The Harris Family: Walker, 3 Months Old

Walker is three months old!

Walker is growing up so fast. Truly, the days and weeks seem to be passing me by at a rapid rate of speed. It's hard to believe that we're already in the month of May; we are almost halfway through 2010!

Walker likes us to sing songs to him. He particularly likes "Wheels on the Bus" and "Pat-A-Cake." Lainey sings "Pat-A-Cake" at school and loves to sing it with Walker and help him roll and pat the cake with his little hands (that are generally balled up in fists). He listens to a CD of Christian songs (thank you, Kelley!) before bed or if he's settling down for a nap, and it seems to really relax him.
He still grunts and squeaks in his sleep, although he's not as noisy as he used to be.
The TV screen completely captures his attention. I think he'd like to watch some shows.
The little guy loves to smile. He will stop sucking on his binky or he'll stop eating to give us a little grin or a sideways smile (that looks more like a cute little smirk). He has earned the nickname "Smiler" because of this.
Walker doesn't like the wind.

He has skinny little legs. I'm waiting to see if they chunk up like little baby legs do!
He likes to play a little game with us, usually when he's in his bouncy seat or if we're talking to him while we're holding him. If we take our eyes off of him or direct our attention elsewhere, then he'll make little cute baby noises (or sometimes fussy baby noises) in order to bring our attention back to him. And then he rewards us with a smile. Darling boy.
His lower lip can quiver like none other. This little guy can pout!
Walker scoots all over his crib when he's asleep. I will lay him one way and then find him in a completely different spot when I go back in his room to get him out of bed. And he does all of this while swaddled!
His right eye still gets very goopy, especially after he's been asleep for a while. :(
He is quite the little chatterbox. He wants to have conversations. And he'd like you to smile when you talk to him throughout these conversations. So we "ooh" and "ahh" and "uhh" and "goo" a lot in our house these days.
Walker has learned that he naps most comfortably when swaddled in his crib. He's getting too big to buckle into his bouncy seat and swing (while swaddled) so his crib is the best place for him to sleep. He's learning how to wriggle out of his Miracle Blanket, though, much to my dismay. Lately he's been letting a little leg or arm (or two) escape! I have a couple of other swaddle blankets and techniques that I'm trying out, so we'll how that goes. I think it's almost time to let him sleep unswaddled, but I'm not sure I'm ready to do that... :). I think I broke Lainey of the swaddle when she was about 2-1/2 months old, and I remember how tough that was!
He doesn't like tummy time anymore. I'm lucky if he spends 10 minutes a day on his tummy. He does roll over a bit more often, now, so that's helpful if he remembers to do that when he tires of being on his tummy.

Check out those cute little legs!

Loud sneezes and sniffs (by men in particular - probably because they're louder) scare little Walker. He generally doesn't react if the offending sneezer is not in his immediate vicinity or if he's alert and playing, but if he's sleepy, drinking his bottle, or enjoying some snuggles with someone and the person sneezes, then it's all over. His little eyes will get teary and red and he'll scream like he's in an excruciating amount of pain. He will finally settle down, but not without letting out a few little "waahs" along the way. Lainey was also scared of sneezes; I think it must just be a baby thing.
He is a sensitive little guy, I think. Sensitive to touch, sound, and his surroundings.
I've come to accept the fact that Walker is just not a big eater. He will sometimes only take an ounce or two of formula, and other times he'll surprise me by taking four or five ounces. I think he'd like to eat small snacks throughout the day in addition to two or three meals. He sucks down the entire six ounces of his middle-of-the-night bottle, but will only eat about an ounce or two when he awakens in the morning. So strange and slightly unpredictable.
He still has this cute little cry when he's slightly unhappy about something. He will say "waah" over and over, pausing in between each "waah," until we can make him happy again. It's so cute. I never tire of hearing it because it's just so cute.
Walker likes to be held upright and facing outward, just like his sister did.
Sleeping...well, he's getting better. He goes to bed somewhere between 8 and 9 p.m., and he will sleep until about 3 or 4 a.m. A few times he's made it a full 8 hours, sleeping from about 9 p.m. until around 5 a.m. I LOVE it when that happens!
I was looking back at Lainey's 3-month page in her baby book the other day and noticed that Walker has fallen into the same patterns that she did in terms of eating and sleeping. The only thing that's different is that she ate WAY more than he does. Like Lainey once did, Walker likes to nap between each feeding, usually an hour to an hour and a half after he last awakened. Lainey would take a big nap in the morning, about an hour after she awakened for the day. Walker does the same thing.