Three Months -

Ellen turned three months this past Saturday. This is a big milestone for her, but also for me. In my mind, three months really signified having a baby rather than a newborn. It’s a whole new set of clothing. It’s when big changes really start to happen. When you ask a doctor when a baby should do this or grow out of that, the answer is always “Around three months.” So, what has my baby been up to this past month?

We took Ellen to a festival sponsored by our church. We met a friend of Mike’s up there for a beer and some baked goods. Unfortunately, we had to leave early because those church people like their music turned up loud! I feel like this is something else I never thought about before having a baby: I go to a lot of really loud places. Not really suitable for a baby. I just put my fingers over her ears and she snoozed away though; the doctor said as long as she didn’t seem bothered then it was fine. Good to know.

We also chose a couple of vaccinations for Ellen. I did a lot of research into these and picked some that I thought were important. We opted out of the Hep B and flu shot, but we went for Wooping Cough, DTap, Roto and Polio. Our doctor buys the vaccines separately to avoid any additives that are controversial. I had to have my mom come with me (Mike was working) to the appointment for moral support. The nurse was SO FAST, like Jimmy Johns fast, and I am so glad she was. Ellen looked at me right after the shot, and I thought she looked ok. Then, the most blood-curdling scream came out of her and I lost it. Then my mom lost it. Three sobbing girls in the doctor’s office. What a sight.

Mike and I also had a milestone this month: we had our first night out without Ellen. I pumped way too many bottles, and we left her with Mike’s mom. My parents took us out to a Tigers playoff game, and I didn’t do all that bad.

Ellen also met her cousin Emma and had a play date with her other cousins Emma and Lucy.

We took Ellen to her first cider mill.

And Ellen laughed for the first time! And she is so so so so so so smiley. I can’t even stand it. When you look at her and talk, she gets so excited and just smiles and babbles and melts our hearts. You’ve never heard a sweeter sound!

She is reaching for her toys and toes.

And Ellen went to her first MSU tailgate. She got to hang out with her Uncle Joe, Aunt Sis and Uncle John. And, MSU beat Michigan 28-14 – their 4th year in a row beating those darn Wolverines! Go Green!

Finally, we took Ellen to her first Adoration. She was sleeping when we got there, but it was such a special moment for us that I woke her up, took her out of her car seat and snuggled with her.

Oh my baby is growing up. She has the cutest voice and uses it all the time. She loves blowing raspberries and smiles so big when her daddy comes home from work. Next month I imagine I will be writing about more instances of laughing and Ellen rolling over. She has her legs going from side to side, but hasn’t mastered the shoulders yet. I may even have to write about teeth – the doctor told us all the drool means teething! Yikes!