Where does the time go? Noe reached the 12-week mark yesterday, and it feels like the last month (after the super-colicky stage) flew right by. She’s changing by the day now and learning new things so quickly… Her smile still lights up my gray, dreary, wintry Minnesota days. Seriously, I think I’m going to start taking hits off her Vitamin D dropper pretty soon!
What’s New? She’s definitely developing her motor skills, learning to use her hands and legs in intentional ways. She can hold objects now, and in the bath, she’s able to splash her legs and feet and move them into the running water. She’s also thinking about flipping over (gets the legs going and then “swings” her body over to one side while lying on her back). She’s still discovering lots of different sounds, coos, laughs, etc., and testing them out. She clasps her hands together all the time now, at will.
What’s She Been Up To? Noe had her first “lunch date” outing last week. We met my friend Katie and her 10-month-old daughter, Emma, at CPK. Although Noe naps best at home in her crib and doesn’t sleep well (at all) in the car seat or stroller, it’s good for mom to get out of the house (see gray, dreary Minnesota reference, above). She also had a visit from Auntie KJ, who flew in from Chicago for the weekend. Noe loves playing with KJ and had a blast tooling around the mall in the stroller, showing her the local sights. And hey, I’m not going to complain too much about a baby who naps best in her crib. After 6-7 weeks of nearly ZERO daytime naps, we are in a wonderful place now. And I’m WAY superstitious, so that’s enough talk about that. 😉
My Turn: Time to celebrate little milestones… She turned 12 weeks and I “toasted” myself with a glass of white wine after feeding and putting her down for bed last night. Here’s to three months of exclusively breastfeeding. Wooooot! It hasn’t been easy, but we’re doing it. Yay!
Now it’s on to the photos…
At CPK with Emma
Playing with KJ, her favorite Chicagoan
Practicing for the 2030 World Cup
More “futbol” practice
Playing with baby kitty in the bouncy seat
Keeping Up With The Christensens 
Babymoon wins in OT November 21, 2008
Leave it to the two of us to wrap our “babymoon” into the Minnesota-Wisconsin football weekend in Madison. Good times!
What the HECK is a babymoon, you ask? According to Wikipedia, it’s “a vacation taken by a couple that is expecting a baby in order to allow the couple to enjoy a final trip together before the many sleepless nights that usually accompany a newborn baby.” I lie not. Check it out for yourself. And yes, I am a complete sucker for most marketing ploys like this…
Our babymoon was great. We spent two nights with Joe’s cousin Brian and his fiance, Rory, in Madison (Final: Badgers 35, Gophers 32), and two nights at the lovely Marriott, West Madison. I can hardly complain about Joe’s long road trips during the summer. Racking up Marriott points definitely helps offset that hardship.
During the first half of the trip, I put a heavy emphasis on the prenatal massage part, while Joe focused on the “enjoy” portion by tailgating and attending the game with Brian, Uncle Steve, Aunt Mary and the rest of the Rochester gang. They had a fab time. The last two nights, we shared some quality time at the Marriott, tore up their workout room each day and indulged in tons of reading, too.
Lucky for me, Oasis Day Spa in Madison has a cool setup for pregnant clients. It’s called the Prego Pillow. And it changed my life! This huge, hollowed out pillow allowed me to lay face down on the massage table, with my belly suspended comfortably off the table. I haven’t laid on my stomach since… early July? Thanks again to Rory for carting me all over town while our guys partied in the 30-degree weather. Like me, she can appreciate the friendly confines of shopping INSIDE when snow flurries begin to fall.
I have a great pic of Joe and Brian, all bundled up, headed to the game. Will have to post that one over the weekend. Fatigue and tiredness are taking their toll on me again during this final stretch. I am struggling to find the time to blog over lunch hour anymore, let alone REMEMBER to download photos when I get home from a trip. Sounds like the beginnings of parenthood, right???
UPDATE: Here are pics from the Minnesota-Wisconsin football game… Pre-game of Joe and Brian, and listening to the band at the student union.
Happy Friday! Joe and I will be celebrating TGIF by beginning our childbirth classes at the hospital tonight. It’ll be a weekend packed with nine hours of instruction spread over tonight and Saturday. Woot! Sounds like tons ‘o fun.