Three Months

Our little big man is three months old today!  It's hard to believe that a year ago I didn't yet know I was pregnant; now it seems like this happy, roly-poly guy has been with us forever.

The "fourth trimester" is over and there are really no traces of newborn left in our big baby.

  

A few things I loved that have already faded away:

• His newborn faces: the angry pirate, the disgruntled bullfrog, the tough guy, and the hungry bird.  
• His waking-up stretch.  Elbows and knees out, back arched, chin up (offering a rare glimpse of neck), mouth pursed, head back and shaken side-to-side.
• The Mongolian swaddle.
• Karl's patented strangle-burp (see above).
• The teeny-tiny socks.

Things I love about right now:

• Now that he has discovered his hands and can (sort of) control them, he tries to put everything in his mouth.  Emphasis on the "tries."  Most of the things he can grab are way too big for his mouth, so he mashes into his face and thinks it's hilarious.  Sometimes the toy gets stuck at chest level, so he swings his legs up as though the lower half of his body might be of great assistance in chewing on an object in his hands.  It's adorable.
• HUGE smiles.  And the laughs, which sound like he's saying "uh-HEEEEEH."  I love that he clearly recognizes me and gives me giant smiles every time I come into the room.  Sometimes expressing his excitement involves scrunching and then flailing all his limbs.  Karl loves me and all, but even he doesn't go into full-body fits every time I walk in the room. 
• Playing with Karl.  We're pretty egalitarian when it comes to child care, but Hal already shows a marked preference for cuddles with Mom and exciting play with Dad.  The best game is when Karl lifts him up and down quickly like he's jumping on the bed.
• Standing.  He loves to stand up and can hold most of his body weight on his legs.  He just has absolutely no core control, so he looks like he's doing the hula as we hold him up.  Standing requires a look of fierce concentration, with eyes wide and mouth scrunched.
• Swimmer arms.  When he wants something, he windmills his arms, except he does it like a swimmer -- high elbows on the recovery!

The next month will bring some big milestones, including rolling over (he's so close!), Hal's first airplane trip to visit friends in Florida (sun, please, sun!), and more importantly, my return to work (scary).