Nolan: Three months old

Three months old and it feels like we no longer have a sleepy little newborn, but a wiggling, smiling, cooing, infant.


We've had some major milestones in the last month including:

* Nolan has consistently slept 8-11 hours straight through the night since the day he turned two months old which means there hasn't been any middle-of-the-night nursing, burping, changing, nursing, burping and bouncing/rocking/swaying/shhh-ing back to sleep for this entire last month! We never know exactly when he's ready to "go down for the night" but it's typically between 8:45pm and 10:45pm. Once he falls asleep and it's around that time of the evening, we put him down in his bassinet. Because we have to be up at 6:00am now that Emily's in school, we go to bed around 10:00pm every night (or as soon as we put him down) and if he wakes up, he's up for another 1 1/2 hours but if not, he's down for the night. He's still sleeping in his bassinet next to our bed at night though he's almost too long for it at 24" so, we are going to move his Pack 'n Play upstairs soon and have him sleep in the bassinet part of it and pack the bassinet up for the last time. *Sniff* He sleeps on his back with rolled up receiving blankets as "bumpers" on either side of him and a light-weight swaddling blanket over his torso and legs, which is tucked into the outer sides of the bumpers.

* He seems to really LOVE his car seat (seriously, did I just type that?!?) for naps, falling asleep in it for 45 minutes to an hour at a time for at least one daily nap. He even gets into it willingly after he's been fed, burped and changed and it's coming up on 1 1/2 hours since he woke up from his last nap. He's very consistent with napping every 1 1/2 hours and I can now plan trips out and errands around the clock. He also naps well in his swing and when I wear him in the Ergo baby carrier. He slept in his bouncy chair twice in the last month and we are hoping he continues to like it so we have one more place to set him down during the day. Yes, I set him down for every nap if at all possible but there are times he just won't have it and he will fuss and wake himself up immediately after he's left my arms. In cases like this, I wear him in my Ergo so that I can have my hands free to play with Emily, take walks, and/or get things done around the house.




* We recently started using the Baby Bjorn to carry Nolan facing outward because he has excellent head control and seems to love being able to look out at the world. I mainly use it when picking Emily up from school IF it's not time for a nap and he's going to be awake. We drive or walk over to the school and I get him out of his car seat and into the Bjorn as he just hates to be in the car seat if he's awake and just hanging out. I have a little baseball cap for him to wear so I don't have to slather him with sunscreen and so he can tolerate the bright sunshine. Also, David got the Bumbo chair down from the attic and had Nolan give it a go this week. He was mostly slouched forward and didn't look very comfortable so, maybe we'll try again in a few weeks.


* During the day, between nursings and naps, he's happy to lay on his play mat and in his infant-to-toddler rocker. I keep the rocker in the kitchen since I spend so much time in there. He follows the sound of our voices and the television and we've even caught him watching the cat! He's started coo-ing at his reflection in his mirror, too and up at the mobile and toys. I take him upstairs and lay him on our bed or set him in his swing with the mobile & lights turned on when I'm making the bed and putting away laundry. I also take him into Emily's room and lay him on her bed while I'm cleaning up and putting away her laundry. Who doesn't like a change of scenery?

 
* We do tummy time most days. He tolerates it, I wouldn't say he likes it. He pushes up and holds his head up and we've seen him dig in with his toes, bending and kicking his legs which lurches his body forward and over to one side a bit. The beginnings of rolling over it seems. He also likes to just lie face down, sucking his blanket or the couch.


* He has discovered how to get his hands into his mouth and loves to suck on his thumb, one finger, and even on his knuckles. When nursing, he rubs his head with the back of one hand and even pulls gently on his hair.


* Speaking of hair, Nolan is still very much a blond and unfortunately, is still suffering from the dreaded cradle cap. His eyes are a deep shade of blue and he has dimples! I discovered the dimples once he started flashing full smiles and hope they continue to develop because there's just nothing cuter than dimples on a pair of chubby cheeks!


* He's still a great breast-feeder, nursing every 2 1/2-4 hours during the day, about 2-4 minutes on each side. There are times he will nurse on one side for up to 20 minutes and will be done so, I end up pumping the other side to keep my supply up and as equal as possible, but that is rare. He still refuses bottles and pacifiers but because babies change so much even day-to-day, we still offer the pacifier and a bottle at least once a day. Over time, we've put together a short list of foods that I eat that he doesn't tolerate well (meaning: he becomes very gassy, spits up a LOT, doesn't nap or sleep well at night, and draws his legs back & screeches) which includes: broccoli, smoked/BBQ meats, heavily spiced foods, too much dairy, Brussels sprouts, hot wings & hot sauce, and chili. Pretty much everything I love to eat regularly. A real bummer but nursing a baby successfully is so special, it's easy to give those things up for now.

* Nolan is such a happy, patient, laid-back little dude, he never fusses or cries unless he's hungry and you aren't getting to him as quickly as he would like. He's great during diaper changes and loves bath time! He's very curious, staring at Emily while riding in the car (if he's not asleep) and she ends up getting the biggest smiles of all. 


* Nolan's three month well-check with his Pediatrician is on Wednesday, September 15th so I can only guess how much he weighs and how tall he is. I can tell you his 0-3 month sized sleep 'n plays are looking snug when he's stretched out and that may be because they are footed and he's getting long. All of his 0-3 month sized onesies, pants and one-piece outfits fit perfectly. We have almost finished off our second box of Pampers size 1-2 Baby Dry diapers and are considering moving him up to Huggie's Lil Snugglers size 2, although they look huge. We really love Huggie's diapers for him and only use Pampers when he's in-between sizes.

* Other than knowing he's going to nap every 1 1/2 hours, Nolan has no real, predictable daily routine. We still do everything on demand and it's pretty manageable with Emily in school more than half the day. Nolan and I take the day at his pace and I always have him nap in his car seat at least once in the afternoons so I can walk Emily down to the park for about half an hour.


Nolan is such a joy, we are so blessed to have him in our family!

Comments

  1. That's great that he's sleeping so well and falling into a routine! Celia always liked facing outward in the Bjorn too.

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