Brody is Four Months Old!

Brody turned four months old on December 26. Here are some of the things that have been happening in his world since turning four months.

• He now rolls over when on his belly. He doesn't roll from his back to his stomach yet, just belly to back. 
• He really enjoys tummy time now and holds his head up and pushes up with his arms quite well. Over the past couple of weeks when he is on his tummy he has been moving his legs a lot, almost like he's trying to move his body but can't yet.
• He loves his Bumbo seat. I put him in it and put toys on the tray attached to it. In the past couple of weeks, he has figured out that he enjoys pushing the toys off the tray and on the ground. 
• He got a "Baby Einstein" DVD from his Aunt Ruby ( my sister Jamie) for Christmas. He loves it! When I put it on for him ( usually when I am busy cooking dinner) his eyes don't leave the screen.  I really like the "Baby Einstein" DVD's because they are very educational. I try to keep the TV off a lot of the time when he is awake, because he gets very distracted by it but I do enjoy letting him watch " Baby Einstein." 
• Brody is very aware of his surroundings. He always knows where Phillip and I are in the room.  He will look at us almost to make sure we are there with him, and when he realizes we are present, will continue with what he is doing. 
• He is also very aware of a person's tone of voice. If I change the tone of my voice he will immediately look at me in a puzzling way.  It is interesting how much my voice, mood, and expressions influence his. 
• When we go to a place that has a lot of activity ( ex.the mall) he wants to be out and about looking around and checking things out. When I went to buy running shoes, I took him in the store in his carrier. He looked around the store and started fussing. I took him out of the carrier and he started laughing and cooing with the salesperson.  He is quite the social butterfly.
• Brody loves people. He is very content and enjoys being held by just about anyone. He of course reacts the most to people that talk to him and coo at him. Last Sunday night at Lifegroup one of our friends, Paige, held him the whole time and he was just as content as he could be. 
• He can sit up while supported, but not completely on his own yet. 
• Brody is a great sleeper.  He has been sleeping through the night since he was roughly about 10 weeks old (beginning of November).  He goes to sleep at around 7:30-8 p.m. and wakes up between 7-7:30 a.m.the next morning. During the day he naps from 8:30-10:00/10:30 a.m. and in the afternoon roughly anywhere between 2:30-4:30 p.m..  He does good if he gets in an hour and a half nap in the afternoons.  He is so tired in the afternoon I usually have to let him cry for a while before he goes to sleep. 
• We read several books to Brody every day. He has gotten to the point where he touches the pages when we are reading.
• Brody got his first ear infection this past week. I took him in to the Dr. because he had around 100 temp. two nights in a row, and had a runny nose and was coughing. Turns out he had an ear infection in his right ear. Our pediatrician put him on an antibiotic and it seems to have helped.  Respiratory Syncytial Virus ( RSV) has been going around at church among some of the kid's. We stayed home most of the weekend with Brody to give him time to get well and so he wouldn't be at risk for catching RSV.
• When I took Brody to his four month Dr. appointment, we discussed when we should start introducing baby food. He suggested that we start rice cereal now, and then around six months start introducing other baby foods. When we first gave it to him, he looked very confused and wasn't too sure about the texture or the taste of the cereal. He has now gotten to the point where he opens his mouth about half way when I put the spoon in it. We have been giving it to him about 2-3 times a week. It usually is a messy event when we do give it to him, and we always do it right before he gets a bath. 

                      

•  The toys that are his favorites are ones he can chew on, ones that make noise, are colorful, and that light up.  He loves his "Baby Einstein" exersaucer. When Phillip's parents were here at the beginning of December, Brody's "Big Daddy" put it together for him. He can sit in there and be preoccupied with the animals on it for quite a while.  

•           Brody hanging out in his swing! He doesn't hang out in his swing as much as he did when he was smaller, but when I am getting dressed in the bathroom I will put him in the swing in my room. He enjoys playing with the toys on the tray.