Blake - 3 Months

Blake, you are 3 months old! I'm already nostalgic of your newborn days because you are such an alert baby now! No stats this month because we don't have another appointment until you're 4 months old. But, you weighed 14 lbs, 2 oz at breastfeeding group today!

We had some formal 3 month pictures taken at Target today. Nothing super fancy (because let's be honest...who can afford a fancy session every 3 months???) but I love them! (Thank you Groupon!)

Memories from weeks 9 and 10:

-You survived your two month shots but got a fever of 101.3 that evening and you were quite cranky for a few days. Mommy felt bad for you. :( You were chill at the appointment though.

-Your hands are your new favorite thing to chew on (well lick really). I haven't seen you actually look at your hands yet (as of week 9) but maybe you have when I'm not looking.

-You've been more fussy in general lately. It's not terrible, I think you're just starting to "wake up" to the world a bit more and that's a good thing!

-Zoey half jumped on you when daddy said "Up" and it scared the crap out of us and you! He was referring to the movie "Up" but Zoey took it as her cue to jump into his lap. She's just such a good listener, haha. You were fine by the way. ;)

-You really love looking at the toys hanging from your playmat.

-For a couple of weeks whenever we were in the car or going for a walk with the stroller you HATED it when we'd stop and immediately start crying if you were not asleep. This got a lot better after week 10.

-Grandma had to take you out of the church service early when you started crying last week. 

-You really are such a good baby! You wake up smiling and go to sleep smiling most of the time! A lot of the fussiness passed with week 9.

-You love blankets. You like them over your hands so you can pull them up into your mouth and drool on them. :) If you're  sleepy, I can put one in your hands and you will almost immediately fall asleep.

-We started bottles and use one almost every day, still exclusively breastmilk. The bottle sure does make going out more convenient. You were pretty messy with that at first, but have gotten the hang of it now. We use Tommee Tippee bottles.

-Your hair never really fell out or thinned (that I noticed), but it seems to be growing now. I've especially noticed this on the top of your head where it looks like you're growing little spikes of fluffy hair. (Week 12 Update: it is thinner now where your head rests when you're laying down)

-You had your first epic meltdown in Target. NOTHING grandma or I did could stop your wailing. After about a half an hour grandma got you to go to sleep in her arms but we could not put you down. Eventually I just had to take you home.

-You met your 96 year old great grandpa for the first time! He gave you a little stuffed dog. :)

-The crinkly elephant toy is your favorite. Unfortunately we left it at Aunt Billi's campsite. We'll get it back!

-Whenever you're near me when I blow my nose you smile. It's so cute!

Memories from weeks 11 and 12:

-You officially discovered your hands and love to stare at your fists...and then suck loudly on them!

-You are trying so hard to laugh and it's adorable. You squeal and make other noises and mommy is always ready to press record trying to catch that first true laugh. We can't wait little man! You are SUCH a happy baby!

-You joined mommy and daddy on their 4 year anniversary trip and you were pretty good! People loved you everywhere we went and said what a handsome baby you are!

-On the trip you went "swimming" for the first time! We put your legs and butt in the hotel pool. You didn't like it very much because it was pretty cold but you didn't cry you just fussed a little. We took you out after like 15-20 seconds because it was so chilly. I'll still consider it your first swim, you were in your cute swim diaper after all! :)

-You go right to sleep at night without any fussing. You seem to actually like being swaddled now, or at 

least it calms you. We are down to six feedings a day so after the 10:30ish feeding you are down typically until about 8 the next morning. You've always been a great sleeper. 

-Nicknames I've heard people call you:

Mommy: Blakey-Blake (I better drop this one before your too old), Fussbucket (sorry!), Buddy, and Baby. Oh, and Little brother when talking to Zoey. ;)

Daddy: Blakey-Blake, Champ, My Prince

Grandpa: Scooter 

-We had a big poop incident at a restaurant. You pooped all over grandma VZ's lap. Somehow you missed most of your own clothing but left a puddle in her lap. Poor grandma. It was so bad that grandma, grandpa, you, and mommy were all in the women's bathroom together trying to clean up. Grandma tried to wash her shorts out in the sink but it was too messy so she had to wrap grandpa's coat around her legs and walk out of the restaurant that way. Luckily you're so cute no one minded too much. Aunt Judy was there too. None of us will forget this story for a long time!

-You are officially in size 3-6 clothes. You can still squeeze into 0-3 but why make you when we have so many cute outfits waiting?! ;)

-And just in case I want to reminisce someday, this is your feeding schedule right now: 8:30ish am, 11am, 2pm, 5pm, 8pm, and 10-10:30ish pm. I love this schedule the most so far!

-When I pull your blanket off of you in your swing your arms slowly rise like a zombie's and then you stretch. It's adorable every time. Here's a picture of you on the changing table doing it:

-When I put your bib on to nurse you get really excited and start shaking your little arms and fists, ha!

- You love it when I sing the "Star Spangled Banner" to you while buckling you in your car seat. What a little patriot you are already! :) "The Ants Go Marching" is still the only song that will calm you down. :)

-Daddy celebrated his first Father's Day with you. He was so proud! 

We love you so much Blake! 

And as usual, here are some more pictures from the last month:

Napping at the cottage 

Sleeping selfie

Evening chats with daddy

Giggling with Grandpa

Zonked out at the hotel

Snuggles with Grandma

Your "Make me a sandwich, woman!" pose

Snoozing on grandma's bed on Father's Day

Playing with your new favorite activity toy!

Can't wait for all of the fun Month 4 will bring!

Month 2 and 3 Favorites

Months 2 and 3 have been full of growth and development for Mr. Blake and though almost all of our Month 1 favorites are still in use, these past two months have brought some new gear to use and fun things to play with! Here's a look at our Month 2 and 3 favorites:

Bath Seat

Initially we didn't purchase a baby bath tub. Personally, I find them bulky and wasn't sure where we'd store one in our tiny house. However, after sponge baths ended, we discovered how squirmy little Blake was and it was nearly impossible to hold him in our big basin sink and wash him at the same time. Trust me...it made for a frustrated parent and child! ;) So one day while perusing Target's baby aisles I noticed this compact infant bath seat that can fold up and be stored away. Bingo. I bought it and we love it! 

Bumbo Seat

Babies in Bumbo's crack me up and there is no exception with Blake. Yes I've read the warnings and instructions but we first tried the Bumbo around the end of week 8. Little man loved it! He looked all around the room. He often squeals with delight when we put him in it! He only lasts a few minutes though before slouching and then we take him out. 

Tag Blankets/Aden+Anais Security Blankets

We have discovered that Blake loves blankets. He likes to pull them into his mouth and suck on them and play with them in his hands. If his blanket falls off of him when he's in his swing he gets mad until I put it back over him, haha! These "mini" blankets are great for the car seat and nap times during the day when I'm watching to make sure he doesn't throw them over his head!

Toys! 

Though Blake can't be super interactive with toys yet, he does have a few favorite toys. He loves the different sounds (crinkles are his fav!), colors, and textures. He also loves the little mirrors they put on a lot of baby toys. He bats at some toys but hasn't quite learned how to grasp for more than a few seconds yet.

Books

Every day I try to read a couple of books to Blake. Obviously he could care less about plot, but he likes listening to mommy and daddy and the changes in our voices as we read. Sometimes he'll just stare at us while we read but he has been loving the pictures more and more.

Aveeno Creamy Baby Wash and Eczema Lotion

Poor boy had some pretty dry skin and eczema patches. We were using Johnson's Baby bath products but the Pediatrician recommended Aveeno baby products. They have worked like a charm (especially the lotion) and I LOVE it!

Tommee Tippee Bibs

Love, love, love these bibs! They are so absorbent and keep the dribble from getting on baby's clothes and neck rolls. Can't say enough about 'em! We also love the bottles!

Mam Pacifier Clips

WHY did I wait so long to buy these? Blake hasn't mastered the art of keeping his pacifier in his mouth yet and he's not old enough to put it back in himself. These bad boys keep our pacifiers off dirty floors!

Audio Baby Monitor 

Now that Blake is sleeping upstairs in his nursery full-time I needed a way to be able to hear him (since I must sleep with a loud fan and air purifier). We love our monitor and especially love that it tells us the temperature his nursery.

Aden+Anais Dream Blanket

Okay this probably isn't a must have, but it's our favorite, most versatile blanket, and so soft! Great for car seat covering, discreet nursing, tummy time, warmth, napping in the swing, mommy napping on the couch, you name it! ;) We love it!

Did I mention how big it is? 4'x4' I believe. It's awesome!

Babyganics Stain Eraser to go

Unfortunately one of our most used items. I actually bought this just to get to a certain price point so I could get free shipping on my order. Little did I know how much this little stick would change my life, lol. Okay maybe it's not that great, but pretty close. In case no one told you and you've been living on a different planet, babies poop a lot. And sometimes it leaks onto their clothes. Bring in this little guy and it takes the stain away! Love it! Ordering more asap!

Well, there you have it. Some of our favorite things from the last couple months!