Growing!

Jane: 3 Months

Jane is now 3 months old! Here is a little bit of her life:

Age: 13 weeks

Weight: She hasn't been weighed in over a month, but my guess is somewhere close to 15 lbs

Eating habits: Jane eats every 2-3 hours during the day. We are so thankful that the Lord has made breastfeeding work! She is still exclusively breastfed -- no formula! Woohoo!

Sleeping habits: She takes a couple of long naps during the day and a few cat naps in the evening. We are pretty active and on the go, so she is usually up until 10pm. She is now sleeping through the night! A very grateful Mom and Dad appreciate Jane's 8-hour sleep routine at night. We are usually up around 6am for a feeding and then she falls back to sleep until around 8. She is very consistent, which I am thrilled about!

Development: Jane amazes us as she is continuing to grow and learn- the results evident on a daily basis! We are still enjoying her sweet smiles, which now make an appearance all day and night! She rolls from back to side and grabs at toys. She spends a lot of time playing with her hands in front of her face-- she seems amazed that she controls those cool things! We heard Jane's very first laugh this month. What a special moment! She gave a few giggles for Daddy a few weeks ago, but the first time we really heard it was around family and it was a priceless moment. While the whole family was laughing and cheering on those adorable giggles, my hands were clasped over my mouth with tears streaming down my face- what joy this sweet girl brings me! You can check out the video here: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10150453500043191

Favorite things to do: Baby girl loves her time with family. We are so blessed to live so close to Jacob's family, so I spend time at their house almost every day. Jane is spoiled with love from her aunties and now gets to spend some special time with her Uncle Joely who recently moved back home from San Francisco. Jane still loves hanging out on her changing pad, kicking around and looking at the hanging flowers on the ceiling!

For those of you who haven't heard me say it yet... Jane is the easiest baby! She is such a little sweetheart and makes the transition into parenthood so effortless for Jacob and I. From day one, she has been a good sleeper and eater and has adapted to many different environments and people holding her. I thank God every day for bringing me my little miracle baby. I never would have imagined this much joy in my life.

This month, we celebrated Jane's very first Christmas. It was a fun-filled weekend with lots of activities! On Christmas Eve, we spent with at my Dad & Jeanine's house with the Fedlers for a delicious brunch and gifts. At night, we headed to the Raub's house for their annual Christmas Eve get-together. It was late, but we still wanted to stop by the Sustacek's for a little tradition they've had for years: pizza and chili. The anticipation for Christmas morning was almost more than I could contain! Christmas morning we headed back to the Sustacek's in our PJ's for an awesome time with Jacob's parents, siblings, and Grandma Susie. We were all spoiled rotten and enjoyed watching all of the excitement around the room. We watched the Adele DVD Jacob gave me while eating Angie's traditional Christmas morning breakfast: biscuits and gravy. In the afternoon, we headed to my Mom's house for gifts and a laid-back Christmas dinner of 3 different soups and tasty appetizers and desserts. My grandparents made a huge dart board a few years ago, which has become a really fun activity on Christmas and we all filled our pockets with cash! The gifts and the food were great, but the biggest blessing of all was spending time with family. My sweet “Bay Jane”, as Kate calls her, has been a huge joy in our lives. That joy reminded me of the great reason we celebrate Christmas- Jesus! I can only imagine the joy Mary experienced when holding our Lord and Savior in her arms. "And Mary said 'From now on, all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me-- Holy is His name!’”

Up and Away

I consider myself completely blessed- life is good. I was lucky enough to marry my best friend. That's a pretty common statement married couples make, because when you date someone, they usually become your best friend-- and that is a key component in a good marriage! But I consider myself a little *extra* lucky because Jacob was my best friend even before we started dating. It's all very "Dawson's Creek". I didn't need to date him very long to realize that he was exactly what I'd been searching for. I had fallen in love before, but I had never experienced that compatibility Jacob and I share. Anyone who knows Jacob can quickly rattle off all of his great traits: huge heart, great sense of humor, and a relaxed walk through life that becomes contagious.

Today I found myself remembering April 2nd and the song that inspired our wedding day. Here are a couple lines:

Everyday, everyday with you

Every little thing you do the way you do

Little darlin' in your eyes

Got me all up and away

You get me high

I saw you there, since then everyday

It's like I'm lost and thinking of you in every way

Since I fell into your eyes

All I know is that you get me high

You get me high