Three Months - 4/18/12

4.18.12

Weight: about 15 pounds

Length: ?? (We didn't go to the doctor this month, 

and we didn't try to measure at home!)

Size: 0-3 Months

Sheesh! Time is flying, and it has been hard to get anything posted on the blog since I’m back at work! As he did in his first and second months, Hudson stayed busy during his third month as he…

Took some naps...

Got a little milk drunk...

Smiled and cooed...

Yawned...

Pretended to be a sprinkler...

Enjoyed the spring weather...

Found his fist...a lot...

Started making some new expressions...

Grew some dreadlocks...(just kidding!!)...

Spent time with Cliff...

Tried out his bumbo...

Started to fall in love with Moo Moo...

Played (and napped!) in his gym...

Cried about his last size one diaper...

Made crazy eyes at his mobile...

Received his first postcard...

Napped with Daddy...

Attended a birthday party for his friend, Brooks...

Wore his chick sleep sack for Easter...

Stared at his mommy... 

(Can you see my reflection in his eyes?)

Grew even more rolls...

Hung out with Callie...

Met Auntie Lisa...

Met Great-aunt Diane and my cousin, Hayley...

Hung out with Great-grandpa George...

Said goodbye to me before my first day back at work...

Hung out with Auntie Lisa and Auntie Claire while I went to work...

Practiced being on his tummy...

We had so much fun this month, and it was amazing to watch our baby boy get so much bigger and stronger!

Challenges

- night time: Early in this month, Hudson was still pretty fussy at bed time. Even on bath nights, he would fuss and cry off and on from about 7:30 on. By the end of the month, he was adjusting and having fewer and fewer fussy nights.

- I returned to work: After almost ten weeks off – and ten of the best weeks of my life!! – I went back to work at the end of March. Because of some comp time and some random hours I worked while on maternity leave, I was able to stay home almost as long as I had originally planned – even though Hudson was 10 days early! We’ve had to do a lot of adjusting in order to get used to a new routine, but we’re getting there. I’ve been very lucky to have an incredibly flexible boss and team at work! To start, I’ve been working from home on Mondays and Tuesdays, so we’re able to ease into our schedule before I go back to working in the office full time in June. My sweet mom helped make the transition easier by sending me back to the office with an emergency stash of Take 5 candy bars!

- SO MUCH STUFF!!!: This is what my car looks like on a Friday after work...

...and this is before picking up Hudson, his bottle bag, and his diaper bag from daycare!!

- sleep: Hudson woke up every 2-3 hours most of this month. I was only up with him for 20-40 minutes at a time, so it wasn’t too bad…but it sure did wear on me once I went back to work!

- Nick and Lauren time: As I write this post (on April 30!), I just realized that Nick and I have only been away from the baby and together twice since Hudson was born! I’m okay with this at this point because I want to spend every second with Hudson, but I’m thinking we should probably schedule something soon so that we don’t forget what it is like to just hang out with each other!

- Bumbo sitting: Hudson’s legs are too big for his bumbo, so he kept getting stuck when I’d put him in it; ) I guess this isn’t really a challenge, but it may be considered one from Hudson’s point of view!
- mastitis: I had a fever and the shakes. I felt worse than I did when I was recovering after giving birth! I quickly got on some antibiotics and felt better after a day or two.

Successes

- childcare: We really like Hudson’s childcare provider, Marilyn, and he seems to be doing well there so far. She said that he’s a “very happy baby,” and it makes me feel good that he doesn’t spend the whole day crying!

- childcare – day 1: Somehow I didn’t cry too much on Hudson’s first day. I read somewhere that I should leave as quickly as possible, so that is what I did. He was asleep when we got there, so I gave him a kiss, quickly set him down in the playpen, and made a beeline for my car. I may have shed a tear or two, but I did much better than I had expected!

- bath time: No tears – ever!  Just songs and splashing: )

- exercise: I feel like this month I started to figure out how to be okay with not necessarily getting in five or six 60-minute+ workouts per week. If I’m able to squeeze in a 30-minute run over lunch, I’ll take it. If I’m able to squeeze in a 45-minute walk with Hudson after work, I’ll take it. I realized that any movement is better than nothing, so I’ve been trying not to get caught up in the numbers. Most weeks this month, I was able to get in two BodyPump classes and at least two runs of 3-6 miles each. Add in a few walks here and there, and I don’t think that is too shabby!

Fun Stuff

- Auntie Lisa: It was SO fun to spend time with Lisa and for her to get to spend time with Hudson! I'm glad she was able to make the trip! She was able to get a little bit of wedding "stuff" done, and she spent quite a bit of time with Hudson! She hung out with him when I went into the office for the first time - which made leaving him MUCH easier for me. She even discovered that Hudson often drifts off to sleep after being stroked lightly between his eyes! She was also here to help with Claire and Aaron's move, and we had fun packing Claire's stuff up one afternoon. We also took a Mom and sisters trip (+ H's first KC trip!) to  Kansas City to try on/pick up Lisa's wedding dress. It is BEAUTIFUL!!! We can't wait to see Auntie Lisa again soon - this time for her wedding: )

- random afternoon at Paul and Anne's: We spent an impromptu afternoon at Paul and Anne's, and it was really fun to get out of the house. The weather was beautiful, and it was fun to watch Hudson check out all of the other kiddos!

- KU basketball: KU went all the way to the championship game, so March was full of basketball! While the team frequently frustrated Nick (and Hudson and I had to watch the games upstairs to avoid yelling and four-letter words!), it was fun to follow their journey in the tournament. Nick and I watched the championship game downtown with Anne and Paul. Unfortunately, as Nick predicted, KU lost by 8 to Kentucky: (

- Brooks' birthday party: On a beautiful Saturday in April, we went to Kansas City for Brooks first birthday party! I wish I had taken pictures of all of the cute touches. The party had a sock monkey theme, and everything was SO cute!

This Month's Must-Have Baby Items

- support group: I enjoyed attending the breastfeeding support group at the hospital because it gave me a chance to talk with other moms and to weigh Hudson. I can't go to that one anymore because of work, but there is another group on Wednesday nights that we've been attending. 
- a million burp rags and bibs: I thought we had way too many of these, but now I see just how necessary they are! Hudson did quite a bit of spitting up and drooling this month, and sometimes all of our burp rags and bibs would be dirty! We probably have 20+ rags and 10+ bibs, but he can quickly go through them!
- His WubbaNub, Snap N Go, activity mat, and changing pad liners all continued to be necessities for us!

Milestones

This is some of what he was up to during his third month:

- SMILED!!! Hudson didn’t really smile on purpose until he was eight weeks old, but he was a smile machine by the time he reached 3 months!

- made goos: These sweet noises are like music to my ears. My heart melts when he “talks” to us, and it makes me want to have a million more kids (ha – just kidding!).

- found his hands
- held his head steady
- gurgled and cooed
- blew bubbles
- recognized my face and voice (I think!)
- turned toward sounds
- brought his hands together
- batted at his toys
- put weight on his legs
- cooed when we talked to him

- kicked his legs like crazy