The end of the 4th trimester

Their is a theory in child development that for the first three months of life infants are supposed to still be in the womb. J. thinks the theory is completely bogus, but there is no denying that newborns crave womb-like sound, movement, and containment. Newborns are also completely helpless and bit blob-like for those first three months. It's not really the most rewarding time to be a parent, as newborn babies can't really do anything. As a parent it can be disheartening that your presence barely even registers with them.

For us the fourth trimester was a lot more than three months. Because Sadie and Jack were born 7 weeks early we got the extended version of the fourth trimester. I am happy to announce though that we have now moved on to the next phase of development. Jack and Sadie reached the adjusted age (adjusted to their due date) of 3 months yesterday.

I cannot explain how exciting it is to be beyond the blob stage. The babies actually interact with us now. Jack even played with his first toy today! He batted the rattles on his bouncy chair (as demonstrated in these photos). Sadie can now splash around in the tub. Jack laughs. Our children have graduated to being babies instead of newborns! When Sadie's colic first took over our lives in May and we had not even reached Jack and Sadie's due date, and were thus in the negative for adjusted age, it seemed unimaginable that we would ever make it to this mythical stage in their development when they would engage more and cry less. But I am happy to report that we finally have made it and it is a wonderful improvement.