Gideon: 3 month update

My baby boy is three months old!

The last three months have been such a blur, I cannot believe that my little newborn is now a smiley, giggly three month old! Every day, Gideon is discovering new things, and it is so much fun to watch. I love being his mama so much!
Gideon is such a sweet baby. He has discovered his hands, and almost always has a fist stuffed in his mouth. He just started noticing his feet (especially when I put on his black and white socks), but he hasn’t quite figured out how to grab them yet, and it frustrates him! He loves his toy caterpillar–he has only started understanding toys in the last week or two, and it has been so fun to see how excited he gets about a few toys.

We still haven’t gotten into a great routine yet, but we are getting there! Things are starting to feel a little more predictable, and less scattered, and I have started to get a few things done which feels so good!

I love my sweet little man.

Age: 3 months

Weight: 14.9 lbs (he gained 1.9 lbs this past month)

What to expect this month: According to the books, babies go through a 3-month growth spurt and often wake up more, are fussier, and eat a lot more. This has definitely held true for us last week! He woke up every 1-2 hours throughout the night which was so difficult! After that dreadful week, he rewarded us with a few nights of good sleep: one night where he slept a seven hour stretch (only half-waking up in the middle to nurse), and two nights where he slept 5.5 hour stretch. So I am feeling a bit more alive this week than I was last. Ha ha!

What to expect next month: By the fourth month, baby might be rolling over, bringing objects to his mouth, will be teething, and (hopefully) sleeping longer stretches at night.

Clothing size: He’s still wearing 0-3 month clothing, although he definitely fills them out a lot more than he did a month ago!!

Favorite clothes: I keep him in footie pajamas most of the time, because it is just easier to keep him nice and warm in the cold Nebraska air than dealing with a onesie, pants, and socks. I do try to dress him up for church, though.

Diaper size: Still in size 1s.

Firsts: Gideon went to his first wedding! My brother, Timothy, and friend, Catie, got married this past month! I was a bridesmaid, and it was my first time spending a bit of time away from him. Saia stayed with him in the nursery in the basement of the church while I got ready, took pictures with the bridal party, and was at the ceremony. Gideon actually slept during the ceremony, so Saia was able to sneak up and catch the end of the wedding. I was so nervous that G wouldn’t do well without me, but besides some screaming in the car he did great! He crashed during the reception, and we left early so that he would sleep all the way home (an hour drive) and he did! So proud of my little man.

Another first, albeit less positive, is that Gideon has started hating his car seat. I got stuck an hour away from home sitting in a gas station parking lot for a few hours because every time I tried to drive Gideon would scream. I can’t handle listening to him cry so hard, so I would try to drive a few minutes, and pull over, and repeat. He finally fell asleep, and I sped my way home. I learned from this, that I need to time driving with his nap times, and not attempt to drive a long distance with him in the evening when he is already starting to get tired and cranky. Driving in the morning seems to be much more manageable. Yesterday, he was actually awake and content in the car for about twenty minutes! He is starting to understand toys, and I kept one arm stretched back to his car seat pushing the button on the baby Einstein toy, and he was just talking to it all the way home. He only started getting fussy a few blocks from home!

Worries: Gideon’s belly button hernia, is starting to look more like a normal belly button, which is such a relief! Everyone I’ve talked to says that they usually resolve themselves in time, and there is nothing to do at this age, but I’ve been really worried about it. I am so glad that it seems to be resolving. I’ve been super worried about him not doing tummy time very well, but after I read all the sweet comments on my post Questions I’d Like to Ask a Mom Friend, I feel a million times better! A big thank you to all of you who commented! My main worry right now is just sorrow that he is getting so big, and worry about how best to parent him. It just has suddenly started to go so fast!

Sleeping: For most of the past month he has been waking up every three hours. He goes to bed between 7:30 and 8:30 like clockwork every night, which is wonderful! He still likes napping on his Mama throughout the day, so I let him sleep on me or sleep in the carrier while I get things done, but in the evening once he is down for the night, he is pretty good about staying asleep, so sometimes Hubs and I have a bit of time to watch a show together sans baby which is nice. 

Feeding: He’s still a very exuberant eater! I love the way his little hands gently grab me while he’s eating.

Purchases I’ve made: I just found a used jungle baby gym for $10 on a buy/sell Facebook group, and I am picking it up tomorrow! I am excited to see him use it! I, also, bought some drool pads for my lillebaby carrier, but returned them because they just didn’t seem worth the money. I cut up a pretty sock instead, and am using that as covers for my carrier straps.

Purchases I am thinking about making: I need to buy a baby monitor–I didn’t think I would need one, since our apartment is so small, but on the days when G lets me set him down to nap for 15-20 minutes I would feel a lot better if I could put a monitor in our bedroom, so I could run the trash outside or do other things and know he was still okay. I, also, need to buy him some winter clothes–warm hat, mittens, winter carseat cover/blanket.

What he likes: He loves talking–his favorite thing is to chat with somebody. He loves staring outside, at lamps, and at anything high contrast (like my polka-dotted robe, or a toy with black and white stripes). He loves chewing on his fist, eating, and being sung to. 
What he doesn’t like: He doesn’t like his car seat, the first few minutes of getting into the lillebaby carrier, being put down, napping by himself, or Mom offering milk when he’s not hungry.

Don’t want to forget: The way his chunky little hands touch me, how smiley he is at just about anyone (when he’s in a happy mood), how music really touches his heart (he gets teary-eyed when he hears certain songs).

Things I’m looking forward to: His first Thanksgiving, getting him a baby gym to play with, his first Christmas. 

How’s Mama? Tired, but slowly making strides to figure out life again. My lack of sleep this week has been brutal, and I had an awful migraine that wiped me out for about twenty-four-hours. I’m still struggling to figure out any sort of routine, but I am hopeful that I will in the future. I have been winning at getting food made every day, and that has helped us out so much both health-wise and with the budget. And we are sticking to our budget, and that boosts my spirits so much! I still struggle some days with the blues, but overall life is good!

What’s going on in the Lotulelei household? Hubs is working six days a week, I am doing my virtual assistant work, and my Mom and I are working on launching a podcast!

What is going on at your house this week?