I can’t believe Marina is almost 3 months old, and that we are through the “4th Trimester” already! Isn’t this when things start getting fun? Nah, just kidding, the last 12 weeks with my little angel have been a blast and I can’t wait to see what’s next in store for us. I won’t be doing updates like this quite as often anymore, but will hopefully be sharing updates at big milestones like 6 and 12 months. Thanks for reading so far!
How big is Marina?
Not sure, our next weigh in is at 16 weeks… but I think she’s about 10 lbs now! She is just starting to fit into her 0-3 month clothing and
What is her sleep schedule like?
I wish I could say we made progress since the 8 week Postpartum update, but it’s really still the same old thing. She still isn’t sleeping through the night, and we don’t really expect her to for a month more. However, we have started moving her into her nursery after her first feed, which is like 3-4am, and then we try to have her sleep in there to get used to the space. It is a lot darker in her nursery in the early morning, so sometimes it seems to help, but then other days she’s up to her usual antics at 5am. We are going to Hawaii next week and would appreciate any help on acclimating a baby to a time change. We are thinking about slowly moving out her bedtime a little this week in preparation- what do you think? Has anyone ever tried that before with success?
What are her likes/dislikes?
She still doesn’t like napping very much, but she is learning to appreciate her toys/electronic babysitters  a lot more. She used to fight off the bouncer (I think she was too small) but now she likes the vibrations and cries when it shuts off. She is absolutely in LOVE with her baby gym (shared below). That thing can seriously keep her entertained for a good 20-30 minutes which is like hours for mommy!
She is also loving going on walks more these days, although we take her with the intent of getting her to nap, and instead she looks around at anything and everything she can. Even when we cover her up her eyes are wide open, watching the shadows of trees and houses passing over her.
The other thing she loves is her FIST! She keeps trying to get the entire thing in her mouth, which I’m not sure is a sign of sucking her thumb, early teething, or what. It’s pretty funny though, because it goes to show you how you don’t need to spend a lot of money on things right away because babies don’t need much!
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What about her developmental milestones?
Physically, Marina seems to be doing well! She is able to lift her head very high during tummy time, which inevitably leads her to rolling over onto her back. Luckily we still have awhile to go before she can roll back to front, but she’s moving so much that I think it’s coming sooner rather than later!
The big question I ask myself daily is whether or not she recognizes me and Mr. R. I know she recognize my smell, but she doesn’t smile or show preference to us as opposed to other people in her life. She definitely smiles when we un-swaddle her in the morning or after a nap, but in general she’s a pretty serious baby. I hate to say it, but I do look forward to the one day when Mommy is the only one who can make it better. I’m sure I will get sick of it pretty quickly, but at the same time you want that validation from your baby, right?
There has been a big change in her focus and attention span in the last month. She now sees high contrast toys a lot more, and will stare at something high contrast for several minutes before turning away, like she is studying it. I particularly enjoy how much she loves when I walk her around her nursery so that she can stare at the walls, which is helpful during diaper changes. I now feel like I know how to play with her, whereas a month ago nothing really enticed her. It makes designating play time and finding ways to keep her stimulated a lot easier. I’ve listed her 3 favorite toys below!
What am I feeling Physically/Mentally?
I had surgery on my knee just over one week ago so the fitness part of my recovery has stalled. I lost 2/3 of the weight through breastfeeding and natural release of fluids over the first 2 months, but have flatlined with 10 pounds to go to get to my pre-baby weight. I am not convinced that I will get there without dieting, because my usual afternoon snack of cookies and pie for dessert habit I developed while pregnant is most likely the culprit in the first place. I try to do strength training exercises every other day for my abs and arms, but given the situation with my knee it might be a while before any cardio happens.
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Jonathan Adler Sensory Play Gym – I of course wanted the Jonathan Adler version of a play gym because it’s the only Jonathan Adler pieces we can afford ;) Regardless, Marina loves the rotating colored lights especially in the morning when it’s still a little dark in her room, and is just starting to hit the hanging items. I used the stuffed animal rattles with her from birth at tummy time, which did seem to help her learn to turn her head, and now they are fun for her to touch. All around must have!
Friendly Faces in the Yard Cloth Book – My friend Laura gifted me this black and white cloth book and I love it! I can drape it over my shoulder when I’m holding her in my lap, I can prop it up for tummy time and I can drape it over the play gym for even more things to look at. The fact that it’s cloth allows me to use it in so many ways- genius!
Art Cards For Baby – I am not sure who bought these for us because the Amazon delivery did not come with a card (so if you bought them for us, please let me know- I’m sorry!) and we use them all the time. Marina seems mesmerized by the designs, especially the Cat, Snail and Fish, which are striped, spiral and polka dotted, respectively. I’m sure she will grow out of them fast but for now they are an easy way for us to play with her and know she’s being stimulated!
As for our other favorite clothing and baby gear, we are still using all of the items from her 4 Week Update and 8 Week Update!
