NCS - you cried

Nicholas,
You cried for the first time today when I left the house.  I guess you're getting to know your mama.  I love that so much!!!

And you slept for 12 hours last night.  Daddy gave you a jar of pears and you conked out at 730!  Didn't even wake up for your rice bottle.  Must have been all the excitement of Hurricane Irene and lack of power in the house.  Whatever it was, you woke up on your belly smiling and happy when Sam and I went to get you!

Xxoo
Mom

Nicholas - three months old

Nicholas,

You are now three months old.  I don't think I've ever met a happier baby.  Really.  You just light up whenever anyone smiles at you, you love to smile, and you're "talking" already.  We coo back and forth and it really feels like we're having a conversation.  You are so expressive.

You've hit some terrific milestones.  

1. I've stopped nursing you.  You LOVE the bottle - I guess it's more satisfying.  Nursing has been a challenge for me (it was the same way with Sam, too), but even so, I miss it.  It's a special bond that only Mother-Baby share. 
2. We gave you your first tiny taste of bananas the other day.  You loved them - hardly spit out a spoonful.   Over the next month, we'll give you some little tastes and by 4 or 5 months, you'll be eating like a champ.
3. You are playing with toys.
4. You are rolling from your belly to your back and occassionally from your back to your belly.
5. You are standing up (holding our fingers) and holding your head up.
6. You slept thru the night twice so far.  Dad and I have our fingers crossed that it becomes a pattern :)

 Before you hit #6 milestone, I would sit up at night nursing and think about you and Sam and what kind of boys/men I hope you become.  I want to teach you both how to be polite, engaging, creative, and inquisitive.  I want to teach you how to treat women.  I want to teach you how change a tire, light a fire, pitch a tent, marvel at the world around you, laugh, and hug.   I also want to teach you how to question the "norm" and challenge the status quo.  I want you to become leaders... in anything.  Lead yourself, lead your peers, lead your community, lead the country, lead the world.  What you choose is up to you, but make sure that whatever it is, you love it and you do it well.  You can be ANYTHING you dream of and I hope you both take that opportunity and make the most of it.

I can't wait to watch you turn into the incredible people I know you will become.

Hand-Foot-Mouth Disease

Boys,

We all got hand-foot-mouth disease.  It's a pretty common child virus that results in high fevers, malaise, sores in hands, feet, mouth (go figure!) and was completely miserable for the three of us (Daddy avoided it!).   You all were troopers.   Sam, you got it first - probably from camp - and woke up from the afternoon nap with ouchy swollen cheeks!  Nicholas, you were hit a couple of days later with a 103 fever and hardly able to take a bottle because your mouth or throat hurt so badly.  Coincidentally, I was weaning you, so you were barely nursing at that point either.  Poor dear.  It was the first time I saw you really cranky.  At three months old, you have barely cried.  You are just the happiest baby ever.  You smile, coo, and play all day. 

During the illness, I revisited the dosage for Tylenol for you, Nicholas... it turns out that on those LA-Baltimore flights (to LA, home for Stuart's birth, back to LA, and home again), I was not only giving you Ibuprofen (which is not recommended for kids under 6 months), but I was dosing you like a 25lb kid (you weighed about 13lbs)!  OOOOOPS!  I told your pediatrician about my mistake and she was not worried, but said prolonged ibuprofen use can cause damage.  Wow, I must have grabbed the wrong bottle.  Neither Dad nor I realized it.   Anyway, i guess that explains you sleeping through all four flights.  Sorry sweetheart, but thanks for sleeping  ;)

I love you guys SO much.
Mom