The McCarthy Clan: Devlen

3 months - Dec 5

Oh man! I can't believe he's already 3 months. I swear every time I look at him he's changed. Growing, changing, and no longer my squishy newborn. We've started daycare which broke my heart and I went back to work full time. We're trying to figure out a pumping schedule that will allow me to still exclusively give him breast milk. We recently had an ice storm and thank God! Through the travels to Tulsa and not being strict with a pumping schedule we went through our freezer stash within the first 2 days of daycare. This has caused me stress as what I'm pumping is not what he's taking in the bottle. Had he gone into daycare on Fri I would've been forced to send formula with him. While I get that its the end of the world and lots of babies survive just fine on formula (me included, I was a formula baby) I just love the fact that I can provide nutrients for him.

Eat
He's now on a 4 hour feeding schedule with 4 sessions. I'll nurse him in the mornings between 5-6 then its every 4 hours from there. If he's at daycare he almost always has 3 bottles at 6 oz since I can't pick him up in time before his last feeding. Talk about breaking your heart when you only get that one special time when it used to be 4 to 5. But we're all learning and growing with it. I've recently picked up a 2:30am pumping time in hopes that over the weekend I build enough freezer stash to get us ahead of the game. I did it once and it worked well. We also did an official at home weigh-in where I step on the scale with the baby and step on without the baby. According to the home scale he's 11 lb 6 oz. So I'm excited to see what he weighs at the doctor's office.

Sleep
This kid is amazing. He's going 8-10 hours sleeping. His last feeding time is usually 6-6:30 and we put him down between 8-8:30. Most books and friends I know say to put him down immediately after his last feeding but if we did that we wouldn't have any evening time with him. Typically Dave doesn't get home from his job until 8:30 and its important to both of us that he see Devlen even for a little bit in the evening. We're still working on our new routine now that daycare is introduced and its ever changing.

Play
When he's on the playmat he actually hits the hanging animals. It's so cute. He also started looking at his hands trying to figure out they are and where they come from. He did this over Thanksgiving when we were Tulsa with my parents. He smiles all the time and he coos at us like he's having a conversation. Melts my heart every time.

Travel
We made the trek back up to Tulsa. He was great and made the trip as easy as possible. He met more family, more friends, and showed off his new skills of holding up his head for several seconds and cooing at you while looking you in the eyes.

Daycare
While we've only been in daycare for 4 days, he's adjusted to it fairly easily. He eats like a champ and quickly grew used to Ms. Norma and Ms. Janie who love to hold and snuggle him. The only thing he hasn't adjusted to is the noise, so his naps are super short. He's started taking 20 - 45 min naps and up to 5 times. I'm hoping he'll get used to it so his naps are longer.

Dear Devlen,

My handsome little man! You have gotten so strong this month. You can hold up your head for several seconds and turn it side to side. You get more and more frustrated on your stomach mainly because you want to be able to see what's going on around you. We've started holding you on our hip where we have a hand ready to support your head if you need it. Each time you hold your head up longer and you're so interested in your surroundings. You had your first Thanksgiving! It was such a fun trip. Again we met more family, more friends, and you got lots of one-on-one time with Lolli and Pop! You've really turned into a talker and its so much fun! It really feels like you're telling us about your day and I can't wait for the moment I can understand what you're trying to say. You have an easy smile that just lights up the room. I love the bond we're forming and pray that it always stays this way.

Again we subjected you to our family rivalry, where the cowboys played the giants. Again the cowboys prevailed. I'm pretty sure this means you're a cowboys fan, but that will break your father's heart so we'll wait until you're a little older and can actually cheer for them!

In other news, you attended your first TU tailgate. Both mom and dad love TU and their athletics. You were a hit and of course well behaved. You showed off your smile and while you didn't stay for the game, I know you were cheering for a TU victory.

Bath times are still one of your least favorite activities, but I think you're starting to come around to them. We even caught a smile after a bath!