Dear Baby - Month #3

Dear baby,

Today, you are three months old. You're a quarter of the way through your first year - which is also sad because you're really three months closer towards the end of your life...

That Curious Case of Benjamin Button has a lot to answer for. I never wanted to watch that movie because I knew it would end sadly, but the husband put it on the other night when he couldn't find anything to watch. And of course I cried at the end. But then, he cried too. You've definitely kicked off something in us, something that makes us feel more, something that's lifted the veil off a lot of human emotion, suffering and sadness in others. Everything is so precious.

This is quite a morbid start to a letter to a baby!

Last night, the husband was commenting on how much of a person you are. You let us know when you want to be upright, when you want to be cuddled, when you want to stretch and kick. You also love to play games with your daddy, and it's quite a highlight for me - he makes the kissy noise that he usually makes to the birds, and he looms slowly and closer to the top of your head. You know he's going to plant a big sloppy kiss on your head and you smile so hard that you couldn't possibly smile any more - your mouth is wide open and you close your eyes and your lids linger down in anticipation, then *MUAH* - right on the head! You love it, and he loves it, and I love it.

If you're awake in the mornings at the time he gets up, he brings you in to bed. It's a testament to how much he loves you - he is the worst morning person in the world. But between the time he hears you babbling and the time it takes him to get the eight steps to your bassinet, he is delighted. He gasps and tells you how adorable you are, he chatters and hugs you, he pretends you're a plane as you 'land' on the bed. If you're awake when he leaves for work, he always asks for his morning smile before he heads off.

On the weekend a few weeks ago, he called me in to the loungeroom with a tone of excited urgency - "look at this!". You were laying in your bassinet, happily playing with the hanging toy we put in there to encourage you to sleep facing your right (you always sleep on your left ear). He hadn't seen you occupy yourself before. It's easy for me to forget how much of your development is slipping by, how much he is missing. But you're definitely taking things in - smiling at the sheep toy that hangs on the hood of your bassinet, starting to reach out for toys on your playmat or our hands, staring at the dog when she's trying to get to you to lick you, reaching at my clothes and pulling out a breastpad while you're feeding...

I always thought that I would be the 'good cop' parent, and he would be the 'bad cop', but at the moment that's definitely not the case. I'm sorry that it's 90% business with me. But this might change next month when I need to have an operation on my hand - I'm going to be in plaster and so your daddy will need to be home with us for a few weeks. I think he's going to be doing a lot of the work, so maybe I will be the gamesmaster!

You had a few nights of sleep that lasted 8-10 hours this month, and also a few nights where you returned to 3-4 hour stints. The last few nights have gone back to 7 hours of sleep, and that's much better. You're feeding every three hours during the day, and we don't have a consistent napping schedule. Or really any schedule other than sleeping well during the night! Whenever I have to head out and about, you're pretty good at sleeping in the carseat, and will more often than not sleep in the pram. You do like to sleep on me on the couch, which is nice, but means that I don't really get anything done. We're very lucky that the husband is so good at housework on the weekends, and happy to hold on to you when he's home from work or sport so that I can whip around and get dinner ready and do a few things.

We had our first mothers group this month as well - you rocked it! The physio used you as the demo baby when talking about tummy time, and we got a lot of comments on how good your head control is. I was also very relieved to know were on track with this, and also that your left-turn preference is nothing to worry about. Your Pa skyped us this week and commented on how good you were at keeping your big ol' head up too - not only are you getting more adorable, but stronger. You love to kick at us and to use your leg muscles to try to hold yourself up - now maybe we can get your rolling to be a little more consistent...