Isaac – 4 months

Isaac weighed in on the chunky side at his doctor’s appointment on Monday. He weighs 20 lbs 3 oz (95+%), is 26 1/8″ long (80%), but with a little head 41.5 cm (40%). No wonder his cheeks are so chubby, a fact which Anna repeated several times to the doctor while we were discussing his size. Very soon after we came home from our vacation earlier this month he started rolling over. He was very sneaky about it, maybe he just didn’t want the attention. One day I was doing dishes while Isaac was laying on his back on the floor in the living room. Anna was running around, sweeping, playing. Then I looked up and he was on his tummy. His head was over a spot of carpet instead of a blanket so I knew he got there by himself. He has been a side sleeper for months. A few more days passed before I caught sight of the elusive roll. And now he is rolling constantly. His back is the last place he wants to be. If he cries on his stomach it isn’t because he wants to be rolled onto his back, he can get there himself if he’d like. Instead, his cry is for his crib or for a cuddle, out of tiredness and the like. All this rolling makes me grateful that we change his diapers on the ground. He is constantly rolling at least onto his side throughout the changing process and usually when I come back from washing my hands he is on his tummy just staring at the wall or the bucket of diapers, holding his head high. Isaac is a professional sleeper. He sleeps all night: easily putting himself to sleep when tired around 9:30 or 10 pm and waking up for a small snack around 4 or 5 am then another snack at 7 am sometimes getting up with us then but usually needing another nap before being awake for the day. One friend at volleyball exclaimed “where did he come from?!” when I grabbed the just awoken Isaac at the end of our morning of play. He had slept happily in his pack’n’play for the first 3 or 4 sets. I’ve been struggling wearing him in the wrap recently, he is just so heavy. I know it is made for bigger kids too but I really have to support his head so I only have 1 free hand instead of the two I had when his head tucked into the wrap. So I’ve switched to our carrier for most outings now. It is a snap to get on, no literally it has buckles instead of 15 feet of fabric, woot. And he seems mighty comfortable in it for now. Our favorite time of day with the little man is when he is happy after dinner time. He smiles at us and talks with us, cooing and laughing. I sat him on my shoulders once and he couldn’t get enough laughs out, he just loved the new view. Jacob can get the boy to laugh any time, by rubbing his head or talking just right. I usually get laughs by pulling his arms over his head or rubbing fabric across his face. This little guy loves wardrobe changes and almost always gives me a smile during them. Isaac’s newest development though is grabbing. While I was nursing the other day we had the sweetest moment, locked eyes and his little fist trying to hold on to my arm, squeezing and letting go. Jacob’s arm didn’t fair so well the other night when he was holding Isaac trying to calm him down. “Ouch, I’m going to have a bruise tomorrow.” And Anna, while snuggling up to me and the baby one afternoon on the couch wasn’t a fan either. “Hey, he scratched me!” He grabs blankets, shirts, fingers. He noms his fingers and fist, and moves his hands towards or away from things to fulfill his preference. There is so much happening in that little baby head and I’m grateful to be a part of it and to share this time around with Anna too. She always wants to help him, retrieving blankets and tissues, rolling him over, wiping his dribble, and buckling him into the swing. I really enjoy talking to her about his needs and hearing her, in return, guess what his needs are. “I think he is hungry, mom.” She is going to make a wonderful caregiver one day!