Three Months- The Magical "THERE" Mark

What is it about that benchmark? That moment in the world of new parents when they finally feel like they're... there. Ok, I doubt many ever really feel like they're there when it comes to parenthood but when it comes to those first few months, I've repeatedly heard other moms say:

"Oh the first three months are the worst! But then, everything seems to fall into place."

Or

"You just have to get through those first three months!"

Or

"Once they hit three months..."

Etc, etc, etc.

Well, that mark has been reached! Has it been magical? Truth be told, this parenting thing has actually been pretty magical from the beginning (notice I didn't say "easy," and there have been plenty of good and not-so-good days, of course!), but I can definitely see some patterns becoming better established now. Our sweet Maelee girl is getting a bit better to read and dare I say, a bit more predictable. Maybe there's something to this 3 month thing?

(some of our favorite shots from her recent "3 Month Photo Shoot")

She seems to know what to expect for bedtime, although the actual time definitely fluctuates depending on what's going on, and she seems content to follow a fairly regular sequence throughout the day- "Eat. Active. Sleep." And repeat. The length of her daytime naps is certainly improving (will we ever be "there" in that regard???), but we thankfully subscribe to the routine over schedule line of thought anyway, otherwise the fact that each day is totally different would drive us crazy. (So maybe some days it does a little, but not all... I swear!)

Kudos to us for raising (hehe, so far) such an adaptable, good-natured kid?

HA!

Please do not get me wrong. I'm definitely not a believer that a baby's happiness/grumpiness, predictability, sensitivity, calmness/hyper-ness (?), crying amount, or anything personality-wise for that matter can be attributed to anything a parent does or doesn't do right. Thank goodness, too! Cause I'm sure we've made at least 1,000 mistakes already...

Sure, I think parents should get some credit when their older child has good manners and treats people well, etc, and there are definitely those extreme cases of neglect and abuse that could turn any baby into a sullen, sad child BUT, largely, I think babies are simply born with certain predispositions regarding temperament, inclinations, and tendencies. I'm obviously no expert, but I sometimes have to chuckle a little inside (and roll my eyes) whenever it seems parents want to take credit for their "angel" baby. And this is coming from someone who thinks their daughter is one of the sweetest, most easy going little darlings there is! I'm singing the praises to the Good Lord (and not myself) is all I'm saying! :)

(Note to self: don't get sucked in reading all the "mom-comments" in the Baby Center emails, otherwise some serious blog-ranting is sure to follow!)

But now that I've got that little disclaimer out of the way, here are some pictures throughout her third month, in chronological order:

Daddy's girl, hanging out with the Sullivans

First "Mommy Group" Outing at Central Park!

Enjoying the fresh air

"Cute Outfit Photo Shoot" later that day :)

Big day for sure- holding rattle later that night with daddy!
She has really been noticing and using those hands this month- so fun to watch:)

And somewhere during this month she started to gain control over that head!

She also got her first round of shots and didn't shed a single tear!
I think it was cause she liked the cute band-aid..

More playdates with friend, Teegan, and here with new friend, Dorothy.
She missed her times with Blake, though!

Again, "Cute Outfit Photo Shoot" earlier that same day :)

Enjoying time in her Aunt Kim's lap during her quick visit from NJ!

Big smiles for her Nana-Lin during her weekend visit

So happy together!

And mommy and daddy got to enjoy a fun date night while Nana was visiting
at a super yummy tapas restaurant, Pil Pil!

Happy 4th of July!

Our patriotic little lady


Just HAD to show you the sweet ruffles in the back! :)

Smiling for her "Auntie D" after rooting on her team
(the NL in the World Cup. They lost. She didn't seem to mind)

With Big Boy friends, James and Jack

In her jammies at the NY Philharmonic "Concert in the Park"
(mommy and daddy naively thought she'd just sleep in the stroller- ha!)

Little sweetie fell asleep in the middle of the last song :)

She didn't seem to mind the music, though!
(Hmm, wonder where she gets that from...)


Hanging out with Teegan

Grabbing at her toys and bonding with her doll!

The three big things about month three? Head. Hands. And "Haa's." It has been fun to watch her hold that head steady, move those hands like crazy, and "ha," "ga," and coo at us for huge chunks of time. We love it!!!

Once again, it took over a week to actually get this post published but the goal of sending out the announcements by 3 months has been reached! Speaking (typing?) of which, here are a few of our favorite pics from her 2-month bday, several that made it onto the announcements!






Below is a slideshow of some 2 month and 3 month "photo shoots" as well as one with more 3 month pics. There's also a link to a recent video which showcases her sweet vocal skills in a conversation with mommy.

Steve and I still can't believe that as intensely as we loved her the very first moment we saw her, we seem to just love her more and more each day. Crazy. And it really does seem to get more and more fun. We "got through those first three months" and are excited for what's in store with month four!!! (Hmmm... maybe I found a new cheesy title for the next post? J/K.)

Slideshow of 2nd and 3rd month "photo shoots:"



Slideshow of 3rd month:



Video:
http://vimeo.com/13468745
password: Maelee5

Good Things Come in Threes

Yay- this time, I'm only a week off of the 2-month mark! Although, it did take me five days to finally get this published... It's funny how long everything seems to take now. The goal is now to mail out the "baby announcement" cards before Maelee hits 3 months. Here's hoping!

Anyhow, here are some fun things from Maelee's second month:

1. Play dates with friends!

At Central Park's Turtle Pond

** Blake Elizabeth (daughter of Vinita and Kevin), and Teegan Grace (daughter of Jenn and Peter), are two of Maelee's closest friends. Blake was born two days before Maelee and Jenn was born just six days after! The girls (and especially the mommies!) have really enjoyed their afternoons together.

And we can't stop taking pictures of these three cuties!!!

Blake, Maelee, and Teegan showing off the bows their moms had just made at Jenn's
And meltdown in 3-2-1...

Even cute when they cry!!!

Just chillin' at Vinita's

Checking out the mobile in Maelee's crib (hehe, literally)

Our little dolls

** We've also enjoyed our time with big boys James, son of Desiree and Jay, and Caedmon, son of Katy and Kristian. We are going to miss Caedmon and his parents so much when they move!!! :(

James checking to see if Maelee got his text

Sad to see Katy and Caedmon go!

** More introductions!

Maelee got to meet Barbara, a good friend from Becky's old Lincoln Center job

And Enrico, Becky's good friend from Stony Brook


And some of Steve's friends from the lab
(but we only got pictures of her having fun with daddy...).

2. First trip to Alexandria, VA

**Meeting Nana-Lin's co-workers at Davis Middle School and friends from Nana-Lin's and Pop-Pop's church

With V.P. Nana!

In her Sunday best

**Having her first sleepover at Nana and Pop-Pop's while mommy and daddy enjoyed an amazing 7th anniversary celebration

So excited to get her all to themselves!

We enjoyed a delicious dinner at Brabo's and a beautiful room at the Lorien courtesy of Becky's incredibly generous parents.

Unbelievable room was about the size of our NYC apartment!


The "living" area


The bedroom
(and not pictured was a bathroom about the size of Maelee's room, and a foyer almost the size of our bedroom)

Delicious veal entree for Steve

Yummy scallops entree for Becky

And scrumptious peanut butter bar dessert, with personalized message included!

Plus a sweet surprise waiting for us when we got back to the room.

Breakfast in bed- belgian waffle with lemon creme fraiche and berries


Eggs Benedict with hash

A wonderful anniversary celebration but sooo happy to be back together!!!

**Seeing her Too-daddy and "Great Nart," Mary Catherine, over lunch.

With her loving grandparents AND great-grandparents!

On way back from her fun lunch

3. More great smiles in some stinkin' ADORABLE outfits!

(ok, so she's not really smiling and not wearing any outfits but the bath shot was too cute to resist!)

(and so was the "after bath" shot!)

Still getting a kick out of her swing

"Cute as a Bee!"

Biggest smiles for her daddy!

Although mommy can get some pretty sweet smiles, too!

Gotta love the headbands!!!

One of the big things during the 2nd month was the discovery of her ladybug mobile which she LOVES! She'll stare at it, giggling and cooing, for as long as I'll let her!!!

Still getting at kick out of that mobile

Not a smile but an adorable outfit!
At dinner with friends celebrating Father's Day.
Steve's present?
A diaper explosion that leaked through both his outer shirt and under shirt!!!


Daddy certainly forgave his sweet girl and she enjoyed a snooze in his arms, holding tightly to his finger that night.

Definitely no smiles from mommy over this picture- it was the first time our little girl spent the ENTIRE night in her own room! She did great, though, and luckily mommy and daddy are getting more and more used to it. Thank goodness for baby monitors!!!

Life with Maelee has gotten more and more fun during her second month, as we watch her become more and more aware of her surroundings and interacting more with everything. And we've finally made some headway on her daytime napping reluctance- our poor child has had to burp!!! We think little air bubbles have been keeping her quite unsettled and so far, it's helped! We'll see, though, still taking things one day at a time, but all in all, we feel quite blessed. We just adore this child!

And finally, for those who just LOVE the pictures, here's a slideshow from the 2nd month: