Fourteen weeks.

You are one quarter of a year old, coming up on 100 days of growing wildly.

This past week brought changes. You cried more this week than the past month combined, often just before a (later...) bedtime of 9:00. You ate less frequently, but with intense focus when you were hungry enough. You move like crazy! I recognize the flips and kicks you were doing in the womb not too long ago. When we put you down on your play mat you turn onto your side and scoot your way around it, like the hands on a clock. Your face is increasingly expressive. Changing your diaper has become an aerobics exercise for all of us. I have to hold down your feet with one hand while fastening your diaper with the other, lest you kick yourself right off the changing table. You are becoming adept at the grab 'n' gum, where whatever lucky object you grab finds its way to your mouth, or at least close to your mouth. Sometimes you just hit yourself in the face over and over. 

You have started to discover your own volume, screeching like a bird or monkey, practicing your vowels and sticking out your tongue. You entertain yourself upon waking from a nap. I sometimes find you holding a toy that was not necessarily near you when you fell asleep. We brought your Grandpapa lunch on his birthday and hit the trifecta of baby fussiness all at once- too tired, too wet, too hungry. You screamed your head off, and finally fell asleep in his lap (the first of two times his lap proved to be an excellent napping spot for you!) We had a much needed rainy day afterwards spent doing tax returns and laundry. These slow days at home allow both of us to gently recuperate. 

We struggled a bit with bedtime this week, as you cried past 9:00 on two nights, only quieting down with the help of a Mom or Pop finger (a soother you haven't used for a long while). The rest of the week you were down by 8:00 with hardly a peep. Such is the tumultuous life of a three month old. We had a play date at the Nature Playground, essentially a mud pit for tiny children. You will love it when you are old enough to appreciate it. On one afternoon we brought you out to the yard with us while we dug up a bed for herbs. You loved the view from your hammock and chattered away, chewing on Sophie and watching us dig up dirt. You'll be gardening with us soon enough. 

You still love observing from the Ergo when we go to the grocery store, the flower market, the library. It is the most fun, taking you places. You stay awake, peering over the strap as you chew on it, wide eyed. Every new environment both delights and overwhelms. Anyone can tell that your brain is really working, taking it all in and storing it for later. I often wonder how these outings supplement your dreams? Standing up is your favorite activity that keeps you amused. Your face lights up at your new found strength and you grin a drooly grin. You hold onto our hands and weeble wobble back and forth. We don't let you fall... usually. When you sit in our laps you clench and unclench your toes, grabbing at our clothing or a finger. You kick us in bed when you need a change. Sometimes you sleep with one leg out of the covers, like your Pop. You tend to fall asleep in your car seat as I pull into the driveway. I stay in the car, with the engine off and the driver's seat reclined, listening to NPR until you wake up. It can be blissful. Every night when we carry you to bed one of us gets to pick you up... we trade off. That way we each get to enjoy "the nuzzle" when you bury your face into our chest or neck. 

We're looking forward to a lot more walks... reading out loud... a bath every once in awhile... trips to the library, the post office, the grocery... all of the things that make up life. We will try swimming in the community pool some afternoons and feeding you homegrown carrots and beets. We can't wait to get a kiddie pool for the backyard so that you and baby Vincent can splash on the hot days. We have plans for naked baby painting time on huge rolls of kraft paper and hikes to waterfalls. There will be long car trips soon and you will be leaving the state to watch your uncle graduate from college! Even the simplest activities take on new meaning when a baby is seeing it all for the first time. We are endlessly grateful that we are the ones who get to show you the way!