three months

Dear Emmett,

One week ago, you turned three months old. You marked your three month birthday on our trip to Florida, where your cousin Henry was excited to wish you a happy birthday! Your cousins Maria and Julia were happy to smile at you, point at you, and try to steal your pacifier. It was a fine way to celebrate. You enjoyed the whole trip, and I barely had to do anything other than feed you, change you and comfort you if you had a bellyache. Your cousins took care of the entertainment, and you were so happy to just watch them constantly for five days.

Emmett, you did so beautifully traveling, you made it easy on me. You were quiet and happy on the plane and you charmed everyone you met. Even when we had to alter our plans on the way home (Newark, JFK and LaGuardia airports almost completely shut down due to snow), you were a total champ. I took a flight to Philly without a plan from there, got us to 30th street station and bought an Amtrak ticket to Newark Penn Station, where Daddy met us and helped us the rest of the way home with all our stuff on the PATH train. And aside from the fact that you filled your (flimsy disposable for traveling no chance of containing your poop for longer than five minutes) diaper just before the plane took off, you were a fantastic and adaptable traveler.

You've changed a great deal in the past month, and it seems like you have a new skill every day. You have a new found ability to put pressure on your legs and feet while in our laps. You could spend all day letting me hold you there so you could practice standing, and catch you when you lose the muscle control. It makes you giggle, and there is no better sound in the whole world.

Speaking of giggling, that skill has exploded over the past couple of weeks. You giggle so often, sometimes we can't imagine what could be so funny. Such as the little bulletin board in the kitchen with some coupons and random things pinned on it. When that bulletin board comes into your sight, you often go into such hysterics that you lose complete control of your head and I have to catch it!

And here is where I must apologize. I passed a trait on to you which followed me all through childhood, and occasionally still catches up to me. Growing up, every time I started laughing hard, I got the hiccups. There are few things more annoying, and I'm so very sorry to say I passed this on to you. Whenever you are laughing so hard and we are smiling back and forth at each other and life could not be better, those silly hiccups take hold and, poor little thing, you hate them (who can blame you?!) and start to fuss. I take full responsibility for this. Sorry, little man!

Another new skill you've picked up is a fun trick for when you're going to sleep or waking up in your crib. It's something almost every baby figures out and enjoys, but I can't say it's a totally desirable skill. You've figured out that it's fun (and noisy!) to pick your legs up in the air and slam them back onto the crib mattress. Let's hope Nana and Poppy sleep soundly when they come to visit this weekend!

Perhaps the most fun development this month, Emmett, is your ability to reach out and pick up small toys. Rattles work well for this, as well as chains of plastic rings with different colors and textures. If placed within your arm's reach, you'll grab these things and play with them. Your aim and timing is not yet perfect, so sometimes you need a little help, but it is so much fun to watch you decide you want something and reach out for it.

Slowly, you are settling into a routine. You have a bath and a bottle around 8 or 9pm and go to bed usually between 10-11pm. You wake up between 7-8am. Give or take a little in either direction. You are a great sleeper at night. When you wake up, I nurse you, and you play for a little while, and an hour and a half or two hours after waking up, you're ready for a nap. You go to sleep perfectly in your crib and sleep for 45 minutes to an hour. After that, it gets a little dicey. Feeding is becoming more predictable, but naps after that first one are not settled in yet. Some days you'll sleep for at least two hours in the afternoon, which is what you should be doing.

Other days are more fussy. You still have bellyache problems, and sometimes reach the point of real distress and we can tell you're in pain. We give you baby gas drops, rub your belly, and try to help you through it. On days like that, you'll often refuse to sleep in your crib, and you'll just doze several times during the day for only a half hour (or less) at a time.

The biggest addition to your developing routine has been the addition of rice cereal to your diet. It's very new, the last few days, but you are loving it and learning how to eat from a spoon. We started you on cereal at 3 months and 3 days, just a little bit once a day. I'm certain your doctor will not be pleased at your next appointment, but you're ready for it. I'm your mother and I said so. If you listen closely, you might hear that phrase a lot in the coming years.

I'll talk more about cereal in next month's letter, since that really started after the 3 month mark. Maybe next month I'll be on time with your letter!

In the meantime, keep up the good work, growing and changing and laughing and smiling. You are loved and you are love.



maresi said...

*sigh* He is quite satisfactory.

(um, my word verification is "palin")

Megan said...

I love these month-day letters. So much more narrative than allowed for in a baby book!

Thais said...

he is so beautiful...lets at least meet for dinner or osmething really soon....before he is 3!
