Mammahood #1

Updates on my daughter... she's growing up wonderfully. She's getting so big and healthy, about 13lbs now. She'll be 3 months old in two days and she has all of us trained already. She cries when she wants to be fed, and mamma obliges. She cries when she wants to be picked up, and someone obliges (usually mamma). She cries when she wants anything and someone is always there immediately. I am reminded of that book by the Canadian author about living with a "pint sized dictator". She's like a mini-Fidel.

The diapering is going well. Maybe too well. We use cloth diapers during the day and a disposable overnight, it lets her sleep longer without waking up. And it works! During the day she hates being wet and cries to be changed (will come in handy when we're trying to potty train her) and she sleeps between 7-9 hours a night on average without waking up! Whoever thought of this... brilliant.

Breastfeeding is also wonderful. It hurt like hell the first three weeks while my nipples numbed to the pain, but now I have 'nipples of steel'. My word of advice to new moms or moms-to-be; if you're worried about the pain now of breastfeeding... KEEP BREASTFEEDING. It's the most incredible feeling to be able to singlehandedly provide all of the nourishment my baby needs. It makes Duy a little jealous... He let her try to suck his nipple the other day and he almost cried in pain as her little cheeks started to suction. I warned him that not everyone can have 'nipples of steel'.

She can self soothe by sucking her little thumb. She can hold her head up like a natural now. She's stronger than I would have ever guessed at only 3 months. She can't roll over yet, but she likes to lay on her belly and look around from a new angle for a change. She loves to sit up like the little dictator she is and view her subjects (her stuffed animals) and choose which one she wants to chew or push over. She loves to play with her rattles and is just at the stage now that everything within reach is up for taste-testing. My relaxing three months of 'baby care' are coming to an end as she is soon to be crawling everywhere, spitting up baby food and chewing everything from dog tails to pillows and anything else she can find.