I did it … I’m on top of my game this month! Juno is 3 months old TODAY! (I most likely won’t have posted this until later because I still need to take some pictures, but I DID write this post on her actual 3 month birthday). I know I said this last month, but HOW is my baby 3 months old? I feel like I just had her yesterday. My maternity leave has flown by and I go back to work in a week. I’m not ready, but I just keep telling myself that I’m going to be just fine. I’m going to make it. I’ll work for three days, have a week off (thank you, Spring Break!) and then will bust out nine more weeks until summer. I can do it. Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming. I look at all the amazing working mamas that I know and you all are my inspiration. If you can do it, I can do it, am I right?
This month June Bug has grown so much. She weighed 8 lbs 12 oz at 8 weeks and now, 4 weeks later, she weighs a whopping 10 lbs 1 oz. We have a TEN POUNDER on our hands, which means she’s grown about 4 1/2 pounds since we brought her home from the hospital. She’s in just about the 4th percentile for weight, but she’s growing and gaining and will just most likely be a little peanut forever. After a few lovely blowouts in a row, we realized that Juno had outgrown her newborn diapers and now she’s rocking size 1 diapers … they conveniently hold in all her poop (most of the time), but I will say I got pretty good at changing her, bathing her and doing the laundry all on my own this month. She’s also almost fully outgrown her newborn clothes and is trying to wear 0-3 months clothes now. Most of them are a bit too big on her, but I’m sure they will be small on her in no time. #growinggirl
We’ve had a few challenges this month. At 8 weeks old Juno was put on reflux medicine for all of the projectile spitting up she had been doing and a couple of weeks later we noticed some not so fun tummy issues going on. Lots of gas, pain, a lot less pooping and the list goes on. She’s had a STRONG pair of lungs since day one, but man oh man, did she really learn how to use them this month when she wasn’t feeling good. Poor thing. Needless to say, we felt so bad for her so back to the doctor we went. We have now changed her reflux medication (hoping this one helps more with less yuckiness) and have started the road of elimination diets because our pediatrician is pretty certain she has allergic colitis. We can tell that June Bug’s intestines are inflamed and something I’m eating isn’t jiving with her belly. I’ve now gone completely dairy and soy free … one of the most common allergy in babies is a milk and soy protein allergy and this is what my sweet niece, Elliette, had when she was the same age [and still does] so we are hoping that this is what it is for Juno too. If she doesn’t seem to be much better in a month, we will continue down the path of other eliminations (eggs, nuts, etc. etc.). Isn’t it crazy how much you love your baby … I’m giving up all the things I LOVE (butter, milk, CHEESE ) without so much as a second thought and let me just tell you that soy is in EVERYTHING! But so far it’s been pretty easy peasy because I will do anything for this sweet girl of mine. And I’m sure I’ll feel better too in the long run, right? I keep telling myself that if my sis could do it with her baby that I can too #ifkaylacandoiticandoit - this seems to be a theme this month. The hardest part about all of this is that we are just figuring it all out right in time for me to go back to work. Having to leave her for nine hours a day when I know she doesn’t feel good is going to be hard. She’s going to be in the best of hands though, which I’m beyond grateful for, and hopefully even within this coming week she’ll be feeling so much better (she already is starting to).
This month, June Bug absolutely LOVES to smile, talk, coo and giggle when you talk to her. She’s usually especially happy right when she wakes up either from the night or from her naps. She has the best smile in the whole world if I do say so myself. She still loves to rock, bounce and be held and she loves being tied to my chest in her Solly Wrap. She loves a good, tight swaddle, a dark room and the sound of waves when she’s upset. She also has learned to love a warm bath and she smiles and coos and kicks her legs in the tub. She doesn't like water being poured on her head or getting out of the bath still though. She will scream and cry until her warm jammies are safely on. She really likes her carseat and, when all else fails, a nice drive or a long walk will put her right to sleep. So far she’s been a trooper at running errands or grocery shopping. If I can time it right and we leave right after a feeding, she will usually just sleep the whole time. She also is starting to notice her giant pup, Remington, who is always laying right by her or constantly checking on her when she’s in her rocker or bouncer. Juno will smile and reach out to try to touch her when Remi comes up to her.
Juno has become quite the sleeper within the last month! She now consistently sleeps anywhere from a 4 hour stretch to a 7 hour stretch at night. One night she even did a 8 hour stretch! I get up twice to nurse her usually around 2 or 3 and again around 5, but in a week from now when I’m back at work it’ll only be once because I’ll be getting up at 5 ... Not sure if I’m ready to be setting my alarm for a 5:00 a.m. wake up, but I guess I will have to be. She loves sleeping in a dark room with white noise on in the Arms Reach bassinet that is next to our bed. She is still is uncertain about her big-girl crib in her nursery, but she will occasionally take a good nap in there so we will keep working on it. Right now I’m happy with her next to me throughout the night so I can easily pick her up and nurse her instead of having to get out of bed. It’s been working well and I’m so thankful for all the nice sleep I’ve been getting lately. I’m back to making it through the days (well, most days) with no caffeine so that is a WIN for sure!
This month I’ve been really trying to be present with our girl and soak up each and every second of being home with her. Every smile, every alligator tear, every kick, every time she rolls over during tummy time. She’s growing and changing before our eyes and is always doing something new. I could stare at her forever and some days that’s all I do. She has the biggest blue eyes you will ever see with the longest eyelashes. Her nose is teeny tiny and oh so cute. Her cheeks are starting to get chunky. She will squeeze your finger with her tiny hand and likes to hold on to you while nursing or taking a bottle. She is the absolute sweetest thing. I’m so, so thankful for the time I’ve had off. These are moments I’ll never get back so the past 3 months of leave have been absolutely priceless.
That’s about it for now … until another month flies by!
And, we can’t forget about Remington the Berner either. She hasn’t been getting as much attention as she’s used to recently so she had to hop in for a model shot too this month …
