Skyler’s Three Month Update

And just like that, our baby boy is officially three months old!

Everyone tells you that this time with your baby goes by in the blink of an eye and they weren’t kidding. I’m typing this post up on the last night I have on maternity leave before I start working again, and I am experiencing all of the emotions. I actually couldn’t sleep last night thinking about it, and I ended up spending an hour scrolling through pictures and videos of him when he was just a few weeks old.

Okay, fine, I do that every night when he’s asleep because I miss him. I’m ridiculous.

Our Skyler is just three months old, but he has changed so, so much in that short amount of time! Today I am sharing all about Skyler’s last month with us. It picks up after his Two Month Update and includes a few fun events like his first plane ride, a vacation in Michigan, milestones, and more.

Thanks for checking in!

 

Skyler’s Three Month Update

Skyler’s three month birthday instantly transformed him from a newborn into an infant. He has become so much more alert and his personality is shining through more and more every day!

We like to say that he is a “passionate” baby because he goes from super chill to tantrum at the drop of a hat. He has extremely mellow days where all he wants to is coo and snuggle, and more challenging days where nothing seems to soothe him. That’s all part of being a baby, and I’m so thankful to be his momma, even on the harder days.

Sky is incredibly smiley all day long (don’t get me wrong – he still cries a lot – just throws us smiles between the meltdowns) and is on the verge of laughing. Right now he makes little hissing noises and opens his mouth wide like he’s pleasantly surprised. It’s the cutest thing in the world, and I hope that never ever stops.

The last month has been very eventful for all of us and included his first trip and plane ride to Michigan at 12 Weeks! I’ve received several messages on Instagram asking questions about traveling for the first time with a baby, so I’m planning on dedicating an entire post to the subject. Stay tuned for that coming up soon!

In a nutshell, Skyler did way better than I thought he would. We all survived and did it again just eight days later with a follow-up trip to Florida to see loved ones!

We were so happy to see my grandmother (who is turning 101 in August) while in Michigan, too. It was a special visit that went by way too fast.

 

Likes & Dislikes

Skyler is getting better at tummy time and we encourage him to work on strengthening his muscles longer by putting a mirror in front of him and engaging him with toys.

He is starting to follow toys and sounds around him, and is finally using his play gym for different activities throughout the day. He bats at toys and has certainly found his hands. It’s so freaking cute when he hits a toy and it surprises him by making a noise!

Skyler absolutely loves his and sleeps in it every night. We will occasionally put him in it for a daytime nap, too. It’s a total game changer and allows him to self-soothe with his hands by his face. (More on that here!)

He’s still a big fan of chest naps and so am I.

I seriously cannot get enough of them, and sometimes I will just lay with him for up to two hours if he wants to take a good nap. Knowing that I won’t always get this time with him, I’ve been soaking any cuddles he’ll give me as much as possible. And yes, that means there haven’t been as many blog posts as I’d like to type … but I don’t regret any snuggle given.

Sky loves kicking his legs and flailing his arms all over the place. He will be content for a while doing just that if he knows that I’m next to him. He loves talking to himself and “telling stories” to us. We go back and forth making noises and responding to them … we get each other. Ha!

He’s starting to tolerate the baby headphones we bought him to wear in loud environments, and I am happy to report that he has been to a few church services! I’ve been able to find quiet areas to take him when he cries, and it’s been nice to be able to nurse and change him when I need to as well. All in all, it’s worth the sometimes stressful commute to get there to see Scott interact with him during the worship portion. So, so cute!

We’ve had two professional photo sessions with Sky so far, and would swear that he knows when they’re coming. He’s been a hot, fussy mess for the majority of them – both times – but somehow the photographers managed to get a handful of great shots sans meltdowns. (I’ll be sharing more pictures from our Newborn Shoot soon, but here are a few favorites from our shoot by the Brooklyn Bridge when he was two and a half months old.)

(Photos by Lindsay Cope Photography – she’s from Orlando but is a talented destination photographer!)

(not having it – hehe)

Skyler still has some very fussy days, but overall he is a happy and sweet baby who loves to curl up and hug on us. The pets have become very comfortable around him, and I’m excited for the day when he actually figures out what and who they are.

Skyler loves to be held and would let me hold him all day long if I wanted to.

He also loves to lay on a mat or blanket and flail about! He discovered that he could move his arms this month and just started hitting his hands on toys.

It’s adorable and I’m looking forward to when he discovers his feet, too!

 

Eating/Breastfeeding

I’m still exclusively breastfeeding, despite several “I don’t think I can do this anymore” moments. Breastfeeding isn’t easy for everyone, folks. In fact, it can be pretty freaking hard. But it’s also incredible and it blows my mind how my body knows when I need to produce more, less, or extra immunity for Sky when one of us isn’t feeling great.

I still get clogged ducts, and while I have a process of successfully getting rid of them, it can take days and make me feel under the weather until they’re gone. It’s extremely annoying, time-consuming, and painful.

But, I’m sticking it out for Sky and know I can do it. I actually shared a snippet on this subject in a recent Instagram story, and a lot of you requested me to share more on what I do to fight clogged ducts and my general experience with breastfeeding. Stay tuned for that post coming soon!

Past that, feeding Sky has been great. He is on a nurse, play, sleep cycle that repeats every three hours and is nursing shorter but more efficient as time goes by. Nursing in public still isn’t my favorite, but you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do.

(flashback to this post that shares my thoughts on raising a baby in the City)

I started pumping regularly before bed since Sky started sleeping through the night (more on that below), and I have a decent freezer supply going for when I go back to work. I even took my pump with me while traveling. Times have certainly changed now that my carry on and personal items during flights are a diaper bag and breast pump bag!

 

Sleeping

With the exception of maybe two nights, Skyler has been sleeping through the night since ten weeks old!

Transitioning Sky into his crib was definitely harder for me than it was for him. Our pediatrician suggested that we move him after two months, which would help promote sleeping through the night. I wanted to wait a few weeks before giving it a try because … baby steps … but the very first night that I did was a complete success!

He made it until 4 a.m. the first night, then 4:30 a.m. the second, then all the way to 5:30 a.m. the third and here we are today with him consistently sleeping from 7:30 p.m. – 6 a.m. I think that we subconsciously kept each other awake being so close to his bassinet next to our bedside.

Skyler does best on a schedule and gets very sleepy and ready to turn in around 6:30 p.m. It was trickier when we were traveling, but I try my best to keep things consistent when we’re at home. We have our routine down and start winding down at 6:30 p.m. with a 15-20 minute walk with Roadie around the neighborhood. Sky instantly calms down when I put him in our Baby Tula Free To Grow Carrier and will usually fall asleep about halfway through the walk. This used to worry me that he might not go down as easy when it’s time for bedtime, but it hasn’t seemed to affect him much. In fact, I think it helps because he’s always happier after our walk and smiles all the way from bath time (unless it’s a cranky day all around) to story time then nursing and settling into his crib for lights out.

Before I start any of this, I dim the lights and close the blinds in our bedroom where I change him and read stories to him. Then we go into his nursery where I nurse him with the lights out, sing him a few lullabies and put him in his crib drowsy, but not asleep.

He will occasionally wake up once or twice after I put him down, but is almost always sleeping soundly by 8 p.m. This routine paired with the Love To Dream Swaddle UP (I shared more about this on Instagram) has been amazing, and I just hope that the four month sleep regression doesn’t mess everything up! *fingers crossed*

 

Postpartum Recovery

I finally started feeling more like myself around the twelve-week mark!

For the sake of convenience and getting in great workouts when I have limited time, I have been exclusively doing Orangetheory Fitness workouts paired with running outside and/or quick workout videos on YouTube when I don’t have the time or Scott to watch Skyler for either option. My goal is to work out four times a week, and I’m measuring my postpartum fitness progression by small victories instead of a number on the scale. (Read more about that and how I stay motivated here.)

Running is coming along slowly but surely. My endurance is starting to come back, and I (usually) feel comfortable running three miles without having to take too much of a break. (The two-mile mark was my nemesis for the longest time.) I don’t need to modify exercises at Orangetheory anymore (this is huge), and I’m feeling closer and closer to my pre-pregnancy self with every workout. It feels pretty amazing!

I’m still about ten-ish pounds away from my pre-pregnancy weight, but I’m totally okay with it. My body will lose the rest of the weight in its own time, and right now my focus is to stay on top of my workouts and eat healthily, but also fuel my body and let it rest when it needs to in order to produce enough of a milk supply for Skyler.

 

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We ended his third month with a trip to the pediatrician’s office. At three months old he weighed in at 11 pounds 9.6 oz that put him in the 9th percentile for weight. This actually surprised me! The doctor wasn’t worried about him being on the lower side because his number is still considered to be “normal” … so we’ll see how the next appointment goes.

I can’t remember the numbers off hand, but he was in the 24th percentile for height and his head circumference is about the same.

I love putting these updates together because it is a great way for me to take a look back and see just how much our little guy changes from month to month! It’s truly insane how fast the time is going. His personality is growing right before our eyes!

It’s been so great chatting today! I’ve got a busy first day back at work to get to, so I better run.

Talk to you all soon!

 

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In case you missed it … here are more LIL baby related posts:

Welcome To The World, Skyler King!

Skyler’s Birth Story – Part One

Skyler’s Birth Story – Part Two

Life With a Newborn, Recovery, and Q&As (Two Week Update)

Skyler’s Six Week Update

Skyler’s Two Month Update

Thoughts On Postpartum Progression & Staying Motivated

Skyler’s Florida Baby Shower

Thoughts On Raising a Baby in New York City