Disclaimer = If you came here for something other than a boat load of photos of my baby, you have made a terrible mistake, turn around.

As for the rest of you, onward.

Guys. How great are 3 month olds?!? I’ve always loved babies and kids, and newborns are pretty amazing, but for me there’s something special about this stage we’ve entered. Leo is still very much ‘all baby’ but he’s past the newborn stage and is just so much fun. He’s relentlessly smiley, full of expression, rolling over and super interactive. I’m sure I’ll say this about every age, but this has been my favorite stage so far. He’s a little person but still a baby. It’s so great. Just the other morning I was playing with him and he laughed for the first time and I NEARLY DIED. He looks at us with recognition and visible adoration and my whole heart lives in my throat most days. I can’t get enough of this little munchkin.

We had a lot going on this last month including two plane trips, one back home to Minnesota and one to Arizona for a mini vacation (post on that coming soon). We’re still in the thick of a major basement remodel, Jon’s company is moving into a brand new beautiful building, it’s tax season, we’ve got about 20 upcoming trips and obligations and just this last weekend threw a dinner party for 10 people. There have been a lot of moving parts made more chaotic by the presence of a baby. It’s a super busy time in our lives when all we want to do is stop time and sit at home with our sweet Leo. I think it’s hardest on Jon because he’s got so many great things going on work wise but feels really torn wanting to be at home too. There have been a lot of adjustments for both of us and we’re figuring it all out one day at a time.

Leo turned three months this week and it felt like a bigger deal than I expected it to. All day I kept acting like it was his birthday or something and actually kept referring to him as ‘the birthday boy’.  By sheer coincidence he had a few things being delivered that day that I then started calling his ‘birthday gifts’. I think I need to find more time to spend with grown ups.  : )

We spent the morning in his room snapping some photos and THEY ARE SO CUTE! In my humble opinion.

The above photo is a very accurate representation of what he’s like all day. He lights up like a lightbulb when I smile at him (which shatters me) and it’s difficult to smile at him with a giant camera in front of my face. For his four month photos I’m going to have Jon help me so we can capture more shots with those deadly dimples.

Month One, Two & Three.

I can quite literally feel my heart swell when I look at these photos. It’s like when you have a crush on someone, that giddy feeling…butterflies.

Oh my god. I have a crush on my son.  I’m the creepy boy mom that’s going to ruin him because I can’t get a grip and will probably sabotage all his future relationships with women.

Oh well.  ; )

If you follow me on Instagram you’ve already heard about the beautiful quilt being featured in these photos. If you don’t follow me (you should – @alihendrickson) we recently received this beautiful heirloom in the mail from my mom. She made it with her own two creative hands using fabrics we picked out at Fancy Tiger Crafts on South Broadway in Denver and I LOVE IT. The back has the softest most snuggly fabric and we cuddle with it all the time.

I’m sorry but babies simply DO NOT get yummier than that.  The overalls are TOO much.

And that concludes our photoshoot.

Almost.

This is one of those ‘birthday gifts’ I had mentioned above. A blogger I follow posted this Jolly Jumper and her son loved it so I thought we’d give it a try. It’s from Canada eh? He seems to like it and I find it endlessly entertaining and hilarious so we’re keeping it. Once he gets a little bigger I think he’ll freak out over it. Until then, I will exploit him for my own enjoyment.

*edited to add that we’re on day three with the jumper and Leo is nuts over it. Like I have said, standing is his absolute favorite.

Oh, you thought we were done with photos?  Silly you.  This is where the iPhone shots begin…

Hardest part of month three was a accepting a realization I came to. I wasn’t foolish enough to enter into parenthood with unrealistic expectations on how life would change, I knew that it would.  However, we had SUCH a good baby right out the gate that I might have gotten a little too comfortable with a few things. The main adjustment we’ve had to make is how much I’m able to be ‘on the go’. The first 2.5 months I was able to run all over town and he would sleep really well in his carseat for hours at a time. Also, since our amazing carseat reclines, I was able to put him in the carseat in the stroller and not worry about his neck or posture while he slept. Running our errands, grocery shopping, and being semi-in the world was pretty easy. Well, his naps started suffering and that came to a screeching halt. I read that you should respect their need to sleep and provide a comfortable place for them to do so. That has been true for us, especially for his first two naps of the day. He is a much happier baby when we are at home and he can nap comfortably and uninterrupted in his room. Unfortunately for me, by the time these naps are over it’s usually around 1:30/2:00. If we get a walk in we’re approaching his afternoon nap and then his crabby hour right before a 7:00 bedtime. So, long story short, I feel pretty tethered to home and feel like I have to sacrifice a walk around the park, which we really enjoy, in order to get any errands run. It’s been a tough adjustment, more for me than him.

Easiest part of month three was traveling. I had built up a lot of anxiety around air travel with a baby, but it could not have gone more smoothly.  Jon and I kept looking at each other like ‘is this for real’? I have a feeling we may not be so lucky in the coming months with trips to D.C. and Minneapolis, but MAN was it awesome while it lasted.

Worst thing that happened month three is of two parts.  The first was a hitch in the giddy-up during our trip to Minnesota. The purpose of the entire trip was to introduce Leo to people, specifically the rest of my family as the only to have met him was my mom. One by one they all dropped like flies due to a sickness spread by my two year old nephew. Everyone decided it was best to avoid the baby and nobody came to meet him. It was unavoidable, but pretty tough to take (devastating for me) for everyone.

The other worst part of month three was his immunization appointment. It was absolutely gut wrenching to see this happy, clueless baby go from lovingly gazing at us to screaming and confused. I just sat there and held him and wept uncontrollably for about 15 minutes. Thank goodness for breastfeeding because it immediately did the trick. I, however, took about 48 hours to recover.

Best thing that happened month three was his transition into being super interactive. It’s so fulfilling to get those smiles, facial expressions and laughs out of him and to feel like he’s really responding to and understanding you.

Most Unexpected thing that happened month three was (excuse my french) getting shit on in a restaurant by my child. We were in Arizona, finally sitting down to brunch after an approximate 90 minute wait, and he stood up on my lap and just ‘let it all out’. Right down his leg and onto my shirt and lap. Besides the pooping of the pants being unexpected, what also surprised me was my reaction. Cool, calm, collected with the willingness to just take care of business. I guess when it’s your own baby it’s not such a big deal.

Most loved baby items from month three are The Wonder Weeks app, Noggin Stick and Baby Bjorn Bouncer. The Wonder Weeks is an app that helps you track the ‘leaps’ that your baby/child is making. It goes really in depth telling you what is happening to them physically and mentally as they develop and gives you a strangely accurate timeline of when to expect said leaps. It has been nearly dead on with Leo and has helped me understand and empathize with him during those crabby times. The Noggin Stick is currently Leo’s favorite toy and it’s really great for developmental growth. I’ve heard the same from many other parents so go ahead and get yourself one! Finally the Baby Bjorn Bouncer. This is my favorite because he likes to chill in it, it isn’t hideous, and it was super easy to travel with as it lays completely flat. We brought it to Arizona and it was helpful to have in the hotel room.

Funniest thing to happen was this: 

Milestones were many.  The biggest one would have to be that one day he just decided to roll over, from his back to stomach, which according to the internet he’s about 2-3 months ahead of schedule on. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again…genius.  ; )

Favorite Memory from month three would probably have to be our trip to Arizona. It was a big moment to realize we were on our first vacation as a family and that there would be many more to come. I’d elaborate but I’m going to write a separate post on that trip.

Favorite Outfit and Favorite photo are the same:

Funniest Photo: what even is that face?!