself. You will sit in your swing, but only for ten minutes at a time before you get upset/bored. I haven't tried to use the Bumbo seat yet because you can't hold your head up very well. We are working on head and neck control by doing 5 to 10 minutes of tummy time every day. Sometimes you do well at tummy time and hold your head up and look around and other days you just lie there. It is so cute seeing you kick your legs like you're swimming. I can see that in a few short months you will be sitting up and crawling for sure! Lights, ceiling fans, and your mobile in your crib are your favorite things to look at and they keep your undivided attention.
-You definitely recognize the sound of our voices. Whenever mommy and daddy talk to you, you turn your head and look at us. You smile on a daily basis now when we talk in our animated voices, and Grandma swears that you giggled yesterday! We can tell you want to laugh out loud, but the sound just won't come out quite yet. You will open your mouth really wide when daddy tickles your knees! You make a few cooing noises, but haven't started consistent babbling yet.
-One of the funniest things that Belle does is pout. When her mouth begins to frown and her bottom lip sticks out we will talk to her in sweet voices to get her to stop before the crying begins. Sean says he can already tell she is going to be a handful when she gets older.
-Having a regular nightly routine is easier said than done. We try to give you a bath every other day, but sometimes you are so tired you nap all evening long. This usually happens when she doesn't nap well during the day or has a fussy day due to gas or constipation. You are very grumpy when we wake you up before you are ready, and it takes you a long time to calm down.
-You are not the best sleeper yet, but we're getting there. Hopefully when she is four months old and can have rice cereal she will sleep through the night! We usually give you the nighttime bottle around 9:30-10:00 pm. You usually sleep for 4 to 5 hours at night before we have to give you your "dream feed." The dream feed is between 2:00-3:30 a.m., and we feed you quickly and try to get you to go right back to sleep. Then you sleep another 2 to 3 hours before waking up around 5:30-6:00 a.m. We are working on not feeding you very much at night and calming you down when you wake up with a pacifer or rocking you instead. Whenever you wake up in the morning you are in the best mood! You are an early bird (like your mom, unlike your dad) and this is your favorite time of the day. Yesterday your daddy found you in your crib wide awake at 6 a.m. just staring at the ceiling fan, you didn't even cry to get our attention so we had no idea you were even up!
-You drink the regular Enfamil infant formula and take usually 6-7, 4 oz bottles a day. We give you Zantac for acid reflux, gas drops, and gripe water. I'm not sure which medications work, but your colic has subsided so I'm not willing to stop it just yet.
-We tried to give you Gentlease and Prosobee formulas to see if that would help with the gas, but you hated the taste. So apparently you like the taste of milk for sure!
-You have always been a bottle drinker and we have tried every bottle out there. Now we have invested in Dr. Brown's bottles and you are doing great on them.
-Sometimes the formula makes you constipated so we give you an ounce of pear juice to help. You usually only poop once every other day, but when you go it is a big one!
-Monday through Thursday you stay with your Grandma (Sean's mom). She has a complete nursery set up for you and you feel right at home. On Fridays you stay with Yay (my mom) and you have just as much fun over there. You are so blessed to have both of your grandmothers watching you while mommy and daddy go to work. When we move in September because of daddy's new job you will have to go to daycare. I am dreading having to do this, but hopefully you will be able to play and have fun with the other babies because you will be 9 months old by then.
-We usually drop you off around 7 am and pick you up around 4:30 pm. My second happiest time of day is when I get to see your sweet face in the afternoon after a long day at work!
-Our evenings usually go like this: Pick Belle up, make dinner and do chores, watch television, play with Belle, do tummy time, give her a bath, feed her, and put her to bed.
-Because the work week is so hectic we really do cherish our weekends together. We sleep in a little later, play together, go out to eat, run errands, and go to church. Now we know the best times to take her places. She has to be awake when we put her in the car seat because this little one is very cranky when she is woken up. Also, she cannot be out and about for a long time, but hopefully that will change as she gets older. She has not been in the church nursery yet, but I think next week will be a good time to start since she is 3 months old now.
-These past few months have been a learning experience for sure. Our lives are completely different now. Sleepless nights, being busy constantly, and staying tired all the time are the norm. I have become an expert at one-handed eating because Belle always wants to be held right when we sit down for dinner :-) We used to be social butterflies. We had date nights, participated in numerous activities, spent time with friends, and went out to eat all the time. Now we stay home for the most part and enjoy the little things in life alot more. God has blessed us with a healthy and happy daughter, and we are so grateful to have this precious time with her.
No comments:
Post a Comment