Happy 4 Month Birthday!!

I have always been a person who never ceases to be amazed by the passing of time. I wonder where time has gone, why it can’t move faster or slower, and how something as seemingly menial as time has the immense ability to change absolutely everything. Never did I imagine how much my perspective and observations on time would be affected by having a child of my own. Graham is 4 months old (okay almost 5 now, but I had the best of intentions!), and I am in awe of the way time has flown by and the changes that we experience on a daily basis.

The changes this month seem so dramatic…I can say without any hesitation that we have definitely left newborn-land and are settling into the infant lifestyle! Although his physical development of weight and length (11 lbs. 6 oz. and 23.5” at our 4 month appt.—4 months and 2 weeks) might not tell the story, Graham’s social, emotional, motor, and communication development (and incessant drool and teething behaviors) leave little doubt that he is growing so fast! And assuming he continues to be a great eater and sleeper, I am sure that the size thing will catch up to us soon! However, let’s be honest, any of you who have met the Reeces or the Kochs know that Graham comes by his small stature naturally!

The biggest milestone of this month was rolling!!! Graham has never been a fan of tummy time, unless he is lying on someone. However, being diligent parents, Chris and I continue to place him on his stomach a few times a day. Initially, he would just scream and cry. During this month, he started to push himself up off the floor and one day, just rolled right over! Once my little problem solver figured that out, there was no stopping him! He now rolls from tummy to back in less than 3 seconds, making it very hard to get pictures or video!! When he decides to roll the other way, we will definitely be in trouble!
Aside from his new rolling skill, Graham’s biggest discovery of the month…his hands!!!! It was funny to watch as one weekend, he just “discovered” that they were there and began to reach for and grasp anything and everything, toys, rattles, hands, faces, hair, etc.! He enjoys lying on his floor mat and reaching for the toys that are just out of reach. He is able to grasp small objects for short periods of time, although he is not very coordinated yet. He still tries to put everything into his mouth!

Graham has become so interactive this month. He loves to chat and vocalizes a lot. He talks in the car on the way to and from Natalie’s each day and has spent many days talking her ear off as well. One day, he was riding in the car with her older son, and they apparently took turns having a great conversation back and forth. Who knows what the topic might have been, but the two were happy as could be!

All this chatting has been accompanied by newfound wide ranges of expressions too! Graham loves to smile and laugh. He also loves to look at people, and now makes very intentional eye contact.
He truly looks at you and uses this new skill to get attention and make everyone smile! Graham also loves to look in mirrors and see what that “other baby” might be up to!
Graham is all about entertainment! He loves music and enjoys singing songs like “Itsy Bitsy Spider”, “When I Feel Happy”, and “The Wheels on the Bus”. We even have a song that we sing every morning about his dream the night before and he loves to “sing along”. Graham also makes a mean “Paddy-cake” and will sit on our laps to play and sing for long periods of time. One of his favorite toys now is a rattle, and we constantly joke that he loves to rock and roll.

Similar to the note above, Graham also comes by his love of music naturally. I spent my entire pregnancy playing and listening to music of all types. We often joked that our child was going to come out singing the Avett Brothers since that was the one CD we listened to in Chris’ car over and over again. Sure enough, Graham demonstrated the power of music (and his highly refined musical taste) during the Grammy’s. We had been watching while we were getting ready for bed, and Graham had been fussing. However, once the Avett Brothers started singing, he immediately stopped, turned toward the TV, and starting smiling and cooing. He watched attentively the entire time they performed, and then returned to fussing as soon as they were finished! Chris was so proud!

All in all, it seems as though we have had another happy and healthy month. We’ve celebrated a few more birthdays (including Chris'), watched Graham’s first Super Bowl, had lots of love to go around for Valentines’ Day, taken lots of walks around the neighborhood and naps around the house, and had LOTS of fun!


I just can’t wait to see what changes the next month will bring!