Dear Gabriel,
This week you turned three months old! I cannot believe the time has passed so quickly. However, there are days that seem to never end. You weigh fourteen pounds and are a little over two feet long! You wear anywhere from three month to 3-6 month clothes. I can't believe you're that big!
We call you many names. Obviously the standards like Gabriel, Gabe, and Gabey. I also call you Gabey Baby, Lovey, Lovey Bear, Chunk, Chunkers, Chunk-a-licious. I'll sometimes refer to you as Porker. :)
You are nursing exclusively and I hardly remember a time when you weren't. I wouldn't have it any other way. It's such a special time for us to spend with one another. Just this month you started the most darling thing: in the past when you were done eating you would just fall asleep. You still do that, but sometimes you make eye contact with me and smile. Every now and then, you'll coo and laugh. That's the most wonderful thing. The struggle to nurse - the pumping, the bottles, the sore nipples - were completely worth this outcome.
We nurse whenever you want. Sometimes you want it a lot, often, and sometimes you will go hours without being near me. I believe in nursing in public so I nurse wherever we are. I refuse to nurse you I'm a bathroom - would I eat in a bathroom? Never!
I also stopped using the nursing cover. It's so hot here in San Antonio right now, you would just get so frustrated. So far, I've had no negative experiences with people being offended by my brazen display.
Very temporarily we went through a phase of trying to manipulate your sleep. It had to do with this idea I got that surely there was someway you could be getting better sleep. It's not like you were getting bad sleep. I just, for some reason, thought you could stand to get better/longer/deeper sleep. After a week or so of failed attempts to fulfil this idea - which involved lots of tracking of your habits, lots of frustration with you, with me, with Dad - I decided it wasn't the route I wanted to take. This tired, frustrated person was not the parent I wanted to be. I blamed you for not sleeping like all these other people thought you should.
Instead, I brought you into our bed. You sleep with me and it's been the most wonderful thing. You fall asleep in my arms, nursing, and I just roll you over and we face one another while we sleep. I wake when you stir, wanting to eat or having fussy dreams or gas, and I get to comfort you or nurse you. I also get to wake up next to you. Each morning when you finally open your eyes and look at me, you smile. I say, "Good morning! I love you! I missed you while you were asleep!" And we lay in bed and smile and play with one another.
Then I change you diaper, dress you, and put you in the bouncer while I shower and get ready. You like this most days. I always make sure the bouncer is placed so you can see me and I'll talk to you and dance around to entertain you. After I'm ready, we head downstairs where we play while I eat breakfast. When I'm done with breakfast, you eat your breakfast and fall asleep for your morning nap.
If we stay home in the morning, you'll usually sleep until around noon. Sometimes we do our errands in the morning. Often you'll sleep while I grocery shop and drive around, but lately you've been staying awake when we're out and about. You're super interested in what's going on around us.
Daddy comes home every day at lunch and he plays with you while I eat. You nurse down soon after he leaves. You wake up around four and we talk and play together before Daddy gets home at 5:15. Daddy plays with you much of the evening and we go for walks most nights. You and Daddy take a bath every night before bed - it's one of your favorite times of day.
You started smiling like crazy this month. It has made all the hard work from the first two months worth it. We've even gotten a couple of chuckles out of you. You think things are funny, which means much of our time is spent trying to get you to smile and laugh. You love when Daddy whistles at you and when I sing to you. You particularly enjoy "Daisy, Daisy" but I sing it "Gabey Baby."
You've become super alert and will look around and watch what's going on around you. You just started getting to where you can play alone. We got you a play mat and a jumperoo to bounce and you love them. You watch the dancing lights and grasp and bat at the little toys. It's a great advancement.
When we go shopping the afternoon, you won't take your afternoon nap. You insist on looking around the whole time and taking in the sights, sounds, and smells. Your dad and I joke that you believe people only exist to smile at you and tell you you're adorable.
And that's pretty much true. :)
We love you,
Mommy and Daddy
This week you turned three months old! I cannot believe the time has passed so quickly. However, there are days that seem to never end. You weigh fourteen pounds and are a little over two feet long! You wear anywhere from three month to 3-6 month clothes. I can't believe you're that big!
We call you many names. Obviously the standards like Gabriel, Gabe, and Gabey. I also call you Gabey Baby, Lovey, Lovey Bear, Chunk, Chunkers, Chunk-a-licious. I'll sometimes refer to you as Porker. :)
You are nursing exclusively and I hardly remember a time when you weren't. I wouldn't have it any other way. It's such a special time for us to spend with one another. Just this month you started the most darling thing: in the past when you were done eating you would just fall asleep. You still do that, but sometimes you make eye contact with me and smile. Every now and then, you'll coo and laugh. That's the most wonderful thing. The struggle to nurse - the pumping, the bottles, the sore nipples - were completely worth this outcome.
We nurse whenever you want. Sometimes you want it a lot, often, and sometimes you will go hours without being near me. I believe in nursing in public so I nurse wherever we are. I refuse to nurse you I'm a bathroom - would I eat in a bathroom? Never!
I also stopped using the nursing cover. It's so hot here in San Antonio right now, you would just get so frustrated. So far, I've had no negative experiences with people being offended by my brazen display.
Very temporarily we went through a phase of trying to manipulate your sleep. It had to do with this idea I got that surely there was someway you could be getting better sleep. It's not like you were getting bad sleep. I just, for some reason, thought you could stand to get better/longer/deeper sleep. After a week or so of failed attempts to fulfil this idea - which involved lots of tracking of your habits, lots of frustration with you, with me, with Dad - I decided it wasn't the route I wanted to take. This tired, frustrated person was not the parent I wanted to be. I blamed you for not sleeping like all these other people thought you should.
Instead, I brought you into our bed. You sleep with me and it's been the most wonderful thing. You fall asleep in my arms, nursing, and I just roll you over and we face one another while we sleep. I wake when you stir, wanting to eat or having fussy dreams or gas, and I get to comfort you or nurse you. I also get to wake up next to you. Each morning when you finally open your eyes and look at me, you smile. I say, "Good morning! I love you! I missed you while you were asleep!" And we lay in bed and smile and play with one another.
Then I change you diaper, dress you, and put you in the bouncer while I shower and get ready. You like this most days. I always make sure the bouncer is placed so you can see me and I'll talk to you and dance around to entertain you. After I'm ready, we head downstairs where we play while I eat breakfast. When I'm done with breakfast, you eat your breakfast and fall asleep for your morning nap.
If we stay home in the morning, you'll usually sleep until around noon. Sometimes we do our errands in the morning. Often you'll sleep while I grocery shop and drive around, but lately you've been staying awake when we're out and about. You're super interested in what's going on around us.
Daddy comes home every day at lunch and he plays with you while I eat. You nurse down soon after he leaves. You wake up around four and we talk and play together before Daddy gets home at 5:15. Daddy plays with you much of the evening and we go for walks most nights. You and Daddy take a bath every night before bed - it's one of your favorite times of day.
You started smiling like crazy this month. It has made all the hard work from the first two months worth it. We've even gotten a couple of chuckles out of you. You think things are funny, which means much of our time is spent trying to get you to smile and laugh. You love when Daddy whistles at you and when I sing to you. You particularly enjoy "Daisy, Daisy" but I sing it "Gabey Baby."
You've become super alert and will look around and watch what's going on around you. You just started getting to where you can play alone. We got you a play mat and a jumperoo to bounce and you love them. You watch the dancing lights and grasp and bat at the little toys. It's a great advancement.
When we go shopping the afternoon, you won't take your afternoon nap. You insist on looking around the whole time and taking in the sights, sounds, and smells. Your dad and I joke that you believe people only exist to smile at you and tell you you're adorable.
And that's pretty much true. :)
We love you,
Mommy and Daddy
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