our baby girl, Jenna...

Now it's time for an update on Jenna!

I really think that time speeds up when you have children, but now that we have two, I feel like the days, weeks, and months fly by! Our baby girl is 3 1/2 months old and is doing really well! At around 3 months, she sort of set herself up on a schedule with feeding and sleeping. She usually eats 6 times per day and is sleeping really well too! Jenna was sleeping through the night quite a while ago (at 7 weeks old), but it has just continued to improve since then. She usually goes to bed at about 8:00 or 8:30 pm and doesn't wake up until 6:00 or 6:30. After she eats, she usually goes back to sleep for a couple more hours! So we are happy to be getting some sleep again and consider ourselves very lucky for having such a great sleeper!! Naps are a bit of a different story. It has taken us a while to figure out her naps and how to best put her to sleep. Jenna is a lot like Colby was... there is a very small window of time that she needs to fall asleep in. If I'm too late in catching it, it's very difficult to settler her down for a nap. She only naps for about 45 minutes to an hour at each nap right now. I'm hoping this gets better too as she gets older!

The last time she was weighed was at her 3 month checkup on December 21st. She weighed 12 lbs. 2 oz. (which is the 25%ile) and was 21.6" long (not on the charts yet!) I know she has continued to put on weight, but hopefully she starts growing in length soon too. She's definitely on the smaller side, but I don't mind it. She'll stay my little baby girl for longer, right?!

Developmentally, she's meeting milestones and doing great. She is more and more smiley every day and has begun to giggle and laugh out loud! I love it!! She is cooing and talking a lot and enjoys one-on-one conversations. This is often when the big smiles come out!! Jenna has beautiful blue eyes like Colby and you can see them light up with these big smiles!! She likes to stand up and is able to bear some weight on her feet! Jenna is quite strong and has good control of her head too! Good girl! She loves sitting up on the couch and watching what's going on around her. Colby keeps her quite entertained! She is very alert when she's awake and always seems to be taking it all in! We love doing different things with the kids and knowing that experiences will help them grow and develop later on! While she likes to be held and is a cuddlebug, she also enjoys her time laying on a blanket or on her playmat just kicking her legs and batting at her toys. She enjoys tummy time and is quite strong on her tummy. She is able to lift herself up on her chest and look around! Jenna is beginning to hold onto things, especially rings, blankets, and her bibs. We have now entered the days of wearing a bib (to catch all of the drool!) I really wish they made coordinating bibs to every shirt and outfit... a bib often spoils the outfit!!! Geez!! LOL! She has been rolling over from her tummy to her back and Gerry was quick enough yesterday to catch it on video! Yes! Good job, Daddy! While Jenna never took the soother as a newborn, she is beginning to take it now. I use the word 'now' loosely... perhaps the word 'sometimes' would be more appropriate. However, Jenna is a thumbsucker! I guess I should've seen it coming... I sucked my thumb as a child, so really, I'm not surprised! We look forward to her continued development and celebrating the new and exciting things that she can do!

Jenna, you are a beautiful baby girl and we love you very much. Your smile brightens our hearts and makes us smile even bigger! Thank you for the love, joy, enjoyment, (and snuggles!) you bring to our lives everyday. Mommy and Daddy love you very much, baby girl!! xoxo