Dear Avery, 4 Months

Dear Avery,
You are four months old! Every day is a new and exciting day with you. I am really starting to see your personality more and more. I have seen you smile more this month then ever before. You are cooing and "talking" to me as well.
I love that I can now put you in the jumper for a short period of time each day and you actually play with the toys on it! You are even beginning to jump a little! I almost cried (ok maybe I did cry) when I saw you start to really push off your feet in that jumper for the first time the other night. What was really cool was that I was skyping with your Daddy and he got to see it too! With him being gone I thought he would miss every one of those "firsts" so it made me really happy we could all experience that together. You were so proud of yourself!
This month you started to eat a little real food. You have tried sweet potatoes and bananas. We decided to skip rice cereal and go straight for the healthy stuff. You like to shove the spoon in your mouth which is really cute.
You are also really discovering EVERYTHING now. You reach for objects and everything goes right into your mouth.  Your favorite toy is Sophie the Giraffe. You also love music and watching the glow worm play songs and light up when I change you. You even figured out how to pull down your toy to play music. You are so smart, and SO strong!
 I carry you around in the baby carrier and you love exploring. You especially like watching Bailey play fetch outside. This was even one of the very first times I started to hear a little giggle from you was watching Bailey play. You love to be outside!
 I have two favorites from this month. The first is the fact that you actually turn to look at people now. I will be holding you and you literally turn and stare right at me and smile. This has been so neat to see you do. I really feel like you understand what is going on sometimes.
My other favorite moment happened when your Daddy called us on Skype the other day. I was holding you in my arms and as soon as I maximized the screen you lit up with this HUGE smile.  You recognized your Daddy.  This made me overjoyed. My heart melted right then and there.

You are getting bigger and stronger every day. I love watching every new thing you learn.
Love always,
Mama

You Know You Have A Baby When...

Things I have found after having a little one...

1. You have mastered eating with one hand.
2. You have formula/baby food/breast milk on your clothes on a regular basis.
3. You don't really care about the formula/baby food/breast milk on your clothes.
4. You may or may not have used the bathroom with a baby on your lap.
5. A shower becomes an anticipated break
6. You would rather use baby's nap time to sleep instead of eat.
7. You have accidentally used baby talk to people who aren't babies.
8. The car seat with baby inside has become attached to your arm. When you go out without that bulky thing you feel like you are forgetting something.
9. People want to talk to you about how cute your baby is, which can make errands take forever
10. Pj's get worn wayyy longer than ever before. 
11. There are more baby clothes than clothes for you. You would rather buy a cute baby outfit then a cute outfit for yourself. How did this happen?!!?
12. Baby gear is slowly taking over your house.
13. Coffee is a must have, Coffee becomes breakfast.
14. You discuss baby poop. It becomes a normal part of conversation.
15. You have used your nice J Crew shirt to wipe baby drool.
16. You've made impressive wagers with your husband on whose turn it is to get the baby.
17. You get sucked into baby gadgets you will never use.
18. You realize you MUST avoid Target.
19. It takes an hour to leave the house.
20. You wouldn't trade any of these things for anything in the world.

Dear Avery, 3 Months

Dear Avery,
   Happy 3 months to my beautiful little girl! Every day that goes by I am noticing new and wonderful things about you. Right now you are about 12 pounds, and 23 inches long. You are wearing three month clothes perfectly. It has been fun because I have been able to dress you up in cute little summer outfits, since Rochester has had some really warm days this past week.
   At three months old you are almost a pro at holding your head up. I still can't get over how strong you are, and you loved to be pulled by your arms up to your feet. You smile so proudly when we do this with you! Everyone jokes and says you are going to walk before you crawl. Grandpa calls you superbaby.
   You also love to hold on to my fingers when I feed you a bottle. You have the funniest little expressions when you eat. Your hair is getting a little lighter, and I am starting to think you might end up with reddish brown hair. Every time we go out, people stop to smile at you and tell you how adorable you are. One waitress even said she felt like crying because of how beautiful you were. This is interesting to me because most people (who know him) also say you look like your Daddy. :o)
   You love to be up on your changing table and you smile like crazy when you're up there. You do NOT like to put your undershirts on though and you through a fit.
   I have noticed this month how intently you stare at everyone. You are noticing me and your Grandpa and Grandma. You will track objects with your eyes and love bright colorful toys, especially the Lamaze Mortimer the Moose toy. You also are batting and holding objects. It is really so amazing how everyday you are getting stronger and doing new things.
   Sometimes at night I wake up and you are sleeping so soundly and I think how lucky I am. I wish your Daddy could be here to see you do all these new things. I try to take a lot of pictures so he feels like he is right here with us. I know you miss him, and seeing you smile at him when you saw him on Skype melted my heart.
   I cannot wait to see what this next month has in store for you! I bet you'll be going crazy in your new jumper in no time.
I love you  so much!
Mama

Baby Must Haves

So I decided to put together a list of my favorite baby things since I had Avery. I wish I had a list like this when I was shopping so hopefully it will help someone out there who is expecting or buying a baby gift.

1. Fisher Price My Little Snugabunny Cradle and Swing: This was our second swing purchase. Avery only sleeps for long periods of time when there is motion so I highly suggest buying this model swing because it PLUGS IN! The comparable Fisher Price model swing (My Little Lamb) is about the same price at the baby store and runs on batteries. We were buying batteries every other day with this swing. Big waste of money!
Snugabunny Swing

2. Fisher Price Rock and Play Sleeper: Great for hanging out. Especially good for babies with reflux and the rocker rocks from front to back to mimic motion of Mom. It also folds up flat with the push of a button for easy travel! Awesome reviews on this.  Rock and Play Sleeper
3.Homedics Sound Spa Lullaby: This tiny sound machine has great volume! Love the rain and heartbeat sounds. It also has an awesome projection on it so when baby gets older they can watch projection movement on ceiling. They sell this at Bed Bath and Beyond too.




 Homedics Sound Machine

4. Lamaze Space Symphony Motion Gym: This was the only playmat I could find with motion. Awesome because it keeps little ones attention. The age says 0-6 months which is perfect for little babies. This is one of my favorite baby purchases. Lamaze toys are great. Also sold at BRU online.Lamaze Playmat
5.  Lamaze Octotunes: I don't know why, but Avery LOVES staring at this toy! It also plays songs, each arm (apparently octopus don't have tentacles?!) is a musical note. One of the first toys she has looked at with interest!

Lamaze Octopus

6. Aden and Anais 4 Pack Swaddle Blankets: MUST HAVE! I registered for these thinking they seemed nice (but expensive)..... but did not realize how much I would love them. We use them almost every night. They are light, stretchy and long enough for baby. Best Blankets ever!! I think this is one of my favorite baby things; there is really no other blanket like them. So many cute patterns too!

Best Swaddle Blankets

7. Dr. Brown's Bottles: Prevent spit up and help with colic. I researched bottles SO much when pregnant. I know people say you have to try a bunch to see what your baby likes but these worked from the first time we tried. There are more parts to clean then traditional bottles but worth it for a happy baby, I know so many who love these bottles and I am one of them. :) If you choose them, get them at the MCX (14.99 there!) or even Babies R Us had them for 18.99, cheaper than Amazon for once!

Dr. Brown's Bottles

 8. Nosefrida Nasal Aspirator: OK I know it seems weird but it works so much better then normal ones! It is also more gentle and as weird as it seems it is hygienic! Started being used in Sweden. Just look into it.

Nosefrida

9. I See Me! Personalized Name Book: My friend Ashley got this for Avery and I love it. It spells her first and last name associating each letter with an animal that starts with the same letter. Love this book and it will be great when she is learning to spell her name. Other great choices for personalized books too.

I see me name book