One quarter.

 

Dear Jack,

 

Three months old already? Holy cow, buddy! What a fun month it has been! You keep getting bigger and stronger. You're still in size 6 month clothes, but fit just fine in some of your brother's hand-me-down 9 month sleepers. You've hit so many milestones this month that it's been hard to keep track! You rolled over for the first time this week, from belly to back. It wasn't just a fluke - you did it multiple times over a few days. Mommy shrieked when she saw you do it the first time; so very proud of our big, big boy! We also heard the first genuine laughs from you this month. You're a very ticklish little guy, and the laughs are just the cutest! And you're sleeping through the night more than half of the time, which is just pure heaven. Here's what has been peaking your interests this month:

 

Favorites

Your Hands - How convenient for all of us that your favorite playthings are your hands! Any chance you get, you put those hands in your mouth.

Daddy - You & Daddy are finally good buddies! You love to have little chats and you give him gigantic gummy smiles. Daddy is usually the bottle-giver when you need to have one, and you always take it from him without a fight. He is also having more and more success getting you to sleep lately, which gives Mommy more flexibility at night. It won't be long before you two are playing basketball and wrestling on the floor.

Hanging Toys - Since you don't quite have the hand strength to hold toys yet, toys that hang from various contraptions that you can try to grab are your jam. You enjoy laying on your play mat, kicking your feet and reaching up for the butterfly that hangs down and plays music. We have a bouncy seat that sits in the middle of the kitchen floor that is our go-to for you when we need to cook dinner or make breakfast for your siblings. You usually tolerate it for a good 10-15 mins before needing a change in scenery. You love to swat at the bugs that dangle down and try to pull them to your mouth. We also have toys that dangle from your car seat to help entertain you in the car. You love them all, especially the ones that hang low enough for you to pull them to your mouth!

Being Tickled - You are just now getting ticklish and absolutely love it. While your feet are slightly ticklish, the biggest laughs we get are when we tickle you up by your neck.

Standing - You have been a very strong boy from Day 1, so it's no surprise to us that you love to hold our hands and practice standing already.

 

Not-so-favorites

Getting Dressed - You are not a fan of getting dressed! Mommy thinks maybe you're scared when the shirt goes over your head. Or maybe we go too slow and you just don't like being put down for that long. Whatever is the case, you start fussing the minute we lay you down to change you.

Being Startled - You start crying if something startles you. And living with a very loud and rambunctious brother, you are startled often. Because you're not really old enough to understand that an approaching noise means someone is coming closer, Joe often scares you when he suddenly pops around a corner or stands over top of you while you're playing on the floor. We're trying very hard to teach him how to approach you more slowly.

Belly Pain - Your digestive system has gone on strike; you only poop once every 5-7 days these days. And none of us are super happy about this - it breaks our hearts to watch you struggle through the gas pains.

 

All in all, you're such a happy guy! Your coos absolutely melt our hearts and your smile is infectious. It's impossible to be grumpy around our joyful boy! Now that you are developing a little personality, we are just so excited to see how you will fit into our family. Will you be our calm, level-headed child (we don't have one of those yet...) or will you follow suit and be as passionate and stubborn as your siblings? One thing is for sure: you'll be loved harder than you could ever imagine!

 

We love you, sweet boy!

 

Love,

Mommy & Daddy