Happy 3 months, Austin!

Today Austin turns 3 months old, a quarter of a year, 13 weeks, 94 days! I can hardly believe he's been in our lives for so long but I can't imagine life without him! He has changed so much in these 3 months and he's growing up right before our eyes. On one hand I want him to stay this size forever, but on another, I can't wait to watch him learn and grow and interact. I love that I can hold him in my arms and read him a book and have him look at me and the colorful pages with those big, bright eyes....but I also look forward to the day where he can sit on my lap and read the book to me.

Three months is a stage where things start changing pretty rapidly as an infant's vision and awareness of the world around them really starts to improve. Austin has already accomplished so many milestones in his short little life, and while they might seem insignificant to some, they are absolutely enormous to the watchful first time parent.

Just like last month, I'd like to make a list of Austin's accomplishments and milestones that he's reached at 3 months:

-One of the most exciting accomplishments is that Austin is sleeping through the night! He goes to bed between 9-10pm and will wake up between 6-8am. He's also gotten into a pretty good schedule where he will take his morning nap around 9am and sleep for 2 hours and then take his afternoon nap about 3pm and sleep for another 2 hours. Of course he still has 2-3 power naps in between, but for the most part he is awake for the majority of the day now.

-Whereas Austin used to eat every 2-3 hours, he is now eating around every 4 hours with about a 9 hour stretch at night.

-Austin is starting to try and reach for things like the toys on his playgym and jumperoo. His movements still aren't very smooth so it looks like he's hurling his arms at things and he's not too precise with his grabs, but this is a very new milestone which will improve greatly, I'm sure, over the next few weeks.

-Austin has also become very aware of his surroundings lately. He certainly notices our dog, Lucy and the two cats when they walk by him and he's always looking around with those big curious eyes. He's also become very aware of his hands which he constantly tries to put in his mouth and he's starting to notice his feet and stare at them inquisitively when they move about. Unfortunately, this new awareness has also made him more susceptible to loud noises like the dog barking, which often frighten him and make him start to cry. However, he is also able to pick out mine and Ryan's voices and he will look for us and even smile when he hears us talking.

-Finally, Austin is developing nice strong muscles and can sit up (with support) and push off with his feet. He loves to be in the sitting position either in my lap or in his Bebe Pod. He also loves to bounce in his jumperoo or in my lap as well. He's always moving around and loves to stay active.