Akinya at 3-Months

Our little girl is coming alive!  Today marks "3-months of Akinya" and we love her more and more every day.  She's really starting to become more social and it's safe to say that we just can't get enough of her.  

Here are some of Akinya's highlights from the past month!

She learned to play the piano ;-)  She loves this thing and it usually preoccupies her for a good 15-20 minutes...I can get SO much done during that time!

And Akinya is starting to figure out her Baby Einstein...still a bit small for it, but she loves checking out all the toys and trying to bat at them!  Her hairline in the video is crazy, but more on that in a minute!

Akinya got all dressed up for her first Russian New Year's party.  We got there and she slept through most of the party!  She did wake up at the very end to eat and she went to bed as soon as we got home. If I must say so myself, I was impressed with her ability to be a good party guest:-)

She also made her first trip to half-court at Bramlage Coliseum.  A proud papa had to take her with him when he went down to be recognized for the K-State Legends weekend.

The dog...The dog loves Akinya.  One day, Akinya was napping on my chest (the only way she'd sleep during the day) and I had to get up and use the bathroom.  Put her down in the exact position she'd been in (I wasn't about to wake her up!) and came back to find this!  I think Mitzi will really enjoy it when Akinya is old enough to play with her.

And while I'm thinking of the dog, the other day I had AK doing tummy time while I laid next to her, checking email (the things you do when working from home and caring for an infant!)...Mitzi decided she wanted to join in and harass her, I mean, do doggy yoga while everyone was on the floor.

The biggest occasion of the past month was Akinya's Baptism.

For her Baptism, Akinya wore the same headband that she wore for her newborn pictures.  Our plan was to use her christening gown for any future siblings (IF that happens!), but later that night, I had an idea...

I don't want to spill the beans but Lord knows blogging will be non-existent when she's old enough to read, so I feel safe sharing my idea.  Plan is to have the dress cleaned and preserved, inclusive of her headband, the bonnet that came with her dress and the baptismal towel.  Then, many, many years from now (and I mean many--like 30 years from now), when she puts on a different white gown for another big celebration at church, we'll give Akinya her Baptismal box and celebrate the newest sacrament in her faith journey.  It's bittersweet to think so far ahead, but I believe it will be a great material reminder for her to always keep her relationship with God first.

Aren't the girls adorable?!  Love that cousin Marcella likes Akinya so much...even when she's asleep and boring!

But back to the past month...!  AK's hair is still growing like crazy.  Now that the wave is kicking in and it's starting to lay down in places, it doesn't look nearly as long as it is.  Just the other day, she lost a big chunk of hair next to her bald spot from where the vacuum had been used, so she'll be wearing lots of headbands until the spot fills back in!

Most of the month's changes have been fun!  There has been lots of smiles, cooing and squeals...now that she's finding her voice, Akinya LOVES using it!  Some of the 0-3 clothes are now being put away and Akinya has moved into a size 2 diaper.  Thanks to the current growth spurt, we also bumped up to a larger bottle so she isn't left starving at the end of feedings.  AK continues to have a VERY strong neck and is as active as ever.  She's discovering the use of her legs and moves all around her crib at night.  For her Grandpa's birthday, we tried to do a video message, but she was so distracted by her legs and TV that she didn't "converse" as much as she usually does.

The not so fun change?  It seems Miss Akinya is teething!  Eeeek!  Oh well...if it's going to start this early, I just hope that those pearly whites come through sooner, rather than later.  Guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens--and what kind of developments we see during the next month!