4 Months

Charlie at 2.5 months - May 6, 2011

Up until he was about three months old, Charlie woke up every 2.5 to 3 hours, wouldn't nap for more than 45 minutes during the day, would occasionally decide to stay up all night long, and would cry from about 5 pm until 8 pm, usually starting right when I was in the middle of making dinner.  Apparently, this is normal baby behavior.  Apparently, Claire was not normal.  We learned to appreciate the baby swing and its ability to keep Charlie calm long enough to cook dinner and grandmas willing to come over during the witching hour.  I loved the days when I managed to get Claire and Charlie to nap at the same time, so that I could take a nap too.  I often felt frustrated by my inability to figure out what Charlie needed.  Then, Charlie figured out how to suck his thumb and became a much happier baby.  One night he went to bed at 7:30 and slept until 5:00 am.  He did this a couple of nights in a row, and then one morning I woke up, it was 7 am, and Charlie was still asleep.  Life started to look much rosier.  The days of colic and night feedings seem like a lifetime ago.  I'm not in the least bit nostalgic for that stage of babyhood, even as Charlie seems to get bigger and more person like each day.
 

Charlie at 4 months - June 22, 2011

At four months, Mister Charlie is a pretty easy going, happy baby.  He likes to lay on the floor where he can kick and watch all of the people and animals in his life.  He seems to prefer watching Claire to just about anyone.  He's started reaching for and grabbing toys.  He likes to have something to do with his hands.  For several weeks he would wring his little hands, and then it finally occurred to us that he might actually like a toy or a blanket.  He kicks his legs anytime he is excited.  He's rolled over a couple of times and I half expect him to start chasing after Claire.  Charlie's teeth are working on pushing their way through his gums, and he chews on anything he can get to his mouth.  Kisses on his cheeks and tummy guarantee a smile, if not a giggle.

He has an ever expanding vocabulary of sounds - my favorite is a cross between a squeal and a yell and communicates pure excitement and seems to say "look at me."  Charlie has figured out that he has to be loud if he wants to be heard above his sister.  Based on his earlier seriousness, we thought he might be our quiet child, but as he starts to reveal himself to us, his introverted parents are preparing themselves for a house filled with noise and non-stop activity.


At his four month check up he weighed 14 pounds and was 25 inches long.  He's developmentally right where he should be, and it doesn't look like we need to continue to age adjust based on his early arrival.  I think it is normal, as a parent, to worry that your kid might not be developing normally, and professional reassurance to the contrary is comforting and welcome.  

May 31, 2011

As I write these posts about what Charlie and Claire are doing, I find myself wrapped up in nostalgia and a longing for the future.  I know that I will miss Charlie's immobility, yet I'm looking forward to watching him crawl and walk and the independence they bring.  I'll miss the quiet of his baby sounds as he plays happily in one place while Claire plays happily someplace else.  Soon, he will be in Claire's things and he won't be oblivious when she grabs a toy out of his hands, but I look forward to their interacting and their hopefully being friends and playmates (with some hope from the picture of Claire showing her sweet side).  I simultaneously enjoy the closeness of nursing while counting down the months until Charlie is weaned.  I like to daydream about the trips we can take when they get older, not planning around naps, lazy summer days characterized by hours at the pool and kids curled up reading on the sofa during the heat of the day.  In the throes of raising a baby and a preschooler it is easy to romanticize the future and forget to enjoy what they are doing right now - to enjoy each kiss that brings a smile to his face and the fact that right now Charlie and Claire want nothing more in the world than to be with us.

And have we mentioned Dug is the best dog ever?

 May 14, 2011