laughter.

travis cracks sylvie up. he sang these two songs for 30 minutes tonight, just to hear her laugh.

(by the way, these were some of her first laughs.)

3 months.

my dear sylvie,

yesterday you turned 3 months old. i think that this month has been the best so far. you’ve begun to develop quite the personality! you smile often now, especially when your daddy or i lock eyes with you. i think you can really recognize us now. it is the best feeling in the world.

all of this engaging with the world around you has caused you quite a bit of trouble when it comes to napping. lately it is almost impossible to get you to nap because of how into everything you are. you would much rather look around, bat at things, and listen to us talk than sleep. you are awfully fussy and over-tired by the end of each day! that said, your night time sleep schedule has gotten much more predictable. you regularly “sleep through the night” (as in, 5 or more hours at a time). you go to bed around 8:30, sleep until 1:30 or 2, and go down again until 7 or so. one night last week you slept from 9:30-5 and again from 5:45-9! we really appreciate the extra rest, wiggle worm.

all of this extra sleep you’re getting makes for some super playful mornings. you are generally content to hang out in your play gym with your “friends” for an hour or so every morning. you love being on your back, but you fight tummy time with a vengeance. as soon as we lay you on your stomach, you start to cry. i think you don’t like it because you can’t look around freely. i hate to break it you, kiddo, but tummy time is important. keep trying!

this was also the month that you got your own room. your daddy and i sleep in the living room now. it’s not difficult to see who rules this roost! the arrangement has already made everyone’s lives easier. one thing we’ve learned about your sleep habits is that you need a dark, quiet place to snooze. sleeping in the living room, which has 4 large windows, just wasn’t cutting it.

we celebrated your 3 month birthday by having some friends and their 6 week old son over for dinner. you were a little fussy, but still smiley and sweet the whole evening. you fell asleep in our bed during a rousing game of apples to apples. we said goodbye to our company at 8 and put you in your crib.

we continued the celebration today with a trip to the park. you napped in your stroller the whole time, but your daddy and i had fun. we made a few loops around the park and snapped some pictures. it is a beautiful november day today. i’m afraid this will be one of our last warm days before winter settles in and takes up residence here. i will miss our time at the park. it was the first family outing we took together, and it has been a weekly tradition for the last 3 months. i can’t wait for winter to pass and spring to return. you’ll be such a fun age by then! this particular park has a great community pool. i think we’ll spend some time there next summer before we leave this little town.

these 3 months have come and gone. they have dragged endlessly and sped by quickly. everyday we watch you grow and change. i can’t wait to see what the next 3 months have in store for us. being your mother is just so much fun, baby girl. we love you without limit or condition. you have changed our lives for the better.

with all the love in my heart,
mama

a pleasant sunday (in photos).

the new view from our bed, bright and early. i think daylight savings exists solely to screw with infants and new parents.

travis’ face at this early hour.

good morning, smiley!

she took a short morning nap after a walk in the cold with her daddy.

auggie took a nap, too.

we made the drive up to indianapolis for lunch at a delicious little french cafe.

i caught this curious little boy looking at sylvie, but he looked away before i could capture the moment.

we’re back home after a long, fun day.

today was the type of sunday that makes you wonder what exactly you’ve done to deserve such contentment. my sweet girl turns 3 months old tomorrow. i’m not sure why, but this small birthday seems like such a big deal to me. perhaps it’s because she’s one quarter of a year or because everyone says it gets markedly more fun once you pass the 3 month mark. whatever the reason, i am in awe of the passing of time once again. how can 3 months feel so brief and so long all at once?

**all of the above photos were taken with my iphone with the help of hipstamatic, tiltshift generator, instagram, and cameraone.