Graham: 4 Months

My cracker is doing great.

Compared to Jude he still seems so tiny, so I was surprised to find out at his check up that he's off the charts in length, in the 85th percentile for weight, and 99th percentile for his head.  "It's like sputnik!"  Quoting that movie makes me feel old.  At one time it did not age me to know lines from that movie.

He continues to be pretty awesome.  Graham currently

• sleeps through the night.
• ate rice cereal once so far with a puzzled expression.
• loves his binky but also his hands.  This never appealed to Jude, and as far as I know, any of my parents' children.  Before I sleep trained him, I went in one night to feed him and he had begun sucking on his thumb.  Full on, Linus style thumb slurping with his index finger resting against his nose.  I pulled it right out and put in the binky.  I do not want to have to put quinine on his thumb at some point like Rhett Butler did.
• sits facing forward in the stroller.
• smiles at Jude and watches his every move.
• belly laughs with Jeff.
• is becoming a distracted nurser.
• loves to stand and climb up on my hips when I hold him.  I love this stage.
• and one of my favorite things, grabs things and brings them to his mouth, thus squishing squishy objects into his squishy face.  There is something so endearing to me about the chewing and slurping on little toys.
• rolls over from his tummy to his back, and scoots all around.
• has sprouted his first 2 bottom teeth!  It's drool city around here, no surprise since he's my offspring.

When he wakes up in the morning he scrunches up his face all disoriented and I smile at him waiting for him to stop long enough to see me there.  When he does, his sweet Graham grin spreads across his porcelain face and we beam at each other.  I don't want him to ever grow up, but thinking about his latest milestones reminds me that he just is.  I had no idea every day I schlepped through my pregnancy that such a feeling of fulfillment would come with this addition.  My friend Annie told me days before Graham arrived that you think that with the baby that makes you a mother, you have no more room in your heart for another one, but your heart grows, and love is a crazy phenomenon (or something like that).  It's too true -- I didn't think I needed anything else besides Jude.  Now, a life without Graham wouldn't work.

Thanks for being our baby, G.