3 Months Old

Ben turned 3 months old today, on Christmas Eve!  Being around your baby every second of every day, it's hard sometimes to notice the rapid rate they are changing.  I of course notice when he does something new, but just looking at old pictures of him from just 4 or 6 weeks ago, it blows my mind how different he looks and acts now!

In the past month, Ben has become a LOT more vocal - both with adorable cooing, talking, and laughing...as well as CRYING and fussing!  Nap time (and anytime he is overly tired) routinely comes with some tears now.  Sometimes that comes in the form of a gentle protest (where his cries almost sound like him saying "no, no") or an all-out WAIL!  The importance of catching him before he reaches tired-meltdown status has increased in the past couple weeks.

Drooling is on the rise.  I actually thought he might be teething, as I can see little white spots all over his gums, but I don't think that anymore.  He loves to chew on our fingers, hands, arms, shoulders, etc., though.

Ben seems to be VERY observant these days.  He loves to watch us talk, and will stare as our mouths makes sounds.  It seems like he is just taking it all in for the day when he will be able to say his first word.  He especially enjoys when we read and sing to him.

Hand-eye coordination seems to be developing very well!  He will now bring his hands together, touch his face, gnaw on his fingers and thumb, and has become a pro at grabbing my hair or shirt.  He now occasionally grabs his toys on his activity mat (while squealing and kicking in excitement).

Ben is now starting to notice who is with him in a room, and when I leave.  The other day when leaving for a work meeting, while being held by my mom, he looked at me and cried.  (Or perhaps I was just imagining it as that was my biggest fear - him feeling abandoned by me)!  Soon, he will really know my mom and others who take care of him, so I am not going to worry about that too much.

Ben is still following the Babywise recommended eat/wake/sleep pattern, and it continues to work well for all of us.  Almost like clockwork, he will fell asleep for each of his naps approximately 1.5 hours after eating.  His naps now tend to be a little shorter, but the pattern remains the same.  Ben goes down to sleep for the night around 8 pm and sleeps until 4 am usually.  At that time, I bring him into bed with me and we both go back to sleep until 7 or 8.  I LOVE those few hours when I know he is sleeping there beside me and I can roll over and give him a smooch whenever I want.

Ben is also a fan of.....the TV.  Dang it.  He will all but strain himself to get a glimpse of the TV when it's on.  I suppose it's our own fault for having the darn thing on all the time.  I crack up when I walk into the room and find Ben and Greg in the same position - eyes glazed and mouth slightly open as they watch the screen.  In the upcoming months we may have to make some changes in this department!

From what others have told me, the changes that babies go through between 3 and 6 months are hard to believe and amazing to witness - so we look forward to this next stage!