Four Months!

We might just have the coolest kid on the block. Charlie is four months old, and he somehow continues to get sweeter every day. In the last month we've gotten to hear Charlie laugh (what a fantastic sound!), watch him discover new toys and fall in love with new songs, games and people. This last month has flown by and the changes couldn't be more fun. Charlie smiles all.the.time., laughs when tickled...sometimes - other times he grunts and fights the joy in his heart. He babbles constantly, gosh his voice is sweet, and yells when really excited and continues to screech when really, really excited.

We went to the doctor today, and since we didn't go at three months, we were dying to see what Chuck's new stats would be. We knew he was growing, but man, what a stud! Charlie is a whopping 18.9 lbs and 27.5 in long. Wowzers! He's grown an amazing 6 inches from when he was born which seems absolutely unbelievable. He's in the 95th percentile for weight and head and completely off the charts for height. I think it's safe to say he'll be taller than his mom, thankfully!

In the last month we've learned the Itsy Bitsy Spider is a magical song that instantly calms Chuck down and makes him smile. It would really make anyone smile to watch John try and do the hand motions, but luckily, Charlie's not particular. ;) We've sang this song no less than 1.3 billion times, and every time it does the trick. It's true love. Charlie still loves time on his mat or in his crib watching his lambs. He is mesmorized by anything John does - getting dressed in the morning...amazing, talking about his day at work...amazing, and when John gives him a bath, Chuck's locked in on John's face and every move. He's mastered toys that I remember thinking were so ridiculous for a baby. I was certain Charlie wasn't going to be able to reach the bird hanging from his carseat until he was about a year old, and two weeks ago, John and I heard the pull of the bird from the backseat and watched Charlie pull it down to his mouth and let it wiggle back up. Awesome! He's working really hard on rolling over. He can move back and forth from his back to his stomach, but I'm not convinced he totally gets it just yet. We'll just keep on practicing! He's napping for longer stretches during the day which is great. He still needs around three naps a day, but he's starting to cluster his sleeping times together and seems really happy about these longer daytime snoozes. Charlie's gotten himself on a pretty good schedule lately, and I'm so grateful for his consistency. This last month Charlie and I have been together all day, ever day (duh), and so it's no suprise he's grown pretty fond of his mom. He's started to get a little stressed when someone else takes him and he can't see me, but I can't say I really mind. I've always wanted a side-kick, and Charlie's the very best kind.

Our one fuss this past month was his sleeping routine. For about three weeks, he was simply off his rocker at night - up every couple of hours unsure if he wanted to eat, rollover or just fuss about life. I think it was part growth spurt, and I'm hopeful that we got the "four month sleep regression" out of our systems a bit early...Charlie's such an over-achiever. But for the last two nights...drum roll please...Charlie has slept through the night! He's gone down at 7:00ish and slept until 6:30 with no feedings. Oh my! I'm trying not to get too hopeful that this is Charlie's new norm, but I will say it's been a dreamy couple of nights.

Part of me can't believe he's already four months old and the other part feels like he's been with us all along. I love our new life with Charlie and how our family has grown. Congrats on four months, Chuck! You're great at growing!

Hey! I'm 4 months old!



Uncle Kevin's already started bad habits...