Cal: 3 Months

Well, at the rate I am going, I will be writing about your first birthday on your sweet sixteen, but... well... it's been a bit crazy around here this past week and we are still in a bit of limbo as far as how the big picture will work out, but the best part of having you - having all THREE of you kiddos - is that I can get lost in the right now and take a break from the big picture.

And I mean, seriously, who wouldn't want to get lost in THIS smiling face?

Mr. Chuckles has become your official moniker, and it fits perfectly about 95% of the time. The other 5% we are trying to get you to take nap, which you fight ferociously for about 2-3 minutes, and then succumb quite abruptly.

You remain the favorite plaything of your siblings, and each of them can get a big smile out of you when playing one on one, but you make it quite clear that there is more than enough Cal to go around, and PLEASE STOP FIGHTING OVER ME when they get too competitive.

We often have to remind them to give you some space.
And stop touching your face.
Seriously, why do they insist on touching your face????

Alas - the result of having a big sister:

You continue to be HIGHLY verbal and HIGHLY interactive. The number of places you are ticklish keeps growing. We can add under your chin and along your sides to the chubby thighs. You are known to squeal quite loudly and then as soon as the ticking stops, look right at the perpetrator with an expression that clearly says "again!"

Here is a throwback from Cooper's days:

When we pick Daphne up from school, she is always in the middle of some fun activity, so she looks up and is torn between being happy to see me and bummed to have to stop what she is doing, but then she sees that I am carrying you in the carseat and she literally pops up and races to get her things together so we can all go home. When I say "I missed you today, Daphne", she responds "and I missed Cal."

The other day the bigs were working on some art projects, and Daph was drawing a picture for you. She was asking Cooper for help to spell your FULL name (not just Cal), and Cooper said "C... a....l....v...e...n" and your dad had to jump in and say, no, it is "CalvIn". Cooper kind of cocked his head to the side, and was like "are you sure" and attempted to argue and explain why your Dad was wrong. Finally, having been told that HE was in fact wrong, Cooper said "So, are we settled that we are going to spell it that way?" The point of this story, my dear, is to show how you are so completely EVERYONE's baby. So much so that Cooper thinks it is a group decision on how we spell your name.

I had to go back to work at 12 weeks, which people say is after 3 months. But we know that this is not the case. You turned 3 months 1 week and 1 day after I went to work. Which is why I think it is so insane that 12 weeks is considered a generous amount of leave in this country in this day and age. I am here to tell you that It. Is. NOT. Though we are making progress, you are still not sleeping through the night and have no set schedule (which, by the way, is totally developmentally appropriate and expected). Compound that with reflux that makes feeding, and in turn sleeping. even more of a challenge, and let's just say that I was so not ready to go back to work. Layer on top of that how incredibly sweet and cute you are, how much I could spend whole days gobbling your cheeks or inhaling your baby smell, and you can imagine how damn near impossible it was to get my mind right to drive to the office after 12 weeks.

But drive to work I did. Made possible only by your Mamaw and Grandpa who have been keeping you on days when I am at the office, to buy me some time before having to find a long term childcare solution.

You see, we have always had to find childcare, but with the bigs they were bigger when that day arrived. When they were wee they had either me or your dad at home, one of us being in grad school until Daph was almost 2 years old. So you, my sweet little last baby, were far too little at 12 weeks to drop off somewhere.

God bless mamas who don't have Mamaws and Grandpas to help them and have no other choice.

Your dad is hoping to make you a Bears fan, having lost Cooper to the Cowboys, but you and I both know you have better taste than that.

You recently discovered your tongue and, so help us, have yet to place it back in your mouth. Although hilarious, it leads to less than glamorous photos:

Everyone loves you something fierce, sweet boy.
We love you like you love to take a bath.
Like you love to stomp your feet.
Like you love to stick out your tongue.

In other words - we couldn't love you more.

Week 12 Photos: Final Week

Week 12 was my final week at home with you. It's a wonder I let anyone else hold you. 

Daph and I took an afternoon and went and bought you some new toys. You are all about holding things now. 

Here you are playing your maracas. 

You not so much in to napping.  Especially late in the afternoon.  Here is a picture of you about 3 minutes after I laid a completely asleep you down for a nap:

Not napping, but playing with your blankets and likely trying to cram them in your mouth. 

You want everything in your mouth. But your favorite thing to suck on is your right fist. Though left fist is pretty tasty too:

And here you are watching Sunday Night Football. Go Cowboys!!

Just like your sister, you like to watch the colorful TV screen. 

You also like to engage in full on conversations with whoever will give you their undivided attention. 

And how could anyone give you any less? 

Your new reflux medicine seems to be helping so you smell less like spit up (we all do, so this is a "win" for everyone). You give giant open mouthed slobbery kisses and you lean in for hugs. Your hair is wispy in the back and you are as pale as the rest of us. You are ticklish under your chin and on your thighs and you don't want to miss a moment of the action. 

These first 12 weeks have been chaotic and busy and unpredictable. And yet, these past 12 weeks have me feeling more at peace in many ways than I have ever felt before. 

You are perfection and I love you.