Ezra at 4 Months

 
Growth & Appearance: You're the size of most 9 month olds. The only thing giving away your age is your mannerisms - the newborn-like gang signs are a dead giveaway.

You weigh 17 lbs, 5 oz. Just for a point of reference, your sister weighed 16 lbs, 1 oz at four months. You are 27 inches long. You are in 9 month clothing and size 3 diaper. The pediatrician says you have the muscle tone of a 6 month old.

You have blue eyes. They are deep and knowing. Your beautiful black newborn hair fell out completely. It's slowly being replaced by fine brown hair. Your skin is fair and so smooth.

You have a tiny hole, like a pinprick, on your right ear. The birthmark on your crown is just as visible. Your nailbeds seems very long and your toenails are gnarly. You've had ingrown nails on both big toes.

We call you Tub Tub.

Eating: Nursing sessions are short and frequent - still every 1-2 hours during the day. You're efficient, with most sessions lasting no longer than 10 minutes. Sometimes when I look down and make eye contact with you, you'll grin while on the boob, spilling milk out of both sides of your mouth.

Still refuse a bottle - all the bottles. I've actually stopped offering it, accepting that you're a true purist. And you never did take a pacifier either. It will make things easier in the future. You're just starting to gain awareness of what goes in my mouth.

Sleeping: You go to bed around 8 and get up for the day around 6. It's as if you wake eager for someone to smile at. I can see you, out of the corner of my eye, just waiting to lock eyes; a smile beaming after a nights rest.

Your 4-5 hour stretches have been derailed, presumable by the 4 month sleep regression. You're back to waking every 2 hours all night.

A typical day contains 4 naps that range between 30 minutes to 2 hours. No noted schedule. Two hours of awake time is about your maximum before you need a recharge. When I rock you at nap time, you sing yourself to sleep with sweet baby songs that remind me of whale calls.

You no longer nurse yourself to sleep, which is truly a shame. It was so convenient.

Development: You can usually be found chewing on your fingers. You like them quite well in lieu of a pacifier. The drool is here and it is plentiful. We keep you bibbed in an effort to avoid total saturation - it's mildly successful.

Once you took the plunge and rolled over, it's all you want to do. You rolled from back to belly first. Now, as soon as I lay you down for a diaper change you crank around to be on your belly.

You enjoy the company of others and are content as long as you're with someone. When your Daddy enters your sight, you will promptly yell at him from across the room. You will kick and sling your arms wildly when excited.

You love a trip to the bathroom to see yourself in the big mirror. You're also fond of the sound of the bath running. If you fuss about being put down when I really need to do something, I place you in the bouncy by the bathtub and do what we call "run a bath for no one." Al Gore would not approve.

You've been laughing since 2.5 months, but you don't give the good belly laughs up for just anything. You smile with your entire face.

Your hand-eye coordination is improving. You're grabbing things and bringing them to your mouth. You're especially keen on soft things, like burp cloths, blankets and bibs. I can see your two bottom teeth under the gums, I suspect you'll officially have a tooth within the next week.