3 Months

I can't believe that Brinley is 3 months old!

It has been an ammmmazing 3 months. Let me just tell you! She has been such a wonderful baby. Minus a couple melt downs where I called my mom practically in tears "Mom..Why is she crying!?" Seriously. I checked her temp, tried to feed her, changed her bum, and finnnnally I thought "Maybe I'll give her a bath." She quieted down SO fast and after took a 3 hour nap. Phew. Next time, I'll start with a bath FIRST!

My thoughts on having a 3 month old baby:

Time has just flown by. It is hard looking back because in the first month, I was so focused on A, recovering and B, doing everything "right" according to all the baby books I read. I was so focused on feeding her for the right amount of time and especially how people handled her. I was a worrier times ten. I barely slept at night because if she slept over her usual 3 hours I would wake up to make sure she was still breathing. These are normal mommy things to do, so I get it now, but I don't really think I treasured her so small and sleepy. NOW Brinley is a mover. Holy cow. She loves being on her back and having either Ryan or myself playing with her. She eats SO good. Who know I would love nursing this much!? At first I just felt like the only thing I did was feed her, but now she is getting to such a fun and interactive stage. She is so funny when she is eating because she will fully extend her leg and put it in the air, but semi kick me. She'll also grab onto my clothes and be crazy. And when she stops eating and looks at me with a big smile...o my goodness...I just love her to bits! It has been challenging with our hectic schedule but when I'm not in class or trying to get homework done, I am all hers. Every free moment is spent with Brinley. We are such pals. My favorite it when I come home from class and she gives me the BIGGEST smiles ever and gets so jiggy. I love it. Seriously, what is better than that!? Don't get me wrong, I would love to be with Brinley 24/7 right now, but when I come home from class after being gone for an hour up to 3 hours sometimes, I feel like I am such a better mom. I don't know how to describe it. Being able to get out of the house, and do something that is really for Brinley, is so inspiring. I am so grateful I am able to finish my college bachelors degree while having a baby. Not too many girls are able to do that. Unfortunately, my motivation is lacking, but thankfully, Ryan kicks me (figuratively...) in the pants and helps me get going with homework whenever I need it.

Cute things about Brinley:

>Her fingernails. Oh my goodness. She has the most dainty little hands.

>I love her little mouth. I like to call it a bird mouth. It's so small!

>Her features are so feminine. Everything about her is all girl!

>Her toes. Don't even get me started.

>She has the cutest facial expressions. My favorite is when she is lying on her tummy and her forehead scrunches up and her eyes get all big from looking up.

>I love how much she smiles. Especially at Ryan. He has a way with her that I don't. Maybe it's all the funny noises he does at her, but it is so adorable watching them interact.

>EAT, PLAY, SLEEP. Changed my life. It is almost to the second. Eat...play for 60-90 minutes...Sleep for 45-60 minutes. AMEN. Thank you Baby Wise!

>She is sleeping great! On a normal night bedtime 9pm and she sleeps until 5-6am to eat, and goes back to sleep until 8ish. We are lucky!

>It still takes her 10 minutes to completely stretch out and wake up every morning.
>HER HAIR!? Enough said!

>and finally...the Spirit that is in our home because of her is so special and unique. Our home is so warm and loving. She is such a sweetheart and I love her so much!

I am so grateful for the opportunity to be a mother.

It has been SO super hard at times, but Soooo rewarding. It is extremely hard to be upset at 2am when she wakes up and gives you the biggest smiles. I can't help but smile back and say...Good morning to you too! I am so grateful to my family members who have helped us out with practically every parenting question (shout out to you Tiffany and Chrissy!) and to my BFF Jessie who has a baby boy Max only a month ahead of Brinley. She is my answer to "Did Max do this at blah blah age?" lol I love you Jess.

Also grateful for those who have babysat for us. My night class is on Thursday nights and with Ryan at work at night, I have to rely on friends to watch Brin for 2 hours. Nicole has been the babysitter lately and I love her SO much for helping me out. Thank you for everything Nicole! She is also the gal who sewed the leg warmers!! Ridiculously cute!

Today, Ryan and I were able to go to the Temple for the first time in a while together.

I wasn't able to do a complete session after like 34 weeks because my back hurt so bad when I sat down. Cassandre and Andrew (our cousins) came over at 7:30AM to babysit while we went. It was such a wonderful experience at the Temple. I have such a strong testimony of the Temple. The peace and joy that you can feel just from being inside is amazing. There, we learn how to be more like our Savior. I always leave the Temple with a new found sense of Who I am, Who I will become, and how to be a better Mother, Wife, and Friend.

And today, BRINLEY ROLLED by herself for the first time!!! Woohoo!