Three Months

Roman is three months old today. I'm pretty sure I was pregnant, like, three hours ago, but at the same time it feels as if he has been a part of our family for forever.

Roman, you are a perfect baby. Don't tell your siblings, but you really and truly are a perfect little guy. You barely cry, and it's only to ask for the usual – to nurse, to have your diaper changed, to get out of the car seat, to have some company. When you see that your need is about to be met, you stop crying. And you SMILE. Heavens, how you smile. You have a big, open mouth exploring smile, and an entire-face-and-eyes-and-wiggling-legs smile, and a smart little grin too. You're starting to laugh, and boy oh boy have you discovered your arms and legs and hands. You love to suck on your fingers, and move your hands around and try to touch and reach things. You're not quite at the grabbing stage yet, unless it's someone's fingers, but you are loving how you can reach things and move them a bit. You're strong but cautious, and very observant. You S-L-O-W-L-Y reach for the little crinkly flags on the activity bar attached to your bouncy seat, and will sit there happily for 10, even 20 minutes.

Your legs are STRONG. And, also, fat. Lots of Michelin man-style rolls on those strong legs. You love to stand up, and bounce, and especially love to stand up and bounce and smile and chat with the adorable baby in the mirror.

Miraculously, you also put yourself to sleep. Yes, I just wrote that. Sleep, which has been one of the hardest things for me as a parent, seems to come more naturally to you than it did to your siblings. I can set you in your crib, nursed and changed and pj'ed, and 8 times out of 10 you will do what you did tonight: coo, kick your legs, smile and laugh, reach for your musical bear and move his feet around with your hands, observing what you can do and how you can make things respond, and then you're sucking on your fingers and cooing a bit, and the next thing I know, you're asleep.

It's AWESOME. Have I mentioned how awesome this is? You give me time to help put your other siblings to bed, to give them proper snuggles and stories (which you often participate in, and you love to look at the pictures as well as Ani and Reni's faces), and you sleep most of the night without waking up. It's incredible. It's miraculous. It's something I am grateful for each day. Also, you nap. Pretty regularly. And for longer stretches than we are accustomed to around here. You always wake up happy and smiling and I feel pure joy when I lift you up and snuggle you.

But you're not just awesome and perfect because you're a good sleeper. You are a people-charmer too, chatting up your grandparents, your Great-Grandma Jo, other kids. You will lean in and give Anika a hug when she hugs you, and open your mouth as if you're trying to kiss her as well. Reni may man-handle you a bit, but his rough love still elicits smiles and stares of wonderment from you. You save your biggest grins for your mom and dad, and you smile even when you hear our voices across the room. You seem wiser beyond your three months, and your bright eyes brighten our lives.

We love you, little man. Thank you for making our family complete.