Another month has quickly passed by with this little lady. We have a wonderful routine down now and each day is a lot more peaceful and enjoyed (as much as can be with three girls under four). Amelia is a happy little baby, no longer a newborn yet not even close to toddler (thank the Lord, Mama isn't ready for that kind of talk yet).
We had her two month check up this month (a week late, so the stats never made it to her two month post). She weighed 12 lbs 5 oz and was 25 inches long. That put her at just over 50% for weight and a whopping 97% for height. I wasn't a bit surprised by this. Her 0-3 month clothes still fit fine (which does surprise me), since she is long but not filling them out at all width-wise. Well, they were fitting fine until this week. I'm slowly putting away outfits here and there but we aren't jumping right into the next size. Most of it is very summery and the rainy, cool weather gives us a chance to get one last wear out of a lot of her winter clothes. A friend gave us a bunch of hair bows that she had made and never sold, so now we have a ridiculous amount to choose from and dressing her is still ridiculously fun.
She's eating well. Breastfeeding continues on painlessly and efficiently. She is faster now that she's a little older and there is a lot less over-production so that helps keep it quick and with less mess. I'm not sad that I don't have to have two or more burp cloths around at all times! I do get paranoid about my supply since it isn't as obvious. She also sometimes just seems to want to nurse for comfort even when she isn't hungry anymore. It's hard for me to not worry and try to "fix it" because when I look back at my time breastfeeding Audrey, there were signs that it wasn't quite right and things I could have done differently to prolong milk production.
Amelia still has a lot of dirty diapers and is growing just fine, so I just need to chill out. She just went through a growth spurt when she wanted to eat more often, but my body adjusted and now it doesn't seem to be an issue. Each kid is different and so far it's going fine. She has started to play with my shirt as she eats and I've been enamored with watching her little eyes light up when she takes in the textures and colors. I'm so thankful for this part of being her mom.
There has not been any rolling or even hints of rolling yet. So far, she has been happy alternating between tummy time and back time by me turning her. She doesn't get upset on her tummy now that she is strong enough to look around. If she can see her sisters, she is entertained for at least four times as long. If nobody is around she will only hang out for a few minutes before getting worked up. It isn't the easiest to get chores done if the big girls aren't around to keep her attention. She get to "help" in the kitchen a lot by being in a sling or having me wear her with the Moby wrap.
The car seat is no longer a problem. Each month has gotten better and now she'll happily sit in there and look around even if she's not moving. I've learned to leave her in there as long as she is happy. Then, once she starts to fuss, I take her out and hold her. Again, once she fusses, she gets moved to the floor on her tummy, then her back. This little routine gives me about an hour to do whatever (visit with someone, sit in church, etc). I do like predictable patterns like this that I can count on.
She still won't take a pacifier (I've given up trying) and switching positions is the best way to soothe her when she is fussy.
She is still reminding me of Josie with her behavior, always looking around with huge eyes, taking it all in. She will try to look around me if I try to make eye contact with her when she's getting tired or is really fascinated by her surroundings. Josie did this all the time too. She also loves to stand and has really strong legs already. All three of the girls did this so young...something in our genes I guess! I wouldn't be surprised if she starts sitting up or standing before she rolls over...
She happily shares her dimply smile with anyone and everyone now, and even tolerates others holding her for longer stretches of time. She will get in moods where she is just chatty and will coo and grin at me while we "talk" to each other. I haven't seen her do this too much with others yet, although Josie has gotten her to do it a few times. Jo has a lot more patience than Audrey so she gets the results. ;)
She is still in the smallest size for her cloth diapers but they are working great. She doesn't have many rashes and they don't leak very often. She did have a ridiculous blowout the other day but that hardly ever seems to happen so it really sticks out in my memory. We are exclusively using the Flip diapers unless we are doing laundry. I just don't like the old pocket diapers we started with. They are stretched out and always end up leaking.
These three girls are so fun to watch. When Amelia is on the floor, the big girls will take turns playing with her, giving her toys and kisses like crazy. 90% of the time, they are gentle and sweet. I still like to be watching just in case, but usually the roughness I see isn't intentional and doesn't actually upset Millie. I'm just worried that it will escalate. Josie continues to be such a great helper with her and will lay the blanket out or get toys for her to reach for (she doesn't really yet, but that's the goal) all the time.
We added a few more nicknames this month. We often call her Millie McGee, Mila girl (my favorite), Mildred, Malificent, Milbert (daddy's favorite), and Boppy baby (Josie's favorite). Audrey still prefers A-Mee-lee-a all sounded out when you ask her what her name is. We also still call her Millie Vanillie, Amelia Bedelia, and our family version, Amelia Be-deyle. Ridiculous amount of nicknames, I know.
As far as naps go, she still take four naps (the other girls never ever took this many naps!) and it's working out well for us. One around 8-9, another from 10:30-11:30, a long one from 1-3:30, and a shorter nap from 5-6. There is wiggle room with all of them, which is why it works so well. As long as we are within a half hour or so of each of those, she's happy all day. If we push it (like skip the last one which happens when we go to Missional Community on Tuesdays or Sunday mornings when she skips one of the morning naps) she will be pretty fussy and fights sleep a lot more. Part of that is because it's hard for her to fall asleep in our arms instead of wrapped up in her bed, but she still does okay with it. I think she's getting more adaptable as she gets older, which is a little surprising. I didn't expect her to do that, but I'll take it!
I usually wrap her up, start the mobile music, turn on the sound machine, lay her down even if she's fussing or crying and then leave the room. She usually stops crying in under two minutes. If she doesn't, I sometimes go back in to feed her (once in a while she's just still hungry) or change her diaper (once in a while she is fussing because she just filled her diaper) but most of the time, she just looks around before going to sleep. I'm so thankful for this simple routine! I can't imagine having a longer more drawn out routine with having big kids that need me too.
Here is the comparison picture of all three girls. Amelia first, then Audrey, then Josie. Audrey and Josie still had long dark hair at this point and you can't see Amelia's hair in the front, so she looks quite different. In these pictures especially, I think Amelia and Audrey share the same smile. She's still pretty close in size with Josie. Notice how long her legs are, though, even all curled up! Her skin tone also seems more like Josie's than Audrey's (who always had such white/pink skin).
Amelia is so good for my heart. She is truly a huge blessing to our family. I wish I could express how much joy she brings each of us every day, but you'll just have to take my word for it. It's a lot. :)
This seems odd but it seems like each girl gets more beautiful with each month..especially love the personalities shown when the three are together
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