Month 3

We're on to you kid. We've got you figured out now so don't go changing it up on us. We know that high pitched, whiney cry you do means you are tired. We know that full-blown cry means we waited a milisecond too long to tend to your needs. We know that rocking you won't get you to sleep at night but a nurse-down on our comfy bed knocks you out in 30 seconds. I can now even leave the room after your asleep for some adult time (although adult time usually = uploading your thousands of pictures!). We know you will want a morning nap about 45 minutes after you wake up. I know when you'll be tired enough to make my car trips to avoid a full-fledge scream attack and a mommy-meltdown.

This has also been a big month for your milestones. You rolled over! You have only done it twice since but damn if you didn't do it. You showed us you knew how to do it and now you are done with it. No sense in putting out all that energy to do it again (you are more and more like your father every day.) You hold your head up during Tummy Time like it ain't no thang. You lay there on your belly, head straight up for hours upon hours. Well hours might be a bit of an exaggeration but minutes upon minutes.

We're still battling your belly problems but we'll get you all fixed up. Despite that, you are one content baby now that I've eliminated some (all) foods from my diet. Man are you content, almost too much. This allows your Papa to do all kinds of things to you like stuff you into a cereal box. You could care less if your diaper is dirty but I wouldn't mind the occasional reminder. You experienced your first cold and were all too willing to share it. It was that moment when I realized the major differences between my 9-5 with pay and benefits and my new 24x7 with no pay, better benefits but not one sick day to cash in on.

You no longer drift off into a nice nap when you are tired. Nope, you are now at the stage where you fight it and it takes a circus act to get you to give in for your much needed rest. Speaking of which, gone are the days when we'd sleep in until 10 or even 11. Now the world is much more interesting to you and you need to get your day started ASAP! As in 7:30 am. I try to pull you on to my belly and pat your back, one of the former fool-proof ways to get you to sleep. But now you think it's an invitation for Tummy Time. You just lift up that big nogin, crinkle your forhead and look me right in the face with a big old grin and giggle. When I am dead tired and want nothing more than to go back to sleep, I can't help but giggle back. I'm not sure if this is fair though since we know you'll be getting a nap soon once I'm forced to be up and ready for the day.

You are still very selective with your smiles, you know their value and use them wisely. You don't go wasting them on any old thing, you keep them for the important moments so we can savor them. Your smiles are better than Prozac, there are no blues or bad day your smile can't wipe away and turn into the best day ever.

You are really reaching and grabbing on to things. Now that you can do this you want to shovel everything into your mouth. You love to nibble on Banana Man and chomp on your soft puppy dog. You even like to grab on and try to shove things in your mouth that are way too big like my head or our queen size mattress. While this is quite charming when you are still a blob of babe, I can see this quickly turning into the most hated trate once you become mobile and try to eat every choking hazard our house has to offer.

You still favor your left hand but are becoming increasingly aware there is another one just like it on the other side. It really gets you if it's creating a shadow on the wall; you struggle trying to figure out where the 3rd hand is coming from. You kick your little legs like crazy now. Specifically every 30 seconds throughout the night right into my gut. This just isn't quite the same as when you were kicking there from the inside.

You are pretty darn clever too. You figured out that there is really no need to take a bottle when you always have access to the breast. You were taking it just fine for a while and then let a few days go by without us giving it to you and man, you showed us! No more bottle for you, that's one way to keep me around. Little did you know that you didn't need a reason, if anything you'll be trying to get rid of me someday. We've masterd the laying down nursing which makes nighttime feedings a breeze. No more sitting up and turning on lights. But now that you don't have to move to eat you think a 24 hour diner just opened up right next door and you don't mind helping yourself. And sometimes it really feels like it's for 24 hours. As long as you don't wake me up, I don't mind. For now.

Your little body is growing as fast as your mind. You now wear a lot of 6 - 9 month onesies but your little legs have yet to catch up (or straighten out) as those still fit in 0-3 months. This makes buying a 2 piece outfit very difficult. Some baby clothing manufactures don't take into account the possibility of a big ol' belly like yours which is all to evident when some sleepers barely zipper but are still 10 feet too long.

You are Papa's one and only "Monster" but you are my little "Oompah" since the little Oompah song I made up always seems to put a smile on your face. I must say "Man, you are such a handsome boy" about 500 times a day. You love to tell us stories with such emotion and inflection, where you proudly use your favorite word "Ah-goo". Someday we might be able to follow along in your stories but for now we just lose ourselves in your magnetism. Your Daddy rewrote the ABC song into such a catchy rock tune, the hook stays in my head for weeks. You are mesmerized as he performs it on his guitar for you.

As the months go by I realize I have more and more to write about you and your accomplishments. Everyday we are amazed. Everyday our hearts explode with love and pride. Everyday we wonder how we ever lived without you and are thankful we don't have to anymore.


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