Baby Parade @3 mos

1 month 2 months3 monthsThere's more baby, but there's less hair. We sometimes call her "The Donald" now, because we've started to do a comb-over on her. She's got two thick, long locks of hair on the sides, and everything else is getting pretty scarce.

She was pretty excited about her 3mos photos, as you can see from the swinging arms. She kicks & swings whenever she's happy, which is most of the time. We can't decide if this means she'll play soccer (which neither of us could help her with), volleyball, or create some new-aged dance moves. See the baldness on the side, followed by the long lock?

More swinging & excitement.

She LOVES to put her fists in her mouth. I think this is why we were afraid she'd become a thumb sucker, but that doesn't seem to be the case. She's more interested in her entire hand.

April Showers, Bring May Flowers

We didn't get many good poses of Syd in her Easter dress, so I think I'm going to take her in for some professional ones. I fell in LOVE with this dress, and bought it the day before & decided to return the one I had already purchased. Its much more fun to dress her, because its cute that she has rolls on her thighs! Its not so cute that I do!
We spent the afternoon at the Wilson's house. Syd wasn't much interested in wearing these ears for long.
This was the first time Sydney & her Great-Grandpa Hunt met. She was so interested in being a social butterfly, that she didn't want to nap there at all.
Great-Grandma Hunt was thoroughly enjoying her nap with Addie Sue (she's actually only Grandma to Addison) Sydney's hoping that Addie is ready to roll around and drool and squeal next time we get together!

Sleep habits, birthmarks, Bjorn, & Easter basket pictures

Like I've said before, Sydney is a "wanna be" thumb sucker. Her thumb isn't even in her mouth here, but tucked under resting on her lips. Hey, whatever works is great for us! We've been so lucky with her sleep habits I can't complain at all! (knock on wood)
We found these marks on the back of her heals last week. We've never seen them before, but they haven't gone away yet. Our only guess is that they're some sort of birthmark. Her right heel has a line kind of like the smile on a smiley face, and her left has a red dot in almost the exact same spot. Weird?

She's decided its not so traumatic after bath time. She use to fuss, but now she enjoys the lotion & extra attention. We used a big person towel this night because all the pinky baby ones were dirty. She tends to pee on them before we can get a diaper on!
Last week I decided it was time for her to start facing forward in the Bjorn. I tried to photograph it (I was home alone). This pitiful attempt at self-photography documents it below. No, I'm not topless, I just have a tanktop on because it was a hot day.
All tuckered out! She practiced her swing on toys so much, that she just fell asleep all of a sudden.
I was going to decorate a special basket for her first Easter. Well, money's a little tight right now as we're saving for a new basement couch & backyard fence so I guess I'll make a fancy one next year. Hey, she's only 3 months old & won't remember, right?

Okay, here's the random picture catch up

Easter morning in her pj's & bunny robe!


Naked baby time! What a lady, crossing her legs & everything!

Jeff is so proud of his lawn, that he begged me to post some pictures! Note the designes that he mowed!

Cute new outfit from Jeanne Mann

Okay, this is all the picture it would let me post again. Either I'm really impatient, or this blog & I just don't get along. I'll see what it will let me post tomorrow.

My hernia surgery is May 19th & I'll have to wear some gross drain thing for 4 days afterwards. Also, I can't do physical activity for 4 weeks, so that really wrecks my marathon training program! I'm trying to find a 1/2 marathon to take its place so I can still have a goal to work towards.

Lots to catch up on...

Jeff and I have been concerned the past few days about the right side of Sydney's head. She turns her head to sleep on it no matter what position we lay her down in on her sleep positioner. Its definitely flatter than the left side, but I don't want to have anyone tell me that my baby needs to wear a helmet, so I'm ignoring the subject. I've been debating whether or not to call the nurse line, since she doesn't have an appointment until 4 months. Today I received this in an email:

Hi Brenna! Putting Sydney Alexis to sleep on her back every night reduces the risk of SIDS; however, lying in the same position night after night can cause a flat spot on the back of her head, called positional plagiocephaly. Most babies' heads round normally as they get older and spend more time upright or on their tummies. If Sydney Alexis's head does not round out by six months, ask her pediatrician about it; he or she may refer you to a pediatric neurosurgeon. In some very severe cases special head gear is necessary to help round the skull back out.

I guess we're okay to wait until her 4 month appointment, because she's got 3 more months to round out that melon of her's. Its just crazy all the little things you obsess about when you're new parents!

Okay, and here's some not so scary stuff:
Your New Baby
Many studies have shown that a stimulating environment accustoms children to change and helps their senses develop more quickly. Playing developmental games with Sydney Alexis - even at this age - can provide just such an environment. These activities also provide a unique opportunity to interact with your baby and encourage a love of learning. Try sewing a small bell onto a band and put it on her wrist or ankle. She will begin to understand that it makes a sound when she moves, helping her develop body awareness and hand-eye coordination. However, be sensitive to signs that she is over stimulated and needs a break. As they say, everything in moderation.Sydney Alexis may be able to push up on her arms by now, but don't get too excited, this is only half of the equation needed to start crawling. She also needs to develop her balance and leg coordination. However, if Sydney Alexis can move her upper body with her arms, she might soon figure out how to drag herself around.Your little one will continue experimenting with her voice and is probably developing quite the "vocabulary" lately. She may be making vowel sounds like "ooh" and "aah" and has learned that she can change the sound simply by changing the shape of her mouth.Sydney Alexis is probably opening her hands more and may start bringing them together in clapping motions as her hand-eye coordination improves. She has probably started batting at objects in an attempt to reach out for them. Help her develop this coordination by holding out a toy to see if she will grasp it.
-------------------------------------------
I don't think she's anywhere near crawling because she doesn't hold her self up on her arms as much as she just strains to hold her head out with her arms stretched out in a cross position. She is getting much stronger every day. She loves to stand up and look around while we provide her with some underarm balance. She tries to jump a little, but she's so wiggily still that it doesn't last long. She has really started to like the sound of her own voice. She squeels with delight for no reason at all, and she likes to get really loud if you're not paying close enough attention to her. She's also started to turn in circles when on her tummy. Well, not really a complete circle, but if she starts tummy time facing the north wall, she'll be facing the south wall within just a few minutes. She grabs onto the dangling butterflies on the bouncy seat now, and actually pulled on one today hard enough to make the birdie fly & the music sound. She was just thrilled with herself. She also likes to put her hands together like she's praying and wiggle her fingers together likes she's doing the Itsy Bitsy Spider motions. She's also getting the concept of holding onto her rattles long enough to play with them.

I heard the drooling starts around 3 months, and about 4 or 5 days ago her little salavary glands started working in overtime. Its not quite to the point where she needs to wear a bib all the time, but I think that is just around the corner. She's really good at making bubbles!

She took well to the new schedule we introduced on Good Friday. She now eats 5 times a day & sleeps about 8-9 straight hours a night. After her 6pm feeding she gets a bath & ready for bed. She might play for 15-20 minutes or so, but she's usually pretty tired by then so we read to her and put her down. Its nearly impossible to wake her for the 10pm feeding, but getting her naked seems to help. After that she's right back down until I get her up around 6:30am. If I don't have to leave the house very early, she'll sleep until after 7. I don't let her do that much because then we get all off schedule for the day & that messes everything up. Everyone says that Jeff and I are cursed because Sydney has been such a pleasant baby that our next one will be a holy terror!

"You can have anything you want if you want it desperately enough. You must want it with an exuberance that erupts through the skin and joins the energy that created the world." ~ Sheila Graham

Random picture catch up:

Okay, the stupid blog won't let me put pictures up right now. I'll just overwhelm you with them tomorrow! There's more to catch up on, and I'll try to be more brief next time!

Grams Comes to Visit

This Weekend Sharon came to visit the 3 of us for Easter. She bought Sydney an adorable pair of shoes to wear with her Easter dress.
On Friday Sharon & Sydney hung out while we were at work. She experienced the same frustration as Jeff when trying to get her to drink more than 2 oz from a bottle. Sydney must be a momma's girl, because we decided to do a little experiment and see if she was really full, or just being snotty. I was going to see if she would nurse since she was bored with the bottle. As soon as I picked her up she acted hungry, so I grabbed the bottle to see if she'd take it from me and she quickly guzzled down another 2 oz. What a little booger! That means she was hungry, but just wouldn't eat. I really hope that's not what she's doing while I'm at work. I know she's growing fine & won't starve, but if she'd normally be eating more, then I'd really like for her to not miss out when I'm gone.
Sydney rolled over for the first time on Thursday. I placed her down on a blanket for some tummy time, and she was instantly over on her right side. She paused there for just a second, and then ended up on her back. She likes playing on her back much more than playing on her tummy, so I thought she'd do it again right away. Nope. We haven't had a repeat yet, but atleast we know she can do it if she really puts her mind to it.
We're starting to try to stretch her schedule out. Previously we were feeding her every 2.5 to 3 hours, usually more on the 3 hour end. Now we're feeding her every 3-4 hours, with 4 hours being the goal. This should help her eat more at each feeding and help stretch her night sleep from 6 or 7 hours to 8 or 9 hours. The first day was hard. Feeding her at different times has changed her nap schedule. On Friday she basically didn't take any naps at all. She took about 3 30min cat naps, but nothing like she normally does. I was sure we'd have a fussy baby at dinner that night and I was worried she'd be so over tired that she couldn't go to bed. But she was still a good girl and slept 7.5 hours that night. She's been very tired today, and taken 4 2 hour naps to make up for yesterday. I hope we all get used to this new schedule soon, but so far so good!

Like Mother, Like Daughter

You may remember my post from a while back (2/17) when I mentioned Sydney having an umbilical hernia. Well guess what....I have one too. It happened while I was pregnant, and isn't going to correct itself, so I'm seeing a surgeon on Tuesday afternoon per my PCP's recommendation. I remember thinking that my belly button popped out fairly early (around 16 or 18 weeks) and that it was strange. Now I know why! It will just be an outpatient procedure probably in the next few weeks and should be fairly minor, so I guess its no biggie. I can't say I'm surprised because I've been waking up every day for almost 3 months now waiting for my belly button to become an "innie" again. Everyone says it takes some time to get your "old" body back, but I guess I'm going to need a little extra help. Plus, its become progressively more sore & tender since her birth. I just find it funny that we both have hernia problems. I do remember Jamie (my little bro) having a hernia corrected when he was around 3 years old. I'll have to check w/ my folks to see what kind of hernia this was. If its an umbilical one, then I think we've found some sort of genetic defect that all 3 of us have. And here I am thinking that Sydney hasn't taken anything after me (since everyone says how much she looks like Jeff & his side of the family). Although, I do like to think that she gets her good temperament from me & not her daddy =) Anyone who's seen Jeff on the volleyball court would probably attest to that too!

Week 13 from Babyweekly.com

At three months old, babies usually range from 22 inches long and 9.75 pounds (10th percentile) to 24.5 inches long and 14 pounds (90th percentile). Sydney Alexis can see a bit farther now and can focus on objects that are up to 20 feet away. This increased view of the world means Sydney Alexis can still see you when you are on the other side of the room, so she can now be comforted by the sight of you even when you're not right next to her. But who could stay away from such an adorable little bubble blower?Yes, drooling has started and Sydney Alexis is probably making bubbles with her saliva. With all that excess saliva and wiping, her chin may become chapped. To relieve some of the problem, run a humidifier in her nursery and try bathing her less often. A little redness is normal with chapped skin, but if it becomes really inflamed give your pediatrician a call or bring it up at your next visit.Sydney Alexis can probably lift her head and shoulders high (45- to 90-degree angle) when placed on her stomach, using her arms for support. This strengthens the muscles she will need to roll over, which could happen any time. While babies often roll from tummy to back first, doing it the other way is perfectly normal, too. However, it may take Sydney Alexis until she's about 5 or 6 months to roll from back to tummy, because she needs stronger neck and arm muscles for that trick.With all this increasing strength and coordination, Sydney Alexis may now be able to hold with both hands those rattles you got as gifts. It's still a little early for her to be reaching for objects, but she will hold them for a moment if given them.

"The test of the morality of a society is what it does for its children."~ Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Whew! We made it a whole week!

So, we survived an entire week with me at work and Sydney at Miss Diane's. Our house is an absolute wreck, but what else is new! Sydney's sleep schedule doesn't seem to be interrupted by being away from home and that is a huge relief for both Jeff & I. I still don't have to get up for work as early as he does, but I have threatened him that once I'm back at work we'd alternate getting up at night. Fingers crossed & knock on wood, she hasn't gotten up in the middle of the night for several weeks now. Actually, its funny how fast you forget the early days of parenthood, because its a distant & fussy memory that I ever had to get up at night with her. It must be those days of sleep deprivation the first 5 or 6 weeks that cloud your memory & convince you its okay to have kids again one day!

Sydney has really started to laugh out loud, and its the cutest darn thing we've ever heard. It makes me laugh when she laughs, which just makes her laugh even more. I keep promising that we'll post some video on the blog soon. It takes a bit more time than the pictures, so I'll get to it eventually. I'm happy to report that she has not become a thumb sucker. She does take a pacifier sporadically when she's really tired & fussy, but then spits it out as soon as she falls asleep. I think her growth spurt has stopped, atleast for now. She's still only eating 2-4 oz from a bottle, but she's content afterwards so we're not really concerned. She's right inbetween 0-3 month & 3-6 month size clothes. The weather is getting warm, like 80 today, so I think its time to move into the spring/summer stuff, which is the 3-6 month size. I'm so excited because now we can see her cute little body that's been all bundled up for the winter!

Sydney's favorite thing (with the bouncy chair running a close second) is her exercise mat (aka "the gym"). She's like a maniac flailing all 4 limbs trying to make all her dangling toys move at once. There's so much to look at, and she thinks she's a Disney World every time we set her down on it. She moves her head all around trying to give all of her toys equal attention, and I'm convinced that she's rubbing all the hair off the back of her little melon. I don't' see a bald spot yet, but it won't be hard to spot once its there since all the hair around it will be dark.

Sydney just chillin' w/ Dad.
B.F.F.L.

This is Sydney with her new friend, Madeline Paige Stowell. Maddie was born on March 30th, weighing 9 lbs 3 oz. You can check her and her folks, Darin & Jackie, out at www.maddie2006.blogspot.com

These are Jeff's favorite PJ's. He bought them for Syd shortly after we found out she was a girl, and I made fun of him because I'd never heard of a 0-3 month old wearing satin pants to sleep! I warned him that it was silly because she'd just poop all over them. And guess what happened the night she wore these to bed....yep, she pooped all over them! I must admit, they're pretty cute & her little flowered slippers go quite nicely with them.I made a vow to myself, and to my friend Toni who has a 5 month old girl, that I would run a marathon in October. Toni ran marathons after her first child & it was great at getting her back in shape. I figured I needed something that dramatic to get my butt back in shape (literally & figuratively). I need to be up to 4 miles by the first of June to be on track w/ my training. I expected to be out of shape after being pregnant for so long, but I had no idea it could be this bad! And, the problem seems to be that by the time I'm home w/ Sydney I don't want to leave her again to go running. Atleast, that's the excuse I'm giving myself for only going about 1 day a week. I've really got to get serious about this or else I'm in big trouble-and I'm posting it here so I have to be accountable. Wish me luck!

We Survived!!!!

Today was my first day back to work and we're all still alive & doing well. It actually was easier than I thought it might be. I did tear up a bit as I was driving her over, but then I just told myself that I had to get tough and suck it up. Crying because I miss my baby wouldn't get me home any earlier to see her anyway. It also helped that she was asleep when I dropped her off, so I left her in her car seat so Diane wouldn't have to pry her from my arms to get me to leave! She still doesn't eat like a champ from a bottle, which was one of my biggest worries. I don't want her to go w/out just because mom's not around. Everyone tells me that if she's really hungry, she'll eat from the bottle, so I trust that. They say she should be eating 4-5 oz per feeding, but from a bottle she's lucky if she gets down 2 or 3 before becoming completely bored w/ it. Obviously I have no idea how much she eats when I nurse her, but its got to be more than that or she wouldn't be gaining any weight.

Jeff was a sweetheart and sent me flowers to my office to cheer me up. They really made my day. And in the lunch he packed for me he included a note that he helped Sydney write to cheer me up. Isn't that cute! I think we'll make it just fine.

(This picture was taken on my phone, so its not good quality)

Tanner & Sydney Sittin' in a Tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G

Saturday night we went over to Jason & Brooke's house to watch a little b-ball and have fajitas. The boys were enthralled w/ the TV and Brooke & I were playing cupid w/ Tanner & Sydney. We decided they make the cutest couple because they have matching inflated cheeks!
Here Tanner is giving Sydney the "bedroom" eyes and Syd is playing hard to get.Tanner is now starting to look worried, so he turned up the drool factor to impress. Syd is still playing it cool & won't even make eye contact w/ him. (her daddy would be so proud!)It was bath night for Syd, but we stayed over fairly late, so I just bathed her there. Tanner has these awesome froggie towels from Pottery Barn Kids. They are so darn soft & cute! I think the Easter Bunny might have to bring Sydney one in her basket.
Brooke & I really turned up the romance factor and decide to have a little co-ed naked baby time. As you can see, Sydney started to warm up to Tanner & she's even reaching out to hold his hand here.