Solid Foods

Today we did a trial run of solid foods with some rice cereal. The doctor said it's still a little early to start Ian on solids, but that we could try and, if he pushes the food out, to wait a week and try again. He did push most of it out, but seemed to really enjoy his high chair and was interested in the spoon. By the end, he would open his mouth for the spoon and kind of suck on it for a while and then most of the cereal would drip out of his mouth. Overall I think it was a success, and we'll start to gradually incorporate one rice cereal meal a day into our feeding routine.

Babbling

Ian has been very busy lately testing out his vocal chords and learning to make noise. He's getting very good with 'B' and 'L' sounds, and has just recently started squealing. This video gives you a good idea of what it sounds like all the time in our house. Please excuse the darkness and poor quality of the video - the only video camera we have is on my ancient camera. I also had to shoot him from far away because he'd stop talking and stare at the red light as soon as I got close.

Hello

"Hello. Is that you Grandma? Thanks for sending me new fuzzy PJs!"

Starting Early

Since Mommy is sick today, Daddy is in charge of entertaining Ian. He's starting him early by teaching him to play Baby Smash.

4 Months Old

Ian is 4 months old today! He had a great check-up with the doctor this morning, and is growing up big and strong right on track. We got a grin in his birthday photo this month (with tongue sticking out of course), but unfortunately he was laughing at Clipper's antics and not the camera.


At 4 months old, Ian:
* weighs 13 pounds 12.6 ounces and is 25 inches tall.
* wears size 3-6 clothing and size 1 diapers.
* eats 5 bottles a day of 6 ounces each.
* sleeps through the night! goes to bed around 8:30pm and wakes up around 7am.
* will start solid foods after Thanksgiving.
* babbles all the time and enjoys making noises, and only cries when he needs something.
* grins and giggles when talked to, or when looking at a dog or interesting toy.
* is much more independent - enjoys playing on the floor with toys for long periods of time.
* is great at standing and sitting with support, and is getting very strong with his back and neck muscles.

The Holiday Season

The holidays are approaching way too fast this year, and someone today asked me what's on Ian's Christmas list. He doesn't need much but since he's a Ferner he'll get plenty of gifts anyway. We made a list of toys and books we think he'd like (see link to the right), some now and some when he's a little older. In general, he likes toys with bright colors that he can easily grasp, lift, and chew and he will sit through a few short board books each day. As for clothing, he does need a few things:

* cotton footed pajamas, size 6-9 months
* thick, oversized hooded towels (toddler or kids size to grow into)
* warm clothes for the winter (long sleeved onesies, pants, hats, sweatshirts, etc), size 6-9 months
* plastic, waterproof bibs

Ian's Mom would like a part-time job that's 9-5 only 3 days a week with no overtime required, located in Ashburn, and pays really well. Maybe I should write a letter to Santa ...

Daddy was in charge of getting Ian dressed ...

Looking more like Daddy every day!

Like Father, Like Son

Ian is dressed like his Daddy today in a baby-sized polo shirt. Thanks to my not-so-great barber skills, they also have matching hair cuts.

Ian has very recently discovered that he has a tongue, so he loves to stick it out at every opportunity. He's also started doing what we call 'baby crunches' where he lifts his head and shoulders as far as he can, I think in an attempt to sit up.

Toys, Toys and More Toys

Ian got lots of new toys lately, and he seems to be really enjoying them. The largest new purchase is an Exersaucer and, even though it's technically for 4 months and up, he is doing pretty well with it. He's still a little too short to easily reach the bottom with his feet, and he needs to work more on his back and arm strength to stay upright, but sometimes he gets the angle just right and is able to plant his feet and push up. His legs are really strong, and today he managed to spin the seat around a little bit by himself.

We're also trying to make tummy time more fun by giving him stimulating toys to look at and reach for. So far he loves the Baby Einstein stacking blocks - they are soft and easy to pick up and have lots of interesting pictures on them - and Joe even got him to do almost 5 minutes of tummy time last night without any screaming. We've also found that if there are toys in the general vicinity of his hands he'll find them and is getting good at grabbing the toy and pulling it closer. Some even make it into his mouth, but I don't think that's deliberate at this point.

Teak has found yet another use for the versatile Boppy pillow ...