Looking Back - Month 3 in Review

Gosh...I feel so behind and have totally neglected updating my blog...I know many or you could care less but this has also been serving as my digital baby book until I have time to sit down and update that.   It's been difficult to keep up online because my stupid MacBookPro has some sort of a glitzch where the screen slowly fades to white shortly after being turned on and no amount of shutting down and restarting seems to fix it...very annoying (and of course when I took it to the Apple store it wasn't acting up at all and the only thing they could tell me was to ship it off to the magical Apple store repair facility which costs $250 or $300 just to have it looked it). Oh well...if anyone has any tips on how to remedy that little problem please let me know.  In the meantime I'm stuck working on the laptop in very short intervals...most of the time I only have 5 minutes or so before the stupid white screen appears...#firstworldproblems

Anyway on to more important topics... Nicolette's third month has been a whirlwind.  At the end of month 2 Nicolette had started rolling from her tummy to her back.  And before the end of month 3 (on Halloween actually!) Nicolette was rolling from her back to her tummy...now I had no idea what might me a normal timeframe for that to happen but when I looked it up online most sites said that it would be month 5 or 6 before a baby starts rolling from back to tummy so my child of course has superhuman strength and is an absolute genius. Apparently it takes much more back and neck strength to roll that way.  We're not surprised in the least since Nicolette popped her sweet head straight up to look at me as soon as they placed her on my chest.  She's always been really strong and was never a "floppy baby" like most newborns are.  Daddy is very proud of how strong his little girl is.  He still tells people that her heartbeat was like something out of the movie "Gattaca" throughout the delivery (you have to have seen the movie to get the reference.  Her heartbeat was like a metronome, never sped up or slowed down.  The nurses were amazed!). 

Anyway, I digress...month 3 also brought lots of chatter.  Nicolette talks to us all the time now.  I love how animated her little face is while she's talking...she clearly has some very important and interesting things to say!  We've joined a local playgroup and have been getting more involved in weekly activities.  Once a week we go walk the Greenway with other mommies and babies.  We had to move our walk indoors to the mall one time due to rain.  Here's a pic of Nicolette and her BFF Leela checking each other out after our walk that day.  

Leela and Nicolette - checking each other out

 Nicolette is getting better and better with tummy time!

 Nicolette can sit up on her own (when supported) on the couch or bed.  :)

Daddy likes to teach Nicolette to crawl...He'll lay down and put her on his belly and hold her feet and tell her to "push, Push Nicolette" and she'll muster up every bit of energy she has and she always makes it all the way up to daddy's face for a kiss!  :)  It's her new favorite game.  I'm so thankful for my husband...daddy's play with their babies in ways that mommies just don't quite match...it's very sweet to watch.

We had our first vacation as a family...a short trip to Hilton Head Island.  Daddy played in a golf tournament and mommy and Nicolette slept in every day and went for nice long walks!  Nicolette also had her first little cold while we were in HHI.  Just some sniffles, a runny nose and the most pitiful little cough.  Her temp was about one degree higher than usual and she was pretty cranky for about the first 12 hours we were there but she healed up real quick!  I dread the first time she's really sick...those little sniffles and cough nearly broke my heart. (note to self...Nicolette HATES the bulb syringe...Screaming. Bloody. Murder). 

Chillin' poolside with mommy after one of our walks

Our sweet family on the beach

Lunch by the pool with mommy and daddy

Nicolette big pimpin' in her suite at Hilton Head

First time in a big girl stroller (i.e. the umbrella stroller)

During Month 2 Nicolette had discovered her hands and loved rubbing them together (she looked like a precious little evil genius wringing her hands together :) and while we were in Hilton Head Nicolette also started realizing that her hands could be used to pick up stuff...namely mommy's hair and her toys!  It was so fun to watch how quickly she realized that she could pick up a toy and shake it around!  Her hand eye coordination was still a little off so we had a few occasions where she'd bang her head with a toy but no tears were shed in the process.

We also went to the sweetest little pumpkin patch near our house!  I hope this will become an annual tradition for us.  They have a corn maize, hay rides and all sorts of fun little games for the kiddos.  This year we just picked out a pumpkin and didn't play but as she gets older I'm sure we'll get into all the "extras".

Our family!

Silly Nicolette

We also had a fun play date with Leela and Tiffany.  They came to our house to play and eat some delicious Bum's Rum Cake that I won in a Facebook contest.  You HAVE to check this cake out...it is PHE-NOM!  You can check out their website HERE.  I highly recommend the chocolate but all of the flavors are amazeballs!  Anywho...Leela was trying to teach Nicolette to crawl during our playdate....she didn't pick it up this go round but maybe next time!

We also went to a fun Halloween Party as a part of our mommy group.  Nicolette made a picture frame and showed off her costume.  She had so much fun that she was a bit of a cranky pants when it was time to get back into the car seat to go home...

Month 3 also included Halloween!  We were dressed as characters from Petere Pan.  The Italian was a dashing Peter Pan, mommy was Wendy and Nicolette was a sweet little Tinkerbell.  We had a few friends over for a Trick or Treating party...our neighborhood is usually PACKED with Trick or Treaters but the traffic was way down this year...I was a little bummed cause I really like seeing all the kiddos dressed up for Halloween...stupid Wednesday night Halloween...I still say that Halloween should always be the last Saturday in October...kinda like how Thanksgiving is always the fourth Thursday in November...not sure who I need to talk to about that...I've already got our costumes planned for 2013...now just have to make sure the Italian buys in and we'll have to celebrate with the Sayeghs again because I know they're guaranteed to dress up and play with us!  

Daddy (Peter Pan), Mommy (Wendy) & Nicolette (Tinkerbell)

Our buddies, The Sayegh Family...winners of best costume for 2012 - Big Bad Wolf Victor, Granny Tiffany and Little Red Leela

Leela and Nicolette - Nicolette had something very important to say, apparently)

Come on Nicolette, give us a smile!

So here we are in the month of November and time is flying by more quickly than I ever could have imagined.  I'm really enjoying every second of motherhood and don't want to wish any of my time away.  She's my best little buddy and I love spending all my time with her!   I wouldn't have it any other way!  I LOVE MY LIFE!