Nathaniel at 3 1/2 months

So, our little man has changed quite a bit since his earlier days… At this point, he started to laugh, and laugh out loud a lot! He likes to be tickled around his neck, it’s so cute. He can also blow raspberries, oh, and the drooling! He has begun teething already, and when he’s on a finger chewing spree, your shoulder will be soaked within minutes! He is a chewer, not a sucker- Alice loved (more than life itself, I think) her dooters- Nathaniel shows no interest unless he can chew on it. Most teething toys are too big for his little mouth, so they just frustrate him. But these toys are certainly helping him with his hand coordination and grasping skills- he wants to chew on something every waking moment- so he has no choice to get good at grabbing things. He is also a kicker- he loves to kick! He kicks when he gets excited- Alice is his most favorite person (even more than Mommy, I think!)- he’ll kick and laugh, smile and giggle for her- he watches her every move! He also kicks lots when in the bonus room and we turn the celing fan on- the big mobile in the sky! (He loves his mobile in his crib- lots of kicking for that always) We not only don’t swaddle him anymore, but also can’t put him in footed sleepers, zippered or snaps- he will kick his way out of the snapped ones, and with the zippered ones, he ends up with his legs out of the leg holes. He also can roll onto his side (usually when he’s mad), and can move around his crib or the floor through his kicking. He still wakes 1-2 times/night for feedings and usually wakes for the day between 5:30am-6:30am. Still his father’s son… This means that Mommy and Daddy have 16 hour days- Alice’s schedule is off 2 hours- her day is usually 8am-8pm; Nathaniel is 6am-6pm. We’re in bed an hour or so after Alice, so we don’t get much child-free time. Not that we mind, of course. But it will be nice once baby starts sleeping through the night! I just got over a nasty cold that lasted 12 days, 2 days after which I got the flu. I was still quite sick last week cooking for my clients on Wednesday, and had a hors d’oeuvre party for 9 on Thursday, plus delivery for 3 clients’ meals that day… Don caught my cold when I got the flu- it wasn’t fun. Alice and Nathaniel both remained healthy. Not that being sleep deprived would have anything to do with us getting so sick… Although Nathaniel just got over a case of eczema on his head; it started out as dry skin, which he’s had on his scalp since he was born; the dry skin changed to almost craddle cap- which Alice had as an infant; so I brushed his little head to get it off (daddy hates when I pick; mommy’s always picking!) But the brushing wasn’t quite enough, so I’d brush then put oil on his head. And it would still get dry; the dryness changed to a raised red patch of skin on his forhead, which must have been incredibly itchy, and Nathaniel would scratch incesantly, leaving little scabs. Finally I called Dr.Pow and we got a RX for some cream which cleared it up in 2 days. Good, because that patch on his forehead spread to other areas on his head and face…. so dry! Now he’s all good. and mommy feels much better. We have Post Natal Helpers come when I work now; I work Monday’s and Thursday’s and we have Megan or Sydney as our helpers, both whom we like very much. It’s nice because they come when I need them, and when they get here I leave to do my thing, and I don’t worry! I love not having to put Nathaniel in a day home while he’s still so young, and I’m glad that we can keep Alice home as well. She’s still in preschool, and will continue through the summer and then in the fall- this is her only structured activity, aside from soccer. (She started soccer 2 weeks ago, every Saturday morning).