Month 3

Dear Lia,

You turned 3 months old yesterday and what a long day it was. We couldn't figure out why you seemed to be so cranky all day. I like to think you missed me, because I've been sick the past few days, so Yaya Jenny would take care of you when I'm not breastfeeding. We missed a number of play time sessions because I didn't want you to get my colds. Perhaps yesterday, you decided, "Enough is enough, Mommy you HAVE to play with me." I'm sorry I was too busy writing to pay close attention to you. But after I finished, and Daddy came home, the three of us played until you demanded to be fed and put to bed. We of course, obliged.



You've grown bigger and stronger in the past month, you can hold up your head effortlessly. We play angel angel where I hold you above me on the bed, and you like it so much, you smile at me from above and drop baby drool on me as if to say, "bombs away!" You also like to ride on my legs and pretend you're flying. So now mommy doesn't have to go to the gym anymore. Bench pressing you and lifting you with my legs have become my daily work out. We're getting rid of this Mummy Tummy together.



You've also acquired so many new facial expressions and each one is a delight. I keep a camera close by always and try to capture them the best I could but you still like to shut down when the camera comes out. Last night, you were going through this long monologue about the trials of being three months old. You were going on and on and on, your Daddy and I couldn't get a word in edgewise. But when we whipped out the camera so we could video tape your speech, you just stared at it and shut down completely. You looked at me with eyes that said, "You're not getting that on tape! Talk to my agent." But we videotaped you anyway and teased you mercilessly with the squeaky octopus.

Another thing you inherited from your Daddy is that you are a morning person. Every morning at 7:30-ish, you wake up, feed, and then are ready to smile and gurgle and play until it's time to go downstairs. You've successfully turned my 26 years of staunch morning crankiness into morning delight at your beautiful smiles. Of course this also means you're not a night person so you start getting moody early in the evening, and all night until you fall asleep.



In the last week, since we left you one night to watch MI:III, and you put your yaya and Lola Cora through hell, screaming yourself to exhaustion, (I totally blame Tom Cruise for this) it has taken about 3 hours every night to put you to bed. From 7-ish to 10-ish, we have what we call, The Long Feed Good Night, where you would suckle one breast for a whole hour, stop. Look at me with big innocent eyes. And then wail uncontrollably for no apparent reason. At which your Daddy and I half-panic, try to feed you again, pass you between the two of us, carry you in all positions possible, put you down on your tummy, then on your back, change your diaper even if it's not yet full, short of dangling you upside down by the ankle, nothing works. And then I give you my other breast and you settle down for another whole hour of breastfeeding. When you finally stop or let go, you refuse to be moved and have to sleep on my chest a few minutes before we put you on the crib. At which we heave a sigh of relief and go to sleep ourselves.

But you know what, this is all worth it because you are a Super Baby. You possess the super ability to sleep for up to ten straight hours. I know when you get older, you will not believe us when we tell you this (because we didn't really believe Lola Cora when she said your Daddy and Ninang Michelle used to sleep through the night as babies too) but once you are able to read this website, you will see that it is true. And so if only for allowing us, your parents, more than 8 straight hours of sleep a day, I will endure all the daytime endless feeding and crankiness you can dish out because you are such an angel when you sleep.



I love you sweet Lia. You make motherhood such a happy and glorious experience. I am so proud of every little thing you can do, and so thankful everyday that God blessed me with such a beautiful, wonderful baby.

Love, Mommy