Four month catch up

Luc's four month appointment went really well. He weighed in at 16 lbs. 7 oz. and measured 26 1/2 inches! What a big boy! It just amazes to me to look at him and really take in how much he's grown since his birthday. Wow.

Just look at him here at his four month appointment-

Compared to his two month appointment-


And here he is at his first appointment (4 days old)-

Luc is healthy and perfect according to our pediatrician (yes, she really said perfect). *GRIN* She said the fact that he can get his hands on objects he wants (fine motor), that he is already on the verge of sitting up solo and that he's able to support himself standing for long periods of time (gross motor), and that he loves to play peek-a-boo (cognitive), are all very advanced for four months, which explains why he doesn't seem to be very verbal just yet. I had asked her about this, because he doesn't babble like the "experts" say he should by around four months. Not that he is a quiet baby... he talks all the time, but I wouldn't exactly call it babbling, more like yelling! His vocalizations are very LOUD. It sometimes sounds like he's about to cry, but instead he just wails away, enjoying the sound and volume of his own voice. Ha.

He was such a brave little boy when he got his shots (four HUGE needles, two in each thigh). This time we tried something different. Daddy held him and I told him what was coming and that it was going to pinch, but that it would be over soon. Surprisingly, talking him (and myself) through the ordeal kind of seemed to help! He fussed through the first three shots and only started to really cry as she was finishing up the forth. He's a tough little thing!

Luc loves peek-a-boo so much that he tries to play all by himself sometimes. Whenever we put him on his back to play (or sometimes he does it while sitting up) he'll cover his face with a bib, blanket, toy, whatever is available, then he'll kick his arms and legs repeatedly making quick sniffing sounds. At first it scared me to death! I thought he was flailing about because he couldn't breathe! But when I would remove the cover, there was always a big smile underneath. I finally figured out that he is just playing peek-a-boo. He absolutely loves it! Peek-a-boo never fails to get a smile.
Granny reports that he is holding his bottle all by himself. I think it's more that he'll grasp anything within reach (and sometimes things that are not within reach- see below), and the bottle is right there while she's feeding him... but she reports that he will actually hold it and feed himself for minutes (?) at a time. I'm skeptical until she is actually able to capture a photo of him doing it. But she'll keep telling people that her grandson is a baby genius, either way.

Speaking of grasping... the researchers at our last infant study told us that at this age (3-4 months) babies generally only reach for whatever is in front of them, and do not typically understand how to reach for something that's not directly in front of them. Well, this I can vouch for personally, Luc is definitely ahead of the curve on that one. I've seen him twist his little body into a pretzel to reach for a toy (or say, a furry dog) behind him when he's in the entertainer. Yup, cute. The bib says it all.