Congratulations! You made it through your fourth trimester! This month started with your 2-month checkup, where you got lots of shots (prepare to redo this on your 21st birthday)! Your doctor checked you out and declared to me, “He’s perfect.” Man, I have zero education in the medical field and I could’ve told the world that. Oh wait, I do that to everyone already.
The Fourth of July introduced you to the extended family, and then you got your first taste of “swimming” at Dena and Clint's pool. Initially, you hated it (maybe it had something to do with the way I just kinda dangled you in the water and dipped you like a chip into salsa). However, with time (and a more gradual dip into the water), you seemed to not dislike it.
Later, for the first half of the Duncanville fireworks, you slept in Alisa’s arms, then you watched them in my lap. Gran was lucky; he got to see you smile during the grand finale!
You also went to a wedding and a then shower (thrown for you by Nana and Grandpa Karl!) in Houston, where you were deluged with love (even as you deluged pee on three people who held you). You were fortunate enough to meet your great-grandparents, Bill and Doris, and you even got to take a nap on Great-Grandma Doris! You were well-behaved at the wedding and reception, and at the shower, you – as usual – charmed everyone.
Your development continues to amaze and amuse me. Your head is steadier than ever, even when I lift you from horizontal. During “tummy time,” you can maneuver your arms beneath you and lift your upper body so your head is perpendicular to the ground. You can’t crawl or roll over, but when you’re on your back, you can pivot your body around your head with your feet so that you can point in a totally different direction if given enough time.
You’re getting more coordinated with your hands and arms, too. You’ve gained the ability to bring your hands together -- ostensibly so you can suck on two thumbs at once. You’ve started reaching for things, non-randomly grabbing at dangling toys on your bouncy chairs (you have one at home and one at Pitter and Gran’s), links and stuffed tinkling bugs on your car seat, my wedding ring necklace (will my fingers EVER unpuff?), and, if you get an arm free, your swaddling cloth. I fill with wonder and trepidation when I think of further development in this area.
I’m really delighted by your relationship with our iPad. Your mom is cheap, so she very, very rarely pays for apps, but some free ones have rocked your world (or at least your half-hour). She got a Toy Story interactive book which “reads” to you, and you’ll listen to the whole story! See, here's proof you can get to the end:
Bubbles, where you create and pop bubbles on the screen, grabs your attention, and you’re really interested in one of my favorites, Gravilux. You control your hands enough to drag them across the screen to “pull” little dots toward that point of contact. Your favorite, though, seems to be Forest Friends, which has a piano app. You’ll pound on the keys forever! Check it out on YouTube, if it’s still around when you read this:
My favorite new thing you do, though, is putting your arms around the person who’s holding you. It’s an expression of trust, and every time I feel your little fist reaching around the back of my arms, I’m won.
Over the past week or so, you’re really reminding me of your dad. I can see his profile in yours, sometimes, and his upper lip, and his hair. And oh, his eyes... At your 2-month appointment, your pediatrician told me that your eyes would likely stay blue if no hints of brown had shown up by then. It’s been a month beyond that, now, and your eyes are still a bright, crisp, easy blue. I’m overjoyed that you’ve got your dad’s eyes. When I look at you, I see him, and it makes me love you even more. (This also works conversely, luckily for your dad.)
Last Friday, we took you to a dinner party. There were four other couples in attendance, and they all came away wanting babies at the end of the night (or at least the women did)! We closed down the party at midnight, and you smiled and cooed your way out the door. You were amazingly chill and good-natured, even for you! We had to tell everyone, “This is atypical!” but for some of them, the proof was in your adorable pudding.
Oh, and remember that travel trailer I mentioned? The one Gran and Pitter were shopping for during your first weeks? Well, they didn’t have it by month two, but they have it now! We’ll “camp” in their Airstream before your next newsletter.
You are frequently, ridiculously happy. We've joked that your brother or sister (in the future!) will be a really, really difficult baby because you've been so easy-going and wonderful to be around. You already have a great sense of humor! Check this out:
You’ve been here for three months, but it’s so hard for me not to couch the idea of you in infinite terms. When I make certain small movements, I’m reminded of you, and it’s like, for the briefest moment, I’ve channeled you. And it’s strangely true; not only did you truly inhabit me for nine months, every bit of who you are is inside of me, still living in my mind and soul. I am still holding you inside me, and I suspect I will be forever.
After I fed you one night, you looked up at me with your shining eyes and smiled. Our eyes stayed locked together, then, and I felt as though I’d known you – and loved you – all my life.
And you seem to already know that I have, and that I always will.
Love, Mom
SNAPSHOT: Dislikes: Shots, mosquito bites, Oscar rolling over onto you Likes: Your bouncy chairs, the iPad, the iTunes Visualizer, swinging in the hammock, splashing in the bath, cooing and gurgling People You’ve Now Peed On: Nana, Grandpa Karl Things You Can Do: Look around as you hold your head up, bring your hands together, hold your head up 90 degrees while on your stomach, move around by rotating your body 90 degrees while keeping your head in the same place
