Calvin, 4 Months

To my baby boy,
You're a third of the way to one year old and growing right before my eyes. I feel like this month has been the beginning of your many-to-come developmental milestones. This month you've found your feet, you've learned to fall asleep on your own without nursing, you're sleeping better at night, you're learning to grasp toys/objects and bring them to your mouth, you've started giggling, started sucking your left thumb, and you're making so many more sounds.

You are definitely a people-person and love to know what's going on (and that you can see me). You love riding in your carrier (as long as you're facing out), smiling at everyone (but you have a sweet spot for your sister!), and you always want to be sitting upright when you're awake. But I think the happiest you are is when you're in the bathtub! You get SO excited every single time, the whole time - kicking your legs fast and hard, flailing your arms, grinning with happiness - it's adorable! I can't wait for you to do swim lessons in a couple months! :)

Physically, you're growing so much, too. You're still in size two diapers, but they actually fit you like they're supposed to now. Your summer clothes are a mix of 3 and 6 months, and I'm guessing by the end of this month you'll completely outgrow your three month clothes. Along with your growth this month, your umbilical hernia has shrunk. You now have a regular sized belly button. :) You also have the longest eyelashes!

Sleep is something I've really been working on with you the last couple of weeks. Selfishly, I was over getting up a million times a night, and physically you're clearly not starving, so we're working on less wake-ups overnight. I know that four months tends to be a difficult time for sleep for babies, so I'm hoping this will help you. You've transitioned out of your swaddle and Love to Dream ("straight jacket or flying squirrel"), and now can sleep well in your sleep sack or just whatever you're wearing.

You're a drool/slobber mess, constantly chewing on your hands or anything you can get in your hands. Your hair stands straight up on your head and many people think we style it like a mohawk - it's all natural! :) You've rolled over, twice, from your belly to your back, but I'm guessing it wasn't intentional (or maybe you just didn't like the way it felt) because you haven't done it since. You love to be in your exersaucer and your in-between the door jumper because you can kick and use your legs.

Your adorable personality is growing daily. You're a silly boy who loves to smile at everyone. You especially like to smile and talk to me while you're nursing. Frequently, you'll unlatch just to smile or chat with me before going back for another drink -- it's super cute! This summer is going to be so much fun with you and Anna. You both adore one another and it's so sweet watching the two of you interact with each other. You love to smile and her while she talks to you or reads you books. This summer will be fun, but I know next summer will be even more exciting when you two can really begin to play together! :)

It's only going to get more fun from here and I'm looking forward to it. :)
Love, Mama

Four Months Old

Pumpkin,
Four months old now, wow! Time is flying by! Daddy and I agree that you've definitely lost your newborn look in the last month or so, which is fine with me, because I just think you're adorable as ever. I'm pretty sure you get cuter every day, but I might be a little biased. You're now 12lbs and 24" long.

At the beginning of this past month you really found your voice. There was about a week when you would talk non-stop and it was so cute. Then just as suddenly as you figured it out, you stopped. And every once in a while you'll have good (usually loud) conversations with us, but they're not as frequent as in the beginning of the month.

It's probably hard to talk as much as you were because your fingers are always in your mouth! This month you've mastered bringing your hands to your mouth. You slobber all over your hands (and shirts, and everything), chew on your fingers, and I'm pretty sure sometimes you play with your tongue.

This month you really started purposefully grabbing at things and then, of course, bringing them to your mouth. I just love to sit and watch you work hard at grabbing and eating your toys. You have intense concentration and it keeps you content for quite a while.

We've been able to introduce you to some more of your bigger toys, too, including your Beetle walker and jumpy thing that hangs on the door. You don't like to be on your back all the time (which is fine with me because I'm still paranoid that you'll get a flat head even though the doctor said you're fine), or even laying propped on your Boppy. You love to be sitting or standing up. When you're reclined, you frequently try to pull yourself up to a sitting position. Thankfully, with better head control, you're getting better at sitting assisted and in your walker or seat.

You are much stronger during tummy time, too. You're able to lift your shoulders and a bit of your chest off the ground to look around for a few minutes. You love to look at us, toys, or those big furry animals with the really cool tails that move all around (you're becoming more aware of the cats & love to watch them & their tails). But once you're head gets too heavy, you hate being on your tummy, and you have no desire to roll over. Daddy and I have been rolling you from back to front and front to back, just so you'll get used to the feeling when you're finally able to do it yourself. I know I should probably stop encouraging it because I'm going to want you to go back to being stationary once you're rolling all over the place, but I'm so excited to see you start moving around and exploring more.

This month, we also celebrated your first Thanksgiving. We spent the day of Thanksgiving at home, just with our little family which was wonderful and relaxing. We spent the weekend before at Grandma's with all of your cousins and family which is always a good time.

At the end of this month, you had your first overnights away from mommy....well, more like I was away from you. I went to a conference for work where I learned some pretty cool things to use in my classroom, but I was away from you for two nights. Thankfully you have the best Daddy in the world who took care of you, and I doubt you even knew I was gone. You had your four month doctor appointment and even slept your first night in your crib while I was gone. Of course, the next two nights in your crib (when I came home) you woke up at 1:00am, so I put you back in your Rock and Play and we'll try again over the next weekend.

You're growing so big and you're getting so smart. Although I miss you being so tiny, I absolutely love watching your grow, learn and explore. Each stage is better than the last which makes me so excited to see what you'll accomplish next. :-) Love you so much, little pumpkin!