Developments

Yesterday Cleo hit the 3-month mark: a modest but nevertheless significant benchmark, more or less on the order of Slovakia celebrating its 5th anniversary as an independent republic, or Sammy Khalifa, "the Egyptian Jackie Robinson," getting his hundredth career hit in the majors.

Such anniversaries naturally lead one to step back and to take stock from a certain distance, and -given that many of you are watching her grow from a considerable distance, and may not have met her at all - I thought I'd offer a brief summary of Cleo's current interests and tendencies.

[Note: if you happened for some reason to arrive at this site mistakenly while trying to find Shri Panchapakesan's marital services web page, please note that Cleo is not yet seeking a partner. But we wish you only the best in your search.]

So: like most babies her age, Cleo can now move her head about relatively confidently, and she's able to look across a room. She can't sit up on her own, but she is learning to lift herself towards a sitting position, and likes being supported while seated, and peering about. She's still on a diet of nothing but mother's milk, and while she prefers breastfeeding she also drinks well from her little Dr. Brown's bottles, and so I've enjoyed feeding her if L's at work or, as now, enjoying a rare chance to sleep in. Cleo generally wakes at around 6:30, puts in an hour or two of play before enjoying two morning naps, and is then awake for most of the afternoon, before going to sleep at about 7 p.m. She's sleeping in a crib, in the nursery, and sometimes sleeps through the night, or wakes once, at about 3. She weighs, we think, around 13 pounds, although it's been weeks since we put her on a scale. That's the size of an average bowling ball, or a medium turkey.

Hobbies? Glad you asked. She clearly likes stuffing her fist in her mouth, wriggling suddenly and unpredictably at any moment of the day, tentatively feeling the contours of the plush cow toy that we sometimes dangle before her, and babbling while she watches the butterfly mobile. She generally seems to enjoy her baths, which are almost daily, and, now that I've taken her on more than 50 morning walks in the Baby Bjorn, she often lights up visibly when I begin to strap myself into the sling.

And how would we describe her, as a little person? If limited to three words, I'd go with mellow, patient, and deliberate. She's almost always in a pleasant mood, cries only when tired or hungry, and seems open to a range of activities and positions. She's clearly a touch shy with her hands, as she's only now beginning to feel the world around her, but she seems comfortable with strangers, often greeting them with a smile.

In sum, we're entirely pleased with our recent acquisition, and would fully recommend the same model of baby to other potential consumers.