four months

it is seriously hard for me to believe that kieran is already four months old. the last month has been dominated by change--i feel like we almost have a whole new baby every day. and lord, it's fun seeing him learn and develop and gain control of himself! he smiles all the time. he loves it when people talk to him. he laughs big deep belly laughs at his father and at me when we play with him. he's already 100% BOY. he's constantly on the move--watching things, trying to figure stuff out. he works at this most of his waking hours.

we had his 4-month doctor's appointment this past tuesday, where we got to get all the stats and brag about all his physical prowess. we answered what felt like 1000 questions, and we got a green light to start feeding him solid foods. he's doing great--doing all the things a baby his age should be doing, chubbing up properly, and generally thriving. things i mostly knew, but it's still reassuring to get the official word on it. what's not fun are the shots. they made him tired and feverish and cranky, not like our happy little man at all. and man--that's so hard to watch when there's nothing you can do for him. it makes me feel so helpless, as i know all parents do when their little ones are feeling so hot. glad it's over for a couple of months.

anyway--new this month are: deep belly laughing (he almost cackles with glee), "walking" with some help, rolling from front to back and subsequently across the room, opening his fists and exploring objects with his fingers spread wide (spirit fingers!), responding to speech with sounds of his own--he's been making sounds for a long time, but this month, they have become both responsive and more directed--i say something, he says something back, etc., tracking our food with his eyes and trying to get it with his hands--the kid is definitely ready to eat! putting his feet in his mouth, adding some consonants to those long strings of vowels.

he new dislikes: not being able to get to something he wants quickly enough, getting stuck by the arms of his playmat or the legs of the coffee table

new likes: the exersaucer!!! the crinkly wings of his bug toy (or anything else crinkly), putting anything and everything in his mouth, being picked up by his hands and feet (we only do this over the pillowtop mattress on our bed), playing with daddy is his FAVORITE right now!

visitors from out of town this month: aunt meredith, uncle jeff

right now, he's just so much fun to watch. don't get me wrong--i love playing with him, and so do the hippie and jennifer. but he's just fun to see figuring things out. often in the evening, i put him in the exersaucer, and just sit on the floor beside him while he spins the little barrel of beads, pulls on the animals attached to the exersaucer, and crinkles the wings of his bug. he looks SO serious figuring it all out, and then when he notices you looking at him, the brightest, most heart-melting smile breaks across his face. so awesome. :)

as usual, current pictures are here. the one above is a bit blurry i know, but i love the look of glee on his face. :)