Our Little Baby Blog

Abraham - 3 months


There comes a time in a little one's life when their squishy tight faces begin to take more of a round plump shape. Their cries are less high pitched and their vocal tone starts to mellow a bit. Faces start to reveal hints of how this baby may look as a toddler or even a child. And a child's individual personality begins to emerge. Our little Abraham is reaching that stage now and we are happily watching him develop into more of a person than simply a biological machine who begs for food and diaper changes.

I'd have to say that Abe has a quiet brooding sense about him. He doesn't cry a lot, but when he does, he will bellow with a force that few people have ever heard emerge from a baby. Abe is LOUD. I've already had to tell people to just brace themselves if he starts to cry because his volume level doesn't relate at all to the discomfort he's experiencing. If it did, you'd think the kid was being tortured. Abe can be quite content to sit in his bouncy chair for 20 minutes or more at a time with zero complaint, just sucking intensely on his fingers, and then all of sudden - out of nowhere - belt out a cry that shakes the earth. Oh yes, Abe is in the house and his needs MUST be met.

Though he is mostly a quiet baby, he loves it when you stare deep into his eyes and talk to him slowly. That act alone will elicit smiles, squeaks and squawks from his little tiny mouth and make your heart slowly melt down, down, down, until you're smiling and squealing right back in unison. His eyes are vast and once you lock in on them it's like you're being pulled into a calm peaceful world. I know it will sound odd, but I can swear that my soul is touching his soul in those moments when we stop and just stare into each others eyes. I see all the tension he carries in his little baby shoulders begin to dissipate when someone stops to communicate with him. Abe doesn't laugh much, in fact, I think I've only heard it once, so we're desperate to hear him get the giggles. I just suspect it will be a great laugh - the kind that makes you join him everytime he starts laugh no matter how ridiculous it is.

Because Abe was diagnosed with torticolis early on, (that's neck condition that makes your head turn in one direction - completely correctable, but calls for therapy) he's been seeing a physical therapist since birth. We're required to do tummy time about 3-6 times a day and, as a result, Abe has an extremely strong neck. When we hold him, Abe sits up and looks around like a child much older than he actually is. Combine that with his size and he gives off the appearance of a six month old. At a garage sale this weekend we ran into a family with a six month old daughter who was half Abe's size. Granted that girl was exceptionally small, but still it made me laugh a little. My big strong beautiful boy.

I'd have to say initial signs point to Abe being a lover. He adores being held and cuddled. In fact, the times when he does get upset are always when we have to put him down to deal with Anna or fix dinner, etc. He gets so worked up and red-faced and then it immediately shuts down once you scoop him up in your arms. Ahhh, thank you, he says, the loneliness was too much to bear.

Abe's best friends are his hands. Getting him to pull them out of his mouth for even a moment is nearly impossible. Abe won't even keep a pacifer in his mouth anymore because his need to suck on his hands is so great that he just knocks the binky right out. I even catch him trying to stick fingers into his mouth while I'm nursing him. The little guy doesn't know that mama can't do her job properly when we've got visitors in there with us.

I feel like I have to steal moments with him because Anna is so happy to take up all the space and time we will allow her. Alas, this must be the challenge of being the second child, absorbing so much of a parent's love and, yet, having so little individual time to simply be the center of attention.

Don't worry, Abe, we've got room for two in the center of our world.