Blackbird: 3 Months

Blackbird turned three months old last week. She’s matured a great deal in one month, in many small ways that are coalescing into the first bits of her personality. She’s still a baby, no doubt: crying, eating, pooping, fussing, sleeping, repeat. But her looks and responses are becoming more complex and her preferences are starting to surface. I admit, I’m more excited by what this all means for the future than right now, but I’m trying to drink it all in as it happens, because I know these days will be memories very soon.

This is probably my favorite photo of Blackbird so far. In many photos, she looks kind of freaked out. Honestly, most of the time she does. Here she has the appraising look that I’m fascinated by. I suspect this look will come out quite a bit when she’s older. Also, notice the KISS t-shirt. Add all that to the great sunlight in her room and you get prime photo-taking situations.

The rest of this post contains quite a few photos, so if you’re on a low-bandwidth connection, beware.

While she does have her moments of looking older and wiser, most of the time my little Blackbird has a sprite-like liveliness and big, bright eyes. This photo is blurry, but there’s something about it that captures her curious energy.

Of course, anyone with that much energy requires a recharge.

She loves the changing table. Here she is in her now-too-small PJs, loving it.

Her expressive range is much wider now, but I assure you, that stuffed animal is kept there by gravity alone. She’s not much into toys yet.

I love the shape of her little head. Children’s faces and heads have so many lovely curves. Her little lips peeking out past her cheeks get me every time.

Blackbird at rest.

We’re encouraging her to play and figure out her hands and arms with these little rattles. She… is ambivalent about them. But the cat seems to like the one we’ve surrendered to the dust bunny armies that lurk in our home.

Bathtime is now a pretty pleasant experience, but being dried off is still an affront to babies everywhere. I’m always taken aback by how different she looks when her wet hair is all curly.

Blackbird loves that changing table. When she’s feeling playful, she can melt you in minutes with her smiles. No laughs yet, but she has these wonderful little gasps that tell you she’s reached maximum smiles. She has such a coy smile, like she’s thinking, “Isn’t this so great? I am hilariously cute. Which is, in itself, kind of hilariously cute. Don’t you think?”

Blackbird loves to be read to (but has recently started to feel some animosity towards the camera, hence the expression), but not necessarily from children’s books. Here Alisa reads her a bit of M.F.K. Fisher. I’ve read to her from the New York Times Magazine with equal success. She seems to like watching adult conversation and listening to people read aloud in a normal voice. It’s not the key to quieting her when she’s crying, but she will sit and watch you for pages-worth of reading. Perhaps it’s this quiet erudition that makes her look so much older in this photo.

Or is it the black Baby Legs? One never knows.

My second favorite photo of Blackbird. Teething toys: not a success. In fact, quite possibly the worst thing to ever have in one’s mouth ever. Even worse than a mouthful of spit-up, from the look of it. Mind you, she is the one controlling how far the toy goes in there.

One of Alisa’s favorites. Blackbird mesmerized by polka dots on her little pillow. Practically cross-eyed for polka dots, that kid.

Blackbird’s favorite new pose: wrapping her entire body around my thumb while gnawing on it.

The hair continues to grow in its magnificence.

Blackbird knows how to show off an outfit. Nothing says adorable like a wide-eyed stare and rigid board pose.

Dressed for a day out with Mom. Sporting sweater made by Mom.

Alisa’s washcloth technique has resulted in completely cry-free baths, even when she’s getting her hair shampooed and rinsed.

Carried off to face the new day.

Strapped in, wrapped up, and ready to roll. Blackbird likes her stroller, which is good ’cause we like it too. We got her a Mutsy Spider which has been great so far, particularly on our very uneven sidewalks and cobblestone streets.

Blackbird getting a taste for the neighborhood at the Mt Airy Day festival this past weekend. She loves big events like this, with all of the new things to see and people to meet. By the way, it’s confirmed: Blackbird is the cutest baby ever. All who see her fall under her spell.

Three months under her belt, full meal in her belly, orange monkey under her arm.