Baby Massage

We celebrated Caleb’s 3 month ‘birthday’ today by taking him to a baby massage class. It was held at the local Parenting Center and taught by my doula (it’s a small town). There were two other babies there: an almost 3 month old and a 7 month old. We learned how to do the massage, starting from the head all the way down to the soles of the feet, we learned what type of oils are best to use, and practiced on the little ones. Up until now, Caleb couldn’t tolerate too much touch, but now that his nervous system has matured somewhat, he seems to enjoy it. So this was the perfect time to take the class, and I was able to fine-tune my massage techniques. Massage promotes relaxation, boosts alertness, increases the body’s immune response, and even relieves pain. Well, baby massage does the same sort of thing for babies: it mellows them out, helps them sleep better, and have a greater sense of well-being. It seemed to have a calming effect on Caleb, because after the massage, he slept for much longer and deeper than usual.

It’ s hard to believe that our baby is already 3 months old! A year ago at this time, we weren’t even pregnant yet! (We were on our last pre-pregnancy trip, in Myrtle Beach.) And now we have a 3 month old! At 3 months, he is now past the ‘newborn’ period. And it really shows. Caleb has matured so much in the past months. Gone is the helpless infant, whose desperate cry is the only way of communicating his needs. He now has various ways of letting us know what he needs. These days when he needs something, he quietly whimpers, having learned that mommy or daddy will be along shortly. Instead of needing an immediate response every time (or it’s the end of the world), he now waits for us. He knows we are coming. He hardly cries anymore; he has really mellowed out.

Another thing that’s changed is that he is now able to entertain himself for long periods of time. He enjoys spending time in his swing, bouncy seat, and playpen. He is much less dependent on mom than he used to be. (Mom can actually take a shower without worrying about how he will react to being put down.) He can be very serious, studying faces and objects at length. When something amuses him, first his eyes start laughing. Then he flashes a smile, and his whole face lights up. He smiles, giggles, coos and looks at himself quizzically in the mirror. He has a quiet voice; his giggles and coos are still gentle (I’m sure we will hear louder shrieks in the future). He has all kinds of interesting little quirks and mannerisms, from holding onto his hair to folding his arms up in an orderly fashion, as if hugging himself. I notice something new all the time. One of my favorite pastimes is to watch him sleep. When he’s in a REM sleep, a hundred emotions run through his face, accompanied by all the sounds (smiling, crying, laughing, sucking, whimpering). It is fascinating to watch. His brain must be working overtime.

He’s such a sweet baby and Ron and I can’t get enough of him. We are so in love with our little boy! We couldn’t have asked for a sweeter, smarter, more beautiful baby in all the world. Each day is a new adventure with him and we are enjoying every moment!