Newborn no longer

Four months old and what a grown-up boy you are now! (and I know you will only get bigger, but...) So much has happened this past month.

You are super alert all the time. This means you will smile at us across the room. Ahhh... This also means that you want to sit in your stroller facing out, no longer the carrier. You also sit in your highchair now at mealtime and far prefer sitting on Mama's lap any time of day over lying on the floor.

...Or Daddy's lap

Maybe you are just advanced or something, but unfortunately (sweet as it seems), you are experiencing some separation anxiety already when I walk out of the room briefly and leave you lying on your playmat.

Unlike pillbugs, it is impossible to keep you on your back...you far prefer your tummy, but you happily move about the floor as you flip from back to tummy and then back again to your back--although you always end on your tummy. You are a t.v. bug and love anything that Mommy and Daddy are watching. What a good reminder for us to "be careful little eyes" what we watch!!! You have found your feet now too; they have not become a new food yet, but you constantly grab them. (the funniest story--I wrote this blog 2 days before you turned 4 months old--I must take advantage of the time I have. Tonight at dinner, you made your Mama a liar. See picture below for a tasty new course) You also reach for and grab your toys when lying on the floor. Your schedule is getting a bit more consistent. You are now mostly sleeping through the night (at least, you fall asleep at 6:30 p.m. and sleep until at least 4 a.m. Mama will ignore you until 5 a.m. and then feed you) You generally wake up around 5:00-5:30 a.m. After eating, you go back to sleep for another couple of hours and eat about every three hours (with playtime and naptime in between) until 5:30 p.m. Chow time! You happily eat 1 1/2 tubs of baby food and squeal for more. (and this after eating 1 tub for lunch many days) Bananas are your favorite. Green veggies are not so desirable but still eaten. Mama has had to start making your baby food or you would eat us broke! After dinner, you get your bath. You love your bath time now!!! You are talking up a storm regularly, and like to tell us how much you like your bath.

But you won't talk on command--as when on the phone with Daddy; you just tried to eat the phone. After your bath, by 6 p.m. you settle down for a bottle and by 6:30 it is bedtime. You are entirely napping and sleeping in your bedroom crib this month. Mama and Daddy have been reminded about how important it is even now to start praying with you before bed so we are doing that every night. The biggest change is that after months of a struggles, tears, and much praying, you are almost entirely a formula-fed baby now. This has produced a night and day difference in your temperment! You are now cheerful most of the time--laughing, smiling and squealing. Who wouldn't be happier when fed enough? You are also putting on weight a bit better. While you can still wear some 0-3 month pants, it won't be long before you are out of them, and because of your length, you often wear 6 month clothing now. See photo below for my slender chappy pre-plumping up (these are 0-3 month pants that are falling off!) You sport several oufits a day oftentimes due to spit-up (yes, Lindsay it did come :) ) and leaky diapers.

I know I should sorrow over losing my newborn and finding a baby-soon-to-be-little-boy in his place, but...you are much more fun now and such a joy most of the time that I can't say I miss the old days too much. What changes will the next several months bring?