4 Months and Snow

Robert Alan turned 4 months old this past week! I can't believe how quickly time has flown by. It doesn't seem like it goes by quickly on a day-by-day basis, but it's to believe that he's already been with us for 4 months. It is even harder to believe how much he's changed in 4 months. I look back at pictures of him his first week home.....

...and then I look at recent pictures of him....


...and it's amazing to me how small he was in the beginning! I remember wondering in awe when he was born how he could have possibly been inside me, thinking he was so big, and now, well, he's just growing so fast! We are so blessed to have such a healthy boy.

As far as his development goes, I remember the first couple of weeks thinking I would never see a smile or feel like he loved me, and now, I hear giggles every day and I can tell that he loves me and appreciates all David and I do for him. He's starting to love it when we talk and play with him, lighting up with utter joy as soon as he sees us. It's awesome. I remember, too, when all he did was stare at his favorite toy, Mr. Star. Now, he tries to reach up and grab him, getting angry and whining when he can't reach him to put him in his mouth and taste his sweet deliciousness. I remember a couple short months ago when I would work and work to help him get a burp out with him crying the entire time because it was uncomfortable. Now, it's nothing to get him to burp, and he knows it's coming, too, so he no longer cries out of discomfort. Some other things that he likes now.....the color red (he stares at anything that is red), eating anything he can get his hands on but especially rice cereal, cuddling when he wakes up, tummy time (yes, he actually enjoys it now for about 20-30 minutes at a time!), grabbing my hair when I "eat" his tummy, being tickled under his arms and on his stomach, sucking on his first two fingers, doing motorboat sounds, BATHTIME!, dancing, patty-cake with his feet (especially when the part comes where he gets to "eeeeeat 'em all up!"), flying around the house like Superman, reading books (favorites are The Very Hungry Caterpillar, his "crackly" book that he can chew, the Baby Faces color book, and the Wide-Mouthed Frog book, this happens to be my favorite as well---it's hillarious). Some things that irritate him are wanting so badly to crawl and not being able to, rolling over onto his back when he's asleep, getting dressed, and not having an endless supply of rice cereal in his mouth when it's time to eat---I can't seem to feed him fast enough to make him happy!

I'm sorry for the long list, but it makes me happy to even have a list. The first couple weeks, it was hard to imagine that the little blob he was would turn out to have a charming, flirty personality that gets bashful when he sees himself in the mirror. I love the little man he is and can't wait to see how he changes in the next two months. I think maybe the only thing that hasn't changed for the better in the last 4 months is that he has lost the thick hair he was born with. I hope he gets it back soon.....it was so pretty!

The day before Robert Alan turned 4 months old, it snowed a TON. I stayed home that day because I didn't want to get trapped in San Marcos because of weather, and Aunt Brittney came over to watch him while I worked in the office. We didn't get any pics that day, but Gigi took some for us the next morning (his 4-month b-day) when I dropped him off at her house for the day....

RA: "Mom, what is all this bright white stuff?!"

RA: "Hmmm....I'm uncomfortable and cold. Get me inside!"

Maybe when he's 6 months old, he'll look at the camera. :-) Oh well, if he stays as happy and healthy as he is but never takes a good pic (meaning, looking at the camera and smiling), I'll still be a happy and thankful mom.

We go to his 4-month doctor's appointment on Monday. Wish us luck! I'll be interested to see what he weights, measures, etc. and I hope with my fingers crossed that he doesn't react badly to his shots. I'm sure we'll keep you posted....