Three Months

Little Mister, as the third child, is doomed to comparison.  Friends are always dissecting Him with me- whose nose does He have?  Whose lashes?  No one has to ask whose furrowed brow that is.  It's like nature xeroxed it off of Missy and pasted it there.  With first and second babies people tend to look and see which parent is resembled.  With third babies, I've noticed, the question is "which sibling is He exactly like?" As if there could really only be two results, and we've already created them.
In the end, of course, the answer is that He is His own sweet self.  Not quite like anyone else in all the world.
He does have Little One's nose and easygoing response to the outside world; He does have that brow like Missy (like me) and the beginnings of Her blonde hair.  He had colic like Little One. (Well.  He had colic; no one could have it like Little One did.)  And like Miss (like J), He seems to have an internal clock with Swiss precision.  He KNOWS when it is nap time.  He KNOWS when it's 6:30 and time to be getting some jammies on.  He's very happy to remind me if I lose track of the time.
And He even seemed to know that on the 7th of this month, He turned the big THREE months old, and was therefore, immediately and henceforth, a Baby, and not a Newborn.
Gone are the newborn days of sleeping all the time.
Now He meets the morning ready for action.  Between regular (sadly rather short) naps He is on the go!  He wants to be wiggling and squirming and aaaaalmost rolling over, and batting at dangling toys like Rocky with a speedbag.  Or held right up to the face of an attentive, interesting person having lengthy conversations (goo-ing and raspberry-blowing and tons of laughter) that can last 15 minutes- or more!  Or to be carried around- anywhere, so long as the scenery continues to change- facing OUTward, if you please, to take in all the sights.  But there must be something fun to do during the long stretches between naps.
Because gone are the newborn days of crying only for survival.
Never tell a first-time parent this.  (Because the first time, it's not true; like learning to ride a bike or ski or something).  But a newborn is the easiest stage of parenting that ever will be.  A newborn wants only to be kept alive.  It cries to be fed, changed, allowed to sleep, or because there is pain or an intolerable temperature.  That is it. A newborn is utterly guileless; it will never cry because it knows that tears will make you give up all your values and hand it a lollipop, or because you wouldn't let it jump off the roof.  A newborn is simple; it will never ask you why people kill each other.  It does not need to be taught to read, or ride a bike, or have good table manners.  It just wants to be snuggled and given the barest essentials possible.
But a baby.  A baby cries because it is bored.  It cries because it doesn't want the blue elephant with crinkly feet; it wants to sit on your lap and recite epic baby-poems to an appreciative audience.  Until it doesn't; it wants to be carted around the house or better yet around the block and doesn't care that you have to get dressed for school drop off.  A baby also starts to cry because it has realize that If You Cry, They Will Come.
And so, now that Mister has become a Baby, the mind games have begun.
Luckily for me, this is not my first rodeo.  Also luckily for me, Mister really is as easy as babies get.  While He's easily bored, He's not easily disturbed.  He still wakes to nurse during the night, but goes right back to sleep and the only time He fusses when being put down is if He is fussing to be put down.  He likes cuddles and rocking very much.  But when it comes to sleepy, He wants to be put down in His bed, zipped into a sleep sack, and left alone to fall asleep when He's ready.  Which is just fine with me.
Mister was born with a tongue-tie, which is responsible for the fact that feeding Him has been quite a challenge for us both.  He's getting plenty of nutrition as evidenced by the fact that He's growing well- in fact at the 46th percentile for height He is a giant compared to His sisters (there we go comparing again).  But the process has been mutually uncomfortable and frustrating for us both.  Now that He's a big strong baby, though, and we've had a few months practice, we are starting to work it out.
Now that He's a big baby He has also developed a few new physical traits:
-All the brown fuzzy baby hair has fallen out (except one funny patch at the bottom, in the back), and little wispy blond baby fuzz is beginning to appear.
-His newborn rashes have thankfully abated, though His skin is still sensitive and is prone to eczema and even hives sometimes.  Which I'm sorry to say, but not too surprised.
-He has developed rolls and pudges basically all over, and is so solidly built that sometimes I forget how tiny a baby He really still is.
-He's able to see a decent distance now, and recognizes us when we come near, usually greeting us with a gorgeous grin, a labrador-like wiggle, and coos or giggles.
-He's becoming somewhat coordinated, and can purposefully bat at and hit or grab His toys, or reach out to feel something, like the pages of a book, or your hair, or nose, or earrings.  Ouch.
He has made new discoveries, too:
-For example His HANDS.  In the last couple of weeks, Mister has discovered these amazing, delicious, fascinating toys which are always around for His convenience.  He spends long stretches just staring at them, so seriously, trying to discover their secrets.  He moves them and bounces them and grabs one with the other.  Wow.  Amazing! He gums them and drools on them and sucks on the knuckle, sometimes getting His pointer finger in there and assessing it for comparability with a pacifier.
-He's beginning to suspect there are similar objects at the ends of His legs, too, but so far He is conservatively observing them from afar.  Better make sure they're friendly before inviting them in for lunch.
-Speaking of pacifiers, He has figured those out.  He knows that they are not His finger, and they are NOT for lunch, and He will not accept them in lieu.  He's very particular about them.  When He wants one, He wants it- and nothing else.  Usually this is when He's sleepy. When He doesn't, though, He DOESN'T.  And you would be amazed at the note this guy can hit when He's offended by having one stuck in His face.  Dude gets mad. 
Because He also knows that Babies get to have preferences. He's pretty easygoing, as I've said.  But He will not tolerate the following:
- Having anything put in his mouth when He hasn't asked for it.  Never try to feed Him when He's not hungry.  He will tell you off until you've lost 30% of your hearing in whichever ear He's nearest.  Same goes for the pacifier.
- Being wet or dirty.  This guy demands to change diapers like Lady Gaga changes clothes.  He pees ONCE and calls wardrobe.  Lots of laundry for me.
- The car seat.  Ok, He'll tolerate it if He's in a good mood.  For a little while.  But in general, He hates the thing.  A sad truth for a little guy doomed to accompany Sisters to and from school, piano, ballet, swimming, parties, play dates, errands….you get the picture.
- As I've mentioned, boredom.  Or loneliness.  He wants to be held during meals; He doesn't like being left in a bouncer or on the floor nearby. He seems to know He's being left out.  All He wants is to join the table and look around.
There's plenty Mister does like, too:
- Bath.  He continues to love a good bath.
- Babbling back and forth with a Sister or grown-up.  I know I keep saying it, but it's because He loves it SO much.  Mister is a super social, friendly guy.  We make lots of buddies when we go out.  Three days ago He acquired "B" and is proud to display this in conversation, along with His old standbys of "goo", "AHgoo", "cooooo", and fits of giggles.
-Snuggling.  Oh, how I love how cuddly this baby is.  He loves to be held and snuggled and hugged and kissed.  Good thing because between all the rest of us, He gets quite a lot of that.
- Randomly, we've discovered that He loves to be petted on the head, like a cat.  Especially when He's sleepy, He loves us to gently rub the top of His head.  He practically purrs.
- When He's sleepy in His bed, or something has upset Him, He is so easily soothed.  He loves for me to simply cup His cheek in my hand, lean down, and give Him a kiss on the forehead.  It's like a magic charm.  Calms Him right down.
- Another sure bet is nudity. Always makes Him happy.  Guys, right?  Probably will never change.
- Standing up.  He's strong enough now to hold Himself upright when supported around His middle, and He loves this! He looks so proud of Himself, turning His slightly-drunken looking head side to side and goo-ing seriously, as a king surveying His territory.
- Books and reading, Sisters singing to Him, J in any form, and pat-a-cake.  LOVES to pat-a-cake.  When you roll it, He gets excited.  When you pat it? Peals of laughter.  When you throw it in the oven?!  The look of triumph. It's priceless.
While He may share some things in common with His Sisters, Little Mister is undeniably unique.  Both social and serious, both easygoing and particular, independent and cuddly.  He's a LOT of fun to get to know.  Although I tend towards nostalgic and already miss the newborn Mister, I am so excited to meet the changes that come each day and to see Him grow.  He's a happy, healthy, joy to have in our family.  And- like His sisters- absolutely perfect, exactly as He is.