3rd month's the charm.

Happy 3 month birthday, Emily!  These months have been crazy, but oh, so fun.  Emily is just charming, I might add.  I forgot how fun this age is.  Smiles everywhere, more interaction with surroundings, still small enough to cradle and cuddle, etc...  Fun, fun.  Emily doesn't seem to be growing like a weed, necessarily, since she still seems small to me.  She is definitely different from Elyse in that department!  I still remember digging into bigger clothes for Elyse pretty early on.  Emily is content to wear her baby clothes comfortably, and I'm really not sure how much she weighs right now.  Maybe 12 lbs?  She's my sweet little peanut.  We have settled into a comfortable routine, and I'm enjoying the fun each day brings.  Emily is still taking some naps in our room, but her evening and night sleep (as well as early morning) is all in her crib. . . ALL under the watchful eye of big sister.  Actually, I've had to cover the foot of Emily's crib with a blanket so nosey big sister won't stand at the edge of her own crib and yell for "Emmie" to wake up.  Yes, the joys of sharing a room :)  Then there's the random night where they compete in a yelling competition.  THOSE nights are fun!  I have learned to relax and let them work it out, and now, most evenings are pretty peaceful.  Elyse loves having Emily in there, and she will often ask for her first thing in the morning.  Emily enjoys having Elyse in her face (surprisingly), and she loves to give her big smiles and "talk" to her.  Elyse loves pointing out Emily's facial features (not too carefully, I might add), and she seems fascinated by her new little friend.  Emily is napping well, but she still usually can't make it more than 40 or 45 minutes after the time she gets up from the last nap!  Whereas Elyse found her thumb early on, Emily loves to chomp on her fist and usually ends up finding her index finger knuckle to chew on.  She seems to be enjoying her surroundings, and I've found that she'll stare for a long time at toys we place in front of her.  She hasn't rolled over since her first episode a few weeks ago, and I'm okay with that!  Vacation the first week of August brought back EVERY night feeding (yippee!!), but thankfully, she's back on track doing 8.5-9.5 hours a night.  I was starting to fear for my sanity.  Here are some of my fun's and not-so-fun's for this age:

fun's:

* I love that she'll search me out with her eyes, even if she has to look around for a while :)
* She crinkles up her little nose like a bunny when she smiles.
* Her cooing is getting louder and MUCH more dramatic.
* She is SO close to giggling but just can't quite get it out.
* I love watching her kick around like CRAZY when she's on her back...
* I love watching her little head bob around like a woodpecker when she's on her tummy :)
* Her 2nd chin is getting SO fat.  It seriously is taking up half of her face at times.
* She can hardly finish a meal without grinning from ear to ear!
* Her hair is getting so thick, and it hardly stays down at all these days.

not-so-fun's:

* It's not as easy for Em to sleep soundly just anywhere these days...she prefers a BED.  Makes going out a bit more challenging!
* She is now giving us her messy diapers about 9 or 10 days apart.  Holy cow.
* Her poochy lip is incredibly pathetic.  I'm so pathetic, I actually delay a nap once in a while if she pulls that one out.  I can't take it!
* Do I detect a bit of a temper when bedtime comes these days?  Surely not.
* Hiccups still haunt her- maybe only a few times a week, but she still despises them!
* My baby's getting big :(

We love you to pieces, Emily Mae!  Keep smiling, and we will, too!