A Letter to my Son on his 4 Month Birthday!

Dear Decker,

Days keep passing and they become months and suddenly 1/3 of the first year is behind us. Amazing how that happens. Sadly, though, it's not the fast passing of the first year that has me fighting tears, it's knowing, by looking at your brothers, that in a blink of an eye you will be 9.  I cherish these early days with you more than you know. 

At four months old you are a wonderful dream come true. You have earned the absolute love and delight of each of us who lives with you and the many who come to visit. You're nothing but smiles and coos and laughs.  All of the time.  You truly are the happiest baby on the block- no same titled book to follow required. 

You are strong. You have had head control for quite some time. You roll over both ways, you kick with some force, and you've recently started to try to crawl. A sort of army control that does give you some rug burns but also gets you 3-4 ft across a room. For all accounts it is too early for such movement. You've also been sitting in the high chair to hang out and are now playing in the exersaucer, both things I expected to have to wait until 6 months. 

You're a great sleeper and are starting to put yourself on a schedule in spite of the impossibility of scheduling due to our very busy life. You're flexible enough to have a different bed time each night and still manage to schedule yourself throughout the day, each nap coming about 2 hours after you wake.

You take 7 ounces per bottle with 5 bottles a day, though these past few days you've only had 4 bottles and it seems to be working out.  Although you don't fuss about it, you seem to prefer Similac formula over Gerber.  With the Gerber you seem to throw up more and poop more.  Of course, it was the Gerber we were given a lot of samples of.

Your hair is growing in quite well, and the remaining spot on the back, that looked rather silly when you were bald, has filled in nicely and though the hair from your comb-over remains, it looks less like a comb-over and  more like just a part of your hair, with one long strand.

You gained  1lb 3 oz this month putting you at 14.7 (13.4 at 3 months) and grew a half inch and now measure at 24.5 inches.  You seem big, you feel heavy, and, yes, you are growing up too fast.

Your eyes are still a very beautiful blue!!

Most people say you look just like Turner as a baby and, it's true, I see it too.  But, to me, you are just Decker, my little Dex, I just see beautiful you.

Read about month 3.

Read about Turner at 4 months.

A Letter to my Son on his 3 Month Birthday!

Dear Decker,

Happy 3 month birthday! It's been 3 months of joy, of smiles, of laughter.  Sure, minimum sleep and seemingly endless feedings have been thrown in there, but it's been mostly smiles and joy.  

You are an absolute delight.  A boy whose big blue eyes and adorable smile fill a room and cause anyone who sees you to open their eyes wider and grin a little bigger.

I stare at you in awe. I spent all those months wondering what you would look like, what color your hair and eyes would be, and here you are in front of me, more perfect than I could have imagined.

Your head is perfectly round.  Your nose is tiny. Your eyes are big and a beautiful blue.  Your lashes are long and light in color.  Your cheeks are rosy. Your ears are small and flat against your head.  Your hair is starting to come in and the remaining hair from birth, the few long strands, I refer to as your comb-over.  Your fingers and toes are long.  Your lips are full and pink. Your chin is defined, in spite of the growing double chin, which is only cute on a baby.  When I trace your face with my finger, which I do frequently, I trace a perfect heart, which I love, of course. Your dimples are still oddly fleeting and I can't decide if you have them or not.

You coo and you laugh and you seem like you want to talk, like you have so much to say.  You smile often, sometimes just a grin and other times a full smile with your toothless mouth wide open.  You are starting to laugh, though not a full belly laugh just yet. You are in perpetual motion when you are awake, with your legs and arms always movng. Constantly. They never stop.  You were the same way in utero.  Sometimes I think that if I threw you in a pool you would swim.  You are very strong, have great head control, and though you need to be held you can sit and stand-up with great strength.  And, recently, you started rolling over.

Although you've been sleeping through the night (until about 6am,) the last few days you've been waking up in the middle of the night again.   We make you 7 ounce bottles and, lately, you haven't been finishing them.  You've also have been funky with your napping these last few days.  Perhaps all of this is just a transition and you will be back on track with all of it in just a few days.

You have a laid back and calm demeanor and are passed around to many adoring people.  You love undivided attention and are a natural attention getter.  People will stop in their step to take a look at you and marvel at you momentarily, or longer.

People say you look a lot like Turner, maybe that is true. To me, you are just Decker, beautiful Decker.

Since I have gone back to work you are watched once a week by Mom-Mom Jill and once a week by Mom-Mom Joan.  Both enjoy their time with you very much. When you are with Mom-Mom Joan you spend a lot of time with Uncle Mat.  You seem to love this as indicated by the huge grin you show the minute he picks you up.  Uncle Mat gets silly with you and takes to school every week.  You're learning a lot of interesting things with him that ONLY Uncle Mat could teach.  Your bond with him will be very special.

You are very much loved by all of us. Your brothers adore you in every way and it is starting to become clear that you adore them right back.  Your grandparents, and aunts, and uncles, and cousins all delight in your presence and each of us is proud to have you as a part of our lives.

Our lives are chaotic and we are always on the go and you have hit the ground wonderfully and joined the chaos without any resistance.  For this, we all thank you.  But, you should know, that the quiet moments, as rare as they may seem, when I am holding you and staring at you, or smiling with you and laughing with you, they are the moments that I cherish, that I stamp into my memory.  They are the moments that get me through each day, knowing I had that with you, my beautiful boy.

happy 3 month birthday, Decker.  I love you so...

Turner at 3 months

Rollin'

Turner has started rolling over. It's only been a few times, but truth is he does not get a lot of time to practice from the confines of his infant seat. The first time was at playgroup last week. We were all sitting at Ellen's simultaneosuly watching the bigger kids run amuck and the newborns lay and look cute. Turner was on his belly cooing and smiling. We were watching as he sat up on his elbows, head raised proud. He was trying to roll, he would lift his leg, then lift his arm, trying to use a combination of gravity and momentum. Then he did it, and we all applauded this milestone.
Since then he has rolled a few times. He always tries, when his mother allows him an opportunity, to go from back to belly or belly to back. He has a cheering squad in his brothers and me. We root him on with a "Go, Turner, Go" and an applause at every success, no matter how small and inconsistent!