Three Months

When people tell you not to blink or your children will be grown, they are not kidding. The moment you give birth to a child, time speeds up exponentially. The last three months of my life have been three of the absolute best, but also the fastest, of my life. Being a mother is so much better than I could have imagined. This sweet boy brings so much joy to every day, even at 2 or 3 am. When I’m feeling particularly grumpy at these hours, all he has to do is look up at me with that big toothless grin and everything is right in the world again.

I decided to compile a list of some of our favorite things during these first three months.

 

Medela Nipple Shield: As I referenced in an earlier post, breastfeeding did not come easy for Jonathan and I. Tired and frustrated by the 3-step feeding system the hospital suggested due to his weight loss (try to nurse, pump, feed him what was pumped and then supplement with formula – a process that took about an hour, to be repeated every 3 hours, not to mention washing all of the pumping equipment), I decided on a whim at Target to purchase a nipple shield. It’s not like it could make things harder, right? It made everything BETTER. The very first time that we used it, he was able to nurse. And since then, we’ve been able to primarily nurse. Being able to breastfeed was important to me and I had a hard time accepting that we couldn’t do it well. This was a game-changer.

 

Mixie:  Though we do primarily breastfeed, we also give Jonathan some formula. Being unable to quantify how much he eats when he nurses, I will sometimes top him off with a couple ounces of formula if he still seems hungry but is pulling off the breast. This is also helpful at bed time to give him a really full belly to sleep longer. On the go, we like to have a bottle in the diaper bag just in case our errands take a bit longer than planned. Enter the Mixie. My best friend saw this online and I went out and bought it the next day. This is super easy to pre-fill at the house (the formula powder is pre-measured in the middle compartment and released by the push of a button to mix with the water) and have if we need it. We also like to take one upstairs when we go to bed. This has been such a help to us that we now have two. With an upcoming cross-country road trip in a few days, the Mixie will no doubt be of great use.

Also, as a tip: if you follow the links on Mixie’s website, you can find places online that sell them for $16.99-19.99. I suggest using their store locator function to find a local place that might sell them. I found a great little boutique in a neighboring town that sells the 8-oz bottle for $9.50. That’s half the online price. Well worth a 10 minute drive. It comes with a stage 2 nipple, which was a bit too fast of a flow for Little Man. They’re compatible with Dr. Brown’s wide neck nipples, so for $5 at Target we were able to purchase two level one nipples and problem solved!

 

Bright Starts Activity Gym: Because my son is a Rabon, and Rabons love to work out, this baby gym from his Nani was an instant hit. He loves chatting it up with the elephant (who also plays music), staring at the cute baby in the mirror and giggling as he explores the use of his arms to reach the toys. He can self-entertain, which allows mom to eat a bowl of cereal with two hands!

 

“Daddy’s Little Hero” outfit: My husband’s idea of the ideal baby outfit is a one piece outfit that doesn’t have to go over Jonathan’s head with footies and a zipper (not snaps, not buttons). We were given this adorable outfit by Stephen’s Aunt Cathy and it has quickly become a favorite. When we limited access to his hands due to the removal of a skin tag from his right hand, the built in mittens were a Godsend. Is it bad that I want to order it in EVERY size available?

Bouncy chair: Ah, the bouncy chair. Allowing mama to shower and get ready with a happy baby in tow. Also helpful? The music function of my iPhone. This baby likes to boogie while mama showers.

 

Daddy: Sure, he’s been my favorite guy for 7+ years now, but this baby loves his daddy! When he hears the door open when Stephen gets home from work, he instantly starts looking all around to find him. Stephen makes a face and he starts smiling right away.

It’s SO precious to watch these two interact! “Man time,” as we call it, is one of Jonathan’s favorite activities and absolutely melts this mama’s heart.

 

Here are a few pictures from his 3 month/Easter photo shoot:

And that’s another favorite of mine: monthly photo shoots with my boy and his chalkboard! So thankful my sweet husband got me a nice camera for my birthday a couple years ago, knowing that we’d have a baby soon and my picture taking habit would reach new levels.

 

Blessed and ever-so-thankful,

Amanda