This week has been quite a roller-coaster of emotions… It was my last full week with Quinn, before I head back to work. *sigh*

I’ve tried to drink up every moment with her… Savor it. Memorize it. I feel sad to be losing this special time with her. The time that is just hers and mine. This time that the world grants you — to get to know your new child. Every time I think about going back to work I’m left with a lump in my throat.

I mean really… I’ve been there for every new moment of hers- every new experience… sharing it with her. She and I have forged this journey together… a new experience for both of us. We’ve made our own way — teaching each other.

I know, I know… the sadness and drama of it all.

So in honor of our little miracle and this precious time she and I have got to spend together, below are some highlights of milestones, moments and other things about Quinn – that I must put down on paper, or rather, screen, to preserve.

Chubby Thighs. I just noticed this week… how chubby her little legs have gotten. Goodbye lean-machine, hello Chubby McChubs.

Part-time Thumb Sucker/Chewer. While she relies on her Binky for most of the “I-need-to-be-soothed-and-a-boob-is-not-available” moments, this week she’s really become a big fan of her thumb. At the moment though, it serves as more of a gnawing tool, than a sucking tool.

Teething 101. So, it’s official… this girl is teething. I’ve read that while some babies couldn’t be bothered with the slightest “teething pain”, other babies seem to be VERY affected. Quinn seems to be more on the “affected” side of things. There are moments of certain days when her teeth seem to bother her very much. During these moments she grabs anything available — this toy, or my knuckle and bites — HARD. When gnawing on something doesn’t do the trick… poor thing will all of a sudden shriek out in pain. I’ve succumbed to the powers of Infant Tylenol a couple of times, however it’s not the miracle worker I’d like it to be.

Thinning Hair. In her sleep and really any other time she’s on her back, she rubs her head back and forth, over and over again. Each morning she wakes up with a baby dreadlock that I carefully comb and pick out. The result of this is a less then stellar “do” — Not only is she kind of rocking a mullet, she’s beginning to rock a mullet with a bald spot. NICE.

Fine Motor Skills. In the past couple of weeks, she’s been getting very good at her hand/eye coordination. She spots one of her toys, grabs it and brings it to her mouth. This new skill came at a great time too… because it was just about at the same time that she was getting totally fed-up with her car seat and any car ride lasting longer than 10 minutes. When she realized we had not reached our destination in a reasonable 10 minutes, she would begin to wail at the top of her lungs. By the time we’d get to wherever we were going, I was a ball of shot nerves — as was she. So, this new skill and additional interest in her toys has bought a little more peace-and-quiet while driving.

She Absolutely Loves Being Outside. The other day Quinn and I went on 3 walks: 1 in her stroller and 2 in the Baby Bjorn. The walks range from 30 minutes to an hour and she loves every minute. She used to konk out minutes into a walk, but those are days of old. It’s a great way to pass the time, show her new things and the added bonus — it’s exercise for me…

Awh, Quinniepoo… Mommy loves you.

I love that my husband currently works from home. It fills the house with some adultness. During my hours upon hours of just Quinn and I, having him here cuts down on that isolation that so easily settles when it’s just you and a new baby. A typical day for him… wakes up, gets coffee and charges up the stairs to tackle what CTO’s of start-up web companies do… code. coffee. code. coffee. phone call. code. coca-cola. fix bugs. coca-cola. code. curse. another phone call. fix more bugs. shower. coca-cola. curse. fix more bugs.

As busy as he is, I love that he’s busy here and not across town. I love that when he refills his coffee cup, he can’t help but kiss his daughter before he runs back upstairs. I know that working at home is a temporary situation, so I really do appreciate that this is our life right now.

On the other hand…

I’m downstairs trying to make heads or tails of this 3-month old being. The top of my list — NAPS. This girl is proving to be quite fickle when it comes to when and where she naps. Now, there of course would be no issue if I’d just let her nap in my arms whenever the moment suits her. I know those beautifuls eyes staring up at me are saying: “What else do you need your arms for? Why can’t you sit here on the couch and hold me while I nap away?” I know, right? It’s crazy to think I should have to put this little girl down and do something very selfish, like PEE.

Anyway, so I’m working on naps. Once I get the “tired” cue right, we walk to her room where I will cradle her in my arms, just so… rock, back and forth, back and forth… AVOID eye contact. Those droopy eyes will come to life if they land on mine. The minutes roll by. I know she’s tired, but does she? 5 minutes go by… then 10 minutes… Those eyes are putting up a fight. They open, then close… ahhh, there she goes — then WAIT, they’re WIDE open again! Dammit. 15 minutes later… That’s it, asleep you go sweet angel…

Mom has won round 1, but round 2 is all the more challenging. Lying her down in her crib. Even with all the tricks… She still takes this round 3 out of 5 times.

Here it goes… While I lay her down, I keep my arms wrapped snuggly around her – staying in this awkward, back-breaking position until she settles. Yes, I lay her her on a warm fuzzy blanket, rather than a cold sheet. Once I do remove my arms from under her, I keep a hand on her back and sllllooooowwwly pull my hand away. I then stand there in complete silence waiting to see if she’s just messing with me. A couple of minutes pass and her eyes are still shut and she hasn’t moved. I walk out backwards, not making a peep… I shut the door, but of COURSE not all the way. I’m not stupid. I’ve got to crack that door and neurotically check on her every few minutes. Ok, not so bad… 20 minutes to get her to sleep. She should at least sleep an hour right? She’s only 3 months old after all. They still need like 15 – 18 hours of sleep at this stage.

In nearly complete silence, I proceed with some household chores… putting dishes away, folding clothes.

Then, all of a sudden, an iphone rings in the not-so-distance (this house is too small). A husband answers and… why is he shouting?!?!? Ok, so he’s just talking in a normal volume, but WHY? Didn’t he hear me put her down?! 5 minutes later… Ok, good, he’s off the phone… Thank god. I try to IM him to say “Quinn is sleeping, be quiet”… but he’s not on-line?!?! What gives? He’s always on-line! Before I can get to him, I hear him heading down the stairs. I make eye contact and say in a too-loud whisper… SHE’S SLEEPING! He looks at me slightly annoyed… “what did I do?” Then as soon as he appeared, he heads back upstairs to continue being a CTO for a start-up web company.

She wakes up. She’s been asleep 12 minutes.

I’m fuming, he’s oblivous. Good thing she’s sweet enough to melt my heart in about 3 seconds.

Quinn can now check one more milestone off of her long list of To-Do’s… Rolling Over (from tummy to back).

Yesterday she was playing on her tummy when she figured out she could turn on her side. She hung out there for a moment then rolled over onto her BACK!  Now, she didn’t seem to think much about this however Mom was very excited. After giving my little girl kisses and praises about her achievement, we shouted upstairs to Dad to tell him the news. Jake said — “I want to see…” as he ran downstairs.

Well, we all know that babies rarely perform “on-demand”, however, I thought we’d give it a try. So, I placed her on her tummy and hoped that she would do it again… It was touch and go for a moment… I knew that tears were right around the corner — however, there she went. She did it again! Jake and I both clapped and cheered for her while she looked at us completely befuddled.

While I’m so proud of my 12 week old daughter… I feel both excited and a bit sad… Excited of course, because my child is progressing as she should be, however a bit sad because my little newborn has now shown the first signs of mobility and independence.  As everyone says about babies… they just grow up too fast. Before I know it, these days of her being a newborn will be a faint memory. During my last couple weeks home on maternity leave, I am resolved to savor every moment with my little sweat pea.

Within the last week Quinn has began enjoying her play gym and all of the toys that hang from it… I decided to use this new found interest to my advantage and squeeze in some quality “Tummy Time”. In order to build up a baby’s trunk & core muscles (the muscles that are vital in hold up her head as well as sitting up and crawling) it is recommended that babies Quinn’s age spend at least 5 minutes on their tummy, 3 times a day. Until now, this has been a challenge (as noted in Tummy Time Gone Wrong)…

However, behold the images below of Quinn’s sequence of Tummy Time.

STEP 1: Place baby on tummy, using a boppy pillow for support. Strategically place toys high enough so baby needs to raise head to enjoy them.

STEP 2: Baby notices Mr. Cow, lifts head to check it out.

STEP 3: Baby keeps head up, unsure about Mr. Cow, but willing to investigate further… (Mom excited to see that baby can hold head up so well!)

STEP 4: Baby very curious about Mr. Cow and his friends…  Keeps head lifted and begins to spit bubbles…

STEP 5: Baby has clearly accepted Mr. Cow as a friend, rather than foe — All is right in the world of Quinn. (Mom is so excited — 5 minutes have passed with head lifted HIGH!)

STEP 6: With no warning, baby lays head on play mat…  Clearly exhausted from a emotionally intense play-date and worn out neck muscles.

STEP 7: Baby has clearly worked up a massive appetite, during this 8 minutes of play-time… (Note: how she is eating her hand.)

STEP 8: Later that day, after an outfit change and numerous feedings — Proud mommy cuddles with daughter.

Ahhh…  Sweet success…