March 28, 2019

Sweet Baby James | Month 3

virginia-wedding-photographer-3-month-james-allen-photo_7048.jpgMy sweet baby James has officially transitioned from a floppy newborn to a plump baby! Month 3 has been so sweet and just keeps getting sweeter each day! So many new developments and changes each day! And if it’s even possible, loving him more and more each day. I’ve asked some of my friends with small children what their favorite age has been. And they always say the age they are at that moment, which tells me that it’s just going to keep getting better and sweeter! Child rearing is such a bittersweet struggle between wanting them to stay small forever, but also look forward to what the next day brings! 

Here’s a look at how month 3 had gone! 

  • So many new developments in month 3! Lot’s of smiles! And they are actually in response to things as opposed to just random. It’s the sweetest! And I feel like we’re so close to a giggle! Another new thing is sucking on his fist! He does it all the time and it’s too cute! He has also just now starting noticing toys in front of him! So crazy! He’s also a tummy time pro now, which is saying a lot given the size of the head he has to lift up!
  • I’m hesitant to comment on sleep because whenever I do, I seem to jinx myself. But sleep is slowly, but surely, getting there. His first stretch is usually 5-6 hours, then every 3-4 after that. So not terrible, but I had hoped we’d be closer to him sleeping through the night at this point. But I’m just trying to be patient and hope that we’ll get there eventually!
  • Speaking of sleep, he’s also been doing a lot of sleep in his crib this past month! I had been doing a few daytime naps in the crib every now and then to help get him used to it. Then we tried doing overnight in there and he did great! I honestly didn’t plan to move him to the crib until maybe 5-6 months, but he was doing well in it, so I figure we should keep it up! Granted, the nursery is connected to our bedroom, so it wasn’t a huge transition. But it’s been really nice to have our bedroom back! Watching TV before bed and not having to tiptoe around the room has been so nice! But since he still has some short stretches, we decided to do his first stretch in his crib and then the rest of the night in the bassinet. Once he’s closer to sleeping through the night, we’ll go back to do the whole night in the crib.
  • This was sort of my last month of maternity leave which is so bittersweet! Even though there’s been a lot of work done on the computer these last 3 months, I haven’t done any shooting, which is the longest I’ve ever gone without a shoot or wedding! But it was very needed! Especially since Branden is still working long hours and can’t really help with the baby. But next month is back to shoots and then weddings start in May! I have a hard time leaving him for a few hours, so I have a feeling that first wedding is going to be tough away from him!
  • On the flip side, Branden has had anything but time with James, unfortunately. We knew going into having James that Branden would have to work 12 weeks of 70-80 hour weeks shortly after he was born. It was just the way his schedule lined up. So he leaves before he wakes up and just barely makes it home in time for bath time and sometimes misses him altogether. So I feel for him that he’s been missing so much baby time these last 3 months, but this 12 week stretch is almost done and then he’ll have a few weeks of working less hours (maybe 50-60 hours a week) and getting more baby time!
  • I’m very lucky to be able to say that James is a very content and happy baby. He hardly cries, and when he does, it’s usually easy to know why. He’s content sitting in his little Sit Me Up chair or chilling on his boppy lounger while I shower. That combined with his personality starting to show has made it really fun to just hang out with him! We’ll just sit and baby talk back and forth and it’s so sweet! 
  • Around the beginning of the 3rd month, we noticed that he seems to favor looking to his left side. This also led us to notice the back of his head is lopsided because he always sleeps with his head to the left. So we’ve been taking him to a chiropractor to help with his neck rotation and have been trying to keep him off his back when he’s awake. We try to put him to sleep with his head to the right, but he always ends up turning it to the left. So we’ll see if it gets better and hopefully we can avoid having to get him a helmet! Fingers crossed! 

 

But overall, month 3 has been great! And I feel like I’m finally getting out of the new mom fog. If you’re a mom, you know exactly what I’m talking about. That fog that keeps your from thinking straight and makes you forget that a world exists outside your little baby bubble. We’ve been getting out of the house a lot more as it has become easier. My routine with him is also more consistent which takes the stress and guesswork out of the day allowing me to breath and live! I feel like I spend so much more time actually enjoying my baby instead of just constantly feeling frustrated and exhausted all the time. And I can’t ask for more than that! 

And these photos have to be my favorite because he has so much more personality! And I finally caught some really good smiles!! I could scroll through these all day!
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Oh my gosh, his face! virginia-wedding-photographer-3-month-james-allen-photo_7050.jpg
Now that he is not longer a floppy newborn, he loves being held up like this! But I’m a little more cautious when I do it now since he barfed all over my face and hair! Gah!virginia-wedding-photographer-3-month-james-allen-photo_7051.jpg
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That little smirk! Heartbreaker!virginia-wedding-photographer-3-month-james-allen-photo_7053.jpg
He also LOVES standing up! Maybe we’ll have an early walker!virginia-wedding-photographer-3-month-james-allen-photo_7054.jpg
Now that he has better head stability, we’ve started using this Sit Me Up chair! He loves it! And it’s great when I need my hands free and don’t want to have to just lay him down. We always put him in it with his back to the TV, but he still manages to turn his head far enough to see it! Uh Oh!virginia-wedding-photographer-3-month-james-allen-photo_7055.jpg
Working on that smize!virginia-wedding-photographer-3-month-james-allen-photo_7056.jpg
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So preciousvirginia-wedding-photographer-3-month-james-allen-photo_7058.jpg
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Ugh dying!virginia-wedding-photographer-3-month-james-allen-photo_7060.jpg
And I’m dead! virginia-wedding-photographer-3-month-james-allen-photo_7061.jpg
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Sucking on his fist is his new favorite thing!virginia-wedding-photographer-3-month-james-allen-photo_7063.jpg
This is pretty much his resting facial expression! haha!virginia-wedding-photographer-3-month-james-allen-photo_7064.jpg
Why does he look so old here?? Gahhhvirginia-wedding-photographer-3-month-james-allen-photo_7065.jpg
Naughty boy!! haha!virginia-wedding-photographer-3-month-james-allen-photo_7066.jpg
Can’t get enough of his faces!virginia-wedding-photographer-3-month-james-allen-photo_7067.jpg
I LOVE putting him in real people clothes! Him, not so much.virginia-wedding-photographer-3-month-james-allen-photo_7068.jpg
Months 1, 2 and 3! So crazy!virginia-wedding-photographer-3-month-james-allen-photo_7069.jpg
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The bloopers still crack me up too!virginia-wedding-photographer-3-month-james-allen-photo_7071.jpg
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And some phone pics!virginia-wedding-photographer-3-month-james-allen-photo_7073.jpg
First time to church! Right picture pretty accurately depicts how it went. hahavirginia-wedding-photographer-3-month-james-allen-photo_7074.jpg
And first brunch afterwards!virginia-wedding-photographer-3-month-james-allen-photo_7075.jpg
He’s growing out of clothes so fast, which means we had to put him in all the outfits that people gave us so we could send them a pic before he outgrew them!virginia-wedding-photographer-3-month-james-allen-photo_7076.jpg
Still loves bathtime!virginia-wedding-photographer-3-month-james-allen-photo_7077.jpg
Celebrated my sweet friend, Grier, and baby Walker who will be joining us so soon!virginia-wedding-photographer-3-month-james-allen-photo_7078.jpg
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Tummy time pro!virginia-wedding-photographer-3-month-james-allen-photo_7082.jpg
And we got to meet my dear friend Audrey’s baby boy, AJ! Also, how is she sitting indian style 2 weeks after having him???virginia-wedding-photographer-3-month-james-allen-photo_7083.jpg
Need to work on our selfie gamevirginia-wedding-photographer-3-month-james-allen-photo_7084.jpg
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First Tuesdays Together meeting!virginia-wedding-photographer-3-month-james-allen-photo_7086.jpg
Yard work buddy! Can you tell he’s not used to being in bright light?? My poor winter baby!virginia-wedding-photographer-3-month-james-allen-photo_7087.jpg
Loves looking at himself in the mirror!virginia-wedding-photographer-3-month-james-allen-photo_7088.jpg
Celebrated Miss Charlotte turning one!virginia-wedding-photographer-3-month-james-allen-photo_7089.jpg
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To see more of our Sweet Baby James, check out these posts!

Month 1

Month 2

Birth Story Part 1

Birth Story Part 2

Gender Reveal

Nursery Tour

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