Ollie: Three Months

Aaaaaand we’ve made it through the newborn stage. Ollie turned three months old last weekend, so has officially gone from newborn to baby. Hurray! Our lives will be infinitely easier now, right? RIGHT?!

Here's an update on how our little man is doing at three months old…

Weight 5.8kg (18th percentile)

Height 60 cm (24th percentile)

Those measurements are very approximate (especially the height) as I just did them at home. We don’t have another visit with the nurse until next month, so I’ll have a more accurate picture of his growth then. He was born on the 5th percentile for both height and weight so he is growing very well which is great. I certainly feel like he eats a lot so it is nice to have confirmation that he is a healthy boy.

Sleeping

So after reading pretty much everything you can read on the internet about sleeping, and how to get your baby to sleep well, Ollie is doing pretty well in that department this month. At night he’s a dream to put to bed, absolutely no fuss and sleeps until at least 2am. Lately he’s only been waking up ONCE in the night, around 4am for a very quick, half hour feed. AMAZING! I feel almost human again. 

Naps are a different story. Ollie is a lover of the 40 minute catnap. Super frustrating, especially on the days that Ella is home. He will sometimes have a longer nap in the morning, but in the afternoon forget about it. I am working on not rushing in and getting him as soon as he makes a noise, in the hopes that he will resettle himself and eventually have longer naps. I feel a bit bad about this but when he wakes after only 40 minutes it is clear that he is still tired as he is cranky so it’s really for his own good! We still usually go for one walk a day, either in the carrier or the pram, though he usually wakes up if they stop moving which is a bummer. I remember Ella was similar and I was always a bit jealous of those mums I saw in cafés, slowly sipping their coffees while their babies napped contentedly in a pram. Ella didn't stay asleep in a stationary pram until much later in her life.

Ollie still sleeps in his bassinet in our room. He seems very content in there so I am reluctant to move him to a cot just yet. I think I can squeeze at least another month or two out of the bassinet. He’s a much quieter sleeper now that he is a bit older so doesn't keep me up at night anymore. Thank goodness as for the first six weeks I felt like I was sleeping with a warthog (or similar grunty animal) in the room. 

Feeding

I'm still exclusively breastfeeding, and as you can tell by the weight gain he is doing well on this front. During the day he still seems to eat every 3-4 hours in the morning, but more like every 2-3 hours in the afternoon and evening. It drives me a bit nuts feeding him so often in the afternoon but I think it helps him sleep longer at night, so it’s a trade I’m willing to make. However I do think he’s a bit of a “snacker” and that’s why he feeds so frequently (and doesn’t nap very long in the afternoon). If anyone has any tips on how to improve this I’m all ears! 

Things Ollie likes:

• Getting tickled under his chin
• Having his feet and palms massaged
• Lying on his playmat 
• Being in his bouncer (finally!)
• Being in the car when it is moving
• Going for walks in the pram. We’ve switched him to the seat from the bassinet and I think he prefers this as he can see more. 
• Splashing around in the bath

Things Ollie Dislikes:

• Being in the car when it is stopped
• Getting out of the bath
• Long naps
• When Ella smothers him. She is trying to play but gets very in his face which I imagine is pretty annoying! 

Development and Play

• We got our first giggles a few weeks ago! They are THE BEST THING EVER! 
• He smiles at people and things frequently now and will follow us around the room with his eyes and his head
• He tries to reach for toys on his playmat, although can’t quite grasp them yet
• He has pretty good neck strength and can hold his head up for a long time when you have him in a sitting position. Still hates tummy time though! Does any baby actually like tummy time?!

It’s been a crazy three months - although I feel like I will say that every month! But with some solid night sleeping I feel like I’m coming out of the haze of having a new baby and a toddler and we are starting to find our groove as a family of four. 

Next month we have the arrival of Andy’s parents to look forward to. It will be great for Ella to spend time with her other grandparents and for them to see Ollie as a little baby, and of course I am looking forward to the extra sets of hands around the house!