baby Z, 3 months

Baby Z is 3 months old.  I want so badly to make this stage of new baby perfection to last as long as we can, to enjoy every second.  But it’s racing by and he’s apparently eager to grow up.  He’s nearly 16 pounds and already has his two bottom teeth.  They cut without any fussiness, just lots of drool.  We didn’t even know about them until making the shocking discovery two weeks ago that one had cut all the way through and a second was on the way. 

He’s such a good baby.  He’s full of beaming smiles and SO talkative.  He coos to us, back and forth as if in conversation and his eyes are so engaging and expressive.  His smile is irresistible and his coos just make me melt.  Daddy was the lucky recipient of Z’s first truly responsive smiles.  A is able to get him to smile most often.  And I probably get to hear the most jabbering since his favorite time of day is morning.

He’s a good sleeper.  At night he wants to be swaddled and put to bed, usually by 8:30 which gives me time to put the girls to bed.  He sleeps 5-6 hours before he wants to eat and immediately falls asleep again.  He typically sleeps another 2 hours, nurses again and sleeps 1-2 more hours, especially if I cuddle him.  During the day he’s much less predictable and usually sleeps less than an hour at a time.  But he’s so easy going and generally happy.

He loves to be held upright against my shoulder to walk around.  He loves the fan and completely fixates on it.  He’s finally doing better with the binky.  He’d much rather suck on his fists but we’ve consistently tried to get him to take the binky instead with mixed success.  

His sisters are so crazy about him.  L and A can confidently pick him up and carry him around.  (It terrifies me since they still don’t support his head well but then again, I am super paranoid.)  Each of the girls have even begged for a turn changing his diaper.  They constantly smother him with cuddles, kisses and nonstop noise.  

I love to nibble on his silky, chubby cheeks.  I love to hold him up against me and give him squish hugs.  I love the way he wakes me and how he first stretches, arching his back, and then snuggles into me like a little tree frog.  I love jabbering with him and being rewarded with his gorgeous smiles.  I love staring into his huge, thoughtful blue eyes.  I love how he lays back and kicks excitedly, pumping his legs as fast as he can.  I love how his little baby feet are so soft and undefined with the littlest toe curling under.  I love how he grips onto my fingers as if he will never let go.  I love how he fits so perfectly into our little family, an essential perfect piece we can't imagine being without.