Katie’s Three Month Update And Favorite Items

katie diamond 3 months

It is hard to believe that yesterday our sweet little girl turned three months old. She and her parents both survived the “fourth trimester.” In case you haven’t heard this term before, the fourth trimester begins when the baby is born and lasts until they are three months old. This term is used to describe the period of enormous change that takes place during these first three months as newborn babies adjust to the world outside the womb. Until they reach three months old most of their senses, such as sight are still developing. Now that she has completed the fourth trimester, she is more active, aware, social and independent.  She has learned to smile, giggle and self soothe as well as track movements.

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I can’t share her latest stats with you as we no longer have a baby scale and her next pediatrician visit isn’t until next month. But, suffice it to say, Katie is growing like a weed. As of Monday she has outgrown most of her 3 month clothing, especially footies, due to her height. She is still a size 1 in diapers and, since many people have asked, we have loved the Pampers Swaddlers diapers thus far as we haven’t had any leaks and only one blowout over the course of three months.

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This month Katie traveled to two new states, Vermont and Georgia via plane and car. She was a trooper on both, making friends everywhere she went. Thanks to many of the tips that you all shared with us, while I was a bundle of nerves leading up to both trips, we survived them without too much stress.

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That being said, I have no desire to go on a flight or road trip with Katie solo anytime soon. I was thankful for the extra pair of hands when we needed to do quick diaper changes, gather our things at the airport and soothe Katie during traffic jams. I also rode the subway with Katie three times, most of which were calm and uneventful especially since I chose to wear her in the carrier for the trek. On Sunday I had a pretty stressful hour with Katie when the subways were down due to a power outage. While I was super anxious and stressed in the moment, afterwards it was a great learning opportunity and taught me how important it is to stay as calm as possible beause my anxiety only stresses Katie out.  I am going to do a dedicated post sharing our tips and tricks for traveling with an infant, and am also sharing a few of our favorite things later in this post. While we were in Georgia she also had the chance to enjoy her first baby pool with her grandparents! We weren’t ready to take her to the neighborhood pool due to the chlorine, crowds and her young age but the blowup baby pool was perfect!

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When we were in Vermont she went on her first hike and spent LOTS of time outside on the large deck since the weather was cool.

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We are still following the Moms on Call method which is working out very well for us. Katie has thrived and gained weight while also napping well and has been sleeping through the night since six weeks.  While the Moms on Call method isn’t perfect for everyone and there are many different opinions on schedules, we have been pleased with it thus far and would have changed if it wasn’t working or if she wasn’t gaining weight. We of course use the schedule as a guide, but provide ourselves the flexibility to ensure we are living life and adjust it to accomodate both our needs and Katie’s. As of now, based on her age, she is eating between 5 and 6 ounces, for a total of around 28 ounces per day,  and her schedule is as follows:

  • 7 AM Wake and feed
  • 7:30-8:15 Playtime
  • 8:15-10  Nap
  • 10 Wake and feed
  • 10:30 – 11:15 Playtime
  • 11:15-1pm Nap
  • 1pm Wake and feed
  • 1:30-2:15 Playtime
  • 2:15 – 4 Nap
  • 4- Wake and feed
  • 4:30-5:15 Playtime
  • 5:15- 6:30 Catnap or chill time in stroller or swing
  • 6:30 Bath
  • 6:45 Calm time (reading book, listening to mellow music, rocking in dimly lit nursery)
  • 7 Last feed
  • 7:30 Bed

Our goal is for Katie to have at least two naps per day in her crib to ensure she gets proper sleep. Unfortunately, as of now, she isn’t napping well in her stroller as she enjoys looking at everything when we are out and about. At least three days a week the 11:15-1pm nap time is done out and about as this is the time I go for a long walk with fellow moms or go to a workout. Luckily both the Carroll Park workout and Crossfit allow for the babies to nap in their stroller if she happens to fall asleep. 

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Last week she caught us off guard by rolling onto her stomach! It is recommended to unswaddle a baby’s arms once they start rolling to reduce the risk of them getting caught face down in their crib. She has adjusted well to having her hands out in her swaddle. However, since this transition, we have found that she needs a few extra minutes of calming before she falls asleep, especially during afternoon naps. Though she sleeps through the night, sometimes we have to go in one or two times between 7:30 and 8:30pm to help her settle down a bit. In addition, a few times a week she will wake up around 4 am with a very wet diaper. If she does this, I quickly go in, change her diaper and put her back down without turning on the lights. She has been able to quickly fall back asleep or, better yet, barely wake up during the process.

I am thrilled that I was able to make it to my goal of providing breast milk for Katie for the first three months. As you know, I haven’t been able to exclusively breast feed due to insufficient glandular tissue. For the first three months she would breast feed then have a supplemental bottle of formula. In addition, I pumped three to four times per day and would add the 1-1.5 ounces of breast milk to the bottle for her following meal. As of this weekend I stopped pumping in the evening due to the stress and anxiety it was causing and as of yesterday, her three month birthday, I stopped pumping altogether.  I am going to continue taking supplements and encouraging her to breastfeed during every meal as long as my milk supply will allow. It was a challenging journey but I am thankful that I was able to make it three months though, as I’ve said many times, I believe that a fed baby is best regardless of whether they are fed from breast milk, formula or a combination.

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Since I’ve received a few questions regarding the items we’re loving now that she is no longer a newborn, here are her favorite things this month:

I’m sure I forgot to mention a few things so if you have any questions, as always please feel free to email or leave a comment. In addition, if you want more frequent updates, I’m sharing lots on InstaStories and Instagram. Also, in case you missed it, here are our favorite newborn items!

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How My Priorities Are Changing These Days

It’s incredible how quickly perspective and priorities can change when certain life events take place.

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Last week, while in Savannah, Georgia visiting our friends and family at home, it was clear that the locals were on high-alert after watching Hurricane Harvey devastate Texas the week prior. With two more storms in the Atlantic, many people were focusing their long, holiday weekend on putting together their hurricane evacuation essentials, and, overall, preparing for the unexpected.

For Bo and I, expanding our family has caused us to think more about how we can help ensure a safe financial future. We now have a fully dependent, 12-week-old daughter to think about when we make decisions.  For us, term life insurance is a necessity for ensuring that no matter what happens to us, Bo and I will both have a financial cushion to help with paying the bills and raising Katie.

When Haven Life reached out to me in June, asking if I would be interested in partnering for a sponsored post, I quickly said yes. Updating our life insurance policy was on my to-do list and like so many other tedious and often overwhelming tasks such as creating a will, it had been pushed further and further down my to-do list.  At the same time, I’ve heard horror stories from friends and family about waiting too long to update or even purchase policies. So, hopefully this post will motivate and encourage you to look into life insurance more actively. It did for me.

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What’s nice about Haven Life is that they realize that today’s generation is looking for a simpler, easier to understand and transparent life insurance solution. We aren’t accustomed to having long-term relationships with insurance agents. Similar to the way that Expedia and other travel websites changed the way we book travel, Haven Life believes that today’s moms and dads deserve an insurance option that meets their online, DIY expectations. While Haven Life has a startup feel and fresh perspective, they are backed by MassMutual, a 160-year old life insurance company with a long history of financial strength.

Haven Life’s aim is to deliver a life insurance buying experience as it should be – a simple, transparent and friendly process that any customer can complete quickly and confidently.  Their application process is online, and some people may qualify for InstantTerm, a Haven Life process that allows qualified applicants* under the age of 45 to finalize coverage without the need for a medical exam.

Plus, since the process is online, you can find out instantly if you’re approved for coverage and how much it’ll cost.

If you’re like most in our generation, you may not realize that a 20-year, $500,000 term life insurance policy can be very affordable, often less than $20 per month for a healthy 30-year-old woman.  For a NYC resident that can mean taking your lunch to work a couple times a month.  In fact, when using our current Brooklyn zip code, I found that a $1,000,000, 30-year policy would cost a healthy 34-year-old woman $54.33 per month! clip_image002[4]

So, instead of putting life insurance off any longer, take a few minutes to help financially protect your family this week!

This post is sponsored by Haven Life, but views expressed are my own.

*Based on health information from the application.

Haven Term is a Term Life Insurance Policy (ICC15DTC) issued by Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual), Springfield, MA 01111 and offered exclusively through Haven Life Insurance Agency, LLC.

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Katie’s Two Month Update and Favorite Items

 

Happy Monday! We just survived Katie’s two month pediatrician appointment which I think was definitely tough. Katie received four vaccines today, three shots and one oral. While the oral one didn’t bother her the shots definitely left her red faced from all the crying. We did our best to feed during the shots but even that didn’t help at points. Oh well, luckily she is upstairs sleeping right now and seemed far happier after some nap time on mom and dad.

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As of this morning’s appointment her stats are as follows:

    • Weight: 10 lbs 13 oz
    • Height: 24 inches

At two months she is wearing size one diapers and 3 month clothing. As she continues to grow, we find that simple tasks such as changing her clothes or diapers, feeding her and just cuddling with her continues to become easier as she is far less fragile than she was last month.

This month we hosted my parents and Bo’s mom for return visits and continued to introduce Katie to our friends and family, but having fewer visitors allowed us time to find a rythym as a family of three. We continue to love mornings together, as Bo and I spend at least an hour feeding, burping and playing with Katie before he leaves for work. She loves spending time in her Boppy Lounger while we read and sing together.

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We are still following the Moms on Call method which is working out very well for us. Katie has thrived and gained weight while also napping well and as of a few weeks ago, sleeping through the night.  While the Moms on Call method isn’t perfect for everyone and there are many different opinions on schedules, we have been pleased with it thus far and would have changed if it wasn’t working or if she wasn’t gaining weight. We of course use the schedule as a guide, but provide ourselves the flexibility to ensure we are living life and adjust it to accomodate both our needs and Katie’s. For example, yesterday we attended an adorable first birthday party in Fort Greene Park. Since the party was 12-2pm it meant that we fed Katie during the party and she didn’t get the same quality of nap that she would get in her bassinet or crib. Since we knew she was tired, we let her nap a bit longer when we got home. She is currently sleeping from 8 PM until 7 AM most nights, though she will sometimes wake up around 4 AM hungry or wet. If she does, I change her and nurse her for a few minutes.

Once she started sleeping through the night I had to decide how I wanted to manage my pumping schedule in order to maintain my supply. Since I am still on maternity leave, I have decided to wake up around 3 AM to pump Monday through Thursday, while allowing myself to sleep on the weekends and instead do a power pumping session in the evening while Bo and I are watching a movie or reading.

This month I also overcame my fear of giving Katie a bath. For the first month, Bo and I bathed her together but as her bedime became earlier this wasn’t realistic considering Bo’s work schedule. After watching a few Newborn Bathtime Routine YouTube videos, I found a bath routine that worked for me and have succesfully bathed four to five times a week since then. In addition, since baths seemed to calm her so much, I tried giving her a bath before her first evening feed (4pm) which in turn has almost eliminated the “witching hour” for us as she now naps well in the late afternoon and evening following this bath.

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Due to her long length, she has started to outgrow her bassinet and therefore starting last week we have begun the transition to the crib and nursery. So far the transition is going well. She has fallen in love with the Peter Rabbit mobile that is above her changing table, often staring at it with a smile when we’re changing her or even trying to reach for it. As parents, we’ve fallen in love with spending more time in the nursery as it is such a soothing space and the glider is SO comfortable.

Since I’ve received a few questions regarding the items we’re loving now that she is no longer a newborn, here are her favorite things this month:

I’m sure I forgot to mention a few things so if you have any questions, as always please feel free to email or leave a comment. In addition, if you want more frequent updates, I’m sharing lots on InstaStories and Instagram. Also, in case you missed it, here are our favorite newborn items!

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