Eleven Weeks

We can't all have necks, can we?

Amelie is delicious. It's official: I'm obsessed. I picked her up out of her stroller while waiting in line at CVS today, just so I could cuddle her. And my tired and cranky girl squawked to be put down. She's used to putting herself to sleep now, thank you very much, and doesn't need my neediness getting in her way.

Love that smile!

Family trip to the zoo with SMC friends

My girl is too cool for school

She went 12 hours between feedings, clever girl, at exactly eleven weeks! Of course, she woke up multiple times, but goes back to sleep as soon as I stick the pacifier back in. I'm hoping that this will lessen over time -- it already seems to start later than it used to.

And I brought her to the pediatrician to get weighed and she was up more than a pound in three weeks so I'm officially freed from worrying about her weight.

She's bringing her hands to her mouth now. Her fists have opened up, at least sometimes. She's smiling bigger and longer and may have even chuckled a few times. She gazes at Calliope adoringly with the biggest grin on her face. She seems pretty fond of me, too.

She loves bath time, which I try to do every night (but fail) as part of the routine and churns her legs energetically and with great concentration.

Today she managed to actually hold onto a ring on her play mat -- a first. She can bat at things with her fist with decent accuracy.

She still sleeps a ton -- generally she's awake for an hour or less, than naps for three hours, until the next feeding. But now in the afternoons she gets up for 30  minutes or so in the middle to play a bit. Then she's ready to sleep again and generally has to be woken for her next feeding. Today this happened in the morning for the first time as well. Unfortunately I think it's getting harder for her to sleep when we are out and about. :(

Calliope could never sleep in the stroller and life will be, um, challenging if Amelie is the same way. We will find a way to cope.

I have two more weeks at home before a week at work. A week in which I can probably bring Amelie for some of the days. Still, I'm a little sad. This maternity leave, while not easy in many ways, has also been beautifully idyllic in a lot of ways. After the first few weeks, which were shockingly hard but now seem a distant memory.

Talking at 11 weeks. (I went back and added one for 10 weeks, too.)

Eleven weeks tummy time -- no propping her up this time! 

Have swaddle, will travel. (Obviously not suitable for the car, but works great for walks

around the neighborhood.)

I imagined that this set up with the fan (which created a lovely white noise to boot) made

me look (unfairly) like one of those really organized moms one dreams of being.