3 Months Young.

So, it's happened. Our sweet Vera has transitioned over from the "newborn" to "infant" stage. She is officially 3 months old, and I don't know if that's a good or bad thing yet. Part of me misses her need to nurse every 2 hours, sleep all day, and her flimsy little neck. As a newborn, Vera couldn't do the simplest of things. Now, I'm finding she can do more and more on her own, which means she's needing less and less of me. And so it begins...

The past 3 months. Exhausting. Exciting. Rewarding. Repeat. Pretty much in that order. I've never gotten so little sleep, done so much laundry, broke so many necklaces, woke up so many times, and gotten such an arm work out. Every, single, day. On paper, motherhood is anything but glamorous. Instead, it's stressful, constant, and a pretty daunting responsibility... But somehow, I love it. 

I absolutely love it.  

In fact, I have very little complaints about motherhood. The biggest challenge is how exhausting it can be, both physically and mentally. I am constantly thinking about Vera on top of nursing, burping, changing, bopping, holding, singing, and "shh-ing" her. Again, not glamorous, but so utterly rewarding.

Rewarding because there's nothing quite like those sweet baby eyes looking up at you, trusting you with her whole world. I know this sweet stage won't last forever, so I'm taking my little sacrifices in stride because I realize that one day, Vera won't need me like she does now. And when that day comes, I don't want to regret not cherishing the days that she did. 

Because despite the fact that she needs me less now, she still needs me. A lot of me. She's up to nursing about every 2.5 to 3 hours, except at nighttime... Glorious nighttime. We put her to bed around 8:30 PM, she wakes up once to feed, and then she sleeps until 8:30 AM the next morning.

Vera's biggest challenge in life these days is napping. She opts out of naps most of the time because she hates missing out on the action. I should probably get a sleep training book or something but her routine is working fine for us, so we'll just let her run the show for now.

Speaking of which, Vera is the boss around here. We are so whipped by our daughter.  She's our best friend. We love singing and cooing over her. We love snuggling her in our bed, and we're even learning to love taking her out in public. Right now, I think we're her best friends too. Sometimes I think she prefers her daddy... Unless she's hungry. Then I'm her favorite. It's a great problem to have.

Vera's a tall girl (25.5 inches last time we measured) and about 13.5 pounds. Her thighs are seriously to-die-for! Seriously so chubby and sweet. I don't know where my little 6-pound baby went but I'm glad this girl is here to stay. She's a happy, well-fed girl who loves to smile and interact with others.

These days, I'm learning about Vera's temperament. She's a happy yet sensitive baby. She's a patient one who still doesn't cry much... However, loud noises, cold objects,  and anything "sudden" really upset her. Vee is happiest when she's being held and talked to. When she's upset, singing and the sound of water calm her down. Boy does she love to play in water. She still doesn't show much interest in toys (except for Daddy) but she loves bright picture books. When we show her pictures of animals she "talks" to them. It's really quite cute.

Each day, I see Vera make progress in her world. It's so thrilling to see my Vera start to become her own person with her own personality. I feel honored to be the mother of such a sweet and sensitive little girl. She really is my dream come true. I love you, Vera Rae. And I love your Daddy, too.