Along Came Baby is making a move

Along Came Baby is making the move away from Blogger.

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3 months down

I have to admit, the time is flying. Everyone said it would, but I had no idea how right they were.

At three months Grayson:

• weighs about 12.5 lbs
• wears size 1 diapers
• wears mostly 3-6 clothes, but still fits in to some 0-3 outfits.
• is finally getting hair on the top of his head. It's a lighter, reddish color than the hair he was born with.
  
• is sleeping 10-12 hours each night, but has given up any real naps during the day. He prefers 4 short (15-20 minute) power naps instead.
  
• has really figured out how to use his voice. He babbles up a storm on the changing table and when we sit him up on our laps. He tries to mimic the inflections in our voice, which is hilarious when he starts screeching.
  
• is laughing pretty regularly now. He squints his eyes when he finds something particularly funny. He also screeches when he laughs.
• smiles instantly when he sees mom and dad.
  
• is starting to really understand how his fingers work. He'll actually reach for toys in front of him and will grab on as long as the object fits in his tiny palm. If the toy is too wide, he'll just bat at it.
• is a pinching machine. It hurts!
  
• knows that he has feet, but doesn't quite know what to do with them. Occasionally he'll grab a toe, but he hasn't tried to put them in his mouth just yet.
• is REALLY close to rolling over from his tummy to his back. He can get slightly more than halfway before his bottom arm stops the progress.
  
• does NOT like to be sitting still. If we're holding him and sit, it's over. If we're in the car and not moving, scream city. Same goes for the stroller or if I try to put him in the swing when he's awake. He wants nothing to do with anything that isn't actually moving.
  

Well hello Mr. Bun E. Rabbit

I have always thought the giant Easter Bunny and Santa characters at the mall were exceptionally creepy. What kind of person wants to dress up as a bunny and let small children maul him all day long? Only the kind that show up on certain predator websites... If you asked me 2 years ago, I would have told you that I didn't need to pay the high school student $30 to snap a quick photo of my kid on some over-sized stuffed animal to get good holiday pictures. Oh how times have changed...

Well, I've demolished another one of my "I will never" ideals and I took Grayson to see the Easter Bunny. I mean, I already had the Janie and Jack outfit and goofy hat - so I kind of had to, right?

I do have to admit, it was just as creepy as I expected. But it was worth every penny.

Happy 2 months Grayson!

At 2 month, Grayson:

• weighs 11lbs 5.5oz (50% - up from 9lbs 5.5oz at 1 month)
• is 22 3/4 inches long (50%)
• has a 15 cm HC (Only 10% - poor guy!)
• still has VERY blue eyes that keep getting lighter. I'm really hoping they stick around. Koka's eyes are so striking.
  
• is wearing size 1 diapers and solidly fits into 0-3 month clothing. Although, Sometimes I put him into 3-6 month outfits because I didn't buy nearly enough small clothes.
• is smiling frequently, especially when he sees me. It melts my heart
• has started doing a 'half laugh' when he's amused. His little shoulders shake up and down while he coos.
• Still loves his play gym and talking to the hanging animals. He bats at the two monkeys until he can grab one of the legs. Then he swings it around for a good 2 minutes.
  
• Still likes tummy time and is getting REALLY close to rolling from his tummy to his back. Some days he makes it all the way to his side before falling back on his stomach. (I'm not ready for him to roll yet!)
• Has found his hands and discovered that they taste pretty good. He some how manages to get most of his fist in his mouth - but hasn't figured out how to suck on just a finger.
• Is sleeping for 8-10 hours each night. I can't believe how lucky we are. Seriously... However, he wiggles a lot in his sleep so most nights I need to pop into the nursery to make sure he hasn't shimmied all the way down his sleep positioner leaving his face smashed against the foam!
• Loves having his diapers changed and bath time. He smiles and coos the entire time. We think he's going to be one of those naked all the time toddlers.
• Loves being in the Moby Wrap or SSC. Typically he falls asleep about 5 minutes after going in.
  
• Is absolutely adorable.
  

The "How I remain sane" product list

I may only be 2 months in to this whole motherhood thing, but I've already found a few lifesavers among the products I registered for. And I few I wasn't even schooled enough to know about!

Now, these are just my opinion, and I know a lot of you will find better things for you and your baby - but this is what worked for us.

1. Swaddle Me Blankets



Seriously a wonderful invention and slightly easier to use than the Miracle Blanket. This baby straight jacket helped tack on an extra 2 hours to Grayson's night time sleep. Plus, we have the fleece version, and it makes me feel like Grayson's staying warm.

2. The Moby Wrap



Hands down, my favorite product ever. Grayson is a huge snuggler and loves to be as close to me as humanly possible at all times. While I'm all for a snuggly baby - I also enjoy the use of my hands. The Moby gives me both! There is a slight learning curve to using it, but there are tons of great 'how to' videos on You Tube if you need a refresher. This is a good one. If you think the fabric choices are boring - there are plenty of CUTE options on etsy. If I need to use the Moby outside of the house, I just tie it on before I go to avoid getting any parking lot nasties on me.

3. Dwell Studio for Target Receiving Blankets



Cheap and perfectly square, these are fabulous for a nap swaddle and they look super cute covering the baby in the car seat. I have almost every variation.

4. Inclined sleep positioner


Considering how many other 'sleep' products are on my list - I must really appreciate the times baby is getting some shut eye. ;) This is another product that dramatically increased our sleep cycles. Grayson had a mild case of reflux when we first brought him home, and we think the incline made him feel better. We used this in the bassinet and now in the crib.

5. Summer Infant Video Monitor



I LOVE seeing the baby now that he's in the nursery. Something about seeing him wiggle about makes me happy - and I hear it only gets better as they get older and start talking and playing in the crib. Worth every penny.

6. Tiny Love Gymini


Watching Grayson talk to his monkeys and grab at the giraffe is seriously cute. Plus, I can plop him down on the mat while I pour myself some coffee without having to worry about him falling off of anything. Anything that allows me to grab a cup of coffee gets an A+.

7. Soft Structured Carrier



Ok, this one is more of a category than an actual product, but it's another one of my must haves. I'm currently using an older version of this Beco carrier. But I'm seriously contemplating getting a Butterfly II as well. This is my life saver when Grayson and I are out an about and I don't have the moby already tied on. There are quite a few places that just aren't stroller friendly (Hello grocery store!), and obviously I can't leave G in the car. I've heard good things about the Ergo and AngelPack, but I don't have experience with those.

8. Diaper Champ



This one is my husband's pick, but I have to agree. Poops = stink and somehow this contraption has managed to keep the smell completely out of the room. Plus, it has "champ" in the name and I can use my own bags. A big win all around.

9. Fisher-Price Swing


Can we say "Fabulous"? This is where Grayson gets in at least one of his day time naps. Not only do I get a little sleepy time out of him when he's in it - he seems to enjoy the mirror/mobile above him when he wakes up. Score! Plus, it's relatively quite and I have yet to need new batteries. I call this my 'shower chair'. Without it, I'm convinced I would be on day 56 with no shower...

10. Born Free Bottles


With Grayson's reflux issues we had a LOT of spit up and vomit. Think projectile nastiness. The only bottles that seemed to help were Born Free and Dr. Brown. Both are BPA free and had great venting systems. But with 5 parts to wash the Dr. Brown bottles were a PTA! Since the Born Free bottles had 1 less part, it won the bottle battle in our house.

That's it for us at the moment - but I'm sure the list will change over time.

Do you have any products that you just can't live without?

A day in our lives photo post

I'm about three weeks behind on this one! Oops.

I took the challenge from a fellow blogger to document what a typical day looks like for us here. Unfortunately, I haven't had enough time to actually post about it until now - but seeing as how our days are still pretty much the same, I think it's ok.

Here is what we do everyday!

Slacker!

I'm quickly realizing that baby + lack of sleep + over-scheduled days = almost no internet time. I'm keep meaning to come back and update, and then life just keeps getting in the way.

I always imagined that I'd have a hard time being home with a baby. I'm a planner and I appreciate a good schedule, two things that I didn't think would mesh well with a new baby. But somehow I've ended up with the best of both worlds. I'm home with my baby - and I have a schedule! Monday we walk with my mom's group, Tuesday is Itsy Bitsy Group and lunch, Wednesday's free, Thursday is either a drop-in workshop or baby music class, and Friday is a 0-3 month group.

I love it.

I have no idea how I'm going to be able to go back to work...