Catch Up Post #2: James at 3 months

Since James will be 4 months tomorrow I figured I better post his 3 month update now :)!  He turned 3 months old on December 21st.  I just cannot believe how fast those 3 months flew by!  It seems like he is changing every day…growing bigger and learning new things.  Here are a few pictures of him on his 3 month birthday (in his candy cane striped onesie since it was Christmas!)…  

Here are some things about him at 3 months:

• He smiles all the time when you’re interacting with him or just when he’s playing with his toys.  He is a very smiley & talkative little boy!  He loves being around people (especially his mommy…David says he has a huge crush on me :))He also has started to giggle just in the last couple of weeks which is the most adorable thing I have ever heard!  Here is a super cute video of David making James laugh:

• He can roll over from stomach to back.  He doesn’t like spending time on his tummy but I make him do it at least a few minutes every day.  He is VERY close to rolling from his back to his stomach.
• He has really discovered his hands and is grabbing at toys intentionally and LOVES chewing on his fingers!   
• His favorite toys are his activity play mat and bouncer.  They both have lights to look at and fun toys that he can grab.  He also really enjoys watching his Praise Baby DVD’s.  He likes sitting in his bumbo seat too.  I recently put the tray on the bumbo seat and put a few toys on it to play with and he really seemed to like that. 
• He LOVES sitting up and standing up!  We lay him flat on his back and grab his hands and say “up”.  Then we pull him up to a sitting position and then pull him again to a standing position.  He gets a BIG smile on his face like he is proud of himself!  It is so cute! 
• He loves being outside!  I usually take him on walks 3-4 times per week and he loves getting out for some fresh air.  It helps a lot when he wakes early from his naps and is fussy…I put him in his stroller and take him outside and he is instantly happy!
• Bath time is so much fun with him!  He kicks his legs and splashes around.  I have a feeling it’s going to get even more fun when he can sit up and play with some toys!
• He is still sleeping pretty good at night.  He usually goes down by 8:00 and will sleep until 4-5am and then go back to sleep until 7 or so.  He has slept all the way until 6:45-7 quite a few times but still inconsistently.  I really want to push his bedtime up to 7:30 but right now his feeding schedule it just not making that happen (FYI…this is what he did at 3 months…this is NOT what he’s doing now).
• His naps are a completely different story.  Like I said on my 2 month post, I have trained him to fall asleep on his own with little to no crying (although he suddenly regressed shortly after he turned 3 months old :(…but he used to be good!).  His problem is staying asleep though.  He wakes about 30-40 minutes into all of his naps and then can’t put himself back to sleep.  It is such a mystery to me!  I can literally set a timer and be within a few minutes of him waking up.  It is SOOOO frustrating!  Right after we got back from Christmas I’ve been going into his room and helping him back to sleep by picking him up and rocking him, but it usually takes at least 30 minutes or so (I think this is what screwed him up on being so easy to put down to sleep).  I want him to be able to get back to sleep on his own but I have no idea how to teach him – I have tried everything I can think of.  I know he needs more sleep because when I have gotten him up after 30 minutes he is cranky & super fussy all day.  It is no fun!  I’m really hoping he grows out of this VERY soon…for his sake (and my sanity, haha!).

James is probably more of a challenge then most babies, but we love him just the way he is!  He is such a joy to have in our lives…I can be having a rough day and then he smiles at me and my heart just melts.  He is amazing and perfect in every single way.  Thank you Lord for this beautiful gift you have given us!