Four Months

Dear Timothy,

Hey, sweet boy! Today you are 4 months old! Congratulations! I think you believed me after your hernia surgery when I told you that you had to stop the drama, because it's been a really quiet two months. So quiet, in fact, that I didn't even write to you when you turned 3 months. I know, I know. I'm such a neglectful mama.

So, let's see. What should I tell you?

First, your stats: you are 15.5 pounds and allllllllmost 24 inches. This is, of course, unofficial, because we haven't been to the doctor since your post-surgery check up.

Your eyes have focused and you watch everything! You love lights. They mesmerize you and you will lay for a long time and just stare at the lights. We call you Insectosaurus because of it. You also love ceiling fans and the shelf above your changing table, but we don't have a fancy nickname for you because of those. The best thing, though, is lights + fans. We went to Subway with Pop one day after cleaning the church and they had fans with lights behind them and you just stared. Pop kept moving into your line of sight to talk to you and you would tilt your head to the side so you could see the awesomeness behind him, and then he would tilt his head. Daddy and I were laughing so hard that your heads were practically upside down before I could point out what was going on. Pop! you said, Move your head! Don't you know what's behind you?! 

Look at those CHINS!

You are an extremely sweet little boy. You smile and coo and gurgle all the time. I don't think you've ever met a stranger, nor a shelf, that you didn't just love and charm immediately. I'm pretty sure that comes from Marme.

You absolutely adore your Uncle Sam. You just talk and talk and smile at him. It's really funny how much you have to say to him. I can't wait until you tell him everything you know in real words!

 In the last 2 months, you've developed an intense interest in the Art of Thumbsucking. Unfortunately for you, this is not one of the easily mastered arts, but thankfully, you have your daddy's work ethic and are quite diligent about practicing any chance you get. When you started out, I would lay you on your back and you would ball up your fist, stick out your little thumb, point it in the direction your mouth and let 'er fly. Eyes wide and mouth agape and unable to stop it's momentum, you would watch your thumb go flying past your face to your ears. But you were not deterred. You began to refine your approach, slowly zeroing in on your target. You would watch helplessly, as your thumb unerringly found its way, time and again, to your eyes. Later, you would snort and sputter as it made its way up your nose.

For the last week or so, your thumb has made it to your mouth more often than not, but as soon as it touches your tongue, you screw up your face as if you've just tasted the most disgusting thing in the world, and you kind of scrape your tongue against the roof of your mouth, trying to dislodge whatever it is that tastes so nasty. You kick your thumb out of your mouth and try the whole process again with the other one. fist, point, move, mouth, yuck, out, repeat. It's been really fun to watch. I know that eventually you'll find your thumb and know what to do with it, but until then, this keeps you just as occupied.

We have also instituted Naked Baby Time, which you absolutely LOVE! An explanation of this really isn't necessary (and I promise, no pictures!). You just look so content when you're naked; you lay on the mat and just kick and coo and smile and try to find your thumbs. If nothing else will make you happy, this is pretty much guaranteed to do so. Of course, you're never really not happy, but I've learned that if you get a little fussy, all I have to do is change your state of dress. Oh, that all of life's worries were so easily solved!

You still don't care for hats. One of the few times that you actually DO cry is when I put them on you. I think they embarrass you. Especially the ones with silly things like ears or turkeys on them. (hmmm, does that sound like a cue for pictures? I think it does!) Unfortunately for you, you just are too adorable in them, and so I make you suffer until you forget you're wearing one. This is what parents do, baby. We torture our children for our own amusement.

I still get aggravated with you sometimes because you don't like to go to bed much before midnight, and that's hard on me! It's hard to be too upset, though, because this is what you do when you're awake and wanting to play:

What a silly boy you are!

You really are the light of your Daddy's eye. As I'm sure you know, he does not care for his current job (and who can blame him? But, that's another post altogether), but he gets up every day and goes to work and when he gets home and holds you and talks to you and you smile at him, he says very quietly "you're half* the reason I go to that place everyday and it's all worth it". That's a pretty amazing thing, you know. He loves you so much that even though he's miserable all day, that just fades away when he gets home. Remember this when you feel like he's being too hard on you, ok? (hint: he's not).

Well, I'm going to wrap this up now.   I love you more everyday.

Love,
Mama
*I am the other half.