Four months old!

(I "borrowed" this letter idea from Kelley. We'll all just tell Ben I did it for the first three months, but the files got deleted somehow!)

Happy four-month birthday Ben! This month marks one year that you have been part of our lives...although this time last year, you were smaller than a poppy seed!

In these past four months, you've grown and evolved so much. No longer our tiny newborn, you have doubled your birth weight at 16.4 lbs and are 25 inches long - 4 inches in 4 months! This puts you in the 75% percentile for babies your age, which means you like what the kitchen's serving. However Dr. Smith thinks it's high time to cut meals to 20-minute feedings. So far you are not a fan of having your food removed before you're finished, and while I see your point, Mommy's enjoying getting those other 30 - 40 minutes back!

You are napping on a good schedule, laughing when there's good entertainment, and complaining when attention is diverted from you for longer than you'd like. You have just started to really befriend the pacifier (probably b/c we're using it as dessert to take your mind off dinner!). Sometimes you sleep through the night, but, although we've started a bedtime routine, we have yet to settle into a predictable pattern. All in good time.

Speaking of good times, you still l-o-v-e your activity mat, the bathtub, mirrors, the changing table and signing in the morning. My most-favorite noise in the world is your singing and cooing, which is how you wake and what you do after a good meal. We've spent a few mornings laying in bed talking, and I will cherish those times forever.

You are not enjoying car rides lately, and this may prove to be a challenge as we've got plenty in the coming months. Grandma and Mommy learned that if you have company in the backseat, you are a much happier passenger. You also have a short tolerance for the bumbo seat and jumperoo, although I can tell they're growing on you.

You are a bit concerned about your limbs - feet in particular - and lean over to inquisitively stare at them often. You are not concerned, however, about what you put in your mouth and will cram anything you can in there with such aggression that it's caused a couple of upchucks. That, and the incessant drooling, pretty much guarantees that all outfits must have a coordinating bib.

Your daddy and I are so thankful for a healthy and happy baby. Our hearts ache when we are away from you and swell with pride when we look at your sweet face. We love you more than we can even understand and can't wait to see your developments this next month.

love,
mommy

Kaitlyn, Hope and Carter came over for Ben's four-month birthday party!
(well, I didn't actually realize what day it was until after they left...
gotta love the blog caterpillar ticker!)

The girls checking out the boys...sigh, they start so young.

Carter and Ben: BFF