Harriet at Three Months

(In other words, my brain is fritzing out today on how many weeks old Harriet is...but her three-month birthday was on the 9th and I can remember that.)

For some reason she decides to nuke all of her cute chatty faces when I pull out the camera.  Silly girl.

I remember when I played with a friend's three-month-old baby just one day before Harriet was born and how I thought, "Wow, this kid is so big.  It'll be forever before our baby is this big."  Well, it certainly wasn't forever...I know that much.

Harriet is still a bit of a peanut, but you can see some chubby rolls starting to develop on her thighs.  (Maybe she will also inherit her daddy's thin legs and won't have to put up with inherent saddle bags like her mommy.)  Even though she looks small, Harriet acts very old.  She likes to be the center of attention constantly and prefers intelligent conversation.  She laughs at me when I sing to her and she can sit through an entire chapter of House at Pooh Corner.  She is moving on up into 3-6 month clothes.  She can sit for longer periods of time without needing to eat.

Harriet did relatively well on her major car trip.  She slept pretty well in the carseat, but when she was ready to get out she let us know with great vehemence.  I was grateful to be around people who didn't mind if a baby whose needs had been met still insisted on wailing as if I poking her with a hot iron or something.  Mom said that I was more traumatized by the screaming than Harriet really was, but that consolation didn't do much for my completely fried nerves.  Eeeeesh.  I'm glad to be home.

(And we get to go on another three-day trip next weekend.  Ooooh boy.)

I dubbed Harriet a High Maintenance Baby the other day and after reading Dr. Sears' The Baby Book, my suspicions were confirmed.  Basically, she has to be the object of our attention at all times - be it talking to her, carrying her around, wearing her in the wrap, and so on - or she will dissolve into a puddle of crankiness. I am not (let me repeat not) a proponent of letting the baby cry herself to sleep nor do I think that Harriet is being spoiled by all of this attention.  She's a three-month old for crying out loud.  But sometimes it gets a little wearing.


On the other hand, having a clingy baby definitely has its perks.  I love, love, love being able to "read" her and interpret her needs accurately.  I can tell the difference between a sleepy cry and a hungry cry.  I love it that her real routine is just being with me, so I can take her on an extensive road trip, see lots of new people, and sleep in three different places without her freaking out entirely.  I love it that she finds comfort and security in being "worn" and that I can really do anything with her attached to my body (except for showering...that was easier when she was attached to the inside of me).  I love the connection that we have.  I hope it continues for her entire life.


In other news, I'm trying to get back into the swing of home life after being gone for a few days.  My dear sweet husband cleaned up the massive pile of dishes and the house before I got home, so that was a tremendous jumpstart to my day.  He's my hero.