Three Months.

Charlotte is three months old and officially no longer a newborn. Goodness gracious! Here is an update on her third month:

• She is very much a growing girl. She weighs 13 pounds and is 26 inches long - that's half an inch longer than I was at 4 months! She can no longer wear anything newborn and even 3 month clothes are iffy. She can wear 3 month onesies, but she needs 6 month shirts to fit her long arms, 3 month pants to fit her skinny waist, and she can't stretch out in her 3 month pajamas anymore. I have a feeling she will have a problem finding clothes long enough for her later on in life - a problem I have had for awhile.
• We have officially gotten a giggle out of her a couple of times. It is very random as to what will make her giggle and she will only do it a few times before she is over whatever we are doing. But it's at least a giggle!
• Charlotte can now roll over to her side when I lay her on her back. It makes diaper changing very challenging sometimes.
• She likes to do crunches - no really. She does crunches when she is laying down, in her bouncy seat, in her swing...pretty much anywhere. I'm hoping this will help her sit.
• Her sleep schedule is much better. She is still having troubles staying asleep for awhile between 7-12, but she goes down much easier now and falls asleep easier when she wakes up to eat.
• She will grab toys now for much longer. She also likes to grab onto my hair and her burp rags. She also loves to grab my shirt while she is nursing.
• She likes to stare at the KU Jayhawk when either of us are wearing a KU shirt. Definitely makes Bryan happy that she is already a KU fan.
• She definitely inherited our allergies. Sneezing and needing to get boogers (sorry that is gross) out of her nose are common occurrences.
• She still absolutely hates having a wet diaper. She could care less if she has a poopy diaper, but if she has a wet diaper she will definitely let you know it.
• Charlotte loves sucking on her hands. She has some good hand-to-mouth coordination. It's actually making her face break out again, because she is wiping slobber all over her cheeks.
• She knows that when she spits her pacifier out that she needs to use her hands to try to put it back in. Only once has she actually been able to grab it and put it back in. Otherwise she usually tries to push it back in with the back of her hand.
• She suddenly hates the end of bathtime. We went from hating her entire bath, to not crying at all, to now smiling at the beginning and screaming at the end.
• She is even more of a talker now. She loves having "conversations" with us. She has even started having them with me when I take a shower and she is sitting in her bouncy seat in the bathroom.
• She hates being in the car at night still. If it is dark and she can't see anything, she cries.
• Charlotte has starting "singing" to herself when she is tired. Her cousin, Penelope, does the same thing, so I think that is where she picked it up.
• She went on her first flight after Thanksgiving to go see my family. She did amazing and the trip went smoothly with having a baby on a plane - not to mention doing it without Bryan since he had to stay home.

Thoughts about our third month as parents:

• I developed new mom tendinitis. I was having severe wrist pain so I went to the doctor and that's what she called it. Apparently it is very common in new moms. I had two options to help my pain: a splint to immobilize my wrist and thumb or a steroid shot. I opted for the steroid shot. It's more pain for a couple of days, but long-lasting results and I can still take care of Charlotte then. I wouldn't be able to with a splint.
• Bryan has been a big help taking care of Charlotte lately with all of my wrist pain - even helping roll out cookie dough for me!
• I am a very protective mom. I figured I would be, but I realized I get annoyed if things prevent her from going to bed on time or if she is around someone who might be sick. Definitely a momma bear.

I made Charlotte this reindeer onesie - this is the only time she wore it before she outgrew it.

She loves looking at Christmas lights.

Nine weeks.

Ten weeks.

Eleven weeks.

Twelve weeks.

Thirteen weeks.

She discovered her feet while I was trying to take her picture.

Three months.

Santa Baby.

We recently took Charlotte for her very first trip to see Santa. Of course this is something I was looking forward to. I had picked out the cutest dress and shoes. I kept asking Bryan when we were going to take her; however, part of that is because I wanted to make sure we took her before she grew out of her adorable dress. So, finally last week we made the trip to the mall to see Santa. She fell asleep right before we got to the mall, which meant we had to wake her up to get her out of her carseat to see Santa. I had a feeling this would make her mad but she held it together. She went to Santa just fine, but the gentleman taking the picture was very loud and very happy. I think this was just too much for Charlotte. She didn't know where to look or what to do and the more the gentleman tried to get her attention I could see it on Charlotte's face that she was about to have a breakdown - and sure enough she started screaming. The gentleman then kept trying to talk to her and she just kept crying. We did get a good picture, though. I think for an almost three-month-old's first trip to see Santa it went pretty well.

Two Months.

Charlotte is officially two months old now - and keeping with the trend I will highlight her second month:

• She is still a rockstar eater - even though she is sometimes now making a game out of it. At her two month checkup she weighed 11 pounds 14 ounces and was 23 1/4 inches long. She has officially outgrown her newborn onesies. She can still fit in some of her newborn pants around her waist, but they are short on her now. Some of her 3 month clothes are still a little big, but I know it won't be that way for long.
• She does NOT like getting shots. What baby does, though?
• She is a very smiley girl. As mentioned in her one month update she gave me her first real smile on her one month birthday and it just continued from there. She will now smile at Bryan and I intentionally - especially when we interact with her. She loves smiling first thing in the morning. She also just randomly smiles and entertains herself. Now I'm just waiting for the giggle to go with that smile.
• She has started cooing. When she is in a good mood she loves to "talk" to us. She can be pretty entertaining.
• She is very ornery - especially at night. We will be trying to get her to go to sleep and she'll start to fall asleep but then just look at us and smile. Even though we want her to sleep, it is very cute.
• She is kind of on a sleep schedule. Her hours are pretty much the same as they have been with her bedtime routine (going to bed between 7 and 8 pm and up anywhere between 6 and 9 am), but ever since the time change we are struggling a little bit. Before the time change she would usually sleep a couple hours before wanting to eat again around midnight. Now she will go down okay, but she won't sleep for longer than thirty minutes tops most of the time. Come midnight, though, she'll usually be down for the night with the exception of waking up to eat once. If I let her snuggle with me when it's her bedtime she will sleep really well, but I don't want to make it a habit (as much as I love snuggling her). Part of me wonders if me starting birth control again is contributing to her struggle to stay asleep at first since the hormones get passed to her and it has given me insomnia.
• On the topic of sleep, no matter what time we wake up in the morning 6 am or 9 am, she almost always wants to take a nap around 10 or 11. I like the predicability, but it does throw things off when we have to go do something. I also like that she likes to sleep so much in the morning as I am not a morning person.
• Also on the topic of sleep, she now loves to sleep in her sleep sack. She used to hate being swaddled, but now she sleeps so much better when she is swaddled in her sleep sack. I have mixed feelings about this. She knows it's time to sleep when she is in it, but at the same time she won't take a good nap unless she is in it. I miss when she would sleep for hours unswaddled for naps or at bedtime. It definitely makes it hard for middle of the night diaper changes, because it completely wakes her up when I unswaddle her. Thank goodness for nighttime diapers, though!
• She no longer loathes bathtime. She doesn't love baths yet, but she no longer screams bloody murder. She will just lay there and let us bathe her.
• She will hold onto her links and ball if you put them in her hand. She doesn't hold onto them long, but she is going in the right direction.
• She has discovered her hands. She intentionally puts them in her mouth and holds her hands together.
• She can hold her head up pretty well. She still has troubles sometimes, but even the doctor was impressed with her neck strength.
• She does not protest all the headbands I make her wear. She only gets mad when they fall over her eye like an eye patch. I guess she doesn't want to be a pirate.

Thoughts about our second month as parents:

• I'm no longer sleeping as well, but that is a result of starting birth control again. Again, stupid insomnia. I used to always have bad insomnia and now I wonder if that was part of the reason. I plan to talk to my midwife about it at my next appointment.
• Bryan and I are falling into our roles quite well and have developed routines for different things.
• Speaking of routines, I finally have my morning routine worked out when I need to get ready and Bryan is working (Charlotte also doesn't get as mad when I'm in the shower).
• I have no problem leaving the house without Charlotte to run errands when Bryan is watching her. I do check in to make sure she doesn't need to eat, but that's about it. I am sure when I really leave her for the first time to do something other than run errands it will be different.
• I still can't handle having clutter despite having a baby, so every night before bed I clean the kitchen and put away clutter and laundry.
• Laundry is never ending now. I used to do my laundry once a week, but now it's almost every other day because I do Charlotte's laundry with mine. It's fine because there isn't as much at one time but it is definitely never ending.

And now for some photos:

Playtime with Otis.

Kisses!

Five weeks.

Six weeks.

Seven weeks.

Eight weeks.

Two months.

She did much better with her two month pictures than she did her one month ones.

Cousins.

My sister and niece came out to meet Charlotte. This was one of the most special things to me ever. My sister is one of my best friends and she knew I was pregnant before anyone else did. Seeing Penelope and Charlotte together was one of the cutest things ever. Penelope loved to hold Charlotte. She'd hold Charlotte's hand when they were in the car. First thing in the morning, every morning, Penelope wanted to hold Charlotte. Even the first night my sister and Penelope were here, Penelope helped Bryan and I give Charlotte a bath and get her ready for bed. Now when we FaceTime Penelope tries to reach for Charlotte. I have a feeling they will be the best of friends.

As soon as we got home from the airport, Penelope had to love on Charlotte.

Don't be fooled by Charlotte's face - she was just hungry.

Penelope's reaction when my sister tried to hold Charlotte was priceless.

Again, Charlotte loved Penelope she was just hungry.

First Halloween.

We didn't take Charlotte trick-or-treating for her first Halloween - I didn't think people would want to give me the candy. I did make her a costume, though. She was quite the cute ghost in my opinion.

Skin Update.

Thanks to tips from a dear friend, Charlotte's skin started to clear up. However, I kept her dermatologist appointment to still get her evaluated. The dermatologist told me that Charlotte has a skin condition called seborrheic eczema. Essentially it is when cradle cap spreads past the scalp and face. We just have to keep up with our regiment that we were doing (head and shoulders shampoo on her head and face and cetaphil body wash and lotion) plus using a prescription steroid cream when she has bad outbreaks. Over the next few weeks she should clear up even more, but we also have to keep her clear of as many irritants as possible. It is also likely that she will develop true eczema but the dermatologist said the cream she prescribed can be used for that as well. All I know is that I'm happy our little girl's skin looks and feels better to us and her.

Newborn Photos.

These are our favorites from Charlotte's newborn session by Sarah Maxey Photography. We had a blast working with the photographer even if Charlotte was fussy the entire time. Check out Sarah's other awesome work at Sarah Maxey Photography.

Baby Skin.

I had figured Charlotte would have sensitive skin as I have very sensitive skin myself, but I didn't think it'd be as sensitive as it is. What we thought was baby acne and maybe a little bit of sensitive skin has turned extremely sensitive skin combined with seborrheic dermatitis (what cradle cap is called when it goes beyond the scalp) according to her pediatrician. This has led to several calls to the doctor to figure out what to do as Charlotte's face is red, bumpy, itchy, and just plain looks worse each day. Not to mention, it is just as bad on her neck and shoulders and spreading to every other area of her body. Her face is even starting to peel and she rubs it on things whenever she gets the chance - usually leading to some fussiness. Since it keeps getting worse her doctor suggested we see a pediatric dermatologist to see what is going on as well as have her evaluated - especially with winter coming. Her appointment isn't until mid-November, but I wish it was sooner as I feel horrible for my baby girl. The nurse at her doctor's office said the dermatologist group works miracles, so I will update once we get to take her for her appointment!

One Month.

Holy moly, one month already?! I obviously never got around to updating about our hospital stay or the first week at home - I suppose I will update about Charlotte's first month instead. It might be easier to highlight her first month versus going in order. So, here it is - Charlotte's first month in a nutshell:

• She is a rockstar eater. At her first doctor's appointment (the day after we got home from the hospital) she had already started to regain weight she lost while in the hospital. By the next week she was already over her birth weight. At her one month appointment (which we actually weren't supposed to have one as she was gaining weight so well, it was an unplanned trip to be highlighted in another point) she was 10 pounds exactly and 22.25 inches long. She is a growing girl!
• She is also a rockstar sleep - most of the time. She lets us put her to bed between 7:00 and 8:00. She'll wake up to eat once before midnight, once during the night, then wakes up anywhere between 6 and 9 in the morning depending on when she woke up during the night. So really she is only waking me up once during the night to eat technically. Granted she is waking me up in the morning too, but I count that as the morning not night time.
• She is sleeping in our room still, but she does not sleep in bed with us. From the start we opted to try and have her always sleep in her rock-n-play. Over time we will transition her to her crib, but for now this is working out great. That's not to say there haven't been times after a feeding her and I don't snuggle - most often it happens after a morning feeding when Bryan has left for work. Mommy and daughter snuggle time. :)
• We have already started working on a bedtime routine. If it's not a bath night, we put her in her pjs, I feed her, then I work on getting her to fall asleep. When it is a bath night, her bath comes first. She also has several things she likes in order to fall asleep (this holds true for naps as well): either her lamb that plays ocean sounds or soft music, the fan on, and the humidifier on. She also prefers to be walked around and patted on the butt while falling asleep. Lately, sucking on her pacifier has become part of the routine as well. It sounds like a lot, but it is an easy routine and most of the time she sleeps really well following it.
• Speaking of bath nights - she absolutely HATES baths. Really the issue is she hates being naked. This is even the case when changing her clothes. However, she LOVES having her hair washed. She calms down when we do this. Hopefully over time she will learn to love bathtime. 
• We introduced a pacifier to her between 3 and 4 weeks. She likes it, but she gets really frustrated when it falls out. This is sometimes a pain when she wants one to sleep and it keeps falling out - usually resulting in me sleeping in ten minute spurts to wake up to help her with her pacifier. 
• When she gets really upset she usually calms down as soon as I hold her. Bryan can try all of the things I do to calm her down, but sometimes she just wants to be in my arms. I love this, but also don't want Bryan to feel left out.
• We have learned in the past week she has extremely sensitive skin. Her skin went from a perfect complexion to a few red spots here and there to full blown red, dry, bumpy skin all over her face. Add that with bad cradle cap and we just feel bad for her. She seems unphased by it, but, as parents, we hate how bad it looks. It is definitely harder on us than it is her. I just want her pretty skin back (Does that make me a bad mom to admit that? I hope not.). This has lead to trying to decrease any sensitivities around her: changing her shampoo/body wash and lotion, avoiding any perfumes or colognes on us, washing her clothes as soon as they get dirty or smell like something I think could bug her skin. The suddenly sensitive skin is what prompted the one month checkup as I was concerned about it.
• She does not like it when I eat beans. Beans just mean a gassy, fussy, pukey baby. Given that, I am avoiding all beans right now and broccoli (it can cause gas in babies, too). I also try to avoid a lot of garlic. I don't really have a reason other than I feel like it could upset her tummy.
• We think she might have acid reflux. There is a lot of spitting up and hiccuping with her. We try to keep her upright after feedings as long as possible to help eliminate any reflux symptoms.
• She has managed to throw up on me (not just spit up) multiple times (one time being during her newborn pictures), pee on me, and poop on me - yet she has not done a single one of those to Bryan.
• She randomly smiles at us and it's amazing. I did get a real smile after I said her name the other day (on her one month birthday actually). I can't wait for constant real smiles.

Just to add a few things Bryan and I have learned about ourselves as parents in the first month:

• I call her doctor weekly. Her doctor is my doctor, as well, so she knows me well - so does the nurse. That makes it easy when I call with first-time mom questions. I have taken care of a ton of kiddos, but I am learning when it is your own sometimes you just have questions for the doctor.
• I am sleeping better now than I did during my entire pregnancy. I think I am even getting more sleep than I did during the third trimester. Bryan, however, is still struggling with waking up with a baby sometimes. I try to let him sleep during the night, but sometimes missed naps cause some grumpiness on everyone's part.
• We have worked out a system when we need to go somewhere: wait for her to wake up from a nap, feed her, then go. That allows us to have an hour to an hour and a half to accomplish things. This has also brought a change to our just randomly running to Target for something or running to get food - we now have to plan ahead.
• I am working on figuring out how to get ready in the morning with a baby. This tends to take a similar routine as leaving the house: wait until she is hungry, feed her, try to get her to take a nap, then I get in the shower. Usually I stick her in her bouncy seat and we have a sing-a-long/dance party in the bathroom.
• We monitor our spending a lot more now. We have always tried to be good about our spending, but now instead of ordering dinner just because we don't feel like cooking we sit and think about if we need to buy a bunch of baby things during our next grocery trip.

And now for some - okay, SEVERAL - photos:

I got Bryan a KC Royals Dad shirt for Father's Day - he got to wear it in the hospital.

Getting ready to go home from the hospital!

First bath at home.

Charlotte likes to FaceTime with her cousin, Penelope.

Please note: She is yawning, not screaming.

One week.

Two weeks.

Three weeks.

Four weeks (and the start of her red skin).

One month.