three months

dearest cecilia,

you are, quite simply, the happiest baby i've ever met. when i wake you up in the morning, you open your blue eyes and immediately smile up at me. your whole body wriggles with delight when strangers say hi to you. and you absolutely melt when Greta talks to you. although when you're displeased with something, you make that very clear (you screamed at your poor daycare teacher once when she didn't warm up your bottle quite enough, and sometimes when i put you down for a quick diaper change before you eat, your whole body goes rigid and you yell until your face goes red). 

you're starting to hold on to toys for longer periods of time now, and when you shake your rattle, you kick your legs in triumph. you're still not a huge fan of tummy time, but you tolerate it a little more when i set up your mirror so you can see yourself. and you've started laughing, the cutest, happiest little laugh. 

at your two-month well check, we discovered your growth rate had dropped to the 12th percentile for weight (from the 40th percentile at one month). you also started to fight nursing, refused to stay latched and seemed to be uncomfortable while eating. so i scheduled a consultation for us at the Breastfeeding Center in Greenfield. they got us in the very next day, and we spent an hour at the center with a lactation consultant and then a physician. it turns out that i wasn't keeping your body properly aligned using the football hold, so your little GI tract was twisting and making you feel like you had gas pains. poor baby! in literally thirty seconds, the lactation consultant identified the problem and showed me how to latch you properly using the cross-cradle hold, and you love it. she also recommended that i nurse from both sides each feeding. i had previously just fed on one side because you seemed content, but ninety percent of the time now when i offer the second side, you chow down. so we'll see how your weight looks at your appointment this week! {update: you weighed 11 lbs 5 ounces, up to the 25th percentile!} i'm so grateful to have such wonderful resources close by! 

you do crunches just like your sister did at this age -- we call it "doing your Pilates". and you love to chew on your hands, and grab at my hair. you're talking up a storm, complete with dramatic facial expressions. 

we love you so much, peanut!