4 Months Old!

This little guy is 4 months old today!  Oh Happy Day, as mommy told him all day!  Liam's personality is starting to reveal itself--he's a happy, go lucky kid who LOVES attention.  He only cries when something is wrong or he needs something (or thinks he needs something--like being held through a nap!).  He loves when people talk to him whether it's someone familiar or the clerk at Walmart.  He is so curious and interested in the world around him.  We are so proud of our amazing little man!

Stats

all approx. as mommy/daddy did the measuring/weighing ourselves (Liam's 4 month well-baby check up is next week, so I'll update when we know the exact measurements then)

Weight: 14lbs!  Liam is filling out quite well.  He's no longer the skin and bones baby he was 4 months ago!

Height: 23 inches!  We estimate a 1/2 inch of growth from last month!  GREAT JOB Liam!

Head:  Liam didn't cooperate for this one today, so not sure!

Diapers: Size 2, we still like Huggies (daddy) and Tug-a-Boo's (mommy)

Clothes: we're out of most of the 0-3 months (some of the larger outfits still fit); the 3-6 months are fitting pretty well with a little bit of growing room (but not much!).

What You're Up To:

Mastered skills   (most babies can do)
• Smiles, laughs- I'm shocked to see this here.  Liam has been doing this for weeks now!  He is a happy, happy boy!
• Can bear weight on legs-another one he's been doing for weeks now!  Liam is super strong and would prefer to stand than sit up, do tummy time, lay down, etc.  Stand, stand, stand... he would do it all day long if we let him.  He can stand by himself with his back against the couch for approx. 15 seconds before toppling over.  He can also bend his legs to the sitting position from the standing position.  Also, he loves to "walk"... if you balance him, he'll do the walking to his toys, the tv, mommy/daddy, etc.  He wants to go, go, go!  It's pretty amazing.  But, he's been bearing weight on his legs since he was only a few weeks old.
• Coos when you talk to him- ha!  he does more than just coo.  Most of the time he's chatting your ear off.  He is quite the talker, but he definitely has to be in the mood.

 Emerging skills  (half of babies can do)
• Can grasp a toy- he grasps toys, puts them in/out of his mouth, shakes his rattles and has great control when doing so.  Most everything ends up in his mouth these days!  Daddy says he gives his toys the business!
• Rolls over from tummy to back- he did this a handful of times then quit.  And it's only been while on the nursing pillow or while laying on our bed.  He absolutely despises being on his tummy while on the floor.  Not sure what that is all about!  Lately he has been working on rolling from back to tummy (he can roll side to side and has been able to since he was only a few weeks old, but he's yet to make the full rotation, but we're pretty sure it is coming any day now).

Advanced Skills (a few babies can do)
• Imitates sounds: "baba", "dada"- we've haven't heard him "say" any of these sounds, but he is imitating sounds made to him.  I have a wonderful video of Papa and Liam going back and forth with their sounds!

 
• Cuts first tooth- we've yet to see an actual tooth break through, but the drooling is uncontrollable (I know they say the saliva glands kick in around this time, but in our opinion, this is MUCH more than that) and he is having some pain (which is why I think he likes to chew everything he can find!).  Teething tablets have become our best friend around here lately!
• May be ready for solid foods- we started rice cereal a few weeks ago and he really seems to enjoy it and do well with it.  However, we're holding off on anything else until Liam shows us he needs something more to sustain him or until he's at least 5 months (whichever comes first!).  Cross that bridge when we come to it.

I'd also like to mention that Liam is playing with his hands and feet a lot now.  In the car yesterday he was touching his toes and lifting his feet.  He brings his hands together and stares at them, then sucks/bites them.  He definitely enjoys the company!

He knows his name.  I will talk to him from across the room as he plays with daddy or looks off elsewhere.  When I say his name he will look over at me!  Daddy used to think it was just because he heard my voice, so that's why I talk to him a good while before doing it.  He definitely knows his name, no doubt about it.

He turns toward sounds.  If he hears a sound he is looking around for what's going on.  From cabinets closing, to his new musical ball or his crib mobile & mirrored singing toy... he's all about figuring out what all the commotion is!

He sits momentarily without support, he's made it about 30 seconds so far before toppling over.  Yesterday he was trying to use his hanging rattles to pull himself up to a sitting position (think gymnast rings).  Silly boy!

He fell asleep today on his tummy, without any support from mommy.  Usually naps are quite a fight, so this was really exciting.  I tried every position imaginable, when I laid him on his tummy the crying stopped immediately and he fell asleep moments later.  Going to continue trying this method to see if it was just a fluke or his preferred way of napping.

Liam is going to sleep around 8/8:30, per his request.  He wakes between 6-7am.  Mommy and Daddy try to stretch him to 7am when he wakes at 6, but today we gave in as he was definitely hungry and we prefer to meet his needs than live by the clock.  Usually he'll go back down until 7!  Seems like this schedule has made things a lot more predictable for him and gives mommy/daddy some baby-free time at the end of each day!  He is back to sleeping through the night, with an occasional wake up around 4-5am to let us know he's hot/cold, needs his paci, etc.  Usually he's pretty easy to get back down. 

Liam went to the beach for the first time on Sunday.  He wasn't in the best of moods (unusual for him, but it happens!).  So we never got around to experiencing the water.  He did put his feet in the sand, which he enjoyed for a second or two before he started crying!  He spent the rest of our beach day in mommy's arms napping.  Guess the timing just wasn't right.

Also, his cousin Natalie turned one on Saturday.  Time sure flies... seems like just yesterday she was born.  Liam had a great time at the party--he was a ham for everyone, like usual. Will post photos in my next entry, as this post is getting long and this post is a special--honoring Liam's 4 month birthday!