I didn’t think it was possible, but this little face continues to get cuter every day…
and continues to amaze me with how quickly she’s growing and developing, her funny expressions, tiny laughs, smiles and movements.
3 crazy amazing months 
What’s going on right now:
-She’s starting to really understand her hands and feet. She’s grabbing onto toys, which immediately go to her mouth, and will grab my thumbs and pull herself up to a sitting position. She’s a strong girl, and I can tell her lack of mobility is frustrating to her sometimes. If I lay her in her Boppy lounger and she’ll grunt and lift her head up, like, “I don’t want to lay down! I want to sit and look around!”
She also makes some crazy faces.. I have no idea where she got them from 
-Her favorite toys right now are the Lamaze flower garden, a gift from the Easter bunny
(each flower lights up and plays a musical note, part of a song, or an entire little song depending on what setting you have it on. It dangles from the bar in her pack n’ play and she’ll smack it to make music)
her Abby Cadaby doll from her nana Easter bunny,
and the Vulli teething rings.
-We went cold turkey again with the swaddle last night, and she slept through the night. Maybe she wasn’t ready before, but is finally ready now? She looked so comfy, sprawled out with her arms above her head
-Cloth diapers. About that. They’re still lined up in the drawers and to be honest, they might end up on eBay. I won’t sell them without giving it a try for at least a week, but I’m not sure it will work out for us. It still grosses me out… even more after seeing the things I’ve seen. Something else that discourages me is the fact that we go through a LOT of diapers over here, but that really gives us even more of a reason to make the switch. I hope we end up loving it, but if not, at least we can say we gave it a try.
-I can’t wait for baby belly laughs. We were sitting at the patio table so Livi could see the yard and Tom was chasing Bella as she ran sprints. Livi was watching Bella run and let out a tiny laugh. “Heh….. heh…. heh”
-She continues to smile at everyone, and she definitely recognizes her family. Her face lights up when she sees her nanas and aunties, and she makes googly eyes at the guys in the family, especially her daddy and Uncle Kyle.
My favorite smile is the one where she sticks her tongue out at the same time
-Favorite moment this week was meeting Kelly and her baby –she’s one week older than Livi- at the park. We found a shady spot, put down a large, soft blanket and laid the babies next to each other. They’ve been little friends this entire time, but it felt like the first time they were actually seeing each other. They grabbed each other’s little hands, clothes, and just stared. It also felt like Livi’s first real time focusing on the sky… she just gazed above in awe.
-I feel like I can trust myself instead of relying on books. Just like anything I’ve done for the first time or am unsure of, I read. I like to soak up as much knowledge as I can, and then go with the flow from there. Since I wanted to get pregnant (which is exactly 2 years ago), I’ve been hooked on birth books, pregnancy books, breastfeeding books, parenting books, sleep books, on and on. For the first time since then, I don’t feel like I *need* to be reading all the time. I have one parenting book in the Kindle I’m in the process of finishing (“Bringing Up Bebe”), and it’s nice to take it slowly instead of feeling like I need to rush through and learn as much as I can.
I know my baby, she knows her mama, and I finally stopped worrying about “what if I’m doing it wrong?!”
I love her like crazy, and that’s all you really need anyway <3
Can’t wait to see what next month has in store. Not exactly stoked about the 4 month shots, though :/
An amazing read: Your Children Want You
Hi, I'm Gina. Welcome to The Fitnessista! I love blogging about my adventures as a new mom, military wife and fitness instructor, as well as sharing new workouts and recipes. Check out the About page for more info - thanks for stopping by!
She is so, so cute. Not wanting to sit still –> sounds like she takes after her mom
I also like to read as much as possible to educate myself about new things – it’s great that you’re feeling more comfortable and confident now. You’re doing such an amazing job!
If you don’t love cloth then you should put them for auction here first! I love my cloth, I would never go back! You don’t even touch the dirties, in the wetpail then in the washer on cold rinse, then a hot wash cycle, pull them out and voila clean as can be! And let me tell you that my lil man likes to go #2 A LOT! My mom uses sposies and has had 3 blowouts with him this week, we haven’t had any and we use cloth. Next week is REAL DIAPER WEEK, that is when you should give it a go! And then be present for the Great Cloth Diaper Change on Saturday morning!
I agree with the auction idea!
Sorry, this is a very personal question…. Did it take you a few months then to conceive? I only ask because I become so discouraged month after month (it’s been about five months of ttc).
She is so beautiful, congratulations!
yeah it took us a while. it was hard to try consecutively for the first year because my husband was gone a lot and then deployed
sending lots of love to you! how are u tracking your cycles?
I’m using ovulation sticks. I remember that you took your temperatures. Do you think that is any different or more helpful? Thanks for taking the time, I really enjoy your stuff!
For me, it worked really well. Ovulation sticks never said I was ovulating! Check out the books taking charge of your fertility and making babies if u haven’t already!
She is such a cutie! I’ve wanted to go cloth when we have babies but our laundry room is super small. I was so so excited to read about biodegradable liners for cloths that you can throw away or even flush down the toilet! Has anyone tried them? You can even buy them on Costco.com.
Lilly
Pancakesandbeetjuice.blogspot.com
We use liners when we travel or have babysitters/grandma’s watch the kids. They are really helpful and we have never had a problem with them! We don’t have a laundry room at all, so I understand the small thing! I wasn’t sure how to do it myself, our laundry room is actually a closet. We just hang a big wetbag on the back of a door or in our bathroom to store the dirties until they need washed. Then we just throw everything in the washer. ~one cold rinse, one long-cycle hot/warm wash with cloth safe soap and another rinse when it’s done. Easy Peasy. I’m about to throw a load in right now! Hope you try them and love them! Check Just Simply Baby! They are a fairly new company and I loooooooove them and their diapers! They are really affordable and they are the only diapers I have seen where you can pick what kind of insert you want ~microfiber, hemp or bamboo! THat was awesome for us because we prefer hemp tenfold and instead of buying the diapers that came with microfiber and spenidng extra on hemp inserts ordered separately, we were able to just buy them all at the same time for much cheaper and they are great quality! They are some of my favorite diapers! http://www.justsimplybaby.com/ They have a facebook page and they are always giving out coupon codes.
I loved this update! I was actually going to ask you about cloth diapering and if you guys had started. I really want to do CD-ing but don’t plan on doing it right after our little one is born. As much as I love the idea of doing it I have had moments already where I wonder if it is something I can really stick with so I appreciate your honesty on the topic for sure.
That picture of her chomping down on your brother’s finger is hilarious.
You’d actually sell used diapers on Ebay?
people buy used cloth diapers all the time- they’re expensive
She’s so stinking cute!!!
You can tell she’s becoming her own little person, she’s getting her own personality!! So cute! Wait did I say that already??
Don’t worry if you don’t end up CDing … it’s a personal choice to begin with. I am with you on being disgusted and although I would have like to have done it my husband was so not on board. Plus I seriously do enough laundry the thought of adding more is nearly overwhelming.
She gets cuter and cuter
What a little sweetheart!
I’m not a parent, and barely get to see my nieces / nephews, so I feel like I’ve learned a lot about babies and kiddos through your blog. Thanks again for sharing!
And cloth diapering… I wouldn’t worry about it too much… it’s just not for everyone, and don’t beat yourself up about it if it’s not for your family.
You’re such a lovely person and loving mom ! I really enjoy your blog. I find the blogosphere’s fascination with cloth diapering bizarre. I think a lot of the people weighing in on it have no kids. And frankly, many of those who CD are on the extreme end of things…lots of things! Let’s be honest – disposable diapers are great, keep kids super dry, and are incredibly easy to use. Livi is lucky to have such a kind, warm, intuitive and caring mom.
Love this post! I meant to write and say a massive thank you for all your posts you did through your pregnancy and up til now. My sister has a baby boy about 3 weeks younger than Livi, and because I don’t live near her, it was so good to read your posts and know what my sis was going through about that time. I also picked up some handy tips for when I babysit! My nephew is starting to laugh, he does this adorable little “Haaaaaaa…haaaaaaa….” and his face just lights up when I pull faces at him.
So a big thank you and sending lots of love to your beautiful fam
And it gets so much better from here
Congrats on making it through the first few months – you survived!
haha i wasn’t sure i would for a while there
Regarding the diapers, do what is best for your family and easiest for you. As for Liv, she is so bright and smiley. Seems like such a happy baby! And I agree, baby laughs are the cutest.
Just curious as we’re starting to register now…which model of the Summer Infant is that monitor and do you like it? I’ve heard good things about that brand, but I’m trying to narrow down which one to get. You’re little one just gets cuter and cuter! Happy Friday!
I know you didn’t ask me, but I saw your monitor question and thought I would chime in. After having a Summer Infant video monitor for a couple years, it started fritzing out on us (mostly the sound becoming unreliable) and so now with baby #2 on the way and needing a second camera, we sprung for the Motorola video monitor (available on Amazon). It gets great reviews and it’s been very good so far (we’ve had it several months). I was first looking into picking another Summer monitor but kept being put off by the inconsistent/often poor reviews for them online.
Anyway, food for thought! Sorry for barging in (-:
we have this one: http://www.amazon.com/Summer-Infant-Handheld-Monitor-Sliver/dp/B004UAD0RQ/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1334372131&sr=8-3
and it’s ok. a lot of my friends use this one and recommend it, and while it does the job, it isn’t anything to really rave about. it works, though
Ooo, I’m glad you mentioned something about the cloth diapers, because I was wondering about them. I still would love to give them a try when I have a kid…so when you update more on that can’t wait
I was just like you when I had my first baby.I soaked up every bit of knowledge that I could find.Books,books and more books.There was no internet back then.I hated to ever ask family members,because that made me feel inadequate,,,and I could never by no means show vulnerability or let my new little one down…sigh…that all changes when they get about 12.I will spare you the details,,,but have fun.That’s what it is all about
I finally settled down with one book as well Dr.Spock,,,he was the best.He helped me raise my babies 
Good Luck!!!! My lil Angel turned out perfect,and she is 22 yrs old now,,,and just as perfect as ever.She is such a blessing to my life!
Haha – love the first picture. Especially how you see a blur where her hand is. Just shows that she is constantly wiggling around and moving. I have so many pictures like that of my little guy. It’s so hard to capture a photo when they aren’t moving!
exactly! so many of my photos are blurry
GAH I just think she is the cutest ever!
Cute! Do you have a bumbo seat? She would probably like that. If not, we used to prop our daughter up in the boppy sitting and then place a few more pillows or rolled blankets there so she could sit and play that way. She might be old enough for an exersaucer now depending on her neck strength. That might help with her being so independent and feeling frustrated, that’s the way my daughter was (is! ha) and switching things up really helped me get a little more accomplished. Even if the thing I accomplished was sitting down for a change!
As far as cloth diapers, there is definitely a learning curve but it’s sooooooo much better than disposables. It’s actually fun! I was so completely grossed out by the thought as well and after you have seen the stuff that comes out, it’s hard to imagine just washing it off but it really works great and is so satisfying. I used to get so frustrated with disposables because they just get thrown out. It hurt a little every time, especially if one was just. put. on. and then soiled. Blah. Or if the little tabs ripped ~bummer! With cloth it’s so nice that the diapers go in all gross and smelly and come out all clean and lovely and fluffy. I couldn’t believe it when I actually did like them! It’s also really fun to match diapers to dresses for the summer! If you are really unsure of the poop situation, especially when it’s still kinda in the sticky phase, you can get some flushable liners. We love them for travel and there was a brief period where we used them whenever my son pooped, when the lovely texture was transitioning! haha Anyway, it was a lifesaver as is a diaper sprayer though it’s not completely necessary. Here is a link to some really great liners and the bumbo chair. http://www.amazon.com/Bumbo-B-B36-Baby-Seat-Blue/dp/B0007ORN7M/ref=sr_1_1?s=baby-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1334361006&sr=1-1 We got ours at Target I think. http://www.cottonbabies.com/product_info.php?products_id=1853 Free shipping on any size order from cottonbabies!!!
thank you for all of the tips! i think we’re going to wait until we decide before purchasing a diaper sprayer
thank you also for reminding me about the bumbo! she’s had a strong enough neck this whole time, but her body has been too little, and tonight i put her in it and she loved it
xoxo
No problem, mamas have to stick together!
Glad she like the bumbo seat, we were so excited when we found it the first time! Have you seen the post I did about cloth diaper stains? haha It sounds crazy gross but it might help. I’m like you when it comes to research and reading about things. Experience from other moms was really helpful with cloth. At the time, we didn’t have a diaper sprayer either, we used cloth for a good 18 months before we bought one and it was fine! Here’s the link if you’re interested! http://fruitveggietales.blogspot.com/2011/06/warning-this-post-contains-poop.html
you’re amazing- thank you! reading it now
Such a heartwarming post!! She is beautiful, Gina
thank you!
This was such a good post! Its good to know the confidence kicks in eventually! And Livi is the most adorable little baby girl!!
I can’t wait to meet her!!! I mean, I know I “met” her before, but you know what I mean
she can’t wait to meet you, too!
I had the same experience with cloth diapers…..they never made it out of the drawer! A new baby creates so much more laundry to begin with and you’re sooooo tired. I just couldn’t fathom the thought of washing diapers too.
She is beautiful! Congrats for surviving the first three months!
I’ve been reading your blog for a while now and I have to say, I can’t wait for my daily dose
Being French, I can’t help but ask what you thought about “bringing up bebe”. I read an article about it in the New York Times and it seemed really interesting.
Thank you, elodie! (beautiful name!)
Not finished with it yet, but absolutely love it so far
Cloth diapering is hard, not gonna lie. Once you get the swing of it, it becomes much more second nature and the gross factor goes away 95% of the way. There is something about disposables and just throwing it away that yes, it is easier and you don’t have to deal with the gross factor…you just….get it out of your sight. Lol
But there is NOTHING cuter than a little cloth diaper butt with a velour cover or a cute all-in-one as she starts to crawl. That little rump will just be so puffy in a cloth diaper. I actually loved buying diapers. They were like shoes or purses for me…haha!
Tsh from Simple Mom says that it doesn’t need to be all or nothing with cloth diapers! Even if you use one a day, that is still 365 diapers less that you are using over a year!
From an environmental standpoint, that’s definitely true. But in order to justify it financially, you really need to use them more. A decent quality cloth diaper costs about 75x more than one disposable diaper, so if you bought 4 cloth diapers and only used one a day, the cost wouldn’t balance out for almost a year… and that’s before factoring in the cost for liners, a diaper sprayer, and extra electricity and water charges.
I think cloth diapers are a great thing when they work for the family, but I can certainly understand the reasons why they don’t for others!
She is so beautiful!! Is it advisable to have peoples fingers in a baby’s mouth? I’m such a germ phobe!
Advisable? Haha probably not, but its my bro and i know he washes his hands. She doesn’t suck on everyone’s fingers like that- just uncle Kyle
She gets more and more beautiful every day!
Can you perhaps share where you purchased the “month” onsies?
Cloth diapers seem intimidating at first, but only because you aren’t sure about the process and washing etc. Really, it’s not a big deal! Your undies get gross stuff on them too
The one extra load of laundry every couple days isn’t that hard or time consuming once it’s routine (might take more than a week to get familiar with it though). And, you can use disposables if you don’t feel like doing a load. Don’t give up too soon! I think about all the chemicals and gel used in diapers and I just don’t want it next to my baby 24/7 for 2+ years. I like some of the AIO’s, but for us, we use prefolds and covers. Can’t get easier than that! No stuffing and you can use the same covers over and over without washing if they stay clean.
This is kinda random but we were out with our baby the other day and a guy asked us if we had him an email address yet. Well, no. Then he said they set one up for their son when he was a baby. They sent pics to it or if they had a story about him they wanted to tell him oneday, they sent it to him. His son is now 5 and loves checking “his” email and looking at all of that stuff and the parents don’t have to worry as much about keeping up with pictures and remembering stories. He and his wife love reading the emails also of things that happened that they had forgotten. Just an idea I thought I’d pass along.
I don’t have children yet, but I love this idea! Thanks for sharing!
your daughter is honestly so sweet and beautiful! one of the cutest little girls i’ve ever seen
I gave up on cloth diapers too. They leaked and I have three young children and work full time so I just couldn’t keep dealing with the mess. However, I do use cloth wipes so I tell myself at least that is my contribution to the earth!
Thank you for being so honest about cloth diapering…we don’t do it. It just seems like a pain and kinda gross. It’s refreshing to hear of a blogger who thinks the same way we do!
I love love cloth diapering. We only do it for the first year but once you get in the swing of things they are awesome! I’m glad you are going to try it for a week. You never know, you may like it!
i hope i do! i just ordered the detergent on amazon right now.. wish me luck!
I think disposable diapers are right up there with epidurals as best inventions of the 20th century.
Not to play devils advocate (because you know how much I love CDing) if you have any BumGenius 4.0s to sell, I’d happily buy them from you! Also, BabyCenter has a cloth diaper swap board that I’ve found is the best place to sell your diapers. But, I really hope you give it a try. Also, disposable diaper liners are my new best friend – no more rinsing poopy diapers for this gal.
i just ordered some- AMAZING. thank you!
i’ll definitely let you know if it doesn’t work out- i have 3 bumgenius 4.0s
xoxo
I’m a cloth-diapering failure.
We’ve tried them on W a few times, but they always leak. I hate admitting this, but I really like the convenience of disposables. Our little guy goes through a ton a day, too, and I wouldn’t be able to keep up w/ the laundry!
livi goes through a thousand diapers a day! we’ll see how it works out… there’s so much laundry already, too
I’m sure you’ve been asked this a dozen times and answered it a dozen more but…how long did it take you to get pregnant after you decided you wanted to try? If you started 2 years ago that would mean it took you about a year? Is that right?
yeah but we didn’t get to try consistently- the pilot was deployed and tdy for a lot of that time
omg gina!!!! utterly friggin adorable!!!!!!!
I have been CDing Ben for a month or two now and I actually find we have less problems than with disposables. I totally wasn’t on board with the girls to try it, but now that we are a family of 5 what’s another 2-3 loads of laundry a week? Cloth does leak a bit more than disposables, so just change them often and you’ll be fine! OH, and make sure the legs are tight! Ben leaks from the legs constantly in Fuzzibunz but we’ve had AWESOME results from Bum Genius!
Let me know if I can help (with the little I’ve learned)