It has been a while since I have posted, so I would like to apologize to you for not providing updates to your progress over the last month. It is certainly not as if there is nothing to post, it is just a question of determining what little tidbits of your early development are worthy of making it on this blog.
As of today, you are just over 4 months old, and you are an absolute joy to be around. Mom has been back at work for just over a month, which has provided us with an abundance of one-on-one time to get better acquainted. You are alert and playful, and although seeing you smile is amazing, watching you laugh has got to be single greatest thing I have ever witnessed.
You have graduated from occasional smiles and noises to a steady stream of laughter and "talking". "Talking" may not be the best word for it, since it is a cross between screaming (the good kind), cooing, and humming. Regardless, you are constantly entertaining us with your "words".
You seem to enjoy our time together, with the exception of bedtime. While I am able to get you to sleep every night, the number of techniques I have developed to get you to sleep is mind blowing. Some nights you just fall asleep on your own (I like those nights), but some nights you are determined to fight it. It is these nights that I feel we bond the most. "Pick me up, put me down, make me laugh, bounce me on your knee;" I feel like you are playing a never-ending game of Simon Says, only I have to guess what button is the correct one to push.
Once I successfully bested every feat of strength you put me through, you sleep peacefully "through the night". Don't be fooled by the term "through the night". Doctors describe "through the night" as a 5 to 6 hour stretch of sleep. I hardly consider sleeping from 8pm to 2am as "through the night", but I can't argue with the doctors. And even though you do wake up around 2am, typically mom feeds you and you go right back to sleep until the morning. So don't read this as me complaining about your sleeping habits, I am simply pointing out a flaw in the Parenting 101 manuals that are all over the internet.
Christmas came and went, and you seemed to enjoy it. You found more entertainment from the paper your gifts were wrapped in then the actual gifts themselves, but after all, you are only 4 months old. You also took very well to what seemed like an endless stream of people who wanted some face time with you.
On a sad note, your Great-Grandfather left this earth on the day after Christmas. While you likely won't remember him, I am happy that you were able to spend some time with him before he passed. We were with him on Christmas Day, and even though he didn't have the energy to even feed himself, he mustered every bit of strength he had left to give you a few tickles just to see you smile a few times. I can only hope that it was your smiling face that helped ease his pain as he left us.
Your Great-Grandfather taught me a lot when I was growing up, and I will make it a point to tell you all about him when you grow up. And every time I teach you something I learned from him, I will make it a point to let you know, so that you can say that you learned something from him as well!
I will post some pics once your aunt finally sends them to me!
Till the next time,
Dad
Till the next time,
Dad
