Holy moly, our baby girl is 12 weeks old! These have been the absolute best, and most challenging/trying, 12 weeks of my life…but I wouldn’t change a thing. (Ok, maybe I would’ve changed the first 6 weeks of breastfeeding, sleepless nights, but oh well). I honestly never knew how amazing motherhood would be and it continues to enrich my life in so many ways each day. I know it sounds cheesy, but I feel like I’ve found my purpose in life. Adriana lights up my whole life. I am incredibly excited for everything we get to experience with her in the future.
I mentioned last week that I’m going to try to do weekly recaps now. I’m not sure if I will be able to achieve this goal every week, but I will try my best. Hey, I did it this week!
Earlier this week, we sent out Adriana’s birth announcements from Minted. I’m so happy with how they turned out! I went with a soft pink and gold theme to match the newborn photo I selected. You can get $25 off your first order of $50 or more through my refer a friend link.
This week, Adriana had her longest stretch of sleep EVER – 7 hours on Dec 8th! Yes, I know the exact date it happened, haha. She slept from around 10:45pm until 5:45am. I woke up in utter shock. Sadly, this hasn’t repeated itself yet (and we had a couple poor nights of sleep after that), but oh was it ever glorious. It gives me hope that one day we’ll be sleeping through the night!
Naps continue to be fairly unpredictable, but they have been getting a tiny bit more predictable recently. She tends to have a short morning nap around 9am for 30 minutes. Then another short nap around lunchtime. She really doesn’t seem to need much sleep and everyone is always commenting on how alert she is! Her longest nap (and most consistent nap) is always late afternoon/early evening where she can sleep for 1.5-2.5 hours at a time. It’s usually my most productive time of the day (that’s if I can peel myself away from the baby monitor…haha). I forgot to mention in the last update that I’ve been making a point to bring her to her bassinet in our bedroom for most of her naps now. Before, I just let her sleep in the Mamaroo (or occasionally in the bassinet in the family room), but I was starting to worry that she’d become too dependent on the motion of the mamaroo. It’s also easier on us to have her in the bedroom with the monitor on because we don’t have to worry about our noises waking her up. She’s a very laid back baby, so putting her in the bassinet for naps has been pretty good. She usually fusses for a few minutes or so and then falls asleep on her own. Sometimes she’ll cry and I’ll go in to check her; if she’s alert and doesn’t seem sleepy I take her out and we try again later. Other times I can soothe her to sleep by just putting my hand on her and rubbing her belly for a few minutes. I’m getting a bit better at picking up on her sleepy cues, but it’s no exact science that’s for sure. I’m not naïve enough to think that she will always be easy to put down…it could all change in a heartbeat. I hear that 4 month sleep regression is a biotch!
Adriana comes up with new and strange sounding noises all the time. Her newest thing is making “hoo” noises like an owl! She just goes, “Hoo, hoo, hoo, hoo, hoo” over and over. Cracks me up. She also currently loves to practice standing up – we hold her under the armpits and she stands up her legs. She is so proud of herself when she does it and has a big smile until her legs collapse beneath her. Still no rolling over since the couple times she did it the other week. She seems to be more intent on trying to move forward now because I’ve been putting stuffed animals in front of her during tummy time. She also still loves playing airplane and playing with her animals books with fuzzy textures!
Since you guys seem to love the stories where I (or Eric) act a fool (let’s never forget the Booby Tubes incident), I will tell you another story from my early breastfeeding days. You know how I had a really hard time with breastfeeding for the first 6 weeks. Well around the 1 month mark out of sheer desperation I bought some Avent nipple shield protectors. If you don’t know what nipple shields are, they are dome shaped things that you place over your nipple to protect it. It also has the dual function of catching milk if you leak! Anyway, this was around the time when my nipples were so raw I couldn’t even put on a t-shirt without crying out in pain, so I figured it was worth a shot. I had previously tried the homemade tissue rings (just roll up a tissue, shape it into a ring, and place it around your nipple to prevent rubbing against clothing), but I didn’t find it worked as good as I needed it to. So I put on the nipple shields and I had instant relief – no more nipples rubbing against my bra or t-shirt! It was progress. The only downside was that 1) they aren’t super comfortable (hard dome shaped things, remember), and 2) They made my boobs look like Madonna’s cone boobs from the 80’s. Embarrassing, but functional so I really didn’t care as I wasn’t planning on impressing anyone. So of course one day the doorbell rings and it’s a delivery. I think you can see where this is going…I answer the door, sign the package, and engage in a little small talk. After the delivery man leaves, I open the package and go about my morning. Maybe an hour later I’m in the bathroom and I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror – MADONNA CONE BOOBS answered the door, and to make matters even more glamorous, I had a big spit up stain all down the front of my shirt. Classic! I thought the delivery man was acting a bit awkward and now I know why. So there’s that. #newmamaproblems
Still not digging: the bottle (wah) or pacifier, but she loves chewing her Sophie the Giraffe (she prefers the mini-sized version right now). Ok, I’ll admit we did slack a bit this week with trying the bottle…so we need to keep at it.
New nicknames: toot toot girl :), munks (short for monkey)
Worrying about: Our upcoming 4 hour plane ride! Tell me parents – how do you change a messy diaper on a plane? Is there a change table in the tiny bathrooms or somewhere else on the plane? Or do you have to do it on the seats? #clueless
Exercise: Still following the same routine as I mentioned last week!
Last but not least I wanted to share a couple quotes from my sisters this week. The first is something my sister Kerrie wrote to me in a recent email (sharing with their permission!). I thought it was so beautiful and true. As tiring as the newborn times can be, they really are like nothing else in the world.
“I think back to that time and miss it so much! I miss the snuggles and really miss the middle of the night feedings … may sound crazy when you are oh so tired but they truly were peaceful times.” ~Kerrie
and just to balance it out, here’s a text from my other sister Kristi that she let me share because I almost peed myself:
“So tonight A gets upset with me and clearly is not impressed. He grabs a box of tampons and says, ‘I’ve been asking you for two years what these are. When are you going to come clean?’”
DYING. Oh this kid…if you only knew him. He’s a character. Six years old going on 16.
PS – Be on the look out for Adriana’s nursery tour coming up later this week!
I have changed both my kids on the change table in the bathroom on a plane (so TINY) and on the plane seat where I was sitting. No shame whatsoever. I have to say changing a 12 week old is a lot easier than a two year old on a plane hehe! They are so much smaller and it is appreciated in such tiny places. Oh the joys!!!
I’ve been following your blog for a few years and have kept up to date on your baby posts from the first one. I found out I am expecting back in August and love that I have your stories to look forward to and refer back to as I embark on my own journey into motherhood.
Love reading your blog…been following you for several years now! I live in the Congo with my family (hubby and four kiddos) so we do a lot of international travel. The best tip that I received from a friend was to wear a scarf when traveling. You can use it as a blanket, pillow, burp cloth, and the best? Use it to hide spit up or poop that might get on your shirt! Works like a champ! Blessings to you and your sweet family!
You are awesome Ange! Yes, the four month sleep regression is brutal but there is light at the end of the tunnel: the twins are sleeping better than ever and Mia is soothing herself so well! Great job with the naps!
I love these updates. My little man is 11 months old today, and it does go by SO QUICKLY!! I have a hard time believing that he was ever my tiny, soft, newborn. Every stage is wonderful, but those newborn days are precious.
I love your delivery man story. I’m sure that wasn’t the craziest thing he’s ever seen but you probably gave him a good laugh.
I can sooooo relate to you , I have a 10 month old and everytime I read your posts, I think ” Oh yeah, been there , done that” hehhe.
We have travelled quite a bit with this little bear. She flew to Ottawa when she was 2 and a half months, then to Germany at 4 months, back in Ottawa at 6 and a half and back to Germany at 8. The first time I was a bundle of nerves, but it turned out to be so much fun and a breeze. You can change in the toilets if its a poopy diaper, if its just pee, I have changed her on my lap. This little monkey seems to love to fly. She is a hoot and by the end of our flight most passengers are her friends and by default ours. Babies sure make you more social than you are :-) You will do great, they are fun co passengers.
Our baby did not or has not taken to bottle at all, I feel more comfortable breast feeding her. I tried to pump in the earlier months but did not like the feeling.
Both of my girls were breastfed and refused a bottle if I was around. Which was a major problem heading back to work. I had to physically leave the house and my husband was able to introduce successfully. he held it in his armpit and held them like he was nursing- haha, but it worked!! Also gave me a nice excuse to take a walk :)
I breastfeed 3 kids, and none of them took bottles. It ties you down a bit, but I think that is rather the point. And it is a huge relief not to have to get stressed over bottle acceptance. you might want to consider a bottle-less life – or keep trying if it is important to you, but relax, too. It is all good.
Buy yourself some LilyPadz nursing pads. They’re basically reusable silicone circles that you invert, depress your nipple, and then press on your breast. The slight pressure stops milk leakage and they can be worn at night so you can go bra less! Best things ever! No more bulky nursing pads!
Tip for traveling with a baby: Do NOT worry about the other passengers on the plane. Take care of baby and just stay calm. You’ll all be fine.
And, for the bottle feeding: some (of my 7 children) took bottles, some didn’t. All could be left for decent stretches by the time they were 4-6 months. There are lots of alternatives- little sips from a cup work well, as do those playtex-type bottles with the bags…just squeeze a little in at a time. Babies won’t starve!
She’s adorable!
Lol, the cone boobs. Here’s two of my embarrassing boob moments! When my little guy was 4 months old, he started having blood in his stools. It turned out he had a cow’s milk protein allergy and the protein was transferring through the breastmilk. It all turned out well – I eliminated dairy (and in doing so, discovered your website!) and his intestines healed and so, all good. But in those early days before we knew what was going on, I was completely and totally beside-myself panicked to see blood in my precious baby’s diaper, and I was freaking out. I called the health clinic, packed up the baby (and put the diaper in a ziplock bag for the doctor, lol), threw on my coat and boots (winter) and was out the door in a flash. Had a long, intense check-up and conversation with the doctor, during which time I had removed my winter coat. It wasn’t until I got back home that I realized that I had only one boob tucked into my nursing bra – the other one was free as a bird, covered only barely under my light nursing tee. Did I mention my boobs were massive at the time?! Totally embarrassing! Another time, I was trying out some advice for increasing breastmilk supply, where they encourage you to maximize skin-to-skin contact with the baby and suggest going topless while nursing (nursing was really difficult for me in the early days too). I had been sitting on the couch in front of our huge living room window and got up to get some water or something and when I turned back, I came eyeball to eyeball through the window with the meter-reader guy in our backyard. He got out of there pretty quick! lol Good times!
Hi! I love all your recipes and blog. I’ve followed you for a while but can totally relate because I gave birth to my son on Sept 25th and have had so many issues like you. Breastfeeding was a nightmare up until week 6. I almost gave up but so happy I didn’t. Its comforting knowing you are not alone. Don’t give up on the bottle! My guy wouldn’t take it for weeks but I stuck at it and now he takes it like a champ. I followed the book “Contented Little Baby” for a while but realized my kid just wanted to make his own routine. We’ve been miraculously getting a few 8 and 9 hour night sleeps (down at 7pm every night and sleeps till about 3 or 4am to feed, then back down again unti 6am). but not always!! The key is to stuff them with food during the day so they are not waking to many times in the night hungry. With breastfeeding its so hard to tell how much they are getting thats why the bottle will help. Pumping is a pain but the worth the effort to get some more sleep. Your baby is adorable! I wish you the best and hopefully more sleep for all of us!
I don’t know if anyone mentioned this, but bring a few changes of clothes for yourself for the plane and while waiting to board, etc. Our first flight was a disaster that ended up with myself and husband sitting on a plane for six hours with poop, pee, and yes puke on our clothes. We smelled great! We brought clothes for the baby but didn’t bring anything for ourselves.
I love reading your updates :) I have a 6 month old boy (and a 2 year old girl) so I get how hectic life is. Like you, since becoming a mom I have this new found sense of purpose and what feels like super powers. Don’t worry about your flight, you will be fine. At this age she will likely sleep most of the time. We took our daughter to Europe and Asia before she turned 2 and although at times it was tough we always got through it and so will you. The best thing you can do is bring a wrap/carrier so you can walk around the airport/plane hands free. Pack lots of snacks and a couple toys she might like. And don’t worry about the small changing quarters – this will be the first of many awkward diaper changes (I have many stories from the battle field). About the bottle – my first never took it so I never got more than a few hours to myself until she was mostly on solids – she was about 11 months. This time around I vowed it would not happen again so we introduced the bottle after the first week (once per day)…unfortunately we slacked a little and didn’t keep it up daily that he flat out refused it after 4 months (cries hysterically). So my advice to you, keep trying every day, at 12 weeks there is still hope :). Although, I do love breast feeding and wouldn’t trade our special time for anything it would be nice to be able get a break here and there.
Wow, I just realized I wrote a whole novel :) Have a great holiday with the family.
Angela, i had three young children under 5, when our third baby arrived i had to find a nap/sleep solution to get baby to bed fast while entertaining the other two babes. A MUST READ is Good Night, Sleep Tight by Kim West. kim provides a wonderfully, gentle approach. we didn’t do anything with our first, and used Kim’s approach for our second and third and quite literally it changed our lives, and took ALL the stress out of bedtime and naptimes. and let me tell you, getting your child to have a lovey carries through many years. best wishes.
We’re traveling with our 3 month old (born September 17) soon too so accepting all the tips I can get. :) Hoping all goes well. x
Quick airplane tip if sucking doesn’t help baby’s ears pop: we just flew from Vancouver to Australia and back for a a vacation with our 17 month old. He started crying during descent on our first flight, and an angel flight attendant brought him a cup with something eucalyptus scented in it. She told us to get him to inhale it, and swiped a little on his chest, and it worked! We happened to have a chest rub with eucalyptus in it (Aleva Naturals- I found it at Superstore), so I used that on the other flights and it totally worked.
Amazing that you have found a completely new use for nipple shields! The nipple shield is actually meant to help baby latch on when you have flat or inverted nipples. My son was a lazy latched right from birth so I had to use a nipple shield to breastfeed him… Oh the stories. Hands waving, nipple shields being knocked off mid-letdown, milk flying everywhere, baby screaming, trying to get the shield on again so he could latch back on. It was messy to say the least. We transitioned him off of it after 4 weeks or so. The cracked, bleeding nipples will go away soon! Just keep using nipple cream, and they will “toughen” up. Will Adriana move to her crib soon? I think we moved my son when he was between 3-4 months old.
We flew coast to coast when our daughter was 4 months old. Babywearing (if you do it, in any sort of carrier) will be your friend, since napping is much easier in a small space that way. I developed a diaper changing technique of putting her head at the end of my knees with her butt right next to my belly and used my legs as a changing take… Just put a cloth on your pants first!