Eli, I am convinced you know how to read! At each of your well child visits, we are given a list of skills that babies your age are developmentally ready to do. At four months, according to that list, you should be starting to roll over, play with your toes, and grasp objects hanging overhead. After we received this paper, it seemed as though you started doing those things almost right away – including sleeping through the night! Perhaps we should ask the doctor to say that six-month olds are developmentally ready to speak! 😉

As such, your fourth month was marked by many exciting milestones, the most fun of which is that you are finally rolling over! And now that you’ve learned how to do it, it seems like you’re making up for the first three months when you had not acquired that skill! You are attempting to roll over everywhere: as soon as I put you down on your yoga mat, while you’re taking your bath, and even while you’re nursing in my arms! Today (on your fifth month anniversary), I heard you stirring and figured you were waking up from your nap. I found that you had rolled yourself from your tummy onto your back, swatted down the balls that dangle from the top of your bassinet, and happily entertained yourself while waiting for me to come pick you up! (What a cutie!)

During your four-month appointment (you did not get a fever after this round of vaccines!), we also found out that the rash I had been furiously attempting to ward off is actually eczema. 😦 There are so many tubs of cream, tubes of hydrocortisone, and bottles of special soap around our house right now, as I try to figure out what works best for your skin. Sadly, this means that I have to wait until you are six months before we can start introducing solids to you because your doctor is worried about allergies. So, no matter how many times you longingly gaze at my bowl of cereal or pleadingly eye the spoon of green curry traveling to my waiting lips, I can only guiltily look back at you and say, “Just one more month!” But I love that you seem excited about food! You’re in the right family for that!! 🙂

P.S. The pictures below account for 28% (27.91% to be more precise) of the actual pictures I took, so I was already being judicious in choosing just the selection below! It’s hard to refrain myself from snapping pictures of you, especially as you’re doing something new almost every day! 😀

Oct 19 (4m) – *Another* picture with one of these stickers, Mom?

Oct 19 (4m) – Here, let me show you what I think of these stickers!

Oct 19 (4m) – What’s that? You say this one’s your favorite sticker?

Oct 19 (4m) – Here, let me crumple it up a little more, and then I’ll pose for you, okay?

Oct 19 (4m) – Here! How’s this for a pose? Grrrr…(actually, Eli was trying to shift himself in the seat and grunting in the effort!)

Oct 19 (4m) – Just kidding! Here’s a smile on the move, so you can get a blurry picture!

Oct 19 (4m) – Alright, here’s a nice one to reward you for your perseverance, Mom!

Oct 21 (4m2d) – I wake up in a good mood every day …

Oct 22 (4m3d) … because I sleep so peacefully, even when Mom goes on crazy, bumpy runs! (Sophie is somewhere under the BundleMe blanket !)

Oct 22 (4m3d) – Here’s the stroller setup for a brisk autumn day: the carseat attached to the BOB jogging stroller, which allows me to lovingly gaze at Eli and play with him while I run. Love it!

Oct 22 (4m3d) – Even Superman has days when he needs to suck on his fingers …

Oct 23 (4m4d) – Look how well you’re holding Sophie, Eli! One-handed! Actually, nowadays, you prop Sophie’s body up against the side of your carseat and go hands-free while we’re running. That way, you get to wonderingly observe the pretty leaves while chewing on your beloved giraffe!

Oct 23 (18 weeks) -UH OH! Time for ANOTHER one of these sticker photo sessions!

Oct 23 (18 weeks) – Shall I show you again what I think of the sticker?

Oct 23 (18 weeks) – But, wait! Where’d the sticker go?

Oct 23 (18 weeks) – Aww … why’d you move it, Mom? I don’t think you understand this game!

Oct 24 (4m5d) – The weather has been a little indecisive this autumn, so here you are sporting a little cap to shield your eyes from the bright sun and a short-sleeved onesie to enjoy the lovely breeze from the run! And Sophie!

Oct 25 (4m6d) – A warmer walk on Big Meadows (the warmest one so far). Dad tried using the jogger without the carseat attachment. It worked okay, but I hated not being able to see you, so you’ve been in the carseat again. I suspect I’ll keep using the carseat until you outgrow it (30 pounds is the limit, and at your four-month appointment, you were 15.9 pounds! Over halfway there!)

Oct 29 (4m10d) – Yes, Eli, you sleep on your tummy even though the doctor says not to. After two months of no sleep on your back, this was what worked for you, you little rebel!

Oct 29 (4m10d) – the face of a well-rested baby

Oct 30 (4m11d) – And here, we debut the brand new WHITE yoga mat, the perfect backdrop for the baby that lies down a lot. Eli demonstrates an animated tango pose, complete with the face-pulling that comes with the territory of being a PROFESSIONAL ballroom dancer! 😉

Oct 30 (19 weeks) – How about a doo wop, snappy-fingered, contemplative pose?

Oct 30 (4m11d) – ” See, I can shake my arm faster than your camera can snap!” (quote from Ông) =)

Oct 31 (4m12d) – Okay, Eli, you also have a cute pumpkin costume that I have not yet put on you. For now, we’ll make do with this adorable shirt!

Oct 31 (4m12d) – Were you this happy because you thought you were going to get to eat candy? Sorry, buddy …

Oct 31 (4m12d) – Perhaps we can take boxing class together when you get older. Already showing signs of being a natural!

Oct 31 (4m12d) – You’re at the age where everything goes in your mouth. Hmm…what’s this toy? Dunno … let’s taste it and see if we can find out!

Oct 31 (4m12) – Another cold-ish run on Riverview. Since this was Halloween, the trail was pretty deserted except for two other runners. It was so empty that we even saw two deer!

Nov 1 (4m13d) – Yesterday was your first Halloween, and today was your first snowfall (at Big Meadows, Shenandoah National Park)! You can tell it’s cold because I put on your thick BundleMe blanket and the sherpa hat! You were quite toasty even though it was 34ºF!

Nov 1 (4m13d) – Sadly, we didn’t get to stay on the trail very long because a ranger stopped me to say that the park was closing soon, since the roads were freezing. It was a beautiful, foggy day, though the drive may have been a little difficult for your dad.

Nov 3 (4m15d) – All dressed up with no where to go. Just kidding! Of course we went running! 🙂

Nov 5 (4m17d) – Hey, does it look like I’m reading?

Nov 5 (4m17d) – Haha! Let me show you my special way of reading!

Nov 5 (4m17d) – Here you go! This book tastes really good!

Nov 5 (4m17d) – Can I have another book now?

Nov 5 (4m17d) – Oh, another new toy! No, Mom, I’m not interested in putting shapes in their corresponding holes … I’d rather eat them!

Nov 6 (4m18d) – Calling this meeting to order!

Nov 6 (4m18d) – I’m 20 weeks, and the numbers are Oberlin College colors. Or is it Gryffindor house?

Nov 6 (4m18d) – It doesn’t matter, I’m 20 weeks!

Nov 6 (4m18d) – Welcome to my office! I even have my own CEO chair.

Nov 6 (4m18d) – It’s after-work happy hour! Thanks, Aunt Jess! It’s nice and chilled for my inquisitive mouth!

Nov 6 (4m18d) – Since your 4-month appointment on Oct. 20, you are no longer rocked to sleep. Thanks to Dad, we did the cry-it-out method, which was tough the first three days. Your longest crying spell was around 40 minutes. Then, on this night, Dad was away in Boston. I think I may have put you down to bed a little too early (around 8 pm) because you cried for a full 45 minutes. I finally broke and picked you up. This is the face of a baby who has his mom wrapped around his little finger. (But it’s been smooth sailing since. No more picking up … for now at least.)

Nov 7 (4m19d) – With no one home except Mom, I have to give you something to do while she showers! I put you on your kick & play in your crib. When I went in, all the toys were firmly attached to the loops. When I came out, you had managed to wiggle the birdie out! Yummy snack!

Nov 8 (4m20d) – Another brisk run on the Saunders-Monticello trail. People seem amazed by how chill of a little dude you are, even with a mom huffing and puffing up the boardwalk!

Nov 8 (4m20d) – So here’s another session on the kick & play while Mom was in the shower. You were on your back when I went in and on your TUMMY on my way out! You have definitely mastered rolling over!

Nov 8 (4m20d) – Christmas is Mom’s favorite occasion (much to Dad’s chagrin), and judging from your expression, you are really enjoying the Christmas music! Yes, I know it’s too early, but Dad was away in Boston, so I’m getting all my Christmas music in!

Nov 8 (4m20d) – Seems to be losing some of the fencing reflex?

Nov 9 (4m21d) – I drove you out to Target with the plan of getting back in time to put you down for a nap. Well, Sunday = slow drivers, and I did NOT make it back in time, despite my shouting your name to prevent you from falling asleep in the car. So we took an impromptu stroll at the Secluded Farm Trails at the Saunders-Monticello trail. It was a beautiful, clear Sunday. You enjoyed the bumpity-bump-bump of being off-trail.

Nov 9 (4m21d) – This was your view on our little jaunt!

Nov 9 (4d21d) – Ahh… so this is how you’re rolling over while Mom’s in the shower!

Nov 9 (4m21d) – Such a graceful roller-overer!

Nov 12 (4m24d) – Today, you got to meet Dr. Kilfoil, the doctor who brought you into this world! And then we went running in the warm 71ºF weather on Riverview. You fell asleep because I ran during your nap time, and you woke up smiling! 🙂 What a trooper!

Nov 14 (21 weeks) – No more week stickers! 😦 But now that you’re a bonafide roller-overer, you don’t need no stinkin’ stickers anymore, right? (Well, except maybe for the months!)

Nov 14 (4m26d) – Look who’s proud of himself for being on his tummy!

Nov 14 (4m26d) – And you can even gnaw on Sophie, all hands-free!

Nov 14 (21 weeks) – Since yesterday, I noticed that you were trying to get your feet in your hands and pull them towards your mouth! I snapped this picture before we headed out for a (cold) run at Riverview. Later that night, while you were chilling out in the swing and reaching for your foot again, you pulled off your sock and put THAT in your mouth instead! We Skyped with Ông and Bà before bed and you finally succeeded in putting your foot in your mouth! That’s the only evidence I have of this momentous occasion! No photographic proof!!

Nov 16 (4m28d) – Many interesting things happened on this day. During our run at Riverview, it started raining. Luckily, your BundleMe kept you pretty protected from the elements; however, since I couldn’t see you, I didn’t know if you were asleep or not. (You were pretty silent!)

Nov 16 (4m28d) – So, we got home and I put you down for your nap, since it had been two hours since you woke up. For almost a full hour, you kept rolling over onto your back and pulling the balls hanging over your bassinet down! You weren’t unhappy, but you definitely did NOT sleep! After an hour (I snuck in a shower, folded the laundry and put them away), I picked you up, changed your diaper and nursed you. And then, you fell asleep!!

Nov 16 (4m28d) – Perhaps you were so quiet in the stroller because you were playing with your fingers. These days, you are most interested in your fingers!

Nov 18 (4m30d) – Just one day shy of your 5th month! Before our COLD run to the downtown mall, I noticed that you and I were dress in identical colors, so we had to have Dad take a snapshot! I had just woken you up from a nice, long nap, but you were still smiling! 🙂