3 months old

Dear Dom,

Mommy & Daddy love you SO much.  With every day that passes, you show us something new.  We find so much joy with you in our lives & can't imagine a world without you. You are such a lovey snuggler. You're my munchie, my bubba and my sweet, sweet little boy.  You're on the cusp of laughing and we're waiting with anticipation to hear that awesome sound.  Here are some updates in the world of you!

• Milestones: You now visibly recognize us & can track us as we walk across the room.  You debuted the wonderful pterodactyl screech during church one morning. Hey, who can blame you... you wanted to keep eating your bottle instead of burping ;)   You still LOVE lights and now you are really enjoying your toys that have lights & mirrors
• Smiles: You love to smile and give us huge grins from your crib as we greet you in the mornings.  I also perfected a voice that can make you smile -- I feel so lucky that we have that connection.
• Hands!  You found your hands & are obsessed with them. You suck on them, clasp them, grasp them, wave them, fling them (sometimes into your own face -- ouch!)  It's really funny to watch you grow & learn. You will be VERY good at the itsie bitsie spider one of these days. We have been practicing! 
• Legs!  You are a standing machine. You love to stand up with mom & dad there to help you balance. You have super strong legs and a strong neck. It's fun to watch you move your hips.  We can tell that you are very proud of yourself.  It's also fun to see your neck. Until now your head has rested on your shoulders. Now that you're stronger, you hold your head up independently and show off that cute, strong neck!
• Lots of travel firsts! You went on your first airplane ride, visited 2 new states (WI, IL) and mommy learned how to install your carseat base in many cars.
• Weight:  you are now 13 pounds!  That's double your birth weight, big boy!  
• Debuts:  On your 3-month birthday you debuted both your bumbo chair and tummy time via the boppy. You loved both (well, the lifespan of love for the boppy tummy time is only about 2-3 minutes.)
• Dislikes:  Things that you aren't such a big fan of include coming out of the bath, switching sides during a feeding and waiting to eat.  Oh and you are also not a fan of tummy time unless it's on daddy's chest.  Hey, though, that is a very small list of "dislikes". You are SUCH a good, sweet baby :)
• Talkative!  When we got home from Thanksgiving a few days after Nick, I could tell that you missed seeing your dad.  You were talking up a storm with him the night we got home & the next morning. The two of you have conversations that no one can rival.  One day I will get it on videotape because it's just about the cutest thing ever!
• Sleep:  We started keeping your daytime naps to 2-2.5 hours & it infinitely helped your nighttime sleep schedule.  In the past you slept from 1-5pm but now you only go down for a few hours, which has improved the nighttime!  Our trip to Wisconsin also actually helped your sleep schedule. You went down around 10 or 10:30pm and slept until about 5am, then fell asleep again until 8am.  Now that we're back home you usually fall asleep around 6 or 7 pm and wake for a small 10pm feeding, or sometimes you go down for the night around 8 or 9pm.  Occasionally you'll wake for a 3:30am feeding but lots of nights you stay asleep until around 5:30 am.  Now that dad is studying for his CFA exam before work in the mornings, he will change your diaper and bring you into me in bed for what dad calls, "Dom's breakfast in bed."  I'm so glad I learned how to nurse you laying down while we were in WI.  That was soooo nice to learn, though I do have to set my sleep timer for 15 mins when we begin feeding or you & I will fall asleep. I wouldn't want to roll onto you - eeek!  
• A Typical Day:   You wake up around 5-6am and daddy brings you in for a feeding. Sometimes we'll fall back asleep but usually we wake up & start our day.  I will do stuff on the computer with my coffee for awhile while you take a little snooze.  I also try to get a little housework done in the morning (and sometimes a shower.)  When you wake up around 8-9am, we play a bit, get dressed & head out for errands around 10am. We love Central Market but we also do baby yoga, Target, the mall, etc. You're a very good shopping buddy. You usually fall asleep on the way there & will snooze for some of it.  We come home around 1-2pm for your feeding. After that you're wide awake for awhile & we do tummy time, standing exercises and read books before your nap. You sometimes get a little fussy in the late afternoons so I've started carrying you around the house in the Bjorn.  It settles you down a lot (usually) unless you're hungry & then it just makes you fiercely mad!  We give you your bath around 5-6pm. Then you have dinner & fall asleep pretty quickly after that.  
• Ticking clock: This is our last month together before I go back to work. It breaks my heart into a million pieces to think that our days together like this are limited. Maternity leave has been the best 3 months of my life. I love cuddling in with you, running errands, baby yoga, naps together and so much more.  However, people who love you VERY much are going to be watching you, including Grandma Terry (Omi) who is child-develepment extraordinaire! 

3 months old!

My favorite photos of you this month

Your first day in the Bumbo chair. You love the snail which plays music, lights up and has a mirror.