Averie is 3 months old!

Wow! Time has flown by. It's hard to believe our precious little girl is already 3 months old. I find myself torn because I can't wait for her to get older and yet I'm still wishing she was that newborn fresh from the hospital. I'm sorry that I have not been very good about posting on here, but life has been pretty hectic, and I have barely had enough time some days to shower, let alone spend much time in front of the computer. Since I am officially out of school for the summer, I hope to have a little more time to keep up with the blog for all of you who don't get to see Avi on a regular basis. In the meantime, here is a little about what she's up to at 3 months old:

-At her 3month check-up on June 30, Averie weighed in at 11 pounds even (25th percentile), and measured 24 inches long (75th percentile). Long and lean. Yes, she is tiny in the weight department. I have spent many nights (and days) obsessing over her weight gain (although she has consistently gained weight, it has still been a small amount). People are always asking me if she is a premie. She's not. She's just not a big eater. In fact some days, she barely wants to eat much at all. Dr. Bennett chalks this up to Averie's severe acid reflux (more about that later) and genetics (I, too, was pretty much the same size and kind of eater when I was her age). She is finally starting to fill out her 0-3 and 3 month clothes. The waist is still a little baggy in pants, but she definitely fits the length. She is also still wearing size 1 diapers.

-Averie is still on the reflux medicine. It has been a rocky road, and I don't wish severe infant GERD on anyone! Part of the reason I didn't even post for her 2 month update was because our time and my brain was consumed with managing the reflux. At 5 weeks old, we started out with Zantac and a supplement of this (nasty) hypo-allergenic Nutramigen formula (along the pumped breast milk she already was getting), and that seemed to work okay for a few weeks. Then, as if we were back to square one, Averie started to refuse most of her bottles during the day. It was a fight to get her to take 2 ounces. Often we would have to feed her in her sleep, so she would not freak out. Occasionally she would take 4 ounces, and we would all jump for joy, but that was far and few between. She was extremely fussy during feeding times, and it would take upwards of an hour just to get her to eat a tiny bit. After some desperate days (my mom, whom was watching her when I went back to work, and I were at our wits end) and many tears (from me), we went back to see Dr. Bennett. She immediately pulled us off the Nutramigen (she said it's disgusting and clearly Averie has no desire to eat it) out us back on the Good Start, and switched our meds from Zantac to Prevacid. Dr. Bennett said that perhaps Averie has started to develop a food aversion because of the pain from the acid, which caused her to refuse feedings. It has been a month since we switched her meds and the supplement formula, and things have seemingly improved. She still spits up and isn't a huge eater (but then again, neither was I at this age), and I can't say that all my anxiety surrounding meal times has dissipated, but she seems happier and more willing to eat. There are still times when feeding her is not easy, but I guess it is something we will have to live with for now. They say that infants grow out of the GERD by their 1st birthday, if not sooner. We can't wait for that day!

-Averie's neck and head are getting so much stronger! She is doing great at holding up her head, although she still looks like a little bobble head sometimes. She is more tolerant of tummy time, and enjoys sitting up in her Bumbo seat. She also loves to stand (with our assistance, of course). Her hand-eye coordination is really good. She has started grabbing the toys that hang on the bouncer seat and her play mat. She will grab them, sometimes two at a time, and hold on with a death grip. She gets so excited when she does this, and will often make a little "chatter" conversation with the toys. It's so cute. Averie has discovered her hands, and will pass up pretty much anything to suck on them. She has also discovered her feet, and we often find her using all her mite to grab her toes. I'm sure they will be making their way to her mouth in no time. Avi is also quite fond of looking at herself in the mirror, and smiling at herself. We have a vain little ham on our hands! She is quite the smiler, and I find myself doing anything and everything to bring out her smile. It brightens even the darkest days.

-A few weeks ago, Averie caught her first cold. She was running a low fever (99.7), and was super congested. We took her to the doc, and were advised to give her saline nasal drops, suction her nose, and run the humidifier. She hated the nasal drops and suction. It was as if an exorcist was happening to her body each time we did it. Thankfully, my mom was still staying with us at the time, and taught us a few tricks on how to give it to her, and the cold was pretty much gone in a few days.

-Averie has taken a liking to an "Aden and Anais" white muslin receiving blanket. I have no idea why she chose this particular blankie, but she is obsessed with snuggling it. It has been a god-send because immediately relaxes her (which has helped during meal time and nap time). She has a bad habit of wanting to cover her face with it, so we have to keep an eye out so she doesn't cover her nose. It is so cute to see her snuggled up with the blankie. So cute, that I almost feel guilty when I have to take it away to wash it! Averie has also started loving on a little stuffed doll that my niece Monique gave her. Averie loves to snuggle with or "talk" to it.

- Averie still loves her nightly bath. We have resorted to some afternoon baths on occasion when Miss Averie has been incredibly fussy or refusing to eat (the bath generally relaxes her enough to take a bottle, and we have fed her in the tub many times). Jerome still handles the bath routine with her. I have taken over a couple times, but Averie definitely enjoys it more with her Daddy.

-Averie is generally sleeping a good 5 hour stretch at night, followed by a couple 3 hour stretches. We usually put her down around 10:30 pm after her bath and swaddle (she loves being swaddled and sleeps so much better when she is. I dread the day when we can't anymore!). She is pretty good about going right to sleep at night. She is also a pretty decent napper during the day, as long as I make sure to put her down as soon as I start to see her tired signs. We usually swaddle for naps too, although sometimes she is quite content with just her white blanket and pacifier.

- To our dismay, Averie isn't too interested in cuddling or snuggling lately. She likes to be held facing outward, so she can see the world, instead of snuggling up to our chests like she used to. I'm pretty much the only person who can carry her on my shoulder without her fussing. She also prefers to be fed while sitting in her bouncer seat. Gone are the days of snuggling her close during a feeding (except for the occasional nighttime breast-feeding session). I have friends who tell me I'm so lucky (their kids wanted to be held and snuggled all the time, and lucky me I get my hands free most of the time). I however am sad! I miss my cuddler, but I am hoping this is just a phase and she will snuggle again in the future.

-Lately Averie has seemed to be attached to Jerome and I more than ever. She has not wanted to be held by other people, and often screams until one of us takes her back in to our arms. We feel awful for the friends and family who can't seem to hold her for longer than a few minutes before the whimpering starts. We're praying this is a short phase.

-Averie is pretty good when riding in the car- as long as it does not stop! Stopping the car can cause her to erupt into loud a crying fit. This is especially troublesome when I am driving alone with no one in the backseat to console her.

-She continues to make some of the funniest facial expressions. Many of which she inherited from her Daddy (especially the furrowed brow look).

-Her hair is growing like weeds! Every morning we awake to find more hair on her head. My mom says it is the color of honey. I prefer spun gold. We joked that perhaps Jerome was using some special baby Rogaine shampoo on her at night because the hair has come in so fast. I don't know where all this hair is coming from, considering I was nearly bald till I was at least a year old, and Daddy didn't have much more either. I can't wait for it to get a little longer so we can start wearing some cute clips :)