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The little one is doing very well at the three-month mark. She weighs about 14-and-a-half pounds now and we can fill a large box with the baby clothes she’s already outgrown. She has begun to roll over on her play mat, where she enjoys grabbing anything she can wrap those long fingers around. She continues to coo, squeal, and mimic her parents’ words. Oh, and she and I had a delightful Saturday-morning dance party yesterday.
I often wonder how it feels to be a baby. Even though she is often smiley and seemingly happy, I get the sense that all this growing is fairly painful. All the movement and cause-and-effect knowledge we take for granted as adults must be difficult learning experiences for an infant. On the other hand, I bet Jackie gets a lot of joy and satisfaction from the discoveries she makes as she gains control of her body.
We’ve had a wonderful weekend (basketball and otherwise) that included a visit from Steve Saville (more on that later). The Jones family here realizes that we have to cherish today, tomorrow and the rest of next week because things are about to change.
One week from tomorrow, Katie will return to work and Jackie will start spending her days under the care of Ms. Rose. This reality is beginning to set in for Katie, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to be easy for her to drive away from that baby when the time comes. Ms. Rose is very well-qualified, and her references (we spoke to seven), gave her child care services rave reviews. Leaving Jackie will be hard…I just hope Katie can find comfort in leaving our daughter in such good hands.
Here’s some video Katie took last week.
This post is really going to disappoint the grandparents, but sometimes a man has to give some credit to the lowest-on-the-totem-pole members of his family. The dogs have earned the recognition — especially Robah.
One drizzly day last week, the three of us were strolling down White Oak Road when a lab-like dog that was about Robah’s size sprinted toward us. I had my ear buds in and my rain jacket hood on, so I didn’t realize the dog was approaching so quickly until he was ten feet from us. Robah, who always walks on my right side (Baxter always holds down our left flank), was ready and waiting. I looked to my right just in time to see Robah lunge, teeth showing and spine hair raised, and attack the dog that seemed to be attacking us. The aggressive assailant pooch was instantly reduced to a defeated, whimpering stray.
Moments after Robah came down on his head and snapped at his neck, the stray dog ran back from whence he came. Before we continued down the street, I looked at Baxter. He seemed just as surprised as me that sweet, easy-going Robah had earned a badge of honor in such intimidating fashion.
About a week ago, I recorded and edited a frisbee session. I know the grandparents (except possibly my Dad) will find this dull, but worry not — I’ll get back to baby footage soon.
Notes:
1. The video looks much better if you press play and then click the HQ button in the YouTube control bar. This action displays the high quality version.
2. The soundtrack consists of songs by The Field and Guided by Voices.
Jackie is approaching three months, and one of the latest developments is her new-found fondness for chewing. I can’t wait to leave indie rock, electro, Russian classical, non-gangster hip-hop, jazz, slowcore, post-punk, or shoegaze credits under her pillow on behalf of the Tooth/Tune Fairy. Here’s a video of her teething a little, playing a little, and being her adorable little self.
Jackie had her two-month check up with her pediatrician the other day, which can easily be described in two parts.
The first part was the good part. They weighed and measured her while Katie and I looked on, eager to hear the results. We realize that these numbers are simply a snapshot of her as an infant, and not any kind of indication of future growth, but it’s always fun to quantify her development. Here are some stats and their parenthetical percentile rankings:
Weight: 12.75 lb. (90th)
Height: 24.75 in. (98th)
Noggin circumference: 16.8 in. (99th)
Of course, no one at this house is “keeping score” or “comparing babies” or even “emphasizing baby benchmarks”, but Katie and I were pleased with the doctor’s evaluation. It means that she’s eating and growing well. And, she has a big head like her old man.
The bad part of the doctor’s appointment involved her two-month vaccination. Three needle stabs, several baby screams, and one distraught mommy later, we headed for home.
Finally, here is some assorted video footage that shows off her newly-extended vocal range:
I think I spent the dog food money 