Daddy's Boy

As much time as Danny and I spend together I have to admit he's definitely a daddy's boy! He loves it when Jimmy gets him up in the morning. He lights up when he comes home in the evenings. And though it's hard to believe at a mere 3 1/2 months old, I think he already likes watching sports with daddy. It's so heartwarming to see my two guys interact with one another. We're one lucky family!

Go Skins!

Intently watching surfing's WCT Fiji event

Come on Mick Fanning!

Woo hoo!

You actually want me to do that someday, dad?

Chunks

Someone keeps getting chunkier and chunkier and I just love it. At the doctor the other day he was 14.2 lbs, which was better than average weight gain from his last appointment. This is great news for an exclusively breastfed baby!

Chubby Bo Beep! Okay, now I'm just being mean...

Beach Boys

Terrible iphone picture, but awesome waves on Saturday. Here's itty bitty Jimmy

Sure does buddy...

Scoping out the waves...

Both of us being lulled to sleep by the crashing waves...

In his very own sea...

Random

In my birthday suit...

Just chillin'...

Flock of seagulls...

Awoken by the flash of my camera...

Playing dress-up with Peyton at our first ever play date...

Boob Tube

Danny has become so interested in his surroundings! He loves peek-a-boo, looking at himself in the mirror, reading colorful books, etc. What captivates him the most though is baby shows on TV. While I don't want him to become a little couch potato, I have to say it's nice to let the boob tube stimulate him for a few! His favorite so far? Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Hot dog, hot dog, hot diggity dog!

Danny Rolls!

I swear. Babies are just amazing. Yesterday morning we did our usual torture, aka tummy time. Danny laid there like a worm. Worms can't lift their heads, right? Anyways, Danny just laid there face plant style screaming like a banshee. My concern that Danny was nowhere close to rolling from tummy to back increasing every day.

Fast forward to just minutes before daddy got home yesterday afternoon and it was time to torture my dear boy again. Next thing I know he just ups and lifts his head and upper torso and rolls. I lay him back on his tummy and he does it again. Lightning fast. He's soooooo talented. Here he is showing off his new found skill this morning...

To Swaddle or Not to Swaddle...

...that is the question.

I gave up on the feet pouch of our miracle blanket a couple weeks ago (I think Danny is kind of a long baby), but I still can't tell what Danny "prefers" to do with his hands.

This is what happens when we do both arms at night. We find him like this, wearing the blanket as a scarf, in the morning.

Excuse the blurry photo

I've done one arm (the right, since he likes to suck on his left hand), which seems to work okay, but he still kind of jolts himself awake at times. And when I go to lay him down in his crib, he sometimes grabs on to my hair or clothing for dear life.

Other mommies might wonder what all that "stuff" is in Danny's crib? I know you're not supposed to have anything in there to avoid potential suffocation. Well, I started rolling up blankets to lay on either side of Danny, so I could prop him up just enough to give me access to his little butt, so I could pat him as he fell asleep. I have the blue and white polka dot blanket in there because I convinced myself that it was warmer than the sheet below it, so maybe it would feel like less of a contrast from the warmth of me. The little brown monkey lovie is something I let him occasionally sleep with during naps only. I'm weird and so our my methods. I know! I will remove everything as soon as his hands are free and therefore he's able to pull things up towards his face.

Danny at 3 Months

Happy, happy 3 month birthday Danny boy! Just like everyone said, 3 months has represented a pivotal shift in Danny, both physically and mentally. It's seriously such a fun age! He exercises his vocal chords by making all kinds of new squeals and coos. He's holding his head pretty steady. He totally smiles in response to me and Jimmy being silly and does this adorable coy smile when he's feeling bashful. He doesn't appear to be getting close to rolling over from tummy to back or doing a mini push-up. I think I need to force him to do more tummy time (see dislikes below). He does, however, act like he's going to roll over from back to tummy, which is something he's not supposed to do until 4-5 months. Maybe he'll also learn to walk before he crawls?? He's definitely swatting at the hanging toys on his activity mat and sucks on his hands. Because he's moving out of the "impossible to spoil" infant stage and into the "smarter than you think" baby stage, the pressure is on to raise a good and easy baby and (gulp) toddler. Wish us luck!

Weight: Approximately 13 lbs
Likes: Cartoons, baths, Rockabye Baby! Michael Jackson, Baby Einstein activity mat, being naked, the taste of his left hand, reading books (for about 1 min)

Yum

Dislikes: Being on the beach (for some unknown reason), car rides, tummy time, Sophie giraffe (I don't think he likes the plastic taste)

WARNING: I may lose you below. I'm documenting what follows as much for me as for any of our readers. Sorry to bore you! I want to be able to recall our experiences for future babies!

Sleeping: Figuring out sleeping has been and continues to be the hardest, most confusing part of taking care of Danny. To explain, I have to talk about napping and nights totally separate of one another.
Nights
It's never really been the nights that are hard. Danny got his days and nights down early, sleeping for 4-7 hour stretches from the beginning. Lately, we had been consistently in the 7 hour range, but then we started nearing the 3 month growth spurt and brain leap and, as a result, regressed to waking up in the middle of the night again. Just in the last couple days, Danny has been going down at 9-10pm and making it until 4-4:30am, which makes me think he's trying to last all night. He then goes back down about 5am and sleeps until 7:30am. Our routine consists of reading a book, taking a bath, (partially) swaddling and then he nurses himself to sleep. Occasionally he wakes up when I lay him down or a couple hours into sleeping, but he usually put himself back to sleep. Success! By 4 months, I will start trying to put him down closer to 8pm and hopefully he'll sleep all night.
Naps
Oh napping, what a pain in my butt. Danny is not a great napper. According to Baby Wise, we should be putting him down for a nap at the end of every feeding cycle, which should be every 3-4 hours. He should be sleeping for 1.5-2 hours each time. Well Danny's feeding cycle is more like every 2.5 hours and he barely lasts 45 mins most naps, though sometimes we get a good one in in the afternoon. This means he has much more awake time than sleeping time. Not sure what gives. I wonder if it's the shorter cycle and me trying to put him down too often that is causing the short catnaps and if I could stretch him to 3-4 hours he might nap for longer. But how do I stretch the feeding cycle without a longer nap? See what I mean? Confusing, right? Our routine consists of reading a book (to try and unwind a little) and then exercising the 5 S's from Happiest Baby on the Block: (partial) swaddle, swinging/shaking, sucking, shushing and sideways. At 3 months old, we're at the end of the "4th trimester", so we shouldn't have to do the 5 S's much longer, but it's all that works at this point, so we're continuing with them for now. Even with the 5 S's "layer cake" though, Danny is still pretty finicky when we put him down for naps. I usually have to vigorously pat his butt and loudly shush once I've laid him down to keep him asleep and even still I stick around for 5 mins or so to shush him back to sleep if he startles himself awake. I've found it's easier to put him back to sleep right away than to let him get worked up. Sometimes he literally sleeps with one eye open to make sure I'm still there as he falls asleep. I'm so afraid that I'm creating a sleeping monster by assisting with sleep so much, but my short attempts at cry-it-out have desperately failed. I think he's just too young. And he soothes himself at night, so we're good there. I've recently added a fan to his room, which adds some great white noise. I've strongly considered getting blackout shades in an attempt to simulate the complete darkness of night but I don't want to add another sleep "prop". I don't know what his problem is. Every time I go in there to lay him down for a nap, the darkness and white noise nearly puts me to sleep every time! In a perfect world, when it's nap time, I can put Danny down wherever we're at and he'll give me a solid 2 hours. A mommy can dream, right?

Eating: Recently, Danny has started getting very distracted during nursing. I think it's the brain leap and his new found interest in all of his surroundings. He has started doing this thing where he (painlessly) releases and stares up at me until I look down at him and then he gives me this huge smile and reattaches himself. He plays this game all throughout our feedings! He also just stops nursing at times and refuses to start again. Considering that other times he feeds for his usual 40 mins, I trust that he's getting enough food. Maybe he's just more proficient?  I can't help but feel like not consistently feeding the same lengths doesn't help us stretch his feeding cycles to 3-4 hours though. There is nothing I can do but listen to my instincts and try to not stress about getting on a perfect schedule.

I will not stress about getting on a perfect schedule. I will not stress about getting on a perfect schedule. I will not stress about getting on a perfect schedule. I will not stress about getting on a perfect schedule.  I will not stress about getting on a perfect schedule. I will not stress about getting on a perfect schedule. I will not stress about getting on a perfect schedule. I will not stress about getting on a perfect schedule. I will not stress about getting on a perfect schedule. I will not stress about getting on a perfect schedule. I will not stress about getting on a perfect schedule. I will not stress about getting on a perfect schedule.

This is what happens when you attempt to photograph a 3 month old sitting up...

Sentiments thus far...

I'm going to take a quick break from the onslaught of Danny photos and footage to share my thoughts on early mommyhood.

I've felt extremely valued at every job I've ever held, from a sandwich artist at Subway at 14 years old to my latest role as Product Manager at Castle Branch. I've always received praise from my managers and been given raises/promotions. I've always taken a lot pride in my work. All that said, never have I felt so "irreplaceable" than in my role as Danny's mom. There is no doubt in my mind that I am the only woman for the job. He tells me (in his own way) countless times a day how much he appreciates me and points out "a job well done" by growing and developing week after week into such a bright and adorable little boy. It is so unbelievably rewarding. 

Babies are both so simple and so complex at the same time. They all eat, play, sleep and poop, right? Yes, but like their tiny little fingerprints, they're all otherwise unique. Sleep/feeding schedules and growth spurts and brain leaps, oh my! And don't forget about their young personalities/temperaments and the presence of early illnesses like acid reflux. You can read as many books as you want, search the Internet until you're blue in the face, ask fellow mommies about their experiences and/or ask your pediatrician and you'll only get to square 2 which is the realization that EVERY BABY IS DIFFERENT.  There is no one-size-fits-all manual. There are far too many variables. In my opinion, early mommyhood is like a scavenger hunt. Or maybe it's a science experiment. Analogies aside, let's just say it can be so confusing and challenging at times, especially if you like to be in control as much as I do. I honestly believe my best bet is to live in the moment and just trust that Danny will give me the appropriate clues.
Confession: As I write this, I have multiple tabs open with Google searches like, "3 month old all of a sudden not sleeping through the night anymore." What did I uncover? It's likely the combination of a growth spurt and a brain leap and he'll go back to sleeping through the night when he's good and ready and not a second before. So there! I need to learn to take my advice.

It's hard to understand how I can simultaneously be both super excited about the boy Danny is becoming and so desperately want to cryogenically freeze him so I'll always have him as my baby?? I could get very sad if I let myself think about the fleeting time. Instead, I just try to savor every moment and remind myself that I'll get my baby fix again. Hopefully multiple times. Like I may never want to stop having kids. Sorry Jimmy!

That is all for now :)

Just the Beginning

It seems as though our house is bursting at the seams with books, toys and other kids things and I know it's just the beginning. Lookout! As soon as he can really enjoy things, our house is in for it. And as soon as Danny has a little brother or sister, just forget about it!

My soon to expand designated play area

Hand/foot rattles + vibrating/lighted/musical chair = STIMULATION!

These easy to grasp toys are the new rattles

Loving his activity mat from Uncle Kevin and Auntie Stef...

BUMBO!

Not so sure of this thing...

Workin' it...

Fitness Resolution

I've decided this week is the week to stop just pinning exercise routines and actually start getting my mommy self back in shape. Not sure how Danny feels about me doing something other than playing with him. Only time will tell.

Hello old friends...

This should be a good start. Hopefully I don't die. Can't wait until Danny and I can go on jogs in my awesome BOB stroller.

Motor Skills

Danny's got skillz...

He loves this chair and his little friends, the parrot and monkey that hang from the activity attachment.

Love 'em

Jenny Ryder Photography did it again...and she wasn't even trying. Jenny, the photographer who did my maternity session, snapped a couple pics when I was over at her house for a 50 Shades party and I just love them! Makes me wish I hadn't been so lazy and I would have done a newborn session with her. Oh well - guess we'll just have to settle for capturing some more of this big boy!

Malloy

I sometimes (always) forget that before Danny there was Malloy. Poor pup just mopes around all day and lays under my feet. If it wasn't 110 degrees outside and Danny wasn't a mere couple months old I might take him for an occasional walk. Come Fall, buddy, things will get better. Promise.

In all seriousness though, Malloy has done really well adjusting to a new "man" of the house. He pretty much ignores him except for the occasional sniff or lick. Regardless we take every precaution for our Danny boy. I still love you Malloy!

Queen City

This past weekend we went to Charlotte for friend and fellow UNC wrestler, Greg Carr's wedding. The trip also served as a series of firsts for baby Danny - first time in a (legitimate) city, first time in a hotel, first time in a king sized bed (I swear, the things I think are momentous are just ridiculous), first time meeting Auntie Catherine and baby Hazel, first time meeting Dusty, first ill-timed crying episode (during Greg and Erin's beautiful and classy ceremony) and, most obvious, first time participating in wedding festivities. Danny was a real trooper and, seeing as he was the only baby there, was a real hit among the ladies.

So glad to be here. Much better than my carseat!

Big beds suit me

Admiring beautiful Hazel

Kaylie & Catherine + 2

Looking dapper in his outfit from Scott and Hannah

Teaching Danny about skyscrapers - 30+ floors up at reception

Finally reunited with my girlfriend, Kari, and Matt

About an hour before Danny had had enough of this wedding stuff

Oh and this weekend also served as a first for friend and former UNC wrestler, Andy Posil. Glad we could help you get your "first time holding a baby" badge, Andy.

"I don't think he likes me. Will you take him back now?"