Stella Rose: 3 Months Old!!!

Stella Rose is 3 months old and this has been my favorite month BY FAR!!! (And hooray for us making it through the "Fourth trimiester!") 

Now that we have switched to full on formula, our girl is HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY! She no longer has her "Happy Hours" at night, she sleeps 10 hours every night consitently, and when she is awake she is just smiling, cooing, and discovering the world around her.  I also finally feel like she really does acknowledge me, knows my voice, and knows that I am her Mom. There is not a more rewarding feeling in the world!

This month you have discovered your HANDS and you suck on them all the time.  Many times you try to fit your entire fist into your mouth and then settle for your thumb :) I much prefer this to the pacifier because you are able to "self soothe" in your crib without Mommy or Daddy coming upstairs to put your paci back in your mouth. 

Because our girl has gained weight RAPIDLY this month (we think she was playing catch up from being hungry and tiny the first 2 months of her life) she no longer knows how to roll over! Haha! I think she doesn't know what to do with all these extra pounds.  She still despises tummy time and the only way we can make her do it is to lay her on the Boppy instead of flat on her tummy.  

This month Stella went sightseeing, to various birthday parties, out to eat, and to a basketball game and did GREAT!!! This has given me the confidence to take her out more often... and the improving weather helps as well :) 

You have your very first French friend Annabella :) 

You were sad when they had to leave... haha (I LOVE this picture!!!) 

She is on the VERGE of laughing... I just know it! I do a "choo choo" train on our soft fur blanket and she gives me the wildest grin the entire time.  She just loves how soft it is and the funny noises I make! I think the baby laugh could happen at any moment and I can't wait! I love that she is now smiling as a reaction to something in her environment rather than as a reflex, it just makes me feel like we are doing okay as parents and that she truly is happy and content. 

She's eating 5 ounces every 3 hours during the day around 8am, 11am, 2pm, 5pm, 8pm with a dream feed around 10:30 to help her get through the night.  Not sure when you are supposed to drop that last feeding...we are too scared to at this point because we gotten spoiled with her sleeping until 8am each morning!  You are SO SO happy in the mornings and Dad & I sometimes fight over who gets to come get you up ...but whichever one of us stays downstairs still watches you on the monitor because you give the wildest grin and "I'm so happy to see you, good morning!" face.  I melt every single time.  

You are a MOVER!!! You love to kick your arms around and your legs go CRAZY sometimes when you are lying on your back.  It is so cute because you raise your eyebrows and breathe really heavy because you are SO concentrated!

You now prefer to be held facing forward... the only time you snuggle on our shoulders is if you are REALLY sleepy or right after eating.  You want to see everything going on around you and it is so fun to see you take it all in.  

We still have our best conversations on her changing table! She finally outgrew her newborn clothes at about 9 weeks and is now fitting perfectly into her 3 month clothes and a few 3-6 month outfits but those are still a bit big on her.  

Nicknames: I call you Stella Bug, Lil Pumpkin, and Sweetheart ... those are the 3 that are sticking so far! 

You are babbling ALL THE TIME.  It is hilarious to watch you talk... Dad will sometimes pretend to know what you are saying and talk back to you.  Evidence is below:

Here are your official 3 month stats:

Length-  24 inches  (72.6 percentile) - You grew 2 inches! 

Weight-  13 pounds 2 oz (57.9 percentile- WAY TO GO GIRL!!! You gained almost 4 lbs in a month! Way to play catch up! Formula: It does a body good! ) 

Head Circumference - 16 inches (81.6 percentile) 

We love you so much little BUG!!! Month 4 has some HUGE life changes in store for you, but I know you will conquer them like a champ! I can't wait for you to meet Aunt Katy next week and all of my girlfriends and extended family.  It is going to be such a sweet reunion.