Our son is nearly three months old, and we are grateful that everything is moving along for him nicely, in terms of his weight and general health. He now sleeps through the night, from around 7pm - 4 or 5am, and is generally agreeable (read: not colicy). Even after a small bout with a stomach bug, he's now back to eating normally and packing on more weight.

Now is also the time to ensure we're thinking about milestones down the road, as these three months is what some call "the fourth trimester" - just feed, love, and pay attention to the baby and your work as a parent is mostly done.

It's been a fun three months getting to know him, and we do have time to reflect on and laugh at parents who try to discipline their kids, or get them on a schedule when they're three WEEKS old, let alone three months. We've seen our son change before our very eyes, so we know a few things are coming up that we should be aware of:

• He'll be able to roll around soon, so swaddling has to end (if wrapped up like a burrito, cute as it is, he may get stuck without use of his arms if he flips himself over onto his tummy). It comforts him, as does white noise from the air conditioner in the room which we still run even this late for his sake, but we'll need to transition him out of these habits and hope he's as good a sleeper without some of these things as he is now.
• Teething will most certainly occur, it's just a matter of when. We're expecting in another month or so. We are prepared with some tools to lighten the pain - teething biscuits, rings, and other assorted chewable items one can put in the freezer to give the baby something comfortable to chew on.
• In another month or so, he'll be crawling around. So the time has come to "baby proof" the house. That will involve common sense items such as outlet covers, maybe a gate, and cord wraps. There are debates about just how far parents need to go, but using common sense is usually a good gauge - no need to lock the liquor cabinet or hide the bleach in the basement just yet, if you're keeping an eye on your child.
• Recently, we took him to a restaurant with my mother in law. He was great, found a fan and some lights to stare at, and was generally agreeable. But he still can't support his own head so we won't be doing that too often until he can as it's difficult to drag the baby seat in with us and keep him in there.
• It's easy to let one's marriage go and focus solely on the child. Beyond the occasional night out, parents need to maintain a loving relationship with each other during this great time. I believe we've struck a good balance in knowing that while our child requires round-the-clock care for the time being, we won't grow into a couple of comfortable old shoes too quickly - we're simply too interested in each other and look at this time as family time, not just "baby" time.
• Socializing is a tough subject as it's received some bad press recently. Look no further than George Carlin for an honest, hard look at what he calls a "sophisticated form of child abuse." People have taken the idea of socializing as an opportunity to force their kids into rigid schedules. Kids don't belong on rigid schedules, they should be using their imaginations and generally free to do what they want - safely and within reason - with other children as they grow. So there will be no force-fitting our children into an Outlook calendar of swimming lessons, play groups, and day care. Swimming lessons and play groups are fine, as long as it's just a piece of a strong, healthy upbringing. What a child needs are his parents and family at this very early stage of life - pay no mind to the parents who try preparing their children for Kindergarten entrance exams before they turn one year old. These are not the type of people you want to socialize with regularly or get parenting tips from.