James is FOUR months old?!
Jamesy LOVES:
Playing airplane, blowing raspberries, babbling, drooling, forward facing Baby Bjorn, his toes, sucking his thumb and/or fingers, watching lips move, making high pitch noises, hearing people talk, singing songs, listening to music and lullabies, vacuum cleaner, standing, jumping (while being held for support - his legs are very strong!), tummy time!, play gym and kick piano, grabbing and swatting toys, peek-a-boo, pulling hair, putting everything in his mouth (let the teething begin), rolling from tummy to back, water glasses, water bottles (who needs toys when watching water swish back and forth is so entertaining?), anything Mom or Dad is eating/drinking, taking baths (and kicking in tub), baby massage, story time, stroller walks, observing the outdoors (wind, listening to birds chirp, listening to/watching rain)
Jamesy DOESN'T LOVE:
Being surprised with loud noises or sudden movements, big burps, cradle cap, starting to teeth
Big boy!
And, we have a roller! James can now roll from his tummy to his back. However, I don't think it's intentional yet. It happens in slow motion too. Here he is in action:
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| What a difference a few months make! Remember the days when lifting his head was a struggle and only lasted a minute or two? Look at him now, Mr. Head Control. Lifts his head and neck now like it's no big deal. |
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| Ta-da! |
Observations:
James is so active and eager to be a part of everything going on around him. He is very observant. Nap times are getting shorter. With his strong head control, he can now turn to look at the person talking to him. He may not really understand that his name is James yet, but he definitely responds to you when you call his name. He loves to smile, especially at the ladies. He has started laughing, but you still really have to work hard at it to get him to belly laugh. The BEST sound when he starts going though - he still sounds like a little squeaky toy (I took a video, I will try to post it)! James is obsessed with his hands and feet. He will stare at his hands (they are attached?) to the point where he starts to look cross-eyed because he puts them so close to his face, and if he's laying down or reclined he instantly grabs his toes. Babies are so flexible - it's truly amazing. He loves to gnaw on his toes like his foot is a corn-on-the-cob. Very cute. Just not when you are trying to feed him, bathe him or change his diaper!
Eating:
About 4 oz every 3-4 hours. I think. I'm breastfeeding, so it's hard to tell, but that is how much he will drink if I pump and give him a bottle. By the looks of him, he is obviously a good eater. However, lately, nursing sessions have become quite the acrobatic and vocal show. James will pull my hair (he has a very strong grip!), kick his legs, walk his legs up my chest, swat my chest (or boob!) with his free hand, and create a blowout diaper, all while eating furiously. Nothing stops him! And most recently, start to yell in a high pitch voice when I try to feed him and he isn't ready, or is too distracted by something else in the room that he needs to investigate first.
Sleeping:
James is sleeping well at night, but still gets up once to eat. After his bedtime routine of either baby massage/bath time, pj's and story time, he will first go down around 8 p.m. and sleep until 10 or 10:30 (when we are getting ready for bed). Then I'll feed and change him and he will go right back to bed with us until about 3 or 4 a.m. to eat again. He still sleeps in the Rock-n-play in our room. However, he is great about eating and going right back to sleep. His day "starts" around 6:30 a.m. every morning. Which is great on the week days, because Phil is able to see him smiley and happy before he heads off to work. However, not so great on the weekends, when I'd love to be able to sleep just a little bit longer!
Babbling and Singing:
Although he can't say real words yet, James babbles up a storm now. It's amazing to watch the little wheels turning in his head while he's trying to move his mouth to make different noises, and entertaining himself with the sounds that come out! He is also fascinated by other people talking. He will watch your mouth intently and try to grab your nose/lips as he watches how your mouth changes when you say different sounds. So far the sounds that get the biggest smiles are "OOOO," "AAAHH," "LA LA LA," "MA MA MA," "DA DA DA," "SHHHHH," "SWISH SWISH SWISH," and the over exaggerated noise you make with your lips to make a "kiss" sound. He loves getting kisses! I am sure it will be surprising when one day James decides to repeat these sounds back to us!
James also loves singing songs. His favorites are "The Wheels on the Bus" (most likely because of the sounds that go with the song), "Take Me Out to the Ballgame," "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star," the Alphabet song, "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes," and the "Itsy Bitsy Spider," However, you can only sing these songs so many times before you need to start finding some new material! I've even resorted to songs I learned in middle school Spanish class (colors, vowels and Spanish-speaking countries, anyone?!). But, I recently found that James loves listening to the Sesame Street Songs that have celebrities singing kid-friendly lyrics to the tune of their hit songs. So, we have been You-tubing and enjoying those.
