What our life is like:
We finally got on a schedule! You wake up around 7am and nurse and then sleep from 9-11 and nurse again and then play from 11-1, nurse and then nap from 1-3 and nurse and then play until your catnap at 6 and then you eat for the night at 7 and are off to bed. You still don't sleep through the night consistently. You are normally up once for a paci and usually a feeding sometime between 4 and 5. Mommy and Daddy are just a little on the sleepy side!
You are a pretty good and efficient nurser and I don't even know the last time I've pumped (well I guess at the beginning of the month for aunt allie's bachelorette party!)
We've been on the go plenty this month. You visited your Daddy at work for the first time and slept through the entire visit! We'll have to bring you back soon so everyone can hold you. We also left you alone overnight with your Gran while Mommy and Daddy went on bachelor/bachelorette weekends with Aunt Allie and Uncle Brett. You went to the pool and got to stick your feet in the water! You thought this was pretty fun! You've been to the Y a LOT! You are so happy in the baby room. I used to take you with me to the stroller class but you seem to much prefer playing in the baby room to hanging out in your stroller. We went on two playdates and you got to meet some cute little ladies! You are incredibly smiley! We went to the park and you got in the swing for the first time. We didn't push you but you just loved hanging out.
You are finding your place in our family. You LOVE to be in the exersaucer and right in the middle of the action when your brother and sister are running around like crazy people. Emma Cate does not like it when you cry (no cry sheppie- no cry!) and will bring you a paci and shake her finger at you to stop crying. Holden is warming up to you big time. He gives you random hugs and I have to watch out because he likes to squeeze pretty tight!
Now for some milestones.. you continue to impress us with you strenght! You are rolling from belly to back and back to belly. You giggle when we tickle your neck and it is soooo precious! We went to see a specialist for your acid reflux because it got to the point where you were crying ALL THE TIME... (in retrospect- I've learned this month it was because you weren't eating enough) but we switched up your meds and things called down a lot. You started napping with your arms out of your swaddle. We went back and forth with this all month. You really LOVE to be swaddled but we found you on your belly at one point and knew you couldn't stay wrapped up forever! We also went back to the kidney doctor and you are ALL IN THE CLEAR. We are soooo thankful for all the prayers and that there are absolutely no issues with your kidneys at this time. You do have a hyrdocele like your brother and we'll go in for surgery this month. You also rolled off the couch and onto the floor and sent me into a fit of tears on the nurses hotline. You stopped crying immediately after I picked you up but man was it scary to see you fall... won't be putting you up there anymore! You are holding your head/body up like a champ and enjoying playing on your tummy time mat.
Shepherd:
Nicknames: Pherd (as in she-pherd... everyone makes fun of me when I call you that!) Shep, Sheppie, Shep Shep, Sheppie Beppie, Beppie, Monkey, Mon-kiki, kiki, keeks, (like that progression there....!) Emma Cate calls you sheppie sheppie sheppie sheppie
Weight: not sure
Height: not sure
Hair: dark blonde. It's grown in a little! Probably the most even of all your siblings
Eyes: very dark blue
Clothes: mostly 6 months but seeming like your 3 months aren't super tight, just a little short.
Diapers: We are in bum genius 4.0 all the time. You are on the tiniest rise in the BGs and we leave two columns of snaps showing. We switched to pampers at night because you were soaking through everything.
Eating: Nursing every 3-4 hours and longer at night.
Likes: being held/sitting upright, being swaddled (sorry we have to take this one away), being tickled, you are loving tummy time and stay there for a while. You also LOVE your exersaucer and the time you spend one on one with mommy and daddy talking baby talk. We get the biggest smiles, coos, and giggles. You love to pull mommy's hair. You love watching Emma Cate and Holden and cry if you are not where the action is.
Dislikes: not too much... sleeping through the night maybe?
Development: You are just really strong and really ahead of the curve regarding development. You are a rolling machine. You smile and laugh, you grab at objects and love the toys dangling from the playmat. You love your curiosity cube and looking in the mirror. You like to stand holding our hands.
Words: not yet!
Teeth: not yet but man has that drooling increased!
Extra:
You are still my little tv watcher. I try to not have it on but some days it is so needed to keep the twins happy. You are a super easy going baby (once we figured out your meds) and so go with the flow. You are very observant of the world around you and I'm guessing you're going to be a smart one after watching you take everything in.
Your brother and sister are so sweet with you. Emma Cate freaks out when you cry and starts to cry herself and says "no cry sheppie", "mama sheppie no cry... mama!". They also think that your drool is spit and I hear "Sheppie pit" a million times a day! They are always concerned for you. They are obsessed with you in the exersaucer. They play games with you and sing to you while you're in there. Holden can't wait for you to grow up and be rough and tough with him. He is still using your little head as a road for his cars when I'm not looking. Both he and Emma Cate love to give you kisses and hugs and always ask about their "baby shep". When I get them out of their cribs in the morning I always have you with me and they say "hey baby shep!" with such excitement. I wonder how long you'll be called "baby shep".
I also want to add in how much you are loving your aunt bo right now. We have been lucky to have her around this summer as she is about to move to london for two years. I think you've bonded over being the third child and Boey is always looking out for you. You love when she holds you and light up when she talks to you. Aunt Allie loves on you plenty but you've got this third child things going on with Bo and you'll be so sad when she moves!
You really are the sweetest baby and so alert. You hang in there but we both get so excited when everyone else is sleeping and we get some one on one time. We play and cuddle and laugh! I'm always covered in shedding rug because we are always on the ground playing. I love that you are so patient with me and always have a smile waiting for me when its your turn to be played with. I love you so much Sheppie Beppie!
And for some pictures
a little facetime with aunt bo
emma cate was reading to you about all the animals in the zoo
first dip in the pool
unfortunately, all of our pictures together are pretty much selfies. I don't get the big camera out nearly as much as I used to but I always try to take a few of us together :)
snuggling in aunt bo's baby blanket after your 3 month pictures
