Three Months

Colin’s three month birthday is also, coincidentally, the start of a new calendar year and the start of this fourth month is not unlike getting an entirely new kid to play with. While I am sad to turn in the helpless little newborn, we get this slightly less helpless and infinitely more fun baby to play with! In the last month, Colin has developed several very important skills, like sleeping through the night and “superior” (says the pediatrician!) head control. But the most important addition he has made to his repertoire of skills is his ability to “goo”.

This new found and much beloved talent has gotten him out of many a troublesome situation. I once came in to get him from a nap to find that he had filled his diaper so much that it had seeped out through the leg openings, bled through his very cute outfit, and soiled his bed linens. Just when I was about to cry from the disgusting scene, not to mention the smell, he says, “Goo!” and laughs out loud. Suddenly, the situation was hilarious and he was, again, the cutest little boy ever to live. Ever. Regardless of the diaper and the bed linens.

The “Goo” really has gotten him far. I believe he will inherit much more from his Nana than she originally planned due to their extensive conversations, mostly involving “goo”. He has, with his “goo”, wrapped his father around his little finger, which is really an accomplishment. Patrick will be frustrated and distracted coming home from work, hardly stopping to even say hello before bursting into a tirade about the latest drama, but when Colin interrupts him with “Goo!”, Patrick pauses, visibly melts, and snatches Colin from my arms to find out what else he has to say.



Every day Colin is more social, more interactive, more adorable. Just today, in fact, he giggled in such a way that I was reminded of a laughing baby soundtrack. You know the type; it is impossible not to smile and giggle back a little when you hear it. Much of this giggling is a response to something in the world, which is also rather new this month. He sees and notices so much more than ever before. From faces to pets to colors to lights to fans to mobiles, he watches things and is amused by them. This makes my job as mother and caretaker immensely easier. Finally I can put him in his bouncy chair, the one that lights up and sings, and he is happier there than in my arms. I am looking forward to showering again.

This month also brought Colin’s first vaccinations. I felt that I handled myself very well and didn’t even cry. In fact, I laughed a little at his reaction. It was so cute, so innocent the way his face scrunched up like that and his lower lip stuck out. Then he cried so loud I couldn’t even hear the nurse tell me that it was okay to pick him up, so I just descended upon him and nearly smothered him with kisses until he calmed down. After which he looked me directly in the eye, stuck his lip out again, and recounted the whole traumatic experience, just in case I had missed anything.

He wore his “Tough Guy” outfit for his first confrontation with shots. I think it really helped his self-esteem.



And let us not forget Christmas! A once-in-a-lifetime, document every moment experience! So, of course, Patrick and I forgot the camera on our travels, naturally. There were plenty of other cameras around to catch the excitement. And, oh, was there excitement. The gifts! The family! The fun! Colin, of course, had no idea what was going on, only that we were traveling yet again and he wasn’t getting his way much of the time. He promptly and appropriately punished us by regressing in his sleeping habits. This combined with the exciting and exhausting adventure that is holidays with family contributed greatly to the stomach bug that wiped Patrick and me out. While Colin has not yet contracted the illness, I wouldn’t put it past this new and unknown New Year to come out fighting.



(By the way, thanks for the college fund start, Santa!)

This month brought renewed hope for our future as a family, as Patrick had more interviews for his new career path and I decided to sit out the rest of the year so that we could stay together as a family if moving became necessary. When this new path was still a concept, it didn’t seem that bad if we had to split up for a short time, a few months. We have family and tons of friends who would help and, though it would be difficult, there was really no sense in fretting about it. Colin wouldn’t even remember it, after all. But now that he is here, with us and “goo”-ing, the thought of separating any part of my little family is like thinking of taking one dog to the park instead of both or leaving my left arm at home while I go to Italy on vacation. It simply cannot be conceived. I am so grateful that life is serendipitous sometimes and things work out the way they should. I hope that Colin, in his innocence, can sense how much he is treasured and adored, that we will do anything for him, and that 2009 is going to be a great, great year.

After all, he will get ice cream this year!