3 Months Old

Today is Imogen's 3-month birthday :-) I can't believe it, she is such a big girl already! Here is a picture from today so you can see just how big she has gotten. She weighs approximately 12 1/2 pounds and is approximately 23 1/2 inches long. She doesn't have another doctor's appointment until next month, so we don't know those numbers for sure. Imogen is still wearing her 0-3 month clothing, but it won't be long before she moves up to the next size. She is such a great baby -- we are so blessed!

Here are some fun facts about Imogen at 3 months:
***She holds her head up!
***She got her ears pierced!
***She loves to talk! Her favorite word is "ah-goo."
***She loves to stand!
***She loves to put things in her mouth...including her fingers, fist, burp cloth, and little doll, as pictured above.

In other news, we bought Imogen a jumperoo, and although I find it extremely obnoxious, I know she will love it. Her feet don't yet touch the ground, but that's nothing a couple phone books can't fix!

And lastly, I went back to work this past week. In the 'first day of school' fashion, here is me the morning of my first day back. I miss her incredibly while I'm gone, but I know she is in great, loving hands.

2 1/2 Months Old!

We took Imogen to the doctor yesterday for her two month appointment, even though she is a little over 2 1/2 months old now. Here are her stats:

Weight: 12 pounds 1 ounce
Length: 23 inches

Her measurements, including head circumference, are in the 50th percentile. The doctor said she looked great! Imogen also got her first shot -- the DTaP. The doctor said it could cause her to be fussy or really sleepy -- fortunately it did neither and Imogen acted herself the entire day. We were relieved.

Boyle FAQ #2

This is often the first question that anyone asks me, and my most hated.

Question: "Does Imogen sleep through the night yet?" or "How does she sleep for you?"

Answer: People seem to ask this question as if a baby 'sleeping through the night' makes one a better parent. It doesn’t. And when thinking about how to answer this question when someone asks, sometimes I feel guilty when I say ‘yes’, because I know very well that she usually sleeps well, but last night we were up every 2-3 hours – but I would never say ‘no,’ because then what would they think of me? They would think I’m a bad parent because my 2-month old is not yet ‘sleeping through the night.’

I would say that 9 times out of 10 a baby wakes up at night to eat. Breastfed babies tend to wake up more to eat at night because breastmilk is quickly and easily digested, which leaves their tummy empty quicker. Formula takes longer to digest, so it sits in baby’s tummy longer and makes them feel fuller longer; same with cereals. So, as a 6-month-dedicated-to-exclusively-breastfeeding-mother (shocking, huh?), Imogen is probably up at night more often – and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

But let’s look at what the experts say. Sleep experts say that a baby 6 months or younger is said to ‘sleep through the night’ if they sleep for at least 5 hours in a row. So, by that definition, I would answer that Imogen ‘sleeps through the night’ on most nights now. For the past week, she has been sleeping about 5 hours in a row for her first stretch at night. That is not every night, just the majority of the nights.

As a first-time parent of a 2-month old baby, I would have to say that Imogen does extremely well at night. Yes, she may wake up more, but she almost never cries! She starts to stir and tries to suck on her thumb and it wakes me up. Then I know she’s hungry, so I feed her and its back to sleep. Who knows exactly when I will get a straight 8 hours of sleep again? Who cares?! I didn’t on most nights before she was born! This first 6 months of her life is such a short time, and breastfeeding her is such a special bond for both of us. She has the rest of her life to ‘sleep though the night.’

Boyle FAQ #1

I've decided to start a new series of postings with Frequently Asked Questions, or FAQs, that Chris and I have been frequently asked since the birth of our beautiful Imogen. This way, it can be publicly known the answers to these FAQs and hopefully will cut down on the asking of the questions. Here goes.

Question: "Wow! Look at all that hair! I bet you had tons of heartburn / indigestion while pregnant. Did you?"

Answer: No. Not even once. Clearly it's an old wive's tale.