Letter to my Little Bear

Dear Bearsy,

Wowsers. You are three months old (well, this past Sunday...oops on my timing). It's like I blinked, and now we're at 3 months old. What?? 

I still feel like such a lucky duck to have ended up with you as my baby; you are still such a sweetheart of a baby. You've started sleeping through the night (well, from, like, 11:00 pm to 7:00 am...not 12 hours straight or anything. Not complaining, though!) and you still only cry for about four things: hunger, dirty diaper, need to burp, and tiredness. You just aren't a cranky child, and I can't get over it sometimes. 

You're starting to get a bit bigger- not exactly chubby but a little more filled out. Your legs are looooong. They go on for days. And you kick them them like crazy! It's your happy dance-type thing. It's a little dangerous to the rest of us, though. You're really starting to hold your head up now, too. I'm not going to sugar-coat it, though: you look like a bobble-head doll. I get a kick out of watching you get excited about it and being quite proud of yourself. When you're tired of holding your head up, you just kind of let it sink down until your chin touches your chest. That's our cue to cut you some slack, for goodness sake. 

I know that we're supposed to give you tummy time so that you can build up your muscles, but Bear, you do not do tummy time very well (although you are realllly strong). Up until recently, you fell asleep as soon as I put you down there. Now, you mostly just lay there, making noises.

Speaking of noises, you started cooing this month, and I LOVE it! You like to carry on conversations with Daddy. He coos right back at ya (the things grown-ups do to entertain babies...). I got a video of it a few weeks ago, and I know for a fact that I'm not the only one who has watched it multiple times (thanks to Dropbox, the whole family gets to see your cuteness). You also are really into smiling! Like, big, open-mouthed grins. It melts us a little bit.

You're not really into toys yet, but you do have a little lovey that you hold while you nap in your swing. We call her Lambsy (it kind of goes with Bearsy). That's the one you use the most, but we also have a monkey lovey in the car and a pink elephant in the back room, for when you hang out with Daddy while he studies. You're totally into licking them. I'm scared you're going to get a fur-ball. Ew. Licking and blowing bubbles are sort of your thing right now. Poppy says this is because babies your age are "orally fixated." I'm glad there's a medical explanation.

Your dad invented a game that we all play. We call it "Nose-ies." This is how we play: one of us touches our nose to yours and whoever pulls away first loses. I hate to tell you this, but you tend to lose more than you win. I'm sorry to say. Maybe you'll win more as you get older.

I wrote a song for you, and you love it (only because you don't really know the difference between what I sing and actual good music). It's called "Baby Bearsy," and it's to the tune of "Frere Jacques":

Baby Bearsy,
Baby Bearsy,
I love you!
I love you!

You're the sweetest Bearsy!
You're the sweetest Bearsy!
Yes, it's true.
Yes, it's true.

Sometimes I change the words up. It's all nice stuff about you, though.

We've discovered that Boston (and New England in general) loves babies. Bostonians are usually quite mind-my-own-business, but when they see you, they can't help but come over. Seriously, everywhere we go, people want to meet you. It happened yesterday in the grocery store. And a few days ago at Boloco. And at the frozen yogurt place (apparently, we're in food joints all the time...). They think you're adorable. When they ask and we tell them your name, they usually repeat it in a VERY Bostonian way: Clay-eh. We like it better our way, wherein the "r" is pronounced, but they're very kind to you, nonetheless. Oh! The other day, the train conductor gal was very smitten with you. That wasn't a food place.

You will still let basically anybody hold you, which we think is great (not strangers. Just friends). Our neighborhood group from church pass you around often. You're pretty comfortable with them, and they VERY much love you.

A few of my favorite things about you are that you seem to like Duck Dynasty (Uncle Si is your favorite, I think), bath time (oh so very much), and being in the way of the wild. That's the term your dad used once when you were wearing just a diaper. I said, "Bearsy, we need to put some clothes on you," and Daddy answered in "your" voice and said, "Mom. It's the way of the wild. It's my destiny." I couldn't stop laughing, and now, that's what we call it.

And lastly, one of my favorite things about you is that you curl your toes under. Just like me. :) Auntie Molly and Auntie Amanda used to laugh about that little habit of mine when we were in college, so I love that you do it, too. Maybe it's genetic? Like rolling your tongue? 

I love love LOVE you, Bearsy! Just like my little song says.

Bonus: A few of your 11-week shots. I'll try to get the other weeks up sometime.