Anna Scott's Baby Book - Three Months Old

Baby Girl,

I am sure I've said it before, and I know I will say it over and over throughout your life, but I cannot believe how time has flown. You are Three Months Old! As sad as it is to see you grow out of those teeny tiny onesies and socks, you are getting cuter and sweeter each day. I have always said that God made children grow in the perfect way. All of the fun, exciting, and cute things you do make it hard for me to get sad about you not being small anymore. He really knows what He's doing, huh? 

This month, you have really developed more personality. You are still my little social butterfly. You smile from ear to ear to anyone who talks to you. You "talk" (coo, gurgle, ooh, and ahh) almost non-stop. My favorite is when I'm holding you and talking on the phone, you start grinning and cooing like I'm talking to you. So sweet. Every morning when I wake you or go to pick you up, you squint your cute little eyes and squinch your nose while giving the sweetest baby grin ever. And when I say every morning, I mean every morning. Even if you're fussy and hungry, you find a way to give me that smile. You also smile every time you see Aiden walk into view. He loves it! Mommy loves it too.

You laugh a lot more now. It seems you like silly noises and to be a little startled. The weirder I can be and the more it surprises you, the harder you'll giggle. It is just so cute. Anytime I try to get you on camera doing something, you will stare straight at the camera. This can be frustrating because it distracts you from laughing at me! But you sure do know how to lay the charm on thick. You bat those eyelashes and smile right into the lens. This is hilarious and scary at the same time. But we've had the chat about boys. But when we did you just laughed at me, of course.

We spend about half of our weeks at the swimming pool. You love it because, as I've said before, you love being naked. You are perfectly content just laying in the shade looking around or napping. Unless you decide you would rather be held. The past couple of times, you've not been to happy about Mommy putting you down. But that's okay! (wink-wink)

Ready for the pool

You take two little naps each day and one big three hour nap. You are sleeping 12 hours each night! Your big brother didn't do this until he was six months old! So good job, sista! You still wake a few times (but not fully) to fight your paci. Spit it out, whine, spit it out, whine... But you figure it out and go right back to snoozing. 

You have found your little hands and sometimes seem amazed by them. Putting them in your mouth, swaying them in front of your face, clasping them together. It really is so cute. So far, no thumb sucking (phew).

Your favorite activities include baths, cuddling (especially in the Boba), looking at things, talking to people, blowing bubbles, chewing on Sophie, and watching your hands. You still poo and pee with the diaper off, but much less now, thank you! You also do this cute thing with your feet. You put them together like praying hands. I kinda love it.

I packed away your first box of clothes which made me tear up a bit. But I am enjoying dressing you in all of your cute little outifits! I am guessing this will only get worse as time goes on. Poor Daddy.

Tummy time is becoming more fun for you. You can hold yourself up much longer and kick your little legs like you are trying to crawl. Sometimes, when you want to be picked up, you will try to do a sit-up. This is something your brother did all. the. time. and it used to scare me, but he turned out okay, so I'm not as worried. But it sure does look like you're working on a six-pack. You are definitely getting stronger! 

This next month, you will be starting cereal, and my least favorite, sleep training. This means you will be sleeping in your crib in your own room! Without a swaddle! I'm sure this will be harder on me than you. We will soon find out. 

I love you so much, Sweet Girl.

Love,
Mommy

30 Day/300 Ab Challenge

Let me start with saying that I hate working out. Which may come as a surprise if you saw my yoga pant/Under Armour collection. I'm a major poser. I once saw them referred to as "fake out" clothes. I couldn't help but snicker. Honestly, I can count two times in my life that I actually stuck with any kind of workout plan. Both of those phases were when I was childless. And both were short-lived. The only other experience I have with fitness is the occasional dusting off and playing of a $10 Pilates DVD when I feel extra squishy (usually right before swimsuit shopping...or most often after). So needless to say, I've never seen any kind of results-my fault, of course. I think I'm too impatient. Or skeptical. Or both.

Enter Shannon Dew and her blog post on the 30 Day/300 Ab Challenge. I saw her results and was sold. It's different than seeing results on an infomercial. It was a real woman. A real mom. That's one thing I love about the blog world--getting advice and recommendations that you can trust. All I can say is girlfriend rocked this workout. I knew I had to try it. So, one night, I asked my hubs to be my motivator/coach (because I know my tendency to give up).

Days 1-5
SUCKED. I felt like an out of shape, goopy, sloth-like loser. And when I would wake up the next day , I simply felt like I would die. Okay, a little dramatic, but keep in mind I do absolutely no physical activity (other than lifting a baby and walking up and downstairs...oh, and shopping)

Day 5-8/today
I no longer feel sore throughout the day. I still am feeling a burn during the workout, but don't find myself having to take breaks every 5-10 reps. (Yeah, that's right. I said "reps". I talk the lingo now) I can get through the whole workout in under 15 minutes. I still can't do a legit sit-up without tucking my feet under furniture, but that gives me something to work toward. I also started to see and feel results around day 6! I felt like I was standing up straighter, and felt stronger somehow. It's like I felt more solid? Does that make sense? I also have noticed that I eat less and less often. I no longer look at eating half of a pizza as an enjoyable activity. I can be just as happy with one slice. Not sure if it's physical or just an I-don't-wanna-mess-this-up mentality, but either way, I feel healthier and I like it. My saggy post-baby pouch is shrinking and I'm noticing more definition to my tummy. Also, it doesn't protrude to 15 weeks preggo status after I eat a meal. That may be my favorite thing.

Day 1 vs. Day 7

Bottom line?
This workout is quick, it's easy (once you get past the hellacious first few days), and you get fast results. I feel healthier. I drink more water. I eat less. I'm sticking with it. It's perfect for this mommy of two. I can't wait to see everyone else's results! Thanks, Shannon, for the inspir- and perspir-ation!