Three

Tadpole,

You are three months old today.

I can’t believe it.

Yesterday, Daddy and I were talking about the fact that we still can’t believe how lucky we are to have you in our lives. We both keep thinking that someone is going to pick you up from our house, as if we’re only babysitting now. We both find the possibility that we are parents to be so surreal. Yet, we love it. We’re so proud to introduce you to people, so eager to share your smiles with them, so happy to show you as much of the world as we can.

Over the past several weeks, you’ve developed quite a bit. Since your birth, you’ve doubled in size. You now like to babble most every day. You love interacting with those around you and seem to truly enjoy being a part of our family. One of my favorite moments of the day is when you first wake in the morning. You’ll move around in your bassinet and start to make noises. Then, you’ll notice me standing above you and you smile. Your smile melts my heart. After a brief feeding, you always want to go back to sleep. You refuse to take your first nap back in your bassinet though. Instead, you prefer to sleep on my chest. While this is likely a poor habit, I allow it. I know in a few short years, you’ll no longer desire to cuddle with me. Even before that occurs, however, we simply will not have the time. Therefore, for now, I’ve reduced my workload and will do my best to savor each moment I get to spend with you.

This week was especially eventful for you. You finally met your Aunt B. You also met K too. M and his wife, H, came from out of town to inspect you. They approved. This afternoon, you witnessed M become a pastor and were blessed by him. Later, you went to Mr. B’s to meet his extended family. He showed you off as if you were his own. Earlier this month, Mama and Daddy left you for a few hours to celebrate their anniversary. B and company spent some time with you. From what we can tell, you were doted on every second we were apart from you. In a couple of days, you and I will take a road trip to see Aunt K as Daddy is out on Aunt E’s ship. I’m excited to take you and a bit nervous about our adventure too. I suspect that we’ll need to stop often. I anticipate that we’ll sing songs and chat as we drive. We’ll cuddle at the hotel and explore the riverfront. The trip should be a good one. I’m hoping that we’ll have fun visiting with Aunt K and her friends. You’ll also meet Mama’s friend, R, for the first time too.

In a few weeks, you will start daycare. I feel incredibly guilty about this change, but also anticipate that it will be good for all of us. Mama is behind in her writing and most other work-related tasks and needs a bit of time to focus before the quarter begins. You will likely benefit from interacting with a wider variety of people. Yet, I worry that I’ll miss out on too many milestones. I worry that you may feel abandoned. I worry that you will not need me. Most of these thoughts are unfounded. We’ll be fine. If not, we’ll alter our circumstances.

When I look back at your third month of life, I hope I remember the following things:
- Your favorite places to be at home are the deck and your changing table.
- You’re fascinated by both trees and lights.
- While ‘The Wheels on the Bus’ reigns supreme, you’re finally open to other
songs too. You’re starting to like ‘Itsy Bitsy Spider’ – when hand gestures
are included.
- Whenever Mama tries to teach you the sign for ‘more milk’, you start to
laugh.
- Your favorite book is still Brown Bear, Brown Bear.
- You hate tummy time, but are starting to tolerate it a little bit more. Your
neck is getting stronger.
- You are calm and sweet, but fiercely stubborn.
- Your hair is starting to change color from a dark brown to dark blond.
- Bath time is fun time. It calms you every time.
- You leak.
- While you like the Nuk, you’re not dependent on it.
- You do not care for pants or socks.
- You’re starting to notice Rzez a bit more
- Your swing is awesome, as it allows us the 15 minutes we need for showers,
changing laundry, etc.
- You started using your ‘Johnny Jumper’. While you’re typically tentative
with it at first, you have a blast in it – until you’re done. Then, you
want out of it immediately.
- You also like the bumbo, but it must be placed up high and just so. You want
to be able to see what we’re all doing.
- You’re using your car now too. You’re not tall enough to push yourself
around, but think it’s pretty cool when Daddy pushes you around while making
cool noises.

There are so many other things too - too many for me to remember. I hate that I can’t recall every moment of your life, but am thankful that we have many pictures. Despite my inability to recall specific moments, however, there is an overarching feeling of peace that now exists because of you. For once, I am calm. Your Daddy feels complete. We adore you.

Love,
Mama