Three Months Already - Whoa!!!

Believe it or not, Little Miss is already 3 months old (just over, in fact!) While I won't claim that we have got this baby thing licked, we are starting to learn each others' ways and are settling into some routines. And, like pretty much every parent, we are just marveling at the daily growth and development of our little Chicken.


Maren at 10 Weeks

Once the dust settled, all the visitors departed, and Troy went back to the office, I awoke to the stark reality that it was just me and Maren, so I better figure this thing out. With my new job as "mama", I quickly learned to redefine what constitutes a successful day. At first, a good day entailed making it out of my pajamas by 5pm! But, as with any new skill, practice is leading to improvement and the "success" threshold is going back up with each passing week. For example, the other day was a serious triumph: I got both Maren and I bathed, dressed, and fed, did a load of laundry and unloaded the dishwasher, had a friend over for coffee, went to the the weekly fresh market to buy dinner, and then prepped dinner and got Maren ready for bed before Troy got home from Germany at 9pm. Hooray!


Maren is getting so big that Troy can barely do the panda carry anymore!

Thankfully, we were blessed with a few weeks of summery weather at the end of September, so we tried to spend as much time as possible outside, at the park, or on walks in the center. Sometimes Troy got to join us!


Picnicking with Papa


Staring in wonder at the trees and sky above


The baby's-eye-view of the Parc Tenbosch


Maren's first visit to the Grand Place


With Daddy in front of the Maison de Ville

I'm not the only one who has been learning. Troy has honed his eye for color and can put together some pretty cute outfits for Miss Maren. He has also become quite the grocery shopper and cook. Maren has been practicing her skills too, and in the last few weeks has learned to hold her head up strongly and roll from her belly to her back.


Maren playing on her activity mat at 12 Weeks


Ol' Blue Eyes laughing in her cradle

Despite everything, I'm not certain that I've really grasped that I am a MOM at least in the philosophical sense of the word. But I have pretty well adjusted to the new daily reality of having a baby. Maren is healthy and strong, plus sweet, clever, and a good communicator. Added to that, I have a great community of other stay-at-home wives and moms here, so there is plenty of advice, empathy, and support at hand. Troy has a good job and a fairly flexible schedule, even with the travel demands, and is just the sweetest hubbie and daddy ever. Three months on and my cup overfloweth...



Maren's 3rd Month Photo Album - Click Here