aiden + mommy three months update!

(to give an idea of size, that is the same picture frame shown in my 28 week bumpdate)

THREE MONTHS

I'll be doing monthly updates like this for Aiden's first year. Aiden is currently 15 weeks old! Things have been understandably a little crazy the last while. Being a new mom and trying to figure things out keeps me pretty busy, so forgive me that I'm not on any kind of blogging schedule for now. (: 

Here's how our third month has been!

MOMMY

Recovery: If I exercise strenuously, my hip joints/ligaments tend to ache in the days following that. Aside from that, I would reach as far to say that I am fully "recovered" from labor and delivery, so as time goes on the "mommy" update section will get shorter and shorter and these posts will become increasingly more about little Aiden. (: 

Body:
Nursing has become so much easier now. I rarely have to worry about what color shirt I'm wearing unless I know we may be away from home for a long period of time in one day. My tummy skin is still Pillsbury dough-y but what can you do? I just hope that eventually my skin will go back to its normal tightness instead of being akin to the likes of Flubber... I'm not really sure why I always use this part of the updates to date myself so that no one born after the millennium has a single clue what I'm talking about.

Guess what?! I have two (count 'em, two! 1, 2) pairs of jeans that fit*! Yessssssss. One pair is a really thin, stretchy pair that very well could bust at its seams on me any old day and I would then re-live that oft-wrought drama of having ripped pants in public. The other pair is my biggest, slouchiest, pair of boyfriend jeans. That pair was the last pair that fit me while I was pregnant, so it makes sense that it's the first pair that fits me post-partum. Those jeans fit me until I was 20 weeks pregnant, and Aiden has been out of my tummy for 15 weeks...so... that has to be good, right? Haha
*"fit", here meaning, "physically capable of getting them on". 

My hair is definitely falling out holy cowabunga how is this much hair loss even possible. Let's talk. I have curly hair. Unruly, curly, frizzy hair. And a new baby. I'm not sure if you're aware, but put those two things together, and your hair doesn't get acquainted with a comb as often as it probably should. (Curly hair + comb = looking like a poodle in Florida humidity. As far as the baby goes, I hear about new moms who "sometimes don't get to take a shower every day!" and I go cross-eyed at the word "sometimes".) On the one in every three days that I do get to brush my hair, and what a luxury that poodly state can be, I throw out a ball of hair that is literally the size of a baseball. This has been going on for five weeks now. How I'm not completely bald yet is beyond my lowly human comprehension. And yes, I find it mildly disturbing that this kind of thing amuses me these days. 

Exercise/Weight loss:
Total pregnancy weight gain: 36 pounds
Total weight loss: 27 pounds
Weight to lose for pre-baby weight: 9 pounds

Lately I haven't been going on walks as often as I could...I've been really busy around the house but I know to an extent I should be putting off the stuff that's currently keeping me busy until Winter so that I can get out and enjoy Summer as much as possible. Because something tells me I won't be going on walks as often when it's minus 30-40 degrees outside. (: 

But where we haven't been spending time going on walks as often, we've been spending time at the beach! We live within a very short walking distance of a beach at the lake that's just across from where we live. We've gotten to go a handful of times so far! It's really nice sitting out in the sun and

the sand. Aiden likes dipping his toes in the water and wiggling them around in the wet sand at the shore (: Jason and I take turns holding him so the other can swim and we've also had our friends watch Aiden so that Jason and I can swim together. (:

I am trying to make more of an effort to do work out videos at home especially when it's rainy out. We've been having lots of thunder/lightning storms lately so that's my excuse to do videos instead. I try to do weights and cardio. And as Aiden grows, he becomes a weight himself! I've done squats while holding him, shoulder presses, bicep curls...haha.  I also started doing push ups over him - I'll have him lay on his back on a blanket and I do push-ups and I kiss him on the forehead as I let myself down. He loves all the interaction and I get a good work-out! And I can tell my muscles are in dire need of working out because my hamstrings are still sore from a work out I did a week ago.

Emotions:
I think I've gone back to being a little more emotional again. Some days I really have to fight my emotions and it can feel like slowly losing an uphill battle against my anxiety. I try to remind myself of Aiden's middle name, River, to help me be strong for him. His name is my battle cry to be strong and trust in God so I can be the best mom I can be for him.

Says the Lord,
"Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by your name, 
You are mine.
When you pass through the waters,  
I will be with you;
and through the rivers, 
they shall not overflow you.
When you walk through the fire, 
you shall not be burned,
Nor shall the flame scorch you.
For I am the Lord your God,
The Holy One of Israel, your Savior.
Since you were precious in My sight,
You have been honored,
And I have loved you."
Isaiah 43:1-4

AIDEN

Height/Weight:
At three months Aiden is 25 1/2 inches long and 14 pounds 10 ounces. At his two month check up he was in the 50th percentile for weight and the 85th percentile for height! I did a quick online check of his current height and weight (for three months) and the percentiles are about the same still (: We've always had a feeling he was going to be a tall guy...between all the tall men on Jason's side of the family and Aiden's big feet from day one...one of these days I know this kid will be towering over me! And now he has officially doubled his birth weight! It's so hard to believe he's twice the weight he was when he was born...I almost have a hard time looking at his itty-bitty baby pictures because it's insane how little he used to be and how fast he's growing. It makes my heart twist into knots!

Refresher course:
+ At his two month check up he was 24 1/4 inches long and 13 pounds 7 ounces
+ At one month he was 22 inches long and 10 pounds 8 ounces.
+ At birth he was 20 1/2 inches long and 6 pounds 14 ounces.

2 weeks / 7 weeks / 15 weeks

Hair/Eye color:
His eyes are still very blue! Sometimes I almost think I see other colors peeking through, but it could be due to lighting conditions or reflections. His hair color is still the same as mine and just as confusing to nail down as ever! Haha. If you look at it from any angle, it's blonde. Unless you look at it from above, then it's brown. Unless you look at him in sunlight, then it's red. 

Routine:
This really hasn't changed too much. He will go to bed around 9:30, wake around 3am to nurse, then 6 and 7 am to nurse. He usually sleeps long enough after that feeding for me to have breakfast and do a couple things around the house like getting a load of laundry started and get a couple things put away. Then he's up for the day! If it's a day where he won't skip any of his naps, he will have his first nap by 2:30, then another around 6-7. Each nap (on a good day) lasts two hours except for the one first thing in the morning. On most weekdays he will get a bath either before or after his late afternoon nap. This helps eliminate that late evening boredom/fussiness that he seems to get. And then he's out by 9:30 again! 

Sleeping:
He hasn't been sleeping as much the last few weeks because of an exciting time of life otherwise known as teething! Thankfully he still sleeps through the night really well, but it's pretty hit or miss if he sleeps at all during the day. One day he'll still have his morning cat nap and the two-two hour naps. But the next day he may only have two or three 20 minute naps and that's it. That can make it a little more difficult to plan what you are going to (try to) accomplish in a day. But I know it's just for a season and I get more time to play with him if he does sleep less and I can comfort him if his gums are hurting (and baby snuggles are the best). If he skips his morning cat nap, he's usually content enough to at least watch me eat my breakfast, haha. Pictured left: An elusive pair of jeans in their natural habitat.

Eating:
I don't know if too much has changed here either. What I do know is Aiden is a growing boy and eats a lot - and often - so much so that nursing is no longer a forethought and is something that I just do without even needing to think about it. I've even rounded up the courage to nurse in public*! 
*with a cover

Clothing sizes:
At the start of next week, I will be moving Aiden out of his 0-3 month clothing and into his 3-6 month clothes! I can't believe it's already time to switch out his wardrobe again. While I am excited for him to have a different set of clothes to wear, it also makes me sad! When I pulled out all of the newborn clothes from his dresser a while ago, I had only laid them out on one of the bookcases in his room until I could free up a storage tub to put them in. Well, I freed up a storage tub recently...and now his newborn clothes are in a 18 gallon tub waiting for the 0-3 month clothes to join them. As if unloading the baby clothes from his dresser wasn't hard enough - packing them away where they will no longer be seen until (if and when) we have another baby boy is even harder! I laid out one of my favorite newborn sleepers next to him while I was packing them up...and the feet on the newborn sleeper only reach Aiden's knees! 

Left: Aiden. Right: Newborn Sleeper.

I was texting Jason while I was doing this - and I looked over at Aiden, who was now rolled over onto his tummy and lifting his head higher than he ever had before, and said (as I sent these pictures), "Look at him! He's already running marathons! Tomorrow he will be going off to live in some big city and marry some girl he's fallen head over heels in love with." 
And then I proceeded to start bawling my eyes out. 

Children growing out of their clothes is a very hard thing. As a compromise, I didn't pack away his "coming home from the hospital" onesie. I hung it on a doll hanger and added it to the peg-board collage that is above his changing table so I can see it and how small he was all the time. 

Developments:
+ He can lift his head very high during tummy time. He's getting so strong!

+ He has completely mastered rolling over from his back onto his tummy and is working very hard to roll over from his belly to his back! He almost has it figured out (: 
+ He reaches out for Jason or I when he wants one of us

+ He can stand (his balance supported by a hand or two) for several minutes at a time, holding his entire body weight
+ Turns out when I was starting to think he was teething last month...I was right! He has started teething! For several weeks now he's been yanking at his ear and now that he has the whole fist-in-mouth thing figured out, he gums on his fingers to help with the pain. He will also gum on some of his teething toys to help too. We can see the bottom two front teeth through his gums but they have not broken through just yet. I don't think it will be too much longer though. For now, he's still my toothless little old man! (: 
+ He's gotten really good at grabbing and holding onto toys if they are within reach
+ He laughs now! It's still a somewhat rare occurrence - maybe a couple times a week at the most, but when he laughs, boy does he laugh! And it's totally contagious. You can't help but laugh when he does.

General Preferences: 
(*Salutes* "General Preferences")
+ He still loves bath time and we still co-bathe for every bath.
+ Putting everything in his mouth! Toys, fists, he's working hard to figure out how to get his toes in his mouth too! haha
+ Sucking in his bottom lip - he just started doing this this week and it's the cutest thing ever! He's my little turtle dove ♡
+ Snuggles are his favorite way to fall asleep
+ He loves being outside and putting his feet and hands in new textures (grass, sand, water). 
+ He likes to stand! We should get him a jolly jumper - he loves being on his feet! Last month he liked sitting upright (while being held or propped up of course) but now that's no longer exciting and adventurous enough haha
+ Sleeping in our bed
+ Looking at water, especially in my water bottle! I think it's the "upside down spoon effect" of looking at water through clear plastic that intrigues him so much.

+ He's very bashful! For example, if I'm holding him and Jason says "Hello!", once Aiden makes eye contact, he smiles really big and buries his face into my shoulder. He does this with everyone. He even does this at the sight of his own reflection! haha
+ Seeing himself in a mirror
+ Being a goofball and making funny faces! I'm not sure where he gets it from! 
Ah, who am I kidding.

Me / Aiden

+ Bob the Lobster! It's a little toy he has from an activity gym I got him. Every time I have it out, he reaches for it and then proceeds to snuggle it with his arm. It is. SO cute.

+ Looking down - at his feet, at the ground, at your shirt, shorts, whatever, then when you call his name and he looks you in the eyes, gets really bashful and smiles and looks back down again (:

+ Petting our cats! We have two cats that have been pretty stand-offish about the one who "can become loud at any second" counterpart that we brought home one day without warning (that's how they probably see it anyway) so I haven't really let Aiden get too close to them until recently. It's only now they have started to take an interest in him here and there. So I help him pet the cats. And when he rubs his drooly, clenched fists against their soft fur, not only does he come back with about a fist full of their hair, but it will give him a huge grin. It's enough so make your heart melt into a puddle!
+ When you play with his feet - especially "Who took your feet? Can I keep them?" Haha
+ When you get real close and say "boo!", then lean away from him, and repeat. That one is usually a laugh-maker! 
+ He enjoys looking at all the decorations on the peg board wall over his changing table while I change his diaper
+ High contrast patterns - he will completely zone out looking at a shirt, blanket, or toy if it has an interesting pattern on it

What we've been up to:
+ We celebrated Aiden's first Canada Day and first Fourth of July (fun fact - Aiden is a dual citizen). On Canada Day, we went to Jason's brother's house and Jason helped with a big yard project they had going on, and Aiden and I visited with his cousins and his Auntie Mary Beth! (: On the 4th of July we watched the parade in town (that he totally slept through haha) and then we hung out in the park for a while with some of our friends. We watched the fireworks that evening...and again Aiden slept through it haha
+ I planned a super secretive photo shoot with Aiden to make a special Father's Day gift. (I will have a short blog on this soon! I know it's late since Father's Day was almost a month ago, but when you have a baby and get to do a DIY project every now and again, you're proud of it! haha)
+ Jason's first Father's Day and totally surprising him with his gift!
+ Our first several times going to the beach this Summer, and Jason and I swam in the lake! We swam out to the dock slide and Jason went off of it a number of times in a number of somewhat dangerous positions. I went down the slide once and that was enough for me, haha. But I loved going swimming!

+ Jason and I went on our first "just the two of us" date since Aiden was born. We saw Inside Out and you know I was crying thinking about my baby because parenting changes the way you see life entirely.
+ Aiden got to meet his newest cousin, Savanna! He looked very confused to see me holding another baby, but he was equally intrigued to see someone even smaller than himself!
+ Co-bathing
+ Co-sleeping
+ I got a sunburn at the beach! Back home, I never get sunburned. All I do is get brown because I'm Armenian and Portuguese. But the sun is so much more direct in Minnesota than California... So what would normally give me a nice, even tan back home gave me the most horrendous shorts tan on one leg ever. It is literally a stripe on my leg that literally looks like the difference between chocolate and vanilla ice cream. #why 
Also, how to use literally in a sentence, twice.

+ Aiden has been enjoying using the kiddie pool we got him on our back deck. The water gets so nice and warm since it's so close to the house, it's just like taking a bath for him! Except it's outside and he's in a swim diaper. Haha

---

As always, you can check out more of our adventures (with frequent updates) 

by following me on instagram - @marlyssa

Happy three months, baby boy. You are growing so big and strong and it's all going by so fast. I wish there was a way to slow time so I could treasure these moments with you in the present for even longer.
Your daddy and I love you to the moon and back!