We have a 3 month old!

On May 5th, Ashni turned 3 months old! Chris and I have found that she is much more babylike now. I can hold her on my hip with one arm as she sits and looks around. Also, now her little coos and squeaks have morphed into shouts, babbles, gurgles and drools. Lots of drools. Her mouth is always on something, and whatever that something is gets sopping wet. She really likes grabbing at just about anything and then bringing her hand to her mouth. When I pass her off to people, I have to be careful that she doesn’t take a little fistful of my hair with her. And when she doesn’t have something to munch on, she chews on her own tongue. Either that or she sticks both hands into her mouth and plays with her tongue and gums. It’s really cute even though it’s totally gross.

At her 3 month checkup, she weighed 13 lbs, 10 oz. Also, she did a lot better with her next round of vaccines. She got Prevnar (to protect against pneumococcal bacteria) and ActHib (Hib is a bacterial disease that can cause meningitis). Those two shots are typically given at 2 months with DTaP and Rotavirus (so no vaccines are given at 3 months), but we decided to spread them out to reduce aluminum overload. And at the appointment, our doctor actually advised us to discontinue DTaP since Ashni had nightly screaming fits for the first three weeks following her initial dose of the vaccine. He thought it was a neurological reaction to the pertussis component of the shot. It’s a shame that the whooping cough vaccine comes with such terrible side effects.

Pediatrician Visit at 3 Months

Ashni’s 3 month birthday came with another big event – mommy’s return to work. I’ve been back for two weeks now and it’s been crazy. I’m working from home for the most part, but when I go in physically, Chris’s parents come over to watch Ashni. I’m glad that I’m bringing in some income without putting my baby in a childcare facility, but the very first week, I was unsure how long I could make it last – I was very overwhelmed and my workload seemed daunting. Staying up into the wee hours of the night, I was able to get things done, but I felt like I was completely neglecting my family. Thankfully, after a few days of continuous work, I got some downtime to catch my breath, and it didn’t seem so terrible anymore. My work typically comes in waves so there’s no telling how busy I can be. It seems like I can manage for now, but I’ll be taking it one week at a time.

And next week will be big – Chris and I are taking our first real trip with the baby. We’re flying to Atlanta so my parents can meet Ashni. We’re also planning a road trip to the Outer Banks of North Carolina for a wedding. That’s 630 miles from my parents’ house, or roughly an 11 hour drive. Ashni doesn’t usually enjoy her car seat so we’re already anticipating a challenge, but hopefully a week at the beach will be worth it!