the primary fiddle: 3 months!

Since Alden will be 4 months old tomorrow, I figured it was about time for me to post his 3 month update :)

please note the funny little face he's making. this is because he's sucking on his bottom lip,
one of his favorite things to do lately :)

Month 3 was great! We've really gotten into a routine (well, as much of a routine as you can expect with a 3 month old, especially at night, and Alden has been sleeping really well. We give him a bath around 8:30, he relaxes with us for a few minutes and we read a book while he cools off then its into his sleep sack, nursing and into bed. He normally goes to sleep between 9:00 and 9:30 and stays asleep all night or he wakes up around 4:00 for a snack :) He sleeps in his crib all night unless he wakes up to eat, when he'll come into our room in his bassinet. I have to say, getting pretty much full nights of sleep is pretty amazing :)

He's in the 13 pound range and is still wearing his 0-3 month clothes, but they fit him perfectly now. Daycare is still going wonderfully and we are having so much fun watching him grow and learn every day. We're at the age where it seems like he's doing new things every week and it's so neat to see him struggle with something one day and the next day all of a sudden get it! A couple of weeks ago I was playing with him on the Boppy with a wooden teething toy and I could tell that he wanted to be able to hold it but he just couldn't quite figure it out. Later that week, I got the same toy out of the bin and all of a sudden he could hold it and bring it to his mouth! It was only 3 days later but it made all the difference :)

He has mastered his little Tarzan yell and loves to squeal and coo back at us during our "conversations". We've even heard his first real giggles! It is so cute when he gets excited and lets out a little baby laugh :) He is a big flirt and when he's really turning on the charm he'll get a big grin on his face, bounce a little and quickly turn his head away. He's really very coy ;) We're having so much fun watching his personality develop and it is so enjoyable to see him interact more with us every day. We always wonder what his voice will sound like and now that he's making more and more noises, I'm getting even more impatient to hear that first word! (even though we have a while...) We've decided that we're going to teach Alden sign language using American Sign Language (ASL) signs, in small doses, so that he can communicate his needs before he has the ability to talk (often referred to as Baby Sign Language) so Nick & I have started to accompany some words with signs when we're talking to him. We are starting with 5 words that are common in our house; Mama, Daddy, Ceiling Fan, Light, and Dog. Even though Alden won't be able to sign back to us until he's about 8 months old, practicing now is helping Nick & I to get more familiar plus, it's giving Alden even more time to soak up the language. It should be fun to learn another language along with the baby!

We've been using our cloth diapers for about 3 weeks now and so far, I love them! They definitely require a little more work in the evenings (washing and drying before the next day) but we recently ordered another set of 6 so that the laundry burden will be reduced a little. We have had fewer "blowouts" and Alden seems to be really comfortable in them. Plus, they're super cute!! We've also switched to cloth wipes at home and those are going even better than we expected. We keep ours in a cloth wipes warmer (made by Prince Lionheart, you can find it here) and I only have to "make" the wipes once a week since he still uses disposable wipes at daycare.

Breastfeeding is still going really well and I feel like we're on our way to becoming seasoned pros :) Feedings are down to about 7 minutes total (sometimes even less) and he often nurses on only one side per feeding, which makes it really easy for me. I normally pump three times during the work day and, so far, I've been getting enough milk to at least replace what he's eating at daycare and sometimes a few extra ounces for the freezer. I knew that I liked breastfeeding but now that it feels like we really know what we're doing, I find that I look forward to the times he nurses. They are special moments that we have together where we can relax, talk and cuddle. I especially enjoy nursing before he goes to bed because he's so peaceful and sweet, compared to some nursing sessions during the day where he's so distracted by all the cool stuff going on in the world that he forgets to focus on eating! :)

Alden's getting closer and closer to being able to sit up on his own and he's holding his head up really well while being held or when he's on his tummy on the floor. He's started sitting in his Bumbo for short periods of time and he has recently started "standing" whenever we give him the opportunity. He'll push himself up when he's in your lap or he'll "stand" on his changing table while we help hold him up. He is definitely working out those legs so that he can get up and go! He also started rolling over (from him stomach to his back) this past month, which has been really fun :) When he gets tired of tummy time, he just flips himself over and, usually, lays there for a few seconds while he figures out what happened ;)

On the more miserable side, Alden has started teething :( It's exciting because that means we're closer to starting solids (we're both looking forward to introducing him to all the yummy foods out there) but it's sad to see him hurting. There were a few nights of no sleep and lots of crying- all he wanted to do was sit up and chew on our fingers through a washcloth. He was so tired but he couldn't fall asleep without having something to gnaw on. It has gotten a lot better this past week and he's been sleeping normally again. We definitely went out and got our Sophie the Giraffe, though! She has been a lifesaver!