So… here’s what Levi is up to at the ripe old age of 4 months:

• Sucking on his thumb. Usually he sucks on his left thumb, but sometimes one thumb just isn’t enough so he’ll suck on them both. He pushes them against his upper gums like he’s trying to put on some dentures. He still chews on his knuckles a little bit, and also likes the occasional right-thumb-and-forefinger combo.
• He just found his feet. He hasn’t started chewing on his toes yet, but he goes through staring spells where he won’t let them out of his sight. He also likes to stare at his fingers, and clasp his hands together in front of himself like a little gentleman (actually, he’s been doing that for a really long time – like since 6-8 weeks old).
• Standing. He is very good at it. In fact, the developmental pediatrician (by the way Robin, Dr. Pullano said to tell you, “hi!”) told us to limit the amount of time he spends extending his legs like that, so he can work on flexing them instead.
• Grabbing things. He’s starting to put things in his mouth. He intently studies objects that come into his path, and is getting very good at exploring their fine details with his fingers. When you bottle feed him, he’ll grab your thumb and will even guide the bottle into and out of his mouth when he needs a break!
• Batting at things. He’s been doing this for a really long time, but now when he bats things, he goes bananas. He hits things like a drummer playing a trap set. He’s also seemed to figure out that when he’s on his floor gym, he can make the middle toys wiggle if he pulls hard enough on the edge toys. It makes him really happy to see what he can do.
• Blowing spit bubbles. We can see some little teeth under his lower front gums, but it will probably be awhile before they sprout.
• Smiling up the wazzoo, and starting to laugh. He kinda goes “huh huh huh” and then squeaks like a dolphin.
• Learning to sleep in his crib (I know, I know… we’re such bad parents to have let him sleep in his swing this long). He’s getting better at it. Over the weekend, he stayed asleep in Brad and Kristi’s old crib for a full seven hours – a new record.
• Babbling. His favorite words are, “buh buh buh,” “uh uh uh” and “muh muh muh.” And of course there’s the ever-popular “mmm mmmm.”
• He’s got a keen sense of hearing. When someone else is feeding him in his carseat and I walk up behind him, he will turn his head to see me. He loves to hear me whistle. The slightest rustling sound will wake him from a sound sleep.
• He loves it when you read books to him. He sits there and watches just like he’s reading along. It is really cute.
• He loves his nightly bath time and massage. We’ve discovered that this is one secret to helping him sleep through the night. We prop him up in a Mother’s Touch Bather in the big boy tub. Generally he just sits there and has a ball, though he absolutely detests it when you have to clean his neck, which requires acrobatics of olympic proportions to reach beneath his many neck rolls. It’s a two-person job.
• He’s a big fan of car rides, though not for sleeping. He just likes to watch out the window as things go by.
• He’s NOT a big fan of dressy clothes. As soon as his comfie little onesies are replaced with jeans or pants, man, he lets us know that he does not approve.
• His sweet personality is really emerging lately. He wakes up smiling, and keeps it going all day. He’s really laid back, and although he is patient, he is developing a short attention span. The max mileage we can get out of his vibrating bouncy chair now is about 10 minutes.
• He is very alert and bright-eyed, intently watching everyone and everything around him. He especially loves to look at other babies and the mirror. He’s also quite a talker and interactive. I don’t know what he thinks he’s communicating to us, but whatever it is, he’s obviously convinced that it’s worth conveying. He gripes when he’s mad, and for over a month now has had distinct cries for hunger, sleepiness, boredom and pain.
• He’s a pretty good eater. He weighs over 15 pounds now. He’ll stare at his bottle (or your plate) when he’s hungry, and will start sucking before it even hits his mouth. We’re still struggling to breastfeed, only because he’s still reacting to something in my breastmilk. He eats at least half formula because otherwise his tummy hurts, he generates some brightly-hued diapers, and he screams bloody murder. I really wish we could get a break on that front. His pediatrician wanted to wait to give him the allergy blood test, thinking it might not be fully accurate at Levi’s age. I dunno… the jury’s still out on that one. But I didn’t push the issue, primarily because I think he’s allergic to something obscure that might not be covered in a standard 15- or 20-panel test anyway (e.g. cheese but not milk, coke but not caffeine or sugar… you get the idea). I’m still trying to eliminate things from my diet one-at-a-time in hopes of isolating the problem. Next up: eggs.

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