7 Months

I just can't even believe that my baby is 7 months old. She is definitely acting less like a baby and much more like a little person. She has started to very much assert herself. She makes known her likes and dislikes quite loudly. Little tiny babies are so mysterious. Sometimes they cry and sometimes they seem sort of content, usually when they are sleeping. It is hard to know why they are sad or happy or how to fix it, other than with a boob. It is pretty obvious now what Charlotte likes and what makes her angry and the best part is that it is much more obvious how to fix the problem when she is sad. Of course teething throws things for a loop sometimes. It is fun getting to know my daughter as a little person. She obviously can't talk to me yet, but our relationship has grown so much over the last couple months. She likes me and she likes being around me. There are places and toys that make her happy. When she is happy she looks up at me to see if I am happy too. When she is sad she nestles her head into my chest and then everything gets fixed. I am really having fun with her new emotional changes as well as her physical advances. 

We had a fun month too. I love hanging out with my little girl. I am going to make the most of my time with her. 

March 24-April 24

Highlights of the month:

What a fun and busy month we had. I almost feel like it had the start of the summer feeling.  Now that the weather is nicer and Charlotte enjoys seeing the sights so much more we are getting out and enjoying life. 

Charlotte's 6th month birthday was spent in Madison. She also sat up for the first extended length of time by herself. (longer than 30 seconds or so) We had a quick visit from grandpa and grammy at the start of the month. Those are always welcome breaks from reality. 

Charlotte had her 6 month appointment a couple days later. It was not very exciting. She got her last couple of shots until she is 1. She is doing well otherwise. Right on track for everything and growing like a weed. Still in the 75ish percentile for weight and 85ish percentile for height. She got a prescription for some eczema lotion, since her skin was kind of bad and something to put in her eye to hopefully help a little with the tear duct goop issue. Charlotte seemed to have perhaps gotten a a bit of a bug from her daddy. This resulted in diarrhea 5 or 6 times a day for a couple of days. The doctor wasn't really concerned since she was eating a lot and acting alright. It got better a couple of days later.

The next day we went on our very first family trip to the zoo. It was such a great day. It was the last free day of the cold season, so it was very crowded. There were moments that it was too crowded, but overall very much worth it. I think Charlotte had a fun time and then she passed out on mama. We will be going back again at some point this summer. Things like that are so much more fun with a little girl. I can't wait until she can really see all the animal and I can really tell her about them. 

Then a few days later Charlotte and I took another little trip to New Glarus. Sometimes we just like to not be home. Also we can't get enough of grandma and grandpa's house, and of course they can't get enough of her. It was a relaxing couple of days. We went to the Madison zoo with Aunt Sarah before heading to New Glarus. Then we just hung out for the next 48 hours. I highly recommend it. We were definitely glad to get home and see daddy though. 

The next week Charlotte got her first tooth. The two bottom teeth had been obvious under her gum for about a week and a half before the first one popped through. It officially came through on April 17th. I noticed it that morning when she chomped down on my finger. The second tooth on the bottom came through a few days later on April 21st. The are still not very visible, but definitely getting there. I can't wait till you can see them well. I love when babies have those two little bottom teeth. Also, I am hoping they help with the eating thing.

We wrapped up the month with Easter. We went to New Glarus for Easter. It was a glorious weekend with amazing weather. The day before Easter we spent the day in Madison doing my favorite things. We went to the first farmer's market of the year, we explored the capitol building, we strolled State St., we ate breakfast food for lunch and we hung out with friends. Easter was a casual day with family. We went to church, had a great lunch, played outside, took a nap and watched some TV. 

Oh, and this week daddy had his first softball game of the year. He joined our church's team. It was so much fun to watch. Charlotte however was NOT a fan of the cheering people. Perhaps because it was almost her bed time or the fact that there were so many strangers. But, every time someone would even be remotely she would start sobbing. So, I could cheer at all. We have them every week for the next few months, so hopefully she will get used to it soon. 

Important Stats:

Eating: The food situation is starting to improve. Charlotte's opinion of real food is slowly starting to get better. I bought some of those super gross mesh bag things and tried frozen bananas in one. The seemed to be the first thing she actually enjoyed eating. We have also done oranges and frozen blueberries in there that that is her favorite. She eats a lot of normal food just cut up now as well. I give her apple slices and she likes those. She has tried some bread and broccoli potato spears and a few other things. She has had some store bought baby food, because it was convenient while traveling this month. There are a couple of those she really likes. One with yogurt was delicious and she LOVED her rice pudding one. She also snacks on baby rice crackers sometimes too. Nursing is still going well. She is nursing as much as ever and I don't mind. She can get pretty distracted, but then we usually try again a little later and she can focus better. 

Sleeping: Hell, pure hell. As I said last month the week of spring break we got very little sleep. Charlotte went from sleeping 5 or 6 hours and then another 3 or 4 to waking up every 2 hours, or less. When we got back home we tried some cry it out sleep training. After a couple nights of crying she was fine, went right to sleep and slept for quite awhile. We would do a dream feed in the early morning. Then that dream feed kept moving earlier and earlier and then she was back to waking up every 2 hours. She eats more often at night than during the day. We have made attempts to do the sleep training over again. It has been easier to just get up every couple hours for a few minutes rather than deal with our screamer. I am definitely reaching the end of my rope, so there will be changes soon. On the plus side she has started to actually take naps during the day. She will take a nap a little before noon for about an hour and then usually one in the late afternoon, although that one isn't as predictable.

Pooping: Ever since she got that stomach bug at the beginning of April she went from being a one poop a day girl to a 2 or 3 poop a day girl. It has helped a little with the poop explosions. 

Growing: She has grown out of all her 6 month clothes and is in all 9 month clothes now. The only summer clothes she has are in 12 months so if the weather improves in the next couple weeks she will probably be wearing baggy 12 month clothes. She is up another pound. I can't believe she is almost 20 pounds. 

nicknames: crazy one, rollie pollie

Charlotte's favorite things during her 7th month:
1. yelling and grunting like a crazy person
2. rolling and scooting across the house
3. blueberries
4. mama

Mama's favorite things during Charlotte's 6th month:
1. fitting into her pre baby jeans
2. watching Charlotte really start to enjoy her toys
3. listening to Charlotte say "ma-ma-ma-ma"

Charlotte's least favorite things during her 7th month:
1. sleeping at night
2. teething
3. when mama leaves the room

Mama's least favorite things during Charlotte's 7th month:
1. not getting consecutive sleep at night
2. teething
3. baby proofing 

Charlotte's new skills
saying "ba-ba-ba", "da-da-da" and "ma-ma-ma"
sort of a pre crawling scoot
majorly improved fine motor skills and the ability to pick up really little things
can stand briefly, holding onto something, if I put her in that position

6 Months

I wrote this back when Charlotte turned 6 months, except for the last couple sentences and totally forgot about it. I finished it, so here it is. Better late than never. 



Charlotte's 6th month is over! She is already half a year old and I can't believe it. In another 6 months she will be a year old and my little baby will be gone. As much as I love all of the joys a baby brings, I find myself still looking forward to all the other things that are yet to come. I suppose it is easier to look forward to Charlotte growing up, when I know there will be more babies to come. I don't even want to think about how hard it will be with the last one, but there are many more years before I have to worry about that. 

So, onto the details of the last month.

(February 24-March 24)

Highlights of the month:

Well, this month started out a little tough. The day Charlotte  turned 5 months old I found out that my grandma had died. This was really hard news to hear. My grandma was one of my favorite people. She loved Charlotte so much. When everyone else took a few weeks to get over the shock of hearing I was pregnant, my grandma was excited right away. It meant a lot to me. She took me out shopping and bought Charlotte her first baby clothes (unisex) as well as the blanket that Charlotte sleeps with every night. She loved being a mom and a grandma. I know she was happy and proud of me for choosing to stay home with Charlotte right now. I am so sad that she won't get to see Charlotte grow up. I know she was looking forward to her being a couple of years older. I am so happy I will get to see her again and spend lots and lots of time with her then. I hope I will be able to be a grandma like her one day.

So, we went up the Green Bay to go to the funeral and spend a couple of days with my family. Charlotte brought joy to everyone during those rough couple of days. Thank God for her.

I should add, February 26th I spent my first night away from Charlotte. I stayed at a hotel with my best friend downtown. It was glorious and I would happily do it again. It was nice to see her the next day after a night apart though.

There were a couple of weeks of nothing exciting. I joined a mom's play group that gets together at my church two mornings a month. (although, I have only been there once so far.) I have started attending a women's Bible study at my church as well. So, hopefully I will be able to make some friends.

We dedicated Charlotte at our church on March 9th. My parents and my grandpa came. I can't believe I dedicated my child. I am that old and my life is there. God entrusted a helpless human being into my care and protection. I pray she knows his love and the joy he can give. It is my greatest prayer.

Then there was spring break. We all went up north for a week. It was so great to just all be together as a family. Nothing totally crazy happened. We played a lot of games and watched some movies and talked and played together. It was nice. We stopped in New Glarus for a couple of days at the end. We just hung out and had some more fun.

And then my baby girl turned 6 months old.

Important Stats:

Eating: Charlotte started to eat some solids. She does not like them. She seems very interested in food. So I decided to give it a try. We went with sweet potatoes. She did not like them in her mouth, but happily played with them. This is how it went the next couple weeks. We tried a couple of other veggies and fruits and some cereal. She mostly just has fun played with them. She doesn't like a spoon in her mouth and pretty much spits it all out. We will keep trying and she will get there eventually.


Sleeping: It could be better. The start of the month started just like the last ended. She was doing pretty good, waking up usually once. Then spring break happened and she decided she didn't need to sleep at all. She was waking up every hour and eventually just ended up in our bed for most of the night so we could get any sleep. We have decided sleep training is needed. She is clearly not hungry or in need of anything. She just likes being held and comforted all night and I am not a big fan of that idea, since I need to sleep occasionally too.

Pooping: Still pooping out of every diaper. Pretty much everything she wears is stained with poop. I am super, super sick of it.

Growing: She has slowed down a bit, which is normal. She has gained a pound and continues to be tall. She grows out of the length of everything before she fills it out. She is wearing pretty much all 9 month clothes now, although she definitely still fits into her 6 months onsies. But, by the time those will be tight the 9 month sleepers and pants will be short. She is tall like mama and daddy I guess.

nicknames: lovie bug, crazy girl

Charlotte's favorite things during her 6th month:
1. snuggles on mama's back
2. playing with food
3. rolling over

Mama's favorite things during Charlotte's 6th month:
1. Going on a couple spring walks
2. meeting some new people
3. Losing another pound or two
4. Being up north with everyone for a week

Charlotte's Least favorite things during her 6th month:
1. eating food
2. the wind blowing in her face on spring walks
3. Taking baths in the sink

Mama's least favorite things during Charlotte's 6th month: 
1. poop covered clothes
2. the cold, cold start of spring
3. cleaning up the baby food mess

Charlotte's new skills
sitting up by herself (first long period of time was March 24th)
rolling tummy to back

5 Months

(I wrote this awhile ago and didn't quite get to posting it. So, now a week and a half late, I am putting it up.)

Yeah, I skipped 4 months. I am going to be honest with you. It was a really, really boring month. My little girl got bigger and stronger and we sat at home and survived a very cold winter month. Her 4th month of life started on Christmas eve and ended during the coldest January Milwaukee has seen in a very long time. So, I will just give you a couple highlights to catch up. 

1. She got her very first sickness on Christmas morning. She woke up with a runny nose and a fever. We drove across the state Christmas morning to New Glarus. She slept during the entire 4 hour drive to Madison. Poor thing did not enjoy Christmas evening with the Stuessys. She nursed and slept and slept really good that night. By the next morning, she was still groggy and sniffly, but vastly better. And the day after that she was pretty much back to her normal self. 

2. We celebrated New Years at home, with seafood. Charlotte enjoyed the day snuggling and playing. 

3. Grammy visited for a few days. I said, "Praise the Lord for someone to talk to."

4. Aunt Sarah babysat while we went to Matt's work Christmas party. 

5. On January 16th Charlotte rolled over for the first time, from her back to tummy. We were waiting and watching her all day/night. Finally, while watching The Taste, I was in the kitchen and Matt said she did it. Of course I missed it. Luckily she did it again less than an hour later. It took another couple weeks for her to roll over the other way. She still hasn't figured out how to go from tummy to back. 

6. Around the same time as when she rolled over she started to find her feet. She couldn't really get a good hold of them, but they definitely intrigued her.

So, that pretty much sums up her very cold 4th month. 

So, on to her 5th month.

(January 24-February 24)

Highlights of the month:

We started out the month with a week long trip up north to visit grammy and grandpa. We spent the days snuggling, watching movies, doing some scrapbooking, going out for coffee and lots of playing with the baby. Charlotte and I also had a nice long visit at great grandma and grandpa's house in Green Bay on the way up and way down.

We then had Charlotte's 4 month Dr appointment on Feb. 4th. This meant more shots. I hate those bloody shots. I had to go alone this time as well. I was super nervous about it, but it was ok. She had to get 3 shots. The first two she didn't even really seem to feel. The last one made her cry, but by the time the lady put the band aids on she was done. We gave her some Tylenol and she was just fine. I talked to the Dr about the next couple months. The important things are:

1. Dr. is a proponent of eating solids at 6 months. Any time after 5 months is fine though. She even brought up baby led weaning as a good option. But, go with your gut. She said skipping cereal is fine and pretty much give her whatever food we want to.

2. The fact that she doesn't take naps is not going to hurt her.  She sleeps about 10 hours at night so if she is awake pretty much all day she is fine.

3. She has a tiny bit of eczema. We should just use some vaseline. 

4. We can give her some water in a cup after 5 months, if we want, especially once she starts eating. 

4. She is growing and developing great!

The Olympics started and we basically sat in front of our TV watching that for the next 17 days.

We discovered how nice baby wearing can be. Charlotte learned to not hate it and I learned how to do it better and we have a mei tai and a couple wraps to use.

My mom and dad came down a couple days after Valentines Day and we were able to go out for our annual Red Lobster feast, while they babysat. That was super fun and always one of my favorite nights of the year.

The morning Charlotte turned 5 months old I got a call that my Nana had died. It was a rough way to finish the month. Also, it was my Nana's half birthday. I just thought that was interesting. 

Now onto the important stats:

Eating: Charlotte likes to eat. The only new thing this month is the fact that she is always SO distracted while she is eating. She is eating more consistently every 3 hours. But, it takes so much longer because she is too busy looking around at everything. I really don't mind though, because when she looks up at me and smiles it is just too much. Another big positive this month is how much more confident I have gotten about nursing in public. I think just because we are both so much better at nursing, it makes it easier. It makes things so much easier, because as long as I can find a chair I can feed her anywhere. I still can't do it standing, or with a carrier. But, sitting is always nice anyway. No solid foods yet, but in another couple weeks we will be starting. I am thinking sweet potatoes. 

Sleeping: Sleeping is going so great! She is doing great at night. She typically goes to sleep around 9:00 and then wakes up sometime between 2:00-4:00. She barely wakes up, nurses for 20 minutes and then goes right back down and sleeps until 7:00 or sometimes as late at 8:00. Obviously, every once and awhile we have an off night. But, nothing really horrible. She still only wakes up a couple times max. We are making progress with naps too. Matt is so much better at getting her to take a nap. It really isn't fair. But, I can usually get her to lay down for a couple 45 minute naps. I wish they were spaced out a little better. She usually ends up taking one a few hours after she wakes up, so around 10:00. And then she fights sleep, until she eventually gives in around 5:00. Sometimes she doesn't give in though and is just awake until her bedtime at 9:00. But, most days we get at least one 45 minute nap, which is much better than absolutely ZERO a month ago. We are still working on it, and maybe in another month she will be taking two 2 hour naps every day. *fingers crossed*

Pooping: She poops out of every single diaper every single time she poops. Why? It doesn't matter the brand or the size. She just can't keep it contained. So, every outfit needs to be washed every time she wears one. I am about to just tie a plastic bag around the bottom half of her body. ugh! 

Growing: At the last weigh in, at 5 months she weighed a couple ounces shy of 17 pounds. This puts her around the 80-85% for weight and she is about 26 inches, which also puts her around the 80% mark. So, she is a big girl. I think she might be slowing down just a tad though. She didn't quite gain 2 pounds during this last month, which is a little less than the last few months. It is normal to slow down a little once babies get to be about this age. I am not going to be upset if she slowed down a little. She is growing way too fast. She just started fitting into some 9 months clothes, mostly just the sleepers. She got too long for the 6 month ones. So, now we are wearing some more 9 months clothes, but she can still fit into most of her 6 month clothes as well. She is just about to move into size 3 diapers. We are using up the last 2 small packs of size 2 diapers we received before she was born and then we will officially move into size 3.

Nicknames: Little love, Baby girl, poop butt (see explosive poop section)

Charlotte's favorite things during her 5th month:

1. Her bouncy (jumper on the ground)

2. Her jumpy jumpy (jumper hanging in doorway)

3. Little Bear (her stuffed bear)

4. Rolling over

5. Anything I am holding in my hand, or that she sees at any time. She needs all the things!

6. Smiling

Mama's favorite things during Charlotte's 5th month:

1. Learning how to use wraps to wear Charlotte

2. Giving Charlotte big belly laughs

3. A week long trip up north

4. Finally losing a couple pounds (I still hate you Jillian)

Charlotte's least favorite things during her 5th month:

1. Not being able to roll from tummy to back

2. Mama fumbling while trying to wrap her

3. Not much else

Mama's least favorite things during Charlotte's 5th month:

1. Still struggling with naps

2. Weather too cold to do anything

3. Not enough Olympics on TV

Charlotte's new skills

rolling over

eating her feet

sitting up pretty much alone, slumped over

making crazy new sounds

Getting married before 23... it's awesome!

WARNING: This post is much meaner than any of my other posts. So, if you don't want to read a mean post stop reading. Also I mention sex. If that grosses you out stop reading.

I would like to respond to something some idiot wrote. Yes, I said idiot and I will say it again. Idiot. This person is obviously tremendously insecure about the fact that she is not married, and feels the need to defend that by attacking people who are married. She is only 22, she does not by any means need to be married, but if others are, clearly they are in the wrong. 

 I have nothing against people who aren't married, especially people under the age of 23. My very best friend is 24, she isn't married. She decided instead to graduate from law school and kick butt in the world. She isn't any more or less important than me. But, if she had decided to get married she may have never finished law school and go on to do the things she is about to do. I am not attacking her choice. I support it and celebrate it, because we need all sorts of people in the world. 

This writer lists 23 other things you should de before you are 23, rather than getting engaged or married. 

I got engaged when I was 20 years old. I got married when I was 21. It was and continues to be awesome. I would do it again in a heartbeat. 

I will now address some of the things she wrote. (Here comes the mean part):

"Because at the age of 22, I have no idea who I am, what I’m doing, and who I’ll be doing it with for the next year… let alone for the rest of my life.  And that’s awesome.

Some day, I want to get married too.  I want a floor length dress with a ton of cleavage.  I want it to be in Asia, with Ethiopian food, and a filthy scotch selection to calm my nerves when I inevitably start to panic and hyperventilate.  But WANT and NEED are two entirely different things. I NEED to develop MY dreams and MYSELF before I can truly be the type of woman you WANT to marry."

I am 23, I do know who I am and I do know what I am doing and who I'll be doing it with next year and for the rest of my life. And that is even more awesome. Also, if you are expecting to need to drink scotch before you can walk down the aisle PLEASE DO NOT GET MARRIED. Lastly, some of us just don't need as long to develop our dreams and ourselves. Life changes and perhaps one day I will have a different favorite cereal and maybe I will drink 2% milk instead of 1%. But, I do know myself and I know the things I want to do. You, are just slow about it. 

I have begun to notice a common thread amongst all these young unions: inexperience.  Inexperience with dating, traveling, risks, higher education, career direction, SEX, solitude, religious exploration, etc… and it’s insane that I have already experienced more of the world in the last 22 years than my married peers will ever experience in their life.

Yeah, I am so bummed out I don't ever get to experience what it is like to have an STD. As far as the other things go... I traveled to Asia multiple times and plan to travel again. (Is there some rule that you can't travel after you are married?) According to you getting married IS a risk. I finished college, after I was married. (Again, no rule against that) I spend a lot of time alone. I know my religion and don't care to "explore" other religions. That has nothing to do with being married. Lastly, married people do have sex, good sex. So, I am not sure why I would need to have prior "experience". 

I can’t help but feel like a lot of these unions are a cop-out.

It is a way for young people to hide behind a significant other instead of dealing with life’s highs and lows on their own. It’s a safety blanket. It’s an admission that the world is just too big and scary to deal with it on your own; thus, you now have someone that is legally obligated to support you till one of you dies or files for divorce.

They very well may be. I'm sure some are. But, having someone who will love you no matter what can help you deal with things you would never have been able to deal with before. I know that I have been able to deal with the world much more bravely, knowing that when I come home there will be someone  there loving me and giving me strength and courage. So, there is a very good chance I can accomplish much more than you ever can. 

If your love is truly eternal, what’s the rush? If it’s real, that person will continue to be committed to you 2 months from now, 2 years from now, and 2 decades from now. Grow, learn, travel, party, cuddle, read, explore. Do. Freaking. Something… other than “settle down” at 23 with a white picket fence.

I am married. I grow, learn, travel, party, cuddle read, explore and do stuff. One thing I have not done is got myself a picket fence. It is absolutely idiotic to think that you can't do these things when married. I mean, read? Seriously? No hunny, no reading allowed in this marriage. I get to do all those things with my husband, if I want. Also, married people have sex. (Like I mentioned before) It is a well known fact that married people have the best sex. I don't think I need to say anything more about that. 

Sure.  Some days I wake up and stare at my ceiling thinking: “I’m single as f***.”  But then I realize that those friends are going to get knocked up and fat soon sssoooo in retrospect, who really is winning here? I’m in China. I’m having the best time of my life. I am responsible for my own happiness.

Who is winning? I am going to answer that question with a picture. 

I am having the best time of my life too. (Although from your obvious insecurity it is pretty obvious you are not having that great of a time.)

Now here is her list of great things to do. I think these are supposed to be better than getting married young, and I think you are supposed to do them first. They are pretty hilarious.

1. Get a passport.

I did that when I was 13. Next.

2. Find your "thing". 

I mean, are you trying to sound stupid? 

My thing is marriage. I found it. 

3. Make out with a stranger. 

Lets go back to the STD thing. I make out with my husband enough. 

4. Adopt a pet.

I did that. Also, I have had pets my entire life. Nothing really new or exciting about that.

5. Start a band.

I honestly cannot think of anything I want to do less than start a band. 

6. Make a cake. Make a second cake. Have your cake and eat it too. 

Honestly, if you have not already made a cake by 23 you are missing something. 

7. Get a tattoo, it's more permanent than marriage. 

Yeah, because no one ever regrets those. 

8. Explore a new religion.

Is this something people just "do"? I'm good, thanks. 

9. Start a small business. 

Ok, I might want to do this less than start a band. It's close though.

10. Cut your hair.

Cut my hair? Ok. That is really the best you have? 

11. Date two people at once and wait to see how long it takes to blow up in your face.

This is quite literally the stupidest thing I have ever heard. Cause this sounds super fun. Maybe then I will put out my toenails. Sounds just about as fun. 

12. Build something with your hands. 

Does my derby car from 2nd grade count? 

13. Accomplish a Pinterest project.

I did this with my baby's footprints in clay. Oops, that involved my lame, life stopping baby. 

14. Join the Peace Corps.

I'm going to be a social worker. WAY harder.

15. Disappoint your parents. 

I would ever try to disappoint my parents. They have sacrificed and given so much for me. The last thing I want to do is disappoint them. Also, if I am disappointing them it is because I am doing something wrong. 

16. Watch Girls over and over again.

What is it that you think married people do? I have watched more TV since I have been married than I did in the 21 years before. I will watch what shows I want to watch. This isn't really one of them.

17. Eat a jar of nutella in one sitting. 

Weren't you just telling me how all your married friends were going to get fat soon? Well, looks like you will too. Also, I think I have come pretty close to this.

18. Make strangers feel uncomfortable in public places. 

Have a baby. Nurse said baby in public. Works like a charm. 

19. Sign up for CrossFit.

HA.HA.HA

20. Hangout naked in front of a window.

I have actually come closer to this than you might think. 

21. Write your feelings down in a blog. 

Ok. 

22. Be selfish.

I struggle with that enough, I don't need to shoot for more. 

23. Come with me to the Philippines for Chinese new year. 

Before I was dating Matt I hated new year. Now it is one of my favorite days. Crazy how the person you love does that. 

Alright... I am done. Rant over. So, I tried to not be too mean. She may not even be an idiot. The truth is, this person has radically different ethics and morals than I do. Perhaps I would think the same thing if I had lived her life and had her background. But, I don't. I just find it funny she is telling people not to do something that she hasn't actually ever done. She, in reality, has no idea what it is like to be married. She doesn't know how awesome it is to spend your life with your best friend, knowing it never has to end. If she did know what that was like, I guarantee she would not be telling other people to avoid it. So, moral of the story is... don't tell people how bad and horrible something is when you have never actually experienced it. You have no idea what it is like. 

It is awesome. 

And again, married people have the best sex. 

3 Months

This week I said goodbye to my newborn baby. I joyfully and thankfully waved farewell to the "4th trimester" but looking back at the last three months I already miss the tiny babe I could easily carry with one hand and all the strangers who stopped to look at my teeny tiny baby. Charlotte will never be a sleepy newborn baby again, she has grown into an active and chubby little girl who loves to smile and "talk" to me. 

As I watch her struggle to roll over, hold her head up like a pro and see her kick her feet I realize before long she will be independent and won't want me to hold her for hours every day. 

However, when I see her still packaged sippy cup, her unused baby spoons, her little hair clips (waiting for hair), her summer swimsuit and her new little doll I am excited and antsy for the little person I am about to get to know. I can't wait to see her chubby little hands hold a cup for the first time. I am so excited to paint her little toenails and am anxiously awaiting the day she holds out her arms for me to pick her up. 

Truly, I love newborns and love all the little noises the faces and itsy bitsy clothes that come with them, but I am so happy to be through the first 3 months. I am much more excited for the next 3 months, where she will start to eat big girl food, sit on her own and maybe even start to wiggle across the floor a bit. 

Updates on her 3rd month of life:

(November 24-December 24)

Eating: It's going better than ever. My supply is more than enough for her. We have not used a drop of formula since the end of November! That was my goal. I am hoping we don't need to use any more, until she is at least 9 or so months old. (if ever) So, if anyone wants some unused formula. :) I still have a few bags in my freezer, and am working on adding to it. I get at least a bottle of pumped milk every day. It is nice to always have some in the fridge in case something comes up and Matt needs to feed her or something. I feel more able to take a nap on the weekends, or run an errand by myself, etc. She is up to 5 oz, per feeding now and I think that has helped stretch out the time between feedings a bit. It is much more consistently 3 hours between feedings now. There are obviously exceptions, at least one or two a day. But, I am loving the 3 hour stretches that we get. 

Sleeping: Well, there goes that schedule. Naps are hit and miss, mostly miss. I try and help her get at least one substantial nap a day, but that only happens maybe half of the days. It is a very rare day if she takes 2 naps. We are working on it. At night she does pretty well. She is a little less predictable than she was a month ago. She was sleeping 5 hours straight, than 2 or 3 more hours every night. Now she sleeps 7 hours straight some nights and some nights she does a couple of 4 hour stretches. She gets a decent amount of sleep every night, regardless but I am never sure how long she will sleep at a time. She is also going to bed earlier than she used it, and it may have to do with the no nap thing. She usually goes to sleep around 9:00 and is up for the day around 7:00. The biggest downside to the night is the fact that it never takes less than 1.5 hours to get her back to sleep if she does wake up. We take turns dealing that with those fun times. 

Pooping: Lots of poop explosions. Lots of outfit changes. Ask my sister Emma about the worst poop explosion in the history of all babies. She was there, and she even got to catch it in her hand. What a lucky aunt she is. (It was coming out like lava. :)

Growing: She is gaining weight and getting longer. We weighed her on the 21st and she weighed 13 pounds even, according to our fish scale. I am not convinced it is super accurate, but it shouldn't be more than a couple ounces off. That would mean she gained a pound in 2.5 weeks. I don't know how tall she is, because measuring her is just not worth the effort. But, she has definitely gotten longer because about a week ago all of a sudden everything was too short. She is now wearing 3 month and 6 month clothes. She wears 3 months onesies and shirts, but her legs are too long for the pants and sleepers so she wears 6 months of those. I think we will probably be in all 6 months stuff in another week or two, especially since we got some cute clothes for Christmas. Still in size 1 diapers. We have been using some size 2 ones for Christmas though, because they are elf diapers. We have about 2 small packs of size 1 though and we will finish those up and move on to size 2 after that. 

Nicknames: sweetie butt, little lovie

Charlotte's favorite things her third month:

1. watching the Packers finally win a couple of games

2. meeting Santa at the mall and taking pictures with him

3. playing at 3am, for 2 hours

4. opening her presents on Christmas eve (her 3 month birthday)

5. learning to play with toys and put them in her mouth

Mama's favorite things during Charlotte's third month:

1. buying Christmas presents for Charlotte, and everyone else in the family

2. showing off Charlotte to extended family

3. daddy being home for 2 weeks to finish the semester

4. decorating the house for Christmas

5. the fact that Charlotte can entertain herself for 20 minutes at a time with her toys

6. The first snow storms of the season

Charlotte's least favorite things during her third month:

1. tummy time

2. getting held by too many people in one day

3. taking naps

 4. not wanting to take a nap 

Mama's least favorite things during Charlotte's third month:

1. no nap days

2. not fitting into any clothes

3. running out of money because it is the end of the year and not being able to buy more Christmas presents

Charlotte's New Skills

grabbing/playing with toys (Dec 4th was when something clicked)

putting things in her mouth

holding her head up perfectly

talking with more extensive sounds

This was the funnest month ever. The Christmas season with a baby was the funnest Christmas ever and I am already excited for next year when she is running around, playing with things and ripping open presents. 

As I said in my last update 3 month old babies are my favorite. I just LOVE them. I will try and take in as much as possible during this next month. I am very excited for more visits with family, working on scrap booking projects, date nights and playing with my little girl. 

To end with, here are some pictures.