The Beans: 3 Months and Look What I Can Do!

Brooke is three months old and she can now:

She is 25 1/2 inches long and weighs 13 pounds, 4 ounces.
Roll over both ways
Hold onto small toys
Holds her head up pretty well
Pushes her body up during tummy time
Reach out for toys
Talk, laugh, and she even was trying to sing the other day
Suck on her fingers (She's on a pacifier strike as well)
Puts toys in her mouth. She also will grab your hand and put it in her mouth and suck on your finger. She also likes to suck on cloth. Burp rags, blankets, your shirt, her shirt, washcloths, her car seat straps...anything made of cloth that gets near her mouth she will turn and start sucking.
Sleeps in her crib at night. Yup, we took the bassinet out of our room and everything. She seems to love it and even though it took me a few nights of adjusting, I'm even doing well with it. A lot of times I fall asleep in the guest room bed when I'm feeding her at night. Then I wake up and put her back into bed. It's working pretty well, and I think that this is a little quieter for Josh.
She's developed a whiny cry when she's not sad. Mommy is not happy about this one.
Brooke is on a two-month long bottle strike. This is very frustrating. She used to take it fine, and has even taken a couple during this two-month span, but mostly, she screams when you even try it. The other day she cried for 45 minutes before we gave up. We're gearing up for Florida to see if it will maybe work if she's desperate...no luck. I am pretty stressed about it; I can't go back to work until she can take a bottle and I was planning to start last month. The only way we have been able to survive financially is totally God blessing us and providing. Hopefully she will make the switch soon. Josh thinks Florida is just what she needs to master bottle-feeding. I'm really hoping, but am totally consumed by the frustration of this. I'm just hoping she either likes the beach or learns to like the bottle, because I really could use a vacation.
Brooke went into the church nursery this last week and did great! Better than Mommy, for that matter. I had to come get her before church was all the way over because I just KNEW she would be crying and hungry...she was fine. I should have known because she loves other people, especially other kids and babies.

Here is Brooke showing how she can now hold onto a rattle. She is definitely more aware of her suroundings and loves to play with her toys now. She'll be sitting in her bouncy seat and I'll look at her and she'l be either holding one of the elephants or swatting at it. She also love to talk to things and will constantly start laughing. I think it's an Ashley thing; she already laughs at her own jokes.

Here is Brooke with her friend, Julie! We think she especially loves her red hair because she always stares at it. I think she stares at it because she is thinking, "Hmm, I wonder if red hair tastes the same as brown hair? I wonder how I can find out?"

Brooke loves to sit, either while you're carrying her, or sitting on your lap. Even while she feeds. I think she looks so grown up just "chillin' on the couch."

Brooke has REALLY started to love her bouncy seat. She's playing with the toys and everything now. It's so cute. It's nice because now I can actually get some stuff done like the dishes, or laundry, etc. She's getting better about actually letting us put her down.

Brooke continues to love both the Moby Wrap and the Zoo. She has now been to the zoo 3 times! And she gets carried around in the Moby almost every day. We both love it. It's starting to get a little sweaty in the warm weather, though. That is why we're hanging out by the fountain.