Noah :: 3 Month Update

Dear Noah,

Today you are three months old, which means you've officially graduated from newborn status! Today was one of my favorite days since you've been born...we woke up to the 1st snowfall of the year and spent the day putting up the tree and decorating the house for Christmas.

Last night we made the long drive home from NC, where we spent Thanksgiving visiting with Mommy's side of the family. You did unbelievably well for your 1st road trip! When we got home yesterday afternoon, we spent lots of time playing with you, and you surprised us by rolling over 2x! Not only did you roll from your tummy to your back last night, you also gave us your 1st little laugh while playing "horsey" with Daddy!

We've had a busy month since I last wrote to you on your 2 month birthday! For Halloween, we dressed you up as a baby cow. It was a bit too chilly to take you out trick-or-treating, so we stayed inside while Daddy handed out candy to the neighborhood trick-or-treaters. Grandma Schmitt also came to visit us the week of Halloween. You had so much fun playing with her! 

After Halloween, we started Play & Learn classes at Gymboree where we've had tons of fun learning new songs and playing games together. The class is full of little ones all around the same age as you, and right now, it's all boys too, which makes it even better! Boys rule! ;) You LOVE the colorful parachute we get to play with at each class. Everytime you see it, you kick your arms and legs like crazy!! It makes me smile so much seeing you get so excited during class.

This month also brought the unfortunate sickies to our house, and you ended up catching your 1st cold :( You were still as playful and smiley as ever though! Let's hope we don't have to go through another sickness for quite awhile!

Perhaps your biggest new change this month is your interest in playing with toys. It was almost overnight it seemed that you went from just simply holding a rattle for a few seconds when placed in your hand, to now actually reaching for toys and shaking them. Your new favorite thing is putting any and everything in your mouth. In fact, you've gotten so good with your hands, that you've actually taken your pacifier in/out of your mouth completely on your own several times now. Your Daddy and I are so amazed by your growth. You've come such a long way with tummy time, and your head control continues to get better with each day. We even put you in your Bumbo seat this month to help you practice sitting up.

Oh, and I can't forget to tell you your other big news this month...you started sleeping through the night right around 11 weeks. It's not quite every night yet...you still have a few nights here and there where you'll get up once a night (usually around 4am), but you've come so far since those early newborn days. Mommy and Daddy are very grateful for the extra sleep :)

We don't have any height/weight stats for you this month (your next well-visit with the pediatrician is at 4 months), but I have a feeling you're getting close to 14lbs. You are still wearing 3 month sized clothes, but we're slowly starting to transition you into your 3-6 month clothes, along with size 2 diapers. 

Here are some of my favorite snapshots from your 3rd month.

Cuddles with Mr. Bear

 Happy Halloween (your face here cracks me up)!

Such a sweet face :)

Going to vote with Mommy

Trying to fit your ball in your mouth (your new favorite toy!)

 1st time in your Bumbo

Typical afternoon of playtime (you love your ball)!

Still smiling despite having your 1st cold

Happy Thanksgiving!

Our 1st Thanksgiving as a family of 3 :)

 Playing peak-a-boo with Grandma

Someone stole Mommy's milkshake!

 Too cool ;)

Headed out for some Black Friday shopping in our shades

All tuckered out from a busy Thanksgiving week (and still trying to fit as many things as possible into your mouth)!

Wow, we sure had a busy month, didn't we?! I'm pretty sure this next month will be just as busy, as we prepare for the holiday season and your very 1st Christmas! 

I love you,

Mommy

Real Life > Facebook

I've had an iPhone for many years now. I love my iPhone, and all the wonderful and convenient things it does for my daily life, but lately I can't help but think how much my phone takes me away from real life. If you stop and think about it, we're on our phones quite a bit during the day. I can't speak for everyone, but I'd be afraid to actually count the number of minutes or even hours I'm on my phone each day...it's so easy to pick up your phone and browse Facebook while watching TV or waiting in line at the grocery store or while feeding the baby, etc... Name pretty much any "downtime" activity, and the first thing many of us do is reach for our phones to scroll through the Facebook timeline or read through the Twitter feed. And for what, really?! Sure, we all want to keep in touch with our friends and see the latest happenings with their lives, but how much do we REALLY need to see every photo and every status update from our 350+ friends? We don't! If we stop and think about it, the people that matter most to us in life are very likely only a phone call (or text/email) away. 9/10 times I communicate with my friends and family via phone or email anyways...I don't need Facebook to keep up with their lives, other than the occasional photo or two that I do very much enjoy seeing. 

As a new mom, I'm constantly learning (and looking for) new ways to be more efficient with my time during the day. One thing I could stand to cut back on is the use of my iPhone...especially social media.

I recently read a blog post about a challenge to give up social media on the weekends. For what, you ask? To take the time to make what MATTERS happen. For family time. For picnics in the park. For dinner with good friends. For trying new recipes. For exploring new places. Whatever matters to you. Sorry for the buzz kill, but Facebook does NOT matter in the grand scheme of life.

Am I going to give up Facebook and social media completely? No. I am, however, going to make a conscious effort to use it less to make time for what really matters in life. More quality time with my son. More quality time with my husband. More time for play dates and lunches with friends. More time for REAL LIFE. I recently signed Noah and I up for a weekly infant play class in the hopes we'd get to learn new things together and meet some new friends along the way. Our first class was so.much.fun, and I'm already looking forward to going again! There's nothing new and exciting my son is going to learn from looking at the phone all day, so it's important to me to adopt new habits in my own daily life before he's old enough to ask "why is Mommy on her phone again?". 

On a final note, I do get that sometimes we all need a little "mindless" free time to unwind from the day, and for many of us, that means playing around with the various social media apps on our smartphones. We're only human and no one is perfect. What I am challenging myself to do is to use it less as a whole, not cut it out entirely. 

Here's to making what matters happen!