3 months and counting!

Today, I took out the next onesie to document another monthly milestone. The photo shoots are getting more lively, to say the least! Our little girl is becoming very active, and she is quite a ham for the camera.

At three months, Em continues to like playing under her rainforest play mat. Now she can grab and hold on to the animals that hang down above her. Her favorite animal is the toucan. She will grab on to it tightly with such a precious look of concentration on her face. Like on her play mat, she is also starting to be more active during baths. For the first few weeks, she didn't move much and also didn't make much of a fuss at bathtime. Although she still looks somewhat confused by the whole bathing process, she has started to splash with her feet and bob around in the mesh seat. She seems to like my "Bubbles in the Bath" song (to the tune of "Wheels on the Bus"), as well as our lotion song -- both bathtime staples! Riding in her car seat isn't a problem. Em usually will quickly fall asleep when the car starts moving. If I know that we are going somewhere, I will try to plan for that time to be her nap, since inevitably she will fall asleep anyway. We still don't have a set routine with naps, but Em takes about three naps a day: mid-morning, afternoon, and a "dinner nap". I call it a "dinner nap" because it usually coincides with Boomer's and my dinnertime. We have still been able to enjoy going out to eat, since she is content in her car seat and will usually sleep through the whole meal. Our ideal dinnertime is a little earlier now than it use to be. (Last Friday, we made a dinner reservation at Bonefish for 5:00PM! That would have been so early before, but now it is great to be home before 7:00PM.) Our nighttime routine usually starts around 8PM, with Em in her crib by 9PM. I will wake to feed her anywhere between 3:30AM and 5:30AM, and then she will sleep for another couple of hours. Our girl likes to sleep, just like her momma!

Em has definitely discovered her hands. Boomer and I laugh at the way she balls them up into fists and waves them around like a little boxer. For weeks now, I have been worried that she may suck her thumb. She hasn't quite done that yet, although I often catch her with multiple fingers in her mouth. Several times I've even seen her trying to stick both fists in her mouth, silly girl! I've noticed, too, that she isn't really sucking on her fingers as somewhat chewing on them. I think she may be in the early stages of teething. On the top gum, I can see the slightest bit of white close to the surface. My friend Shawna pointed it out to me when we were at lunch this week. Just a few days ago, I tried to introduce a teething toy as a substitute for her fingers, but Em is not quite able to hold the toy in place. In addition to her hands, she has also discovered her voice. She is becoming more vocal, especially when she is hungry. Otherwise, she is a very happy baby and is very generous with her smiles. She smiles most for her family, but she will smile at strangers, too. Here are a few of those precious smiles!

 And a few of the outtakes! :)

3 months. 13 weeks. 93 days. She was a part of our hearts even before that, but it is hard to believe how fast the time has gone by. We are looking forward to the fun ahead in month 4!