dear little prince | three months

dear little prince,

happy three months, you darling boy, you. can you believe that you are a whole quarter of a year old? that's just wild. time is just flying by. and you continue to charm us and delight us and amaze us. you are so deliciously chunky. the best michelin man arms and a full chest and belly. and rolly-poly legs. the funny thing is that your proportions have changed so dramatically since we first met. you came out all long and all limbs. and now, it looks like you have grown into your arms and legs. and then some... in fact, you seem to be al torso now. perhaps you will be a champion swimmer someday with those solid shoulders and lengthy body. wouldn't that be fun?

you just completed not only a developmental leap but a growth spurt. busy boy. you follow objects with your eyes. you turn your head to follow lights or voices. you are more squirmy and kicky and flappy too. you flop from side to side and pretty much flip from your back to belly and back again (with a tiny bit of arm tucking from mama). you get super frustrated on your belly. you arch your back and howl and kick and move your arms (see...future swimmer). you coo and crow and squawk and screech like a champ. and you love to carry on conversations with your sister.

you blow bubbles all the time. and you suck on your hands too. well, your fists. all that sucking and bubbling has really made us step up our burp cloth game. bibs are just around the corner...

you love your play mat. you kick and swat at your dangling animal friends. you scoot yourself in circles to change up the view. and you love to gaze at your reflection in the mirror. sometimes you like to chill and talk. sometimes you want to gnaw on your hands and gurgle. and then suddenly, it is a full-blown kick and punch fest until you have tired yourself out.

your facial expression repertoire includes: coy smiling, smirking, open mouth smile, side smile, and serious staredown face. you are either being super happy and adorable and amused or you are stone-faced and examining everything.

it is remarkable how much you process each day and how much you absorb and learn. your little mind is expanding. you are growing and changing so much and so quickly. you are becoming more and more interactive and it is such fun. we can "converse" now. you sing along with music or when your sister sings silly made-up songs to you. you giggle. you explore the sights of your surrounds.

oh! and you love to hold our hands when we play. and grasp our clothing when we hold you. and you do this hook-your-arm-around-mine thing when i am burping you that is heart-bursting.

ridley boy, you are such an easy lad. you love your routine and make things so easy for us. you are most definitely persnickety about certain things and you are very easily riled up, but i like that about you. and i am pretty sure some of that is thanks to your y chromosome. i can't wait to see what you are like as you get older. i know that you will continue to capture our hearts and i know that you will keep us busy. what a wonderful blessing you are.  we are super duper smitten. almost makes me want to have a half dozen more little ones. almost.

all our love,

mama + papa + elinor

and because i snapped - no joke - like 50 pictures of him, there are a few more after the jump...