The End of the 4th trimester

How is it possible that my daughter is already 3 months old?!? I hear so many moms say this but now I completely understand. It really does fly by!
We officially made it out of the "4th trimester". We knew that for those first 3 months, all bets were off and we would just learn about our daughter. We haven't been pushy about scheduling, cloth diapers, or night routines. We have just spent the last 3 months observing and experimenting and attaching to our little girl. But now that we are 3 months in, we are ready to start creating some rhythm.

On January 7th (her 2 month 'B-day' and 8 weeks postpartum) I went back to work. Luckily, I am only going into the office once or twice a week. And little baby is staying with her grandmas, Omi and Bibi. It has been a blessing having family around. I still work everyday from home, so about 18-20 hours a week. It has been a huge adjustment but I am so happy. I feel like I never stop and I never get a break - until the beautiful moment Michael walks in the door from work. But even though I am racing around all day, I love having a professional outlet. It has proven to be manageable and I feel a sense of accomplishment each day.

This month ended with her 3 month b-day in Georgia. I just completed my doula training with DONA and I could not be more thrilled to get started towards certification. Lauren, my twin sister, will probably be my first official birth as a doula-in-training. (Anyone else need a doula this year?) But I will share more on that in a later post!

Oh Genevieve, she is growing leaps and bounds. We are phasing out of size 0-3 and moving into 3-6 month clothes and she officially fits most of her reusable diapers. I still don't believe that fuzzibunz one size could ever fit any child under 3 months.

This month has continued with the most glorious smiles! She now smiles on demand and just lights up the room. And how she has added social noises. I love love love hearing her coo and 'talk' to me. It used to be all grunts but now I can tell she is trying to say something. It is adorable and I just sit and listen to her talk about her day ;) Her fussiness has diminished immensely. We have only had a handful of meltdowns this month, which makes so much of a difference. As of week 11, she sleeps 8-10 hours at night! It's been 2 weeks since a middle of the night feeding! What?!? And that's with no sleep training. She did that all on her own. I am very grateful. She still sleeps in our room in the co-sleeper and to be honest, I don't know when I will be ready for her to go into the nursery. I love having her next to me. We aren't in a rush. One week at a time.

This month she has also taken an interest in toys and hanging objects. Her first toy to grab was her o-ball. I was thrilled. Seriously, as a parent it is hilarious how excited I get at small things like, "She is holding something!!" Milestones are exciting. I made a make-shift play gym that hangs over her crib. She loves to watch the animals sway. We also started looking at animal and I-Spy books. Her expressions are priceless. She loves looking at all the bright colors. And sad to say (judge me if you like), she LOVES watching television. Ok, it's really more of a distraction but she really loves looking at the screen. It calms her every time. In her early months she has watched the entire series of Breaking Bad and Sherlock and loves to be bounced on the yoga ball watching The Daily Show with Michael. Thankfully, she was Michael's Australian Open companion because I just don't find tennis that interesting to watch. And another 'proud' parent moment: we downloaded the Fischer Price Black and White app. Oh my word, she is obsessed. It is just black and white animals bouncing around the screen to obnoxious classical music but it buys me 20 minutes to get some work down. I am not complaining. We will certainly have to limit screen time when she actually comprehends it but until then I will do what it takes.

On every warm day we have seized the opportunity to explore the outdoors. I love going to the Shelby Park behind our house for picnics and walks. We also walked all over Nashville one lovely Saturday and started our adventure of exploring all the Tennessee State Parks. Oh I am so excited for warm weather!

And here is some baby spam :)

Sweet Genevieve,

We made through the 4th trimester! I am still in awe at how much my heart can grow each day. One day I think it is as big as it can get and then you smile and coo at me and it grows even bigger. My favorite thing to do is listen to you talk to me. I know I will love those moments at every stage of your life. You are becoming so strong and so curious. We absolutely love sharing this world with you. Seeing you get excited about new noises, textures, songs and lights brings the biggest smiles to our face. You are one deeply loved girl. Thank you for giving me the most wonderful role of being your mother. 

My life is so full with you in it.