Happy 3 months, Mara!

Evidently, running about a week late on date sensitive posts such as these is going to be my issue.  I guess that's  just how it is going to go.  As I type this, my sweet three month old baby girl is cooing and kicking under the play mat, reaching and swatting at the purple bug that hangs from it.  She loves to be on the floor playing, as long as someone is close by to her so that she can elicit smiles and giggles from us to copy.

Mara is still just as sweet (maybe even more so) as she was last month when I wrote.  Her personality seems to be developing into quite a happy, content disposition.  She certainly lets me know when she is hungry, bored or tired, but she doesn't seem to fuss for the sake of fussing.  This is new to me.  And oh my goodness do I appreciate it.

Her weight challenges continue.  I took her to the doctor last week after suspecting that she wasn't gaining any additional weight.  And I was right.  (This was one of those times that I was really hoping to be wrong!)  In a little less than two weeks, she had gained from 8 lb 11 oz to 9 lb even.  5 oz.  Not enough.  Apparently the minimum acceptable weight gain is .5 oz per day on average, and we weren't making the grade.  So, we were advised to continue breastfeeding, but to supplement two feedings per day with 2 oz of formula. So far  she seems to be doing OK accepting the formula, and often will take 1 oz.  Her spitting up is improving, and I do think she is gaining some.  I've had to purchase a scale to use here at home to monitor her weight gain, easily paid for by not having to pay our portion of the doctor visit to have her weighed every few days.

She is wearing mostly 0-3 or 3 month clothes and has finally entered the world of size 1 diapers.  I was beginning to wonder if we were ever going to get there!

With the help of her miracle blanket, she is sleeping pretty well.  She usually will sleep 5 hours the first stretch, and then go every 3 hours after that.  I am still to be waking her every 4 hours, but that sometimes works and sometimes doesn't depending on her mood and how sleepy she is.  But we're doing our best.

We get lots and lots of smiles.  Some pretty fantastic giggles and lots of oohs and aahs out of her lately, and we're loving every minute of that.  We certainly have been blessed.