Four Months Old!

Luke talking to his Elephant

So I am a little behind in doing Luke's 4 month post - to my credit, I did take the pictures on his 4 month "birthday," but am just now getting around to doing the actual post.

Notice Luke's hair goes halfway down his back - hence, the need for a haircut!

For celebrate Luke's 4 month-dom, I took him to the pediatrician for his 4 month shots - he was not pleased. AT. ALL. He did so well at the doctor's office - he weighed 15.55 pounds, was 25.5 inches long, and had a head circumference of 17 inches - 75th percentile for height and weight and 90th percentile for that big head. He got his shots and he seemed just fine. We went to visit Aunt Pat at work, then went to Early Bird Story Time at the library, and then ran to Barnes and Noble...and THEN, he LOST IT. I mean, crying uncontrollably, SO upset, SO mad. We got home and he finally calmed down after a little Tylenol and some lunch. He was just so fussy and sad all afternoon - a much different experience than his first little round of shots.

Two days later, he got an ear infection - wow. Once again, my usually happy baby was really upset, crying, mad, and very sad. A round of antibiotics, more Tylenol, and some ear numbing drops, and he is now finally back to his old self. The only remaining effect of his sickness is that he has regressed in his sleep patterns. He was finally getting to where he was sleeping 6-7 hours at night - now we are back to 3-4. I have hope that we will once again get to the happy place of 6-7 hours...

He continues to be a complete joy for us! He is wearing a size 2 diaper, size 6-9 month clothes, loves playing in his exersaucer, and just babbles up a storm. He laughs for his daddy and smiles for everyone. He is so cute in his bumbo chair and loves to grab and hold his toys. I think he is teething, as he puts everything directly in his mouth and is slobbering on everything. Bless his heart, his little shirts are usually wet by the time he's had them on for 30 minutes. I've seen some cute "teething bandanas" on etsy - I will probably look into ordering one soon. He also loves looking at light fixtures and bright colors (and he continues his love affair with ceiling fans). I took him for orientation at our church's nursery and he was mesmerized by all of the bright artwork all over the walls. Our church nursery is like a scene out of Honey I Shrunk the Kids, so it is very stimulating for little eyes!

We are having him dedicated at church on Sunday and he will be going to the nursery for the first time - momma is nervous. However, I know he will be in good hands and that he will have a great time. Gigi made him a beautiful outfit and I cannot wait to see how cute he is going to look. After dedication, Gigi is hosting a brunch at her house - it should be a wonderful day!

Luke eats like a champ, eating about 5-7 times per day. He refuses a bottle or a pacifier, so we don't stray too far from each other :-) I have tried every type of bottle on the market and he is just not a fan of any of them. I have tried every trick in the book and still can't get him interested. As long as he is happy and gaining weight, I am happy to feed him any way he wishes!

We love going to Early Bird Story Time on Tuesdays and he really tunes in and listens to Miss Polly. Several of his "friends" go to storytime, so it is fun to see them each week. It has been a great opportunity to connect with other moms who are in the same station of life and for Luke to learn to enjoy books!

Luke and Anna Laura at Story Time (Anna Laura's mom and I are good friends and Anna Laura was born exactly three weeks before Luke)

Luke thinks story time is hilarious

I have started back to teaching one class a week at the gym. While I'm not quite ready to get back to teaching my spin classes, the water bootcamp classes are going quite well. Gran and Gigi are splitting Wednesday night babysitting duties so that I can get to class on time since Kasey doesn't get home in time. We will eventually put him in the gym nursery, but we're just not ready for that yet!

We enjoyed a wonderful visit from Aunt Amy last week - Amy is my very best friend and it was just awesome to introduce her to Luke. We have been best friends for almost 25 years and have been through it all. Luke, of course, loved her. Incidentally, the elephant that Luke takes his monthly pictures with was a gift from Aunt Amy and has her voice recorded on it. It was such a special gift!

Luke loves his Aunt Amy

Sleep is not Luke's favorite activity :-) Once he feels better, we are going to start working on a daytime schedule so that naptime might come a little easier. Right now, he loves to nap on me or in his carseat, but just not in his comfy crib. We are very lucky that he is a happy baby when he is awake - it just makes it hard for me to get anything done. However, the way I look at it is that he is only this age one time - the housework will always be there.

We are amazed every day that God put Luke with us - we are just so happy and enjoy him so much!

Luke and Daddy watching football

Luke playing in his exersaucer