3 Months

Mia is three months old today. This morning, I went to the commissary on base to do our grocery shopping. I was standing in the frozen foods aisle when a women came up, touched me on the arm, and said, "Hello! How are you??" I had one of those horrible moments where I knew that I knew her face, but had absolutely no idea where I had met her before. Apparently, she didn't remember either, because she followed up her greeting with "Where do I know you from?" We went through several rounds of possible locations until she asked where I delivered my baby. When I told her, she smiled broadly and we both realized simultaneously where we knew each other from. She works in the labor and delivery wing of the hospital where Mia was born. The week before the birth, I was in every couple days to be hooked up for a NST and she was the one who was with me every time. The morning Mia was born, I arrived with contractions at 8am and ultimately was admitted to the hospital and induced. This nurse stopped in and checked on me throughout the day, until her shift ended at 4pm. Mia was not born until almost 8 hours later, but she came into my hospital room the next morning to say hello and peek in on Mia. She was so sweet through the whole experience, and I was pleasantly surprised she remembered my face 3 months later.

Mia marked the occassion of her 3 month birthday by grabbing hold of one of her toys for the first time. She's batted at things before, and she'll grasp whatever you put in her hand, but she's never spontaneously grabbed one of her toys. I've been encouraging her for several weeks by putting toys against her hand, showing her rattles, that sort of thing. But it was a gift from Kevin's cousins that finally did the trick. It's a lamb that, when squeezed plays a lullaby and has light up cheeks. Mia loves it. Enough that she just had to put it in her mouth (because, apparently, that's what you do with your favorite toys) and so she reached out...grabbed it...and in her mouth it went! Yea Mia! You can tell that this skill has clicked in her brain, because now she's grabbing at all sorts of things. As I type this, she's going to town on her playmat.

Other new skills this month include rolling from back to belly (but not consistently), giggling, and continued strength in her back and neck. She's much, much better at sitting (supported) now. Mia can also scoot herself in a circle by kicking her feet in the direction she wants to move. Such a smart girl!

Here's the offical 3-month picture:

When she was first born, I didn't see any of myself in her. Now that she's growing into her own a little bit, I'm seeing a little more.

What do you think?

And just so that we don't forget that she's still little and working on building up her strength... here's what happens when she surprises herself with a sneeze during one of our photo shoots:

Hehehe.