I can't believe you are 3 months old. We are a quarter of the way through your first year. This has been a great month for several reasons but the main one has been more sleep for you which means more sleep for me! More on that below. Here is what you've been up to this month:
Stats
At your 3 month and 1-week appointment for your 3rd round of vaccines, you weighed 6.17 kg (13 lbs 9 oz) which is in the 31st percentile. You dropped a little on your weight curve. I'm guessing this is from sleeping through the night and eating every 4 hours during the day. She suggested I add another feeding or two during the day. You were 61.9 cm (24.37 in) long which is in the 46th percentile. And your head was 41 cm (16.14 in) around which is in the 56th percentile.
Stats
At your 3 month and 1-week appointment for your 3rd round of vaccines, you weighed 6.17 kg (13 lbs 9 oz) which is in the 31st percentile. You dropped a little on your weight curve. I'm guessing this is from sleeping through the night and eating every 4 hours during the day. She suggested I add another feeding or two during the day. You were 61.9 cm (24.37 in) long which is in the 46th percentile. And your head was 41 cm (16.14 in) around which is in the 56th percentile.
A little comparison
I really like my hands!
I hope we can always chat!
Eating
This month we started sleep training you which might make more sense to put this under the sleeping heading but sleep training actually begins with your eating habits. The first step in sleep training is to feed you every 4 hours. The thought is that the longer between feeds the hungrier you are and the more likely you are to eat a meal vs a snack every hour or two. If your stomach can get used to bigger meals then it can also get used to going longer between meals and longer at night. You were eating almost every 4 hours before we went to Denmark when you were 8 weeks old but in Denmark, I relaxed your schedule so we had to get back on track once we got back.
This month we started sleep training you which might make more sense to put this under the sleeping heading but sleep training actually begins with your eating habits. The first step in sleep training is to feed you every 4 hours. The thought is that the longer between feeds the hungrier you are and the more likely you are to eat a meal vs a snack every hour or two. If your stomach can get used to bigger meals then it can also get used to going longer between meals and longer at night. You were eating almost every 4 hours before we went to Denmark when you were 8 weeks old but in Denmark, I relaxed your schedule so we had to get back on track once we got back.
Now you eat every four hours or so starting between 7-730, 1130, 1530 and then 19. You just can't make that last feed any later than 19. You are tired and ready to eat and sleep. Unlike with the girls I've been more relaxed about your morning feed. If you are sleeping I won't wake you up at 7 for your feed. I'll let you go until 730 which means some nights you go 12.5 hours between feeds. You wake up happy and not in a panic for food so it seems just fine.
Sleeping
Prior to sleep training (week 8-11), you were eating around 23 and then once more usually around 3-4 before getting up for the day around 7-730. For the most part, those sessions were short, 5 minutes or so on one side, and no diaper change and you'd go back to sleep relatively quietly.
The big news this month is that you started going 12 hours between feeds when you were 11 weeks old which means I'm getting more sleep. About a week before that your dad and I switched sides of the bed so he was sleeping next to you. This was to help you delay your middle of the night feed. Once he could see that you weren't going to go back to sleep he'd tell me it was time to feed you and I'd get up, fed you and be back in bed 15 minutes later. Thank goodness the 1-1.5 nursing/changing/nursing/changing newborn sessions are gone. They are sweet and I'm thankful I got to do it a third time but I also really like sleep.
Once you started going every 4 hours between feeds during the day then we took away your dream feed which used to be around 23 and right before I went to bed to maximize my first chunk of sleep. The first night we took it away you woke up around 1 and then again at 4. That was a rough night. I was ready to convince myself getting up once per night for 15 minutes wasn't that bad. But I know better. I've sleep trained 2 other babies and it is worth it. These few weeks of self-discipline on my part ensures 12 hours of sleep from you and that is worth it. The second night without a dream feed . . . you went 9 HOURS! And the night after that was 10.5 hours without eating or even really fussing. IT WAS GLORIOUS!
We are still using your Owlet sock which we love. And now with regular naps, it is easier to get used to putting it on. You now nap about 3 times per day. Another perk of you being the 3rd kid is I know what the schedule is that I'm striving for with you because I've done it twice before. So right now you wake up at 7-730, eat, have tummy time, watch the rest of us eat breakfast, and then around 9 you go down for your nap. According to the Baby Sleep Solution book, you should nap an hour in the morning but you prefer 1.5-2 hours. So you sleep from 9-1045ish on most days. The first 45 minutes are pretty solid and then you sometimes need a little help with your pacifier.
Then you eat around 1130 and play for a bit before napping again around 1245-15/1530. We leave to get your sisters at 15 and sometimes you transfer to the stroller and stay asleep and sometimes you wake up. You eat again at 1530 when we get back from preschool. This time of the day is always a little hairy. Your sisters are tired and hungry. They need to take off their outside clothes and their regular clothes (I have them change to keep preschool germs away), go to the bathroom, wash their hands, and then eat a snack. Linnea is usually helpful at this time but SLOW and Stella often loses the use of her arms and legs. Ha! All the while you are starving. It is a sight to see but we are getting better at it. I also set up a playlist on Spotify to help the girls stay on track with taking their clothes off so they can 'beat the songs'.
You often wake up from sleeping by grunt/coughing which is a strange noise. We have to give you your paci to help you calm down. I'm excited for when you can grab it in your crib on your own.
Not baby related but a pretty sunset
Clothes
You started growing out of size 56 clothes this month and into size 62. Your pajamas are size 62 or 6 months. You are a long boy! I also like footed pajamas with feet that aren't too tight so your Owlet Sock will still fit. Pajamas without feet also work but when you wake up you kick your feet together and that can unvelcro your sock which sets off the alarm and that is annoying.
You started growing out of size 56 clothes this month and into size 62. Your pajamas are size 62 or 6 months. You are a long boy! I also like footed pajamas with feet that aren't too tight so your Owlet Sock will still fit. Pajamas without feet also work but when you wake up you kick your feet together and that can unvelcro your sock which sets off the alarm and that is annoying.
Wearing an outfit his daddy wore as a little boy.
You are now wearing lots of the boy clothes that I bought off of Facebook Marketplace. There are lots of great outfits that I really love. One, in particular, was a pair of Batman pajamas that Stella loved because she also has Batman Pajamas so you were matching.
It has been really fun dressing a boy although like girls clothes in Sweden are mostly pink, boys clothes are mostly blue. I like blue but I'd also like green or dark red or grey too. Heck, I'm not against putting you in pink especially at home. You've been wearing your sisters' pajamas especially and dark pink and light pink striped pair which I love.
Jake's friend made this sweater for Otto.
You are wearing size 3 libero diapers.
Playtime
You found your hands this month and love sucking on your fingers and thumb. You can suck on them as much as you want while you are awake but I take your thumb out when you are trying to sleep.
We are trying to get you to do as much tummy time as possible to help offset the time you spend on your back so your head shape can round out a bit. For the most part, it is working but it is hard sometimes fitting it in and making sure your sisters don't fall on you while you are on the floor.
Playtime
You found your hands this month and love sucking on your fingers and thumb. You can suck on them as much as you want while you are awake but I take your thumb out when you are trying to sleep.
You like to roll over on your back to avoid tummy time occasionally.
Playing guitar with Daddy
Our days have a nice rhythm which I mentioned above with your eating and sleeping schedule. It is interesting because with Linnea I was pretty lonely and bored during the day. With Stella, I love being with just her from 9-4 every day because it felt like a mini-vacation. Now we are home together 9-3 (the girls can only go to preschool 30 hours per week) and I am pretty protective of our time together. Plus I love having my alone time during your naptimes. There is just not much alone time as a mom of 3 kids so I like to enjoy what I get.
I feel like I should have included a part about postpartum mental health in these updates because it is important and a huge part of my life right now. I'm still seeing a counselor every 2 weeks or so to talk through anxiety, stress, etc. It has been really good. I've continued to run or do workouts that leave me breathless. I can tell I need to run at least once on the weekend to help me destress. One Sunday afternoon I could tell I needed to run off some stress so I went on a run after the sun went down and it was sprinkling and yet I was smiling. I was proud of myself for doing it. For running for my mental health. To run so I'm a better mom and a better me.
Activities and Outings
You had your second round of shots and needed me to hold you through several naps shortly after which was fine by me.
You are going to physical therapy for your neck. I noticed your head was getting a little flat on one side when you were about a month old and you always turned your head to the right. It turns out you have tight neck muscles on your left side so we've been working on stretching your neck which you hate and lots of tummy time and repositioning you to look left.
We've been hanging out with the Stroller Gang more this month (when we are healthy). We've done a few fikas in the park where we grab cinnamon rolls and then go find a sunny spot in the park which we chat and eat. I missed a few hangouts because I got sick but I'm hoping to be back again next week. I have really enjoyed getting to know those other mamas and I can't wait to see the babies playing together soon!
We had our first game night with friends as a family of 5. We went to their new house which is so big and beautiful, especially the lighting :). We ate dinner and played and then put all 5 kids to sleep and played games from 8-Midnight. Then we called a taxi and headed home. The taxi ride is only 20 minutes but public transportation would be 1-1.5 hours especially at that time of the day. And we no longer fit in the smaller taxi but it was worth it for a game night.
Stella holding Jake's hand during the ride home.
Forrest day with Jared, Angela and Daddy!
We celebrated Halloween this month which was fun. You were a skeleton. Linnea was a witch and Stella was a cat.
For the 2nd year in a row, we trick or treated in our apartment building with neighbors several of which are also preschool friends which feels safer due to COVID than other options. We only went to the apartments of the people in this picture which also helps limit exposure.
On Halloween night we were supposed to celebrate with our friends who recently bought a house but with the new COVID restrictions we decided not to and since we celebrated the day before with neighbors we decided to trick or treat in our own apartment with Jake in Linnea's room and Otto and Me in Stella's room. The girls loved it and that is all that matters!
Jake took the girls to the hardware store on Saturday morning to pick up a few things for their bunkbed.
We celebrated your daddy's birthday on November 2nd which was fun.
I feel like you are less fussy and more predictable. You are on a more regular schedule and that just makes me happy. I know schedules aren't for everyone and some people really dislike them. But I find so much comfort in knowing when you should be hungry next and when you might be tired. I also think schedules make for a happier baby since I tend to know what you need better. And with a schedule, I feel like you are well-fed and well-rested each day so when you are fussy I know it is likely something other than needing to eat or sleep.
Sister & Brother Moments
Both girls are still very sweet with Otto. Linnea loves going over to make faces at you or weird hand movements. She also loves holding you more now that you have head control. She wants to do some rhyme time bounces but she's not actually ready for that yet.
She's telling you about her loose tooth here.
Jake started building a bunkbed and loft for the girls' room.
Jake made some serious progress on the bunkbed/loft this month.
The transition with the girls sleeping in the same room went better than I expected. Falling asleep is the hardest part but once they are asleep it is almost exactly like they are in their own rooms. Linnea requires less sleep than Stella which makes it hard because Linnea will have a harder time falling asleep or she wakes up earlier than Stella and has a hard time being quiet.
They are also doing quiet time together on the weekends from 13-15. It isn't always quiet and we have to intervene more than I'd like but considering the girls are 5 and 2.5 I'd say it is going really well. Linnea is supposed to stay on the top on her bed or the loft side and Stella gets her bed and the floor.
Linnea lost a tooth! Just a few days before this I remember thinking that kids who lose teeth are so much bigger looking than kids with all of their baby teeth and that soon Linnea will join the big kid club. I didn't realize it would be so soon after having that thought. She was sitting on the sofa and all of a sudden said, "I have a loose tooth" and it was very loose. The next night she showed her Grandparents and cousins for our Thanksgiving chat. About an hour later she was eating a homemade roll and her tooth fell out. Thankfully she heard the tooth fairy brings coins (vs bills). she put a baggie with the tooth in it under her pillow and checked it multiple times that night before going to bed.
Linnea's preschool goes to a park that is farther away one day every week to play and they take lunch and eat lunch there. She wanted to do that as a family so we packed up soup, tortellini, and a few other snacks and headed to the park for the morning. It was really fun!
Linnea is still very into witches after watching Kiki's Delivery Service. She is still pretty convinced that she can fly and talks about her friend from school bringing some shoes that can help her fly. Halloween only furthered her love of witches. She also decorated our apartment with drawings to make it spooky.
She also got really into charades. Frozen 2 has a charades scene and she's been listening to the Frozen 2 audiobook so I'm sure that also helps her remember charades. It has been pretty fun playing with her. She keeps saying 'Alright, lightning round. Boys against girls' because that is in the movie.
Stella loves her baby Otto. She used to call her baby Riley but shortly after Otto was born his name and gender changed. It is only mildly confusing that there are two baby Ottos. She will say 'your Otto' or 'that guy' when she is talking about her brother. I giggle every time she calls him 'that guy'.
She's been practicing Lucia songs at preschool.
Stella New SkillsStella loves her baby Otto. She used to call her baby Riley but shortly after Otto was born his name and gender changed. It is only mildly confusing that there are two baby Ottos. She will say 'your Otto' or 'that guy' when she is talking about her brother. I giggle every time she calls him 'that guy'.
Batman!
Stella loves when I talk to my Otto (what she calls her brother Otto) about what she is doing. I've used it to trick her into doing something I want her to do by telling Otto "Look, Stella is going into the bathroom to wash her hands all by herself. Now she is pushing up her sleeves." etc.
Stella is getting really good at her balance bike. She can also walk much farther than Linnea could at that age which is nice.
Stella Funnies/Quotes
Sitting around the table celebrating Jake's birthday and she says "when it is my birthday all of you (and she points to all of us in the circle) will be celebrating ME!" She also knows her birthday is after Christmas so I'm expecting on Dec 26th to start explaining that it isn't her birthday yet for next 38 days . . .
Stella Funnies/Quotes
Sitting around the table celebrating Jake's birthday and she says "when it is my birthday all of you (and she points to all of us in the circle) will be celebrating ME!" She also knows her birthday is after Christmas so I'm expecting on Dec 26th to start explaining that it isn't her birthday yet for next 38 days . . .
Stella had a Pippi party at her preschool. We asked her how many days until her party and she said 2 days. Jake and I couldn't believe she knew exactly how many days until her party.
On the way home from preschool one day she noticed I had a different water bottle in the stroller water bottle holder. She asked where my other one was. This is just one of the MANY examples of how she is so observant and doesn't miss even the littlest things.
Remember
Remember
I'm already sad you aren't a tiny baby anymore but I guess that is the tradeoff of being on a schedule. I love when you fall asleep on me and when you are on my chest just passed out.
I want to remember how you giggle at your sisters and give me the best smiles.
I just can't believe I'm lucky enough to have such a sweet boy in my life that isn't your dad.
Love,
Your Mama
