Nick's Fourth Month

For the first time this month, I gave some thought to how much longer I'll be able to swing him around and carry him every-which-way. Why does 13+ pounds seem so heavy all of a sudden? Kids aren't born at 25 pounds because you wouldn't be able to lift them (I'm sure Brandi can come up with a second reason) - gotta build up my strength.

We've finally mastered Nick's plumbing. The right mix of formula and prune juice (thank you for the advice, Miranda!) did the trick. Every poo continues to ignite a victory party. And I'm getting the routine down set forth by his mother (which diapers are daytime, which are nighttime, where heavy onesies go versus light onesies, etc.)

I continue to collect the marks of a true Dad - slobber spots on the shoulder of every shirt (he loves to lick the starch off my dress shirts, so if anyone knows if starch is dangerous to an infant, please drop me a note), bags under the eyes, and the urge to celebrate whenever I hear someone burp. I'm going to accidentally congratulate a coworker for belching one of these days, but I doubt anyone will be surprised.

Nick's Baptism has been scheduled for Sunday, May 27th at Regina Coeli Parish in Toledo, after the 11:00 AM mass. Call us if you want more info. If you're taking the time to check on this blog, then you're probably one of the parties who is interested.

He officially moved into his own room this month, with tears of separation from his mother. We're all sleeping better with him tucked away in his own quiet space.

It's too early to cut teeth, but he has begun to chew on everything in site. His knuckles are the favorite chew toy, but his shirt, my finger, the closest toy, or anything not nailed down will suffice.

Now fully able to read at 4 months, he spends an hour each evening reading the warning label in his bassinet and laughing out loud. Who woulda thought the risk of injury could be so hilarious? He actually talks to the label in his carseat.

And he can push himself up with both arms, and look you in the eye now, so no looking down on him.

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AZtWLNk2YtWLsY

He does own outfits that are not blue, just for some reason, every picture this month is a blue outfit.And there's more videos at right, so enjoy!

- Jason

Nick's Third Month 2.0

The requests for pictures, along with the volume of pictures, keep adding up so there's enough for a "Posting 2.0" from March.

Nick had his first trip to the mall this month, and ventured about for nearly three hours without a peep. He loves to people watch and take in the surroundings.

You'll also notice from some pictures that he can feed himself now. Can't quite go to the fridge and pour his own milk yet (oh, how I long for the day) but he's feverish with his hands and loves to hang onto the bottle. When he's not eating or sleeping, he relaxes in his new lazy chair which has some entertaining animals hanging from the bar above. He's most intrigued by patterns, like the cow design on the chair.

You'll notice the baby hair is slowy disappearing - actually faster off the left side of his head than the right. When he squirms in his bed (a move his mother affectionately refers to as, "the lizard") he's usually sliding along on the same side.

The story of the outdoor dog outfit has spread infamously, and there's better pictures this month. He's starting to grow into it about the time the weather warms up. As expected, Michigan will give us one more good weekend to put it to use this Easter holiday.

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AZtWLNk2YtWLqA

You'll see I've made some changes to the site:

- New pictures posted directly on the site's home page at right.

- Videos finally available to the right also.

- Archived past entries which can be accessed by month at the right.

So if you're looking for something, go right.

Have a good holiday weekend, everyone.

- Jason