Wow--I cannot believe we have had 4 months with our sweet little Charlie already. Time is passing so fast, but it is already so hard to remember (or imagine) life without him. As my time at home comes to an end, I am feeling so blessed for an incredible 4 months with Charlie. We had more fun than I ever could have imagined, and I feel lucky to have bonded with him so deeply. Seeing everything through Charlie's eyes has made life so much more fun. Even little chores, like grocery shopping, that were mundane pre-Charlie are so fun now--the little guy takes so much joy in each excursion that it's hard not to do the same. His love of people, of walking around outside (really, just walking around anywhere), of observing new things, of visiting with people, of laughing, and of being silly have really rubbed off on us.
At 4 months, Charlie is still just as sweet as ever. He is becoming more and more sociable and just loves being around people. He loves it when people talk to him--he becomes incredibly animated and will try very hard to talk back. He is making lots of sounds--"ah goo" is probably his fave. :) He screeches, squeals, and waves his arms and legs up and down when he gets excited--this often happens in the bath and results in lots of splashing, which really thrills him. He still loves Wheels on the Bus, Peek-a-Boo, and Pat-a-Cake, and really loves all music and dancing. I put on a children's music CD for us today and he just started squealing with laughter--it was too cute.
Charlie is also rolling over (both front to back and back to front), sitting up with assistance, and loves to pull up on our fingers. You can almost always calm him down by helping him stand up. He is very proud of this trick and loves to bob his little head around to see how many people are watching (and hoping they are impressed). He also loves us to "fly" him over our heads and gets very excited when I change his clothes--I think he thinks it's a game because he just gets so tickled each time I pull a shirt over his head (his little chuckles makes me want to change his clothes all the time :). He has found his feet and they are incredibly exciting to him. He has even managed to get them into his mouth a couple of times--I'm sure his breech-positioning in the womb enhanced his flexibility. :) Bottle training has had it's ups and downs over the last few weeks, but it's still not going great. Hopefully my transition back to work won't been too stressful for him--luckily, we have lots and lots of bottles at home for him to choose from!
Some fun pics from his past week, and some more tidbits about month 4 are below... :)
We think this picture is just hilarious. Doesn't Charlie look proud here? Clint thinks he looks like he's smirking at all the babies that haven't hit the 4-month mark yet.
He was smiling and laughing for Clint when we took these pictures--so fun!
I took the next few pictures after his 4-month doctor's appointment. Charlie did a great job at the appointment, charming the nurses and our pediatrician. As Charlie was squealing and laughing on the table, the pediatrician joked that he had never seen such a miserable baby. :) Charlie cried just a bit for his shots, but calmed down nicely once they were over. Poor baby felt terrible the next two days, however, and only perked up after we gave him some Baby Tylenol. My mom was up visiting and we had to come up with lots of distractions for Charlie, as he was a bit more cranky than usual. He slept a lot--the first night after the shots, he went through the night. I guess that's the silver lining along with the misery of the shots...
Here are his 4-month stats:
Weight: 14 pounds, 7 ounces (40%)
Height: 26 inches (80%)
Head: 16 3/4 inches (50%)
And here is our tall, "skinny" little guy looking perkier than I remember post-shots...
Note the sweet Beatles tee--the first (and only) item of clothing Clint/Daddy has purchased for Charlie. :)
Aren't these chubby bandaged legs adorable??
My mom came up to spend some time with us during my last week at home. We had so much fun with her, and I can't thank her enough for all of her help (and emotional support!) during my last week. She really helped me get organized and ready to go back to work and was there for me when I started to get nostalgic and nervous about the transition. We ran around a lot, laughed a ton, and just enjoyed being together. Charlie just loves his Grandma Ali and it is so sweet to see them together. His little face lights up when she is in the room and I think he really missed her when she left--he was definitely a bit fussier than normal the first day without her. So Mom--you have to come back soon--we are all missing you like crazy!
Mom took some sweet pictures of Charlie with her new camera...
After Mom left, we had a fun weekend ahead of us. Among other things, Charlie took us along with him to George Gray's first birthday party. George was the cutest little honoree and we had so much fun celebrating with him. Saturday (9/11) was a special day for us as well, as it is the 1-year anniversary of the day we found out we were pregnant. It is incredible how much has happened in our lives this year!!
Sweet George.
Charlie and I tried to pose for a few pics later that evening before he went to bed, but we couldn't get him to look at the camera. Oh well...
And the final two pictures are pretty amazing--it is incredible how much our boy has grown in 4 months. Here he is at 5 days old...
...and here's a picture of him tonight. The "big" boy has transitioned from his swaddle into a sleep sack and so far, so good. Our first swaddle-free night was terrible (he was up almost every hour for the entire night), but every night since has been great--he's even slept 11+ hours a couple of times. Good job little Charlie--we are proud of you!
All in all, this has been an incredible month filled with fun trips, fun summer days, and fun times with friends and family. I have loved my time at home with Charlie and get so choked up every time I think about my return to work on Tuesday. I could never have imagined how much fun a little baby could be. And based on the past 4 months, I am guessing the 5 month is going to be pretty wonderful as well--can't wait!
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