Dear Kate,
When you were still in my belly, I gave a speech at your Auntie Sheila’s wedding about how awesome it is to have a sister, and sweet baby girl, you have one for the record books. I pray that this relationship only continues to get stronger but the love your big sister has for you brings me to tears. You’ll be pretty upset or crying about your gas pains, and while Lexi is doing a puzzle or coloring, she’ll start singing you songs to help calm you down. She sings the traditional nursery rhymes with the normal words, but then will also go rouge and make up verses with your name in them. One morning, I went to wake her up for school and very groggily, she asks, ‘Is Beatle awake?’ and I said no, and she responds, ‘OK well then I’m still too sleepy to get up. Come get me when she is up.’ She loves to play with you and nobody can make you laugh more then Lexi. Her love for you is bone deep.
Sleep
Sleep is going OK. I feel like you have regressed a little since I’ve headed back to work. You’ve started to wake up several times throughout the night and I’m working on giving you a pacifier or bouncing you a little and trying to get you to fall back asleep on your own without eating. You flip between sleeping in the magic merlin suit and a fleece swaddle, but probably favoring the swaddle. I’ll either bounce you to sleep (think me jiggling you in my arms, or doing squats) or I’ll put you in your crib awake with your beloved pacifier and you’ll fall asleep on your own, around 8:00ish. Every night the wake-up time is different but you usually need to eat between the 3:00 and 5:00 and then will fall back asleep until 7:30 or so. There was a week where you were getting up 4-6 times a night, which was pretty tough.
Naps are still pretty inconsistent too as far as the length and when they take place. But there is usually a morning, afternoon and evening nap and they are almost always taken in your rock n’ play. Similar to your sibs, they are pretty short (like 20-40 min). You will fall asleep in your carseat when we are out and about, but will wake up when the car stops or we carry you inside.
Eat
The eating adventure has been a bit of a rollercoaster since I headed back to work, and probably the most stressful thing for me right now. I’m barely producing enough milk to feed you while I’m at work. My work schedule is all over the board, and I often don’t have control over it. This is hard because I feel like I need to stick pretty close to whatever your schedule is to ensure I pump enough during each session for the next day AND that when I get home I have enough to nurse you. If I don’t stick to your schedule (even if I’m off by a half hour or 30 min) my body doesn’t have enough time to produce the milk that you need and then I’m short. I have very little milk saved in the freezer for emergencies and I know that we can always use formula, but if I don’t have to, I don’t want to. You eat about 5-6 times a day (3, 7, 10, 3, 6, 8). Two or three of them are bottles depending on when I leave in the morning get home in the evening. When you have a bottle, you’ll easily chug 5 oz. I am working on trying to wean you from that middle of the night feeding, then I’ll be able to pump in the morning and get some extra milk to help build up the freezer stash and help reduce the stress around this a little. The Dr. also suggested pumping before bed each night and then pumping each size during each session (was only doing one) to help increase the production.
Development/personality
- You despise tummy time and we rarely put you on your tummy on a flat floor because you spit up so much
- Speaking of spit up, you still do this a bit. I regularly walk around with a spit-up stained on the shoulders of pretty much any shirt I’m wearing.
- If there was a prize for the best smile you would get a blue ribbon
- You love love love music. You love when anyone sings to you (especially Twinkle Twinkle). Your light up star is a fav toy and generally just clam way down when music is playing.
- You’ve rolled from tummy to back a few times, but I think it is more from gravity than you intentionally rolling over.
- You’re super ticklish, especially on your neck and we’ve heard your beautiful giggle
- As I was reading your big sib’s 4 month post, I got nervous because they were both grabbing at toys by this point and I didn’t feel like you were doing that, but then realized we don’t give you very many opportunities to do so and as soon as I put you on your playmat your started to reach for toys
- You still love the paci, but become a little less dependent on it each month.
- You have super great head control–you’re still a little bobble head from time to time, but do a pretty good job holding it up
- You’ve gotten pretty gassy. You’ll often wake up because of gas and scream in pain. I’m wondering if this is caused from the bottles so we’re trying the Dr. Browns bottles to see if that helps. When you’re in a lot of pain, you just scream with your mouth wide open and won’t even latch onto the pacifier to help calm down. Sometimes this even happens while nursing.
- You poop every 4-5 days
- You remind me a lot of William. I feel like you have very similar sleep patterns, eating tendencies and have his big beautiful eyes. Hopefully, you’ll also have his long eyelashes and dark complexion
Monthly Stats
- Height: 24.25 “
- Weight: 13.36 lbs
- Head Circumference: 16.5″
- Size 2 Diapers–and they are pretty big
- Clothes: 3 months (but are starting to dabble into 6 month as you’re a little tall for some of the 3 month sleepers)
My sweet little Kate, we love you beyond words and I can’t imagine life without you. You bring to much happiness to your daddy and I and we are so excited to watch you grow and learn.
Love,
Mama
Peanut Smiles 