Today is Alethea’s three-month birthday.  Happy Birthday Baby!

Last week on Tuesday and Thursday she decided she didn’t want to eat anymore.  We ended up taking her to the doctor on Friday morning to talk about possible causes.  The doctor suggested that it could have been something I’d eaten or perhaps it was acid reflux bothering her.  I’m inclined to think the later is true, since my diet hasn’t changed much lately.  As a result, we’ve let her sleep in her swing (not turned on) the past few nights since that holds her in a reclined position, rather than flat on her back and that really seems to have helped.  Now she is waking up one or two times a night rather than five or six and is also eating a bit more regularly.  Whew!

When we were at the doctor she weighed in at 14 lbs, 11 oz, so she is still gaining weight nicely.  (Since it wasn’t a well-baby visit, they didn’t check height and head circumference.)

Her motor skills continue to advance.  She can now grasp toys and bring them to her mouth in a deliberate motion.  Her favorite toy continues to be her play gym where she lays on the mat and toy animals hang over her head.  She can spend 30 or 40 minutes happily batting at the animals, trying to get them into her mouth, and admiring herself in the attached mirror.

She is very close to being able to sit up on her own.  If she leans to the front and puts her hands on the ground she can stay that way for 4 or 5 seconds without any help.  Then she tries to put one of her hands in her mouth and proceeds to fall over.

Alethea is still doing a lot of talking and it always cracks me up when she manages to get the sounds of a real word out.  So far she has said, hi, hello and yellow.  And to make my side of the family proud, the other day out of the blue she just looked at me and said, “Iowa.”  Well, more like, “Eyeeohwaaa” but close enough, right?

All in all, I would say that of the first three months of Alethea’s life, this past one has been the hardest for me.  Still, it’s always great to see Alethea’s personality coming out more and more and I figure every night that passes can only be bringing us closer to that beautiful time when she begins sleeping through the night on a regular basis.