four months.

Jackie,

The blessed four month mark is the mark. You have finally gotten easier! You are a little person now, with interests, a personality, and a knowledge of who your family is.

We went to your four-month check up and you are now 16.0 lbs (exactly double your birth weight) and 26 inches long. You are getting so long. Now when I lay you down to nurse, you propel yourself forward by kicking the leg of the chair. It's a fun game that you enjoy (and only you). 

Your first tooth came in on April 16th, four days before you turned 4 months (bottom right). Your bottom left followed quickly behind and came just last Saturday (April 26th). It must have been quite the experience to incite such ferocity. So now you like to use those new sharp little weapons of yours and bite down on everything. Because you have been teething all month you have been sucker fishing anything you can get your mouth on. And the drooling truly got out of control. Since your second tooth came in, though, it has subsided.

Like a miracle, you've also started to love your pacifier. It's helped you sleep much much much longer during nap time. Praises!

Every morning when you wake up, we do a similar routine. I go in there singing "Good Morning." I release the swaddle and you stretch really really big, as if you've been hibernating all winter. Then you put your little fist in your mouth and it's all happy smiles. I pick you up and kiss you all over your face and you laugh. Then after a much needed diaper change, I sit you up on my pillow while I make the bed. I always explain to you what I'm doing in dramatic voices (e.g., "first, we put on the sheet!"), and I fly the blankets up in the air. It always makes you smile and crack up. Who knew making the bed could be so fun? (yes, I am trying to trick you into thinking this chore is fun). We also have instituted reading before nap time. I will pick out 3 or 4 books and we hang out on the bed and go through them. You can't just observe and listen to the story, you always need to pull on the book and turn the pages yourself. You get really into the plot, I guess. Your favorite book these days is one with pictures of real babies. It isn't very literary, but you seem to like your own kind. We've been going to the library every week or so to get new ones because mom gets bored of reading the same ones over and over.

You love your reflection. You are your own best source of entertainment. We just sit you up in front of the bathroom mirror and you smile so big. It's useful in the mornings when mom needs to get ready for the day.

You developed a new fake cry this past month. I can't really explain it except to say that it's sort of like a deep wail. You look me in the eye and give it to me which means you need something new to distract you.

You hate lying down. You like to be standing or sitting up at all times--both of which requires either mine or dad's help, so you still are pretty high maintenance. You hold and bite and suck and shake and drop all of your toys now. Your favorites are Sophie (who you grab by the neck) and a little toy guitar that rattles and plays rock music to the tune of "I've Been Working on the Railroad."

You rolled over for the first time on April 24th for mom and did it three times in a row. After which, you started crying without ceasing. I think it must have been pretty tiring. You did it again that next Saturday for dad, three times in a row again, after which you refused to continue. Three is the magic number.

It's hard to capture in words your grandness and the cute little kid you are turning into, but this is me trying.

Love,
Mom

First time in a high chair at Auntie Lisa's house

At a rainy baseball game. The rain didn't phase you.