William: Three Months!

Guess who has found his hands?

As cute as he is chewing on his hands (or our hands or his blanket--whatever he can get to his mouth), I'm not a fan of all the drool that comes along with it. And we're pretty sure he isn't going to be teething early or anything; according to Darrell's mom, Darrell was a drooler from day one, so apparently this just runs in the family. Joy.

Aside from the increase in drooling (and slightly more frequent spitting up--yuck), everything is still going well with Mr. William. No formal doctor's appointment this month, but we're guessing he's pushing fifteen pounds. Size two diapers are starting to get snug on him, as are pretty much all three month clothing. We still don't have much for a consistent day-to-day routine, but lately he's fallen into a pretty consistent habit of eating, playing, then napping (of course, the length of each activity varies from time to time, but I'll take any sort of consistency I can get at this point!).

And speaking of playing--my how things have changed in that department! He is so much more alert and aware (and smiley!) now, which makes it fun to just lay around and play with him. It's amazing how well he can track objects that we hold in front of his face, and he's even able to track us if we are in the same room as him (and believe us, he's definitely figured out who "we" are--while we were out of town for my sister's wedding there were times when he refused to be held by anyone but Mom or Dad). Of course, this increase in being alert means that naps are a little bit more of a battle because he just wants to keep looking around, but I suppose there are worse problems to have.

A benefit to his increased awareness is that he is much better able to entertain himself and be content without needing to be held or carried. Darrell and I pulled out his high chair this month, and have actually been able to enjoy meals together on a regular basis while William hangs out kicking and talking (and usually chewing on a blanket) in his chair. I use the phrase "talking" lightly--most of his sounds are still indistinguishable from his cries/fussy noises, but we've definitely noticed a few coos (more like happy sighs at this point) and we even got a giggle out of him one time.

As far as nighttime sleep goes, William has gotten a lot better (most nights) in that department. For whatever reason, it was nearly an instantaneous change after he got his two-month shots; apparently he decided "I was man enough to handle those shots so now I'm man enough to need fewer feedings in the middle of the night". Most nights we get at least one five hour stretch, and there have even been a few nights where we've gotten six and even seven hour stretches. I try not to let myself expect those kind of nights, though, because it seems like as soon as I do he throws a fussy night into the mix and is up every two and a half hours. And there's nothing worse than going to bed expecting to get a solid chunk of sleep and then having that ripped away from you.

I'm sure I could think of plenty of other things to brag about (and probably others to complain about too), but it's getting late and pictures are more fun. So here you go!

Big Smiles!!