Since my return date was on a Friday, I ended up going in and then having the following Monday off. Augie and I had a good little day together! We woke up, ran some errands, and then we went on a long walk which included stops at Starbucks, the pavilion, and the park.

August thoroughly enjoyed his time at the park letting his hair blow in the breeze. So much so, that on the way home he passed out again. Before passing out, he spent some time eating those fingers of his…and to my surprise started sucking on the same two fingers I used to suck on as a kid. Like mother like son I guess!

Anyhow, it was the perfect way to start my time back at work. A little reassurance that August has not forgotten who I am even though I was away all day on Friday. Always a positive.

Looking forward to my mini vacation next weekend!

We started out our trip by stopping overnight in Nashville to check out the scene there. It was a pretty cool little city, lots of bars and restaurants to check out….but not really a place for an infant. That’s probably why there are no Polaroids of anything we did, cause we didn’t really do anything there. Lol. I do, however, have a photo of a cute naked baby that was getting his clothes changed after the long 8 hour drive there.

The next afternoon, we got back on the road in search of the sun and warm weather. Augie did really well in the car until we were almost there at which point Matt started singing to him in the backseat to keep him happy until we arrived. It’s safe to say he was an angel until the last 10 minutes of the ride when he had a mini breakdown.

Lol. If that’s as bad as it gets though, it’s not that bad. Once we got him fed and changed, he was happy as a clam just chillin’ out on the floor in the condo listening to the sounds of the waves while we unpacked the car.

The next morning, I woke up early with the baby so Matt could catch up on some sleep after all the driving. The two of us just hung out in the living room together watching the rain and looking at the ocean.

Of course, even though we had no where to be I dressed him in an adorable little outfit. I couldn’t resist! It was the first time we had warm enough weather for his cute shorts.

Ok…one more…hehehe

After Matt woke up I headed out to the store and got us some groceries for the week and then went to the gym to run on the treadmill. Even though it was a bit of a bummer that our first day there was really rainy, it was kinda nice because it gave us time to settle in. Plus, you couldn’t beat the view from the gym.

Over the course of the next few days, we spent plenty of time on the beach enjoying the nice warm weather and the sun. Since Augie isn’t old enough to wear sunscreen, we had to borrow an umbrella and sun tent form the Shorts.

We did our best to get Augie to nap in there on the beach, but we were mostly unsuccessful. A good majority of the time he just hung out in there starring off into space.

You would have thought with the nice ocean breeze, the sound of the waves, and the view that it would be the perfect spot for napping…

…but I guess not. After a day at the beach, August’s favorite thing to do was to sit around in just his diaper and cool off.

And sometimes he would show us the magical fist of power. It was as if he were saying “NAKED BABIES UNITE!”

That’s probably one of my favorite photos. He is so serious about his fist of power. Do not cross him…

Some of my favorite times on vacay were waking up early with Augie and sitting out in the living room listening to and watching the ocean. He was always in such a good mood! So happy to be up and out of his chicken wings.

We spent quite a bit of time taking walks together as a family as well, which I was also a fan of. The last day there, we took a walk down the street to this little food stand. Of course, August got hungry on the way there so we mastered the art of feeding him a bottle while walking.

All we really wanted was a Chicago style hot dog, but the stand we went to had what they called “Surf Dogs” instead. So, we figured we might as well try some of the local cuisine.

While we waited for our dogs to be made, we had a little fun…

Matt makes a better pirate than I make a mermaid.

And here it is, the Surf Dog.

It had some kind of pineapple/cabbage slaw on top that had a twang that tasted like teriyaki sauce almost. I thought it was going to be gross, but it was actually REALLY good. Matt, of course, was not a fan. At least he gave it a try! The slaw actually kinda reminded me of the kind of toppings they had on their tacos in Belize. So interesting.

Anyhow, most days we ate sandwiches or just had a late breakfast before hitting the beach. And sometimes, I ate a salad on the beach.

Yes, sometimes I ended up with sand in my salad. It happens.

The last day we were there, the beach was so nice and calm. it was slightly overcast, but perfect weather for relaxing on the beach without sweating like crazy.

After beaching that day, we headed out to Pensacola and found a nice little bar to eat at that had a view of the harbor.

The warm breeze was so nice! We just stayed there and had a few drinks just because it was so nice and relaxing. Augie did too…except his was non-alcoholic.

The next day it was time to go We packed up our stuff and headed out. We made a pit stop at Pensacola Beach first though and had lunch on the beach before our drive home.

The 14 hour ride home was long, but August did a really good job. We just turned on some white noise and he was out like a light! Good baby!

After all those hours strapped in his seat, I felt kinda bad for the guy. When we finally got home at 4AM, he was so extremely happy to be in his own room and his own crib. You wouldn’t think a 3 month old would know the difference, but he definitely did.

It was a great trip over all! Can’t wait for our next vacation as a family. No one knows where the wind will take us!

Since it’s one of our favorite places, a few weeks ago Augie got to experience the fish store first hand. I have to say I think he loved it. There were so many cool things to look at, plus it’s nice and warm in there which is comforting. What’s not to like.

Augie has worn a few of them already, but because they were short sleeved he has mostly worn them as undershirts. The other day it was actually in the 80′s and since we don’t have the air on yet, the baby was sweating so we had him in just a diaper. I wanted to put him to bed, but I knew putting him in a sleeper was going to be too much for him….so I pulled out one of the onesies made at our baby shower. He loved it…and looked adorable, of course.

In the morning, he was so happy that we had to have a little photo shoot in his cute onesie.

And yes….we have found those fingers! Mmmmm mmm mmmmmmm so yummy! Hopefully I can get some pics in the other onesies made by the DC peeps as well!

Augie is the cutest 3 month old I have ever met….and of course I am not biased at all. This last weekend, Matt and I took him to the forest preserve by out by Tom and Alison’s house to take his 3 month photos. It just so happens to be the same forest preserve where we spent some time together when we first started dating. One of my favorite spots!

Being that I am photographer…you would think our photo shoot would have been better planned…but no. I was scrambling at the last minute to find something for the baby to wear…..and I forgot to make sure the batteries on my trigger were working. Ops. Thankfully I had a backup and we were able to run to the store and get the baby a super cute polo. Why are little boy clothes so boring compared to little girl clothes? Makes me jealous. There are only so many polos in the world….

Anyhow, back to talking about my sweet baby boy. This 3rd month was my last month of maternity leave. Sad times in the Mroz household. In order to enjoy those last few weeks, we went for many walks and runs, went to Florida, and did a lot of cuddling every morning. He is a little lover and he just loves to be snuggled. Sometimes I will put him in our bed in the morning next to me and he will scoot his way all the way over to where I am just so he can snuggle into my neck and then he will fall back asleep. Sweetest. Thing. Ever. Seriously. He loves his mommy….and daddy too…I guess. LOL. As I told a friend of mine earlier today….I am pretty cool. I can see why he likes me so much.;) Hopefully he continues to be this way as time goes on. I think he will. Daddy is a lover too, so I think he will learn by example.

And without further ado, here are some 3 month observations about August.

He Learned To Giggle
Although it doesn’t happen often, if you catch him in the right mood at the right time and tickle him just right…you MAY get a belly laugh from him. He sneaks them in once in a blue moon. His laugh currently sounds like he is choking a little bit, but it’s a laugh for sure!

He Started Teething
Yes, three months seems a bit early for teething, but if you look at his lower gums, you can see two little white spots where his teeth are starting to come in. It took us a while to figure out what was bothering him after he was cranky for a few days straight. But once we figured out out..it all makes sense now. Soon we might be seeing a few of those little guys popping through!

He Can Stand and Hold His Head
Speaking of early development, this kid has amazing strength. He has always done a really good job lifting his head up off your shoulder, but recently he doesn’t even bobble. He holds his head up so well that people are constantly commenting on his strength. One day when he was cranky, I stood him up on my legs to try to entertain him and ever since then he has loved to stand. He does so well with it too! Sometimes he even tries to put one foot in front of the other and walk. He’s obviously not quite ready for that yet (he should probably try crawling first), but it’s a good try!

He Has Amazing Hair
I mean, this kid has so much hair that he is getting a mullet. People think he is a girl all of the time because of his long flowing locks. He is going to have to be mullerific for a while because he is still too small to get a haircut. I think Matt would probably cry if we cut his hair anyways. LOL.

He Found The Fist Of Power
One day Augie put his fist in the air and noticed it, and they have been best friends ever since. Whenever we lay him down or put him in his carseat, the first thing he does is hold that fist loud and proud in the air and stare at it. It can keep him occupied for hours. He especially loves to look at his fist against the orange wall in his room while we change his diaper. After about a week of just looking at the right fist, he finally realized he also had a left one and then it was on. Now he frequently shows us what we like to call the “double fist of power” where he puts two fists in the air at the same time and looks back and forth between the two. Whatever keeps him happy.

He Picks Things Up
August has been so into othe fists of power that he has failed to realize he also has fingers….until recently. Since he started teething, we have been giving him this nice skinny lightweight teether to chew on. Every time I give it to him I have to put it in his hand and wrap his little fingers around it. Once he has it, he is good about holding on to it, it’s just grabbing it that has been the issue. The other night we were just sitting around and we had Augie propped up and seated between us. I looked down at one point and low and behold, the teether was in his hands and he was just sitting there with a blank look on his face starring at us. Soooo funny. Little man picked that teether up all on his own and then acted like it was no big deal. haha

He Moves Around In His Sleep
In true Mroz fashion, Augie is a restless sleeper. I watch him on the video monitor turn his body in a complete 180 all while in his sleep sack. Quite the accomplishment. Most nights, he just turns from being horizontal to vertical. I think the funniest thing about this is that he hasn’t realized he can move when he’s awake yet. You’d think it’d be the same thing, but nope. If you put him down when he’s awake he doesn’t move from the same position for hours. I guess that’s how I know he is asleep at night when I am looking at the monitor.

He Loves White Noise and Ocean Waves
August just loves white noise. It’s amazing what a little static on the radio or ocean waves does for him. One time this last month I even spent my time grocery shopping carrying him around in the Bjorn with beach waves playing from the phone in my pocket. I am sure that the people at the store thought I was a complete psycho…but really they should be praising me for keeping my kid quiet.

He Doesn’t Really Cry At Night Anymore
When he was first born, August used to wail like crazy in the middle of the night for us to come and feed him. Now, he just makes the sweetest little whines until someone comes in there. This is especially adorable in the morning. When he wakes up, August just lays in his crib starring off into space and randomly just talking to himself until we come in there. When we do finally arrive, he just shows off that sweet smile. It’s although he is saying “I love you, I have been waiting for you to come and get me!”

I think that’s about it for now. I am falling asleep as I am typing this so I assume it’s time for me to go to bed. The first week back has been rough on my sleep schedule! Can’t wait to see the Augie’s development in month 4.

That being said, August fell asleep in his carseat on the way home which was perfect timing since Matt and I had decided to try to go for a family jog after work. So, we popped his seat in the stroller and headed out.

We went two miles which was not too shabby considering Matt had me running 1 min faster than I have been the entire time. Not to mention that Augie woke up half way through the run and I was sure he was going to scream cause I knew he hadn’t eaten in 3 hours…but he was surprisingly very well behaved until right after we finished. He let us take these photos first. THEN he cried. I will take it.

On another positive note…only a few more lbs til I am back to my normal weight. I have recently started fitting into al of my normal clothes again which makes me ohhhh so happy! woooohoo! So close!

Since we drove to Florida, spending any more time in the car was not sounding very appealing when we finally got there. After 3 nights eating at what Matt liked to call “fake restaurants” in Navarre, we decided to take a drive into Pensacola and check things out.

I wish that we had done this sooner….the atmosphere downtown there just was soooo much more vacation-y than Navarre. We ended up walking around for a bit and then finding a cute little bar on the water to eat at while we watched an amazing sunset.

On our way back to the condo, we decided to go the long way and take a drive through Pensacola Beach which is just over the bridge. We were pleasantly surprised to find an abundance of restaurants and bars and all sorts of things to do. Too bad it was our last night…..

The next day we decided to drive back through this area on our way out of town so we could stop for lunch and explore a little bit. Other than being a total spring break hot spot, I really liked it!

Before we hoped back in the car, we stopped at a little bar on the beach to eat some lunch where we took in the nice warm breeze and the view while August napped in the stroller.

Babies in bars. Good stuff. I think some day I would like to go back there and visit for longer than a few hours. There is definitely plenty to do there! Plus, the beach was amazing. Although, I’m sure it’s much more crowded in the summer!

After lunch, we finished up our sightseeing, got Augie ready for the car ride, picked up a sweet YOLO magnet for our fridge, and headed out on our long journey home.

All in all it was a great trip and a great way to end my maternity leave. I will miss you, Florida! I’ll be back to visit soon!

The good news? We got some cool sunset photos. Always a good thing!