Month 3 update

On Dec 3, Allison turned 3 months old! This is a nice age, and is a turning point in my opinion, because the "fourth trimester" is now over. She has had 3 months to get adjusted to life outside of the womb - how to eat, communicate, sleep, play, interact with people... here are some things that have happened in the last month:

• Allison is getting better at tummy time. If we set her down on her tummy when she is in a good mood, she can hold her head up high for a good 3-5 mins. 
• Allison had very good head control. She has pretty much perfected it. We can sit her up on our laps or anywhere while holding her upper body up, and her head will have no problem holding up. This now makes it easier to multitask with her. For example, I can sit her on my lap facing outward and eat. It's a good position to read a book to her as well. 
• One day she woke up from a nap with piercing cries as if in pain. I saw a drop of blood on her gum. I think she has started teething but it's hard to tell because she isn't consistently fussy. 
• We returned to church and also celebrated her first Thanksgiving. More on that in a future post. 
• Her daytime naps are now an average of 30 mins. Sometimes it can go longer up to an hour max. Once she is put down, she doesn't get startled and wake up anymore. If she moves a bit, I simply place one hand on her chest and pat her bottom/side. 
• When she is awake, she can play by herself more on her lounge chair with the mobile. She doesn't always have to be held, which is good because that shows independence. I have seen her smile and babble to her friends on the mobile :)
• Nighttime sleeping has been going great. I have gotten an 8 hour stretch from her on several occasions. When I do feed her in the middle of the night, putting her back to sleep requires little effort. Her bedtime is around 8-8:30 pm but I want to move that up little by little. Morning time is usually at 7 am. Whoever greets her at her crib will get the biggest smile :)
• We enjoy the lazy mornings when I can bring her into our bed for a morning cuddle or hanging out with mommy, daddy and baby. She is in the best mood in the mornings. 
• We are trying to take her out in public a little more. So far it has just been to a specific restaurant where there is space for a stroller and for us to walk around if we need to rock her. So far it's been pretty good. Tom and I can't eat at the same time anymore if she needs to be fed or rocked, but I think it's doable if she's awake now that she has head control (she can sit on our lap). 
• I'm starting to institute a bedtime routine bc I read that babies thrive on routine. Not sure what benefit it had right now since she does very well at night but the routine that I want to do is: 1) change diaper/pajamas 2) hugs/kiss/goodnight 3) feed 4) read a book 5) rock to sleep (I need to start putting her down when she is drowsy but not fully asleep so that she can learn to fall asleep on her own and not bc dependent on someone rocking her. This may be a challenge...)

I return to work at the beginning of Jan and what has been heavy on my heart is how much do I want to be away from my baby during the first year, when she grows so much and needs her mother the most. Going to work means I won't see her very much each day due to her having an early bed time. Working from home twice a week may help. Also not sure if I will be able to have the work-life balance that I need due to my job being demanding sometimes (something I plan to request). I would like to breastfeed until she is one year old bc I have been having a good experience so far and so I'll have to see how work and stress affects my supply and my ability to pump. I'll see how it goes when I return and make a decision later if I have to.

I still haven't had a chance to sort through our new camera's pictures so I'll some that I took from my phone: 

on the way to gramps' place for Thanksgiving

morning full w/ mommy & daddy

morning full w/ mommy & daddy