Tuesday 8 May 2018

Dani 3 months

Our baby girl is 3 months, and so cuddly and fun!  This is such a super snuggly age: old enough to not be too wobbly but little enough to fit perfectly in the crook of my arm.






I’ve bern writing this when I have a chance in my phone. Haphazard bullet points it is: 
  • Dani learned to suck her thumb. I joke that she has accomplished her first life goal because she has been trying so hard for weeks. Not sure how I feel about thumb sucking in general but I have to give her “thumbs up” for persistence anyway. AJ also learned to suck her thumb at the same age but interestingly lost interest in it shortly after. Dani does seem to like to self soothe though, so she might be a longer term commitment.


  • Smiles and laughs. It’s wonderful to see her sheer joy at being in the world. 
  • Wearing 6 month size clothes 
  • Favourite toy is a knotted ribbon I call the jellyfish.  It was on one of her shower presents and she can be entertained for long periods of time watching it dangled over her head.



  • Enjoys music, lately the musical “Cats”. Why Cats? Well we were playing with the jellyfish, (see above) and that brought to mind jellicle cats, so I played her a couple of songs and she seemed to like them, so now we regularly listen to the whole soundtrack. I like the poetry, the variety in instrumentation, and the general playful absurdity of it.
  • Dani likes to be upright and tries to sit up. Increasingly I hold her in a supported seated position. 
  • Loves being sung to and having her feet played with while we sing a song: eg hokey pokey, wheels on the bus, this is the way we ride our bicycle, if you’re happy and you know it
  • Sleep is getting a bit rougher? Dani was sleeping through the night consistently, but the past couple of weeks have seem more early morning and middle of the night wake ups.  Perhaps it is the warmer weather which makes it harder  to get cozy without being hot? She will quickly go back to sleep after a feed but I have not been able to get back to sleep as easily, so I have had long wakeful periods at night. It still works best to swaddle Dani’s arms in in the Halo sleep sack, but she will outgrow the swaddle soon I think. So there could be more challenges on the horizon.
  • Brings hand together, can hold a toy kind of and tries to bring it to her mouth. She is opening and closing her fingers and appears to be using them to grasp.
  • Rolls onto her side 
  • Lifting head slightly during tummy time. She can fairly easily move it from side to side now.
  • Watches and listens while AJ tells her a story. Dani really does seem to like her big sister. AJ is very affectionate with her and I encourage her to talk to and interact with her little sister.

     
  • Diagnosed with mild hip dyplasia in her right hip. The screening is protocol for all breech babies, and being female increases the risk.  I am currently waiting to hear back for consult with orthopaedic surgeon. At this age the interventions are non surgical from what I have read. I’m hoping it is no big deal, but I’m still disappointed she has it as I’d convinced myself she didn’t and the screening was only a precaution.
  • I feel like Dani’s emotions are more intense than AJ’s. She shows happiness much of the time but when she is displeased the fury rains down on the just and the unjust. Other family members also have difficulty soothing her: it usually has to be me (and my boobs). Mr Turtle can also do a pretty good job short term if he lets her suck his finger.
  • Dani enjoys her bath and we have also taken her to the swimming pool a few times. She enjoys splashing in the warm water of the shallow kiddie pool. Both the girls have a fun time there though I find it a bit revolting: there were unidentified brown particulates floating in the water once for example. Also AJ likes to point to things on the floor and say “What’s that Mommy?” I finally told her that if she kept pointing out to me what was on the floor, we might never come to the pool again.
  • Outside time is still enjoyed. Dani has not been too fond of the mei tai so mostly we use the stroller. She will still sleep in the stroller though not as much as she used to. Still it’s highly likely on any given day that she has her nap outside. She also seems to enjoy the playpen outside so we will likely do more of that.
In summary, I am just so happy our baby girl chose to manifest in our family a year ago. Already memory is editing the past and it’s hard to imagine a time when she wasn’t here (though the blog does help preserve the record of those times, with their questions and uncertainties.) I am simultaneously trying to savour every moment and so excited for what is to come.

12 comments:

  1. So cute! I love the picture of AJ reading Dani a story. Sounds like things are going well.

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    1. Yes I think so! Our day to day is lots of fun.

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  2. She’s adorable! So glad that all is well, including mastering skills like thumb sucking (not trivial!).

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    1. Thumb sucking is definitely not trivial to Dani. I have to say she has mellowed a bit since she’s learned to self soothe.

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  3. I always think this period (about 3-6 months) is the most fun, too... baby is starting to be aware of what's going on around them, but is not mobile enough to get into things, lol. ;) Enjoy!

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    1. Haha! Yes....AJ didn’t crawl till 10 months or walk on her own till till 18. So we kinda lucked out there. I somehow think this one will be on the move sooner.

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  4. Love this update...so much sweetness with babes this age! I ADORE her thumb sucking picture...it’s sort of ironic because out of 5 kids, 4 self-soothed in that way (one thimb sucker, 2 finger suckers, and one lip sucker) the only one who never did is the only one who still doesn’t sleep well, even at 4. He’s maaaybe slept all through the night like twice in his whole life. So I truly believe there is something to be said about it.
    Such a sweet picture of sisters reading together!

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    1. It is the cutest age! I can’t believe how much Dani had turned on the charm machine in just the last week. And her adorable vocalizations...she has an accent. That’s good to hear about self soothing lol. I do hope she outgrows it at some point before a year old but it does seem to be serving her well at the moment: I can actually put her down for a nap and she will slowly fall asleep on her own. I have to make sure she is fed though otherwise she sucks and fusses and wakes up.

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  5. So cute!!! Congrats!!! Yes, I agree that time edits itself and it’s hard to remember a time when baby wasn’t here... time heals I guess. So do baby snuggles!

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  6. Lovely update! Mini loves trying to sit up too so I'll put her on my lap or support her. She gets frustrated doing little crunches otherwise trying to sit up by herself! She also has extreme mood changes haha! There was an issue with her hip from how she was in the womb and we had to wrap an extra nappy or cloth between her legs to keep them apart more the first few weeks until it fixed itself. I hope Dani's hip issue will be easily treated. Oh gosh, the thought of what could be in that kiddie pool... We haven't gone swimming yet but I did bring Mini into the bath with me yesterday and she loved it!

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    1. Thanks! Sounds like a few similarities. I’m not sure about the hip now: the specialist wants us to have another ultrasound because he’s not sure anything is wrong. But it’s not been scheduled...

      I need to write 4 month update soon!

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