The Grahaminator at 3 Months

Weight: (Our pediatrician doesn't do 3 month check-ups, so we don't really know.)

Height: (Ditto)

Clothing size: 0-3 months/ 3 months. (Is it just me, or is baby clothing size super confusing?)

Diaper size: 1, but now we're in cloth diapers, which are one size fits all. 

Feeding: Still eating well every 3 hours. Ever since he started sleeping through the night, he is much more hungry during the day. Makes sense, but one day he nursed for an hour straight at one feeding, and several times lately it's taken 45 minutes. What??! Did I mention just feeding this kid is my full-time job??! Andrew always says he is packing on the ounces. Ha. He has just started taking a normal bottle lately, instead of his "special needs" one, so we're hoping this will continue.

Sleeping: Taking 1.5 hour naps each 3-hour cycle. Sleeping through the night!!!!

Milestones: Survived his 2 month shots. Ouch. Rolling over!!!! (tummy to back) Starting to laugh!! Starting in cloth diapers.

Likes: I decided pretty soon after Graham was born that he is an ENFJ (Myers Brigg) so far... meaning he loves people, sees only the big picture, reacts emotionally, and loves his schedule. Pretty sure all newborns must be this :), but we'll see how his temperament progresses as he grows. Anyway, he still loves SNUGGLING. Hunting for his thumb and trying to shove it into his mouth at all times. Paci to go to sleep. Elephant mat. The Bumbo. 

Lovin' the Bumbo.

Dislikes: Baths. Any clothes that go over his head.

Adventures: Meeting baby Kaleigh!! Graham's cousin Kaleigh was born in Florida, so we had to wait a couple of weeks to meet her. They have no idea they're going to be best buds. :)

Typical: Graham avoiding eye contact and Kaleigh looking completely adorable.

LOVE that our babies are so close to the same age!!
Congrats Mary Leslie and Heath!!

Loved his visit with Nonnie and Poppy! 

He's so proud of his Daddy. :)

What we couldn't live with out: BIBS!!! They help catch all that spit-up... sometimes...

My favorite part of parenting this age: I just added this in, so I'm going to fill in for the past two months too... 

1 month- Snuggles and cuddles!!! The awe of every little movement, sneeze, facial expression, etc. Sweet noises- purring especially. 

2 months- Beginning responses to us. More eye contact, smiles, coos. Finally feeling like he's really OUR baby, not like we're just baby-sitting. :)

3 months- Seeing new tricks!! Rolling over, lots of smiles and noises. Just so much more alert and responsive in general. This age is really fun!

The hardest part of parenting this age:

1 month- Lack of sleep. Nursing. Feeling clueless what to do sometimes. Constant worrying. Figuring out how to be on the same team parenting.

2 months- Exactly the same as 1 month.

3 months- I think still just getting used to things-- lately missing out at social gatherings from having to leave the room to nurse him. It's hard but worth it.

I just love our little family.

A little size comparison... I cannot for the life of me figure out how to get these three pictures all beside each other! Anyone using blogspot that can help me out with this??

1 month

2 months

3 months today!

Cloth Diapers... Eek!!

His little...er, HUGE... cloth diaper bum!! :)

Welp, we're doing it. The Grahaminator has been in cloth diapers for 8 days now. And we've survived. And honestly, it is not as bad as I was expecting! Andrew was way more sold on this idea than I was from the beginning, but I went along with it since it would obviously save money and we needed to do that in every way possible since I am staying home with little Grahammers. Our friends Ashley and Natalie have been so encouraging through the whole process as they've shared with me what's worked for them and made it all feel totally doable.

Here are some tips for getting started if you're thinking of jumping on the cloth diaper bandwagon...

• Register for cloth diapers! Buy Buy Baby has them, and Target does too (maybe online only there). And whatever you don't get as gifts, you can use the $5 off coupons BBB constantly sends out to get some pretty good deals. We used a coupon on every single diaper, making them $13 each, and we paid for them all with gift cards so they were FREE! Sweet! We use the Bum Genius  brand. And honestly, we didn't research the gazillion different brands and styles. Someone recommended these, they were able to be registered for, so we just did it. No complaints.
• Don't start immediately! Friends recommended to us to start a month after Graham was born, just to get used to everything else that comes with having a new baby first. We planned on doing that, but received so many disposable diapers as gifts, that we ended up waiting 2.5 months. 
• Buy gender-neutral colors if you're planning on using them for multiple kids. But we couldn't resist buying just a couple of blue ones. :)
• These diapers are thicker than disposable, so they will make your baby's bum big!! This affects their clothing sizes a little. Graham was still not quite filling out his 3 month clothes yet, but after we started putting these on, they fit way better. Just be aware of that when you're buying clothes in advance.

What you'll need:

• 18+ cloth diapers. Ours are one size fits all, so G-baby will be wearing the same ones from now until he's potty trained. (The snaps can just be adjusted to be bigger.) Everyone recommended getting at least 18 diapers to start with, which covers you for two days. (You're supposed to wash every 48 hours.) Graham goes through 6 diapers a day now, so 18 has been plenty.

Graham's collection so far...

• Wipes. I use normal now, but am thinking of switching to cloth wipes.
• Detergent. There are a gazillion opinions about which detergent you should use with cloth diapers, but we went with Tide Original in powder, which has been great so far!
• Wet bags (optional). I wasn't going to do these at first, but am so glad I did. You need a big wet bag for your diaper pail/ trash can and a small one for the diaper bag when you're out and about. These are AWESOME because they control odor, protect your other stuff, and then you can throw them both in the washer and dryer with your diapers! I heard to get two of each, but I just started with one of each for now.
• Trash can/ diaper pail. We just got a trash can with a lid from Wal-Mart.
• Diaper Sprayer (optional). I don't have one of these yet, but I heard they're great especially when the baby poop gets more solid! I did end up getting this when G started solid foods. At first I hated it, because I sprayed poopy water all over my bathroom and myself. This video (the first one on the page) was super helpful at learning how to use it correctly!

I wash the cloth diapers every other day, which sounded like a ton at first, but is really not so bad. I was doing so much more laundry anyway since G-baby spits up on EVERYTHING that I've barely noticed the extra load. :)

Day 1- not so bad!!

Here is the best video I've seen for how to wash cloth diapers. Scroll to the end of the page to see it. My system is a little different, and yours will depend on your diaper style, washer/ dryer settings, and preference.

If I can do it, you can do it! Seriously. Happy cloth diapering!!