Just Baby Steps: 3 Months Already???

Baby K is such a joy! I feel like we hit some kind of magic age or something in the last couple of weeks. All of a sudden, she doesn't cry as much, babbles and squeals way more, and is an infectious smiling machine. She has always been relatively easy going, but all of a sudden, things seem so much easier! Here are some things I would like to remember about her second month of life!

First of all, she started sleeping between 5-8 hours every night which is a HUGE DEAL! She doesn't have a set bedtime yet, but from whatever time she goes down, she will sleep 5-8 hours from that point on. AMAZING. It feels so good to feel like a normal functioning person again! I am experimenting with eating and nap times during the day to try and give us both optimal sleep at night.
She rolled over from front to back!
She makes really high pitched squealing noises when she is talking to herself... so amusing. She has really found her voice this month!
I am feeling more confident and learning to trust my instincts. We are starting to establish a routine where she nurses, plays, and then takes a nap. I am getting the hang of determining between the hungry cry, the tired fussy sounds, and the I want to be held noises.
She is a super curious baby with the brightest, widest eyes imaginable. Right after her naps, I feel like she is contemplating quantum physics. When I put her Moby wrap or Ergo carrier, she can't stand to have her head covered up because she likes to be able to look around at everything around her.
When she has a bath, she looks down at her feet and then pumps them up and down making splashes in the water while squealing happily. Definitely her favorite part of the day!

It is SUCH a joy and blessing to be able to be home for each and every new noise and expression she makes and never have to be away from her for very long! I love that I have the time to be able to give her my full attention, focus on being the best wife I can be, take care of myself, actually enjoy time with friends and family, do more cooking, and keep up with housework for once (most of the time...)! In listening to a recent sermon on motherhood, it has come to my attention just how much of a ministry being a mom is. I have so much influence in her life and how wonderful it is to be able to be there for each teachable moment as she grows! Now let's see how I do when we add a couple night classes and x amount of hours of writing papers, presentations, projects, and reading to the equation. Hello, 2012! I'm ready for you!

Here are some pictures that capture her 2nd month of life!

Meeting Santa.... she decided to sleep on Santa's lap instead of tell him what she wanted for Christmas. I'm still not sure how she still got so many presents anyway.