How Harley has changed in three months

Today Harley turns three months old. It’s still a bit odd because I always have to adjust her age – she’s three months old, but considering how early she came, she should only be about a month old. That said, there are only really a couple milestones that are a bit delayed for my little preemie princess – otherwise, she is already on track for her actual age.

In only three months, my little girl has gone from a mere shadow of a baby to a real tiny human. She is growing so much every day, and I’m amazed at her development. Much like my own changes in the past three months, time has taken on a strange shape – it feels like both a long time and an instant. I can only imagine how another month or three or nine will change her even more.

I’ve already written about how I won’t be sharing tons of baby pictures – it just doesn’t seem like the right thing to do for a variety of reasons. However, it’s not a blanket ban on pictures, and this transformation in my little girl feels worth sharing. I won’t do it every step of the way, but it feels like the right time to show how my dreams came true – that emaciated little baby in the NICU has become my chubby, gorgeous little girl.

Harley 3 months collage

I can’t believe the difference in her. It’s more than just her looks, too. We are starting to understand each other. I am lucky enough to have been able to exclusively breast feed her, and it’s amazing to see how she’s grown just from what I give her. The human body truly is an incredible thing. Plus, after feeling like my body failed her with Eclampsia leading to her being born so early, it’s so gratifying to see how my body has come through for her and given her everything she needs to grow. And grow she has! She’s now on the normal growth graph – not even the adjusted one!

She is also incredibly strong. She has impressive head control for a baby her age, as well as ridiculously strong legs. Dean and I keep saying she’s a mutant – not only is she not showing the difficulties that are normal for preemies, she’s actually doing better than average for strength, hearing and vision. Well done little Harley!

But the biggest change has been in our relationship. She stares at me like the most interesting movie or game, and has even started to give me the odd grin. She feels safe in my arms, falling asleep easily when I hold her. She enjoys when I massage her, and I am learning how to comfort her more quickly and easily. It has gotten better from how it was, and I just know she will continue to grow and get even easier.

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