3 - 6 months

This is what you’ve been waiting for. Your baby knows you. Even looks like you in parts. Smiles and giggles are your greatest reward. Personality is blooming. Dimples are dimpling. Cute is the word. You are highly entertaining. Your silly faces are appreciated and emulated. Your voice is recognized. Your appreciative audience is assured. Babies recognize other babies. People are noticing your baby. The world is revealing itself. It’s fun to watch.

Babies babble, blow bubbles and find their hands and feet extremely fascinating. The mouth is the depository of all things foreign. Cereal and other new foods are stimulating to developing palettes. Messes are easily made and part of the fun of exploring. Creeping on the floor is the prelude to crawling. Put down a clean blanket. You’ve been walking in the outside world. Clear the decks for curious explorers. Here is the stage where objects within reach are moved beyond the perimeter.

The baby should be sleeping through the night. If not, it will soon. For most new parents, not soon enough . . .