margaretyagan

I woke up overnight at 3:00 and had a snack with Mom (since it was before 4:00) and then got up for my bottle at  5:30.  Mom had a meeting this morning, so Dad, Aunt Claire, and took for the office right after my bottle.  We usually make a pitstop at Starbucks, but it turned out that it wasn’t open yet because the “key holder” hadn’t arrived.  The baristas were just hanging out in front of the door.

Dad tried to get me to amuse myself, but I wasn’t really having much of that.  I took a quick nap in my car seat on his desk, but after a few minutes I got quite irritable.  I screamed and screamed while Dad got my bottle ready, which really seemed to annoy him because a couple guys had already gotten to work and I was clearly causing a disruption. After my bottle, I refused to take a nap.  I was just plain old cranky.  Finally I fell asleep for about an hour around 9:00.  When I got up, Mom was there waiting for me and we headed back home (and I slept for most of the walk).

I started making a new kind of noise today as I continue experimenting with my communication skills.  My new sound can really only be described as a squeak.  Mom’s attempts to immitate the squeak were pretty bad.  I think this is the first thing I can do that she can’t!

I made up for my crankiness by taking a 3.5 hour nap in the afteroon.  I got up, ate, and then was in a really good mood while I hung out with Aunt Claire.  She eventually had to leave for yoga and she and I met Dad down in the lobby to save her a couple extra minutes (he was running late).  When we got up to the apartment, I started screaming again, but quickly fell asleep while he carried me around.  Dad seemed really sad about the death of Tim Russert.

I got up and screamed a lot more; Mom correctly guessed that I was hot and would be a lot happier with fewer clothes on.  So, I stripped down to my diaper and became a much happier camper.  I ate supper with Mom (before she took off to hang out with Aunt Ali at The Duplex) and then Dad put me to bed around 8:45.

I woke up at 4:00 and had a bottle with Dad and then went back to sleep until 7:00 — exactly the same thing I did last night.  Mom had pumped right before I got up, so I waited for about an hour until breakfast was ready.    I had another snack about an hour later and then took a nap before going on walk.

Our first stop was Duane Reade, to pick up some toilet paper.  Then we headed to Central Park, weaving around the softball fields on our way to a shady spot in the Sheeps’ Meadow.  After a while, though, our shady spot was no longer shady.  Luckily, Mom brought an umbrella to keep me cool.  When we got ready to go, I decided to show my newfound power as a 3-month-old and I completely rejected my stroller.  Mom put me in and I screamed so loud that she felt uncomfortable being in Sheeps’ Meadow — an official “quiet area” — with me.  So, she ended up carrying me in one arm and pushing the stroller in the other, all the way home.

We had awesome tummy-time, where I finally conquered my big head and lifted it completely off the ground.  I still need to learn how to use my arms to support my upper body, but hey, one step at a time.  I took a bath right after tummy-time (I spit up all over myself) and then spent a bunch of time playing with that new giraffe that I got the other day.

Unlike yesterday which I pretty much slept away, I was awake most of the day today.  Dad got home a bit earlier than usual and played with me for a while.  I pooped in the middle of one of his games, though.  I guess that means I won.

Apparently he read somewhere that I’m supposed to start developing my sense of smell, so he got nine spices out of the kitchen and held each one up to my nose.  I was pretty unimpressed with most of them, except the sage, which I immediately tried to shove in my mouth (and I am sure I drooled inside the container!).  I ate a couple more times and then turned in for the night around 8:30.

It’s my birthday!  Woo!  The so-called “4th trimester” is now over, meaning I can officially start manipulating my parents.  Watch out, Mom & Dad, I’ve been practicing my smiles and big puppy eyes.  You’re in a lot of trouble.

I slept a lot, pooped twice, and went on a field trip to Barnes & Noble with Aunt Claire where she bought me the only birthday present I got today.  In the evening. I started getting really fussy and Dad strapped on the Baby Bjorn and went for a walk.  Nominally, the goal of the trip was to pick up something from Duane Reade to fix our clogged drain.  After checking out, Dad decided to extend the trip for a while so Mom could get some time to herself.  We walked passed a delicious Mexican restaurant, strolled through Best Buy, and then walked through Barnes & Noble (my second visit of the day).  Finally we headed back home where I ate and fell asleep.

I’m sure there’s more to write about, but I know, what you really want to see are pictures of my third month, so, without further ado:

http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf

Well, after going four whole days without a poop, I’ve now pooped four times in the last two days — twice yesterday and twice today.  It’s great to see them on their toes.  I woke up at 5:00 for my bottle, which Dad gave me.  While Dad was burping, I emptied my bowels — much to his surprise!  I stayed up for an hour or so playing wtih Mom and then I fell asleep for about three hours.

I then spent an abnormally long time (almost an hour) eating, followed by my second “movement” of the morning.  This definitely warranted a bath, which Mom gave me.  I kept hoping we’d get to go out today, but the heat was pretty miserable so there was no way we were leaving the apartment.

I took a nap, ate twice, and then dozed off for about half an hour.  So, I took a 3-hour nap, a 90-minute nap, and a half-hour nap.  Not too bad!

Uncle Marty came over to see me — and he got to our apartment a lot earlier than he usually does, so we were able to play for quite a while (unlike last time, when I barely caught a glimpse of him as I was heading off to sleep!).  He brought me an early birthday (well, I turn 3 months old tomorrow) present.  It’s part toy, part blanket, part teether, and part noisy crunchy thing that he really liked.  He’s gotten so comfortable with me that he even did “Super Maggie” (which has yet to be recorded by a camera!).  He’s sure come a long way since he was afraid to even stand up while holding me.

Mom fed me and then headed out for an evening out with Aunt Ali.  I think they were drinking something slippery or purple or both — I’m sure I’ll taste it when I get up in the morning!  I didn’t fall asleep for quite a while after I finished eating — probably around 9:30.

I surprised everyone by getting through the night without a bottle (though I was pretty restless after 3am).  Dad tried to stretch me just a few minutes too long — he hopped in the shower after I made it clear that I was ready to eat.  By the time he got out, Mom had already gotten my bottle and started feeding me.  Dad finished up and then couldn’t resist hanging out with me for about 15 minutes before he took off for work.

There were three things to note today:

 – I had a playdate with Gil, who’s the son of Jess’s friend Tamara (from the KSG).  Gil was so fun and it was really cool to get a sense for what I’m going to be like in 14 months.  He still fit in my bouncy chair, so it’s good to know that I’ll be able to use it for a quite a while.  Like many others, Gil seemed pretty impressed by my rotund belly, though he took it to the next level, petting it like a little kitten.

– I pooped – twice!  After going over four days without pooping just last week, I let loose twice today, just two days after my last poop-venture.

– I learned how to shriek today.  And I don’t mean cry.  I mean shriek.  This is a non-stop, high-pitched wail.  Rather than a continuous cry, I unleashed long, loud, separate shrieks that drove Mom and Aunt Claire nuts.  Dad missed most of my shrieking, though I gave him a small dose while he was taking care of me during Aunt Claire’s run and Mom’s mat pilates.

I turned in for bed around 8:30. 

Well, it’s official.  The midnight feeding is going to be part of the schedule for a while.  I woke up at 3:00, ready to eat.  So, Mom and Dad had agreed that if I woke up to eat before 4:00, then Mom would get up and nurse me; if I woke up after 4:00, Dad would get up and feed me a bottle.  I have no idea how or why that makes sense, but I’m sure they over-thought the issue and probably have an Excel spreadsheet optimizing me.

I woke up again at 6:30 and this time Dad got up and gave me a bottle.  Of course, I wasn’t going back to sleep, so Dad got up and played with me for a while.  I hung out with Mom while Aunt Claire and Dad went to Whole Foods.    When they got back, we got ready to take off for breakfast.  We had a ceremonial removal of the newborn insert in my car seat and ventured in to the blistering heat.  We first tried Alice’s Tea Cup, but the hostess quoted us over a one-hour wait, so we headed back to Fairway Cafe, the place Alex and Kate introduced us to last week.  I had no interest in sitting on an upside-down high chair again, so I sat in Dad’s lap while he ate his pancakes one-handed.  We didn’t see any famous people this time.

We headed back home, trying to walk in the shade as much as possible.  Dad had planned on taking me into the office for a few hours, but Mom didn’t want me going out in the heat.  She said to Dad: “What if a germy person drips sweat in her face.”  Dad had no comeback.  I ended up sleeping most of the time Dad was gone, so Mom was pretty productive even though I was home.

The rest of my day was prett uneventful.  I hung out with Mom, Dad, Aunt Claire, and Maddi.  I eventually turned in for the night around 8:15.

Sorry, readers, yesterday should have been an official “Poop Watch.”  And since I didn’t poop yesterday, this marks the longest I’ve gone without pooping in the modern (post-meconium) era.

Today started with more midnight madness, as I got hungry for a bottle at 2:30 am.  Maybe I’m going through a growth spurt and Mom and Dad just need to get used to this new schedule — until I come up with a new new one.  I woke up again at 5:30 and ate with Mom (can’t draw down the milk reserves!).  I stayed up and played until I fell for an hour at 7:00.

We had plans to meet Aunt Ali and Uncle Ryan at the park so I ate a real meal at 8:00 and then a quick snack at 9:30 to hold me over.  Aunt Claire and Maddi met us the park with bagels.  The bikini girls were out en masse!  When do I get a bikini?  And what’s up the the Speedo guys?  Ewww!

It was so hot in the park.  When we got ready to head home, Aunt Claire and Maddi went to meet up with another friend.  We picked up Dad at Starbucks (who went there to get some work done) on our way home.  I ate lunch and then Mom tried to skip to yoga, but Dad was pretty persuasive and so she took off as soon as I was done eating.  I was kind of fussy so Dad tried to get me to sleep.  I calmed down, but amused myself in my bassinet for about 45 minutes.  I cried a bit and Dad calmed me down again and moved me to his bed.  I fell asleep pretty quickly.

Mom got back from yoga and was surprised that I wasn’t “starving” since my morning feedings were not as long as usual.  Maybe she forgot that my abdominal region was full of, um, “outbound traffic.”  Anyway, I finally got up and ate at 2:30 and finally, at 4:30, I let loose with a diaper full of miky-way-nougat.  Dad gave me a bath and then I got to wear one of the new outfits that Aunt Sarah sent me!  I like my new wardrobe and am excited to try them all on.

I took a nap around 4:30.  I got up and was in a super-good mood all evening — one of my happiest evenings in recent memory.  I danced around with Mom and Dad and made lots of giggly sounds during dinner.  It was really fun!

I fussed for much of the night, which caused Mom and Dad to keep getting up giving me a pacifier, and turning on my rainforest noises.  Finally Dad woke up, took a shower, and fed me (in bed, next to Mom, so as not to wake up Aunt Claire and Maddi).  Dad put me back in bed, but of course (like Dad), once I’m up, I’m up for the morning.

Mom got up and played with me on the floor of the bedroom while she pumped.  I fell asleep (without eating again!) around 6:30 and I slept for quite a while, until 9:00 (so late that it caused Mom to miss yoga!) and ate.

While my sleeping improved — for the second time in the last few days, I consolidated all of my daytime sleep into three naps — my spitup reverted.  I went through three outfits today.

Around 3:00, Mom and I went to the park.  I was in a really good mood and played with Maddi and Aunt Claire (on their way back from Little India) until I got pissed and fell asleep in Mom’s arms (without being rocked or swaddled — pretty rare!).  We got home (and ate) just before Dad got home.  I took a nap until around 7:00.  Dad was so excited to get me out of the bassinet.  Mom and Dad were in the middle of dinner, so I sat in Dad’s lap while they finished.  Then Dad and I played on my blanket for quite a while. 

For the first time ever, I grabbed one of my toys with two hands and moved it.  Mom and Dad were pretty excited.  Dad also started getting pretty aggressive about trying to make me use my arms to support the weight of my upper body (and ginormous head).  Mom actually thought it was a good idea — which is pretty rare.  I ate again and fell asleep around 9:30.

I broke with tradition and woke up at 2:30 for my overnight bottle.  This is the first time in recent memory that I’ve gotten up so early in the night that Dad actually went back to sleep after feeding me (if it’s after about 4:00, he’ll just shower and go to work).  I never fell back into a particularly deep sleep after that, but I slept until about 6:00 — just after Dad had left for work.  I ate and played with Mom until my first nap of the day, around 7:30.    I slept for about two hours.

When I got up I was pretty hungry, so I ate and then Mom gave me a bath.  I ate, took a one-hour nap, and ate again.  Then Mom and I went for a walk and ran some errands.  First we went to the post office, then Mom decided to walk through all of the restaurants and shops at Columbus Circle.  We walked by a piece of art at a modern art shop that listed for $255,000.  I don’t know much, but it seems way cooler than a college education.  I slept for part of the walk, but seeing the Christopher Ries piece really piqued by artistic curiosity and got my mind racing.  Eventually, though, I got pissed and was ready to go home and eat.  I napped for a quick hour and then was up for the rest of the night.

While Mom was at yoga and Aunt Claire and I met up with her friend Maddi who’s staying with us for the weekend.  She’s so nice and brought me two cool books.   I’m so excited to learn about Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel!  I’ve done some research on this dubious book and found that it is pro-cannibalism!

I didn’t get to see Dad before falling asleep, but I felt him kiss me while I was sleeping.  He was at some kind of exclusive  “networking event.”  (Dad, I assume it’s ok for me to wear that outfit Alison’s wearing?)

The big news today was that I consolidated all of my daytime sleep into exactly three naps, just what Mom and Dad have been trying to get me to do for almost two weeks.

I knew it was going to be an exciting day when — right after my early morning bottle — Dad and Aunt Claire packed me up and took me out in the rain.  Dad carried me down the steps into the Columbus Circle subway stop and we headed down to Dad’s office (with the requisite stop at Starbucks).

I was quite a bit fussier than usual at Dad’s office, but luckily no one else was at work for the first few hours I was there.  I sat with him (in the Baby Bjorn) at his desk for a while and sat on his desk (in my car seat) and even got some time playing around on the floor.  Dad gave me a mini-bottle and then put me to bed on the couch in his conference, which also doubled as Aunt Claire’s office for the day.  I got up around 10:30 and had a bottle.  After Dad and Aunt Claire were convinced that I wasn’t in a playful mood, Aunt Claire and I walked home together.

I napped from 12-1 and 2:30-6:00.  Around 7:00, Mom’s and Dad’s friends Christian and Reshma came over to meet me and they brought me a really nice blanket.  I wasn’t very nice to Reshma as I cried as soon as she held me.  And Christian had a bit of a cough, so he looked out for my best interest and just waved at me.  They all went out to dinner and I hung out with Aunt Claire — but I got fussy pretty quickly so she gave me a bottle and I fell asleep.