Midline

 Oh my!

We have a twelve week old.
A growing, learning, active, hungry, smiling, red-headed twelve week old.

His cheeks are kissable and his thighs are squeezable.

Recently I've been rooting through pictures from his birth until now and I cannot believe how much he's changed. It's amazing how much growth & learning has occurred since his birth.

I never wrote about his 2 month appointment, and that will have to come another time, but he did weigh 15 lbs. 5 oz. That's almost twice his birthweight and he may have reached double at this point. He's the only weight-lifting regimen I've ever followed consistently and he certainly ups the ante for me every day!

He certainly hit the 12 week growth spurt this week, since he ate a lot!!!

Those eyes, when they look me directly in the eye, melt me. And fortunately they do that a lot these days.

He's started reaching for and knocking the soft blocks (Thank you, Nicky!). His arms are still not very controlled in their movements, but they are consistently knocking down the towers of blocks that I build within seconds after they're built.

 

Two cool dudes.

Though there's no picture to document it (yet!), Ian enjoys playing airplane. I place him on my legs or hold him over my head and he enjoys seeing my face from above, for once. It often elicits a giggle from him

My cousin, Julie, gave me a yoga video to do with your baby and that is so much fun. The video includes baby stretches and massage, an abdominal workout, and some yoga practices. All of these are done either with the baby on your chest or in your arms, or with them lying on the floor watching your hand, foot, or face as it comes into view during the activities. Well designed!

I managed to get them to crack a smile :)

Ian's also focusing on everything around him and he's very aware when someone enters the room. He can spot me across the room now, which is fun and he'll smile at someone a distance away from him, if they lock eyes.

Recently, we've spent time with a baby that's 5.5 months old and the two of them look at each other and smile. They are fascinated with each other. Do they know that it's another baby? Do they have a special language? So many questions I'd like to ask him. If only he'd remember for one day...

I do not actually have a picture of this yet, but he has started to hold his own hands. He'll just be lying down or sitting propped somewhere and will be holding his hands. Sometimes his fingers are haphazardly intertwined and sometimes they are actually holding the whole opposite hand. This means he's found his midline! Go Ian!


 We have continued to go on walks every day, which keeps me sane and also provides stimulation or a moving nap for Ian. Here's one of us heading out for a walk at home in Blacksburg last weekend.

And here's one picture of the park where we've been walking in Bristol, Tennessee. Beautiful, huh? This is a pull to living in Bristol. One doctor told Jim that you can walk all day on different trails throughout this park and never retrace your steps. Again, you can barely see the napping Ian in the stroller.

He's always had a strong neck and done well lifting his head, but the duration of his tummy time has never been very long. He'd get tired and then fuss after only a short period. It was one of those things that I knew was important for him to continue doing and practicing, but I'd wince each time inside. I do the same thing with fingernail clipping- that's the only thing I absolutely despise about taking care of a baby! It's so hard and I felt HORRIBLE the time I nipped part of his skin. Anyway, within this last week he has seemed to, dare I say, ENJOY tummy time. He lasts much longer than before and calmly looks from side to side. I will say that I have wised-up since the early days and I only place him on his belly shortly after a nap, when he's the most content and rested.

Check out that tummy-timer! I love these shots with the drool hanging out of his mouth. He's a baby through and through. Who cares about a little drool?! Not me. Poop, spit-up, and drool from this guy don't phase me at all. None of it's actually smelly or unpleasant. And I'm sure that it's just because he's my baby and he's breastfed by me. Love these eyes and this red-headed baby boy!

Happy 12 weeks, sweet boy!

* Sidebar: Jim & I had a discussion about what makes the three month mark. I am going by the date (September 18, November 18, December 18...) and Jim's going by the week numbers (4 weeks, 8 weeks, 12 weeks...). I'm not sure which is correct, but I'll post his third month post after the 18th of December. Either way, I guess it's only a week off.