3 Months Old!!

3 months. 1/4 of a year already. Where does the time go?! We have 3 happy, healthy 3 month olds on our hands!

Will is such a happy little baby. He smiles all the time with big, full faced grins and loves to coo and talk to us a lot. He definitely has his moments when he's a screamer, but he's very predictable- he'll cry if he's hungry, has gas, or has a full diaper. Other than that, he's pretty content. He seems to enjoy new environments- he's the baby that is most often awake when we're out and about. It's a toss up for him when it comes to his pacifier- some days he's all about it, and other days he is happy to suck his thumb or his hand. He's moved into 3 month clothing and fills them out pretty nicely- no more newborn outfits for this kid. He takes 5 1/2 ounces per feed, and would definitely take more if we let him! He has taken a liking to his mobile in his crib and will chat up his woodland fairy friends as they turn. Will loves to give sloppy kisses right on the end of my nose. It grosses people out, but I love them!

Griffin continues to be our laid back little guy, until he's mad about something. Then, watch out! Kid has a temper, especially when he's hungry. Or when that darn pacifier doesn't stay in. His pacifier is seriously a blessing and a curse at the same time. He loves it, but he also loves to spit it out and then cry about it. One of his favorite games is "Let's make Mom keep putting my pacifier in my mouth"- he wins the game. Often. Smiles are harder to get out of Griffin, but when he does smile, oh my. His little nose crinkles up and it's adorably heart melting. He's also taking 5 1/2 ounces per feed now and is fully wearing 3 month clothing. He's starting to intersperse some baby coos into his normal grunting noises. I think Griffin is going to be the first baby to roll from his back to his stomach- he's soooo close to doing it.  He'll be glad when he can roll over so he can sleep on his belly- still his favorite way to catch some zzzz's. He's also a little smoocher and will give Mama nose kisses, too.

Cooper has started giving out happy smiles more and more often. His grin is so big and adorable. I just love it. He's also started talking to us more and more. He's just as into his pacifier as Griffin is, and has started taking a Nuk regularly in addition to the pacifier that the hospital sent us home with. Cooper is wearing some 0-3 months clothing, and some newborn items, but for the most part is also in 3 month sizes. He's taking 4 1/2 ounces per feed...when he decides to eat. In the past couple weeks he's developed a rather frustrating habit of "pretend" eating his bottle. He will act hungry, but when it comes time to eat he will use the bottle nipple as a pacifier instead of actually eating. For awhile we thought maybe he couldn't get the milk out of the nipple hole because of the rice cereal, but more and more we're convinced that he's just deciding to not eat. It's possible he's just protesting the rice cereal in his bottle because he will nurse with no problems. Whatever the situation, it's been a test of our patience, especially because he's our little guy and needs to eat! 

All three boys seem to recognize Will and me as Mom and Dad- they are spending more time locking eyes and staring at us when we talk to them. They don't seem to have any stranger danger queues yet- they're happy to be held by anyone who wants to hold them- they continue to be great snugglers and love, love, love to be held. Everyone is great in the car and will fall asleep within minutes of getting on the road. We're looking forward to when they interact with each other more. Right now the only thing they'll try to do when they're side by side is chew on random body parts of their brother. 

We have started using the Baby Bjorn and a Boba Wrap to carry the boys around the house. All three babies seem to enjoy being carried around, but Griffin seems especially fond of it. In other firsts: we have started tandem feeding the boys! I have tandem nursed on several occasions which works out well now that the boys have better control of their heads. Admittedly I'm not nursing as often as I'd like to. I still aim to nurse each boy once a day, but lately one thing or another has happened so we've skipped nursing sessions. Usually time is the culprit. On days when we have places to be it's harder to take the time to nurse and then still pump. We have also recently introduced tandem bottle feeds to the boys. Will or I will feed Will and Griffin at the same time. It's been working out well that Will feeds Will and Griffin together while I pump and feed Cooper at the same time. Talk about a game changer! Our hour and a half long feed schedule is cut down dramatically when I can feed Cooper while pumping and Will can feed Will and Griffin together. It feels like things go exceptionally faster when we can multitask like that! 

Their newborn clothes are pretty much all cleared out minus a few items that Cooper can still fit into. It has been tough for me to let go of their clothes. I am SO SAD that they are not that little any longer! I love watching them grow- one of my favorite activities while I'm pumping is looking at pictures and videos from the first couple weeks we had them home and see how much they've changed. But I already miss the newborn stage when they were teeny tiny. It's tough giving up the baby clothes, especially when we are going cold turkey. We'll never have teeny infant newborns in the house again. Most people with multiple children get the excitement of busting out their favorite newborn clothes again when the next baby comes along. I'm packing them all away to donate. (Side note- if anyone knows of someone expecting a baby boy anytime soon we have a LOT of newborn clothes up for grabs!) It's bittersweet, for sure.

At three months we are:

• Eating 5 times a day, going anywhere from 4 to 7 hours between bottles
• Pumping on average 5 times a day
• Nursing as often as I can, but usually only once a day for each baby
• Probably closer to 35 diapers/day as the boys seem to require changing more often now
• Using our voices more and more and hearing baby coos more frequently
• Flashing big grins and smiles\
• Getting stronger at tummy time by using our arms more to lift our heads higher off the ground
• Pretty much the cutest things ever