A & E's Adventures: Three Months!

(Better late than never :). I wrote this about a week after he turned 3 months, but wanted to wait until we got back from vacation)

Stats - Unknown! No scales or tape measurers on vacation. We'll find out more at his 4 month appointment. I *think* his crazy gaining may be curbing a bit, but we'll see. He's now in mostly 9 month clothing:

(From 2 months)
Weight - 15 lbs 10 oz. ( + 6.5 lbs from his lowest. How is that possible? Above 97 %ile)
Height - 24.5 (+ 4.5 in from lowest; 95%ile )
Head circumference - 16.5 in (+ 2 in from birth 90%ile)
Likes:

Evan is getting more interactive with every passing month! He is starting to really love being sung to lately - favorites are "Baby Beluga" and "Kokomo" but he likes most songs. He actually sort of "sings along" - cooing along to the songs. It's incredibly cute. Since being in California, we've discovered that he really loves looking at trees and being outdoors. His bouncer is much more fun to him (and came with us to CA), and we've enjoyed setting him up outside to enjoy the cool air. He still very much loves sleeping in wraps, and definitely loves the ring sling when he's tired. He's also discovered 'the baby in the mirror' on his activity mat and loves cooing and smiling at it. Smiling and cooing in general have become very fun activities. He seems to know his mom and dad much more now, and loves greeting us with a smile :). Patterns continue to be very fun for him - he loves staring at contrasts. And of course, he loves spending time with his California family!

He's continued to be fantastic in his carseat, which has been hugely important with all of our traveling. He's slept through almost all of the long car trips, waking every 2 1/2 to 3 hours to eat. He's started using the stroller without the carseat, which he also seems to enjoy, since he can look around more. The pack n play is now used for all naps at home. They still only last 40 minutes (with a few exceptions), but he goes to sleep fairly easily. His favorite thing to do, though, is stand. He absolutely loves standing on people's laps, and sometimes fusses until you give in. And, he gets the most happy, self satisfied expression on his face when he propels himself upwards.

Dislikes:

Mom, I am not amused...

Swaddling is still up there on his not so favorite list, even though it is hugely helpful for that full night of sleep. We'll be phasing this out soon since, believe it or not, he is growing out of the largest size of swaddles and actually ripped the seams of one of them, due to his super strong arms (or just his big size). He's still not wild about being dressed, but has been getting better. Tummy time is still the worst, but we've discovered it's much more appealing if done with another baby! We're excited to try this with his baby friends when we get home. For now, we're using a stuffed animal for company, or propping him on the boppy, which makes it much better.

Important Events:
This has been a huge month for Evan! He's traveled hundreds of miles, going to California for the first time, where he has visited his Grandma and Papa's house, Santa Cruz, the ocean, the redwoods, Mount Tamalpais and Sonoma. Since arriving here, he has been outside more than ever before, by a huge amount. He got to meet his cousin Amelia, and it was love at first sight...

(at least on Amelia's part!)

I'll let our vacation recaps speak for all the other important events we hit, as there were really too many to even share.

Sleep wise, he keeps getting better. This month he's consistent been sleeping about 6 hours for his first chunk, but has hit 7 more than a handful of times, and even 8 hours twice! He continues to not be too tricky to put to bed, and naps are getting easier, though are still usually around 40 minutes if he's in his bed.

Successes:

This is what Evan looked like for most of our travels!

Our biggest success has definitely been having a wonderful time traveling all over California with our amazing baby. Evan has been a star traveler, adjusting well to constantly changing bedrooms, new people who want to hold him, and eating in more different locations than I can count. Even with all the changes, he's continued to grow and thrive, both physically, but also in how he acts. I can't imagine our vacation going any better than it has. Breastfeeding has also finally gotten to a point where the pain is minimal, and I think of it as "easy." I've figured out how to nurse successfully without using a cover in public, which has made breastfeeding in general so much better for Evan and me. He is choking less, and I am panicking less when he does start coughing on milk during a feeding. I'm still a bit overprotective, but have done a *relatively* good job of letting go and "sharing" Evan with others. Ed and I even went out on our first fancy date to belatedly celebrate out anniversary!

Challenges:

Feeding while riding on a train - sometimes we had to be creative with Evan's schedule :)

See above :). While traveling with Evan has been unbelievably rewarding, it is definitely exhausting trying to vacation with a baby, even with all the extra help from family. Trying to do day trips while balancing Evan's schedule has been difficult, and helping him adjust to constantly changing surrounds hasn't always been easy. Sometimes I miss cues for sleep or food because of everything going on, and I don't always do a good job keeping track of time. We've had a few stressful car trips where Evan wakes up early and needs to eat, but those have luckily been few and far between. Ed still had to work through the first half of our trip, which meant I actually got less help from him some days. We were actually even apart for two days, when he had to come up to Santa Cruz early for work, which meant I got my first solo experience doing bedtime and nighttime care. This trip is teaching both Evan and his parents how to be flexible, which is ultimately such a great lesson.

Mommy Successes:

Evan loved spending time with all his family

See above again :). I'd say, though, that the biggest success has been getting better (and more comfortable) with nursing. It makes it so much easier to go places with Evan and not have to worry about trying to fit in the errand around his feeding schedule. Also, I think a big success has been being comfortable with "sharing" Evan with new people and even leaving him for short spurts without *too* much anxiety :).

Daddy Successes:

Ed had a little trouble coming up with something for this month, but finally got one. He's gotten better at soothing Evan, and is willing to try longer instead of, in his words, "having my wife bail me out." Ed puts Evan down for naps much more often, and can almost always get a smile on that boy's face.

Best Moments:
I think just all the firsts (which I conveniently have on video!)

First time entering California: