Ruth Evelyn is 3 Months Old!

Our sweet girl is 3 months old! She found her hands over Christmas and is in love with turning them over and over as she gazes at them. She weighs about 11 1/2 lbs (we go back for a 4 month checkup with her doctor, so not exactly sure her current weight).

Her loves: Mama's milk, lamb wubbanub, janet the giraffe pacimal, snuggles with Mama, laughs with Daddy (he can make her smile and laugh like no one else!), bouncy seat, staring at her hand, chewing on her hand, her ring ball from Grandmother and Granddaddy, and rolling from tummy to back! Also, she loves people! Talk to her and she is a happy lady!

Development: she started rolling from her tummy to her back at 6 weeks old (we were in Houston and Mother and I were shocked!) and does this pretty consistently now if we put her on her tummy. She "talks" all the time! I love her sweet voice - when she wakes up in the morning she just talks to me and her Daddy! She has found her hands and loves staring at them. She is DROOLING like crazy - for about 2 weeks now. We think she is teething or at least on the road to teething. Big brother had his first 2 teeth by 4 months, so we're ready if teeth come through sooner than later. She likes chewing on her hands and anything she can move to her mouth. She is really good at moving objects she grasps to her mouth, though not always the part she wants - so she holds her wubbanub and tries to get it to her mouth, but usually gets a lamb ear or foot rather than the nipple of the pacifier and it makes her mad! It is adorable! She has strong legs - and likes to kick! (I know this is pretty common for most babies, but it is still cute to me!) I used to could sit her in her bouncy seat and not need to buckle her in... but recently she will kick her legs such that she scoots herself all the way down and could end up with her feet on the ground, so we use the harness/buckle!

Sleep: (always something I'm contemplating and thinking about - the mystery of babies and sleep!) She takes about 3 naps a day, usually one that is 1.5 to 2 hours - though we sometimes have to "rebink" part of the way through. We're debating the merit of the binky - although it means she puts herself to sleep pretty often, when she wakes now and can't find it, we are on "plug the baby back in" duty and not sure we want this for long term. But, she sleeps either in her rock 'n play right next to me or in bed with me, so for now it is easy and works and she gets good sleep. Overnight it hasn't been an issue, but with her long nap it is starting to mean she wakes half way through and I worry about quality of sleep, though some days she sleeps a solid 2 or more hours without waking. We're still in something of a "4th trimester" so I'll determine over the next few weeks how to progress with or without a pacifier. I've really enjoyed this website to help guide me with sleep for our girl: http://www.troublesometots.com/baby-sleep-what-is-normal/. Plus I learned SO very much from Jacob I've been able to follow my Mama's gut and this little girl sleeeeps! But I know things can change with development and age, so we pray and rejoice with each sleep session! Today, after I had published this, she nursed to sleep and slept 2 hours! I know nursing is another sleep cue that you eventually wean off of, but it is so familiar to me because that is the only way Jacob would go to sleep for 6 1/2 months, so I prefer that to the binky. Always learning!

Personality: She seems to be an extrovert! She loves talking to people and smiling at people! She was the "bell of the ball" at a party for my great uncle over the holidays! She is very even-tempered most the time and all smiles and happy and talking. But, as I learned with Jacob the importance of getting to know sleep cues, once she starts to get sleepy, her "talking" changes to more of a "complaint" and she is just done with stimulation and will soothe to sleep (thanks to the wubbanub and some nursing) pretty easily!

Her dislikes: laying her down when she's tired - like on her changing table or play mat - when she's done, she's done and wants sleep! Not being able to seeeee! So, wearing her on the front facing in is not often her favorite thing - frown! She likes to be close, but seems to enjoy being on my back where she can see the world and talk to "her people". Sometimes, though, she likes the snuggles of front wearing. She's her own little lady for sure!

Health: After I was in the ER 2 nights for a staph infection that had abscessed (seriously more painful than childbirth!), I had to have Ruth Evelyn with me for breastfeeding and she picked up something and has been fighting bronchitis. Makes me SO sad! But she is a trooper! She coughs while sleeping and it doesn't wake her up - Josh and I are in AWE as we jump to see if she needs us when she coughs and she just keeps sleeping! Other than this, she's been so healthy! We take both our kiddos once or twice a month to our awesome chiropractor (one of my main goals in moving is to find a chiropractor - wish I could move ours with us!), use essential oils with the kiddos (and ourselves at times), trust the doctor we now use for our children (and me), and keep on our journey of dairy-free and soy-free. I've gotten to try some dairy-baked-in foods and she has handled them well and I've had a few things with soy in them and she has done well. Since she's on meds for the bronchitis now, I'm totally off dairy to protect her little gut, but we have not had any of the issues we faced with our firstborn and I'm so grateful to those who helped guide and inform me about baby's and their sweet, fragile guts.

We love you sweet girl! Your Daddy calls you his "glow bug" and often says, "She is just a SWEETHEART!" I agree! You are my sunshine! I sing this to you daily:

You are my sunshine

My only sunshine

You make me happy

When skies are gray

You'll never know, Ruth

How much we love you!

You're my beautiful sunshine always!

Happy 3 months!

And I have to add this picture - just love my 2 little Bruffey Babies!

~ Mama Bruffey ~

Daughter of God, Wife of One, Mother of Two