12 Weeks

Sweet Samantha has been with us for 12 whole weeks! I have learned a LOT in that time. Every morning when I greet my little girl, her smiles melt my heart. We are so blessed and I thank the Lord every day for sending us this precious child.

It's so amazing watching her learn and grow every day. She now reaches out for toys and can even grab them sometimes! She's learned to kick the kick pad on her Gymni to make it play a song, and she loves the crinkle of a half-inflated mylar balloon. She watched the Fourth of July fireworks so intently and had a ball meeting Uncle Sam at the stroller parade in the mall. There are so many amazing firsts to witness and I am so fortunate to be there to see it all.

Sleeping and Mom's biggest fear

New moms are constantly checking their babies' breathing. I think they don't stop until their little ones go off to college, and maybe not even then. I've read that babies are at a higher rist of SIDS during the 2-4 month window, so I thought I'd keep Samantha in our room until four months since having the baby sleep in the parents' room at night is supposed to reduce the risk. Well, last night I laid her down in her own room just to see if she would go to sleep on her own (she usually needs me to rock her to sleep) and she did! So I turned on the video monitor and left her there all night. She slept better (maybe because the crib mattress is much more substatial than the cradle mat or maybe due to the soothing sights and sounds of the Fisher Price Rainforest Peek-A-Boo Leaves Musical Mobile), but I didn't! I must subconsciously listen for her when she's in our room, because I was awake every 1-2 hours checking the monitor! I like her being in her own room since she seems to be more comfortable and I'd love to get her to be able to go to sleep on her own. Maybe if we get a movement monitor I'll do better. Samantha's a big girl, but her mom is apparently a big ol' baby.

Here's a picture of Samantha in her big girl crib watching her mobile at one month. Her Nana made that beautiful blanket.