Max at 4 Months

There have certainly been times in the past 4 months that Aaron and I have been on the brink of exhaustion. Thankfully, those moments are becoming fewer and farther between. Overall, I think we are doing a pretty good job of finding a balance that works for us. As new parents, it’s easy to be overwhelmed with anxiety: is he following the growth curve? should he be holding up his head by now? is he smiling enough? are we doing fill in the blank correctly? The list goes on. So instead of concerning ourselves with minutia, we’ve agreed to focus on the big picture: as long as Max is safe, well fed and wearing mostly clean clothes, then everything is probably fine.

This past month has been a big one for Max; he has much better head control, he tries to grab anything in his vicinity and put it in his mouth, he loves sitting up while we hold him and he is developing his own language consisting of coos, squeals and giggles. He also interacts with us a lot more than he used to and it’s been fun figuring out what makes him laugh and what causes him to just stare at us with a concerned look on his face. And I have to say, watching Max start to really take in the world around him has been one of the best things I’ve experienced. I love how he looks at everything with such wonderment.

Aaron and I are also getting better at multitasking with a baby. We’ve mastered the art of one-handed house chores while holding Max. It has almost become second nature—I’ve actually caught Aaron rocking Max’s empty chair while we were watching TV.

Our next major hurdle/adventure will be driving Max to Chicago for Ashley and Zach’s wedding, which we’re extremely excited for.

Max stats

• Weight: 16.8 lbs
• Height: 26”
• Head circumference: 17.5”

Memorable moments:

• Aaron and I were really laughing hard about something and Max kept looking back and forth at our faces, trying to figure out what was going on, and then cracked the biggest smile. It was like he just wanted to get the joke and laugh along with us.
• Max loves his changing table. He can be in the fussiest mood but once his bottom hits the surface of his changing table, the biggest grin with erupt across his face.
• Parental blooper. Max rolled over for the first time when he was a little over 3 months old. Aaron and I were not expecting that to happen until much later, so when we first saw it happen we chalked it up to the weight of his head propelling him over. A few days later, his teachers at daycare were so excited to tell us Max had rolled over. We have since apologized to Max for not properly acknowledging his accomplishment at its original occurrence.

Things we think Max likes:

• Being on his changing table
• Sitting up
• Watching TV
• Mornings - Max wakes up in the best mood

Things we are pretty sure Max doesn’t like:

• Safety buckles - Although Max loves riding in the car, he hates being put in his car seat. He cries almost every time we have to buckle him in.

Milestones:

• Rolled over from his stomach to his back
• Put his pacifier in his mouth himself
• Grabs at everything and brings it to his mouth
• Grabs his feet