Happy 3 Months

November 19th, 2011

Dear Blake,

Three months?  Are you serious?!  Even though you are still a little girl, you have a big personality.  Your smiles and coos light up any room.  And those cheeks are just so kissable.  I can't get enough of holding you and talking with you about what went during the day.... or what your brother has been up to.  Usually you have quite a few tales to tell about your big brother.  And I have this feeling that you are learning a lot from him about how to torment your parents down the line, too.  That smile is innocent, yes, but I know that there is a lot going on behind those beautiful eyes. 

In the last month, you've met two very important people.  Two people with whom you share a name - - Elizabeth - -  and who played a role in some of the traits that you have.  The first one, Mommo Loesing.  Your great grandma in Missouri.  She was so excited to see you that she didn't wait for us to bring you over to her house.  She couldn't.  Nope, she drove over to see you as soon as possible.  And then I couldn't pry you from her arms.  

The other very special person that you were able to meet is your great grandma (Mema) Peyton.  We visited her in the hospital last weekend and she bragged on you and Connor to every nurse, medical assistant, and any other passer-by.  As we were about to leave to drive back to Atlanta, she smiled and said, "I now know why they call them GREAT." 

In addition to being a jet-setter with travels to Warner Robbins and Columbia, Missouri, you have somehow found time to work on building your neck strength.  Man-oh-man can you whip that head around to watch Echo or your brother as they run by. 

And teeth aren't that far away.  It looks like the two on the bottom are thinking about coming through very soon.  Since you are a genius (obviously) and know that teeth will give you the ability to eat foods other than Similac, I'm sure that you are willing those teeth to pop through as soon as they can. 

I love you, Blake.  Thank you for being so laid back and for putting up with the chaos that now seems to be our current state of living.  Please keep smiling and making every day more perfect.

Love,

Mom 

And...another year has come and gone.

For some reason, this years birthday celebration was the best that I can remember. 

Maybe it was the fact that Connor sang, "Happy Birthday TO YOU" to me numerous times.  Or the fact that Dennis picked up 3 cupcakes for me on my special day.  Connor and I sat down to "split" the cupcakes as he loves the cakey part and I love the icing part. 

Or maybe it was because Dennis took a vacation day the Friday before my birthday and we went shopping.  For me. And then we had some delicious margaritas from Uncle Julio's for lunch. 

Or could it have been because of the beautiful Michael Kors watch that he purchased for me?

It could've also been because I received so many thoughtful cards, phone calls, gifts, and emails from the the most important people in my life. 

Hmmm...not sure which one it was, but I'm not going to try to figure it out.  It all worked together to create the perfect storm.  And it really was perfect. 

Thank you for a wonderful birthday this year.  I'm no longer counting the years but instead enjoying the days with the sweet people in my life.  The people that make every day more special and every year pass by too quickly. 

Thank You, Baby Blake

Oh man.  It's the small things in life that seem so BIG after you have a baby.  Or two.  Or just haven't slept through the night consistently in, oh, 11 WEEKS.  Not that I'm counting. 

The Martin household was all smiles this morning.  Blake slept from her 10PM feeding until about 6:30AM this morning.  SHE IS AWESOME.  Eleven weeks on the dot.  I do realize that by posting this on my blog that she will not sleep well again for probably another month or two but I don't care because now we have proof that she can do it. 

For the last several weeks she has been waking up at 4 or 4:30AM and I was giving her a bottle at that time.  She'd fall right back to sleep and then we'd start the routine again at 7AM.  I consulted our baby bible, Babywise, and in the question and answer section I noticed something.  I noticed an answer to what Dennis and I had been discussing for several weeks. 

Apparently, if a baby consistently wakes up at the same time every night, it is very likely that the baby is waking out of habit, rather than out of need.  And the solution?  Wait a few weeks or don't feed the baby when she/he wakes.  Two nights ago we decided to give it a shot.  We weren't excited about waiting a few more weeks for her to sleep all night but we also weren't excited about having her cry during the night.  The book suggested that it usually takes a baby 3 nights to break a habit.  So the end was in sight. 

She woke up one or two times and I rocked her back to sleep the first time.  I think she cried for 15 minutes around 4AM that morning and it killed me to not go in there.  I know it doesn't hurt a baby and it's perfectly natural for them to cry every single day but I. STILL. HATE. IT.  Since she stopped crying and went back to sleep until 7, we knew that she wasn't really hungry but probably was waking up out of habit.  

We went to bed last night prepared to face the same challenge.  But we didn't.  She is the most amazing little girl I've ever met.  She went to bed after her last bottle and woke up a little before 7AM.  

Sleeping through the night is an amazing thing.  It's great for Blake in a lot of ways, but it is really great for her parents.  Echo even seemed to be in a better mood this morning.

Thank you, Blake!  Thank you, thank you, thank you!