Dear Joe,
What a crazy & busy month this has been, buddy! You seem to have transformed from a newborn into a very active, happy baby the past few weeks. Gone is the tiny little infant that just slept all day. Now, you're always moving and looking for something new to play with. And you look so much bigger/older, too! You are in the 95th percentile for weight (17 lbs 8 oz) and off the charts in length (27.5 inches) - a tall & skinny Reeder, just like your Uncle Craig! You are just the happiest little guy most of time, making it really hard for us to even come up with a list of things you don't like! Alas, here's a taste of what you do & don't like at 4 months:
Favorites
Chewing on things - This is still a big-time favorite of yours. Everything you can get your hands on goes straight into your mouth.
Exersaucer - The exersaucer has replaced your swing and bouncy seat as your go-to entertainer. You will happily play in there for up to 20 minutes, pressing the buttons and pulling at all the little toys.
Yawns - You think that it is absolutely hilarious when someone yawns. Maybe it's the wide open mouth, maybe it's the squinty eyes, or maybe it's the very dramatic yawning noise Mommy now makes because she knows you love - whatever it is, you think it's a riot! And because you're not sleeping very well lately, Mommy & Daddy have lots of real yawns for you to laugh at every day!
Your Sister - You have finally warmed up to that crazy big sister of yours. You find Brooke very entertaining. When Mommy is busy with something & you start to get upset, she often sends Brooke over to talk or sing to you. It always calms you down and makes you smile. Her favorite song to sing to you is the ABC's. She also loves to try to comfort you when you cry in the car; "It's okay, Joe. We'll be there in 2 minutes." she'll say (although she doesn't really know what 2 minutes means...) You're constantly following her with your eyes as she quickly moves about the room. We are very hopeful that you two will be good buddies.
Not-so-favorites
Being Startled - You don't like when someone sneaks up on you or suddenly uses a loud voice near you. You like to know what is going on around you at all times. More often than not, your sister is the cause of you being startled...
Your Digestive System - You poor little boy, you have the worst digestive system. You've had issues with belly aches since you were born. Now, to top it all off, you've forgotten how to poop! Ever since our trip to Disney at Thanksgiving, you're having serious issues. You've pretty much stumped the pediatrician as to how to fix it, too. We're going to start introducing solid foods to you this coming month in an attempt to help moves things along in there. In the meantime, you are just suffering through the gas and discomfort, and you hate it!
Your Itchy Skin - You are covered head-to-toe in eczema, and it must itch like crazy. Mommy was astounded the first time she watched you itch your arm purposefully. Every time she moved your little hand away from your arm, you went right back to it for relief. The itching even keeps you up at night. We are diligently trying to provide you with even more relief by lathering you up with 4 different creams/lotions every day. Surprisingly, you don't seem to mind all the lotioning - you must be used to it by now.
You've mastered lots of skills this month. You can roll over from your belly to your back (something you've done since you were about 6 weeks old, but now you do it with purpose.) You can turn your body 360 degrees on the floor by wiggling around (Mommy often finds you turned around in your crib in the morning, the opposite direction of how she laid you down.) You can easily bring your hands together to grab an object and hold on to it for more than a few seconds. And, just this week, you were able to sit up all by yourself for up to a minute without toppling over! This is very exciting, as the world will really open up for you now that you can sit up.
Even though this has been a very trying month, filled with one ailment after another and many sleepless nights (our perfect little sleeper has disappeared!), it's still been such a blessing. Your warm smile could melt glaciers. We are going to do everything in our power to keep you smiling every single day. We love you, buddy!
Love,
Mommy & Daddy
Favorites
Chewing on things - This is still a big-time favorite of yours. Everything you can get your hands on goes straight into your mouth.
Exersaucer - The exersaucer has replaced your swing and bouncy seat as your go-to entertainer. You will happily play in there for up to 20 minutes, pressing the buttons and pulling at all the little toys.
Yawns - You think that it is absolutely hilarious when someone yawns. Maybe it's the wide open mouth, maybe it's the squinty eyes, or maybe it's the very dramatic yawning noise Mommy now makes because she knows you love - whatever it is, you think it's a riot! And because you're not sleeping very well lately, Mommy & Daddy have lots of real yawns for you to laugh at every day!
Your Sister - You have finally warmed up to that crazy big sister of yours. You find Brooke very entertaining. When Mommy is busy with something & you start to get upset, she often sends Brooke over to talk or sing to you. It always calms you down and makes you smile. Her favorite song to sing to you is the ABC's. She also loves to try to comfort you when you cry in the car; "It's okay, Joe. We'll be there in 2 minutes." she'll say (although she doesn't really know what 2 minutes means...) You're constantly following her with your eyes as she quickly moves about the room. We are very hopeful that you two will be good buddies.
Not-so-favorites
Being Startled - You don't like when someone sneaks up on you or suddenly uses a loud voice near you. You like to know what is going on around you at all times. More often than not, your sister is the cause of you being startled...
Your Digestive System - You poor little boy, you have the worst digestive system. You've had issues with belly aches since you were born. Now, to top it all off, you've forgotten how to poop! Ever since our trip to Disney at Thanksgiving, you're having serious issues. You've pretty much stumped the pediatrician as to how to fix it, too. We're going to start introducing solid foods to you this coming month in an attempt to help moves things along in there. In the meantime, you are just suffering through the gas and discomfort, and you hate it!
Your Itchy Skin - You are covered head-to-toe in eczema, and it must itch like crazy. Mommy was astounded the first time she watched you itch your arm purposefully. Every time she moved your little hand away from your arm, you went right back to it for relief. The itching even keeps you up at night. We are diligently trying to provide you with even more relief by lathering you up with 4 different creams/lotions every day. Surprisingly, you don't seem to mind all the lotioning - you must be used to it by now.
You've mastered lots of skills this month. You can roll over from your belly to your back (something you've done since you were about 6 weeks old, but now you do it with purpose.) You can turn your body 360 degrees on the floor by wiggling around (Mommy often finds you turned around in your crib in the morning, the opposite direction of how she laid you down.) You can easily bring your hands together to grab an object and hold on to it for more than a few seconds. And, just this week, you were able to sit up all by yourself for up to a minute without toppling over! This is very exciting, as the world will really open up for you now that you can sit up.
Even though this has been a very trying month, filled with one ailment after another and many sleepless nights (our perfect little sleeper has disappeared!), it's still been such a blessing. Your warm smile could melt glaciers. We are going to do everything in our power to keep you smiling every single day. We love you, buddy!
Love,
Mommy & Daddy
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