I may have said this before- but I've enjoyed this newborn stage with Caleb more than I had even hoped I could with a third baby. He's a dream and my heart loves him so much it could burst.
Stats:
Size 2 diapers. 3-6 month clothes (no way he could fit into 3 month clothes, has a couple of 6-9 month clothes that look pretty darn good on him). No teeth, very little hair (although it's started filling in toward the front where before it was only really in the back).
-Still loves his pacifier. I think this is the #1 best thing that ever happened to his sleep habits. One night I couldn't find it and I tried just rocking him to sleep without it and he woke up every time (giving me flashbacks to when Lydia was this age), I finally just turned on the light and found it and he was asleep within minutes. The pacifier, my friends, it's a thing of beauty (and sleepfulness).
-Mostly sleeps in the pack and play by my bed, but I've started putting him down for naps in the crib. (or sometimes he sleeps downstairs down in the rock and play which has been awesome). I've loved having him in my bedroom at night, it's been a great thing for me, but I'm also glad that he's good at sleeping other places, too.
-Like I said, he's happy to be along for the ride. However, he wants to be in his bed when it's bedtime. He doesn't like to be out past 8 o'clock and after several days of keeping him out past 9:30 he started sleeping poorly at night and we made a deal - I can take him around wherever I go during the day, but I get him home and in his bed at night and he sleeps great for me.
A good example of being along for the ride:
Grocery shopping has gotten interesting with three kids, but he's always a champ. Thank goodness for Walmart grocery pickup.
-He's started batting at things and occasionally will catch something with his fingers, but he isn't sure what to do with it.
-He has these beautiful grey blue eyes. I'm not sure if his eyes will stay blue, but right now they are this prettiest color of light stormy blue.
-He's started pulling his legs up to his tummy when he's laying on his back. He looks like a little potato bug because he pulls his legs so far up that he rolls almost into a ball.
-His siblings love on him all the day long, usually with their faces within inches of his. Austin especially spends a lot of time loving him, but first thing each morning I bring them all into my bed and they spend the time fighting about which one he should look like (one on each side of them).
-He stares at his siblings with big wide eyes and you can tell he makes the effort to flip back and forth from watching each one.
-Sleep schedule: Goes to sleep at 8:30, wakes up to nurse at 4:30 (I sit on my little brown stool and then put him back into his bed when he's done), at 6:30 I pull him into my bed and nurse him while I keep sleeping. Once he falls asleep at night, he doesn't usually wake up until that 4:30 time (no running upstairs to put in his pacifier or anything). No set nap schedule, although he usually goes back down pretty quickly in the morning 8:30-9 at the latest then takes a handful of naps throughout the day.
-Haven't even replaced the batteries in the swing because he's so content to just sit in it even if it's not moving. I'll put him in and push it to start swinging it. It will slow down and stop, and most of the time he's fine, but if he starts making noises I'll walk over and give it another push and he calms right down.
-Has to be swaddled tight (with a double-blanket swaddle), and at bedtime I always swaddle him with one blanket then put him in the Woombie at night time, but can get away with two blankets for a nap.
-If you pay any attention to him at all, and he realizes that you're talking straight to him, he lights up with the biggest grin. Sometimes I worry about how happy it makes him, because I think "Am I not paying enough attention to you, so that anytime anyone does pay attention to you you're just over-the-moon happy about it?" But I think he's just a social, happy little fellow.
--He loves his daddy. When he hears David's voice he turns his head as far as his little neck can go until he can lock on to his face. It makes me so happy to watch the two of them together.
--One day, Caleb woke up and just really had a hard time eating. As in, he just wouldn't eat. Every time I'd try to feed him he'd cry and cry until I put in his pacifier and bounced him to sleep thinking that when he woke up and wasn't so tired he'd eat better. After about 7.5 hours of him not eating anything, I laid him down in my lap and pulled out my breast pump and pumped about 3.5 oz of milk (which is a lot of milk for me to be able to pump at a time), I started feeding Caleb with the bottle and he took it immediately. I was so relieved. I let Lydia hold Caleb and feed him the bottle and she loved it. She is so big and she did such a good job. I was worried that he'd have a hard time nursing after that, but once he got some food in his tummy he was much happier and was able to nurse just fine. I've been really careful to not let him get too hungry because I think he has a harder time eating if he's so hungry.
-We both love tummy time (What!? I know, right?) He's such a sweet baby and I'll lay him down on his tummy with his pacifier in his mouth and more often than not he'll fall asleep and sleep there on the blanket for an hour or so. We got a little tummy time book with black and white pictures and he likes it and I like it, too.
-My grandparents, Grandma & Grandpa Knowles, came from Boise, Idaho for my cousins wedding and they spent some time visiting with us. It was so special to be able to hang out with them in our home and have them meet Caleb. They love him so much.
-Austin loves Caleb. Loves him so much. I have a hundred pictures just like this of Austin hugging/kissing/loving/talking/laughing with Caleb. It makes my mama heart happy. Also, our next door neighbors have a 6 month old baby and it's fun to think of them growing up as little buddies. (Leo Wardell)
(Austin reading a book to Caleb all on his own accord, then laying next to him on the couch. It's his favorite place to be.)
-Last month I realized I had almost no sleeping pictures of him. This month I might have overcompensated and only taken pictures of him sleeping, but he's so darling when he's asleep and so... Sleeping pictures (my favorite kind):
-He's really great in the Solly Baby wrap. He's kind of big, but he's so snuggly I just love it. Nothing better than holding a baby sleeping right against your chest.
-The adjustment to three has been good. Something has made the difference, and I maintain that a lot of it is how warm and sunny it is outside. I'm feeling those giant feelings where I think to myself "I was made to be a mom!" It's such a nice feeling to know that even though I'm not perfect, I am happy and content in my beautiful role as a mother.
--Lydia had swimming lessons and so we spent two weeks hanging out by the pool at the legacy center. I don't think he cried even one time.
-We went to the parade of homes a whole bunch of times and it was so fun. Just David, Caleb, and I. By this time, we'd left both Lydia and Austin with a babysitter - but we haven't left Caleb yet. He's just such a good little third wheel.
--Some more pictures from this month that are just too cute not to include:
My sweet Caleb-love. I adore you. Someone asked me the other day how I was handling three kids and honestly, I can't imagine life without this little boy. It's been a smaller adjustment than I imagined it would be because he just so clearly belongs here. He's so wonderful and I'm so so so glad to have him in our home and our family.
Happy 3 months little baby.
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