Happy Four Months!

Dear Helen,

Yesterday, you turned 4 months old and you know what? You are still ON the growth chart! You weighed in at 11 pounds 1 ounce, which is roughly the 5th percentile. You are just shy of 2 feet tall (25th percentile) and your head is also in the 25th percentile. Compared to your brother this means you are fat, short, and small headed. Which is to say, the pediatrician gave us no grief about you and it was a totally pleasant visit. Well, right up to the point when the nurse tried to test your hearing, anyway. You have yet to pass your newborn hearing screen in your right ear - and when the nurse put the little probe in your ear you completely freaked out, looking up at me with a face that clearly said "tell that strange person to get that stupid little plastic thing out of my ear this instant" and in case I didn't understand you clearly enough, you screamed - LOUDLY. Then came the shots. Ouch! But, you weathered these shots a lot better than your brother ever did. We gave you Tylenol before and after, but other than a slight sleep disturbance last night (which could have been caused by any number of things), you seemed to be over the shots shortly after getting them. Thank you, Helen, I appreciate this.


This month, you made great strides in the rolling over department - and though you do it frequently when your head and body are propped on a pillow, you have yet to perform the feat without this assistance. However, when I roll you over you are expert at lifting your head up so that your face doesn't end up planted in the rug and you move about so much with both your arms and legs flailing that it seems that soon, you just might accidentally move yourself.


The most remarkable thing I think of right now is that you talk nonstop. You have your blabbering, your squealing, your funky little inhale noise - and really, Helen, it is so completely charming and funny and it makes me laugh often. Connor seems to dig it too and if someone repeats one of your sounds back to you, it seems to provide you with even more joy which makes you make even more of your funny sounds. You often squeal when I walk into the room and that is a very endearing thing, indeed.

Your two cousins from the Midwest came to meet you this month and I can say with some certainty - except for the screaming in the car - they adore you. On their visit, we all went swimming (you actually just got to put on the cutest little swimsuit ever and hang out in a sling or on your aunt's lap), we went to the zoo and the building museum, and we took lots of photos. You were pretty much a champ - and except for the first night when you and Connor were trying to collectively see how little sleep I needed to function, you were an excellent sleeper.


By writing this next accomplishment, I know I am totally jinxing you, but it is so amazing that I simply must record it. You regularly sleep at least 6 hours and one night, you slept NINE. That rocked.

Time is swiftly passing, these days. I saw baby Mia (3 weeks old) tonight and I could hardly remember you being as small as she is, though you certainly were that small at one point. I'm trying really hard to hang onto memories.

Love,
Mommy