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| Three months - February 21, 2014 |
He just keeps on getting bigger. No doctor's appointment this month, so I don't know current weight/length stats, but he is a solid, well-proportioned kid. Serious thighs, an adorable belly, totally squish-able cheeks. His hair is still strawberry and his eyes are still blue at this point. He has outgrown most of his newborn clothes, but three month clothes are fitting him well, with a little room yet to grow. We've retired his two SwaddleMe sacks because he is too long for them.
A big leap for him this last month is a huge improvement in sleeping. Most nights, we can get about five hours in a stretch, with only one overnight feed, and then a couple more hours until it's time for mommy to get up for the day. He has surprised us with one eight hour stretch, which felt great...and completely unsettling. :) This last week, I'm not sure if he was a little sick or going through a growth spurt or what, but we had a three-night stretch when he only slept a couple hours at a time overnight, and then took forever to fall back asleep. Hopefully that was just temporary. We have a good bedtime routine going, and when he gets good sleep, he is SO HAPPY in the morning, and often for the rest of the day. I try to get him down for a nap in the afternoons when I can, though this is proving to be a harder routine to make successful.
In the past month, Sam has developed even more of his sweet, charming personality. He smiles and giggles freely. He's still a mama's boy, and when I've been gone for a while, or even just gone in the next room for a few minutes, he will greet my return with a huge smile of recognition. He loves babbling, and just recently has figured out that it is fun to be LOUD. So in addition to saying "lll-guh" over and over again, he will shriek with delight and call out "ahh-AHHH, ahh-AHHH!" He is fascinated when I blow raspberries or buzz my lips, and sometimes he tries his own version, which usually just results in lots of drool.
Ah yes. Have I mentioned that Sam has turned into a crazy drool machine? And a spit-up machine? It is a damp existence these days.
Sam has also now discovered his hands and feet. He will stare at his toes with a very thoughtful, concerned look on his face, as if he is trying to make sense of these things that are attached to the end of his legs. He is definitely surprised to find out that they belong to him and that he can control them. He has completely fallen in love with his hands. He will wave them around, and grab onto my fingers - or hair! ouch! - or try to shove his whole hands into his mouth. He sticks his thumb between his fingers in "got-your-nose" fashion, and gets really cranky when you wrap him up in blankets or swaddles that pin his arms down.
He has also started experimenting more with his face, discovering all the ways that he can scrunch it up or move his eyes and lips and cheeks. He makes some adorable faces...and some hilarious ones. He'll open his eyes crazy-wide in surprise. He'll melt our hearts when he sticks out his lower lip when he's sad. He'll grin from ear to ear. We take tons of pictures, trying to capture all his expressions.
Sam is a master at turning himself ninety degrees when sleeping in his crib, and has successfully rolled onto his side a few times, though he can't always figure out how to get back on his back. He's still not sure about tummy time, but likes sleeping on my chest or Matt's chest, and lifting up his head when we are carrying him against our shoulder.
Sam still tolerates car rides quite well, but still hates being put into his carrier if it isn't immediately moving. He'll hang out in his swing if he is already happy or sleepy, but isn't soothed by it if he is angry. He will be perfectly happy swinging in the bathroom while mom or dad takes a shower, though. Probably the combination of warm, damp air and the rocking motion and the white noise.
He still isn't a fan of the pacifier, he still loves diaper changes, and he still gets upset when his diaper is wet...MORE upset than he used to get. He will cry and shriek like he is in pain, and all it takes it removing the wet diaper and he's totally happy again. He continues to enjoy bathtime more and more. He's not playful yet, but he is very curious and content in the warm water.
This past month, he got visits from his Aunt Stephanie and his Grandpa and MorMor Johnson. He spent two nights in Minneapolis, visiting Aunt Bethany and Uncle Nick, and attending his first St. Olaf Choir concert! Actually, it was his first visit to campus ever. Excellent. We've taken a few walks when the weather has ventured above ten degrees, and I've built up some muscle pushing his stroller through snow and ice.
This month has been my first full month back to work, and Sam comes with me every day. He's generally pretty awake and squrimy in the mornings, but I take advantage of feeding time to answer emails and type documents on my iPad. When he naps after lunch, I squeeze as much work as possible into that hour or two of quiet time. Everybody at church thinks he is adorable, and no one yet minds too much that he is always with me. Most days, it's great. Some days, it is hard and frustrating when I need to get things done and Sam has other ideas. Our child care options thus far have all proved to be dead ends, but we keep looking, because this current set-up is neither ideal nor sustainable. That being said...when he's not by my side all day every day, I'm going to miss him terribly.
I love his smiles and giggles, and the way that he will converse with me. He's becoming so interactive, so curious, so communicative. He definitely recognizes Matt and me, and is getting more and more interested in every piece of the world around him. Soon, I imagine, he'll be reaching for toys and grabbing for things and exploring his world even more.
It is crazy to me how fast he is growing and growing up...but also how tiny he still is. I've started thinking more and more about just how in love with him I am, and how much I have come to expect and rely on his smiley personality day to day. Nursing him is still one of my favorite times. He looks up at me with love and appreciation in his eyes, and total contentment. He reaches up a hand to grab onto my shirt or my necklace or my hand. In the past couple days, he has started playing games with me while nursing. He'll eat a little, then stop and turn his head up to me and give me a huge smile. As soon as I look down and "catch" him looking at me, he snuggles back down and latches on again with a coy grin. He'll repeat this over and over. It's adorable...and frustrating when I really need him to be an efficient eater. :)
I still feel lucky and blessed...and a little overwhelmed and amazed. Sometimes Matt and I will turn to each other and say out loud, "Hey...we have a BABY!" Still hard to believe that he is here, that he is ours, that this little miracle totally happened for us.
We love you bunches, little man. You're sweet, adorable, and curious. We couldn't ask for anything more.
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