Emerson's 3 Month Update

Emerson's 3 Month Update!

Emerson is officially 3 months old and that means she is no longer classified as a newborn. How in the world is that possible?! Like always, each month goes by way too quickly. I find myself trying to soak in the last of the newborn days while also getting excited about all the milestones ahead. I love getting to know our little girl more and more and getting to experience all her firsts! She's the happiest and most content baby and she brings such a joy to our family! To say we are in love is an understatement. We adore you, Emerson Faith. 

Weight and Height: Emerson was 11 lbs. 3.7 oz. at her doctor's appointment 2 weeks ago. Unfortunately she had an eye infection (common with clogged tear ducts) and is having some constipation issues, so we took her to the doctor. Her eyes have cleared up so much with the drops which is awesome! Anyways, I love seeing her continuing to gain weight (1 lb. in 3 weeks) since I am still exclusively breastfeeding. She's still on the small side, but growing perfectly. I weighed her at home this morning and she is right about 12 lbs., so that's exciting! We will get her official weight and height measurements again at her 4 month appointment.

First time meeting Santa...she loved him!

Emerson has the prettiest eye lashes and the most wild hair...love it!

Sleep: Sleep has been all over the board this month. For the first 3 weeks of the month, Emerson was doing really well! She was sleeping 6-7 hours straight at night and only waking once for a quick feed each night. I think she may be going through a growth spurt because she's been a little fussier in the last week and she's also been waking up twice a night. She's been eating up a storm when she wakes up! Emerson goes to bed around 10pm and wakes up for the day around 8:30 am each morning. She's been awake much more during the day this month which I love! She still naps off and on throughout the day, but will stay awake for up to 2 hours at a time. That being said, the girl still loves her sleep! She sleeps anywhere and everywhere and is starting to love being held during her naps. She takes really good naps in her Baby Bjorn carrier and Moby wrap which is helpful. She also sleeps really well in the car. Emerson still sleeps in her Rock 'N' Play next to our bed at night, but we are going to start transitioning her to the crib soon. I would have done it sooner, but unfortunately our rooms are on different floors, so that complicates things a bit. I really don't want to walk up and down the stairs multiple times a night, so I've prolonged the transition. Emerson is a pretty good sleeper, so I'm thinking the transition to the crib shouldn't be too bad. Hoping for some longer stretches at night this coming month!

Eating: Emerson still eats every 2-3 hours during the day. She's doing much better with latching this month, so that has made breastfeeding a lot easier. She's also taking a pacifier better too. Emerson is a great little eater and I'm proud of her for that. I'm still exclusively breastfeeding and it's going really well! I'm so thankful for the opportunity to breastfeed. I just pumped my first bottle for her today because Josh and I have a special date planned for tomorrow night (kid free!), so we will see how she does with it. Crossing my fingers she takes the bottle well. Side note: I'm so happy I'm able to stay home with Emerson and not having to worry about pumping 3 days a week! Pumping is not my favorite, but you do what you gotta do!

Clothes: Emerson is wearing size 2 diapers and fits very well in 0-3 month clothing, but most of her outfits are getting snug. She's very close to transitioning to 3-6 month clothing. Emerson has longer legs, so her pants are getting too short. She's definitely not my child! ;)

Grayson LOVES laying in the crib with Emerson!

Emerson loves to go on runs with mommy in the jogging stroller!

Always full of smiles!

Mood: Emerson is such a sweet little girl! She is still calm for the most part, but if she doesn't like something, she will shock you and start to scream. Josh and I are always completely thrown off when she cries because she's usually so content. She's been a little more fussy recently which is why I think she may be going through a growth spurt or teething. But overall, she's still really chill and happy! She likes to observe and take things in. She's cooing a little more, but overall she's still fairly quiet. She gets super excited when you put her in her activity chair and she starts to kick with excitement and grab at all the objects. Emerson is super smiley in the mornings when she wakes up and when you make eye-contact with her. She loves to be around people and has started to cry if she gets left in a room alone. She also loves to laugh in group settings! She's only laughed a handful of times, but it's always around a bunch of people when there's a lot of laughter and noise going on. She won't laugh for mommy and daddy one-on-one, but loves to laugh for others. She's already knows how to put on a show!

Milestones: Emerson laughed for the first time this month! She loves to sit in her Bumbo chair and is constantly lifting her head fully up when you lay her down. She sits up with little assistance, holds her head up very well, stands up while you hold her hands, laughs, and has started to grab on to everything. She's more and more aware and starting to interact with her surroundings.

Loves: Mommy and daddy -- she is definitely recognizing us these days!, shoving her hands in her mouth and sucking on them, sucking on her bottom lip, her pacifier, sucking on her toys and blankets (more drool going on too -- preteething!), funny sounds and music, bath time, being talked to and held, and batting at objects on her activity chair.

Doesn’t like: tummy time, gassy tummy pains, being left in a room alone, and being put down when she's in a clingy mood

How is Mommy doing? I feel like things are going much better this month and I'm in a much better place. Things weren't bad the past few months, but there were a lot of adjustments going on and emotions were high. Now that I'm a few months into this whole 2 kid thing, I'm feeling much more confident and I'm getting the hang of it! Josh and I are learning how to balance life with two kids and getting into our own little routine.

Things I Want To Remember:

• Trip to Helen

• Dauset Trails

• First Halloween   

Emerson's 2 Month Update!

Another month has flown by and Emerson is already 2 months old! I can't believe it's already time for Emerson's 2 month update! She is the sweetest little girl and we love having her in our family! Emerson is smiling, holding her head up like a champ, and interacting more with her surroundings. She's also decided to wake up and join the party more lately and we love seeing her little personality come through. Emerson has such a calm and sweet demeanor. She rarely cries and is very laid back. We are so thankful for a growing and healthy baby girl! Love you Emerson Faith! 💜

Weight & Height: She's 10 lbs. 4 oz. (26%) and 22.25 inches long (43%) and growing beautifully! I was extremely pleased with her weight gain since she started off so small and am thrilled that she's almost doubled her birth weight. I can tell she's so much bigger now! I love her little rolls and chubby cheeks.

Sleep: Emerson is doing fairly well in the sleep department. Honestly, until 1-2 weeks ago, she still slept most of her days away. She has just recently started waking up more and being more aware and alert. I love it! I love being able to interact with her and see how she studies her surroundings. Emerson takes naps throughout the day and she sleeps hard. I have to wake her up a lot to make sure she doesn't sleep all day! She is doing better about taking shorter cat naps, so that she is actually tired at bedtime. She will sleep anywhere and everywhere. She is only up for 20 minutes - 1 hour and then she passes out again. Too much stimulation for this girl! ;) Emerson is sleeping okay at night. She still sleeps in the Rock 'n' Play next to our bed and is swaddled every night. She usually goes to bed around 9pm, wakes up around 1-2 am, and then wakes up again around 5-6am. And then goes back to sleep! Ha. The longest stretch she usually has is 4-5 hours and then after that, she sleeps another 3-4 hour stretch. She slept 6 hours straight last week and that was amazing! Emerson is great about eating and going right back to sleep, so that's wonderful. I'm hoping her sleep improves this coming month. While she is a far better sleeper than Grayson was (he was terrible), I know a lot of babies her age who are sleeping much better than her at this point. I'm tired, but managing! And trying not to compare her to other babies...she will sleep through the night eventually! (She's done a 7 hour and 6 hour stretch in the last few days...she's getting there!)

(Loves napping with Daddy!) 

Eating: I am still exclusively breastfeeding and it's going well! She's gaining weight, so that's the most important thing. She does struggle with latching at times and I also realized I have a forceful letdown which doesn't help. She almost never spits up, but she has started throwing up everything she's eaten every few days, so we are going to get that checked out! Overall, I'm so thankful I am able to breastfeed her and I'm really enjoying that. I find that I feed her much more often in public this time around (with a nursing cover). I was much more shy about breastfeeding the first time around, but this time I find that I don't always want to have to go off alone to breastfeed, so I do it more around others than I did with Grayson. I also feel much more comfortable with breastfeeding this time. Emerson eats every 2-3 hours during the day.

(Just a day in the life of a little sister!)

Clothes: Emerson is in 0-3 month clothing and size 1 diapers (heading into size 2 soon). Emerson's newborn clothes have been put in the attic and she fits really well in her 0-3 month clothes. This isn't surprising considering she's 2 months old, but since she started off so tiny, I guess I expected her to stay smaller longer. She has really caught up fast. Stop growing so quickly, Emerson! I have no idea why, but changing out my kid's clothing sizes has always been so sad for me. I tend to get so emotional putting away something tiny and knowing they won't ever wear it again and they are on to the next size up! 

Mood: Emerson is the most relaxed baby! I'm still getting used to it in some ways after having a much more challenging first-born child. She is very go-with-the-flow and rarely cries. We have noticed that she gets slightly fussy right before she's about to fall asleep, but if you hold her for a second or give her the pacifier, then she's out. Emerson is almost always completely content. She's an awesome second child and must just know that I'm busy running after Grayson because she just hangs out while I chase him! She has the sweetest demeanor and she has started to smile this month! Oh, it melts my heart! When she's awake, she will smile a bunch and it's just the best. Overall, she's very quiet and only coos a little bit. She is starting to wiggle and be more active when she's awake. She loves to kick her legs and arms. I'm still learning her personality, but I love seeing it slowly come through. She's very opposite of Grayson in most ways, so it's been really fun to see her do things her own way.

Milestones: smiles, holds her head up during tummy time, cooing some, following objects and people more with her eyes, interacting more with her surroundings, and batting at objects on her play mat.

.

Loves:  Batting at colorful objects in front of her, loves the pacifier at times and other times could care less, kicking her arms and legs around while laying on her back, running errands with mommy and Grayson, car rides, only loves her play mat for short periods of time, bath time with Grayson, sleeping in mommy and daddy's bed, having her bottom patted and head rubbed (she always cracks a smile!), and hanging out in the Boppy while Grayson plays. Emerson loves to smile at daddy and to be held by mommy. She tolerates her big brother and his not so gentle affection. ;) But really, Grayson loves to hug, kiss, and hold "Baby Emerson" and she doesn't mind most of the time.

Doesn’t like:  being tackled or bothered too much by big bro, gassy tummy pains, when she can't latch on to her pacifier or me well during breastfeeding she gets frustrated, goopy eyes caused by clogged tear ducts, and being constipated and having an upset tummy.

Things I Want to Remember:

• A family visit to the pumpkin patch!

• Emerson's First Wedding!

• Family night at the fair!

How is Mommy doing? For me, adjusting to 2 kids has been an emotional roller coaster and quite the humbling experience. Some days, we go out and do lots of things, my kids are awesome, I remember to pack everything we need, I'm balancing them both well, and I feel like I'm rocking it! Other days, Emerson is crying, Grayson is crying, (heck, I'm crying!), I get nothing done, the house is a tornado and I feel like I'm a disaster. I have moments of feeling like an awesome mommy and feeling like a terrible mommy each and every day. A part of me feels guilty for not paying Grayson as much attention as I used to and the other part of me feels guilty for not giving Emerson nearly as much attention as Grayson got at this age. I feel bad that I'm always having to take care of Grayson (the super active toddler) while Emerson just kind of sits on the sidelines and watches a.k.a. sleeps. Just like I also feel bad for always having Emerson in my arms and not being able to cuddle and pick up Grayson nearly as much. These different thoughts of guilt come in and out of my head constantly. That being said, I also have moments where I know I'm giving my kids everything I have and I know that it's enough. Grayson has also entered into the tantrum throwing stage which makes an already tired mommy even more overwhelmed. I am also learning how to parent a strong-willed, extremely smart, opinionated, sweet, super vocal, independent, energetic, and at times, challenging toddler. I sometimes struggle with comparing Grayson and Emerson and worrying that Emerson isn't doing what Grayson was doing at that age. The long days and even longer nights are wearing on me (Grayson has started waking up at night too) and I'm learning that being a full-time mom to 2 under 2 is no joke. All of that to say, that I'm still learning. I'm learning how to balance and how to prioritize. I'm learning to remember that not everything is going to get done and that the house might be a disaster, but the memories I made with my kid's that day will last forever. I'm learning to be patient with Grayson as he adjusts to having a sister and to me patient with myself as I adjust to a whole new level of motherhood. Overall, I have days where I am thriving and other days where I am just (barely) surviving. These days are hard, but so wonderful and special. I never want to look back on this time and think I wasted it complaining or feeling sorry for myself. I'm going to cherish these days because they will soon be over and I'll be missing them. I started adding this section to my baby updates because I think it's important to be honest and real about motherhood. As mothers, it's easy to feel isolated or like every other mom has it together and you are the only one who doesn't. Well, I'm here to reassure you that isn't true. We are all in this together and we've all either been there or are going to be there soon. Motherhood is the most challenging yet rewarding experience I've ever had and I'm so glad I'm not in it alone.