Tuesday, February 22, 2011

4 Months

Fat Baby Alert!



Russell is four months today and these past months are among the happiest of my life.  He is growing so quickly; each new thing he does is met with our amazement and joy.  Last night he was in his bouncer, grabbing toes with one hand and reaching for a toy dangling above him with the other.  He looked a tad ridiculous as his giant belly kept getting in the way and he kept making silly grunting sounds in an effort to maintain his position.  I watched him do that for about 20 minutes--I was doing a crossword puzzle at the same time, but I know I spent more time looking at Russell than I did figuring out clues. He is starting to let out strange giggles--bursts of happy sounds that are on their way to becoming laughter.  

As amazing as all of these little tricks are, I admit that I get a little sad when he outgrows an outfit or a behavior.  I am eager about upcoming milestones but also a little hesitant because I'm not quite ready to let other stages go.  For instance, one of my favorite things is swaddling him and holding him while he sleeps.  I know he will soon not like that and I know I will miss that when it passes.  He already loves to stand up in our laps or be held in a sitting position, facing outward.  He is not a snuggly baby!  It is now a  matter of a few short months before he is sitting on his own and spending less time in our arms.  Perhaps being a slightly older new parent has made me relish these things a bit more--I know how quickly time passes.  Babies really aren't babies for very long.    

Of course I will continue to fawn over each new thing and text Brandon throughout the day about his newest accomplishment; each new stage will have its magic.  Shortly after Russell was born I was having a similar conversation with my mom and she told me that each of the stages that we were in were her favorite--she loved it when we were babies and she loved it when we were teenagers.  I remind myself of her words each time I feel a little twang of sadness that my little baby is growing faster than I ever realized was possible.  This parenthood thing is quite the gift because as much as I have a hard time believing it, the best is yet to come. 

7 comments:

Taylor said...

what a sweet post. You are a great mama.

Leslie said...

wow Mom- that is wise! i'm having the cereal dilemma- I think he wants it- but it just seems way too grown up!

Shelley said...

I love, love, love the photos. Fat babies are fabulous -- one of the few times fat and fabulous would be in one of my sentences.

Sharon said...

Russell is such a cute and fat baby :)
I miss Enoch sleeping in my arms, since he got used to the crib, he never liked to sleep in my arms any more... Sad!!!

Jayne said...

I love every inch of Russell. And you have good times ahead of you

The Rogers said...

Loved this post Allison! Russell is ADORABLE! I love his rolls! :)

Cait said...

haha We all have fat babies!

I must say Traci is very entertaining at 21 months. With all the baby things you say goodbye to, more and more fun things come along. It is fun to think how new and exciting the world is for little ones! Makes me appreciate more of the things around that we take for granted every day.