Elliott turned 3 months on the 15th, so technically he's a few days beyond, but my baby boy already feels like he's growing too fast for me to keep up! In the last couple of days alone, he has gotten too long for his co-sleeper and lays in it, kicking the end til he falls asleep - which is adorable in its own right, but a sure sign its time for the crib. le sigh. He is also too chubby for his 3 month old clothes and needs to move to the next size up, and has hit all kinds of milestones this last month:
he's grasping things on his own,
he's sitting up in his bumbo chair,
he sleeps 8-10 hours a night typically (hallelujah!),
he holds himself up steadily while on his tummy,
and even yesterday starting trying to get into a crawling position! WHAT?! how?!?
biggest belly ever? Probably.
I both love and loathe that my baby is getting bigger. I love that he is so smiley, and giggles and interacts with Martin and I all the time. I don't know if there's a sweeter feeling than seeing your itty bitty baby light up when they look at you. But I also get that sad, weepy feeling when I look at him and realize my baby looks like a proper baby now; no more newborn, no more curled little fists and toes all the time. He's growing up right before my eyes and I'm still afraid of missing it.
I've always struggled with being present. I'm such a forward-thinker and a daydreamer that I can get so caught up in where I would like to be, I miss out on what God has for me right now often. I am learning the richness of being present with Elliott these days. From those first moments after his birth in the hopsital, to those extra early 3 AM wake up calls, to those catastrophic poop explosions that are just mind-boggling and Martin and I refer to as "poopocalypse". Those moments were crazy and blurry and emotionally draining, but I wanted to soak them all in as much as I would his precious little baby coos and fits of giggles when daddy tickles him with his beard.
He has the best facial expressions!
I'm also learning that this whole being present thing requires me to desperately rely on Jesus. And I mean desperately. The days where Elliott is cranky and fussy and won't let me put him down, even though I had plans to finally vacuum and write in his baby book (such lofty goals), I have to pray and ask God to give me grace to find joy in those tired & drained moments. Something is upsetting my little guy, Lord knows what, and the only thing that is comforting in that moment is being right next to mama and snuggling close. So I'll sacrifice my desire to have a clean house that looks like we don't even live here, and remind myself that it is a privilege and a great responsibility to represent Christ's love & grace towards my boy, even in these early days. And even in those days where I am feeling miserable and mopy and Elliott turns into a poop volcano and errupts all over me and the nursing pillow, and I call Martin in tears because there is poop EVERYWHERE and I just don't know how to process what just happened or what to do next. That happened this week. And that was poopocalypse number two, for those of you keeping count. Joys of motherhood, ya'll!
On to Elliott's 3 Month old tidbits!
Currently, Elliott enjoys:
- sitting in his bumbo chair
- playing on his playmat (still, by far, his favorite solo activity)
- being tickled by daddy's beard
- being naked (it's risky business letting this one happen!)
- being outside (when it's not 99 degrees out)
- squealing and discovering different sounds he can make
- his crinkly giraffe
- bath time
- hanging out in a baby carrier
- laughing at mommy when she makes weird noises & faces (sometimes I don't know if he's mocking me or thinks I'm hilarious . . . but I'll do anything to make that baby laugh!)
Elliott couldn't care less for:
- his car seat (still hates it, but it's getting slightly better, so there is hope!)
- getting dressed
- when bath time ends
- when he has gas
Clearly, his likes outweigh his dislikes, so we have a generally happy baby, which I'm thankful for! And finally, an adorable video of Elliott being the cutest baby in the world.
