Three Months

Riley is three months old! I don’t have any official stats since he doesn’t go back to Dr. B until next month, but the boy is becoming quite a chunker. I love squeezing his chubby little legs! Here are some other things I’d like to remember about this past month.

• He’s up to 4-5 ounces at most feedings. We started supplementing with formula at the beginning of November because my milk supply was no longer keeping up with what he was taking in. And I officially stopped pumping last Friday, the 26th. I’m glad I was able to go the full 12 weeks like I wanted to, but I most definitely will not miss having to pump. Riley is now mostly getting the frozen milk supply I had built up, with the occasional ounce of formula here and there.
• He still gets fussy in the evenings, but the really bad afternoon fussiness only lasted a few days, thank God. As long as we’re standing up while we hold him during his fussy times, he’s usually okay. (The second we attempt to sit down, though, he starts to squirm!) And he’s still sleeping great, only waking up in the middle of the night a few nights a week on account of gas. We had a bad few nights in week 12 when he would wake up multiple times and not settle back down, but that’s all. We’re giving him Little Tummys drops a few times during the day to help, but they don’t give him complete relief.
• We attempted to transition him out of his swaddle at the end of week 11 by leaving one arm free at night. It worked okay, but I think the combination of that new sensation and his gas just didn’t work. Plus a few times we found that he had somehow managed to wedge himself into a corner of his crib and that upset him, too. So he’s back in the swaddle completely. We need to stick with trying to wean him out of them soon, though….they’re getting too small! He has also graduated to size 3-6 month clothes.
• His cradle cap seems to be under control, but he has developed pretty bad eczema starting in weeks 11-12. It’s most pronounced on his left cheek, but it’s also apparent elsewhere on his face, his chest, and most recently on his arms. We’re putting Aveeno Baby lotion on the bad spots a few times a day, as per Nurse Amy. Not sure it’s really helping, though. I HATE the way the eczema looks, but it doesn’t seem to bother him at all. I’ll just have to hope it goes away soon!
• He’s smiling at us regularly now, and he’s starting to laugh out loud a bit. I first heard his little giggle on November 5, but Kenny heard it a few days earlier. I can’t wait until it becomes a regular thing because it’s just so darn cute. In the meantime I’m continuing to enjoy his “conversations” with me (or, more often, himself). He also loves when Kenny and Nopsi talk like Donald Duck to him.
• He recently started to discover his hands and LOVES sucking on his fingers (see video below). In fact, lots of times he’ll get practically his whole fist in his mouth! He’s also become a drool machine. And his hair is a constant battle: it’s not sure which direction it wants to go, and I am constantly trying to tame it. It’s actually quite curly when it’s wet and presents quite a challenge after he has a bath. Oh well. He’s getting very close to needing his second haircut!
• He continues to excel at tummy time. And in week 12 he started to stand up on our laps while we hold his hands for short periods of time. He definitely lets us know when he’s tired of being on his back. He’s getting some good use out of those chubby legs of his! On the other hand, I’m afraid he’s destined to become a couch potato: the boy loves watching television. And I’m not sure he cares what’s on. He’s totally absorbed in the movement, whether it be football, Grey’s Anatomy, or Star Wars. He’s becoming more aware of lots of things, like toys, vivid colors and designs, other people’s hands, etc. It’s so fun to watch him discover all of the things around him. I can’t wait to plop him in front of a decorated Christmas tree and see what happens!

Here’s his 3 month pic (we had to improvise a bit since we weren’t at home), as well as a video of him cramming his fist into his mouth.