4 Months Old!

Our little Joseph is getting so big. He laughs, smiles, grabs things near his hands, kicks his legs when he sees Scott, Ian or me, and cries when I put him down and leave his line of sight. He plucks out his own binkie and can also pop it back in if it is placed in his fingers (still working on releasing it though). He still loves to be swaddled and last night I perfected a two-blanket technique that he couldn't escape from during a 12 hour stretch! His eyes are still clear blue, his new hair growth is blonde, and he seems to be pretty tall.

He had a double ear infection a few weeks ago, and during that visit to the doctor he weighed in at 14 lbs 5 oz. His reflux has (thankfully) subsided in recent weeks and now Joseph eats much, much better. It looks like he is putting some more weight on those cheeks of his, too. Now that he is more comfortable in his little body he is an easy-going, serene, cheerful baby. And forgiving. No matter how many times Ian knocks him on the head or steals his binkie, Joseph still adores his big brother and saves most of his attention and many of his biggest smiles for Ian.

Here is a look back at Joseph's first bath back in October. This was taken this week.
Even the cutest little guy...


...is more adorable with a star on his behind.
Tummy Time is still a favorite activity, and now when he grows tired of it he just rolls over and sucks his fingers.
Doing Tummy Time with his buddy Andrew
Joseph still doesn't get my jokes, but at least Ian thinks I'm funny.
While Ian usually scoots away with a disgusted look when Joseph accidently touches him, Ian thinks that having Joseph lay on his stomach is the coolest thing. This activity routinely lasts for 10 minutes.

Ian patiently awaiting the garbage trucks.

Ian watches for the trucks daily and I frequently remind him that the trucks come only on Wednesdays and Saturdays. A few days ago I was explaining this to him again and the conversation went like this:

Me: The garbage trucks won't be coming again until Wednesday.
Ian: And Saturday. A special day. The day we get ready for... church.

Ian brings me his shoes several times a day and asks to go outside. If I tell him we will go outside later on, he brings me another pair of shoes to persuade me to go outside sooner. He loves having snacks outside, especially in his car.