SO BIG!

I took Will to his 4 month well check last Tuesday. I just can't believe how big he is getting already. He was actually 4 mo. 2 weeks and 1 day, because when I took him to his 2 month checkup I was supposed to pick up Emi at preschool and meet our friends at Gardner Village afterward and I was running SOOOO late that I just ran out without making his next appointment, so then when I finally remembered to make his 4 month appt. he was already 4 months. Sigh. Anyway, he weighed 13 pounds 12 oz, was 25 3/4 inches long and his head measured 42 1/2 inches. This put him at the 25th percentile for weight, the 75th for height and about 55 % for his head. The Dr. mentioned that he is very tall and I told him I knew that because his legs stick out of all of his 3-6 month clothes! 4 months has always been one of my very favorite ages. I just love how bright and aware he is, I love how he smiles back when you smile at him and how he follows your movements with his eyes and how sometimes when you walk completely away he starts to cry because he wants you to come back. We got him a new Bumbo seat and he loves it. I can't believe how big he looks when he sits in it. We had a Bumbo for Gabe and then I sold it after he grew out of it and just figured I'd get a new one when I had another baby. I went to get one at Target but they didn't have any - they were recalled so they could put a warning label on them telling parents not to leave them in the chair in high places because they might fall out - and apparently Target hasn't stocked them back up yet. Anyway, they had another chair called the bebe' pod (I think) that was about the same price so I thought we'd try that one. It seemed okay at first (though right away I liked the look of the Bumbo better, the other one looked too much like a potty chair to me) but then we realized that it had a really funky alcoholish smell which we didn't like. Then, at Walmart the other day they finally had a Bumbo in blue so I bought it and plan on taking the other one back. That was a REALLY long story just to explain a chair. Sorry. We also started him on solid foods a few weeks ago to see how he would do. I started with rice cereal and fully expected him to thrust his tongue back out the way tiny babies do when he tasted it but he totally swallowed it and gave me the biggest grin. It was so funny. He seemed to like it so I was really excited. Then when I tried the next day he wasn't as thrilled and when I tried the third time he didn't want anything to do with it. I gave up for a day or two and then gave it another shot and he loved it again! My Dr. had suggested that I put a little Sweet Potatoes in his milk at his 2 month check to help his little digestive system, I only tried that a few times in his bottle as it didn't seem to make a difference, but after trying the cereal for a few days I thought "hey, if I can put a few baby spoonfuls in his bottle then he should be able to try it just plain" so I gave him Sweet Potatoes next and he LOVED LOVED LOVED them!! He has now tried Cereal, Sweet Potatoes, Applesauce and Bananas (I know, I know, you're not supposed to go with the sweet fruits first, I just can't help myself - which is probably why I have such picky eaters!) and his favorite BY FAR is the sweet potatoes. He gets SO excited when he eats them. I love that he can eat a little now because whenever we are eating he just looks at us with his little mouth watering and I know he wishes we would share! He found his two fingers last month and they are ALWAYS in his mouth, I think it is the cutest thing! It makes for quite the mess when he is eating though because then he gets food all over his mouth AND fingers and everything his fingers touch before I can wipe them clean. :) He is just so much fun.

Some other Will characteristics at 4 months are:

He HATES noise, small noises, loud noises it doesn't matter, he just does NOT like noise. We always joke that he was supposed to be an only child but switched tickets with another kid at the last minute before the bus ride down to earth. Poor kid, he's going to have to get used to it, because there is absolutely no way I can make this house quiet, though I long for it at times too I must admit. :) When I am nursing him in his room and one of the boys come in to talk to me or ask me a question he just comes unglued - it is so funny how he just can't handle it. Poor little guy.

He LOVES his bed. He amazes me with how good of a sleeper he is and he'd MUCH rather I just lay him down in his bed then rock him to sleep. He can be WIDE awake and I'll lay him down and he'll be sound asleep in less than a minute. What a sweetheart.

He still looks a lot like Joshua did as a baby to me, but as far as personality goes he seems to have Sam's characteristics all the way. He loves to listen to Mark talk (Sam was a Daddy's boy from day one and he would just stare in absolute awe when Mark would talk) and will smile ALL day at you but he hardly EVER laughs. Samuel even still rarely belly laughs, so when you do make him laugh it makes you feel like you are the most hysterical person on the planet. (Neither Mark nor I are big belly laughers so Sam and Will come by it naturally I suppose - who knows what got into Josh and Gabe!) :) He is so bright eyed and beautiful and you can tell he is just soaking in the world. I remember when Sam was a baby I would tell people that I could just see the wheels turning inside that little head, this is a lot how I feel with Will, he just seems like he doesn't miss a thing.

He LOVES LOVES LOVES blankets!! He just loves them, he's my only baby that has really loved them like this. They totally calm him. When Gabriel was a baby he could be calmed by music, ANY kind of music and he'd immediately stop crying...this baby - not so much. In fact because he really doesn't like noise as I mentioned earlier music actually seems to make things worse. But BLANKETS! Those blessed little blankets work every time. He loves to hold them and move his hands back and forth with them. Lucky for him, he has a Grandma that practically specializes in baby blankets and he could have a different one every day for a month and still not run out.

Oh, and I forgot to mention that HE HAS HIS FIRST TOOTH!!!! I actually saw it last Tuesday on our way out of the Dr.'s office. He was crying (he had a REALLY bad day with 4 shots and a fever all that night and the whole next day) and I saw something white on the bottom so I felt and there was a TOOTH!! I couldn't believe it! The Dr. didn't notice it either I don't think, at least he didn't mention that he did. Gabe seemed to get his teeth really early too but I don't think as early as 4 months. I could be wrong though....I wish I had written these things down!! All in all, he is just getting WAY TOO BIG and it just isn't fair.