The Fourth Trimester Wrap Up--Happy 3 Months P!

           

Its my favorite time of year. Spring is here! The braves are back, school is winding down, the weather is warm, but not yet sweltering. It’s a great time to be out and about. I am so excited this time of year, but even more so now that I have Baby P to share it with. I am looking forward to the pool this summer, and of course, her first beach trip. I can hardly contain myself.

            Baby P is becoming a real human being now. She is a little sassy, but still classy (ha!). I am more than a little obsessed with her personality. I just love her smiles, coos, and soundless laughs.  She smiles when I blow raspberries on her belly during diaper changes, and when she hears the rooster on her farm book.

I am also looking forward to all of her firsts that are right around the corner. I am expecting her to break out in giggles any day now. I know this summer will afford me lots of time to spend loving on her without having to worry about my job! I can’t wait to shower her with undivided attention. I love being a teacher for this reason.

           

Baby P is now 3 months old. We have survived the dreaded 4^th trimester, and I could not be happier about how we did. I am getting a good amount of sleep, and Baby P is doing well with her schedule. We are still dealing with some acid reflux issues, but overall she is an AMAZING baby. J and I consider ourselves very lucky.

P weighs in at a hefty 13 pounds and 13 ounces. She has graduated to size two diapers and is wearing some 6 month clothes. Her favorite things at the moment are her activity gym, bumbo seat, and her crib mobile. She still loves to swing when she gets really upset. Although, I have heard that you should break them of that habit by four months! I have no clue how to do this, so if you have some advice, I would welcome it! She still sleeps swaddled in her halo sleeper.  It is a miraculous contraption that I recommend for EVERY MOM! I affectionately call it her straight jacket.

She is sleeping through the night most nights. She loves to sit up on your lap and watch TV. Her favorite thing to watch is the Braves games. I don’t know if it is the colors or the announcers, but she will talk to the screen like crazy. It is almost as if she is cheering them on. I love to watch her watch them. I am just so amazed at how much she changes daily. She loves to kick and slap at her toys, and is sucking furiously on her hands. She still hates tummy time, but is great in the bath!

It is hard to remember what it was like those first few weeks with her. I remember it being significantly harder than it is now, but I still remember it fondly. Motherhood is that way—it is exhausting, taxing, and at the time you never think it will get better—but once it does you only remember the good times. I guess this is God’s way of making sure we will do this again. He gives us selective amnesia so that we will choose to repeat this whole process. Unfortunately, he does not give this to our husbands. Whenever I speak about giving P a sibling—I think J has a stroke. I am not in any rush, but when I see the tiny babies at my Mommy group—I can almost feel my uterus calling out to me. Then when P pitches a fit—I remember myself.

I have decided not to go back into the classroom next year. J and I talked about it, and we figure that it would be best for P and me to give working from home another year. This way we can continue our breastfeeding relationship (what is left of it anyway), and I can fulfill my dream of staying home with my child. Even though this will mean that I will not be able to get countless beauty treatments, go on shopping sprees, and spoil P with ridiculously expensive monogrammed clothes—I am convinced that this is the best thing. I will never do anything as important as being her Mommy. I don’t mind sacrificing for her every day of the week and twice on Sunday. I look forward to being able to work on her development from home in the next year. It’s these days that I will remember when she is having her children. Staying home with her gives me the memories that I will cherish for the rest of my life. She won’t remember that I was with her at this age, but I will. That makes a difference to me.  When I am home with her she is mine, and I am hers. It will not always be this way, and I am grateful for this time with my daughter.

I completely support working moms. I am a working mom too. I work from home, and I do makeup jobs on a lot of weekends. You are certainly not a bad mother because you choose to work instead of stay home. My mom was not home with me, and she was still a great mom.  My dad worked out of town, and so from Monday through Friday of every week my mom did it alone. I do not fault her for much because she did more than I could have done in her situation. I realize now how hard it must have been for her and I appreciate all that she did for me. I guess what I am saying is that moms come in all shapes and sizes. We are all trying to do the best that we can—and that is all that you can do. In the end, it is all about what is most important for you, and what will work the best for your family. I know a lot of moms that do go back to work, and they are happier.  I think that I could be happy going back into the classroom as well, but it was always my hope (and plan) to stay home the first few years with my children. This is why I took this job.

Ultimately, I would say that these first three months were some of the hardest of my life. I can’t remember ever being this tired for this long in my life. However, I have loved being a mommy. Right now I am staring at my daughter sleeping in her swing, and I am fighting the urge to rip her out and cuddle her in my arms. They are only this little for so long, and if you blink you will miss it. I remember a time when she wasn’t in my life, but I can’t imagine it anymore. She is without a doubt the best thing I have ever done. Happy 3 Month Birthday P! Mommy loves you so so much!