A few firsts

Melina has experienced a few firsts lately! These were all around her three-month birthday.

First dip in a mountain stream (toes only): around July 22, in Early Winters Creek
First visit to an alpine meadow: around July 23 (she slept)
First visit to an alpine lake: the same day
First time hearing the peeping of pikas: the same day (maybe she heard them in her sleep)
First encounter with a deer: around the same time
First toes in the grass: yesterday, July 27
First time noticing herself in the mirror (with a big smile!): yesterday

What a busy baby!

Sleeping through the night

Melina just started sleeping through the night at around 2.5 months. Technically, "sleeping through the night" means they sleep five hours in a row. The first time she "slept through" was when we were camping out at the Oregon Country Fair; at that point she slept until 4:00 am a few times, which was new territory. Then when we went camping last week in the North Cascades she started sleeping until 6:30 a.m.! She's backtracked to 5:00 a.m. now, but that's a huge improvement over being woken up several times a night. After I feed her at 5:00, she goes right back to sleep until 8 or 9. Maybe we should go camping more often so she'll sleep all the way through. It seems to agree with her.

SIDS

A woman from my pregnancy listserv just lost her baby to SIDS. He had been about 3 months premature, and she went through terrible postpartum depression -- and now this. I can't imagine anything worse. I don't think there really is anything worse. My heart goes out to her -- I can't imagine the pain she must be feeling. At the same time, I'm selfishly trying to come up with reasons it could never affect MY baby. I guess that's just a way of not dealing with the reality that bad things happen to everyone. Melina doesn't have any of the risk factors for SIDS (she's a girl; she was born on time (late even) and had a high birthweight; we don't smoke; I'm not under 20; etc.) , but I have a feeling I will be checking on her more in the nights to come. So much for sleeping peacefully.

Three-month stats

Melina had her three-month checkup on Tuesday. She weighed 12 lbs 4 oz, which is the 50th percentile (exactly in the middle of normal). However, she was in the 95th percentile for length and the 75th percentile for head circumference. She's a stringbean!

Melina's First Country Fair

Last weekend was Melina's first trip to the Oregon Country Fair. It's a three-day hippie festival held in the woods outside Eugene, and we go almost every year. There's lots of music, good food, costumes, camping, and creativity. Melina seemed to enjoy it. She spent most of the time in the front pack on Jeff, though sometimes we held her over our shoulders or in front of us so she could see what was going on. She got lots of smiles from passers-by. Camping wasn't a problem at all. We used my parents' VW bus, and Melina slept in her Moses basket swaddled up like a little mummy. She actually slept better for those three nights than any time before or since. *I* did not sleep well, though, and am still recovering. Next weekend we head to the North Cascades in Washington for another adventure!

Names we call Melina

Here are a few names we've called Melina:

In utero:

the grub
the peanut
the alien

Once born:

the midget (little midge, the wild midget from hell)
Honey Girl
Pinky, little Pinky
little girl
Babe
Squirmy McSquirm

I'm sure there are more, but I can't think of them at the moment, so I'll add them later.

A Typical Day

Here's a typical day in Melina's world. We'll start with her last feeding of the night.

9:00 p.m. Eat. Sleep on dad's shoulder while he surfs web or watches soccer.
11:00 p.m. Get changed and swaddled; eat again if hungry. Lights out; fall asleep.
3:30 a.m. Begin grunting softly. Eat. Go back to sleep.
5:30 a.m. Begin grunting in earnest. Eat again. Grunt loud enough to keep mom awake, but not loud enough to wake dad.
8:00 a.m. Dad leaves for work. Get changed, if awake.
8:00-9:00 a.m. Make sure mom is really awake. Begin standing, walking and flying practice.
9:00 a.m. Cry a bit. Take nap on belly with butt sticking up in air.
10:30 a.m. Lay on back and stare around bathroom while mom showers. Cry if she doesn't pay enough attention.
11:00 a.m. Eat.
11:30 a.m. Sit in car seat or swing and cry while mom tries to wolf down breakfast.
11:45 a.m. Rest on mom's shoulder and look around while she reads email.
12:00 p.m. Get put in car seat. Depending on mood, either smile or cry. Get driven somewhere.
12:30 p.m. Arrive at destination and look around. Possibly get stuffed into baby carrier; if so, cry a bit while stuffing is completed.
1:00 p.m. Sleep during whatever activity mom has planned.
3:30 p.m. Get put back in hated car seat. Look around quietly for a few minutes. When traffic jam is sensed, commence crying. Cry as if heart is breaking. Mom will stop car, replace binkie, and comfort. When car begins moving again, recommence crying.
4:00 p.m. Be calmed again by mom. Begin nap.
6:30 p.m. Get put back in hated car seat. Go to meet dad; smile and coo. Get removed from car seat. Look around while they eat dinner at restaurant. Smile and coo occasionally. Rake in compliments from strangers.
8:00 p.m. Get put back in carseat. After 10 minutes, commence crying. Dad will shake car seat. Stop crying.
9:00 p.m. Eat.

Melina's Hike to Ramona Falls

This Sunday Melina, Jeff and I hiked to Ramona Falls on Mt. Hood, about 7 miles round trip. It was Melina's longest hike yet. She weathered it well, tucked away in her Ergo baby carrier. Part of the time she looked around at the trees going by, and the rest of the time she slept. When we got to the falls, she had a little snack, practiced standing and walking on dad's lap, and ignored a nearby chipmunk. This was her second hike in a week - the first one was a trip up the Horsetail Falls trail in the Gorge with mom.