Three's the Magic Number

Hooray, hooray, Alex is three today! Months, that is. And what a difference a month makes! Just weeks ago I was ripping my hair out with the frustrations that my eight week old was causing. And don't get me wrong - I still lose a handful from time to time. But the progress that Alex has made in such a short time is unfathomable. Especially when things seem to happen overnight, like one day he woke up and thought, "Maybe I'll use a little bit more of my brain today." Witnessing his development is such an amazing experience. And as excited I am about every new thing he does and as eager as I am to push him on to the next thing, I find myself reminiscing for the day before, when he couldn't do any of those things yet! It's bittersweet, but mostly sweet.

Before I get too far, there are just a few basic things that I wanted to document about his developmental milestones to this point. Please bear with me...

Size: He weighs about 14 pounds and is about 25 inches long (according to very unofficial and possibly inaccurate home measuring devices). He wears size 1 diapers but may move up to size 2 any day now. Although they've still got width to spare, his 0-3 onesies and pants are too short. I guess most babies are shorter and fatter than he is. So until things even out, he will be swimming in 3-6 onesies and will be sporting either high waters or cuffs. Size 1 shoes tend to be too small, although he can't quite fill out Size 2's yet. That makes him a 1 1/2, I guess. Too bad there's no such thing...

Sleeping/eating: After nursing, he eats about four ounces of formula and does so every three to four hours (depending on how his naps go). He naps four times a day - twice in the morning and twice in the afternoon - sometimes with some fussing, sometimes without. A "good nap", meaning one that won't leave him fussy and tired afterwards, lasts about an hour and a half. After a bath and a bottle, he goes to bed around 8pm, usually without protest. He typically sleeps until 2am, nurses, then goes back to sleep until 6ish.

Physical/cognitive milestones: He can roll over, from front to back, and can hold his head up and steady for extended periods of time. He can hold his own weight for a really long time and will bounce up and down on his legs as long as I will support him. His endurance is quite impressive, really.

He is very interactive with his surroundings now and is so much fun to play with. He doesn't seem especially interested in looking at his hands, but he takes every opportunity to use them. He grasps anything within hand's reach. He loves to play with his toys, but loves even more to try to put them in his mouth. When not in use, his arms and legs are in constant motion - that explains how he can eat so much and maintain his boyish figure. His favorite times of the day are early in the morning and bathtime.

He is very social and definitely recognizes our faces and voices. He smiles and coos and laughs with and at us and has recently discovered the power of his own voice. He loves to watch TV and does so at every chance he gets, although he knows it is completely against household rules. He loves to watch his dad sing and play the guitar. He especially likes the high notes and will wiggle and laugh when he hears them.

Now that I've gotten the basics out of the way, allow me to elaborate a little.

Like I mentioned, he can hold his head up pretty well now, and despite the occasional "bobblehead" episode, he can keep it more or less steady when he's on his tummy or sitting up. We decided to get him his very own chair to work on his sitting skills, even though I kind of think it's cheating.

In the last week or so he has really discovered his hands, meaning he has really discovered how tasty they are. He hasn't taken to using them as a sleeping aid, which would be a great alternative to me having to reinstall his pacifier when he spits it out at night. But he can't seem to get them out of his mouth any other time. In fact, he often pushes his bottle (or me) out of the way while he's eating so he can get to his fingers. If only milk came out of those things...

He has also started to appreciate the power of his own voice and has been experimenting with various tones, volumes, inflections and effects. Usually, what starts out as a hissyfit turns into a vocal jam session, causing him to forget (temporarily) what he was fussing about.


Another recent discovery he has made is...well...himself! Before his bath, I have always put him in front of the mirror, where he would stare and smile at me but never really noticed himself. Or at least he didn't find himself interesting enough to look at. Now when I do it, he is fascinated by his own reflection. I don't know whether he realizes that it's him or if he thinks it is some other boy. Regardless, he will coo and smile (and spit up) and sometimes he will totally crack himself up, which totally cracks me up.



Overall, the past three months have been such a joy. Alex's personality has really started to blossom, and despite what I might describe as some "potential mischievous tendencies", he is such a happy, sweet, and funny boy who I'm sure will continue to make us laugh (and cry) as the months go by. There have been countless instances where he will grin at us and Tim and I just look at each other and say, "We have the best baby ever." We are so blessed to have him in our lives and we just love him to death.