I had to go back and double check this one, because how can it be five months already?  Shouldn’t I be writing a four month update?  Nope – already did that.  This little guy is getting so big, so fast, and I just want time to slow down a little bit.

What a month Nugget had!  We were on the go in a big way – first a trip to Albany for several days leading up to, and culminating in, my cousin’s wedding, and Nugget’s first experience with a babysitter.  (A very dear family friend watched both kids while Steve and I were at the wedding, and while I knew they were in wonderful, loving, capable hands, I was kind of afraid they’d eat her alive.  They didn’t – thank goodness.)  Then back to Buffalo for a few days, and on to DC and the Outer Banks for a beach vacation – Nugget’s first out of state travel!

He was a champ – eating and napping on the fly, enduring multiple rounds of sunscreen application, being passed around from family member to family member, bouncing on my lap through innumerable restaurant meals – and he kept up his happy, cheerful personality the whole time.  I was so proud of him for being such a good traveler!

Actually, on the topic of sunscreen – it turns out Nugget really enjoys having it put on.  Especially on his face.  He loves the feeling of having his cheeks rubbed and squished.  My kid is so weird.

Lap naps are fun anywhere, but they’re especially relaxing on a beach chair.  And the ocean – the actual ocean! – is the best white noise maker out there.

Nugget at 5 Months:

Weight: 13 lbs, 14.5 oz (although he feels heavier, so I’m wondering if I messed up somehow)

Height: 25 inches cooperative

Clothing Size: Still in six months, although his little onesies are starting to look suspiciously short again.  What gives, Nugget?  Didn’t I just buy these?

Sleep: Nothing new to report.  Still no schedule; still no crib naps.  I’m not so worried about the lap napping – daycare will browbeat that out of him in short order, so might as well give him all the snuggles now.  But we desperately need some sort of a bedtime routine.  Nugget has no interest in going into his crib before 11:00 p.m.  He’s generally not fussy (at least, not for me) but he wants to hang out and will have no part of an earlier bedtime.  It’s been tough on all concerned.  I’ve been picking up a lot of extra slack at bedtime as Steve has been traveling or busy at work, and Peanut is dealing with a major sleep regression of her own.  It has me so drained that I’ve been physically ill a few days, and I’ve simply got to bank a little more sleep before I go back to work next month.  We brought the issue up with the pediatrician, who wasn’t concerned – he said that some kids just need less sleep than others, and since Nugget is growing really well he might just be one of those kids.  To which we replied, that’s great for him, but in the meantime Mom and Dad are delirious!  I just keep reminding myself that there will come a day when he wants me to drop him off a block away from the movie theater, and try to enjoy the extra snuggles now.

Likes: Having sunscreen applied (seriously, what a weirdo!).  Related: having his face smooshed around and his arms and legs rubbed.

Dislikes: His car seat.  Sigh.  This was a big issue when we drove to North Carolina and back.  The trip from DC to Buffalo was particularly brutal.  Nugget cried almost the entire time.  I felt awful for him, and for the rest of us too.

Favorite Toys: Still really enjoying the play gym!  It’s great to have something to lay him on that engages him and holds his interest for a little while.  I love to sit next to him and rattle the toys for him, and watch him crack up.

Milestones: So many this month!  Lots of laughing, especially at Peanut – she’s the funniest.  And, exciting stuff, he’s found his FEET!  They’re not quite as exciting as hands, which are still seriously the COOLEST EVER, MOM, but they’re pretty great.  He’s gotten his toes in his mouth a few times, and I often find him holding his foot and giggling.  Seriously so cute.  As for non-developmental milestones, we had a lot this month.  First trip across the state; first time being left with a babysitter; first trip to DC (and first time visiting a museum); meeting tons of friends; meeting his uncle and aunt for the first time; first boat/ferry ride; first BEACH VACATION!  I’m exhausted just typing all of that out!

Quirks: I’ve started calling him Rico Suave Baby.  Seriously, this guy is smoooooooth.  You know that guy who does the yawn-stretch-arm-around-the-shoulders routine in the movie theater?  (We’ve all dated that guy, right?)  Well, that dude could take lessons from Nugget.  The kid has moves.  I can’t even count the number of times I’ve been sitting with him in my lap and suddenly found my thumb in his mouth, with no memory of it getting there.  He’s gotten good at just guiding the knuckle right into his little jaws and getting to work before you even know what has happened.  I’m telling you: smooth.

Now we’re back in Buffalo getting ready to enjoy one final month at home together before my maternity leave ends – sniff – and I’m back in the office.  I’m already dreading the transition.  He’ll probably handle it better than I will!  In the meantime, I have lots of fun Mommy-and-Nugget adventures planned for this month – and I can’t believe that the next update I’ll write will be SIX months!

Happy five months, little man!  Stop growing so fast.  Seriously.

Dudes, it is seriously blowing my mind that Nugget has been here for A THIRD OF A YEAR.  And if you consider the fact that we found out last July that we were expecting him, he’s been in our lives in one form or another for almost an entire year now.  (That math is confusing me, but anyway.)  I already can’t imagine life without him.

Nugget gets more and more fun each day.  His little personality is really coming out and it’s such a cool thing to watch him grow into himself.  The other day, hubby remarked on how Nugget prefers to be held in a different way from Peanut when she was his age.  I said, “No surprise there, he’s a different person.”  And while that’s obvious, it’s also really neat.  He’s a person!  A teeny, tiny, but very real, PERSON!

New nickname this month: Three Sneezio.  He doesn’t do it every time, but maybe 60% of the time he sneezes, he sneezes in threes.  It’s hilarious.  I think he gets it from me, because I almost always sneeze in twos.  So he’s more talented, of course.

We’ve had a lot of fun this month and been out and about as usual.  We’ve been walking in East Aurora most sunny days, and we took Nugget for his first visit to Canalside on the fourth of July.  He’s also taken his first dip in the pool, and of course done plenty of this…

Lots of lap napping while I read.  I love turning the pages while he snuggles in my arms.  Seriously, is there a better way to read?  Because I can’t think of one.  I’m constantly taking breaks to snap pictures of him, though.  I love, love, watching him sleep.  But it always seems like my pictures don’t look like him.  The one above, I was actually satisfied with.

Nugget is a happy, fun little guy.  He’s sweet and cuddly and a blast to hang out with.  I never get tired of seeing his eyes light up when I pick him up in the mornings – I might be exhausted (oh, and I am exhausted) but I wouldn’t trade a moment spent with this guy.  He’s my joy.

Nugget at 4 Months

Weight: 13 lbs, 11 oz 

Height: 24.5 inches

Clothing Size: Officially in 6 months now.  That seems gigantic to me, but I have to remind myself that it’s a range.  6 months really means 3-6 months, so he’s growing into these clothes at about the right time.  Peanut always grew into a new size at the very tail end of the range.  Nugget isn’t a huge guy, but he’s bigger than Peanut was, so it shouldn’t surprise me that he keeps growing into new clothes.  On the plus side, I get to buy him the cutest little t-shirts and shorts.  Baby cargo shorts.  ‘Nuff said.

Sleep:  Kill me now.  Seriously.  Okay, I think he’s probably a pretty normal baby, but man alive it sure seems like he’s the world’s worst sleeper.  We’ve unswaddled him – had to, it was time, although he still has a little bit of startle reflex left – and he’s hit the dreaded four month sleep regression, which means the entire household is currently stumbling around in a haze.  (Well, except for Peanut, who is blissfully ignorant of this – one blessing.)  Naps are almost non-existent and have to happen in my arms if they’re going to happen at all.  Every once in awhile we get a swing nap, but the crib is out of the question.  I love having him nap in my arms, though, and I’m sure he will adapt when he gets to daycare, so it’s not the naps that are the real issue.  (Although sometimes he battles even the lap naps, which can be hard.)  But it’s night that really give us fits.  I start trying to put him down at 7:00, and it’s a major tug-of-war until he finally succumbs, usually, around 10:00.  There is walking, bouncing, shushing, dream-feeding – I pull out my entire bag of tricks every single night.  If we’re lucky he’ll finally hit the crib around 10:00 and stay there until his middle-of-the-night feeding (still anywhere from 1:30 or so to 4:30 or so).  If we’re not lucky, he’ll wake up and drag Daddy out of bed for more family bonding until midnight.  Nugget is sleeping about as much as I am at night, which is to say, not nearly enough.  I know it’s temporary, but I am WIPED OUT.

Likes: Tummy rubs and kisses, the Decemberists (yeah!), swimming in the pool (as long as the water isn’t too cold), his hands, his sister!

Dislikes: When Mommy leaves the room.  He’s just beginning to realize that he and I are different people, and he definitely doesn’t like when I put him down and leave the room – which I have to do, sometimes.  We’re basically attached at the hip most hours of the day, but if I need to go to the restroom or refill my water, I just have to set him down for a moment and he definitely lets me know that he doesn’t appreciate that.

Favorite Toys: Exciting stuff!  Nugget has finally realized that his play gym is not, in fact, an instrument of torture – and actually, it’s fun!  He’s been enjoying batting at the dangling toys and cooing at the animals on the mat.  Cutest thing ever.  And fortunately, it’s sturdy, because… ahem… Peanut likes it too.

Milestones: Another major holiday celebrated this month – Nugget’s first fourth of July!  I hope he loves that holiday as much as I do.  He’s also continued to have fun with his hands, which he found last month, and he’s gotten really good at rolling over.

Quirks: Back when Peanut was a baby, another mom and I were talking about their little predilections to favor one particular consonant when they really get a good wail going.  This other baby liked the letter L, so her cries sounded like “Laaaaaaaaaa!  Laaaaaaaaaa!” and prompted her mom to nickname her “Lala.”  Peanut favored N – “Nyahhhhhhh!  Nyahhhhhhh!”  I was interested to see what consonants Nugget would use when crying.  He seems to like M and W, both of which are hilarious when he really gets going.  Many of his cries are actually “Wahhhhhhhhhh!” – it’s as if he is following some crying baby script.  But even funnier are the cries that sound like “Mooooooooooooommmmmmmm!”  Of course I go racing to soothe him, but I’m also cracking up a little bit at his “Wah” and “Mom” cries.  It’s sad, but so funny.

Oh, I do love this little guy.

It’s a birthday party!  The fourth of July is one of my favorite holidays.  In fact, it probably competes with Christmas for the top spot.  When I was growing up, we spent every fourth of July at my parents’ lake house, and we did the day right.  Fireworks (some years we watched from our boat, other years from the beach), sparklers, barbeque, bonfire.  Y’all know I love summer, and the fourth of July is the quintessential summer day.  Last year we sort of missed out on celebrating, as we were attending a wedding that day (in the middle of a hurricane) and while I was so happy for the friends getting married, a piece of my heart was at the lake, of course.  (It was raining there, too, so I guess we didn’t miss much.)  Anyway, since we missed out on Independence Day fun last year, I was determined to make up for it this year.  Warning: photo bomb ahead.  We just had so much fun, I couldn’t stop snapping pictures.

We kicked off our weekend in traditional fourth of July style, at a Japanese restaurant.  Okay, that’s not traditional.  But it sure was delicious.

Peanut was mischievous.

And Nugget was cuddly.  He’s getting good at guiding what he wants to his mouth.  Usually, what he wants is my hand.  Anyway, while Nugget enjoyed a knuckle sandwich, we enjoyed a tasty Japanese dinner at Sato.  Hubby put together an amazing looking sushi spread, but I went for the ramen.  Sato is a relatively new addition to the Buffalo dining scene and they’re already justifiably famous around here, because of the ramen.  I ordered the veggie ramen with fried tofu, and it was AMAZING.  (I’ve had it before, but without the tofu.  Adding it this time was inspired.  The tofu was the best part and I’ll definitely get it again.)  Peanut ate buttered ramen noodles, a side of avocado, and a piece of California roll.

I don’t have any pictures from Friday – we spent the day lounging around the house.  Peanut and hubby swam in the pool, Nugget and I snoozed in the rocker, and I read.  It was a nice, cozy, relaxing day – just what we needed.  On to Saturday.

Nugget had a tough night on Friday, so hubby nicely let me sleep in on Saturday.  I came down to this adorable scene – Nugget napping in his swing, and Peanut lounging in an impossible position and watching Super Why.  I dunno, this doesn’t look like a comfortable way to watch TV, but I guess it is.  I fed Nugget, got my own breakfast, fed Nugget again, and then we were off to Canalside.

Fourth of July doesn’t feel quite right to me unless it’s spent by the water.  I’ve passed one or two fourths without finding my way to the waterfront and it always seems like something is missing.  Knowing that I like to celebrate Independence Day around the water, hubby suggested that we explore Canalside.  It’s been awhile since we were last there, and they’ve since put the finishing touches on the canals, and the big recreation area is pretty much done.  (They’re still working on a big, nice new hotel, but that doesn’t really impact our enjoyment of the area right now.)  So we headed downtown.

Our first stop was the big sand pit.  This is a large area filled with sand and sand toys, and it’s always bumping.  In fact, as we approached the sand pit we saw two of my Stroller Strides friends, who were there soaking up the sun and fun with their husbands and little ones.  What fun to randomly bump into them!  Peanut got to play with her buddies for a bit, hubby got to meet the other dads (he’s met some of the Stroller Strides dads, but not these two) and I chatted with my friends and introduced them to Nugget.  (Stroller Strides ended last fall, when I was pregnant, so Nugget has never gotten the fun of attending a class – poor guy).  They snuggled him and we planned a workout, then they were off to search out live music while we stayed and enjoyed the sand for a little bit longer.  I called it a day when I saw a cup of sand inching its way toward Peanut’s mouth, and we wandered off to look at the boats.

There were tons of people out kayaking and water biking around the area, and I was itching to get in a kayak myself.  We’ve been talking about kayaking as a fun date night activity, but we need to coordinate babysitters.  Maybe later this summer?

BFLO Harbor Kayak rents stand up paddleboards, too!  Another thing I really want to try.

We had a great time looking at the boats and the water, and then hubby suggested wandering down to see the completed canals.

But first I wanted to get some pictures of the kids in the Adirondack chairs that dot the Canalside area.

Peanut was delighted to be getting to hold Nugget.  Nugget, while he adores his sister, wasn’t convinced that this was the best idea.  You sure about this, Mom and Dad?

Canalside is the terminus of the Erie Canal, but it’s become more about recreation than business.  A local group has been renovating it for years now, and last fall they put the finishing touches on a new canal area, just in time to open the canals for ice skating.  With Peanut being so little, and me being so pregnant, we didn’t skate there – but I know we will be there next winter!  It was such a cool area.

The new canals were adorable – shallow and winding.  I can see how they’d be fun for skating in the winter, but in the summer it was all about the BOATS.

Remote control mini sailboats!  Too fun.

We walked the perimeter of the new canal area, and then it was time to head home. We were all a little loopy from the sun…

And we crashed hard when we got home.

Afternoon naps over, we threw together a very casual dinner, then did the normal bath and bedtime routine (or not-bedtime, if you’re Nugget).  And then it was time for another favorite fourth of July tradition…

ALIENS!!!!!  Yes, I do watch Independence Day every fourth of July (and sometimes in between, too – it’s a classic).  I have a thing for nineties disaster movies, what can I say?  So much fun.  Love Will Smith – “I could’ve been at a BARBEQUE!”  And Bill Pullman – yum.  How does he keep his hair so perfect, even after flying in a raging air battle against evil alien invaders?  That’s talent.  Hubby thinks that my need to watch Independence Day every year is completely ridiculous, but he indulges me anyway.  Nice guy, knows what’s good for him.

On Sunday I woke up to this happy face…

…and then we headed out for a short family hike to Knox Farm.

We could sort of tell that Peanut wasn’t going to make it through our favorite extended loop, so we just did a short loop around the near stand of trees.  It was enough for a good stretch and…

Nugget crashed hard. He didn’t even wake up when I took him out of the Ergo – it took buckling him back into his car seat for that.  And then he promptly fell back asleep and snoozed through our quick family errand (Lowe’s, for a new market umbrella – our old one didn’t survive the move – and a pot for me to move my basil into).  We headed home and spent the rest of the afternoon alternating between lap napping and cooking.

Later on Sunday afternoon, my inlaws came by for a swim in our pool, and dinner on the patio.  No pics of the swim, because I was having too much fun dunking, treading water, dipping Nugget’s little toes in the pool, and checking out the shark (floating pool thermometer) with Peanut.  But dinner was definitely photo-worthy.

Raw corn salad, roasted cauliflower salad, pulled chicken on Costanzo’s rolls (a WNY institution), and watermelon.  And for dessert…

A s’mores tart.  Does it get more all-American than that?  I doubt it.

Best enjoyed poolside, with the summer sun just starting to set.

Happy (belated) birthday, America!  Hope all of my friends had a fun and safe party weekend.

(Picture taken last summer atop Porter Mountain in the Adirondacks.  Just looking at it takes me back there!)

SUMMER!  If asked to choose a favorite season, I’m hard-pressed to decide between summer and fall.  (That’s true for most people, I’d wager.)  While I love many, many things about fall, a really good summer takes on an almost magical quality that can’t be replicated in any other season.  You know what I mean – that deep happiness that comes with long days of sunshine, dips in a cool lake or pool, evenings spent sitting out on the deck watching the fireflies light up the yard like tiny fairy lanterns, epic road trips, songs around a campfire… all the summer essentials.  I live for summer.  I wait for it all year.  And whenever it arrives I resolve to make the most of it.  Some years I do, and some years I don’t.  But I always, always try to come out of summer with a treasure trove of warm, happy memories that I can call upon to sustain me throughout the long, dark winter months ahead.  Summer is my happy place.

Here’s how I hope to make this summer the best yet:

• Keep enjoying my maternity leave and bonding time with Nugget.  I’m lucky that my employer offers a generous maternity leave policy and that I can afford to take advantage of it.  Nugget is our last baby, so I am really cherishing this time with him.
• Take a family vacation to the beach!  It has been almost FOUR YEARS since our last vacation.  We’re way overdue.  And this trip is extra-special: we’re joining my parents and my brother and sister-in-law in the Outer Banks, North Carolina, to celebrate my parents’ fortieth wedding anniversary.  The reason for the trip, in and of itself, is special, and so is the destination – we’re going back to the same beach, even the same rental house, that we visited almost every year when my brother and I were growing up.  We have so many memories of this particular beach, and I know my brother is as excited to show this special place to his wife as I am to see my kids (well, realistically, Peanut) playing in the same sands I played in as a kid.
• Hike to the Eternal Flame.  Closer to home, this is the “quintessential Buffalo hike” and we haven’t done it yet, which seems nuts considering how much we love hiking.  Since part of the hike goes through a stream bed, I think we may leave the kids with the grandparents and make this an adults-only outing.  Maybe for our anniversary?  Speaking of which…
• Celebrate TEN YEARS of marriage!  I can’t believe hubby and I have been married for almost a decade.  We were practically babies when we tied the knot!  He’s my partner and my best friend and I couldn’t have chosen anyone better as my teammate for life.  We’re trying to come up with some extra-special way to celebrate this milestone.  Can’t wait.
• Continue our monthly hiking project and take our summer stroll through Reinstein Woods Nature Preserve.  We are having so much fun with both of these resolutions, and I’m so glad that we made a family priority to get out and explore our natural environment.
• Invest in the East Aurora Cooperative Market.  I’ve had the brochure for member-investors in the planned East Aurora Coop on my desk for who knows how long.  It’s time to take the plunge and help the market get off the ground.
• Do some small home projects.  Our house has potential but it’s very dated.  I’ve been doing little things here and there – replacing outlet and switch plates, painting the fireplace, installing new handles on the family room built-ins, etc. – and I want to keep up that momentum.  Should be easy; the more I do, the more I see that needs to get done.
• Re-read Jane of Lantern Hill.  One of my favorite L.M. Montgomery books, and it’s been ages since I last read it.  Jane’s escape from Toronto and summers of fun and freedom with “Dad” on P.E.I. make for the perfect July and August reading.  Oh, and while we’re on the topic of reading…
• Participate in #BlumeAlong in June and July, and finally join in the Austen in August fun!  I’ve signed on for both reading events – #BlumeAlong, hosted by Kerry of Entomology of a Bookworm, in which we’ll read Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret and Summer Sisters, and Roofbeam Reader’s annual Austen in August.  I’m planning to read Jane’s juvenilia Love and Freindship (how much do you love that Jane misspelled “friendship”?) and either or both of Jane Austen’s England and Jane Austen: A Life in Small Things, as well as re-reading one of the main novels, probably Pride and Prejudice.  So much good reading community to look forward to!
• Start our playroom re-do.  After almost a year in this house, I finally have a vision for the playroom, and I’m really excited about bringing it to fruition.  I don’t know if this is our forever house, but we’re here now and I’m psyched to give the kids a really special place in which to play, learn and do art projects.

That looks like a good start on summer!  Hope I get to all of these plans.  I think it’ll be a pretty darn good summer either way… especially that long-overdue vacation.  What are you planning for the summer?

How YOU doin’?

Another Nugget update already?!  Didn’t I just write his two month update?  I guess not, because it’s been a month, and the time is just flying by.  Nugget is the sweetest, snuggliest little guy I’ve ever met, and getting sweeter and snugglier by the day.  (Well, maybe not snugglier – I’m not sure it’s possible, actually, to get any snugglier than he has been since birth.)

We’ve had a fun month together.  Nugget is getting more and more interactive.  He’s started to coo and he loves to have long conversations that generally go as follows:

Nugget: Ooooooo.

Mommy: Really?

Nugget: Eh.

Mommy: You don’t say!

Nugget: Ahhh!

Mommy: And then what happened?

Nugget: Ooo-eeee.

Mommy: Wow!

And so on, and so forth.

We’ve been on the go again this month, getting out of the house almost every day.  As I mentioned in a previous post, our neighborhood isn’t particularly walkable, so we’ve been driving to East Aurora and strolling down the main street or through the neighborhoods most days.  (And I’m fantasizing about downsizing into one of the village houses there… someday, maybe.)  Nugget is decent about the car seat, just as long as the car is in motion and going at least 35 miles per hour.  We call him Speed Bus Baby.  (Nineties movie reference!)  We’ve also continued to hike most weekends, taking advantage of the gorgeous early summer we’ve been enjoying.  Our last hike, to Sprague Brook Park, was particularly fun for Nugget.  He stayed awake the entire time – a feat for him, since he likes to fall asleep in the Ergo – and gazed around at the trees for over an hour.  Nature boy in the making!

I’ve started calling him “Mr. Personality” because he is charm personified and the biggest flirt ever – especially with me.  As if I wasn’t already madly in love with him.

Nugget at 3 Months:

Weight: 12 pounds, 2 ounces.

Height: 22.5 or so inches cooperative.

Clothing Size: In pants he’s still wearing 0-3 months, but his 3-6 month onesies seem to be fitting him better so I’m rotating him through the few he owns.  I need to get on top of buying his 3-6 month wardrobe – he officially needs it now!  It’s going to include baby bathing suits and rash guards, since we’re headed to the beach this summer, and I’m not sure I’ll be able to handle that cuteness.

Sleep: Not much has changed since last month’s update.  He’s still on a fairly regular schedule of falling asleep in our arms between 8:00 and 9:00 on the couch, then transitioning to the crib when we head to bed and sleeping until around 2:30.  (Sometimes it’s 1:30, sometimes 3:30, but always in that general vicinity.)  Most nights I’m up with him for about an hour and a half, and then he’ll sleep until around 6:15 or 6:30.  (Of course last night he decided to show me who’s really still in charge and tossed in an extra wakeup… message received, Nugget.  It’s your world, I’m just living in it.)  I’m making it work, but it is starting to wear me down.  He’s nowhere near ready to be night-weaned, though, so we’ve got awhile to go with this schedule.  At least a couple more months.

Likes: Peanut.  Actually, this is more of a LOVE.  Oh, my goodness, does he ever worship her.  Whenever they’re in the same room, his big eyes follow her every movement.  I think he’d be happy to sit and gaze at her for hours.  The feeling is mutual… Peanut continues to be just wild about her little brother, too.  I’m not sure how she’ll feel when he’s mobile and into her stuff, but I’m soaking up the sibling harmony while it lasts.

Dislikes: When Mommy sniffles.  Seriously.  The kid sleeps peacefully through Game of Thrones or his whirling dervish of a sister, but if I sniff my nose he jumps as if he’s been shot.  Since it’s allergy season, this is a big problem.

Favorite Toys: He’s still not into many toys, but he’s starting to get a bit more engaged.  He continues to be a big fan of Peanut’s stuffed panda, and he loves his blue Jellycat dog – in fact, it was the first toy he smiled at!

Milestones: So much new stuff this month!  In addition to the coos, which are constant and adorable, he’s been working hard on his grip.  He loves to hold onto the neckline of my shirt (and often attempts to pull me down with him if I am laying him in his crib or his swing) and he was even able to grasp an O-ball recently.  I expect that next month we’ll see a lot of development in this area.  He’s also beginning to find his hands; I’ve observed him examining them a few times, although mainly he’s just interested in jamming them into his mouth.

Quirks: Here’s something weird: Nugget is afraid of garages.  Seriously.  You’d think that three months would be too young to have developed a fear like that, but evidently it’s not.  Whenever we walk through our garage from the car to the mudroom door, or Heaven forbid if I take him downtown and park in the parking garage, his eyes get huge and he immediately starts to whimper and doesn’t stop until we’re safely out of the garage.  What kind of kid is afraid of garages?  Basements, yes.  In fact, I’m a little bit afraid of basements.  But garages?!

Happy, happy, happy three months, little buddy!  We love you!